Climate camp: So what changed?

How do you feel that climate camp has fared this week?

It's gone amazingly well. Literally thousands of people have turned up. Around 5,000 people have come through the gates over the course of the week and have had an inspiring, informative and empowering experience. It will help them to become more actively involved in future in the change that must take place.

We've had a lot of councillors down. One lady made the point that she thought what we were doing was wonderful and that she fully supported it.

What do you feel it has achieved?

Lots of people from the local community have come down and seen what it's all about and we've disseminated a large amount of information. We've been able to arrange other future actions - we're planning on shutting down E.ON's Ratcliffe coal-fired power station near Nottingham on October 17. Several people have been able to forge working relationships.

A significant proportion of people that went out and took direct action were people who have never done that sort of thing before, but found the confidence to do so after talking to those who have been more involved in the past. In terms of education, the vast majority of workshops have been crammed to capacity.

Campers have promised to leave Blackheath "better than we found it". How will you be going about that?

We set up our own power systems during the week. The camp has been powered by solar arrays and wind turbines that we've erected here.

It's important that we leave Blackheath in a responsible fashion. We're going to be dismantling the compost toilets and moving our waste away from the site. We'll be raking up the hay, and making sure to pick up the litter.

Have you been surprised by the "hands-off" approach taken by police?

I haven't been surprised by virtue of the fact that the police have received sustained criticism over the last few months in the media and in parliament over how they handled the G20 and Kingsnorth [the Kent site of last year's camp].

It remains to be seen whether this is a one-off style of policing for this event - where there's a lot of media in attendance - or whether it results in a more substantial change in future.

I think the police response has been the result of a charm offensive on public confidence.

Fellow climate campers have talked about the event being a battle for the hearts and minds of comparatively uncommitted citizens of the UK. With police stepping back this week, is there a danger that many of the actions this week might have been interpreted by some of the public as activists "taking the piss"?

I don't think we've done that. The aim of climate camp is to educate people. It's about people trying to create solutions in the face of government apathy. The fact the police have stepped back and let that happen is irrelevant in a lot of ways. Although obviously it's a relief that we're not being assaulted and having our civil liberties trampled on.

Previous climate camps have acted against specific polluters such as Heathrow airport and Kingsnorth and Drax power stations. Has the fact that there is no specific target this year changed the camp in any way?

For the camp this year, we decided not to have a big mass action focus. We wanted to step back and have a think, take stock and strengthen our attempts to stage mass actions like the Ratcliffe event in October. There have been a series of actions which have been empowering, but it was our intention to provide an opportunity to engage in the issues and find out how to make changes.

A group of 15 climate campers stormed the Daily Mail offices yesterday, complaining that their coverage this week presented them as "young middle class with a thinly disguised silver spoon protruding from the corner of their mouths". Is this an accusation that particularly rankles the camp?

I only heard about that action later on in the evening. We have used the camp this week as a framework to take their own autonomous actions.

Will there be more camps in London?

That's a big question for us. We don't want to have a climate camp for the sake of having a camp. We want to have the strength to fight for climate justice, and we're not afraid to experiment with new approaches.

Do you feel the camp has raised awareness of climate change issues?

It's critical for people in the UK to be aware of what's happening in Copenhagen [the Danish city is hosting the UN Climate Change Conference in December], especially with respect to what's going on with carbon trading. Carbon trading is a corrupt and ineffective system.