Yarra Climate Action Now!

While in Canberra for the Climate Action Summit, one of our members was able to attend a meeting with the federal member for Melbourne and Finance Minister, Lindsay Tanner.

Four delegates from the Summit went along to the meeting, YCAN was the only group represented in the Melbourne electorate, with other people there from Darebin Climate Action Now, Moreland Climate Group and Rising Tide from Newcastle.

The discussion ranged over a number of topics, including the recent Climate Action Summit (see blog post below) and YCAN’s activities in the seat of Melbourne. Mr Tanner discussed the difficult political nature of the climate change issue, where on one side you have people and businesses directly and immediately affected by policies to stop climate change, while on the other you have the science and general public concern over an issue that is diffuse and will impact progressively over time. The discussion also touched on the government's funding for carbon capture and storage (clean coal), and the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism, which has been incorporated into the atrocious Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme.

The minister seemed to be aware of the recent climate change science, although it is unclear whether he understood the implications of runaway climate change.

The YCAN delegate summed up the main conclusions from the meeting:

“While Lindsay Tanner may be aware of the seriousness of climate change, and the threat is poses to humanity’s survival, it is clear that the Federal Government will not show leadership on this issue until it is forced to by the Australian people. Politicians will only respond to political pressure. This means that every single Australian who cares about climate change has to start doing something POLITICAL about it. This can range from writing letters, joining your local climate action group, attending rallies and changing your vote, to non-violent direct action, such as the blockading of coal infrastructure.

“The point is the government won’t act until everyone else does.”

(c) Greenpeace/Belevi

“Please be aware, the police have informed us that we are not allowed to move beyond the north face of Parliament House. If you do decide to leave this area and form a ring around parliament, the police may ask you to move on, and if you don’t, they may arrest you.”

Despite that warning, on the morning of February third, over two thousand people formed a human ring all the way around the Australian Parliament House in Canberra. Mothers, fathers, grandparents, children, students, scientists, people from all walks of life and from all over Australia, committed what for some was their first act of civil disobedience.

We were dressed in red to symbolise the climate emergency that the world is facing. This colour also symbolised anger, anger at the inadequate response to climate change from our Federal Government, and anger at the extreme danger this inadequate response puts us in.



This action was the last official event of Australia’s first Climate Action Summit. This summit brought together over 500 people representing about 150 climate action groups from all over Australia, for three days of discussion, skills sharing, network and policy development and campaign strategising. Yarra Climate Action Now had four delegates in attendance. It was an exhausting, educational, sometimes frustrating, and inspiring experience.

By the end of the three day summit, we were well on the way to establishing a national community level climate action network, which would enable all the groups to work together and coordinate our activities. We had also set our overarching campaign objectives and key dates for nationally coordinated actions. We took part in discussions on key policy issues and skill-share workshops.

The key campaign objectives for 2009 are:

1. Prevent the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) from becoming law.

2. Build community-wide action to demand green jobs, a just transition and 100% renewable energy by 2020.

3. Build community support for a goal of stabilisation at 300ppm CO2 in the atmosphere and strong international agreement in line with what science and global justice demands. Communicate this position to the Copenhagen Conference of Parties and advocate for the Australian government to adopt this position.

These objectives are consistent with the climate science as it currently stands, and mean that the grass-roots movement, together with a few larger environment groups such as Greenpeace, are setting the agenda for the development of sensible climate change policy. No other groups, or government for that matter, are yet to base their climate change policies on climate science. Please contact us if you would like further information on these objectives.

For coverage of the summit and the action see:

ABC News

The Age I and II

Canberra Times

Greenpeace blog I and II

In May of last year, the State Government announced that a feed-in tariff would be introduced in Victoria. A feed-in tariff is a mechanism for encouraging the take-up of solar photovoltaic energy generation (otherwise known as solar panels). It has been very successful in Germany, transforming its solar power industry into a €2 billion export earner which employs 57,000 people.

