Climate Action Canberra attended the Peoples’ Climate Assembly organised ‘Welcome the Pollies – say no to gas led recovery and support the #GreenRecoveryNow petition & rally’ event on Tuesday, 2nd February 2021 at Parliament House. We had our banner from the earliest years of Climate Action Canberra, which states “Canberra says Yes to Real Action on Climate Change”, and hung it on the Melbourne Avenue approach to the rear of Parliament House, where Stop Adani Canberra had quite a few large banners relating to the Adani mine, and water issues regarding coal mines (see attached my photo of it). I witnessed the arrival of the Prime Minister in his government limousine, with quite an entourage of vehicles. Some other vehicles honked their approval of our messages. The ‘welcome to politicians’ part of the event occurred from 7am, through to 8:30am prior to the rally proper starting from 9am on the front lawns. Extinction Rebellion lined Kings Avenue with banners and placards with the messages of the rally for politicians coming to work on that road.
The rally, on the front lawns of Parliament, sported the banners from the earlier event on the flagpoles beside lawns, and we hung our banner on the flagpoles beside the front lawns, together with the many banners from other groups. A number of speakers addressed the rally, starting with a welcome to country by a representative of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy. Zali Steggall, an independent MP, spoke to her bill for Australia to reach net zero emissions by 2050. In regard to her bill’s 2050 target date, she said that “we have to start from somewhere”. She said that her electorate of Warringah, on Sydney’s North Shore “… had come a long way” in regard to action on climate change.
Adam Bandt, the Australian Greens leader in Parliament told the crowd that “… it is absolutely your right to demand climate action!”, in the face of advancing climate change, increasingly severe droughts and massively unprecedented bushfires, the last one killing billions of native animals. Australian Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi also spoke about people making demands on their politicians, and organising to do so. Senator Janet Rice, Australian Greens’ Forests spokesperson, also spoke. Another speaker was Jo Clay, one of the four new ACT Greens MLA’s in the 24 seat ACT Assembly, part of the now six such MLA’s, a quarter of the Assembly. She spoke about organising in the community to build the demand for climate action, and build the movements and rallies to construct a better future.
No other political parties or politicians spoke at this rally, despite the previous year’s rally attracting many speakers from a variety of parties, including the ALP. The latter had just dumped its long term spokesperson on climate change, Mark Butler.
We spoke to Jo Clay, about Climate Action Canberra wanting to have a dialogue with the six ACT Greens MLA’s in the Assembly, and the ACT Greens party and membership, through the Conservation Council of the ACT Region, and directly, about how we can push the boundaries for initiatives the ACT Government can do in mitigating emissions in Canberra, through various policies, beyond what it has already done, and what the election of the six ACT Greens MLA’s, being a quarter of the 24 member ACT Assembly, now opens up new possibilities for. She said that she will get back to me, and gave me her card. We need to follow this contact up, and consider initiatives that we can propose.
The rally concluded with a ‘citizen’s walk’ around the forecourt of Parliament House, with an address near the front doors by the representative of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy challenging those present about their part in Australia’s history of capitalism and dispossession of Indigenous peoples, and invited people to the Tent Embassy where cultural ceremony would take place, and the “truth will be told”.
Paul Oboohov – Convenor, Climate Action Canberra
Ph 0417 048 217
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Canberra – Global #ClimateStrike
Global Strike for Climate – Friday 20 September 2019, 12 noon to 2 pm – Glebe Park, Canberra
On September 20, three days before the UN Emergency Climate Summit, school students are inviting everyone to join them for the biggest ever global #ClimateStrike.
Everyone is invited, everyone is needed. On March 15, 1.6 million students went on strike around the world. On September 20, the movement is going to the next level. If you’re an adult, please take the day off and invite your friends, workmates and families to join in.
Everyone who cares about a safe climate future is invited to join the Global #ClimateStrike on September 20 – people around the world standing up to confront the climate crisis when our politicians won’t.
Australia is already on the frontlines of the climate crisis. Prolonged drought. Flash flooding. Catastrophic bushfires, severe cyclones and heatwaves. But just at the time when we need to ramp up climate solutions, we have elected a Government that wants to open the floodgates to new coal, oil and gas projects that put all of us at risk.
By taking time off school and work together around the world, we’ll show our politicians that people everywhere want climate justice and we’re not going away until we get it. Strike in solidarity for everyone who’s already being hurt by the climate crisis and everyone who will be impacted if we don’t act now: workers, first nations people, young people, mining communities and more.
Global Strike for Climate/Future
Global Strike for Climate – Friday 24 May 2019, 11 am to 5 pm – Northbourne Avenue and London Circuit, Canberra
Climate Action Canberra supports the School Strike 4 Climate hosting an event on the day of the Global Strike for Climate/Future.
