12.30pm, Saturday 14 November 2009

Sydney Townhall

Climate action campaigners will march on the NSW Labor party conference this Saturday in protest at shock plans to build new coal-fired power stations in the state.

Speakers will include NSW Greens MP John Kaye, Steve Campbell, the head of campaigns at Greenpeace Australia-Pacific and NTEU state secretary Genevieve Kelly.

Demonstrators will gather at 12.30pm at Sydney Town hall this Saturday November 14 and march to the Entertainment Centre, arriving there outside the NSW Labor conference at 1.30pm.

Puzzling over how to create change?! Frustrated by running events that don’t seem to go anywhere? Want to know how to develop strategy to get what you want?! Then come along to this FREE WORKSHOP to learn campaigning skills from an experienced campaigner, and from each other!

Workshop – ‘Campaigning into 2010: basics of campaign strategy and next steps for the NSW climate movement’
Facilitator: Meg Ivory, Local Community Organiser, Greenpeace Australia Pacific.
When: Thursday 12 November, 6-8pm.
Where: Amnesty International Australia office, Level 1, 79 Myrtle St Chippendale Sydney (off Abercrombie St, a 10-minute walk from Central Station).
Cost: Free.
RSVP to nswcagcontact@gmail.com.

This workshop will build on the enthusiasm and momentum gained around climate camp and the 350.org day of action. It will consider how we can expand upon our 2009 efforts for campaigning into 2010. The workshop will discuss why we campaign and the basics of campaign strategy – what do we want, who can give it to us, how will we make them give it to us and what tactics can we use? A range of tools will be introduced to give you confidence in starting to think about campaigning, whether it be for planning local campaigns, or getting involved in state or national-level ones.

Testimony on a recent workshop run for NSW climate action groups:
“I took part in the recent workshop on group maintenance and it was a great session! There was so much knowledge between all the people in the room and it was an easy and fun way to tap into it and save myself lots of time. I recommend these sessions to everyone to leverage off the learning that other groups have developed over years and years of work.” – Kirsten, Manly-Warringah Climate Action Group.

Don’t miss out on this practical and useful workshop! Come along to:
‘Campaigning into 2010: basics of campaign strategy and next steps for the NSW climate movement’
Thursday 12 November, 6-8pm, @ Amnesty offices (Level 1, 79 Myrtle St Chippendale).

PLEASE RSVP to nswcagcontact@gmail.com or to Lindsay: 0411 098 853 or Wenny: 0402 564 862.

Organised by the NSW Climate Action Groups Movement Building Working Group for grassroots climate activists in NSW.

Oct 24 was 350 day, with people in 181 countries around the world held 5,200 events to highlight the importance of the number 350.

350 stands for 350 parts per million of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.  This is the levelof carbon dioxide that scientists say we should aim for to avoid catastrophic climate change.

At the begining of the industrial revolution in 1850, before we started burning coal, oil and gas a huge levels, the amount of carbon dioxide in the air was around 280 parts per million (ppm).  In the 160 years since, humans have burnt so much fossil fuels and chopped down so much forest, that there are 385ppm in the atmosphere.

Yes, that is already over the safe level of 350, so we actually need to work to bring the level down below 350ppm by restoring forests and drastically lowering carbon emissions.

To see all the wonderful photos of 350 around the world goto: www.350.org

In Sydney various climate action groups marked the day with different events:

350 at Sydney Opera House

Ice berg built outside the Newtown Neighbourhood Centre

350 at Clovelly, Sydney

350 at Middle Harbour and Mosman public schools

School Children at Rozelle

350 at Vinson Massif, Antarctica

Six Degrees have shut down a queensland coal port with direct action today.  See Brisbane Times article for more…

Two protesters have been arrested after shoving their hands into a conveyor belt loading coal onto a Taiwanese ship set to leave Brisbane this morning.

The pair were among four protesters who jumped the fence at the Queensland Coal Port and locked themselves to a metal pipe near the conveyor belt.

Meanwhile, 16 other protesters kayaked across the Brisbane River, dodging police boats to delay coal ship Formosabulk No.4, which was sailing to Taiwan with 90,000 tonnes of Queensland coal.

The protesters are from Six Degrees, the Climate Change arm of Friends of the Earth, who are taking widespread direct action against Australia’s increasing coal exports.

See Brisbane Times article for the whole story