Health Archives - Page 21 of 31

International Elimination of Violence Against Women Day

Aberdeen City, Information No Responses »

Nov 212013

Aberdeen Women’s Alliance marks International Elimination of Violence Against Women Day

On Saturday 23rd November from 12pm, Aberdeen Women’s Alliance (AWA) will be marking the United Nation’s International Elimination of Violence Against Women Day by collecting donations for local charity, Rape and Abuse Support (RAS) at the top of the East Mall in Union Square.

International Elimination of Violence Against Women Day is marked annually by AWA to raise awareness that women locally and around the world are subject to a number of forms of violence.

By highlighting this particular day, AWA hope to draw attention to the scale and true nature of violence against women, most of which is hidden from public view.

Chair of AWA, Sandra Macdonald says:

“Recent figures from Police Scotland show that offences of domestic violence in Aberdeen have increased by 36 per cent and that there has been a rise in reported sexual assaults. It is vital that we all continue to raise awareness of violence against women.

“We are delighted to support RAS again this year. The funds we raise will go towards helping the excellent work RAS do to educate the public and professional bodies about the nature and extent of sexual violence as well as broadening understanding of how appropriate responses can be developed to prevent it.”

RAS provides support and advocacy to female survivors of sexual violence, whether recent or historical, as well as challenging public attitudes towards rape through outreach work.

AWA look forward to meeting and speaking with individuals on the day. If anyone has any questions or would like further information about the work being carried out by RAS, please email BoD@rasane.org.uk.

‘This Is Me’ – Official Launch

Aberdeen City, Articles No Responses »

Nov 142013

On Saturday the 9th of November the ‘This is Me’ 2014 charity calendar had its official launch at The Albyn Bar in Aberdeen. Over 180 supporters and sponsors packed the venue to listen to presentations outlining the project’s aims and objectives.

Afterwards, Jacqueline Fulton, the project’s head, talked to Duncan Harley about the motivation behind the initiative.

In today’s society we all can feel the pressure to look a certain way. Airbrushed images bombard us constantly and it is very easy to be persuaded that the only way to be is to emulate them. Sometimes there are disastrous results when people become ill in the process, and then need help and support to combat what can be quite a lonely illness.

“I wanted to do something to promote positive body image in ladies to get the message out there that everyone is beautiful, whatever shape or size they are. I have had my own personal struggles with body image and am really against the airbrushing and the ‘one size’ models that are used in the retail industry” says Jacqueline.

The ‘This is Me’ positive body image project has made and printed a ‘Calendar Girls’ style calendar, using models of all shapes and ages who are proud to say ‘this is me.’

Jacqueline continued:

“Through working on this project I have learned to accept my body and am happier now with how I look. I really hope that through this project we have been able to encourage and empower women to ‘BeYOUtiful’ and also raise awareness for eating disorders, which are not often talked about in our society.

“An eating disorder can be a very lonely illness however support groups such as NEEDS can offer a safe place to talk, thereby reducing the isolation.”

If you or someone you know is affected by an eating disorder and would like support please contact NEEDS on:

Tel. 01224 557672
Email: nhsg.needsadministrator@nhs.net
Web: www.needs-scotland.org

You can buy the ‘This is Me’ 2014 calendar from the online shop at http://thisisme.mysupadupa.com .

‘This is Me’ is on twitter @ThisIsMe20134 and facebook

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Choose Green – Top Tips For Saving Energy

Information, Opinion No Responses »

Nov 082013

By Duncan Harley

Aberdeen Voice is not currently considering teaming up with Home Energy Scotland to reflect on the situation of the 8000 or so citizens receiving the now abolished Incapacity Benefit in and around Scotland’s Granite City.
ESA, or Employment Support Allowance, seems to be the current title and seemingly:

“Claimants already receiving Incapacity Benefit, Income Support paid because of an illness or disability or Severe Disablement Allowance (SDA) continued to receive those benefits as long as they remained eligible. However, the government announced in 2010 that these claimants would all be migrated to ESA between spring 2011 and 2014.”

