Posts tagged ‘Climate Action Moreland’
Media Release: Candidates thrash out implications of Climate policies at Coburg
A lively state election candidate’s climate forum at the Coburg Town Hall on Monday evening (17th of November) saw Moreland-based State election candidates discuss and argue the implications of wide range of climate impacts and their interaction with other policies. Candidates clashed on topics around buying back energy assets, and the impact of Moreland’s contentious development policies like the recently approved Coburg strategy on Climate change.
The forum, organised by Climate Action Moreland (CAM) and endorsed by five other environmental groups*, was attended by ten candidates who openly shared their views on climate change and their proposed policies for action to reduce human impacts on climate change.
Lower House candidates in the seats of Brunswick, Pascoe Vale and Broadmeadows as well as Upper House candidates in the Northern Metropolitan region were invited to the forum. Candidates attending included independent candidate Peter Allan and representatives from The Australian Greens, the Animal Justice Party, the Sex Party, Socialist Alliance, Save the Planet, Voice from the West, and the Liberal Party. There was lively discussion between all the candidates about renewable energy targets, public transport, cycling infrastructure, agricultural practices, urban planning and energy efficiency.
Despite five Labour candidates being invited, the Labor party chose not to provide representation to explain their climate change policies, or apparent lack thereof. CAM members strongly believe that Labor missed an opportunity to join in and speak to their constituents from across three electorates. Labor currently holds the lower house seats in Brunswick, Pascoe Vale and Broadmeadows. While Broadmeadows and Pascoe Vale are safe Labor seats, Brunswick is a marginal Labor / Green seat, yet Labor continues to remain silent on their environment and climate change policies.
Groups in neighbouring suburbs who have organised candidates forums have noted the non-attendance of Labor and Liberal candidates at environment focused forums. Both major parties shunned a recent climate forum in Northcote and the Uniting Church’s forum in Pascoe Vale.
“It’s a shame in an election that’s had very little attention on environmental issues, that the Labor party missed an opportunity to put themselves on the record. We had a forum that ran the gamut from the Liberal party to Socialist Alliance, and Labor chose not to be part of that conversation” lamented Michael Stanley from Climate Action Moreland.
CAM were impressed with the turn-out at the forum and felt that the candidates in attendance provided valuable insight into their climate change policies, but were disappointed that the Labor candidates chose not attend. CAM believes that residents of Moreland are very concerned about climate change, as it is one of the most pressing issues of our time, and that action to reduce human impacts on the environment needs to be at the forefront of political policy.
Climate campaigner and Climate Action Moreland member Andrea Bunting stated: “I believe Australians are ashamed about our country’s current stance on climate change. Candidates who refuse to discuss climate policies do so at their own peril.”
Notes: * The Forum was endorsed by Australian Youth Climate Council, Moreland Bicycle Users Group, 350.org, Moreland Community Against the Tunnel.
Embedded videos of 8 candidate party presentations are available from youtube and at:
https://climateactionmoreland.org/2014/11/19/candidate-video-presentations-from-climate-forum/
Photos of this election forum are available for use from John Englart’s Flickr Site – all with Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0) license.
November 19, 2014 at 8:43 pm morelandclimategroup 3 comments
Our Divestment campaign earned us an Environment Victoria Award
Our successful year long campaign for Moreland Council to adopt a process to divest from fossil fuels won Climate Action Moreland and 350.org Australia an award from Environment Victoria.
The award was announced at Environment Victoria’s AGM and awards night at RMIT in the city on Wednesday 29 October 2014. We were one of 11 awards handed out to groups in recognition of their contributions to Victoria’s environment, sustainability or climate action. About 50 groups were nominated for awards.
Environment Victoria CEO, Mark Wakeham said “The extraordinary efforts of these groups and individuals are truly inspiring. They are true environmental champions. Speaking up for our environment can be a tough and often thankless task. Yet strong community voices have been fundamental to every major environmental outcome ever achieved in Victoria. We thank these outstanding individuals and organisations and the many other people across Victoria working hard to protect our magnificent environment.”
Take a bow Moreland residents. We couldn’t have done this without the many hundreds of people who signed our divestment petition, who talked with us and came along to our meetings and forums, who emailed or rang councillors, or went along to Council meetings.