The German feed-in tariff pays householders a premium rate for the energy that they produce from their solar panels, thereby reducing the pay-back period and encouraging take-up. This is called a gross feed-in tariff. However, unlike Germany’s model, Victoria’s feed-in tariff will only pay householders for the extra energy they feed into the grid left over after their own use, rather than the total energy produced. This is a net feed in tariff. Considering the Victorian model limits the size of eligible arrays to 2kW (which produces less electricity than the average household uses), it will be ineffective and will not result in mass take-up of solar technologies.

It was revealed last year when the decision was first announced, that the Victorian Environment Minister, Gavin Jennings was for a gross model, while the Energy Minister Peter Batchelor was in support of a net model. Mr Batchelor was able to convince Premier Brumby because he produced figures that showed a gross model would increase electricity costs to households by about $100 a year.

Last week, in a series of reports, The Age revealed that calculations by the State Government of the cost of a gross feed-in tariff was actually between $18 and $37 per year per household, and that the $100 a year figure was produced by Peter Batchelor at the last minute. It also revealed that senior state bureaucrats supported the gross feed-in tariff, claiming the State Government’s preferred model would be ineffective.

Peter Batchelor has yet to respond to questions on how he arrived at the $100 a year figure, and where it came from, considering his own department had already come up with a much lower cost figure in a detailed analysis. Did the Victorian Energy Minister simply make up the figures in order to quash a policy he didn’t like? A policy that would have seen thousands of jobs created and growth in a crucial renewable energy industry? And if he did, why did he do it when he knew the cost was not actually that great?

If these allegations are true, then Peter Batchelor has a lot to answer for. We still await his response.

To read the excellent series of investigative reports on this issue in The Age, click here, here and here.

It is not too late for the State Government to change its policy, adopt a gross feed-in tariff, and expand it to bigger solar photovoltaic systems and to commercial and community buildings as well as households. This is a policy that would do wonders for the take-up of solar energy technology, which is an essential plank of a science-based and just response to climate change.

There is currently a campaign to encourage the Federal Government to adopt a national gross feed-in tariff. Australia is a solar energy superpower, and our governments are failing to take advantage of it. To find out more and sign the petition, visit this website.

Credit where credit’s due. At the dawn of 2009, John Brumby, and his Minister for the Environment and Climate Change, Gavin Jennings, announced the formation of four new national parks in Victoria. These national parks aim to protect sections of Victoria’s stressed River Red Gum ecosystems, and two of the parks will be jointly managed by the Yorta Yorta people. This brings to an end a decade-long campaign by the traditional owners of the area, and YCAN congratulates them and their supporters, particularly Friends of the Earth, for their great win.

The announcement includes an adjustment package for those who will lose their jobs as a result of the formation of the parks and the State Government claims that more jobs will be created once the decision is implemented. The parks are an important step towards boosting the resilience of vital ecosystems in the area, especially as the impacts of climate change on the Murray Darling Basin continue to worsen.

Unfortunately that is where the credit ends. The Brumby State Government has so far been a great disappointment on environmental issues and on climate change. While they have implemented some tokenistic market-based policies such as the Victorian Renewable Energy Target, the Victorian Energy Efficiency Target and a second-rate solar feed-in tariff, the fact remains that climate change is ignored in almost every policy decision and Victoria’s emissions continue to rise at an alarming rate.

A recent report by The Climate Group shows that Victoria’s emissions were 2.1 per cent higher in 2008 than the previous year (a 6 per cent increase based on 2000 levels) and our electricity use rose. Victoria’s emissions from petrol also increased.

This is a damning indictment of John Brumby’s policies. At a time when scientists all over the world are calling loudly for rapid and deep cuts in emissions, Victoria continues to belch out more emissions than ever before and continues to be amongst the worst per capita greenhouse gas emitters on earth. Instead of admitting to its shameful record and promising to change its ways, the State Government has tried to spin itself out of trouble by claiming per capita emissions have fallen. Not only does this not recognise that we also come out looking bad if emissions are measured per capita, it is completely irrelevant to halting the effects of climate change - the atmosphere doesn’t care about per capita emissions if absolute emissions keep rising.