Hopefully this migration has taken place since fuel bills are going up yet again by another 8% or so, and with that in mind it is time to consider energy saving measures. You may feel disempowered, you may be on benefits or you may simply feel overwhelmed by the problem of how to keep warm this winter.

With those clocks changing and the outside temperature sliding downwards, it’s time to take control and manage your energy use in the 21st Century.

Top tips include:

Home Heating: Did you know that by just turning down your home thermostat by just 1 degree you can cut your home heating bill by 10%? Great news for your bank balance.
Your floor: Did you know that by insulating an under floor space and sealing those pesky gaps around your skirting boards you could save 1% of your annual spend on household heating? Great news for your bank balance.
Loft insulation: Did you know that most heat is lost via the roof? By making sure you have the recommended 270mm of insulation recommended by the government you could save around 30% on your annual bills for home heating. Great news for your bank balance.
Cremation: Did you know that the average cremation consumes around £200 of carbon rich resources. Many families choose cremation because it’s seen as a more environmentally friendly route than a traditional burial. Embalming, expensive sealed caskets and burial vaults are not required by law and although traditional memorial parks may require them, a green cemetery or memorial nature preserve does not. The simplicity of a green burial is in tune with nature and need not be expensive. Great news for your bank balance.

A green burial can relieve your loved ones of the distress that comes in having to make difficult, and often costly, decisions after your passing. Involve your friends and family now, so difficult decisions do not need to be made in a time of grief. Great news for your bank balance.

A green burial is a cremation alternative, and a viable alternative to traditional burial practices in the UK. It is an eco-earth friendly option when considering burial vs cremation.

Home Energy Scotland? Seems it’s at http://www.kennymacaskill.co.uk/news/home-energy-scotland/

It is apparently a one stop shop for people looking to save energy and lower fuel bills during the winter months.

Measures include offering free energy saving gadgets worth £50 in the form of a digital electricity monitor and a stand-by plug which will help households to save, on average, £47 a year on fuel bills and CO2 that would fill 361 wheelie bins.

Great news for your bank balance.

Kenny MacAskill MSP says:

“The range of help available through the Home Energy Hotline includes free or discounted insulation, central heating, help to switch to cheaper tariffs and help to ensure people are claiming their full pension and benefit support.

“By offering this help the Scottish Government are once again ensuring people are able to stay warm and keep their bills down this winter. If we see a winter similar to last year this will be a very welcome measure. The free energy-saving devices and other help will assist households in saving money at a time when everyone is counting the pennies.

“I would encourage anyone in Edinburgh East & Musselburgh who is unsure of what they can do to call the Home Energy Hotline on 0800 512 012.”

Great news for your bank balance.

The government and the energy companies wish you well this winter but advise you to remember to turn down your thermostat.

They also would like to take this opportunity to remind you that a warm home is a privilege not a right.

Great news for your bank balance.

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Great Gatsby Ball Raises £120,000 For Linn Moor School

Aberdeen City, News No Responses »

Nov 082013

With thanks to Jenny Montgomerie.

Aberdeen’s largest social care charity, VSA hosted its annual fundraising ball at Ardoe House Hotel on 2 November. The ball has as its theme The Great Gatsby. Over 300 guests enjoyed dinner and dancing whilst raising money to support autistic NE children and those with learning disabilities. £120,000 was raised to support Linn Moor School.

Among the guests were the parents of Lewis, a student at Linn Moor School. His father Graham is a great supporter and ran this year’s London Marathon to raise money for the school.

Graham described the ball as ‘fabulous’ and said that the school is a positive and promising environment for his son who cherishes his time there.

The school supports and encourages the development of essential academic and life skills allowing students to have the brightest possible future.

The Great Gatsby theme was embraced by all guests, with many elaborate fashions on display. Two lucky individuals won magnums of champagne as the best-dressed guests.

