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Our campaign calling on the Australian government to declare a climate emergency started in February 2016 when global temperatures spiked past 1.6 degrees of warming. Today, our campaign is supported by over 40 environmental and climate groups, and we have reached 12,000 supporters. But we are very keen to grow these numbers before our petition is delivered to parliament on 25 February. If you are in Victoria or New South Wales, there are many opportunities in coming weeks to join in events to build our campaign. If you live somewhere else, please help by sharing the online petition with your friends.
Coming events in Victoria1. Come to the Victorian Climate Action Network meeting this Saturday 4 February, 1.00pm to 4.30pm, at St Vincents Hospital, corner of Victoria and Nicholson Streets, enter from Victoria Parade. Topics for discussion include updates on the emergency declaration campaign and plans for 2017.
 2. On Monday evening 6 February at 9:35pm there will be an episode of the ABC’s Q&A show be discussing Trump and climate change. Guests include American climate activist Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, Minister for Resources and Energy Josh Frydenberg, and Premier of Victoria Daniel Andrews, among others. Help us raise awareness of the need for emergency action during this hour on national TV. See links and suggestions below
3. The Sustainable Living Festival in Melbourne is all about the climate emergency – and if you are in Victoria, don’t miss out on this unique event. We have selected a short-list of climate emergency related events for you – see below. And we need your help to collect petition signatures at the Victorian Climate Action Network stall on the Big Weekend on 10-12 February. Please let us know if you can spend an hour or two on this important work.
Coming events in New South Wales and Canberra4. While many of us enjoyed a well-earned break, engineer and eco-warrior Steve Posselt has been busy paddling his kayak on an eight-week trek to deliver our Climate Emergency Declaration and Mobilisation petition to Canberra. He will arrive at Parliament House on Saturday 25 February. You can check out his epic journey at www.kayak4earth.com. Some highlights and coming events are below.
Petition progressWe are delighted to report that we now have over 12,000 signatures, thanks in part to all the extra signatures from Steve’s welcome events, but also thanks to all of you. We now have exactly one month to reach our target of 100,000 signatures before Steve reaches Canberra on 25 February. Can we do it? We’re certainly giving it our best shot! With Trump slamming climate measures and emboldening climate nay-sayers here, it is extra important that we show our government the growing community support for immediate, far-ranging, and effective climate policies. We really do need to get those 100,000 signatures soon, and we think we can with your help! One supporter is planning to ask all the parents at her kids’ school to sign the petition. Another supporter, the CEO of a large company, sent a memo to all staff saying that he signed our petition and asked them to consider signing too. If you don’t have those options, perhaps you belong to a book club, a sporting club, a CWA group, or… How about printing the poster with QR code and pinning it on a workplace noticeboard or similar? All it will take is everyone who has signed so far finding 10 more people each on average. One easy way might be to simply share some of our Facebook posts or retweet some of our tweets. Here are two links you can use to share or retweet right now if you wish: » Twitter: www.twitter.com/petitionSTORM/status/815780707553292289 » Email friends and ask them to sign at: www.climateemergencydeclaration.org/signandshare Okay, we do know it is not really that easy to get 10 friends to sign the petition, but if you need a bit of inspiration just take a look at Steve’s hands when he shows his blisters to the cameraman at the end of this NBN News clip! Apparently the blisters have now turned into callouses, and he is an adventurer after all and is actually having fun, but Steve is putting his life on the line every day he is paddling… all in an attempt to convince government that the community wants them to take the necessary actions to protect us all from climate impacts.
Q&A focus on climate emergencyQ&A kicks off the 2017 season on Monday night in Melbourne, broadcasting from ABC’s Docklands studio at 9:35pm AEST The program is streamed live on ABC iview and on www.abc.net.au/tv/qanda/ In the panel: » Join the studio audience » Ask Monday’s panel a written question or upload a video question » See the 200 most recently approved web questions » See the 200 most recently approved video questions Register for the audience or submit a video question by 9am Monday.
» Retweet this tweet from @QandA here: » Read more about Xiuhtezcatl Martinez here: » Xiuhtezcatl Martinez was interviewed in The Sustainable Hour just before Christmas:
Inspiration for tweets on Monday night We are petitioning for what is necessary to protect us all: #ClimateEmergencyDeclaration #QandA @XiuhtezcatlM @JoshFrydenberg @petitionSTORM Lives are at stake. We need to accept the science, ask governments to declare a #ClimateEmergency, and immediately mobilise resources #QandA Ask Australian Parliament for a #ClimateEmergencyDeclaration and mobilisation. Please sign the @petitionSTORM | #ClimateEmergency #QandA The fact that we are not talking about climate solutions every single day is a great moral failure of every leader in this country. #QandA Big problems require big solutions. Please sign this: www.climateemergencydeclaration.org/sign #Kayak4Earth #ClimateEmergency #QandA @DeutscheBank will no longer finance coal. Why would anyone waste public money on polluting climate-disruptive coal? @JoshFrydenberg #QandA Fossil fuel companies donated more than $1m to the three major parties prior to last year’s federal election @market_forces #QandA Already climate impacts are killing people. Every kg of greenhouse gases we emit causes greater damage #QandA @JoshFrydenberg @petitionSTORM We must get below net zero carbon emissions absolutely as quickly as possible! #QandA @JoshFrydenberg @petitionSTORM Australia’s transition: Annual tourism generates $47b as compared to coal exports of $41b #QandA @JoshFrydenberg Greed, not the environment movement, is the greatest threat to freedom and prosperity for all in the modern world #QandA @JoshFrydenberg They went on playing politics until the world collapsed around them. Stop the madness @petitionSTORM #QandA @JoshFrydenberg @DanielAndrewsMP
Climate emergency focus at Sustainable Living FestivalClimate emergency highlights Sunday afternoon 12 February at Under the Gum: Wednesday evening 15 February:
Examples of climate emergency relevant SLF events: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nature’s Apprentice presents: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Centre For Sustainability Leadership presents: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Peter Singer – Festival Great Debate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lighter Footprints presents: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Think Inc. & SLF presents: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Safe Climate Alliance presents: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Friends Of The Earth presents: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Climate Emergency Declaration & Mobilisation Campaign presents: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Breakthrough presents: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bayside Climate Change Action Group presents: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Royal Society Of Victoria & Science In Public present: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Beyond Zero Emissions presents: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » See the full festival program:
Jodi Magi, 350 Melbourne
Regards,
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