Selby & District Green Party, along with Selby and Hull Friends of the Earth groups, recently met with Reverend Leo Woodberry from South Carolina, who travelled to Yorkshire to see the Drax power plant for himself.
Reverend Woodberry’s visit was part of his UK campaign to call on the Department for Business, Energy and Industry Strategy (BEIS) — now the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (ESNZ) — to stop subsidising Drax’s practices, which are harming and dispossessing his people back in the southeastern states of America.
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For those who may be unfamiliar, the Drax power plant is a massive facility located in Yorkshire that generates electricity by burning wood pellets. While this may seem like a renewable energy source, the truth is more complicated. The wood pellets used at Drax are primarily sourced from Canada and the southeastern United States. They are often made from whole trees rather than wood waste, as the plant’s owners claim. This practice has been shown to have a devastating impact on local ecosystems, wildlife, and communities.
During the meeting, Reverend Woodberry shared his concerns about the impact of Drax’s practices on his community and other communities in the southeastern US. He explained that the plant’s pollution and tree burning is causing serious health problems for people living nearby, including respiratory issues and an increased risk of cancer. He also spoke about how the plant’s practices are contributing to deforestation and the displacement of local communities.
Members of Selby & District Green Party and Selby and Hull Friends of the Earth groups expressed their support for Reverend Woodberry’s campaign and shared their own concerns about the impact of Drax’s practices on its workers, the environment and local communities in Yorkshire.
This campaign is not just about one power plant or one community. It is about the urgent need to transition to cleaner, more sustainable energy sources in order to protect our planet and its people, whilst protecting jobs through a just transition. The impact of climate change is already being felt around the world, and it is essential that we take action now to address it.
We’re not talking about the future, we’re talking about the present. We’re not talking about hypothetical people, we’re talking about real people who are suffering right now.
By supporting campaigns like this one and advocating for change, we can help build a more just and sustainable future for all.