CAM February 2014 news
Welcome to the February 2014 edition of the Climate Action Moreland Newsletter.
A lot has been happening for climate activists since the Abbott Government came to power in September 2013. We urgently need to get climate change back on the political agenda, and build public support for Australia to take strong action on climate change.
Now more that ever, we need all concerned residents to work together to build this support. Climate Action Moreland (CAM) has several events organised. We hope you can join us.
CAM Planning Session: How should Climate Action Moreland work in 2014 to address the climate change emergency?
Monday Feb 17, 2014, 6.30 – 8.30 pm.
Join CAM to review 2013 and consider how we can best work in 2014. The Edy Castle offers generous dining options before 6 pm.
Venue: The Dining Room, Edinburgh Castle Hotel, 681 Sydney Rd (crn Albion), Brunswick
More information: Mark 0432 030 211 SallyRose 0431 445 930
Sydney Rd Street Party: Sunday March 2, 2014, 12 noon to 6pm
CAM is having a stall. Come and join us to help spread the word about climate change. Our stall will be south of Glenlyon Road on the east side. If you can help out for an hour or so, please let us know. Contact SallyRose 0431 445 930 or Michael 0400 054 134
Consultation with Moreland City Council on Community Climate Action Plan: Wed 12 March 2014, 6.30-8.00pm
Moreland City Council is developing a plan to map out Moreland’s strategy for climate action to transition towards zero net greenhouse gas emissions across the community by 2020. This consultation gives CAM members an opportunity to share their ideas with the Council.
Venue TBA. Please contact Mark 0432 030 211 or SallyRose 0431 445 930 or check out our Facebook page.
You can also do the Moreland Council’s survey on climate action before Feb 28.
There are many more activities for climate activists
Sustainable Living Festival: Big Weekend, February 14-16, 2014
Federation Square. There will be lots of stalls and talks related to climate change. For more info see SLF website
Moreland Community against the East-West Tunnel (MCAT): Rally on Sunday March 30, 2014 from 1pm.
Corner of Wilson St and Sydney Rd Brunswick (opp Barkly Sq)
CAM is working with a range of other community members to campaign against the proposed East-West Link and in support of better public transport. Moreland City Council is also supporting this campaign.
Fast, frequent and accessible public transport – powered with renewable energy, of course – is a vital part of addressing climate change. The anti-tunnel campaign has galvanised much of Melbourne. This is a great opportunity for climate activists to promote public transport as a local climate solution. MCAT meet on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month at 6:30pm at Temple Park Senior Citizens Centre, Hodgson St, Brunswick, and are running community stalls around Moreland to collect signatures and build support. For more info see the MCAT facebook page or contact Sue on 0413 377 978, Michael 0417 354 169,or Riki 0400 877 819
March in March Melbourne, Sunday March 16, 2014 from 12 noon
Starting at State Library of Victoria
The March in March is planned as a peaceful, non-partisan citizen’s march to protest against the current government’s policy decisions that are against the common good of our nation. People will be marching in support of a range of issues. The federal government is axing a range of climate change policies. This is a great opportunity for climate activists to spread the word: we need to build public support for strong climate action!
For more info see the March in March facebook page
Meeting of Grassroots Climate Campaigners
Climate campaigners including members of CAM met on February 2 to discuss building collaboration among climate groups and related campaigns. 47 people braved Melbourne’s searing heat to attend. Next two meetings are scheduled for Sunday 2 March 1-5pm and Sunday 6 April 1-5pm. For more information contact Jane at ozemail.com.au
Fossil Free Campaign – Divest from fossil fuels
Go Fossil Free Australia is part of a global campaign aimed at moving public institutions’ and individuals’ money out of fossil fuels and into clean energy. The campaign is targeting super funds, banks, educational and religious institutions and government. It is asking institutions and individuals to ensure that they do not put their money in banks and other financial institutions that invest in fossil fuels. Have you suggestions about local institutions that can be encouraged to divest from fossil fuel? For more info go to their website or contact Michael on 0400 054 134.
Addressing climate change impacts in Moreland
It is clear that the climate is already changing, and Australia is getting hotter. Even if we stopped emitting carbon now, we are likely to experience increased warming. The recent heat waves gave us a taste of what future summers may be like.