Speaking after the event, Debbie Fotheringham, VSA’s Events Co-ordinator said:

“Once again, I am overwhelmed at the generosity of our VSA supporters. Our Great Gatsby VSA Ball has raised thousands of pounds for an amazing service that VSA provides for local children and young people with complex needs. The kindness of our guests and sponsors, such as Garreth Wood and The Speratus Group is fantastic. We are delighted that so much has been raised as it will go a very long way for VSA to continue providing the best of care at our school.

“Our live auction showcased our biggest ever lot item – dinner on board the Royal Yacht Britannia for 10 people which was awarded to a very generous bidder for £10,000! A very big thank you must go to all of our table hosts, individuals and companies who donated items for our auction and raffle.”

For more on VSA, contact Jenny Montgomerie on 07894395270.
e-mail jenny.montgomerie@vsa.org.uk

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This Is Me – A Positive Body Image Project

Aberdeen City, Charity, Events No Responses »

Nov 012013

Duncan Harley introduces This Is Me, a positive body image project based in NE Scotland, headed up by Jacqueline Fulton.

In 2013, the women of This Is Me have taken part in creating a Positive Body Image calendar for 2014, and it’s on sale soon.
The calendar will raise money for NEEDS & Body Gossip, promoting positive body image and being able to say,

THIS IS ME!

80% of us are unhappy with the way we look and 60% think negatively about our appearance. So says Wikipedia.

Many women feel threatened by the camera, the mirror and that man in their lives – Eric, John, Bryan or whatever his name is.

Fear no more, body image is a blast from the past. A singularly unhelpful mirror of who you thought you were, and a place where you don’t need to be again.

Women are bombarded with Photo-shopped images of perfection every day. The impossible seems possible; the possible seems achievable in every way. It’s generally crap.

The result? This Is Me is a positive body image campaign working to banish body shame, encouraging everyone to be the best version of themselves they can be and to rock their very own brand of gorgeous.

This Is Me is launching the charity calendar at the Albyn Bar, Aberdeen on Saturday 9 November at 1930. Entry is free, but bring a tenner for the calendar.

More at: https://www.facebook.com/events/496088990475310/?fref=ts

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Bipeds, By-passes And Bye-bye Responsibility – A Response

Aberdeen City, Environment, Opinion No Responses »

Oct 212013

Voice reader Frank Paterson has been moved sufficiently by Fin Hall’s recent article on traffic management, Bipeds, by-passes and bye-bye responsibility, to add his own views. ‘It’s good for Aberdeen Voice to publish an article on such an important and contentious issue’, he says. Thank you, Frank.

With the greatest of respect to the writer, the article is a good reflection of mainstream NE thinking on transport, in grousing about congestion but failing to suggest ways of dealing with it, apart from demanding more road building.
This, as previous Voice articles have explained, will only exacerbate the problem.

This really is vital issue as the growth in road traffic is presenting an enormous threat to the environment and economy of Aberdeen.

Far more importantly however, it is disastrous to people’s health. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced that air pollution is officially a cause of lung and bowel cancer.

The writer urges Aberdeen drivers to be more considerate without taking into account Aberdeen’s transport system’s role in causing poor behaviour. The system is not only a complete embarrassment, but is also completely dysfunctional.

It appears to me that the article was unkind to George Kilbride, who was only attempting to action what transport managers throughout the world know to be the only viable solution to congestion and pollution, that is, modal shift in transport use. With sufficient political will this is achievable, as can be demonstrated by examples from many world cities.

unwillingness to change lifestyles is the root cause of the discontent expressed

However, experience shows that attempting to accommodate the current problems of motor transport by demand management, which has been the case up till now, results merely in the relocation of congestion.

This continues to be the case with the proposed AWPR and Third Don Crossing.

