The anticipation surrounding the most talked-about climate conference to date comes to a head this week, as the final round of UNFCCC talks open in Denmark.  

Dr James Cooper talks to e-Politix

We have been talking to e-Politix, an online forum for MP’s and their advisors, researchers and the political community about what we want to see from Copenhagen.  You can read the full interview with James Cooper, our Head of Government Affairs here. 

Last weekend we were also in London and Glasgow to take part in mass demonstrations organised by the Stop Climate Chaos coalition.  We were joined by our members and supporters and over 50,000 other people, who were all there to march in support of the UK taking leadership at Copenhagen.  On the day of the march we met with Ed Miliband in Parliament afterwards giving him our call to action personally. 

The Trust was there to show support for a good deal for forests everywhere, and to see the UK turn words into action at home as a result.  You can still add your voice to our call to action – email Ed and Gordon Brown yourself today!

We are nearly at parliament and we are ready for our massive demonstration to show our support

The Wave is today!

At 3:oopm today, tens of thousands of people from all walks of life are sending a positive message to political leaders, in support of a safe climate future for all.

Watch our staff and volunteers WAVEing with them!

Take action today and call for leadership from the UK Government to ensure a safe future for forests everywhere at Copenhagen, and then setting an example at home.

All ready to go. Atmosphere is fantastic. Just waiting to set off

Dai the blue dragon has checked the weather forecast and is very excited about taking his first trip to London on Saturday 5 December. Dai is a Welsh Dragon, who has turned himself blue for the Wave and will be marching with Stop Climate Chaos Cymru at the event.

This is part of a very long and gruelling journey for Dai. Last week he met Members of the National Assembly for Wales, on the slate steps of the Senedd in Cardiff, who tied luggage labels to him, to take on his international journey of over 1000 miles to the Copenhagen Climate Change summit. Dai will take all of the labels, which ask for a 40% reduction in carbon emissions by 2020 and will be very proud to represent the environmental aspirations of the people of Wales.

Welsh Dragons are normally very shy, and rarely emerge from their caves during the daytime, but Dai feels so strongly about climate change that he insisted on joining Coed Cadw (the Woodland Trust) and the other SCCC partners in being a part of the Wave this Saturday, and then representing them at the Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen next week. Dai wants a fair, ambitious and binding deal in Copenhagen, and he’s hoping his appearance will make world leaders sit up and take notice. He wants them to deliver a fair global deal that keeps global warming under two degrees C. This means rich countries taking the lead by reducing their emissions by at least 40 per cent by 2020.

Assembly Member Mick Bates gives his luggage label to Dai

Dai dances on the steps of the Senedd

The Wave is this weekend!

As governments from all around the world try to negotiate a deal on reducing CO2 emissions at Copenhagen in December, global forest destruction which accounts for nearly 20% of human induced CO2 emissions, will be high on the agenda. World media attention will be focused on reporting negotiations to stop the loss of  global forest cover.

To mark our support our remaining trees are looking forward to joining tens of thousands of people, from all walks of life, on Saturday 5th December on the streets of London and Glasgow in this peaceful, positive demonstration of support for a safe climate future from the Copenhagen talks…

Walk with our trees on the Wave and show your support for the UK Government in leading on an agreement for a strong deal for forests everywhere, and then taking action at home as a result…

(Keep an eye out for more films between now and the 5th; this is number 3 in a series of 4!)

The Wave is this weekend!

Our trees are looking forward to joining tens of thousands of people, from all walks of life, on Saturday 5th December on the streets of London and Glasgow in this peaceful, positive demonstration of support for a safe climate future from the Copenhagen talks…

Watch them prepare for the event by doing their own mini-Mexican wave!

Walk with our trees on the Wave and show your support for the UK Government in leading on an agreement for a strong deal for forests everywhere, and then taking action at home as a result…

… yes, that is a car park!  Our trees chose this background to illustrate how bleak a world might look, if we can’t get proper protection agreed at Copenhagen - that wall’s the only green we might have in the future without more trees. 

(Keep an eye out for more films between now and the 5th; this is number 2 in a series of 4!)

This weekend is the Wave!

This peaceful, family-friendly demonstration has been organised on Saturday 5th December by the coalition Stop Climate Chaos, which the Trust is an active member.

Meet our trees!

Watch our short film and hear us talk about why we are going! Why not join us too?

 (keep an eye out for more posts; this is number one of a series of 4!)

