Friends of the Earth Scotland Webinar on the global community challenges to Data Centres

Joining up the movement against data centres

Opposition to massive AI data centres is growing in Scotland and affected communities continue to campaign, protest and organise against the greedy big tech developers who champion these projects. This week we hosted a very special National Meeting – on the global movement of resistance to data centres, with speakers from Malaysia, India, Ireland, the United States and Scotland.

Watch the recording of the webinar here

No to Larbet Data Centres

No Data Centre for Larbert

Friends of the Earth Falkirk have been supporting the residents campaign against the planning application for a Mega 300 MW Data Centre. We have attended two public meetings organised by residents, two community protests at the roundabout, where the land for sale sign identifies where the developer wants the planning permission for. The timescale for objections to Falkirk Council has now closed.

Over 7000 objections have been received and the community and national organisations has done a lot of analysis to identify and highlight publicly the impacts on a number of environmental and economic concerns in regards to the information within the planning application and the Environmental Impact Assessment. 

It is clear the scale of the proposal is not appropriate for the site in Larbert. There are specific issues related to the Data Centre information but for Friends of the Earth Falkirk the geographic location alone makes it an environmental injustice. The site is less than a kilometre for Forth Valley Royal Hospital the main hospital for Forth Valley. The Data Centre includes 200 generators to maintain a power supply for power cuts. The proposed Data Centre's demand for 24 hour energy consumption expects there to be, and will increase power outages in Larbert. Local residents don't want their hospital to have more power outages.

The proposal claims to be "Green" due to the use of renewable power. On the scale of this, and the other proposed Data Centre's, proposed in Scotland would increase the demand for renewable electricity and increased demand either maintains or increases the price of the energy. 

We can not allow Data Centres to exploit our green energy for corporate profit.

The promise of renewable energy in Scotland has been energy security and reductions in energy costs.

For more specific information on the Larbert Proposal follow No To Larbert Data Centre Facebook page.

Local residents are holding a Public Meeting at Larbert Dobbie Hall, 7pm  on Thursday 10 September. Due to the turnout at the previous meeting numbers are limited to 500 and a ticket is required to attend.

There is a gathering of communities impacted by proposed Data Centres at Scottish Parliament on Wednesday 3 September, 11.30, to greet MSP's as they return form their summer holiday.

Falkirk Council Pre Determination Hearing will be held at Larbert High School Wednesday 16 September. All objectors will be invited to attend and Falkirk Council will be live streaming the event. See Falkirk Council Website for more details

Relaunch of Friends of the Earth Falkirk Local Grooup

For the past couple of years members of Friends of the Earth Falkirk have supported a number of events both locally and nationally. At times these events were so regular there was no need for the small steering group to meet in between events. Members have also been involved in solidarirty and counter racism protesting outside the asylum seeker accommodation in central Falkirk. At times this has been a bi-weekly commitment with national marches coming along regularly- Scotland Demands Better Edinburgh, Scotlands Climate March, and Falkirk's Unity March- one of the biggest protests in Falkirk Town Centre. 

Despite all these events, the group co-hosted a screening of Power Station along with the Polmont Community Hub. This was an oppertunity for our group's supporters to meet up watch an inspiring film and share food together. 

Everybody is busy and the relaunch is not so much to try and increase the core group but to increase the supporter membership and to provide opportunities for supporters to be inspired to take local action in their community through social and inspiring events.

Sign up for Friends of the Earth Falkirk email list

Sign up to the Friends of the Earth Falkirk Email list or details about the groups activities.

 If you would like to sign up to our email list and get involved in and suggest local campaign issues, complete the googledoc form and we will get in touch:

Sign up for Friends of the Earth Falkirk email list

Climate Camp Scotland

Climate Camp Scotland are returning to Aberdeen

10-15 July 2024, somewhere around Aberdeen

www.climatecampscotland.com/aberdeen-2024  

Living within the Glow 2021 Questionnaire

Friends of the Earth Falkirk are collecting views of local residents and beyond about their current concerns about living next to the oil industry in Grangemouth and their hopes for the future of the area. We are looking for diversity of views both locally and nationally and we will record them all in report Living within the Glow 2021. The 2021 questions are below the explanation of  the 2005 Report and a link to read the original report. 