On top of this, the Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability’s State of the Environment Report, released in late 2008, makes for alarming reading. Most of Victoria’s ecology is increasingly degraded, and the degradation is worsening.

John Brumby and Gavin Jennings, it’s time you listened to the world-class climate scientists you have appointed to your Climate Change Reference Group, such as David Karoly and Amanda Lynch, and get serious on climate change. We suggest you start by changing the following policies:

Transport

Despite the fanfare and the great wads of taxpayers’ money spent in its promotion, the Victorian Transport Plan is more of the same short-sightedness that has got us into this huge transport mess in the first place. According to the Public Transport Users Association, the plan commits the State Government to building 122km of new roads. Almost half of the $38 billion plan will go to increasing or building new major road capacity. Building new roads in metropolitan Melbourne is profoundly stupid. New roads only encourage private vehicle use, thereby increasing greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, traffic congestion and they drive us further into oil dependence, at a time that peak oil is estimated to be less than a decade away. Investing in new roads serves no benefit other than to enrich big business and wastes money that should be invested in public transport and other sustainable transport modes.

Energy

The rhetoric is that the State Government supports renewable energy. In reality however, John Brumby has approved a new coal-fired power station and a gas-fired power station for construction in Victoria. They have even put taxpayers’ money towards the new coal plant. You can’t have it both ways Mr Brumby, you either think climate change is a serious issue and work to reduce Victoria’s emissions, or you build new fossil fuel power stations.

Forests

The Brumby Government continues to support the logging of old growth forests. This insanity means that we are irreversibly destroying some of our best carbon sinks, the ecosystems that provide us with clean air and water and provide habitat for our biodiversity. Logging is currently occurring at Brown Mountain in East Gippsland, an area of high value forest with trees over 300 years old.

Water

The water outlook for Victoria is nothing short of frightening. Climate change exacerbates the situation with rainfall predicted to reduce further and the current eleven year drought most likely a more permanent dryness. It is wise that the Brumby Government is taking this challenge seriously, but their construction of a large industrial desalination plant and piping water out of the Murray Darling Basin to Melbourne should be solutions of last resort, once all other avenues such as stormwater and rainwater harvesting, stricter conservation initiatives and recycling have been tried.

In addition, the State Government continues to water down the environmental criteria for the desalination plant. It has gone back on its promise to build renewable energy generation to power the plant, and is now going to purchase renewable energy certificates to cover its electricity use (but not the energy used in its construction). Just one week ago, the State Government watered down the energy efficiency requirements of the plant, removing all limits on energy consumption.

The Brumby Government needs to understand that the crises we are now facing, brought about through a combination of climate change, resource depletion and biodiversity loss (among others) have the capacity to destroy the very foundations of human economic activity and human wellbeing. We need a change in paradigm, leading to a change in policy, and we need it fast.

YCAN!’s inaugural Idiot of the Month award goes to…(drum roll please)… Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi from South Australia, for posting the following comments in a blog last week:

"I remain unconvinced about the need for an ETS [emissions trading scheme] given that carbon dioxide is vital for life on earth, the earth hasn't warmed since 1998 and many of the predictions made by climate change alarmists -- including Al Gore and Tim Flannery -- have been demonstrably false."

Unfortunately, Senator Bernardi doesn’t provide any details on the predictions he says are false. The claim that global warming stopped in 1998 is a classic cherry pick that climate change deniers use. Click here for a detailed response to this claim and the graph below says it all really. The Garnaut Review also examined this claim by asking statisticians to review global temperature data and ascertain if the warming trend stopped in 1998. They concluded that it hadn’t.




And finally the brilliance of the comment, “…carbon dioxide is vital for life on earth…”. This was the clincher. This comment cemented the judges’ decision to award Senator Bernardi the coveted prize. It displays such an acute lack of critical thought capacities as to render us at YCAN! almost speechless. By using Senator Bernardi’s insightful theory, we can hereby declare that all flood and bushfire prevention and recovery activities are a waste of time and money, as water and heat are vital for life on Earth.

