Airplot thickens

In a canny move, Greenpeace UK – along with Oscar winning actress Emma Thompson, comedian Alistair McGowan and prospective Conservative parliamentary candidate Zac Goldsmith - has purchased a piece of land smack bang in the middle of the proposed third runway site at Heathrow Airport near London.

The UK government plans to go ahead with airport expansions across the country even though this would wipe out its chance of meeting its legally binding climate emission reduction targets. For some perspective on aviation’s contribution to the UK’s emissions, consider this: even if the whole rest of the UK economy shut down and reduced its emissions to zero, if every power station switched off and every car was taken off the road – aviation under the Government’s plan would alone still make the UK well in excess of its CO2 targets and a climate criminal.

Actress Emma Thomson, and British comedian Alistair MacGowan as well as the main UK opposition party (The Conservatives) environment advisor, Zac Goldsmith, have bought the land with Greenpeace. MPs from all parties, as well as a Royal Society scientist and other prominent figures, are also named on a legal deed of trust for the land and are supporting the campaign are asking thousands of people - worldwide - to ‘join the plot’ and sign up to join the legal deed of trust as well.

I have noticed that bureaucracy is a powerful tool for activism albeit too bourgeois and slow-burn for some. Much like the 'Last Auction Hero' post we had and much of the work I'm doing alongside Greenpeace, I am learning legislation is sometimes the only weapon that can swing an issue, hows that for an impotent truth.

Highly charged, intelligent and when one throws it back in the face of the red-tape inventers, pretty effective. When you hit at the heart of the corporate culture by speaking their bullshit language and then legally take it into activst realms I think it makes for one of my favourite sayings (coined by me and my sisters) "pimp the system while bad-mouthing it at all times". A pretty sweet revenge tactic on a system that doesnt work.

I wondered what Emma Thompson had been up to since her Shakespearian overload, period-piece, thee-ya-ter days lol