The footprint of cars and goods vehicles is too large, and fuel combustion too great, for individualised motorised travel. An aspiration of many is to drive the largest of vehicles but fundamentally there is not enough room within Aberdeen, and air quality is too poor, to accommodate current traffic comfortably, let alone more and larger vehicles.

Aberdeenshire Council’s Local Transport Strategy 2012 states (Para 8/28):

“The guiding principle of the LTS aims to encourage individuals to change their travel behaviour. If we are to succeed in achieving this, our citizens must feel comfortable and safe whether walking, cycling or using public transport or when choosing to drive”

Transport professionals are clear on what must be done, but politicians are afraid to act, so an unwillingness to change lifestyles is the root cause of the discontent expressed in the previous article. Anger and bewilderment will increase along with congestion until the inevitable restrictions on car use are enforced by necessity of space and clean air.

However, the perennial congestion at Aberdeen’s traffic pinch points demonstrates how much inconvenience car users are willing to endure before shifting to more sensible modes of travel.

Like the public smoking ban, the occupation of public highways by tons of steel and the discharge of combustion waste into the air people breathe, will need to be curtailed eventually. This will be necessary for everyone’s benefit, despite the inevitable outcry.

WHO report: http://www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/iarcnews/pdf/pr221_E.pdf
Aberdeenshire Council Local Transport Strategy 2012: http://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/transportation/lts/index.asp

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A Nuclear Weapons Free Scotland Is A Safer Scotland

Aberdeen City, Environment 2 Responses »

Oct 182013

With thanks to Gavin Mowat Constituency Assistant to Christian Allard MSP

Commenting on an interview by American investigative journalist and author Eric Schlosser in which he warned that the Trident nuclear weapons system had inherited design faults and safety flaws, Christian Allard, MSP for the North East, said:

“Scotland is a peaceful, progressive country and one where nuclear weapons have no place.

“Mr Schlosser’s comments highlight the safety concerns around Trident, the nuclear weapons system in Scottish waters, and add weight to calls for the unpopular weapons of mass destruction not to be renewed.”

In an interview for Channel 4 Mr Schlosser said that the Trident missile system, which is the principal nuclear weapon that Great Britain has, has safety issues that were revealed in a report to Congress more than 20 years ago – I hope in Scotland they’re very careful when loading and unloading the missiles.

Mr Allard, French-born member of the Scottish Parliament has joined the international group of Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament (PNND), and he is also a member of Aberdeen and District Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND).

The North East MSP said:

“I have always maintained that nuclear weapons and in particular Trident, are unsafe and that plans to spend £100 billion on their renewal would be folly. “

Jonathan Russell, Chair of Aberdeen and District Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament added:

“Nuclear weapons and Nuclear Power will always have the potential for accidents.

“Worryingly, on July 29th last year, there was a failure of both the primary and secondary sources of coolant for Nuclear reactors at the nuclear repair and refuelling facility at Devonport, Plymouth which could have led to a disaster on the scale of the one at Fukushima.”

Mr Allard added:

“The government and people of Scotland deserve the right to decide their own defence priorities, particularly as Westminster has already spent billions to renew the UK nuclear weapons system – despite the findings of Eric Schlosser.

“A Yes vote in 2014 is a vote for a nuclear weapons free Scotland, a safe Scotland.”

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Food Waste Minimisation – St Fitticks Church 19.10.13

Community, Information No Responses »

Oct 172013

Aberdeen Forward invite you to learn how to save money by reducing your food waste.

‘Tis the Season to Waste Not-Want Not.

Food waste minimisation sessions are being held at Torry St Fitticks Church in Aberdeen this Saturday morning, and on Tuesday afternoon.

We‘re looking for 30 households in Torry to participate! You could be one of those households!

If you are interested in taking part or finding out more, just stop by Torry St. Fittick’s Parish Church on the day

The sessions will take place on Saturday 19 October, from 10am-12 noon, and on Tuesday 22 October, from 12 noon-2pm.

