In November I was lucky enough to be able to join the People’s Blockade in Newcastle, organised by Rising Tide. Despite the uncertainty with the NSW government trying to thwart the event, it went ahead with thousands of people attending. Many of them paddled out into Newcastle harbour to celebrate people power and advocate for a just transition away from coal towards a clean energy future - Australia could be a renewable energy superpower!
But for me I didn’t get to see too much of the beach. My view was mostly of cars parked along the road and coal boats lumbering in and out of the port.
💯💯💯I reckon I still got one of the best roles though. 💯💯💯
That’s because I was in the Welcome Tent. Over 6 days my fellow Welcome Tent top-team-crew and I got to meet, talk and laugh with thousands of people who care about climate change. These were people who had come from all over Australia - and beyond - to give their time, skills and enthusiasm, and stand up and be counted with others. And best of all for me, they shared stories of what they were doing in their own communities to build this clean energy future.

There were people working on a just transition for workers and communities in the Hunter Valley and regional Queensland. I talked to an advocate for shared zero-impact housing developing a pilot project in Melbourne. We appropriated a sign from ‘Oldie’s Rising’, a new group building a community of plus-65 year olds taking action on climate change. We got to learn about tens of affinity groups joined together by their shared interests in 🐞nature🐞,🪘drumming 🪘, 🧪science🧪 and much more.
There's something uniquely powerful about finding a community of fellow changemakers. The People’s Blockade reminded me that building a better world isn't just about the specific projects we create – it's about weaving stronger community bonds that make all kinds of positive change possible.
I felt so inspired! And I really needed that.
Sometimes 2024 has felt like just too much. 😿😿😿There’s so much to despair about. Indeed, some days I’ve had an almost irresistable temptation to bury my head in the sand (or, the couch at least)…
But actually what really gives me energy and makes me happy is being in a team of people who care. Despite all the woes of the world, it does feel better to get up, get active, and surround yourself with others who are doing something to make the world a better place.
And there are definitely a lot of people doing just that here in Queensland.

So if you're feeling like you want to get involved but aren't sure where to start, remember that every major movement began with people simply showing up and offering what they could. Your local community is waiting for your unique contribution to this vital work, or celebrating what you are already giving. (There are some suggestions for finding groups under our 15 min actions today too.)
Whether you’ve found your community or still looking, Climate Club Queensland is here to make climate advocacy easy for you.
⚡⚡⚡🕺🏿🕺🏿Go forth and make change happen! 🕺🏿🕺🏿⚡⚡⚡
What can you do today?
Our most clicked link last week was the Rising Tide video. While it’s over for 2024, there are big plans for 2025. You can keep informed and be involved by joining a local hub and following them on Facebook, X, or Insta.
🐝 If you have 5 minutes:
☀️☀️☀️Join the call for more Local Energy Hubs! ☀️☀️☀️The shift to renewable energy can bring once-in-a-generation opportunities to our communities, but it urgently needs political support. Join RE-Alliance, the Community Power Agency and Yes2Renewables in their call to the Federal Government to fund Local Energy Hubs in renewable energy zones across Australia.
Action: Personalise the template letter to Minister Chris Bowen and sign the open letter.
As if mining coal was not bad enough…. coal companies are destroying forests as well. Drone footage of 47 hectares of illegal forest clearing by Vitrinite, a coal company in Queensland, might be just the tip of the iceberg.
Action: Email Minister Plibersek to ask her to enforce landclearing laws and stop Vitronite’s illegal landclearing before it is too late.
Despite the UN’s demand for no more new coal and gas, the Albanese government is to approve three more coal mines this week after declining to review them for their potential climate impacts. These three coal projects – called Boggabri, Caval Ridge and Lake Vermont – will cause over one billion tonnes of carbon pollution. That’s more than double all of Australia’s annual emissions.
Action: Write to Prime Minister Albanese with the 350.org letter template and call on him to not approve these three coal mines.
🐇 If you have 15 minutes:
Queensland Conservation Council plays a critical role in supporting Queensland environmental groups and boosting their voices to create change. To help shape their work in 2025 they want to hear from supporters about how they feel about QCC and the state of the environment in Queensland.
Action: Gift some minutes of your time to do the Queensland Conservation Council 2024 Supporter Survey.
Did you know Parents for Climate have 25 different local groups across Australia? And they are keen to grow more? If there’s not a group near you, then why not start your own? It only takes 2 friends and a hot drink (or a cold one in this heating climate) to be a group after all :)
Action: Visit the Parents for Climate group map to find a group near you. Or…. find a local Move Beyond Coal group near you, an Extinction Rebellion group, a local Knitting Nannas Loop, an Australian Youth Climate Change group, or explore the groups on the national map.
💃🏽 If you have 30 minutes or more:
Recently Climate Club Queensland was contacted by Differ Agency to say the World’s Ugliest Lawn contest is back on for 2025! Back in Issue 36 we covered the Tasmanian winner of the 2023 contest. Check out the video below to hear how the contest has captivated hearts across the globe.
Action: If your lawn is anything like mine at the moment - a lush forest of weeds after the relentless humidity and downpours of 2024 - you might have a tougher time finding an entry for 2025. But if you think your lawn has got what it takes, send in your pic by December 25th!
Good news!
After four and a half years of being pursued by a billionaire coal company, the Queensland Supreme Court ruled coal mining giant Adani made ‘confused and embarrassing’ claims and it struck out substantial parts of their legal case against Ben Pennings. This ongoing case of a mining behemoth pursuing a peaceful protester - who was advocating for Australia to follow international agreements and scientific consensus of no more new coal and gas - was a shocking indictment of Australia’s ongoing criminalisation of climate protesters. This massive win was a huge step in the right direction.
It’s not over yet for Ben (Adani can still appeal the decision) but this is a huge relief for Ben and his family. After the case was heard, he thanked the thousands of people who donated to his legal fighting fund, raising over a million dollars to fight back against Adani.
And we all want to thank everyone who continues to show up on the streets to defend democracy and protect our precious world from greedy mining billionaires.
That’s all for today, folks 👋🏽 Thanks for taking action.
We’re going to take a short break, so see you next year.
Robyn
plus Malcolm, Ron 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 Magandjin - Brisbane. We pay respect to their Elders, past and present, and acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded - always was, always will be Aboriginal land.
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