Fortitude Valley, Friday Nov 13
On Friday, ten people of faith peacefully protested against rail company Aurizon's lack of transparency in their coal hauling operations.
“I’m here today because I can’t sit back while the future of my little boy is at risk” said Erin Kennedy, a Catholic, artist, teacher and mother from Logan.
She and nine other members of the faith-based group Faith in Climate Action blockaded Aurizon’s corporate headquarters in Fortitude Valley on Friday by kneeling in prayer outside the doors.
The group was calling on Aurizon management to be more transparent about the climate-change-causing emissions from the thermal coal they haul in their multi million dollar business.
The Dean of St John's Cathedral, Brisbane, and Chair of Angligreen have written this heartfelt letter to Mr Prem Watsa, CEO of Fairfax Financial Holdings, which owns Insurance companies Allied World, Brit and Newline. Of these, Brit remains at risk of insuring Adani.
Please pray that Mr Watsa, who is a devout practising Anglican, is moved by this appeal from these Anglican clergy. If you feel moved by this message from The Very Rev's Dr Peter Catt and the Rev'd Peter Moore, you may want to write to Mr Watsa too.
It is absurd that local father Mr Pennings continues to be legally pursued by an international conglomerate when Mr Pennings has been beyond reasonable in his response.
Mr Pennings has openly shared that he simply now wants to care for his young children and ageing parents and yet Adani seems determined to punish Mr Pennings for previously exercising his right as an Australian citizen to stand up for our iconic Reef and our farmers’ groundwater.
On August 26 the Wangan and Jagalingou tribal warriors delivered an official eviction notice to Adani for illegally trespassing on Country.
For 5 days, the Wangan and Jagalingou people enforced this eviction notice by the blocking the road to the Adani site. However on Friday, instead of arranging a promised meeting with the Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, the Queensland police did Adani’s bidding and forced the land defenders to move from the road.
Bet El Synagogue solar panels
Our governments are making decisions now about rebuilding our economy for the October budget announcements. Now is the time to contact them and say we want them to respond to the science of climate change in the way they have responded to COVID-19. They need to develop clean new industries such as outlined in the BZE million jobs and the Climate Council 76 000 clean jobs plans. We can write and see our local MPs preferably representing groups such as our congregations. ....
We can pray that the spirit of truth will prevail so that as in the pandemic, governments will act wisely by consulting experts and acting accordingly.
by Marguerite Marshall
ARRCC supporters in Newcastle supporting Student Strike for Climate, Sep 20, 2019
Dated 4 August, 2020
Dear Mr Morrison, Mr Albanese, Mr Bandt and Mr McCormack,
I write as the coordinator of the Josephite Justice Network. The Sisters of St Joseph were founded by Mary MacKillop in 1866 to work with those at the edges of society. ......
At this very time, when scientists are establishing new possibilities to assist in our recovery, both environmentally and economically, it is of enormous concern to us to watch as the Government moves to support fossil fuels.
In this article, reprinted from Anglican Focus, St Andrew’s, South Brisbane Youth Group leader, Oscar Delaney, reflects on growing up in Indian slums, how climate change will hit the worst-off first and hardest and why he is taking on mining tycoon Clive Palmer.
Oscar is part of a new group called Youth Verdict. "A diverse group of 25 young Queenslanders, we will argue in the Land Court of Queensland that Clive Palmer’s proposed Waratah Coal Mine, which would extract four times as much coal annually as the Adani mine, endangers our human rights to life and property by causing more frequent and severe extreme weather events. This landmark case is the first to link climate change to human rights in Australia, and a win could have profound ramifications for other carbon-intensive projects around the country."
Black Lives Matter here in the land we now call Australia. ARRCC grieves for the innumerable losses suffered by our First Nations brothers and sisters, whose loved ones continue to die in custody. We strive to stand in solidarity with them. If you are person of faith and would like to join us, please sign this pledge.
Those who consider themselves religious must stand with all fellow Australians of good conscience in confronting the reality of racism in our society and investigate how we can help to bring about much-needed systemic change, regardless of race or ethnicity.
Crosses at Geraldton, 23 Oct., 2014. Photo credit: abc.net.au
Using OUR tax dollars to produce ‘clean coal’: why it’s immoral!
You know I accept the science of global warming, but even if you are a science sceptic, using more taxpayer dollars to support coal companies is morally indefensible. Let me explain why.
The Australian Government subsidize fossil fuel companies to the turn of $12 billion a year[1] (though the IMF says closer to 29 billion).[2] BHP, ExxonMobil Glencore are three of the largest coal and gas mining multinationals in Australia, share in that government subsidy but through various means pay little or no tax on their multi-billion dollar profits.[3] Our coal-fired power stations receive highly subsidized coal, and yet they are now more expensive than wind and solar.
Coal is our worst polluter[4], and coal mining companies have had 15 years to make the ‘clean coal’ technology viable through their research and development arms. But instead of paying for their pollution we, the taxpayers, are being told that we must give them further financial support.
Then Treasurer Scott Morrison MP in February, 2017. Image from gizmodo.com.au
As the federal government makes preparations for stimulus spending to re-build the nation's economy, they are being influenced in directions which might bring profits to the few but would not benefit the many. ARRCC calls on our Coalition leaders to learn from this precious pause in business-as-usual, where science was found to be a life-saving guide. To also save Australians - and the world - from the threat of an out-of-control unstable climate, we must change our extractivist ways and embrace a culture of caring more for everyday people and the earth's capacity to support life.
The ARRCC Committee therefore wrote to each Minister about priorities that would work for people and a safer climate. We encourage readers to write their own letter by spending a few minutes on "option two" here. Here's what we said. .....