Is Senator Bernardi unfit to represent the fine people of South Australia? We think so, and we hope the voters in SA will agree. In the meantime, we recommend that Malcolm Turnbull arrange some science classes for his colleagues.

Who will it be next month? Send your nominations to YarraCAN@gmail.com

“The surrender is virtually complete. Our biggest polluters have won, and the rest of us will be paying for it under a joke of an emissions trading scheme that encompasses a significant transfer of wealth to our largest polluters.”

Bernard Keane, crikey.com.au

The Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme released today by Kevin Rudd, represents a total capitulation to the forces of short term greed and inaction.

The emissions target of 5 per cent reduction on 2000 levels by 2020, rising to a 15% cut in the event of a global agreement, is not even close to what the science says is necessary to avoid runaway climate change – a catastrophe which will claim hundreds of millions of lives and impoverish everyone else.

According to the latest science there is already too much carbon in the atmosphere. Emissions need to go as close to zero as possible, as soon as possible, with measures then taken to remove carbon from the atmosphere to appropriate levels, generally estimated to be around 300-325ppm CO2 – for more information on this, click here or visit the IPCC website.

The weak emissions target also marks Australia’s return to pariah status in the international policy arena on climate change. A 15 per cent target is a joke for a wealthy country such as Australia, and this target will help to sabotage any slim chance that the world community had of negotiating a decent emissions reduction agreement in Copenhagen in 2009.

This agreement not only ignores the science, but it also represents a massive transfer of wealth to big business, via free permits and compensation. Power generators, including coal-fired power stations, will share in $4 billion of “compensation”. This was a mistake made in the European emissions trading scheme, which resulted in massive windfall profits for power generators and price rises for consumers. The Federal Government is aware of this but has obviously decided to repeat the same mistakes the Europeans made.

There will also be a free permit bonanza, with emissions intensive trade exposed firms getting up to 90 per cent of their permits for free.

It is also an immoral policy which will see the poorest people of the poorest countries suffer first, even though they are not to blame for the world’s historic greenhouse gas emissions.

This cannot be allowed to stand. This is a suicidal and irresponsible policy and the Rudd Government is betraying the Australian people. The Rudd Government spin is that they are negotiating the middle ground between environmentalists and industry. In reality, they are ignoring the science and not being truthful with the Australian people on what the true consequences of their weak policies are.

This policy has come about because of a lack of strength and leadership in the government, but also because the public is not actively demanding a science-based climate change policy. The only way we can turn this ship around is to get off our bums and hit the streets.

We need you to join us.

Read Michael Green's article in the Saturday Age about our climate action movement by clicking here.

The Climate Emergency Network has initiated a project to model economy-wide solutions to produce a 10 year transition to a safe climate economy across Australia. The project is called Plan Z.E.D. Zero Emissions Decade .

The aim is to provide detail of paths that can lead to rapidly achieving a safe climate economy, within a decade. Climate Emergency Network believes it will be valuable for people and organisations to know about such paths:

• to influence how people think about climate change policy and action.
• so that a real transformation of the Australian economy can be undertaken urgently .

The project will be undertaken in four stages.

Stage 1
The first stage will be undertake by the group Beyond Zero Emissions (BZE) who have been working for well over a year on a near-zero emissions/10 year transition plan for Victoria. BZE will extend their current Victorian to cover the whole of Australia. It will also the establishment of the infrastructure to enable Australia to make a fully effective contribution to the draw down of all the excess CO2 in the air as past as possible.

