Reclaim the Power Camp 2024 Info Pack
Reclaim the Power is back with a protest camp for Climate Justice from 8-13th August. We’re a decade old direct action network that works in solidarity with front-line communities to make interventions for a fairer world. (We helped sort out Fracking and ran Europe’s first climate & migrant justice camp).
Join us for 5 days of workshops, communal living and organising for a day of action. There will be a kids space, wheelchair adaptions and attendance is by pay as you feel.
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Why Target Drax?
Drax is a wood biomass power station located near Selby, in Yorkshire. It is a former coal-power station that converted to biomass, and now entirely burns wood biomass. Drax is the UKs single largest carbon emitter and world’s biggest tree burner. Their actions have been repeatedly linked to fueling environmental racism and causing huge amounts of harm to communities, forests and biodiversity.
This is a very expensive project, and we are paying for it. Our bills subsidise Drax by nearly £2 million a day, while they made over £1 billion in profits in 2023. Drax admits they rely on subsidies to survive, and is currently trying to get them renewed, so this is a crucial time act.
Drax is neither sustainable or renewable. It burns more trees than any other power station in the world, and is the UK’s largest single source of carbon emissions. Drax and the government claim that these emissions ‘don’t count’ because the trees are grown in other countries, and because one day far in the future another tree will store that carbon. But it’s common sense that they do count, right here and right now – they are contributing to catastrophic climate breakdown today. We need a real plan for reducing emissions, not a fantasy based on false accounting.
On top of that, Drax is toxic and dangerous. Drax power station is one of the highest emitters of particulate pollution in Europe, which causes lung disease and other respiratory problems, and it has been accused of endangering the health of their workers. The production of wood pellets in North America creates dangerous dust and pollution, which is destroying the health of people in marginalised communities and is a devastating injustice.
What’s on?
Key Info
Date: 8-13th August
The camp will start from the morning of Thursday 8th August to Tuesday 13th August.
The first and last day will be reserved for setting up camp and taking it down. From the 9th to 12th August there will be the programmed activities.
Cost
Solidarity – £40
Standard – £25
Low-income/unwaged – £15
If you are able to comfortably do so, please consider donating the solidarity amount to help make up for all those who can’t cover their full cost. If you cannot afford to donate £15, that’s okay – we have a ‘no-one turned away for lack of funds’ policy. These numbers are based on staying for the whole camp, so feel free to adjust as you like.
Location: travel to leeds
The camp will be located in Yorkshire, with the nearest station for national travellers being Leeds. The camp will be around an hour away from Leeds.
See all travel options, including coaches, public transport & a shuttle service on the transport page of this website.
The exact location of the camp (and the nearest train station) will be announced via email to those signed up to come, and publicly on our social media.
Accessibility
UNDER-16s POLICY
Anyone under 16 should have an accompanying adult. This person does not need to be a parent/carer, just an older person you know who can watch out for you. 16 and 17 year olds are welcome to come alone.
If anyone under 18 would like support on camp at any time from a DBS checked adult, find us in the kids space.
If you have any questions in the lead-up to camp, please email us at info@reclaimthepower.org.uk.
Dogs
Assistance dogs welcome are welcome on the site. Other dogs are discouraged for potential livestock and broader participant access reasons. Well-behaved dogs on a lead can attend if needed.
Legal Risk
Kids Space
There will be a dedicated kids space open between 9:00 and 5:30 every day of the camp (excluding setup and packdown), where children can be left while parents attend the programme etc. This will have a programme of kids activities (most likely two per day, one aimed at older kids and one aimed at younger kids) as well as having some toys, games, art materials, etc that are available all the time.
Support the Camp
Donate to the crowdfunder
Please chip in to make sure this happens, just £5 could cover food for one person for a day.
Sign here to show support
Sign on behalf of yourself or your organisation to support the camp. You would be supporting:
- We demand an end to bill payer subsidies to burning trees for energy
- A worker led transition to a green economy
- Reparations for the communities harmed by Drax’s operations.