To make a contribution to the Living within the Glow 2021 complete the form on the link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScCP24NNqqcnuHAf-BgYHZEL0nviA8_e3cWfULlpN8J6oq4yw/viewform?usp=sf_link

In 2005 Friends of the Earth Falkirk undertook a street questionnaire to ask residents who live within the glow of the Grangemouth oil refinery their views on the industry. We went onto the streets of Grangemouth and Bo’ness and asked the question. “When do you reminded that you live close to a major petro-chemical industry?”!

Read Living Within The Glow: Stories from the fence line by clicking the link:

https://climateactionscotland.files.wordpress.com/2018/12/living-within-the-glow-2006.pdf

In 2005 the refinery was under the management of BP. Over the past 16 years a lot has change within the industry with INEOS owning the majority of the oil and gas production in the town now. As the Scotland Government and Falkirk Council recognise the Climate Emergency Ineos continue to be the largest polluter in Scotland, Five of the INEOS plants based along Bo’ness Road include five of the the top ten biggest carbon polluters in Scotland. When Scotland has effectively banned fracking in Scotland INEOS ships fracked gas direct from Pennsylvania in the United States to Grangemouth Docks to maintain its role as the biggest producer of plastic in the UK. The impact of the oil and gas industry in not restricted to the residents of Grangemouth and we like the view from residents across Falkirk District who have an opinion to share.!

The two questions for 2021 are:

Do you know what nurdles are? Do you know were they come from?

 

https://fb.watch/46hEBr7dze/

Watch our nurdle video on our Facebook page 

Solidarity with striking farmers in India

 #shineonindiafarmers Friends of the Earth Falkirk stand in solidarity with the striking farmers in India defending their food sovereignty against the Indian Government and agribusiness development

Main Street, Bainsford, Falkirk and West Bridge Street remain amount the dirtiest streets in Scotland- Again

 

Divest Falkirk Press Release

To whom it may concern,

Please see the following press release from Divest Falkirk press release 4/12/20 for your consideration.

............

FALKIRK PENSION FUND LOSES OVER 34 MILLION AS FOSSIL FUEL INVESTMENTS CRASH IN THE LAST THREE YEARS. 

The non-profit organisation, Platform, commissioned Transition Economics to conduct the analysis (1), which showed that the combined investments by 10 Scottish local government pension funds into leading oil companies, including BP and Royal Dutch Shell, collapsed between April 2017 and November 2020.

Falkirk Council’s Pension Fund which saw losses of £34,769,72. Translating to hundreds of pounds lost for every member of the fund in Falkirk, Clackmannanshire and Stirling. 

Concerned constituents and members of the local Divest Falkirk campaign have been actively engaging councillors and representatives of the Falkirk council Pension Fund since 2018. We have been calling for an end to fossil fuels investments and instead a commitment to renewable energy and needed infrastructure like social housing. 

Particularly concerning was the lack of interest and concern from the SNP group. A meeting was held between campaign members with Paul Garner, SNP environment spokesperson for the Falkirk Council, in 2019. Despite passing a motion declaring a climate emergency, the investment concerns were not taken seriously. 

Combined factors of climate change, where the burning of fossil fuels – coal, oil and gas – is the main driver of this problem, there is also a serious threat to pensions as the oil and gas sector continues to collapse. 

This analysis concluded that, across the UK, local authority pension funds could have lost at least £1.75 billion in value over the past three years as a result of retaining their investments in just nine oil & gas companies.

Angus Maclean from Divest Falkirk said:

“We have on many occasions raised these financial risks with councillors and unfortunately they have been met with deaf ears. It is time the Falkirk Pension Fund listens and works towards a more sustainable future for all of us.”

END

Contact details:

Angus Maclean

Amaclean4@gmail.com

NOTES TO EDITORS

(1) Original report 'Value lost to UK local authority pensions due to oil investments'

https://foe-scotland.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b5ad0d61b2a67d22c68bf7d8d&id=691ddfa854&e=262bc8b257

 

#Shalemustfall We stand today in solidarity with frontline communities across Scotland, across the UK and across the globe

 

Gastivist Video- the case against fracked gas

 

Watch a short video on fossil gas which explains why shale must fall. Gastivists- Stopping a fossil gas lock in. Click on link https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FSMU4O401w0&feature=yout

Notes from recent Mossmorran Event and the local experience with INOES

Friends of the Earth Falkirk/ Friends of the Earth Scotland Zoom Event Tuesday 10 November 

Bellow is a brief summary of the meeting. There was a number of voices from local residents, local campaigners, representatives from national groups and others interested in hearing from Mossmorran and Grangemouth experience. 

