FoE Australia News
Quit Coal activists occupy coal station
Chloe Aldenhoven and Dom O'Dwyer, activists from FoE Melbourne's Quit Coal campaign, scaled a large cooling tower at the coal-fired Yallourn Power Station in the Latrobe Valley in December. It was the longest occupation of a power station in Australia's history.
After battling repeated attempts to remove them, then terrible weather, Chloe and Dom passed the night attached to the cooling tower, surviving constant dripping through the gaps in the tarp, the tragic loss of a sleeping bag through clumsiness, and late night interviews from eager journalists.
Plans to unfurl a 21-metre long banner of a boiling thermometer, that read: "Government Funded Global Warming", had to be abandoned because of more bad weather in the morning, but the climbers reached the top of the 120-metre tower and unfurled a small banner reading: "Invest in Renewable Energy Jobs, Not Handouts for Polluters".
By 5pm, after occupying the tower for a record 30 hours, Chloe and Dom descended voluntarily and were carted off by police and charged under draconian laws.
Yallourn is one of the most emissions-intensive coal fired power stations in the world. Given the decrease in grid power consumption and the increase in electricity produced from renewable sources, it also provides unnecessary extra capacity that could be decommissioned without endangering supply.
The site has been plagued by a series of other problems, with the mine flooding earlier in 2012, causing the entire power station to shut down for a week. The massive amounts of water remaining in the mine, contaminated with mercury, lead, arsenic, cadmium and other toxic substances found in coal, were still being pumped into the local river system later in the year, threatening fishing, tourism and farming in the region and posing a risk to the health of people downstream.
"Yallourn is a dangerous relic that continually poses a threat to local communities and vital ecosystems in the region, whilst making a huge contribution to dangerous changes in our climate," said Quit Coal spokesperson and climber Chloe Aldenhoven. "All of this has not stopped the federal government from giving China Light and Power, the owner of Yallourn, $257 million in handouts this financial year dressed up as 'compensation' for the carbon tax."
Quit Coal argues that the money should go towards investing in a renewable energy manufacturing sector, focussing on creating jobs in areas that are currently dependent on coal. Quit Coal proudly supports the Earthworker Cooperative, an organisation that is actively building this alternative.
Climate Frontlines
On Thursday February 14, the FoE Brisbane Climate Frontlines collective hosted a public information evening with three Pacific Island women in Australia for a program focusing on micro-finance for climate-change-related sustainability projects, organised by Sisters 4 Sustainability.
After participating in the Canberra conference of the International Society for Human Ecology and Sustainability, they completed the rest of the initial stage of the program in Brisbane. The information evening in Brisbane was an opportunity for them to share with a wider audience both the challenges their communities are facing and the creative responses they are developing.
Olivia Aripa, a great grandmother, nurse, midwife and a respected elder from the Popondetta area in Papua New Guinea, described how extreme rainfall events have destroyed many crops, as well as plants used for producing handcrafts for daily use and income generation, making it very difficult for the women to provide for their children. The impact on local infrastructure has meant that some basic services, such as access to school for small children, are no longer available. Olivia has initiated a number of programs to help local women and children adapt to these changing circumstances and is seeking help to expand a small flower marketing business to support the programs financially.
"It's war", said Senolita Vakata, describing the struggle against the impacts of climate change on Ha'apai, a low-lying group of islands in the Kingdom of Tonga. Traditionally, people have settled in coastal areas, for ease of access to the sea. However, their houses are now flooded with sea water on a regular basis and their coconut palms dying with their exposed roots – due to coastal erosion – being burnt by the sun. Senolita has been able to access resources to help the people build new houses away from the coast, but this will depend on the allocation of land under the government-controlled land holding system. In any case if they do move inland, they can only hope to eventually meet the encroaching sea on the other side of the island.
Lolia Kaumati, a former civil servant, and now Secretary of the national women's organisation, described the situation in Kiribati. Their islands are ravaged by floods and rising sea levels, leaving roads impassable, bridges and causeways destroyed, houses flooded and crops ruined. The atolls are long and narrow and the original soil is being replaced by an infertile substance. Because of the increasing salination and degradation of the underground water supply, the children are contracting diseases and the dwindling food supply of local fish and crops make people more dependent on outside help.
