We would like to thank all of you who have attended rallies, signed petitions, written letters and talked to friends and family about climate change and the desperate need for governments at all levels to do something substantial now. With both a state and federal election next year, climate change will be a determining factor in how people will vote. It’s going to be a busy year.
In the meantime, we wish you all the best for a happy and safe festive season.
WHAT’S ON
Stop Adani protest There will be a nationwide protest. In Sydney it will be this Saturday 8 December at Sydney Town Hall square 11am-1pm.
Home waste and sustainability assessment Ryde Council offers this free service where an advisor will give you advice that identifies where you can save money on energy, water and waste. Free but you need to book. https://www.ryde.nsw.gov.au/Environment-and-Waste/Sustainable-Living/Home-Waste-and-Sustainability-Advisory-Service
WHAT WE’VE BEEN DOING
In the last month we have done the following:
We are currently trying to get meetings with John Alexander and Trent Zimmerman. We’ll let you know how it goes.
NEWS AND EVENTS
Adani Adani has announced it will use its own funds to start this mine. Sign this petition to the two major parties saying it is an election issue for you. https://act.350.org/letter/pledge_to_vote_to_stop_adani And then sign this letter to all the companies connected with Adani to say don’t be involved in this mine. https://www.marketforces.org.au/info/key-issues/theadanilist/
Student rally Thousands of school children across Australia protested on 30 November about climate change and demanded action from the federal government and the Labor opposition. For those of us who went to support them, it was an incredible experience. Martin Place was full. There were some excellent speeches and powerful placards. See some of them here https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/nov/30/climate-change-strike-thousands-of-students-to-join-national-protest and here https://www.facebook.com/pg/AustralianConservationFoundation/photos/ and then read this article. https://www.themonthly.com.au/today/paddy-manning/2018/30/2018/1543553052/kids-teach-grown-ups
Make climate change an election issue Wilderness Society has a petition asking Labor to support strong environmental laws at its national conference. https://wilderness.good.do/ALPleaders/NatCon/ Sign the petition organised by ACF telling the major parties it’s a voting item for the next election. https://www.acf.org.au/vote_climate
WA removes moritorium on fracking The WA government has lifted this moritorium despite strong opposition. Watch the video of farmers who will be affected and then consider giving a donation to Lock the Gate to help in their fight. https://www.lockthegate.org.au/wafrackattack
Alternative Christmas gifts Looking for a gift that will help save the planet? Here are some suggestions: Wildnerness Society https://supporter.wilderness.org.au/donate to help in their battle against deforestation; Climate Council https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/donate/ for spread the facts about climate change; Lock the Gate https://www.lockthegate.org.au/ to fund their many battles against CSG; WIRES https://www.wires.org.au/donate/now to help in saving our injured native animals; Australian Wildlife Conservancy http://www.australianwildlife.org/support-awc/donate.aspx or Bush Heritage https://secure.bushheritage.org.au/donate/ to continue their conservation work; 350.org https://act.350.org/donate/australia/ to support their work to rid the world of fossil fuels; Australian Marine Conservation Society https://www.marineconservation.org.au/pages/donate.html to protect our marine life; Boomerang Alliance https://www.boomerangalliance.org.au/donation to continue their work to get rid of plastic; Renew (formerly Alternative Technology Association) https://renew.org.au/donate/ to install solar panels in isolated villages in Timor (watch this video to see the positive impact solar panels have on the community) https://www.youtube.com/watch ): Solar Citizens https://www.solarcitizens.org.au/donate to continue lobbying our politicians for solar power for everyone; NPA (National Parks Association) https://npansw.org/donations/ for their work to protect our forests and save the koala and Kosciuszko National Park; Market Forces https://www.marketforces.org.au/ for their work in getting companies and super funds to move away from investing in fossil fuels; Environmental Justice Australia https://www.envirojustice.org.au/donate/ which provides legal assistance to communities wanting to protect the environment
Transport solutions Transport is Australia’s second largest carbon emitter. The Climate Council released a report on how to reduce those emissions https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/resources/transport-climate-change/ and then sign the petition to ask for more electric buses in Sydney https://www.jamieparker.org/electricbus
IPCC and UN reportsThe IPCC report released in October was not good news and has been ignored by the federal government. Read the summary https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/resources/limiting-temperature-rise/ and then email your MP to highlight the report https://aycc.good.do/email_your_mp_ipcc/email_your_mp_ipcc/ In then meantime the UN is saying the G20 (which includes Australia) is failing miserably to meet its commitmentsto reducing carbon emissions which now seem inadequate. https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/countries-fail-paris-promises-to-cut-carbon-emissions-report-20181128-p50iv0.html
NSW – hot spot of deforestation Wilderness Society has a petition asking NSW government to end deforestation which could lead to koala extinction https://wilderness.good.do/deforestationNSW/jointpetition/ then donate to the National Parks campaign https://npansw.org/npa/campaigns/statewide-campaigns/land-clearing/
Old growth forest at Kingsdale Station Wilderness Society has a petition asking the Federal government to reconsider the bulldozing of this important old growth forest. https://wilderness.good.do/ProtectKingvale/kingvaleprice/
Energy Communication Guide Climate Council has put together a guide to help you understand the complexities of the energy debate and then be able to communicate that information https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/resources/energy-communications-guide-2018/
Plastic and why we hate it A long but informative article. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/nov/13/the-plastic-backlash-whats-behind-our-sudden-rage-and-will-it-make-a-difference
Oil drilling in the Great Australian Bight Sign the petition asking all political parties to ban drilling in this incredibly important area. https://saveourmarinelife.org.au/sign-the-petition-to-ban-oil-in-the-great-australia-bight/