Kingsnorth, Kent: the new frontier of the battle to stop climate change

As unlikely as it may seem, the small village of Kingsnorth in Kent is at the cutting edge of the fight against climate change in the UK. This fight is over a proposal to build a new coal-fired power station in Kingsnorth, which looks set to become the new Newbury. The proposed station will emit as much carbon dioxide into the air as Ghana each year and is only the first of seven coal power stations that are queuing to be given the go-ahead. The main players are: the government, led by John Hutton at the Department of Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (which likes to be known as BERR); and EON, the energy company that likes you to think it's green. The World Development Movement and other green and development campaigners are opposing this move, which would be devastating for the planet; labour backbenchers and opposition parties are also calling for a public inquiry and asking difficult questions in parliament.

The World Development Movement campaigns for justice for the world's poor. Climate Change is at the heart of our campaigns, as we know that the disastrous effects of dangerous climate change are going to hit the world's most vulnerable people first and worst. We are campaigning for the UK to become a real leader in the battle against climate change, which is why we are taking on the government and EON over new coal power stations. If the government looks to our past and goes for coal, rather than focusing on the future and renewable energy, the UK's contribution to climate change is going to rocket and people in the developing world are going to suffer from disease, drought, flooding and loss of livelihoods and lives.