Brunswick Honk for Climate action
Join us as we call on the people of Brunswick driving home from work to Honk for Climate Action, and support our campaign for No New Coal Fired Power Stations in Victoria.
Bring your sign!
Time Monday August 8 2011 From 5pm to 6pm
Where: Opposite the Mechanics Institute on Sydney Road, Brunswick
(cnr Sydney Road and Glenlyon Road)
Results of meeting with Kelvin Thomson
For three long months we got out amongst the people of Moreland and even WE were surprised at how many people who were frustrated with the lack of government support for renewable energy.
80% of the people who stopped to talk to us though the government should be doing more and sent messages to our leaders like:
Support 100% renewable!
Please do what’s best for the country not what’s best for industry
Just make some decisions and stop fluffing – the time is now.
For the full report, including a full list of all comments please see: http://climateactionmoreland.org/2011/07/19/stop-puffing-wind-all-over-the-place-189-conversations-about-renewable-energy-in-moreland/
After being featured in the Moreland Leader, it was time for our conversations to join over 14 000 others from around the country in Canberra, for a presentation to the Multi Party Climate Change Committee, and then on to talk to the press.
We knew it was getting pretty tough in the carbon price negotiations with renewable energy fighting it out with gassy coal mines, steel works, coal fired power (did we mention coal?) and aluminium smelters for government assistance and support. We’d heard there were rumours that the government was planning to spend as little as 5% of the carbon price revenue on renewable energy.
Which had us pretty worried.
Our meeting with Kelvin, or trying to start a back bench revolt
Next Climate Action Moreland meeting!
Are you, like us, up in arms about the well funded and just-a-tad hysterical scare campaign of Tony Abbott on the carbon price?
Then come along to the next Climate Action Moreland meeting, 7pm next Tuesday, 26 July at the Edinburgh Castle, corner of Sydney Road and Albion St, Brunswick.
All welcome! Please contact Ellen on 0408 583 694 or roberts.ellen.x@gmail.com for more information.
We’ll be talking about how to make the case for climate action – your thoughts and experience is needed. This is a defining moment for climate change in Australia, and we have a chance to change the public narrative!
‘Stop Puffing Wind All Over the Place!’ 189 Conversations about Renewable Energy
100% renewables campaign
Get some backbone. Stop chasing the dollar. Invest in the future!
Please do what’s best for the country not what’s best for industry!!
Hurry up!!
These responses were indicative of the themes that emerged from conversations that CAM volunteers had when they spoke to some 189 people in the Coburg Brunswick area earlier this year as part of the 100% Renewables campaign.
Frustration at government was the underlying sentiment. Frustration at the lack of vision, the lack of courage, the lack of a sustained and cohesive approach, the small steps being taken to support renewables, and a sense of time slipping by. There was strong support for the need to develop a plan to move to 100% renewables and to put a price on pollution. The other key message was that the government needs to meet head on the scare campaign from vested interests against renewables. For the full report please click on the link below.
Climate Action Moreland Survey Report
This research was part of the 100% Renewables campaign and fed into the 14000 responses collected across the country with the results being presented to the Multi Party Climate Change Committee in June. The results of the CAM survey were highly consistent with the national picture on renewable energy and enabled a strong message to be conveyed to the Multi Party Committee.
Finally, getting a start on climate action!
- 1 billion dollars a year for 5 years for measures to support renewables from 2014 (eg, loans and loan guarantees) with another billion that might go to renewables or to gas.
- ARENA - the administration of existing renewable energy funds will be by an independent board and taken out of the control of Martin Ferguson – aka the Minister for Promoting Dirty Coal, in our humble opinion. :)
- Modelling about a 100% renewable energy grid to be undertaken by the independent Australian Energy Market Operator, AEMO (otherwise known as grid regulator).
Big polluters, including coal fired power stations, will get billions in cash and free permits under the scheme. If they pass increased costs onto consumers AND pocket the compensation that’s a double bonus for our biggest polluters – AKA wind fall profits!
