People Power works

We're 4 days away from arguably the most momentous US election ever. It's pretty clear that Obama is rightly going to win, and luckily for my nerves, the last few days have proven to me that change is possible, that people can affect the future and make a difference. If enough of us stand up together for something we believe in strongly, we can make it happen.

On 28th October 2008, a week before this historic election, Friends of the Earth has won possibly the most significant campaign of its kind anywhere in the world. We launched The Big Ask campaign back in May 2005 to call on the UK Government to introduce climate change legislation that would require annual reductions in CO2 emissions of 3% annually. That's equivalent to the 80% cut in greenhouse gases that scientists say is needed by the year 2050 globally to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. It was a bold and ambitious campaign - and yet a simple idea. We demanded that our own country take a lead on the most important issue facing the world today and introduce a strong law that would ensure that all governments from now until 2050 are legally bound to take action to stop it.

Of course, like all new ideas, it took a while for people to get what we were on about - Government ministers originally sneered at the idea of a Climate Change Bill. And yet, gradually, the idea caught on... people in their thousands, then in their 10s of thousands and then in their 100s of thousands signed up to the campaign and got in touch with their elected representatives. A combination of common sense policy, hard scientific fact, inspiring communications and the most skilled and dedicated grassroots activist network in the country swung into action.

We got out there every weekend on the high streets of Britain talking to the public about the dangers and solutions to climate change. We held public meetings with our MPs and showed them the huge groundswell of public feeling. We launched the Stop Climate Chaos coalition which brought together a huge range of the largest development charities and most influential NGOs in the country behind our idea. We made music and got 100,000s of campaign postcards signed at festivals, Radiohead concerts and our own Big Ask Live gigs. We screened Al Gore's film 100s of time all across the country. We lobbied 620 out of 646 MPs on this issue in just one month back in 2006! We put targeted pressure on 250 Labour backbenchers last year and got them to commit themselves to take action in public meetings or in media stunts.. the list of actions goes on and on.

I feel proud to say that I've been involved in every stage of making this awesome activism happen, along with 100s of other volunteers and colleagues - foremost of which are the inspirational Friends of the Earth local groups dotted around the country. They persevered over the long and often tough 3 years of campaigning that it took to achieve this win.

Bit by bit we've won over the politicians. We had 3 key asks, and gradually they have come round to agreeing with us on all of these. From the need for annual CO2 reduction targets (to ensure we get ourselves on a downward trend straight away), to the need for a stronger long-term target of 80% cuts by 2050, through to the need for ALL emissions to be counted fairly and squarely, including those from aviation and shipping - people power convinced our politicians that these are the right steps to take. Even if these are only the first steps we need to take in a long and uphill struggle to tackle an overwhelming, yet man-made phenomenon which will affect all life on earth.

So I sat here on Tuesday evening watching the scene unfold in front of me on my laptop (yay, for BBC Parliament Live), as MPs filed into the House of Commons to vote on the world's first Climate Change Act. It was often surreal hearing MPs argue with passion for the things which 2 years ago they dismissed out of hand - but it was incredibly moving and powerful to realise just how far we've come since May 2005! The Climate Bill debate lasted until after 10pm, and still I watched, glued to every word and spotting the very same politicians onscreen who I've lobbied face-to-face over the last few years.

Then came the final vote. The House filled up and 476 MPs voted to introduce a historic Climate Change Law. Only 5 MPs voted against (and if I may say so most of them are complete loonies like Sammy Wilson)! The new Minister for Energy and Climate Change, Ed Milliband made the following tribute in his closing comments which sums up for me the complete awesomeness of this campaign:

"I end by paying tribute not to those in the House, but to those outside it: those who saw the dangers of climate change and the actions that needed to be taken long before the politicians did. I pay tribute to the scientists who detected the problem, the campaigners who fought to bring it to public attention, the green movement that mobilised for change, and above all, the members of the public who wrote to us in record numbers, asking for a Bill that met the scale of the challenge. I believe that we have met that challenge. We owe them a debt of gratitude for making it happen, and I urge all Members to support the Third Reading."

I also want to include here two further quotes which made me feel all warm, fuzzy and empowered inside for what we've achieved:

Elliot Morley MP (former Minister for Climate Change): "I acknowledge the contribution of the Friends of the Earth Big Ask campaign, which included the two key elements: the 80 per cent. target, which has been conceded, and the inclusion of aviation and shipping, which is being conceded tonight. That will strengthen the Bill; the two issues are vital."


Steve Webb MP (Shadow Environment Minister for the Liberal Democrat party:
"Influences on the Bill have come from inside and outside the House. My hon. Friend the Member for Cheltenham (Martin Horwood) and I have benefited hugely from the expertise of Friends of the Earth and many other campaigning organisations. They may even have helped us draft the odd amendment."

The only conclusion we can draw from this world-class, world-first, world-changing result is that people power works. I say bring on November 4 and let the hard work begin.

Here's an inspiring video which expresses all the above much more succinctly and inspirationally than I'm able to here: