Climate Action: A campaign manual for greenhouse solutions

Diesendorf M 2009. Climate Action: A campaign manual for greenhouse solutions, UNSW Press, Sydney.

In the USA, social movements succeeded in stopping 59 proposals to build new conventional coal-fired power stations. In the UK, there is a continuing campaign to stop the expansion of Heathrow Airport, mostly on the grounds of the greenhouse gas emissions from increased flights. Responding to this global flowering of commitment, Climate Action is a campaign manual that draws upon positive case studies of successful grass-roots social movements. It presents a menu of strategies for activists and citizens who want to pressure governments and businesses to create a framework for big and rapid reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

Climate Action shows us how to work together to:

• Demystify the fallacies disseminated by vested interests, the Greenhouse Mafia
• Explain the potentials of various clean energy technologies
• Argue for policies that will lead to reductions in emissions
• Develop and implement strategies and tactics to change the stances of governments, businesses, trade unions and citizens.

Social movements have non-violently overthrown dictatorships, achieved votes for women and abolished slavery. The book will empower citizens to build the climate action movement into an irresistible global force that might just save the planet.