Gasland Screening 21 June
Just when you thought it was safe to turn on the tap, comes Coal Seam Gas! Sweeping the United States, and currently ripping up Queensland and New South Wales, the Coal Seam Gas industry is the latest climate catastrophe. In the search for the cleaner fuel ‘gas’ the process of extracting gas from coal seams, or ‘fracking’ is devastating water sources, farming land and the health of local populations.
Gasland is a powerful documentary exposing the Coal Seam Gas industry, and Climate Action Moreland is holding a free screening:
21 June 2011, 6.30pm at the Edinburgh Castle, corner of Sydney Road and Albion Streets, Brunswick
Stop Stop HRL! It’s getting hot in here (so switch off all your coal!)
Here at Climate Action Moreland for the last year or so we’ve been fighting against the new coal fired power station planned for Victoria. The HRL power station is named after HRL Ltd, the company that will build it (who said coal companies lacked imagination?). It’s billed as ‘clean coal’ but in fact will be no cleaner than other black coal fired power stations. Every year of its life it will fill Victoria’s atmoshpere with millions of tonnes of pollution.
Climate Action Moreland have written submissions, sent emails, attended community briefings and put our case that instead of more coal we need to be switching immediately to renewable energy.
So imagine our dismay when last Friday, the Environment Protection Authority gave the green light to start work on a new coal fired power station for Victoria. The HRL power station will cause million tonnes of pollution, impact the health of local residents and divert public and private money away from clean renewable energy projects.
Upcoming Event: Sustainability in the Pub
In collaboration with the wonderful Moreland Energy Foundation, on Thursday May 12 at 6pm – 8pm, Climate Action Moreland present Sustainability in the Pub. This month we’ll be talking about the good, the bad and the just plain neutral of carbon offsetting.
Should we offset? How does it all work? Does someone REALLY plant a tree when we press the magic offset button?
With Climate Action Moreland own Charmaine Chew, talking about her project journeysforclimatejustice, Lee Tan, Asia Pacifc Campaigner from the Australian Conservation Foundation about her visit to Australian government funded offset projects in Indonesia and an excellent speaker from MEFL.
At everyone’s favourite … In The Pub venue, the Edinburgh Castle, corner Albion Street and Sydney Road.
Doorknocking for 20 000 Conversations about Renewable Energy before June!
In June Rob Oakeshott will table 20 000 renewable energy surveys collected from around the country by climate action groups like us as part of the national 100% Renewables Campaign.
We’ve set a target of 500 surveys, and we’ve already started, talking to people at the Sydney Road festival (see Jody pictured above), in the Coburg Mall, and coming up this weekend in fantastic Fawkner.
If you’d like to be a part of this national community campaign for green energy – get in touch! Details are below:
Doorknocking for Renewable Energy
Saturday, May 7, 1pm – 4pm (training from 1pm – 2pm)
Meet at Fawkner Neighbourhood House at the CB Smith Reserve
Corner of Jukes Road and Williams Road, Fawkner
Call Ellen on 0408 583 694 for more information.
March Politics in the Pub – Carbon Pricing
‘Renewable Energy or Just Less Money for Beer’ was the question that animated the discussion at Climate Action Moreland’s first Politics in the Pub for 2011. Views in Climate Action Moreland have been mixed on this most hotly of debated issues, proving that we do represent a broad cross section of Morelandian society!
We are all united on the need for urgent climate action however, and so the debate was focussed on whether or not carbon pricing would be effective to actually start to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. While some of the discussion considered the more technical aspects of carbon pricing, many people also added their thoughts on the political implications of either choosing to implement a carbon price now or whether we should wait for more clear alternatives.
What do you think about carbon pricing? Tell us your thoughts.
If we don’t get the carbon price, will Tony Abbott be elected? If we do, will this mean that we see no more action on climate in Australia, even though the carbon price will not significantly drive down emissions in its current form?
