Issue and Opponent: In December of 2006, Eon, an energy company, applied to the Medway council in Kent, England, to build coal-fired generating units, the first in England since 1974. The plant would emit more carbon dioxide than the world’s thirty lowest emitting countries combined. Within a few months, two other companies were proposing similar projects, with even more to follow.
Dilemma Action: Greenpeace, along with several environmental activist allies, targeted the Eon project with a campaign that lasted about seven months. One of the tactics used was the occupation of the existing power plant (on the site of the proposed new one) by 6 Greenpeace members who then planned to paint “Gordon Bin It” on the smokestack. The idea was to humiliate Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who was set to approve the new plant. The activists, later named the “Kingsnorth Six,” made a nine-hour climb up the 200-meter tall chimney, planning to hold it for several days to remove it from the National Grid and to paint a message in 10-meter high letters on the outside of the chimney.
Outcomes: When the six activists descended the smokestack the next day, they were arrested, and the incident received considerable media coverage. In their trial, the defendants argued that by shutting down the coal plant for a day, they prevented greater damage to even more valuable property. The jury’s verdict was the first instance in which the prevention of property damage resulting from the impacts of climate change was used as a lawful excuse in court. The defendant’s successful claim that the “property” that needed protecting was the planet and not the smokestack was a groundbreaking case that allowed them to claim defense of the planet as a viable motive. This took place early in the activism. Eventually, Eon was not able to build the plant.