Feedback from the Mosmorran Action Group- James and Linda 

When the Mossmorran plant was developed in the 1970’s there was a promise of prosperity and jobs for a community which had been decimated by the deindustrialisation of the tradition industries in fife. The plant was built at an “acceptable distance” from the community. When residents had complaints they were dismissed as individual concerns.

In 2017 there was a major flaring event which led to an angry public meeting. SEPA and the local politicians were present but not the Exxon or Shell . Concerns could no longer be presented at individual concerns. Freedom of Information requests were submitted and the information disclosed was published to inform the community and draw media attention to the communities concerns.

The Mossmorran Action Group was formed and images of the flaring was collected and shared on the MAG website and Facebook page. As people started to share their images and vocalise their concerns a SOCIAL IMPACT MAP was produced online to map where the information residents were sharing. 

Actions Speak Louder than Words 

With recent periods of high flaring there was an appetite amongst the group to have a presence at the plants gates on a regular bases to raise the profile of the concerns. This has lead to events at Scottish Parliament and support from local politicians during debates in parliament. The group is building a local movement.

Context of Grangemouth Community and Ineos Norman 

Grangemouth had a different starting point from Mossmorran. People moved to Grangemouth in the 70’ and 80’s after the discovery on North Sea Oil. Workers moved for well paid jobs and good working conditions with BP, which was a nationalised industry at the time. BP clearly had a social licence and the community were happy to balance any environmental concerns with the economic benefit. This social licence has now been lost by the industry. When BP was privatised the conditions on the workers deteriorated and jobs and job security was reduced. At the same time the ageing plant had more shut downs and flaring was just one of the concerns within the community. However, ironically due to the size of the industry surrounding the town, the industry is virtually invisible to local residents. It becomes invisible until something particularly unusual happens then life just carries on as normal.

Where BP had been good to the workers and the town, Ineos does not even look for a social licence. It has challenged it’s workforce, challenged the community in planning concerns and challenged SEPA and Scottish Government to enable it to continue its business of extraction, refining and manufacturing, as if there wasn't a global climate emergency.

How do we raise Environmental and Climate Justice concerns while engaging with the community and their lived experience of living within the glow of Ineos.

Meeting Discussion

There was a number of residents from Bo’ness. There was an agreement with the description of Grangemouth but concerns were shared that Bo’ness- just 4 miles away from Ineos Plant- are totally ignored by the industry. Where every household in Grangemouth receive Emergency Procedure Cards, the residents of Bo’ness, who are impacted by the pollution and potentially at risk from living close to the plant receive no information. When there is going to be disruption at the plant INEOS post last minute notification in Grangemouth but none of these are directed at Bo’ness Residents. The town would like recognition from INEOS. here has also been a call for SEPA to have an office in Grangemouth to address the environmental concerns  Finally there has been ongoing anger with the Scottish Government for overturning local planning decisions in favour of the industry, undermining the democratic processes the community engage in.  The Bo’ness Road Closure decision was just the latest example of this undermining of the community, Falkirk Council’s planning officials and the democratic process of a public enquiry.

Within Grangemouth there was recent resistance to the closure of Bo’ness Road but their was a struggle to get support for the Bo’ness Road Action Group. The group did have a couple of actions including picketing a ministerial visit and organising a cycle event- “Get on yer bike”. However, there was a feeling around the town that most residents are apathetic and accepting of their situation.

There was recognition from Grangemouth residents that the town is divided. There is households who have benefited from the oil industry and there remains a is a legacy loyalty. The town now has areas of social deprivation and one in four children in the town are living in poverty. Climate Change might not be these households highest priority right now. The response to the recent XR direct action was mixed with some people being supportive, some people being angry with the traffic disruption, but the majority probably didn’t have an opinion either way 

On the day of the meeting Ineos had announced potentially 200 jobs being lost as they reconfigured the plant and scale back operations in the downturn in demand for oil during the pandemic. This highlights the need for a Just Transition for workers and for the oil and gas workers to transition rather than be victims of the need for the oil and gas industry to scale down to meet climate targets.

