I was arrested at my first fracking protest. This is too important to stand aside | Esme North

As a paramedic I understand emergency situations. In the face of catastrophic climate change, direct action is a moral obligationI was arrested yesterday for blockading Cuadrilla's fracking site at Preston New Road in Lancashire for over 12 hours. It was the first day of fracking after a seven-year delay due to earthquakes, powerful local opposition and legal challenges.As a paramedic, I have a good appreciation of emergency situations. Climate change is the biggest emergency of them all. This is the first time I've ever taken direct action like this. I join more than 350 people who have been arrested for disrupting Cuadrilla's site in Lancashire over the last two years. People driven to take such action range from local councillors to faith leaders, students to grandparents. In the past fortnight, three people were sentenced to up to 16 months in prison for climbing on top of lorries that carried key fracking equipment. Continue reading...