Yesterday we attended a keynote speech given by the Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague at the Green Alliance’s annual debate on the environment.  Mr Hague outlined why he believes climate change is one of the two most pressing foreign policy challenges facing the UK, and crucially, how a future Conservative government would seek to work with the international community to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Ahead of the Copenhagen conference this speech was timely. Mr Hague’s commitment to preventing deforestation and increasing the incentives for protecting the rainforest was particularly welcome. The Trust has its own criteria by which it will be judging the success of the final agreement at Copenhagen and we ask that the final communiqué adopts the following actions:

• Absolute protection for all old growth forests from destruction
• No net loss of all forest area, including plantations
• Sustainable management of existing forests
• International trade in unsustainably-produced timber is made illegal
• A simple, long-term financial solution to make protecting forests more worthwhile than their destruction

Often wider international issues can provide a moment for reflecting on the success of conservation objectives at a national level. Regrettably the UK remains one of the least wooded regions in Europe; indeed  new native woodland creation has virtually stopped whilst ancient woods – our equivalent to the rainforest – continue to be under threat from development.

This new wood near Stansted was planted only 5 years ago.

Thankfully the UK Government is seeking to redress some of these shortcomings and recognises the value of new woodland creation as shown by a recent report from the Forestry Commission, which was welcomed at its launch by the Environment Secretary, Hilary Benn.  Let us hope that the next Parliament continues to recognise the value of woods and trees by pressing for more expansive targets and better protection for ancient woods.

Last week I planted my very first tree.  Some people assume that we spend all our time at the Woodland Trust tree planting and walking around beautiful woodlands, but unluckily for the Campaigning team we don’t get out as often as some of our other Trust colleagues so it’s taken me until now to get a chance to get my spade out!

And as an experience, what a first it was for me!  Not only was I planting my first tree – such a moving experience and so easy to do – but I was doing it on behalf of a range of organisations concerned about airport expansion including RSPB, WWF and World Development Movement.  In partnership with Greenpeace, in front of national media. In the pouring rain. With Richard Briers, Alison Steadman, CarolAnn Duffy, plus politicians of every hue and a whole community in tow.  Definitely not my usual Friday!

I was at the Airplot - the strip of land right in the middle of Heathrow’s proposed third runway, which was bought last year by Greenpeace and is co-owned by over 60,000 other people around the world.  This entire area was once home to orchards and famed for the Cox Orange Pippin apple.  Today the ‘market garden’ for London is under tonnes of tarmac and concrete, the constant roar of aircraft in the air.

Why was the Trust there?  Our fight against Stansted is well-known and one of our highest profile cases of woods under threat, where 6 ancient woodlands are at risk of being lost forever from proposals for a new runway.  But when it comes to Heathrow, it is the very trees themselves which bring us to Sipson and the surrounding villages. You can read more about our concerns for the ancient and historically important trees that remain (for now) in the area.

The "magnificent" ancient Harlington Yew

The Woodland Trust joined Greenpeace as ‘the tree experts’ supporting their planting of a new orchard and providing a good mix of native hedging to encourage biodiversity and improve pollination.  On the day, 13 trees of various types of apple species were planted to complement the allotment established on the site earlier in the year. 

I spent an amazing day with Greenpeace at Airplot. There was a wonderful feeling of cameraderie throughout the whole event despite the weather.  As we all huddled together under a small marquee (did I mention the rain?) sipping hand-squeezed apple juice fresh from local apples, we listened to local historian Philip Sherwood tell stories about the area as it once was. Then we were treated to a reading by Alison Steadman of a new poem by the Poet Laureate, CarolAnn Duffy, before heading out into the mud with our spades.

I realised the full scope of Heathrow’s plans as I talked to some of the locals from Sipson, Harlington and Harmondsworth. Their hopes that the plans can be defeated are tangible. These villages will all be flattened by BAA’s expansion, and their residents fear for their homes and communities in an uncertain future. 

As for the trees that could be lost with them; who knows what secrets old masters like the great Sipson Oak hold?  History remembers them being planted, generations have watched them grow. Who can imagine the thousands of species of fungi, plants and wildlife these trees can be host to? 

The incredibly resilient Harlington Yew has stood firm for perhaps 1,000 years and continues to grow, even after being manipulated and clipped over the centuries; it was once damaged so badly by a gale that it was left as a stump only 12 feet high – yet as you can see in the photo above, it is still awe-inspiring today. The story of these villages can be epitomised by this beautiful old tree. They may be battered but their spirit will take much more to break.

Aviation is one of the world’s fastest growing source of greenhouse gases. Government and business plans for unremitting airport expansion threatens our natural world and increases the potential for long-term consequences of climate change.

We believe that trees and woods have a valuable role to play in addressing the issue of climate change, but only as part of the solution.  We are backing community action to plant a twin tree in solidarity like local Greenpeace groups have been doing all over the country. You can take action too, and there’s no need to stop at one tree! 

Together we can all make the UK – one of the least wooded countries in Europe – a place rich in native trees and woods, and show there are strong roots of resistance to the type of large-scale development the aviation industry has to offer.