For more information contact:

Karen Wood or Gillian Marr
Zero Waste Scotland Coordinators
Aberdeen Forward
2 Poynernook Road
Aberdeen AB11 5RW
Phone 01224-560360
Email kwood@aberdeenforward.org
or gillian@aberdeenforward.org

Torry St. Fittick’s Parish Church
Walker Road,
Aberdeen
AB11 8DL

Naughty Boy Receives Coal (At Our Expense)

Articles, Environment, Featured 1 Response »

Oct 042013

Last week, we presented an article by Mel Kelly on the dangers of Unconventional Coal Gasification (UCG), and the possibility of this being practiced in the UK. This week, we are grateful for Mel’s permission to bring you further news of the nature of investment in UCG and of who stands to gain, or lose. This article was recently published on the open democracy site http://www.opendemocracy.net/author/mel-kelly and has not been amended for publication in Voice.

The government is giving away the rights to up to a billion tonnes of coal to a company owned by an ex-Conservative party fundraiser. Rather than filling his pockets, couldn’t this revenue source be used for the public good?

The coalition government is providing a former Conservative Party fundraiser’s new company with licences which secure his company the rights and interests to billions of tons of the nation’s coal for UCG processing.

UCG stands for underground coal gasification – a process to drill wells to set fire to coal underground and extract the gas by-products – both onshore and offshore.

Official reports in 2009, 2011 and 2012 on UCG pilot studies in India, America and Australia resulted in major water contamination with highly toxic carcinogenic chemicals, Benzene and Toluene, (contamination which one private company covered up for 2 months) and the EU trial ending in disaster when they could not control the technology resulting in an explosion and the trial being abandoned.

Just a few weeks ago an independent scientific panel in Queensland advised the state government against the development of a UCG industry until the firms involved can demonstrate the ability to put out the underground coal fires the process creates.

Algy Cluff, the founder of one of the companies recently handed multiple UCG licenses for both onshore and offshore by the Department of Energy & Climate Change, actually stated last week the technology is not proven offshore . Yet, he is about to embark on a UCG offshore test in Scotland. And when we say offshore, this does not mean the North Sea – the test is to be carried out in the Firth of Forth.

UCG licenses are also being issued for the Thames Estuary, SwanseaBay, the Dee Estuary and the Humber Estuary – as well as the North and Irish seas – when the technology still poses risks of major contamination with UCG carcinogenic chemicals as well as explosions and subsidence.

Onshore licences have also been made available for Warwickshire, Dumfries&Galloway, Cumbria and Lincolnshire with Algy Cluff claiming the technology was “proven onshore” – despite the Queensland decision.

The people of Warwickshire and Fife are up in arms as they have only just found out about Algy Cluff’s plans to burn billions of tonnes of coal underground in their area to extract gas. So who exactly is Algy Cluff and what experience does he have in UCG?

David Cameron has opened the windows of this country once again

Algy Cluff made a fortune in North Sea oil in the 1970s and has been involved in Africa since the 60’s, where he had various mining interests including gold and platinum and “during his time in Zimbabwe he became a friend of the now-despised Robert Mugabe, the country’s president.”

He stood as a Conservative candidate in the 1966 General Election and used to own the Spectator magazine where he had former Tory Party Chairman Norman Tebbit and Francis Maude, the current Minister for the Cabinet Office and the Paymaster General, on his board of Directors .

Cluff was the unpaid external director of fundraising for the Conservative Party, securing large donations from prominent Hong Kong businessmen until June 1993 and he also helped fund Kenneth Clarke’s Tory Party leadership campaign in 2005.

Algy Cluff told Country Life magazine “he’s pleased with the Coalition” and of the Labour Party he said ‘I am thrilled that we’ve got rid of those snarling thugs, devoid of humour, manners or judgment. David Cameron has opened the windows of this country once again, and, although there are difficult times ahead, it is possible to hear the sound of laughter.’

