Poet and vicar take part in power station 'Trespass'
10 September 2009

Birmingham poet laureate Giovanni Esposito (more commonly known as Spoz) and Sutton Coldfield Vicar, the Reverend John Routh yesterday took part in the first Mass Visual Trespass organised by Christian Aid.  Both men had an enormous image of themselves projected onto an East Shropshire power plant in order to highlight the crucial issue of climate change.

The Mass Visual Trespass was staged on Friday night to mark the 100 day countdown to December’s crucial UN climate change summit in Copenhagen.  Images showing hundreds of Christian Aid supporters including Birmingham based film maker and theologian Robert Beckford were beamed onto a cooling tower at the E.ON power station in Ironbridge, Shropshire.  The supporters were all captured holding up climate justice messages directed at Prime Minister Gordon Brown. 

Gemma Holding, Unit Manager in Christian Aid’s Birmingham office attended the projection and said: ‘Gordon Brown can hardly ignore this giant projection onto such an iconic landmark.  Surely he must acknowledge this visual protest by the public.’ 

A series of Mass Visual Trespasses targeting similar landmarks across Britain will take place over the next four months to highlight Christian Aid’s demand that the UK government takes a global lead in the battle against climate change. 

Members of the public are encouraged to join the trespass by adding a photograph of themselves, and their climate messages,  at www.christianaid.org.uk/trespass

The charity is calling on Gordon Brown to attend the UN summit in person in December and to press rich countries to commit to at least 40 per cent carbon emission reductions by 2020.  It also wants the UK government, along with other developed nations, to commit the necessary support and resources, including technology transfers, to enable developing countries to reduce emissions, develop in a low carbon way and adapt to climate change.

In addition, Christian Aid says no new coal fired power stations should be built in the UK without carbon capture and storage facilities, which should also be retro-fitted to all older power stations when the technology is proven. 

Spoz,  45, from Rednal, Birmingham also wrote a poem to coincide with the first projection of the Mass Visual Trespass, which he entitled ‘Boys and Girls of the Black Stuff’.  Whilst attending the first trespass and watching his image be projected onto the power plant, Spoz performed his poem that highlights the importance of Copenhagen. 

Commenting on the campaign, Spoz said: ‘I’ve no doubt that Gordon Brown and Barrack Obama know, like every other human on this planet, that CO2 emissions to the atmosphere must be massively reduced.  They know that the poorest nations suffer the most.  They know this.  They will argue that there are economic factors to be considered when dealing with this “sensitive” issue.  So, what price life guys?’

Rev’d John Routh, 49, of Holy Trinity Church, Sutton Coldfield also witnessed the giant projection.‘Climate change endangers us all.  Halting it is urgent – the highest priority any government should have.  Our prime minister must show its importance by going to Copenhagen himself, ’ he said.

Paul Brannen, head of campaigns at Christian Aid said:  ‘Ironbridge was an appropriate target for our first Mass Visual Trespass because it is the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. It is rich industrialised countries, like the UK, that are historically responsible for causing climate change.  They must now demonstrate a new kind of leadership in dealing with the consequences.

‘Climate change is already having a devastating effect on the people we work with in developing countries who have contributed very little to global warming.  Vulnerable communities are bearing the brunt of unpredictable weather patterns, droughts, floods, tropical storms and higher incidences of disease. For these people, climate change is now a matter of life or death.

‘It’s time for a new revolution, a climate revolution. It’s vital that a fair and just climate deal is agreed in Copenhagen to come into force when the first phase of the Kyoto Protocol ends in 2012.’

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