David Viner And The Eco Campaigners

One of the emails to emerge from Climategate 2 features a request from an organisation called EYFA (European Youth For Action). The email is headed “Funding For Climate Campaigners” and has presumably been widely circulated to various interested parties including in this instance David Viner. However, on reading the email it would appear that EYFA are asking for applications for two people to work as Climate Activists.

There are many examples of similar canvassing emails sent to the UEA and naturally it does not follow that UEA agree with the views of those sending them. However, on this occasion, Viner forwarded the email on to a colleague at UEA. It is worth noting as well that he did not do this immediately, which might indicate that he just passed it on without paying much attention to it. Instead he waited 6 days before forwarding it on 30th Sep 1999, which was EYFA’s deadline date. The possibility exists that Viner thought some action might be needed before it was too late.

We cannot tell who he sent it on to and therefore we cannot be sure whether he believed the email was a request for funding or its real purpose of asking for applicants. In any event the content is extremely interesting. (Bold highlights are mine). The email is 0059 and is linked here.

 

date: Thu, 30 Sep 1999 09:05:05 +010 ???
from: David Viner <???@uea.ac.uk>
subject: Fwd: DEADLINE**Funding for climate campaigners
to: ???@uea.ac.uk
From: ???@eyfa.org
To: ???@eyfa.org
Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 00:07:09 +020 ???
X-Distribution: Moderate
MIME-Version: 1.0
Subject: DEADLINE**Funding for climate campaigners
X-Confirm-Reading-To: ???@eyfa.org
X-pmrqc: 1
Priority: normal
Status:
Funding for climate campaigners.
A call for proposals.
from ???@eyfa.org
Deadline: 30th September 1999
**please distribute to others who may be interested**
We would like to invite proposals from activists working on climate campaigning.
    Following an activist and NGO meeting in March this year, attended by climate
activists from Europe, Asia, USA, Australia and Latin America, funding was obtained to
support two people to work on a project connected to the sixth United Nations Climate
Convention, otherwise known as the Conference of the Parties (COP6), which will
happen in Autumn/Winter 2000/2001. The United Nations is currently considering only
one possible location for the meeting – den Haag, The Netherlands.
The International working group formed after the activist and NGO meeting are looking
for two people who would be able to create something innovative and effective with
this funding. They will be based in a Climate research group in Portugal,
‘Euronatura’. The campaign will be supported by the International working group
which has experience of United Nations negotiations, direct action, campaigning,
economics and climate science. Groups supporting this campaign include : eyfa, Aseed,
Carbusters Magazine, Korean Ecological Youth, Free The Planet USA, EuroNatura, Climate
Action Network Latin America, Climate Action Network Central and Eastern Europe and
Oilwatch Europe.
The thing that joins these people together is the desire to work together to
radicalise the agenda of the climate negotiations. The current direction of the
negotiations cannot hope to define targets nor build mechanisms of implementation and
compliance which will stop the currently dangerous emissions levels of Greenhouse
Gases.
Ideally, the collaboration between the two funded volunteers, Euronatura and the
International working group, will touch on all aspects of climate change and the
related campaigns of oil, forest, marine and transport. Equally, the collaboration
will be aware of all strategies to counter the weakness of the United Nations and the
dominance of certain lobbying groups (notably the oil and nuclear industry). The
strategies discussed by the International working group revolve around direct action,
research and negotiation.
     Project ideas which have been discussed are a counter/alternative meeting at the same
time and place as the UN meeting and/or a symbolic event such as The Climate Train to
Kyoto. Please bring YOUR ideas to us! What do you think would be the most effective
way to radicalise the UN agenda and protect the climate from our current economic
and political systems? There are plans for a team to work in USA on a parallel
campaign.
The project should begin by the end of the 1999.
Are you a person who has the energy, skills and commitment to coordinate the European
component of an international campaign?
(unfortunately, the funding is only for people *under 26 years of age *from Iceland,
Norway, Algeria, Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Morocco, Palestine,
Syria, Tunisia, Turkey or any EU country)
Please make your proposal for the campaign which you would like to be part of…
Deadline 30th September 1999.
Send to:
Climate Campaigns,
Postbox 94115
1090 GC
Amsterdam
Netherlands
fax: +31 ???
email: ???@eyfa.org
eyfa
postbus 94115
gc 1090
amsterdam
netherlands
tel. +31 ???
fax. +31 ???
email. ???@eyfa.org
#——————————————–
# Dr. David Viner
# Climate Impacts LINK Project
# Climatic Research Unit
# University of East Anglia
# Norwich NR4 7TJ
# UK
#            mailto://???@uea.ac.uk
# WWW: http://www.cru.uea.ac.uk/link
# WWW: http://ipcc-ddc.cru.uea.ac.uk
# Tel: +44 ???
# Fax: +44 ???
#———————————————

