The Queensland Labor government has approved Whitehaven Coal’s Winchester South coal mine, Australia’s biggest proposed new greenfield coal mine. Whitehaven Coal plans to mine up to 17 million tonnes of coal each year for 30 years, producing 583 million tonnes of CO2 emissions, more than Australia’s total annual emissions in 2022!! Our final chance to stop this disastrous project lies with stopping Federal approval by Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek. For something you can do to help, see our 5-minute actions below.
Some better news, it seems that the $2.7 billion plan to demolish the Gabba and build a new stadium could be dead. (Though I won’t be celebrating until the venue review recommends against demolition AND the State Government accepts that outcome.)
It’s a great win for Community. Rethink the Gabba, Friends of Raymond Park, and the East Brisbane State School P&C advocated to stop this disastrous project for three years, despite being told time and time again that the rebuild was locked in.
Ordinary folk responded and joined the campaign. Consistent, sustained action by more and more people CAN achieve positive change.
It’s a win for climate, as the greenhouse emissions from demolishing the current stadium, and from the steel and concrete required for a new stadium, are totally avoided.
But strong community action does not always have to be AGAINST something. When community is FOR something, amazing things happen.
🏋️♀️🏋️🏋️♀️🏋️🏋️♀️🏋️🏋️♀️🏋️🏋️♀️Check out these inspiring examples!🏋️🏋️♀️🏋️🏋️♀️🏋️🏋️♀️🏋️
Community Solar Farm
Community Energy 4 Goulburn was set up in 2016 and by 2019 the Goulburn Community Energy Cooperative had contracted Komo Energy to construct a 1.4 MW Solar Farm with a 2.3 MWh battery capacity. The project is well underway: Site civil works have commenced; major components have been delivered.
The project is run by the community, profits are kept in the community and the benefits stay in the community. Anyone in the community - individuals, businesses, families, community groups - can invest in the solar farm and enjoy a return on their investment. The co-op is committed to employing local people and using local contractors and local suppliers as much as possible.
In a massive display of support for our climate, in 2020 the Co-op cut ties with its inverter supplier, Siemens, over Siemen’s support of the massive Adani coal mine in Queensland. How good is that! (We Climate Club authors were all involved in the campaign to convince Siemens to pull out of their signalling contract with Adani: we didn’t quite get there but we came awfully close.)
Another Community Solar Farm
The Haystacks Solar Garden is another co-op, aimed at people who rent, live in an apartment or have an unsuitable roof for solar. A solar garden is a similar concept to a community garden, but instead of growing veggies, members get to harvest renewable electricity. The first solar garden, another Komo Energy project, is located in Grong Grong in the Riverina, and connection to the grid is imminent.
Community Battery
Another great project is the Narrabri Community battery project. The project will install and commission a 360kWh battery to soak up excess solar energy during the day and make it available at night. This innovation will help support the grid, reduce energy bills, and increase the level of solar power in the community. The project is most of the way through a trial with power provider Essential Energy.
Grassroots Community Action
These grassroots renewable energy projects have these things in common:
Initiated and led by ordinary community members with a fossil free future vision.
Widespread adoption by other community members (the Goulburn Community Energy Cooperative has reopened for more investment and Haystacks is fully subscribed).
Perseverance over several years as they worked through legal, financial and technical issues.
Strong engagement with locals and support for local contractors and businesses.
Community Climate Activists
Community climate activist groups are another essential piece in winning the climate jigsaw. Gold Coast Climate Action Network is a volunteer led network of diverse grassroots groups who support one another to have a big impact fostering solutions all Gold Coasters can support.
Take action!
So, you can see myriad ways you can take action. Be really ambitious and start a community energy project. Join a climate action group. Take some of the actions featured in Climate Club Qld!
What can you do today?
🐝 If you have 5 minutes:
Some years ago, I was talking to Terri Butler, the then Shadow Environment Minister, about stopping Adani. She said that she was not hearing about it from the community as an issue. "Not hearing" is a great excuse to do nothing. We need Tanya Plibersek to hear about Winchester South. A phone call is straightforward, impactful and only takes minutes. Say who you are and that you would like to leave a message for Minister Plibersek. You can cover points such as:
New coal projects like Winchester South will fuel the extreme weather we’ve seen so far this summer.
