"Kick start clean energy" written on the side of the Rainbow Warrior in LEDs, with London buildings behind. © Will Rose / Greenpeace
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The Rainbow Warrior is a ship full of stories; everywhere on the ship there are photographs of the non-violent direct actions Greenpeace has taken over the years, artefacts from our campaigns, painted totems donated by Native Canadian people, pictures drawn by visitors to the boat, and portraits of crew members past and present. And every time you talk to someone who knows the ship and her history intimately, like the captain, you get the chance to hear more.
There's no way I'd have time to pass on all the stories I'm hearing but I am going to try and record a few of them for you, starting with Mike, the Captain (pictured), telling last night's guests the story of the Rainbow Warrior sailing into the Moruroa test zone. It's quite a story - have a listen to this mp3:
But our visitors last night didn't just hear stories from the past. They also got to hear - and see - a good deal about our present campaign: to give coal the boot and kickstart a clean energy revolution.
As Pete mentioned, the ship's side is covered with LEDs spelling out the words "Kick Start Clean Energy". And, throughout the evening, around 1000 of the 8000-plus bootprints you've made were projected onto the hull of the HMS Belfast, calling on Gordon Brown to Give Coal the Boot. (So a big thanks to everyone who has added their bootprint already and, if you haven't, you can add yours here.)
So, why all the fuss about coal? It's pretty simple: if we don't stop new coal, we can't beat climate change. And, if we don't beat climate change, the future for the world's inhabitants - human and otherwise - is very bleak indeed.
A couple of years ago, it looked pretty likely that the UK was going to see a devastating new coal rush; E.on was applying to build a new plant at Kingsnorth - emitting as much CO2 as the 30 least polluting countries combined - and John Hutton would pretty certainly rubber stamp it (his department even asked E.on for input into what they'd like the requirements for the new coal plant to include).
But over the past year or so, a lot has happened, and E.on - already the UK's number one polluter - is starting to look isolated. The Stop Climate Chaos coalition - representing millions of people - started campaigning against coal. Climate Camp went to Kingsnorth, bumping the issue of coal right up the media agenda. Anti-coal grassroots and local groups have sprung up around the country.
Recently, the Kingsnorth Six (using the defence of climate change) were found not guilty of criminal damage, a verdict which sent shockwaves around Whitehall. Not long afterwards, Gordon Brown reshuffled his Cabinet so that Ed Miliband and the new department for climate change and energy was responsible for decisions on energy - and not John Hutton's old department for business ("department for business" explaining a lot about why energy decisions inevitable favoured big energy companies).
So, ahead of the government announcing its decision on Kingsnorth, potentially the UK's first new coal plant in 30 years, there's everything to play for. We really are at the energy crossroads: do we dogmatically pursue new coal and new nuclear in a business as usual scenario - even though we don't need it and business should be anything but usual these days? Or do we commit the UK to a clean energy future, creating green jobs, increasing energy security and, crucially, slashing our carbon emissions.
What does the government need to do to create this clean energy future? I've already explained the policies urgently needed to create an energy system where renewables, efficiency and combined heat and power would be allowed to flourish, but that's just part of the story.
To reduce the UK's emissions from the energy sector, we need a clear and coherent policy that determines which power plants should get built and which should be scrapped according to how much they emit: a greenhouse gas standard for every new power plant in the UK.
It works a bit like the efficiency standards we have for cars; there's a limit on the amount of carbon dioxide emitted for every kilowatt hour of energy produced. And we say that limit should be 350g of CO2. (Oddly, the idea comes from Arnie - yes, that Arnie - who implemented it in California a few years ago.)
The beauty of it is that it cuts through energy companies' greenwash and obfuscation, of which we're seeing more and more. "Carbon capture ready" - the grounds on which E.on wants to build Kingsnorth - doesn't mean anything more than "we'll keep a bit of space aside and if, one day, CCS technology becomes viable, we might tack it onto the plant". It guarantees nothing and does nothing to stop emissions in the immediate future.
A minimum greenhouse gas standard would cut through the greenwash and would prevent all of the proposed new coal plants (none of which have working CCS) from being built. It would put the onus on energy companies to find and implement green energy solutions if they want to build energy infrastructure in the UK. And it would certainly mean goodbye to Kingsnorth 2 and its 30 countries' worth of CO2 emissions.
That's what this tour's about; harnessing the voices of the many thousands - millions even - of British people opposed to new coal, and asking the government to implement this standard, giving coal the boot and kickstarting a clean energy revolution. I hope you'll join us.