After years abroad Algy Cluff returned to set up Cluff Natural Resources in the UK on 21st February 2012, just in time to apply for the new licences to the rights and interests in Britain’s coal for projects which his Board believes could generate significant value for Cluff Natural Resources shareholders – no wonder Algy Cluff predicted the sound of laughter.

The Firth of Forth in Scotland, just one of the coalition government new UCG licensed areas for which Cluff Natural Resources has secured a UCG license, has a target to burn up to 1 billion tonnes of untapped coal.

Despite only being formed in 2012 The Cluff Natural Resources website states: “The Company currently has 100% working interest in five Deep Underground Coal Gasification (‘UCG’) Licences in the UK covering a total of 30,881 hectares of Carmarthenshire and the Dee Estuary, the North Wales/Merseyside border, the Firth of Forth near Kincardine, Scotland, North Cumbria and Largo Bay. Cluff Natural Resources intends to carry out a Scoping Study on the licences and identify an area for test production” using unproven technology which, it has been established, can potentially cause major contamination of groundwater with carcinogenic chemicals, cause explosions and subsidence above and below ground.

fracking is one of the processes used.

Regarding the test site in the Firth of Forth in Scotland, last week Algy Cluff made the claim to a local newspaper, to justify his forthcoming drilling, “There would be no introduction of water or chemicals, unlike fracking”.

According to Science and Technology review’s explanation of the UCG process “In the UCG process, injection wells are drilled into an unmined coal seam, and either air or oxygen is injected into the cavity. Water is also needed and may be pumped from the surface or may come from the surrounding rock.”

The UCG Consulting website the UCG process requires “injecting oxidant and possibly steam or water to support combustion and the carbon gasification reactions”. Additionally, section 14 of Shell’s submission to the British Government regarding UCG states that fracking is one of the processes used.

Why is Algy Cluff so desperate to try to distance UCG from its requirement for water and fracking when everyone else in the industry is open and honest about the requirements? How is he able to claim the onshore UCG process is proven when it has run into so many problems around the world?

And why are the Tory MPs in charge of the Department of Energy and Climate Change so desperate to issue licences now, before the technology is determined to be safe? Could it be they are worried that if they wait, they will have lost the next election and the power to issue licences to private companies of their choice before the nation realises what is going on?

Should private companies be handed the rights to nation’s coal reserves without the government consulting the British people? Bearing in mind that, according to a Department of Trade and Industry report, “The UK resource suitable for deep seam UCG is estimated at 17 billion tonnes, or 300 years’ supply at current consumption, according to a Department of Trade & Industry report.”

The government charges telecoms companies billions of pounds just to use the airwaves of Britain for their profit – so how much is the nation’s 300 years worth of coal reserves worth to a country undergoing tough austerity? Rather than privatising our coal reserves to further enrich the wealthy, perhaps this source of revenue might be better used to bolster our empty public purse.

Images courtesy of Freefoto.com.

Click here for video of Mel Kelly being interviewed by Denis Campbell online – re. UCG

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Is Fracking All We Have To Worry About?

Articles, Environment, Featured No Responses »

Sep 272013

Aberdeen Voice is grateful to citizen journalist Mel Kelly for bringing to our attention the little known, but highly controversial issue of Unconventional Coal Gasification, and for granting permission to use one of her articles recently published on the Open Democracy site.

As demonstrations grow against “fracking” in the UK, another controversial gas extraction method has quietly been licensed.

Underground Coal Gasification, or UCG, is the drilling of wells to set fire to underground coal seams and the channelling of the mixture of gas by-products including hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methane and large volumes of carbon dioxide up to the surface.

Two well heads are required in the UCG process, one to inject air or oxygen down to the coal chamber and another to extract the resulting mix of gases produced by burning the coal underground.

Water taken either from the surface, or from below the ground is also required for the UCG process (over and above the water private companies already want to use for “fracking”). Once the gas runs out in the initial well location, the well heads are moved to follow the coal seam. This process leaves behind underground caverns contaminated with toxic waste, as well as scarring the countryside further as the wellheads creep along.

