Last week I attended the third annual climate camp in Kingsnorth. I joined student union officers and activists from around the country, taking part in the day of action in opposition to the new building of a coal fired power station.

The environmental movement is a broad church, and nowhere was this more evident than at climate camp. It was home to all manner of environmental activists, including those that wouldn’t normally describe themselves as activists. Over 1,000 people were present, all of them compelled to take the trip to stand in opposition to the plan to build the UK’s first power station in 30 years.

One thing you couldn’t miss on arrival was the police presence dominating the perimeters of the camp. We were searched and quizzed on arrival, on departure and many times in between. But that wasn’t even the worst of it. Throughout the week they provocatively conducted dawn raids, flew helicopters continually over the camp and even managed to pepper spray a three year old child whist trying to move protestors on. This over action demonstrates a growing erosion of civil liberties, where even peaceful protestors are threatened with batons and dogs for simply taking opposition to a power station, which threatens the interests of not just those present but the whole of humanity.

These days you can hardly go a day without a news feature on climate change. Therefore it is interesting to monitor the PR exercises the energy companies are deploying to try and make their actions look greener. Despite what companies like E-on say fossil fuels like coal are not clean (emissions from coal are responsible for around 39% of global emissions of CO2 from fossil fuels), and the carbon capture technology they herald as making coal clean is untested and not ready for operation. Do not be mistaken, Kingsnorth and new coal fired power stations will lead us ever closer to irreversible climate chaos - all this at a time of growing public acceptance of the need to move away from fossil fuels.

Despite the turmoil on the perimeter, the camp itself was a haven of stimulating debate, insightful workshops and self organisation. There was a true community spirit on camp; everyone played an important role in decision making and getting things done. Climate camp is not just an annual event; it represents a broader social movement and a commitment to tackling the root causes of climate change. There are six climate camps taking place across the world this year and plenty of actions will no doubt follow, which NUS and Student Union’s need to play a crucial role in.

This is everyone’s responsibility, No matter what the extent of your previous involvement in the battle against climate chaos, I would urge you to learn more about the campaign to stop Kingsnorth at www.climatecamp.org.uk

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