Long-term CANA member Rosemary Penwarden gained global coverage for her recent trial for “disrupting” a fossil fuel conference in Queenstown.

Here is a sample of that coverage:

The Guardian

CNN

Greenpeace

Daily Express

Euronews

Who/What/Why

Although the judge disallowed her eloquent “public interest” defence, after the jury’s guilty verdict, even the prosecutor appeared to agree that Rosemary should be discharged without conviction.

This was, overall, a huge PR blow to the fossil fuel organisation whose conference she targeted, and they have since changed their name…

Well done, Rosemary!

The post CANA activist’s protest trial gets worldwide attention appeared first on Coal Action Network Aotearoa.

I recently found myself in Dunedin for the first time in a decade. It was wonderful to rediscover the city- not for the usual touristy things, but as an anti-coal advocate; there to support, among other things, the blockade at the Minerals Forum. The Forum was a conference involving promoting the expansion of coal in NZ. A (wonderfully named) COALition of activist groups including Coal Action Network Aotearoa had gotten together to tell the delegates exactly how unwelcome they were in their city.

We headed down in the darkness, where already at 6am delegates were scurrying into the building- three hours early, just to avoid us! Woohoo. Security had been standing there all night- it was about time we broke up the monotony.

Groups of dozens stood arm in arm, blocking a rumoured thirty-something entryways. There was an almost constant flow of support people coming around offering apples, water, snacks; others stopped by with various musical instruments for some entertainment or a singalong, still more raced around with walkie talkies saying where more people were needed. There was a chill tent with beanbags, there was about four thousand signs and banners, there was an appointed chef for a vegan BBQ. Every now and then things got intense as the delegates, generally alongside police but not necessarily, tried to barge their way through. We’d link arms just as staunchly as we possibly could, stand our ground, frenetic chants would well up of “We’re non-violent, how about you?” and we made it really, really difficult for them to get in.

We had everyone from high school students to retirees- none of whom shied away from the frontline. All ages, genders and backgrounds, linking up and singing songs. Our diversity was a stark contrast to the huddle of delegates we blocked- a sea of grey hair. In movie war scenes I always wonder how you can tell amongst the chaos who is a goodie and who is a baddie. In a blockade, it’s easy: baddies wear suits, protesters wear puffer jackets or colourful leggings or penguin onesies. Some protesters did wear suits, but they also all wore beanies; so in any potential times of confusion you can just check heads for beanies and you could be fairly confident who you were dealing with. And if you find yourself not on the side of the colourful leggings and the penguin indiscriminately giving out free hugs, you really have to question some life decisions.

I have to acknowledge the fantastic group of people involved in the blockade. That must be one of the most universally compassionate and sensitive environments I have ever encountered. They manage to successfully have no hierarchy, which baffled some people who wanted to speak to our ‘leader.’ Everyone brought their own vibes and it became an amazing collaborative spectacle. From harmonicas to hula hoopers, from hands glued to doors to those who stood nearby with signs and moral support, from the videographers and live streamers to the mystery people who pulled off a spectacular banner drop; it felt like one big amazing diverse organism, the sum so much more than its parts.

We kept a lot of them out for most of the morning, and when the last ones got through we dropped our positions, picked up various implements, and had ourselves a little party making as much noise as we could!

Unbeknownst to us, the mayor inside was bravely telling a room full of miners that he was on our side: “the people outside those doors are expressing the overwhelming view of this community and my Council.” I don’t think they’ll be in a hurry to host a mining conference in Dunedin again anytime soon.

So I spent four days in Dunedin, saw very little of the city, but would not have it any other way. Standing there in the early morning darkness, linking arms with strangers, singing Te Aroha – I felt in my bones there was nowhere I’d rather be. *

*Of course, really, I’d rather there wasn’t a climate emergency and I could just go down and see the penguins; but given the state of things- confronting the mining industry was pretty satisfying too…!

**I have also just about recovered from my lingering instinct to block the path of any suited man I see; which has not been ideal in the streets of Wellington.

The post The Minerals Blockade: A View From the Frontline appeared first on Coal Action Network Aotearoa.

A day of discussion, information…. and plotting the end of coal in Aotearoa.

Sunday 26 May
9.30 – 4pm
9 The Octagon,  Central Dunedin

New Zealand is mining, burning, and continuing to increase our use of the very worst of fossil fuels: COAL.  In the current climate emergency, we all need to rally together to build a better future, and that means getting rid of coal.

Step One on the road to stopping a climate emergency?  Get informed.

• Climate breakdown
• Fonterra
• Coal in Dunedin
• Coal and Just Transitions
• The upcoming Minerals Forum at the Dunedin Centre

The post Coal in Aotearoa – Discussion Day, Sunday 26 May appeared first on Coal Action Network Aotearoa.

An international day “Rise for Climate,” organized by 350.org, resulted in over 250 000 people, 900+ events, in 95+ countries, organizing local days of action. The events purposely coincided with the Global Climate Action Summit a couple of days later, to display to politicians the strength of the ever-growing public demand for strong climate policy.

