Singing The Climate Blues

Posted on 22 October 2015 by clim.acts

See Angel Harriet Ripley singing an acclimatized version of the blues anthem Summertime:

and an acclimatized version of Skinny Love:

Climate Guardian Angels on Minister for the Environment’s rooftop protesting his approval of the Carmichael coal mine

Posted on 16 October 2015 by clim.acts

Press Release

A host of Climate Guardian Angels have descended on the rooftop of Minister Greg Hunt’s office in Hastings, and are refusing to get down until he revokes his approval of the Carmichael coal mine.

What: A protest/sit in

When: 11am, Friday 16th October

Where: 184 Salmon St, Hastings Victoria.

A host of Climate Guardian Angels have descended on Minister for the Environment’s rooftop to protest his approval of the Carmichael coal mine.

The project, proposed by Indian mining giant Adani will produce up to 60 million tonnes of coal for export a year, transported through the Abbot Point terminals which are located close to the Great Barrier Reef.

As climate scientists are finding new evidence of accelerated global warming with methane plumes erupting from seabeds, and new modeling on ‘unstoppable’ Arctic sea ice melt with 30-100 cm seal level rises by 2100, this approval of this mine is grossly negligent towards future generations and their intergenerational right to a safe and just climate.

The Carmichael mine has been declared ‘unbankable’ by the Queensland treasury, as the price of thermal coal slips to beneath $60 a tonne, widely considered in structural decline as the world moves towards renewable energy sources to combat the worst impacts of runaway climate change. 14 major global banks have refused to fund it.

As the warmest year on record draws to a close, and in the lead up to the UN COP21 climate talks, the decision by the Australian government to further lock our economy into dirty polluting fossil fuels makes a mockery of the pitiful commitment we have made of a 26% cut in emission on 2005 levels by 2030.

Climate Guardian co-convener Dr Liz Conor said, ‘to be actively expanding Australia’s coal export industry now is beyond irresponsible; it is staggeringly negligent. It will consign our children and theirs to a volatile, dangerous climate system, with far reaching repercussions for their lives. If Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and his Environment Minister Greg Hunt will not listen to the science on climate change — before leaders from the international community — we entreat them to heed the warnings of Guardian Angels.

The Climate Guardians are travelling to Paris to hand deliver letters and artworks by Australian children to UN delegates since their own government is indifferent to their fears about their future in a volatile climate.

Contact: 0424 132 605. Climacts.org.au

It’s official, Climate Guardians to perform in ArtCOP21!

Posted on 26 September 2015 by Coral Bleach

Climate Guardians are thrilled to be performing in Paris as part of ArtCOP21, an exceptional global climate festival connecting hundreds of thousands of people rising to the climate challenge.

ArtCOP21 hosts an extensive global programme of over 180 major public art installations, exhibitions, concerts, performances, talks, conferences, workshops, family events and film screenings, taking place right around Paris as well as in 22 countries (and counting) around the world. ArtCOP21 events will “highlight the need for governments meeting in Paris to support strong climate action and signal the end of the fossil fuel era – making climate change a people issue, not one to be left solely to the politicians.”

Why such urgency now? Everything we know and love depends on a healthy climate. Yet, for more than two decades of United Nations climate negotiations, fossil fuel corporations and their global financiers have continued to make gargantuan profits while knowingly and carelessly, polluting our world and gravely threatening our collective climate. Meanwhile, they have covertly funded climate denier campaigns to mislead and deceive the public and decision makers in order to continue ‘business as usual’. It is immeasurably unjust that those most responsible for forcing climate change have become the most wealthy and powerful people while those least responsible – underprivileged communities, children and future generations – suffer the most from its effects. Enough is enough.

Graceful, haunting, and iconic, the Climate Guardians performances will both challenge and inspire.

Any donations to support Climate Guardians work will be most appreciated by Angels.

How to make your own DIY angel wings

Posted on 28 August 2015 by clim.acts

Anyone can adopt Angel symbolism to make a visual demand for climate justice:

To make it easier for others to undertake their own Climate Guardian actions, Zoe and her friend have developed a prototype set of wings that are durable and light-weight and can easily be replicated at home using recycled materials.

Zoe Buckley Lennox has been involved in some amazing actions including boarding Shell’s arctic oil drilling vessel on the high seas, occupying the platform for 6 days to highlight the insanity of Arctic oil earlier this year. We were really lucky to have Zoe join us as one of our angels at the G20 in Brisbane last year, and even luckier that she will be joining us in Paris for the COP21 international UN climate talks later this year!

