Coal is like, so last century...

'A future for coal is no future for us.' Students from the People & Planet network sent a message loud and clear to Ed Miliband on Saturday 4 July.

Image © Nishma Doshi

Image © Nishma Doshi

Image © Nishma Doshi

Students from the People & Planet network joined campaigners from other organisations such as Oxfam and the World Development Movement to form a human chain around Kingsnorth on 4 July. We told the Climate and Energy Minister Ed Miliband that until he agrees to stop all CO2 emissions from dirty coal fired plants like Kingsnorth from day one, the future of the planet and the people who live on it hangs in the balance.

Our banners lovingly created by students at the Summer Gathering went down a storm with other campaigners tweeting about them as we all made our way towards the power station. However the award for best campaigning prop definitely went to the Women’s Institute for their campaigning cake, emblazoned with a fondant icing coal power station!

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Already, climate change is devastating the lives of poor people around the world. If Ed is serious about tackling global poverty and climate change, then dirty coal at Kingsnorth must not go ahead. Ed has a choice: either to be a hero or a hypocrite. He cannot expect his arguments for a fair and safe global deal at the crucial climate negotiations in Copenhagen to be taken seriously if he’s planning to build new dirty coal fired power stations at home. We are not going to stop until he makes the right choice.