Specifically, the Plan will outline:

• A staged execution plan for Australia to transition to a zero carbon economy by 2020 (utilising only currently proven, viable and costed technologies & practices)
• The costs and benefits of Australia pursuing a zero carbon target
• The necessary policy options and resources to achieve a zero carbon economy that will produce the best possible outcome for Australia
• The sectoral and regional implications of Australia progressing to a zero carbon economy
• The economic and strategic opportunities in Australia taking a lead role within the global context of carbon constraint

The Plan will consist of individual reports into the following sectors of the Australian economy:

• Stationary Energy
• Transport
• Land Use (Agriculture, forestry & carbon drawdown)
• Housing and Commercial Buildings
• Industrial Processes
• Export Revenue
  

The Plan will be developed with the intention of protecting and enhancing the key economic, social and environmental parameters of Australian society including; maintaining a high standard of living; security of energy and food supply; access to mobility; and comfort and well being for all.

Stage 1 is due to be completed by early 2009.

Stage 2:
In stage 2 the Climate Emergency Network will conduct an assessment of the BZE Australia-wide plan so that CEN can have an accurate view about how robust and viable the plan is for achieving a safe climate economy within a decade period. This component of the overall project would try to elicit information on the strengths and weaknesses of the BZE plan, and would be designed to draw out potential solutions to identified problems.

Stage 3
Climate Emergency Network will take the analysis further by numerically modelling the energy and financial implications for the structure of the economy.

Stage 4
Climate Emergency Network will actively use the results.

Funding
While most of the work already done and being offered by BZE is by energetic and committed volunteers, we do need some funds to employ people for project management, and to support administration, report writing and research. This will also mean the project can be done both more efficiently and in the shortest time frame possible.

Funds are being provided through fundraising efforts of CEN. To date a single generous donation of about $25,000 has given a big impetus to starting Stage 1. As well local fundraising in Melbourne has provided about $3500.

However more funding is needed for the completion of stage one in the shortest time possible and to be certain of employing highly regarded project evaluation experts in stage 2 and skilled modellers for stage 3.

We would therefore ask you to seriously consider making a contribution to the success of this project by digging deeply. Remember all sizes of donations are valuable – as they were in Obama’s campaign in the US! We estimate we will need at least $100,000.

Make your Donation: Click here.

OR

Make a donation and give it as a Xmas Gift: Click here.

• Give a Xmas Gift to your family or friends by making a donation to Plan Z.E.D..
• We will send you a special Climate Emergency Network –
  All We Want for Xmas …..is a Sustainable Future Xmas card with a record of your donation - to give as a gift.
• Don’t forget to fill in all the details for mailing or emailing the gift Xmas card recording your donation to Plan Z.E.D.
  

All We Want for Xmas …..is a Sustainable Future

Using bulk purchasing and the Federal Government (means tested) rebate for rooftop solar panels, up to 200 Yarra home owners can purchase 1kW solar photovoltaic systems for their homes for $2,830. Your household must be earning less than $100,000 to be eligible for this offer.

This deal has been brokered by the City of Yarra and further information is available at:
http://www.yarracity.vic.gov.au/Environment/Solar.asp

You must sign up before 31 January 2009.

A great way to lower your electricity bills and produce clean energy.

Draft Yarra Environment Strategy: Towards Local Sustainability

Yarra’s draft Environment Strategy: Towards Local Sustainability is on public exhibition until 15 August 2008.

The strategy outlines objectives for 10 key action areas which are:

Community Engagement
Open Space and Urban Bushland
Greenhouse Emissions
Water
Waste
Transport
Built Form
Food
Air Quality

Council Planning and Operations.
The draft strategy includes a detailed action plan, which outlines tasks and projects to be undertaken over the next four years to transform Yarra into a vibrant, liveable and sustainable inner city municipality.

The action plan includes documented programs and targets to ensure that the Strategy is more than words – and is in fact a working document to be implemented by Council in partnership with the community.
You can have your say on the draft Strategy and Action Plan by:

Completing the feedback form, tearing along the perforated line, taping or stapling the form to make a reply paid envelope, and mailing it to Council by putting it in a letterbox (no stamp required)
Emailing your comments to the Coordinator of Council’s Environmental Sustainability Unit, Silvana Predebon at Silvana.Predebon@yarracity.vic.gov.au

Calling Silvana on 9205 5753 or mailing your comments to PO Box 168, Richmond VIC 3121

Climate Emergency Network
General Meeting
Sunday May 25: 11.45am to 5 pm (incl. lunch break)
Abbotsford Convent, 1 St Heliers St Abbotsford. Melway 44 G5

The Climate Emergency Network (CEN) is a not-for-profit, non-politically-aligned network of
community organisations that are campaigning for all governments to recognise and declare a state of climate and sustainability emergency in order to ensure we have a safe climate future for all people, all species, and all generations.