 

I must make it clear that I am not saying Viner necessarily had any involvement in this campaign or shared any of its objectives. He may have simply passed it on to another section at UEA without even reading it properly. What does make the email interesting, though, is what it shows about the organisation and motives of EYFA and the myriad of NGO’s and other radical organisations supporting climate activism.

They talk of “radicalising the agenda “,” direct action” and “protecting the climate from our current economic and political systems”. It is also worth noting that they oppose the dominance of “lobbying groups for the nuclear industry”. Clearly their agenda is not just about reducing CO2.

So who are EYFA? The organisation is based in Amsterdam, but also has partner organisations in 18 European countries and has been described by the UN as ” a major group”. They depend heavily on the EU for funding via the EU Culture Program, European Youth Fund and European Youth Foundation, all EU funding programs. It is clear from their website that they are a radical left wing organisation and that climate change and even environmentalism are only a small part of remit, as the objectives laid down on their website show :-

 

EYFA Priorities

Over the course of EYFA’s existence the network has focused its energy on a wide variety of projects all across Europe. Out of these projects patterns have emerged that point to some of EYFA’s priorities. Developed by the network, office and Board, and re-evaluated each year at network strategy meetings, these priorities provide focus for EYFA’s work. While we prioritise these four areas, we continue to offer support to groups whose work does not fall into one of these categories.

Environmental Justice

EYFA’s environmental justice perspective is based on the understanding that most environmental problems are also a question of social and economic injustice. Socially sustainable and just communities go hand in hand with environmentally sound ways of living. EYFA’s many climate justice, energy and environmental projects have aimed to draw the links between economic growth-obsession and the exploitation and destruction of our natural and human environment as well as excluding large populations from access to resources.

Exclusion

Social, cultural, institutional or individual beliefs and practices exist which privilege some human beings and exclude, by subordination and oppression others, based on attributes of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class or caste, among many other distinctions. EYFA believes that social and economic exclusion are tied into histories of patriarchy, colonialism and imperialism, as well as profit and power. These experiences have at times given rise to equally oppressive and excluding practices and policies. If we are to create a world free from hierarchy, exploitation and oppression that instead respects the autonomy and dignity of all human beings, the way these forces interact must be recognised and addressed. With our focus on supporting Eastern European groups, our current work includes many groups working to tackle issues of institutional exclusion, gender inequality, fascism, nationalism, racism and homophobia.

http://eyfa.org/organization/vision/priorities

 

All of this raises the following questions :-

1) Why did EYFA think the UEA and David Viner in particular would be interested in helping their cause?

2) Why did David Viner forward the email on and to whom?

3) Why are the EU providing the bulk of the funding to EYFA, when they are clearly a politically motivated group?

4) Who were the NGO’s involved in setting up and presumably funding this particular project?

5) To what extent have governments, NGO’s, the EU, Universities and the Climate Scientist community been involved in funding and promoting climate activist groups and their activities since 1999. (The email mentions  “plans for a team to work in USA on a parallel campaign“).