Endangered koala and greater glider habitat must not be cleared for a climate-wrecking new coal mine.
The Albanese government has already approved 4 new coal mines. If this government is serious about climate action, they cannot approve Whitehaven Coal’s Winchester South coal project.
Action: Call Minister Plibersek’s Canberra Office on 02 6277 7920 to urge her to reject Whitehaven Coal’s Winchester South coal mine.
Parents for Climate is calling on all governments to work together to fund solar and batteries for every school and early childhood centre in Australia, with means-tested grants for privately-owned schools and for-profit early learning centres.
Action: Sign the petition. It has more than 12,400 signatures and aims for 15,000.
During his National Press Club address, Richard Denniss from the Australia Institute said that our main tax on the gas industry, the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax (PRRT), raises less money than the Australian Government collects from HECS.
The tax has extensive loopholes due to an extremely complex design that allows oil and gas producers to minimise tax, or totally avoid paying it.
Action: Sign the petition urging the Parliament of Australia to repair and increase the PRRT. It has more than 10,600 signatures and aims for 15,000.
In our previous edition, Malcolm wrote about the need to include a “climate trigger” in the Environmental Protection & Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act. A requirement to assess the climate impact of projects being assessed by the Federal Environment Minister is probably the greatest opportunity we have to stop new fossil fuel projects. Lock the Gate has found a speech Anthony Albanese gave to Parliament in 2005, where he said:
“The glaring gap in matters of national environmental significance is climate change….It is time to act. It is time for procrastination to end.”
Action: Keep applying the pressure by signing the petition to Anthony Albanese, Tanya Plibersek and Chris Bowen, reminding them of Albo's words and urging them to include the climate trigger in EPBC reforms.
💃🏽 If you have 30 minutes or more:
Just in case you happen to be down south in early March, the Smart Energy 2024 Conference and Exhibition is on at the International Convention Centre at Darling Harbour, Sydney on Wednesday 6th and Thursday 7th March. It features smart energy solutions from more than 100 exhibitors and panel discussions featuring renewable energy leaders. And unlike COP, not one fossil fuel representative.
Action: Register here - it’s free!
Cairns Readers: Qld Local Government elections happen across the state on Saturday 16th March. The Cairns and Far North Environment Centre is giving Mayoral Candidates for Cairns Regional Council the opportunity to share their intentions for environmental protection and tackling climate change at a public forum at 6pm 29th February at the Cairns Institute, JCU Smithfield.
Action: RSVP for this public forum.
🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️
A couple from Western Australia recently completed "the big lap" of Australia, driving a Tesla Model 3 while towing a caravan.
You may recall our former Prime Minister Scott Morrison's assertion that an electric vehicle “won’t tow your trailer. It’s not going to tow your boat. It’s not going to get you out to your favourite camping spot with your family.”
Well, only three days after the Tesla and caravan were photographed parked outside his Sydney electoral office, Morrison resigned from Parliament. Coincidence?
That’s all for today, folks 👋🏽 Thanks for taking action. See you in two weeks!
Ron plus Robyn, Malcolm and Jan - The Climate Club Qld team
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We live, work and play on the lands of the Yuggara and Turrbal people in and around Meanjin - Brisbane. We pay respect to their Elders, past and present, and acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded - always was, always will be Aboriginal land.
Hi Ron, Jenny Sahng in NZ pointed me in your direction, I love the time graded action list she provides and wanted to know if anyone in Aus was doing a similar thing - so I'm delighted to find you! Thank you for your super Substack. I have just started sharing my cartoons on Substack, most of which relate to the meta crisis in some way or other - I would love to be able to share actions people can take on the regular to contribute. Are you happy for me to link to your posts and create a condensed quick action list in my post each time you publish? I'd be happy to send over a draft of what I had in mind if you like. Look forward to hearing from you! xo