This year's climate camp took place from the 12th to the 16th of August in the beautiful Foyle Vally, County Tyrone.  Climate Camp had been invited by the local community so that we might help them with their campaign in opposition to the building of a the A5WTC (Western Transport Corridor) which would be part of a motorway between Dublin and Derry.

 The Camp began on Thursday with tours of the site.  The Camp had an array of structures along the top of the field on the side of a hill and was a curious sight to be seen for some distance off.  There was the all important kitchen tent which served delicious vegan food to the masses for the extent of the camp.  One of the workshop spaces was a genuine Mongolian yurt which with a stove in the center, it was the cosiest place on camp come evening time.  There was also two teepees, the spider tent, the army tent (which was also used for documentary screenings) and the the fire circle at the center of the site also held some workshops.  There was also the solar water heater which provided warm water for the dishes, the fire bath which gave hot water to be used in the wash house, the bread oven (which was responsible for burning an impatient tongue or two!), the two site pigs who seemed to love the scraps from the kitchen and at the end of the line were the 5* compost loos and urinals.

The workshops were not as numerous as last years but they were extremely interesting, informative and covered a wide range of topics across the spectrum of climate and social justice.  Like last year there were tough choices as to which workshops to attend.  

From the Alternative A5 Alliance website

"We call on the responsible members of the government who are involved in transport decisions to look again at the sustainable options available before committing the residents of this county to a future marred by the destruction of farms and homes, lives and livelihoods - caused by this unwise project. We ask them also to consider the vast destruction of our natural ‘carbon sink’ – the fields and trees of Tyrone – for the sake of a theoretical saving of 20minutes journey time."

Climate Camp will continue to support the community resisting the imposition of this roadway and calls on individuals to take action against unsustainable transport infrastructure.  People start planning.