Here in New Zealand, events were held in Auckland, Whanganui, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch, Dunedin and Invercargill; with several of them involving Coal Action Network Aotearoa (CANA) members in organisational / speaking roles.

More summaries are available from 350 Aotearoa (and extensive video footage!), but below are our accounts of the ones we were involved in!

In Wellington, around two hundred people took part in a colourful, noisy superhero themed march from Te Papa to Civic Square. There were speakers from an impressive variety of local climate groups as well as an unexpected cameo from James Shaw, who encouraged further public engagement to push politicians further.

From CANA, Mel spoke about the importance of activism in any societal progress, and Tim read a climate-themed poem and spoke about coal. The afternoon also included a beautiful song from local singer Jess Adams, the wonderfully energetic Pacific Climate Warriors, and even an amazing speech from Urs Signer, all the way from Taranaki.

Sign 350 Wellington’s petition to ban the petroleum conference from Wellington council venues here: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/oil-and-wellington-dont-mix?source=direct_link

In Dunedin, around 100 people showed up in force to hear speakers (including CANA’s Rosemary), and a petition was kicked off to demand Cosy Homes Trust Otago to remove NZ Oil & Gas as a funder. The event was a celebration of past achievements (Dunedin City Council was the first in the country to divest from fossil fuels) and a great platform to get a new generation of Uni activists involved.

Sign their petition here: https://www.toko.org.nz/petitions/fossil-free-cosy-homes

CANA’s Jenny down in Invercargill hosted the southern-most Rise event in the world (except for the one in Antarctica!). People brought symbols of what they are doing in their own lives to combat climate change – a wonderful opportunity to share ideas and inspiration.

In Christchurch, CANA’s Tor was one of the organisers, putting huge amounts of effort into creating not one but two events- People gathered in the Transitional Cathedral to hear speeches from locals working in the climate movement, and the next day was a celebration of Christchurch’s amazing food forest movement, with an opportunity to swap seedlings and learn about food forests.

Here’s Fossil Free Aoraki’s petition (and dear to our own hearts) demanding Fonterra to stop using coal boilers: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/fonterra-no-new-coal-boilers.

And here’s a short video of the global event. Quite ridiculously, watching it brought tears to my eyes. This is what it’s all about, this is why we’re here. When it sometimes feels like a David and Goliath-esque battle to be heard, this event showed the strength and breadth of the climate movement. 95 countries. 900+ events. 250 000 + people. And so much further we can grow… What a great day- let’s do it again!!

-Mel and the CANA team.

The post Rise for Climate Report: Aotearoa to the World appeared first on Coal Action Network Aotearoa.

Mark your calendar – on Saturday 8 September find a Rise for Climate event in a city or town near you (or create one!).

Real climate leadership rises from below. It means power in the hands of people not corporations. It means economic opportunity for workers and justice and dignity for frontline communities that are the hardest hit by the impacts of the fossil fuel industry and a warming world.

This September, cities, states, businesses and civil society from around the world are gathering in California for the Global Climate Action Summit.  Local leaders are now leading the fight against greenhouse gases as governments drag their feet. We need to achieve: a fast, fair and just transition to 100% renewable energy; an immediate end to new fossil fuel projects; reforestation for carbon absorption; and an end to unsustainable land and water use.

Before the Summit, 350.org are planning thousands of rallies in cities and towns around the world to demand our local leaders take effective climate action and Rise for Climate!

We are at a crossroads. By acting together, we can end the era of fossil fuels and save the climate we all depend on.

What’s happening in Aotearoa?
You are warmly invited to the 350 events in the main centres.
Not near a major city? Why not set up your own event?!  350 Aotearoa can give you heaps of support & helpful resources
– contact Claudia Palmer claudia@350.org.nz

Check the 350 Aotearoa Facebook page for the most up-to-date info in all centres.  Links go to their Facebook events.

• Auckland 350 is calling on Auckland Museum not to take dirty money from the coal industry. Rally Sat 8 Sept, 10:30am. Auckland Museum A. The Auckland Domain, Parnell, Auckland
• Wellington 350 is calling on the City Council not to hire out council–owned conference facilities to the Petroleum Summit. Rally Sat 8 Sept 2:00pm. Civic Square, 101 Wakefield St, Wellington
• Nelson 350 is launching a new 350 fossil free action group for Nelson. Rally Sat 8 Sept 12:00pm  Church Steps, 45 Selwyn Place, Nelson
• Christchurch 350 has 2 events, on Friday and Saturday:
  1) Spotlighting Local Climate Leadership – Transitional Cathedral, Friday 7 Sept, 7pm – schools, churches, unions etc
  2) Trees for Climate – rally at Victoria Square, Sat 8 Sept, 1-3pm – seedlings, speakers, music….
• Dunedin 350 is getting together to celebrate their successes to date and plan the future. Meet Sat 8 Sept at 1pm at the Octagon, Dunedin.
• Invercargill: 1-2pm, Wachner Place, Invercargill. Bring a/some symbols to help share about your commitment to stopping climate change. Contact Jenny Campbell, 027 351 0180, jennycam@xtra.co.nz

Enjoy!  The antidote to despair is taking action together and there are many ways to do this.