It is now clear that migration options will be needed. The question is where to. And how ensure the preservation of the Kiribati culture. Furthermore, how can people without financial resources move without assistance? The New Zealand government demands $25 even to lodge an application to move there. One of the biggest challenges in the near future will be to develop a clear migration and resettlement plan, and Lolia hopes to be involved.
The Climate Frontlines were pleased to be able to include these women in their network of Pacific contacts, and to facilitate an interview by Maureen Mopio Jane, part of the Women's Profile team at Brisbane Radio 4EB.
CounterAct
CounterAct is a new affiliate member of Friends of the Earth and has been launched to support communities in taking effective, creative, strategic nonviolent direct action on issues of environmental and social justice. We will be providing training in direct action skills, campaigning and community organising across Australia. If you would like to collaborate, suggest or request a workshop, or would like to share resources, get in touch.
Also, we are undertaking a needs analysis and 10-minute survey for what current training and capacity building needs are for community campaigns in Australia. We'd love to hear from you. You will also go into the draw to win a great book 'Re-Imagining Change' by smartMeme courtesy of our friends at Plan to Win. Check the survey and get in touch at www.counteract.org.au or email peacefulcommunityaction@gmail.com
Tax-deductible donations can be made at givenow.com.au/foecounteract and 100% of your donation will go towards supporting training and capacity building.
Time to protect Victoria's farmland
In 2012, community concern about the threat of new coal and gas operations, especially coal seam gas (CSG), pushed the Victorian government to ban the use of dangerous BTEX chemicals and place a moratorium on the process of fracking for gas (see Chain Reaction #116).
The moratorium will finish shortly and the government has made it clear it wants to see renewed expansion of the fossil fuel industry.
Early in 2013, mining magnate Gina Rinehart bought into the emerging Victorian coal and gas sector. Her company has bought into local company Lakes Oil, and placed climate sceptic Ian Plimer and former politician Alexander Downer on the Lakes Oil board.
FoE has been tracking Lake's activity for a year now, and highlighted poor management of some previous operations. They are currently drilling for shale oil in Gippsland, waiting for the moratorium on fracking to end so they can continue their Tight Gas operations, and hold three exploration licenses for brown coal.
Community concerns remains strong, yet the government maintains that farming and gas production can co-exist. In response to the government's refusal to implement an inquiry into the likely impacts of new coal and gas operations on the land, water, people and economy of Victoria, FoE has launched a new campaign to encourage land owners to protect farmland.
Under section 7 of the existing Mineral Resources (Sustainable Development) Act, the government can create No Go zones for coal and coal seam gas. FoE is encouraging local communities and land owners to demand the government provide this protection.
More information: melbourne.archive.foe.org.au/?q=node/1215
Our petition is posted at: communityrun.org/petitions/protect-gippsland-farms-from-coal-and-gas
Protect Arnhem Land NT
Protect Arnhem Land NT is a new campaign group that has affiliated with Friends of the Earth.
Over 40 potential petroleum exploration sites exist off the coast of Arnhem Land. Little information has been made public about the potential impacts. In response to this alarming and disrespectful process so far, a group of Northern Territorians have formed Protect Arnhem Land (PAL), a group consisting of local residents of Maningrida Community including Traditional Land Owners. PAL will campaign for a just process for the people of Arnhem Land in relation to the new offshore mining permits and any future oil or gas proposals.
In its short history PAL has held meetings with the Northern Land Council and community members; held a public awareness day with over 250 people attending; obtained submissions from 42 traditional land owners in response to the exploration notifications; contacted communities across Arnhem Land; contacted local and federal MPs; and registered 20 new sacred sites offshore, across the Arnhem Land coast.
Email: protectarnhemland@gmail.com
facebook.com/protectarnhemlandNT
A website will soon be launched: www.protectarnhemland.org