Tag Archive: divestment

Join AYCC at the Westpac AGM Fri 9 December

The Australian Youth Climate Coalition invite you to join them for an action outside the Westpac AGM at the Convention Centre on North Terrace at 9-10am Friday 9 December.

With Turnbull giving Adani a $1billion boost, it’s really important that we make sure out banks aren’t investing in the project, so we’re hoping to get a bit of a crowd there. Below is a bit of an outline of what the action will look like, hope to see you there!

Westpac are #climatehypocrites, and it’s time their shareholders knew it! Despite receiving awards for being “the world’s most sustainable bank”, and promising not to invest in projects that would take us over 2 degrees of global warming, Westpac has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in fossil fuels and refused to rule out investing in the Adani Carmichael coal mine in Queensland, putting our future at serious risk of dangerous global warming.

Join us for some street theatre on the morning of Westpac’s AGM, where we’ll be holding an award ceremony for the bank, with the award they really deserve, for being Australia’s biggest climate hypocrites. It’ll be a fun morning, and we’ll also be flyering and engaging with shareholders as they head into the AGM.

adelaide.office@foe.org.au

Divest from fossil fuels – Market Forces event 5 October

FOE members are invited to meet with Market Forces presenter Jack Bertolus at 5pm prior to the event.

Is your money making the world a better place? Or is it supporting the continuation of fossil fuel and other industries that contribute to climate change?

Sustainable Communities and Market Forces event

Wednesday 5 October
6-8:30pm
The Joinery
111 Franklin St Adelaide

Did you know that banks lend our money to large coal, oil and gas companies and projects, and super funds and insurance companies invest customers’ money in these industries.

Come along to learn more about how you can exert influence and make a positive change for sustainability by making sure your money is working for good. Divesting your money from fossil fuels is a powerful thing to do. It is the opposite of investment – it’s taking your money away from damaging industries and businesses that threaten our future.

Our speaker is Jack Bertolus from Market Forces, a Melbourne-based organisation that works with the community to prevent investment in projects that harm the environment and drive global warming.

A simple meal will be provided from 6pm, prior to the talk – we suggest a donation of $5 per person to help cover costs.

This is a DIVESTMENT DAY event. Saturday 8 October 2016 is Divestment Day. Meet at 11am in Hindmarsh Square to join with others to deliver a message to banks about their obligations regarding compliance the Paris Agreement to keep global warming to below two degrees.

Please book for this free event via Eventbrite to help with catering.

adelaide.office@foe.org.au

Federal Government attacks on environmental groups

The Federal government is now attacking environmental groups on two fronts.

1. One inquiry well under way is the following attempt to remove tax free donation status of environmental charities like Friends of the Earth.

“The House of Representatives Standing Committee on the Environment will inquire into and report on the administration and transparency of the Register of Environmental Organisations (the Register) and its effectiveness in supporting communities to take practical action to improve the environment.” More information here.

Friends of the Earth Australia has made a submission and hearings are being held around the country. The Adelaide hearing is scheduled for September 1st – location to be announced. The hearing will be open to the public and we intend to have a representative monitor the Adelaide event.  Friends of the Earth are appearing before the inquiry in Melbourne on September 21st – location to be announced.

2. “The Abbott government has revealed plans to repeal a section of Australia’s environment laws that allows green groups to challenge approvals for mining projects and other large developments in the courts. Federal Attorney-General George Brandis said the government would seek to repeal section 487 (2) of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act and “return to the common law”, after it was used successfully by the Mackay Conservation Group to overturn the federal environment minister’s approval of the Carmichael mega-coal mine in Queensland’s Galilee Basin.” Renew Economy: The six big lies in Tony Abbott’s attack on the environment

The Six Big Lies in Tony Abbott’s attack on the environment:

Lie 1. It’s the economy versus the environment

Lie 2. The parade of projects

Lie 3. Coal jobs at risk

Lie 4. Activists destroying the industry

Lie 5. The cost of emissions reductions

Lie 6. The sheer hypocrisy of it all

A good article at the Guardian article: George Brandis says vigilante green groups are destroying thousands of mining jobs

You are invited to sign the PETITION to Attorney George Brandis asking him to:

Stop Abbott government destroying Australia’s environmental laws.

Read more >>

Fri Feb 13th – Break up with Fossil Fuels in the Mall! 11am

On February 13 Adelaide is joining the global movement to divest from fossil fuels. We invite you to join us in the Rundle Mall to learn about the divestment movement and take action against dangerous climate change.

Hear from speakers and take part in this global event as we travel from the West to the East side of Rundle Mall.

Please wear ORANGE and lots of it 🙂

Together, we will show that we are a truly global and growing force to be reckoned with. As the fossil fuel industry throws more money at fossil fuel expansion, we will turn up the volume of our divestment movement. And we won’t stop until we win.

Organised by 350.org and the Conservation Council of SA

For more information see our Facebook event or contact Robyn robyn.wood@foe.org.au

Potential Fossil Fuel Divestment training in Adelaide

Mike Pulsford, from 350.org,au, writes

I’ve been talking to Charlie Wood, 350.org’s national campaign director, about a possible date for a fossil fuel divestment training session in Adelaide. This session covers all the concepts, terms, strategies and arguments you need to run a divestment campaign with confidence, as well as an overview of the more detailed resources we’ve got for campaigners – primers, reports, templates and so on. It’s designed so that once you’ve done it, you can run the training yourself for others, and we’ll make all slides and materials available for this too.

She’s suggesting Sunday September 1. How many of you would be interested and able to make this date? We’d need at least 15 participants (though more is fine too – feel free to pass this email on to anyone who you think might be interested). Otherwise we can wait until later in the year.

The training itself goes for 3 hours; in Melbourne we had a share lunch and a brainstorming/campaign planning session afterwards, which made it a 5 hour event, but that’s optional (while very nice).

Let me know your thoughts, in any case!

Here in Melbourne we’ve made progress with the City of Melbourne, and one of the councillors has agreed to champion divestment to the rest of council, which is exciting. It looks from our initial research like they have no money invested in fossil fuels, so pledging to remain free of such investments should be pretty easy for them! We framed it as an invitation for them to lead on this nationally, which they seem to like the sound of. We’re also talking to Yarra Climate Action Now about collaborating on a campaign aimed at the City of Yarra.

The University of Melbourne campaign, run by the Environment Collective, is speeding ahead, with postering and actions and FOI requests and research and all the rest of it.… Read more >>