I wish I was Scottish.

In countries with a much lesser climate impact than dear old Terra Australis, the media and general public are getting behind civil disobedience as a legitimate and necessary way to pressure government's into taking meaningful action on climate change.

Take for example excerpts from the Sunday Herald journalist Edd McCracken's coverage on recent civil disobedience as part of the Scottish climate camp. A conveyor belt near the Glentaggart opencast mine responsible for transporting hundreds of tonnes of coal to the Ravenstruther rail depot daily - was cut:

""If the government wants a strong Climate Change Bill, then we are just
helping them enforce it," says camp spokesman and seasoned activist Dan
Glass. "We're the law enforcers, doing it on the ground. If they say they
want a strong Climate Change Bill, great, we'll help them do it.""

Earlier this year, Scottish Coal was given permission to mine 1.7 million
tonnes of coal on land belonging to Lord Home, where the camp is situated.
The opencast mine would come within 1000m of the local hospital.

Some 650 objections to the proposals were received, but the project was
still given the go-ahead. Locals have long blamed the three existing
opencast mines, including Glentaggart, for the area's above-average rates of
cancer and asthma.

One local councillor says that, while he supported the camp, he had "no time
to sit in a field for a week. I've had three funerals to go to." All three
people had died of a disease he claims was related to the coal mine.

It's an excellent article: http://www.sundayherald.com/news/heraldnews/display.var.2524596.0.0.php

Particularly in the UK climate camp has achieved significant status, positive press coverage and attracted a greater diversity people waving the flag for legitimate climate action that serves people - not industry, not businessmen, and not politicians but real people.

And this is why we need climate camp in Australia. It's not about a bunch of dread-locked, ill-informed trouble-makers without jobs sitting around thinking of ways to 'fuck shit-up'. Climate camp is perhaps the only chance that you're ever going to get to learn about what's going-on without the filters of greed and fear. Be a part of community and actually stop greenhouse gas emissions.

No amount of carbon offsetting, green star ratings of photo opps compares to stopping greenhouse gas emission from being release into the air, protect our drinking water supply from being taken from us by multinational companies or leave our kids a decent inheritance.

I wish a lot of people would pull their heads out of their arses, show a bit of courage and actually 'do' something (opposed to dosomething.org) to change the ridiculous economic, social and governmental circumstances that do little more than hurt people.

climatecamp.org.au - consider yourself invited.