The Ineos plants along Bo’ness Road, including 5 of the top ten biggest CO2 polluters in Scotland  joins up the dots of nearly every Friends of the Earth Scotland Campaign- Climate Justice, Just Transition, Fracking, Circular Economy, Plastics, Air Quality and importantly Community Action.

Possible Action Friends of the Earth can take forward form the meeting:

•  Look at replicating the Mossmorran Social Impact Map for Grangemouth 
• Look at community engagement in Grangemouth, Bo’ness and Falkirk to listen to the lived experience and concerns, while sharing relevant environmental campaigns. Collect stories and concern by video and text to share the views of local residents.
• Engage in relevant FoE Scotland campaigns through the lens of Grangemouth, Bo’ness and Falkirk.
• Campaign in solidarity with other Scottish sites, such as Mossmorran. 
• Campaign in solidarity with Ineos sites across the globe,such as fracking sites and plastic plants. across Europe. Call out Ineos Greenwash

Toxic News post on Grangemouth

https://toxicnews.org/2020/11/17/reflecting-on-noxious-deindustrialisation-from-paradox-to-paradigm/ 

Mossmorran Solidarity Enent

On Tuesday 10 November we hosted an event along with Friends of the Earth Scotland and the  Mossmorran Action Group. The meeting explored the similarities and the differences between the communities surrounding the Exxon Plant in Fife and the the community of Grangemouth which lives within the glow of Ineos. 
 

West Bridge Street, Falkirk remains in the top ten works polluted streets in Scotland

Read the Ferret Article here

Revealed: Scotland’s most polluted streets

35 Years of Environmental Injustice in Bhopal

On the night of 2nd December, 1984 a leak of methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas and other chemicals from the Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) pesticide plant in Bhopal, resulted in the exposure of hundreds of thousands of people. Over the next few days up to 8,000 people died and the case is counted as the worst industrial disaster in human history. According to the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal (ICJB), more than 150,000 gas victims are chronically ill, and 50,000 or so are too sick to even work for a living. Till date, more than 25,000 have died as a result of exposure to the poison gases. The toxic wastes that lie strewn in and around the factory has leaked its poisons into the groundwater.

We can never allow the conditions which resulted in this disaster not here not anywhere

In 2009 Friends of the Earth Falkirk co-hosted an event with environmental, union and academic activists in Grangemouth. Norman and Jessica attended the memorial at the Dow Chemical plant, which has now been demolished. Dharmesh Shah come all the way from India to Grangemouth this weekend to attend the event. 

The 26-year old Indian campaigner was outraged that the Dow Chemical Company appeared to have washed its hands of the terrible disaster at Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, 25 years ago next month. So he attend the protest today at the US multinational’s newly acquired Scottish factory in Wholeflats Road.

“We have not learnt the lessons we should have done, so it’s just a matter of time before another Bhopal happens because big companies have shown that they don’t respect human life,” he told the Sunday Herald. 

“There are still communities living around chemical plants, and companies are sending all their dangerous products to India, where the safety regulations are weak.”

Divest Falkirk

Climate Emergency The Time is Now- Ban Fracking!

 An informal evening hosted by Friends of the Earth Falkirk 

Thursday 30 May, Sewing Centre, Callendar Square, Falkirk, Just off the High Street. 7.30 9.30 Tea and Coffee and vegan soup will be served. 

All welcome

An opportunity to get an update from local and national anti -fracking groups as we complete the journey from a moratorium on fracking, through the planning system, to a full legal ban in Scotland.  

Mary Church, Friends of the Earth Scotland and Donald Campbell, The Broad Alliance will provide an updates before a discussion and catch up between groups with a common goal to bring the fracking debate in Scotland to a legal end

Youth Climate Strike at the Scottish Parliament

These two young people were involved in clearing and planting our community gardens 8 years ago and the stars of our three community garden videos. Now they have taken part in the most amazing global climate movement,the Youth Climate Strike, at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh. Standing side by side with young people from across Scotland to remind the adults and politicians that it is their furure we are ruining and a call for immediate action! Taking a day of school to take action.They will be catching the 8:24 from Falkirk Grahamston to Edinburgh Waverley this coming Friday 22nd March.If any young people want to join them!

We are so proud of these two and all the young people across Scotland and the globe who are making the adults aware that this is the generation who are not prepared to accept the current shortsighted policies on climate change.
Another example that the community gardens have been growing environmental activists at the same time as local food.