Check out this great video on how you too can become a Climate Guardian Angel with your very own set of wings:

If you follow this DIY wing method, it’s worth knowing that we’ve created gorgeous DIY wings using reused white and cream fabrics with some light coloured sheer and/or lace. And have also found it easier to use white gaffa tape and/or winding strips of white or cream fabric to cover the square frame that holds the wings at the back. Making wings this way is entirely sew-less.

And if you have any tips for improving our evolving methods we’d love to hear them!

Anyone can become a Climate Guardian and set up their own chapter in their town or country.

The costume is cheap to assemble. You need long white dresses from second hand stores. It can be effective to buy white curtain sheers cut off a band from one end for a waistband, double over what’s left and snip a head hole at the fold. Wrap it around your waist with the band.

Laurels are also cheap to make. Buy from any fabric store and twist into a wreath, wrap with thin white ribbon to secure. We bundle our hair up loosely and wear classical sandals.

Thanks to Zoe’s video, we are hoping in future that more people in other parts of the country and even the world, can start coordinating their very own angel actions as part of a mass mobilisation for climate justice! Angel wings can also be gratified, stenciled or chalked.Angel symbolism can appear on any surface, or be worn by men or women

Climate Guardian Angels to Descend on the Paris COP21 Talks

Posted on 11 August 2015 by clim.acts

The announcement of Australia’s 26% emissions reduction target based on 2005 levels by the Federal government has incited the Climate Guardians to travel at their own expense to the Paris COP21 climate talks to express Australians’ widespread frustration at our government’s inaction on climate change on the world stage.

The Climate Guardians plan to descend on the Paris COP21 climate talks in December to entreat international leaders to override the ineffective targets announced by former Prime Minister Abbott and upheld by current PM Malcolm Turnbull, which ignore key findings released by the Climate Institute showing the vast majority of Australians demand a transition to clean energy away from coal and want deeper cuts in carbon emissions.

Climate Guardian co-convener Dr Liz Conor said, ‘This woeful commitment to our share of the climate responsibility is an international embarrassment. It smears all Australians as climate shirkers. It is abjectly derelict in our duty of care to all people and life on earth’.

‘Given Australia is the world’s highest greenhouse gas emitter (on a per capita basis), it is unconscionable that our government continues to ignore the increasingly dire warnings by the world’s climate scientists while expanding Australia’s coal export industry.

The Climate Guardians will be standing in defiance of the fossil fuel corporations whose lobbyists are distorting our democratic system in their rapacious quest to profit from a business model that is rapidly and irreversibly destroying the world’s natural assets.

In Paris we will be delivering letters written especially by Australian Children imploring international climate leaders to secure their future in a safe and just climate by withstanding our Government’s attempts to scuttle the progress of the talks. Read our full statement.

Please contact us if you would like more information or are interested in participating in the letter writing campaign!

Wings of Desire – Help The Climate Guardians Stay Elevated

Posted on 24 June 2015 by clim.acts

We have planned a special treat for everyone to come along and join us for our fundraiser! Wings of Desire – Help The Climate Guardians Stay Elevated is to help with a stack of expenses that have mounted up over the 2 years we’ve been working on the campaign – costumes (thermals!!), banners, printing, flares, etc, lots of little bits and pieces.

Join us on Friday, 3rd of July, 7pm, for a screening of Wim Wender’s ‘Wings of Desire’.
Tickets are $55 and includes food & film
Longplay Bar, 318 St George’s Road, North Fitzroy

The Climate Guardians had a big year last year, beginning with opening the Lorne Sculpture Biennale with the spectacular performance Coal Requiem

Then later in the year the Climate Guardians (otherwise simply known as the ‘Angels’) made a big splash at last year’s G20 Summit, including being awarded the Most Aussie Moment in the Courier Mail, after negotiating with police to drop them off at the pub after a hard day’s protesting: G20 Brisbane: Our Top 10 Moments

Another highlight of 2014 was being a part of the successful campaign to shut down the Anglesea coal plant and mine, which included a visitation of the site.

More recently the Angels were out there raising awareness about the need for climate justice, this time supporting Climate Action Moreland and 350.org in a divestment action at a Commonwealth Bank branch in Melbourne’s CBD

We also used this recent outing to meet and greet with members of the public – Our spectacular wings always get us plenty of attention!

So if you want to help us keep flying high – including a planned visitation to Paris for the international COP21 climate talks in November; make sure you come to our fundraiser!

Anglesea Visitation

Posted on 19 March 2015 by clim.acts

The Climate Guardians were invited by the lovely people of Anglesea to visit the horrible Anglesea Power Station today. A disgrace that this heavily polluting facility is located so close to a primary school and the homes of residents.

Anglesea is the third worst polluting plant in Australia, so close to our pristine beaches, houses and schools.