You may remember the Climate9 trial that took place at Aberdeen Sheriff Court in 2010. The trial of the nine young activists, who played golf on the runway of Aberdeen Airport and in the process stopped hundreds of tonnes of carbon emissions being emitted as they shut down the airport made international headlines.
This resulted in the first climate change jury trial to take place in Scotland and the biggest in the UK since the failure of the 2009 climate talks in Copenhagen. The trial brought global public attention to the need for action in order to prevent runaway climate change.
In light of the interest raised by the Climate9, the group’s defence committee have produced 5 short films. The online films - 'How Ordinary People Take on the State for Environmental Justice' – powerfully document the way nine ordinary people fighting for environmental justice challenged the legal system. The films are intended to be used as learning tools for activists, individuals and groups.
The 'Introduction to the Climate 9' video above is the first in the series and we will be releasing the next four on every following Wednesday - next week stay tuned for 'FIGHTING THE LAW'.
The Climate9 received support from diverse organisations, including leading anti-racist groups (The Monitoring Group), pioneering environmental justice groups (Capacity Global), world leaders in community environmental governance (The Gaia Foundation), top spiritual bodies (The Muslim Council of Scotland) churches, politicians (Caroline Lucas), NGOs (Friends of the Earth Scotland and Stop Climate Chaos Scotland), musicians (Linton Kwesi Johnson), journalists (John Pilger) and many many more.
Tilly Gifford, member of the Climate9, said:
"We protested about aviation, the fastest growing source of CO2 emissions in the UK, but at the heart of the trial was our fundamental right to protest. These videos are intended not just as a record of what we did but as an aid to other activists."
The conviction related to a direct action taken in March 2009, when the Climate 9 shut down Aberdeen airport and directly stopped 107 tonnes of Carbon emissions from contributing to man-made climate change. They played golf in a cage on the taxiway to highlight the fact that the airport's expansion will also pave the way for Donald Trump's contentious golf course for the super rich at the Balmedie Estate.
Following a two week long trial in August 2010 all nine defendants were convicted of breach of the peace for their role in the protest. However, in the appeal and to this day, all the Climate9 activists firmly believe that the action they took was justified, proportionate and necessary in the face of catastrophic climate change.
Plane Stupid, who were involved in the Aberdeen protest, are open to suggestions and welcome invitations for how we can share this story and help catalyse other communities challenging the state and the law. Please get in touch via press@planestupud.com if you have any suggestions.