But scarring the countryside is the least of the environmental risks caused as a direct result of UCG gas extraction methods.

Reports on onshore UCG trials from America in 1993, Australia in 2011 and India in 2012 state UCG onshore trials had to be halted after groundwater was contaminated. Contaminants included benzene – which can cause leukaemia and bone marrow abnormalities in humans and animals – and toluene, which can affect the kidneys, nervous system, liver, brain and heart as well as causing miscarriages.

Friends Of The Earth’s Australian website states:

“The Department of Environment Resource Management recently had to shut down a UCG project in Queensland by Cougar Energy, after the discovery that local bores had become polluted with carcinogenic chemicals such as benzene and toluene. The contamination meant farmers in the area were unable to use the bores.

“The company however, didn’t notify the department until two months after it became aware of the contamination.”

Cougar Energy announced on August 19th that it is trying to change its name to Moreton Resources as:

“its current name is strongly linked to UCG and may be disadvantageous for attracting and retaining the support of investors in the future”

Of course, groundwater contamination is not the only serious consequence of the UCG process to extract gas.

Experts admit UCG also creates major subsidence risks both above and below ground.

The Frack Off website also listing 20 different known environmental risks it believes are associated with UCG gas extraction).

A 2011 American Report states:

“While UCG has a number of advantages, significant technological barriers must still be addressed before UCG can be considered commercially viable. Costly environmental consequences such as aquifer contamination and ground subsidence need consideration before commercial application.”

A few weeks ago, a Queensland Government panel rejected the commercial UCG industry in Queensland “until the companies proved they could halt the combustion process once gas had been extracted”, this is despite the companies using “world-leading technology” according to Mines Minister Andrew Cripps.

Even the European 1999 UCG trial had to be halted, with the Department of Trade Industry stating:

“a blockage that was impossible to clear, caused an underground explosion”

The Department of Energy and Climate Change webpage actually refers to this DTI sponsored trial claiming the trial “has demonstrated the feasibility of UCG at depths typical of European coal” and neglects to mention that the facts of the trial was, in fact, a complete disaster which resulted in an underground explosion out of anyone’s control.

If numerous UCG pilot projects on four different continents were halted as a result of major groundwater contamination or events getting out of control resulting in an explosion what will the impact of an untested large scale industrial project in a country the size of the UK be – such as the one currently proposed in Warwickshire?

A newly formed British company, Cluff Natural Resources, has applied for the first onshore licence in the UK to start UCG gas extraction in Warwickshire, with their founder, Algy Cluff claiming underground coal gasification is “safe and unlike fracking”, despite evidence to the contrary from recent trials worldwide.

He also claims UCG “is a fairly well established practice internationally” – again despite the Queensland government banning UCG, on an industrial scale, just weeks ago because it is still not safe, even when using world leading technology.

If Algy Cluff gets his way, this proposed UCG project in Warwickshire, will result in an area affected about the same size as Coventry which would stretch from Ryton-on-Dunsmore through Bubbenhall, Weston-under-Wetherley, Hunningham, Princethorpe and Marton – just 7 miles from Leamington Spa – ironically once famed for the quality and medicinal properties of the local water.

And that is just the first UCG application for an onshore UCG project.

According to Frack Off, this is only the start of a number of “fracking” projects the coalition government are licensing across England and the rest of the UK.

David Cameron’s government is currently going to court with the aim to ensure private mining companies can shift their liabilities away from covering the full cost of cleaning up their toxic mess.

With “the Advocate General and KMPG arguing UK insolvency law trumps the Scottish environmental regulations, meaning liquidators would have the power to abandon environmental clean-up costs after the company with the responsibility for them has gone bust”, reinforcing Cameron’s demands we should all back his dash for gas “fracking” and UCG processes.

No wonder the people of Warwickshire are furious.

Images courtesy of Freefoto.com.

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