Yarra Climate Action Now!

The Save Solar Systems campaign is asking for your support. The company Solar Systems has gone into administration making 100 workers redundant. This has put the construction of the first large scale solar power plant in Australia in doubt. It was to have been a $420 million project, that would have created 1000 jobs in construction and powered 45,000 homes.

State and federal governments had already promised $125 million to the project, but so far released less than $3 million of that money. We are asking that the federal government immediately intervenes to guarantee (i) that the Solar Systems factory in Abbotsford remains open, (ii) that the redundant workers are reinstated and, (iii) that a large scale solar power plant is built in Mildura.

We are asking you or your organisation to:
1 Sign the petition
2. Write or call Lindsay Tanner MP, Member for Melbourne asking for the three points listed above. Email him at lindsay.tanner.mp@aph.gov.au or call on 9602 2911
3 Endorse the Save Solar Systems rally, 2pm Sunday 11 October, 45 Grosvenor Street, Abbotsford (off Victoria Street, 109 tram from the city)
4 Publicise the rally, by emailing the details and information to your networks
5 Come to the rally
6 Let us know if you can provide photocopying or other resources for the campaign.
7 Come to organising meetings, every Sunday 1pm, at the Terminus Hotel, 605 Victoria St Abbotsford.

Contact via savesolarsystems -at- gmail.com - if you want further information. If you wish to be added to the email list, send a request with "please add me to you email list" to the same email address.

Below is an interview with one of the sacked Solar Systems workers (wind noise dies down after about 30 seconds), and another rally speaker from the first rally on 18 September:





For more information see the Solar Systems website, and media coverage (1, 2, 3, 4)

The results of the Youth Decide poll, run by the Australian Youth Climate Coalition over the week 14-21 September are in. Kevin Rudd's not going to like it.

Over 37,000 people between the ages of 12 and 29 took part in a vote that asked them what sort of emissions cuts they wanted for Australia and the developed world, when provided with the scientific evidence of the consequences of these cuts.

The three options were (cuts by 2020 on 1990 levels):

40%+ (the amount scientists recently said was necessary to avoid catastrophic runaway climate change) - chosen by 91.5% of respondents
25-40% (the amount the media claims scientists say is necessary, which is now badly outdated) - 5.9% of respondents
4-24% (the amount the Rudd Government has proposed in its CPRS) - 2.5% of respondents

Let's hope most of them are old enough to vote at the next election...

I eavesdropped as the father explained to his very young daughter that the black balloons really came from this place, not the washing machine. Looming over us was the Hazelwood coal power station, the single biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Australia. Around us were 500 other people, some of who had travelled long distances, as well as many locals, to help send the message that for our own survival, we need to urgently transition away from coal and towards renewable energy and energy efficiency, and that this means switching off Hazelwood and finding alternative jobs for the workers inside.

Scientists have made it clear that getting out of coal should be our number one priority for reducing emissions and avoiding runaway climate change.

We had spent the night before camping with 230 people, discussing tactics for the day and more general climate change topics, as well as sharing a meal and listening to some fantastic live music. On the day, despite early rain, the atmosphere was positive and friendly. We were welcomed to country by Robbie Thorpe, a local Gunai elder and heard from fantastic speakers.


We marched to Hazelwood and were met with a heavy police presence. Twenty-two people managed to get over the Hazelwood fence and deliver a community decommission order. They were charged with trespass. There were many more willing to commit civil disobedience, but were not nimble enough to get over the fence without the police stopping them.

We received blanket media coverage that night on TV and in the papers the next day. A great time was had by all and the importance of peaceful civil disobedience made clear. It was an historic day for all of us fighting for a safe climate future against the insanity of our governments and fossil fuel industries.

It's time - switch off coal and switch on renewables!

See you at the next protest!


Click here for more photos.

www.switchoffhazelwood.org - for a summary of the media coverage

While climate scientists all over the world call for a rapid transition away from coal, the Brumby and Rudd governments continue to support this dangerous industry while allowing crucial renewable energy projects to fall over.

Over the weekend the State Government announced it was looking into exporting brown coal, the world's most greenhouse gas intensive fuel, to India. A week earlier, the company Solar Systems went into voluntary administration putting 150 jobs at risk. The company was not able to raise enough money from private investors to build what was going to be Australia's biggest solar energy plant (so far) in the north-west of Victoria.

Considering the scale of the climate crisis, the Brumby Government cannot allow this project, which is technically sound, and the valuable employment that it will create, to go belly up. If they really believe the things they say about the seriousness of climate change and the importance of clean energy jobs, then this project must not be allowed to fail. If private money will not invest in this project due to the global financial crisis, as John Brumby has said, then government must step in. It's time the government took responsibility for the transition away from coal to renewable energy.

Help us demand the Solar Systems project goes ahead:
Rally to save the solar plant
This Friday, 18 September, 12.30pm
Solar Systems Office, 45 Grosvenor St, Abbotsford

In a world first, the Canadian province of Ontario has put in place a plan to reduce its coal usage by 40% by next year (on 2003 levels) and is hoping to phase out coal burning altogether by 2014.

Wind power is booming in this province of over 13 million people, which is also an electricity exporter to the USA.

Some turbines will be closed down, while others will have their coal fuel replaced with natural gas and renewable biomass. While this isn't a transition to 100% renewable energy, it is certainly a step in the right direction and will be the single biggest reduction in Canada's greenhouse gas emissions in its history.

If Ontario can do it, then Victoria, with our plentiful sun, wind and educated workforce can do it too.

Are you listening John Brumby? These are the kind of short term targets and action that we desperately need to avoid runaway climate change.

For more information click here.

The fourth climate camp in the UK has wound up! What an inspiring week! This year it was held in London, at a location kept secret until the first day and communicated to thousands of attendees by SMS.

This event, which went from 27 August to 2 September resulted in protests and civil disobedience all over London, as well as the usual workshops held at the campsite.

Actions were held at the Royal Bank of Scotland and Barclays Bank, for financing fossil fuel projects, the PR firm Edelman PR, for their work helping the energy company E.ON promote their plans for a new coal fired power station, the offices of Shell and BP (for obvious reasons), the UK treasury (ditto), London City airport and the carbon trading exchange.

To see more, visit the camp for climate action UK website, or the Guardian's coverage online.


And for your entertainment, just before the camp, the organisers responded to police requests for information on where the camp was going to be with this cheeky video: