The Climate Guardians had a wonderful time on Sunday meeting both young people and caring grown ups at Templestowe College’s Sustainability Festival.
We chose this inspiring community occasion to officially launch our #KeepYourPromise campaign, which demands that Australia’s leaders honour the promises that they made at COP21 in Paris. The strong response to the Climate Guardians’ #AngelPost mission (which delivered hundreds of children’s messages to COP21 decision makers in Paris) was the impetus for the #KeepYourPromise campaign. While it was encouraging that our sun-drenched and wind-swept country belatedly joined the ‘coalition of ambition’ we’re still waiting for signs that they will actually honour the commitments made on the world stage.
For instance within nine days of agreeing to attempt to limit global temperature increases to 1.5 degrees (and a maximum of 2 degrees) the Federal government approved an extension of the Abbott Point Coal Terminal (located on the boundary of the world heritage listed Great Barrier Reef marine park). This would make Abbott Point the world’s largest coal port (at a time when the world is dumping the dangerous fuel) and would unleash the Galilee Basin carbon bomb by enabling other foreign owned climate wrecking coal projects.
Around six weeks later further devastating cuts were made to the CSIRO’s climate science divisions. Then hot on the heels of gutting Australia’s climate research capacities the Turnbull government announced a new Energy Resources Growth Centre to ‘drive innovation, competitiveness and productivity across the oil, gas, coal and uranium sectors’ (which are largely owned by foreign corporations) at a cost of $15.4 million to Australian tax payers. Meanwhile, the government continues to repeal climate policies that were proving enormously successful at driving billions of dollars of new investments in clean renewable energy and creating thousands of new jobs in local, sustainable economies.
It’s not that sustainable, zero pollution and efficient energy alternatives aren’t available. In fact backed by cooperative finance models, determined communities have been driving inspiring sustainability projects despite the ongoing blocks and frustrations imposed by governments and entrenched energy retailers. Check out Solar Citizens and CORENA (Citizens Owned Renewable Energy Network Australia) to get an idea of how local communities are leading the charge towards a more fair and sustainable world consistent with our Climate Justice Plan.
The #KeepYourPromise campaign will continue to track our government’s breaches of its commitments under the Paris Agreement and promote the community owned and controlled sustainable projects needed to avoid a climate and eco-system meltdown.
Do you believe that it is totally unacceptable for our “leaders” to continue to prop up dirty industries (and their investors), which are destroying the Earth’s capacity to support life while wilfully hindering the roll out of clean renewable energy? We do and we are 100% committed to ensuring that our politicians honour the fundamental duty of care that they owe to their children, grandchildren and the vulnerable communities that it is their job to protect. It’s time. #KeepYourPromise.