Local government can play a strong role in protecting people from some of the immediate impacts of climate change. Some ideas are providing respite centres during heat waves, and reducing the urban heat island effect. Suburbs that have lots of paved areas and little vegetation can be several degrees hotter than suburbs with lots of trees.
CAM would like to collect ideas on what Moreland City Council can do to protect local residents from some of the impacts of climate change. We will be starting this discussion on the Climate Action Moreland website. Please join us and send your ideas. Or Click here to send us your ideas in an email
Breaking News:
Following the recent heat wave, CAM members approached a Moreland Councillor about the Council providing relief centres for vulnerable people during heat waves. As a result, the Council passed a motion to investigate use of local buildings to be used as heat refuges next summer. For more details, see our Facebookpage.
Keep in touch with CAM
Keep in touch at https://climateactionmoreland.org/ or climateactionmoreland at gmail.com or Find us on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/climateactionmoreland/ Follow us on Twitter at @camoreland. Or call SallyRose at 0431 445 930
February 13, 2014 at 7:36 pm morelandclimategroup Leave a comment
Join the National Day of Climate Action 17 November
Update: Well done to everyone that attended the 30,000 strong rally (Estimated by the Age reporter) in Melbourne, indeed the 60,000+ people around Australia. CAM member John Englart wrote up a report of the rally for his climate blog, which also provides a wonderful summary of events around Australia. Also see the Getup media summary page.
Come and join the members of Climate Action Moreland and thousands of others at the National Day of Climate Action at 11am Sunday 17 November, Treasury Gardens Melbourne.
Come along to stand in solidarity with Yeb Sano, the Filipino lead climate negotiator at the UN climate Conference in Warsaw, presently on hunger strike in solidarity with the people of the Philippines suffering the devastation of Super Typhoon Haiyan, clearly linked to climate change.
Or stand in support of the people of the pacific island nations under threat from rising seas. Or the residents of the Blue Mountains who so recently faced raging bushfires so unusually early in the season.
It has been the hottest summer on record, the hottest September and October on record, the hottest 12 month period on record according to the Climate Council latest report on Off the Charts: Record breaking October heat & climate change
Today the Abbott Government introduced the legislation to repeal all the work of the previous Labor Government, not only on carbon pricing but also the positive legislation on clean renewable energy.
Our Federal MP for Wills, Kelvin Thomson, stood today with the Climate Guardian Angels in Canberra in opposition to the repeal of the carbon price.
Many nations, including the USA and China, are ramping up action to reduce carbon emissions through carbon taxes, emission trading schemes and even regulatory action. The Federal Government is intent on winding back the small degree of positive action we have in place.
The Climate Change Authority recommended in a draft report recently that our small emissions reduction target of 5 per cent of 2000 levels by 2020 should be lifted to 15 to 25 per cent of 2000 levels by 2020 due to increasing action by a range of other nations and trading partners. Scientists have told us since at least the Bali roadmap in 2007 we should be reducing emissions by 25 to 40 percent on 1990 levels by 2020. Read the Climate Council summary of this draft report.
But the Abbott Government, despite numerous assurances while in opposition of it’s support for the target range commitment of 5 to 25 per cent target by 2020 based upon comparable action by other nations, have now even dropped that pretense of bipartisan support.
All we get now is $3.2 billion as budgeted for emission reduction, mostly to be spent via a reverse auction, with no guarantee we will even achieve the 5 per cent base emissions reduction target. Tom Arup in the Sydney Morning Herald sums up: Tony Abbott stifling Australia’s climate change ambitions
This is a major reversal to ongoing commitments he gave as opposition leader, according to the Climate Institute, who have put together a comprehensive list of assurances (PDF), all now broken.
Already Australia has earned a dubious Fossil of the Day Award at the Warsaw Climate talks, conferred by civil society organisations
The Abbott Government decided not to have ministerial representation at the United Nations climate negotiations in Warsaw. Australia often plays a pivotal role in these negotiations as part of the Umbrella group, and often has a diplomatic importance above our economic status as a middle level power.
“If you are not at the table, you are probably on the menu,” said Erwin Jackson of The Climate Institute. Australia Won’t be missed from these negotiations, which is a missed opportunity and will result in lowering our influence diplomatically on a global level, not only on climate but also on other issues.