The network aims to bring together the many Climate Action Groups and community organisations across the nation to work strategically together towards this goal.

The network has been established only 3 months and has over 70 members in Victoria, representing many existing Climate Action Groups. We welcome new people and groups to join the network.

Please come along to meet with members of the Network.
• Hear how the work of the Network is developing and become involved in jobs and projects needing
workers!
• View the latest version of the Climate Code Red slide show.
• Learn how to train as a presenter of the slide show and Climate Code Red emergency message.
• Hear how your Climate Action Group can become involved in a project to meet with your Local
Community Leaders.
• Hear about plans to meet and discuss the Climate Emergency message with key policy makers and
influential members of our society.

****Feeling creative??? The network is seeking ideas for a logo. We invite everyone to bring along their suggestions on the day. We will decide on a basic concept or logo with the option to pass them onto a graphic designer for development****

We would appreciate a donation to contribute to room hire expenses.

Lunch:
We will have a late lunch break about 1.30pm to 2pm. Food is available at the Convent Cafes or
BYO.

Getting there... by public transport:
Via Train: Victoria Park on the Epping/Hurstbridge line is the closest railway station. Buses 200, 201,
205 and 207 run along Johnson Street.
Via Bus: Catch the Garden City/Bulleen Bus 203 from the city in Lonsdale St, this will run along
Johnson St. Get off at Clarke Street Bus Stop. (Make sure you are going in the Kew Junction
direction). Turn left from Clarke Street into St. Heliers and follow the sign to The Collingwood
Children’s Farm. The entrance gates of the Convent are on the right before you reach the Farm.
Getting there... by bike or foot: The Capital City cycling and walking path passes the site.
Getting there... by car: Enter Clarke St from Johnson St, then left into St. Heliers Street. All day parking is available on the north side of St Heliers Street and costs $4.00(coins only). There is also 15 minute parking on the street. There is no vehicular access to the Convent site.

To RSVP or for more information contact: climatecodered@yahoo.com

One of the most important documents to be written for the global climate campaign has been released on the web.

The document makes the case that the science is being misread and miscommunicated and that the situation is far worse than most climate commentators choose to explain, it then looks at appropriate goals and solutions and argues for rapid reduction in atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations now.

Written by David Sprat and Philip Sutton the document is a must read for any serious climate campaigner.

Down load the pdf from http://climatecodered.net/

Some of you have read the first two parts as Part 1 as "The big melt" and Part 2 as "Target practice".

The authors have asked that people do not email the PDF directly but instead direct others to the website.

Some good feedback for a change

Climate campaigner Al Gore saluted Australia's new commitment to addressing climate change as he collected the Nobel Peace Prize today, saying it was time to make peace with the planet.
The former US vice-president shared the 2007 prize with the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, whose head, Rajendra Pachauri, told leaders at a UN climate conference in Indonesia to heed the wisdom of science.

"Without realising it, we have begun to wage war on the earth itself," Mr Gore said in his speech. "It is time to make peace with the planet."

In his speech at the presentation ceremony in Oslo, Mr Gore praised Australia's Rudd Government and several other countries as he urged the US and China to join the fight against global warming.

Mr Rudd's first act after taking his oath of office on December 3 was to ratify Kyoto.
"I salute Europe and Japan for the steps they've taken in recent years to meet the challenge, and the new government in Australia, which has made solving the climate crisis its first priority,'' he said.

"But the outcome will be decisively influenced by two nations that are now failing to do enough: the United States and China."

See today's Age for the full story