It's out there somewhere
There's no shortage of useful info on the web. The problem - as always - is finding the stuff you need. Here's a random assortment to get you going, starting with the obvious...
Stop Climate Chaos. This is the national campaign that we're here to support, aiming to "build a massive coalition, that will create an irresistible public mandate for political action to stop human-induced climate change." Confusingly, they campaign under the name of iCount.
TIDAL. To a some extent, this is the same gang of people as SCC Leeds but with a different hat on. We're into making poverty history, particularly the poverty caused by international debt and the unfair rules of international trade. But as climate change threatens to wipe out any progress we make on these fronts, TIDAL has recently been working hard to get Stop Climate Chaos Leeds up and running.
Leeds Sustainability Network is a network of small businesses, environmental groups, sustainability professionals and individuals in Leeds who want to help the city to become more sustainable, to help people save money in the process, and maybe even have some fun along the way! They have an excellent directory page on their website that saves us having to reproduce the same links here - instead, we'll just fill in a few of the gaps and plug a few of our own favourites.
Carbon Rationing Action Groups. A CRAG is a group of people who have decided to act together to reduce their individual and collective carbon footprints. They do this in annual cycle. First they set themselves an annual emissions target or "carbon ration". Then they keep track of their emissions over the year by keeping a record of their household energy use and private car and plane travel. To join the brand new Leeds CRAG, contact Colin Challen, MP for Middleton, Morley and Rothwell via his website or on 0207 219 8260 or 0113 238 1312.
The Yellow House. If you've got an old house and you're wondering how you can make it greener, this site is a gem. It tells the story of how George Marshall with his wife Annie and two young children "took a very ordinary English terrace 1930s house and set out on a limited budget to turn it into a dream eco-house: comfortable, clean, healthy, beautiful and a model for low impact living."
George Monbiot is one of the definitive global-warming gurus of our time. He argues convincingly that the UK needs to achieve a 90% reduction in carbon emissions - yes, ninety per cent - by 2030. What's more, he's got a detailed plan for how we could do it, which he details in his latest book "Heat: How to stop the planet burning". Highly readable and highly recommended.
And if it's good background info that you need, take a look at the BBC Climate Change portal.
Finally, The Convenient Solution (below) is a thought-provoking video from Greenpeace on the roles of nuclear and renewables in Britain's future energy plans. Like most things on this page, not necessarily endorsed by SCC Leeds, but well worth a look.