John Howard has now stated that the only reason he supported an Emissions Trading Scheme going into the 2007 Federal Election was political expediency in neutralising the issue.
So what we need to do is make repeal of the Australian carbon price an expensive political proposition that will cost Tony Abbott dearly at the next election if not earlier. Malcolm Turnbull is still waiting in the wings and knows Tony Abbott’s climate policy is ‘bullshit’, if anyone had any doubts.
See you on Sunday and hope you can get involved in the grassroots climate action movement.
John Englart
Climate Action Moreland member
Climate Action Moreland community solar project
Would you like to see community owned renewable energy in Moreland?
CAM wants to kick start a community owned solar park in our area – and we want you to be involved!
What is community solar?
We all know about solar panels on household roofs. Community solar is a bigger version of this, about fifty times bigger, and instead of being owned by the householder the panels are owned co-operatively by community shareholders.
Has it been done before?
You might have heard of Hepburn Wind – two community owned wind turbines outside of Daylesford that can power the whole town! We can do that here.
Come to the first community solar meeting:
7pm, Monday 19 March
Edinburgh Castle (Function Room)
Cnr Albion Street and Sydney Road
If you can’t make it but want more information please contact us at climateactionmoreland@gmail.com or call Ellen on 0408 583 694
Meet the team – Merryn
Every month we’ll be getting to know a new CAMer and putting them through their paces with our 20 Questions.
This month we ask CAMs MasterChef, whale warrior and ring arounder – Merryn, the hard questions.
1 Likes
Sunlight; desert landscapes; the kind of travelling where you get somewhere new everyday; hiking; Kikkoman organic soy sauce; vegan ice cream; fair trade chocolate; HBO TV series; animals in the wild; activists and civil society campaigners.
2 Dislikes
Things that are cheap because someone has being exploited to make them. Companies that pay people to do horrible things. Consumption that doesn’t take into account the consequences on others. And also, when a TV series gets axed halfway through the season.
3 What do you do?
I’m a pediatric doctor, working in a Children’s Emergency Department. Over the last two summers I was ship’s doctor on the Sea Shepherd ship the Steve Irwin in Antarctica, looking after people protecting whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. (more…)
July 20, 2010 at 3:46 pm morelandclimategroup Leave a comment
Meet the team – June
Every month we’ll be getting to know a new CAMer and putting them through their paces with our 20 Questions.
And in the month of June, who better to meet than Jane!
1. Likes
Russian doorstop novels, leatherman multi-tools, cooking with spices, bushwalking, Melbourne, sleeping in.
2. Dislikes
The pressure to own the latest cool gadget, amusement park rides that spin you around, chokos, those people who come to your door trying to get you to change electricity providers.
3. What do you do?
Right now I’m finishing off some studies, being a parent to two small children, and starting up a small business. Yes, I’m way too busy.
4. What’s your background?
I grew up in Sydney, moved around a fair bit including stints in Cairns and the Blue Mts, fell in love with Melbourne and wouldn’t live anywhere else. My work background is mainly in communications, though I’ve worked in a variety of fields. (more…)
June 16, 2010 at 8:54 am morelandclimategroup Leave a comment
At last – someone is talking sense.
The CPRS ‘locks in failure’
The government’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) is being debated in the Senate this week. If passed, the CPRS will lock in failure. It ignores the climate change science, protects the brown economy, and further delays Australia’s transition to a clean green economy.
Bob Brown and the Greens are taking the fight to the Senate for policy that gives our planet a fighting chance for a safer future. CAM supports their efforts.
The Greens have produced an anti-CPRS advertisement and need $30,000 by tomorrow to have it shown on TV next week. This is one of those crucial moment in Australia’s history. Let’s all help the Greens out and make it happen!
View the ad here
August 12, 2009 at 11:33 am morelandclimategroup Leave a comment
CAM at the Climate Emergency Rally
Climate Action Moreland were super active in the lead up to the Climate Emergency Rally on June 13. It was a successful event. 5 000 people rallied in Melbourne, and there were protests in all other major other capital cities.
Continue Reading June 25, 2009 at 2:43 am morelandclimategroup Leave a comment
Climate Action Merribek: people in Brunswick, Coburg, Fawkner and Glenroy wanting action on climate change 