Join School Strike 4 Climate in Canberra to strike for our future! The strike is this Friday, on the corner of Northbourne Avenue and London Circuit, to say that we won’t back down!
11 AM until 5 PM –
The School Strikers will be there to reflect and discuss all the work done, and what future actions to do, as well as sign making and networking – it is a day long meeting for everyone to drop in on if you can’t stay all day!
Our elected government must address the climate crisis!
This means committing to:
1. Stop Adani.
2. No new fossil fuels.
3. 100% renewable energy by 2030.
There will be music, banner making, letter writing to MPs, and more! Bring your signs, a pillow, any letter writing stuff you want, any instruments or slam poetry, and most importantly WATER and food – remember to stay hydrated and take care of yourself!
Vote Climate Rally
Sunday, 5 May 2019, 10.30 am, Parliament House, Canberra
Change our politics, not our planet!
A convoy of almost 800 concerned Australians has gone to the frontlines to peacefully protest Adani’s obscene mine in the lead up to the federal election.
The convoy will conclude with a massive Vote Climate Rally here in Canberra, on the lawns of Parliament House on Sunday May 5.
Speakers for the morning include Bob Brown, Richard Flanagan, School Strikers Tess and Tahli, Kelly O’Shanassy, Blair Palese, MC’ed by Alex Sloan
… and Paul Kelly will be singing!
Join Canberrans and convoy members from across Australia in demanding federal leadership on climate action, starting with all sides of politics to commit to #StopAdani.
With the momentum of our inspirational school strikers, we need to keep building our groundswell of ordinary Australians calling for climate action and to #StopAdani – we want this rally to be our biggest yet to help make this the #ClimateElection, and we need you!
Bring friends and family – let’s make history together! All welcome.
Friday, 3 May 2019, 11 am, Gungahlin Place, Efkarpidis St, Gungahlin
Walk out of school, university or work and join School Strike 4 Climate for a massive Canberra community action outside the offices of MP Andrew Leigh and Senator Zed Seselja.
The Federal Election is just weeks away but neither of the major parties have a plan to stop dangerous climate change – so School Strike 4 Climate is stepping things up and everyone is invited.
On Friday 3 May School Strike 4 Climate are going to meet in the park outside Andrew Leigh’s office (corner Gungahlin Pl and Efkarpidis St) for a rally and to hear from inspiring student speakers. Then heading to the offices of Zed Seselja and Andrew Leigh to queue up and outline concerns and why they need to step up for climate action.
1. #StopAdani
2. No new fossil fuels
3. 100% Renewables by 2030
Climate change is here and it’s hurting people now. The impacts are all around us: extreme heat, drought, floods and more. The #ClimateElection National Day of Action is a deadline for all politicians to step up and tell the community whether they will lead be a climate leader.
Everyone is needed to change the politics of climate change – this action is for the young, old and everyone in between!
Canberra School Strike 4 Climate
Friday, 15 March 2019, 12 noon – 3 pm, Garema Place, Canberra
Everyone who cares about a safe climate future is invited to join the School Strike 4 Climate on 15 March – students standing up when our politicians won’t.
EVERYONE IS INVITED. Tens of thousands of students across Australia and around the world will join in. If you’re an adult, take the day off and join in solidarity.
Australia is in the thick of the climate crisis. Prolonged drought cripples farming communities. Flash flooding is creating chaos in cities. Catastrophic bushfires and severe cyclones threaten people’s homes. Heatwaves are sweeping the nation. Half the Great Barrier Reef is dead. And yet our politicians refuse to stop massive new fossil fuel projects like Adani’s coal mine.
So, on March 15, school students are walking out of school to tell our politicians to take all of us seriously and start treating climate change for what it is: a crisis and the biggest threat to this generation of students and generations to come.
Science Trumps Denialism
Those who deny human responsibility for climate change – climate denialists – often claim that modern warming is the same as periods of warming in the past.
This is shown to be false as previous warming was not caused by greenhouse gases but by changes in the Earth’s orbit.
In the graph below the impact of changes in the Earth’s orbit can be seen in the bottom line trace (left hand scale) as the amount of solar insolation (energy reaching the Earth) varies. The temperature impact is measured by changes in the oxygen isotope in the second line trace from the bottom (right hand scale).
Today, changes in the Earth’s orbit should be generating a cooling climate as the amount of solar insolation is falling, but instead, increasing greenhouse gasses are warming the environment.
Human activity has caused greenhouse gas emissions (CO2 and methane) that are now double the levels produced naturally.
The only cause of modern global warming is the increase in greenhouse gases produced by human industry, along with an increase in atmospheric water vapour from that warming.
Methane levels are now 1840 parts per billion.
CO2 levels are now over 400 parts per million.
We are in a Climate Emergency and heading towards a catastrophe for all species dependent on a habitable climate.
Climate Action Canberra 