Alison Potter sees reason for hope on climate change. Go Alison!

By Alison Potter

Disgusted at Canberra's disastrous response to climate change, Alison Potter joined thousands of others who are taking matters into their own hands.

Last Tuesday at 9:00am I stood alongside 2500 other ordinary, impassioned Australians, holding hands in a huge ring of splendid red all the way around Parliament House in Canberra.

We demanded a swift, appropriate and ethical response to the climate emergency. Enormous red and white banners blared "100% renewables", "Our climate — our Parliament — our future", "Scrap the CPRS", and "Climate Emergency".

As I waved to the helicopter hovering above, and smiled broadly at the camera crews and MPs' cars as they slid past, it felt like something had tipped.

The protest came at the end of the inaugural Climate Action Summit for grassroots climate groups. Self-organised and scattered across every state of Australia, 150 climate action groups, born from middle Australia and outwards, had met to network and talk strategy over three intense days. Read More...

Tags: Canberra

7 February 2009

Green Left Weekly’s Simon Butler asked a number of activists present at Australia’s Climate Action Summit why they attended and why they thought it was so important.

Katherine, Bondi, New South Wales

“I’ve got two young kids and I’ve just come to the conclusion that we all have to get active to do what we can about climate change. It’s all very well to sit in our lounge rooms, feeling worried and anxious and whatever, but it’s really great to come together with such a large group of people from all around Australia.

“The commitment that people have shown to come together and speak with one voice has been very encouraging. It’s been quite moving.”

Graham Brown, Hunter Environment Lobby

“I see the opening of parliament, which is coinciding with this summit, as the time to spread the message and act meaningfully to get a sane world. No environment, no economy.” Read More...

Over 140 community climate action groups have united at their first national summit in their decision to oppose the Federal Government’s proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS), saying that it will fail make the required cuts to greenhouse pollution.

More than 500 people from around the country gathered in Canberra this weekend to produce a national, unified set of objectives for the community campaign of climate action for the crucial year ahead.

“Australia must be part of a global climate change action plan that will reduce carbon concentration in the atmosphere to 300 parts per million (ppm) and keep it there,” said mother and member of Climate Change Balmain Rozelle Jenny Curtis. Read More...