Torfrida Wainwright

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The reason CANA, OraTaiao and also 350 Aotearoa were putting pressure on the Ministry was to persuade it not to choose coal for heating Christchurch Hospital. Coal was the cheapest option, but also the most polluting – not only in terms of local pollution, but in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. But coal is only cheap because coal miners and users don’t have to pay for the pollution they cause.

The  leaflet was addressed to Ministry of Health staff – most of whom were happy to receive it – and it called on them to encourage their bosses to decide to use wood waste, not coal, to fuel the planned new Christchurch Hospital boilers. We said:

It seems to us particularly strange that a government department charged with promoting and protecting public health would use a fuel known to damage public health, in contravention of the Ottawa charter which requires health authorities to put health first in all decisions; and of Section 22 of the Health and Disabilities Act 2000, which requires DHBs to exhibit a sense of social and environmental responsibility and to uphold expected ethical and quality standards.

We have been working on this issue for a while now.  In 2016, after visiting Burwood Hospital’s fabulous new biomass boiler system, CANA’s Jeanette Fitzsimons published an article in The Press in Christchurch about the hospital’s plan to continue with coal. “There is still time to see sense” she said.

Last year, Christchurch rekindled its district energy scheme for the city, led by Roger Sutton.  However, Christchurch Hospital departed the scheme, saying it was too expensive, and opted instead to burn coal, prompting Mayor Leanne Dalziell to say she was “heartbroken” at the decision. 

We have all chipped away at this issue, and it looks like the campaign has finally worked.

Christchurch Hospital has now published its call for bids for a new biomass (such a wood waste) plant rather than coal to fuel the new hospital boilers.

The bid for the new biomass boiler house.

Given the risks that burning coal poses to public health, why did it take a whole lot of letter-writing, lobbying and standing in the rain to persuade the Ministry that these boilers shouldn’t run on coal?

The problem was partly mindset, and partly money. Public servants are ultimately responsible to the Government of the day, and the previous National-led Government’s record shows that it didn’t give two hoots about pollution, the environment or climate change – it just wanted to squeeze public expenditure as far as possible.

In turn, that cost-cutting mentality – the same mentality that has led to the disastrous state of Middlemore Hospital – led health bodies to choose coal or gas, rather than carbon-neutral renewable sources, to fuel their boilers.

While one-off decisions like this can go a long way, we need a high price on carbon to ensure that coal is not only the dirty choice but also the expensive choice when all such decisions are being made.  Signs are looking good for the new Dunedin Hospital, where the the new site has now been chosen. Chair of the committee in charge of the rebuild, Pete Hodgson, has made some encouraging noises about moving away from coal, telling the ODT:

”The opportunity exists to switch to renewables, perhaps wood chips, and it is almost certain that the new hospital will therefore be heated with renewable energy…. but we can already be pretty sure that the new hospital will not be using fossil fuels as a heating source.”

Though the company was good, that July morning in Molesworth St was cold, wet and unpleasant. But by helping to create enough pressure to ensure that the wrong decision couldn’t be made under the previous Government, CANA and its allies have created the conditions to ensure the right decision would be made under this Government. Let’s hope there’s more of them.

The post Good News For Your Health, Bad News For The Coal Industry: Christchurch Hospital Decides To Use Biomass For Heat appeared first on Coal Action Network Aotearoa.

Our Climate Declaration

at any of four video-linked locations on Sunday, June 18^th, 2017, from 3 to 5pm

The aim of our Declaration is to bring people together around a short, simple narrative describing a future New Zealand that protects the climate. We aim to stimulate a national movement, supporting concerned citizens to develop climate action plans in their groups for work, learning, leisure and worship.  It outlines the bad stuff we have to stop doing and the good things we have to pursue. We believe that with the force of numbers, we can achieve a secure future for Aotearoa/New Zealand.

Keynote speakers include

Prof James Renwick, leading climate scientist and lead author with the IPCC

Drs Alex Macmillan and Rhys Jones of Ora Taiao (climate and health)

Sir Alan Mark, ecologist

Robyn Malcolm, actress

local musicians

local school students

Venues and contacts

Auckland: Grey Lynn Community Centre, 510 Richmond Rd Grey Lynn; patbaskett@xtra.co.nz

Wellington: Preservatorium – Cafe and Cannery 39 Webb St; brucepaul39@gmail.com

Christchurch: XCHC Exchange Christchurch  376 Wilsons Rd Nth; lucette@teamdevelopment.nz

Dunedin: Centre for Sustainability, Otago University, Castle St; ralph.adler@otago.ac.nz

For people far from these centres it will be possible to watch it live streamed on your computer. Details later on our website. 

Convener Dr Joanna Santa Barbara

www.ourclimatedeclaration.org.nz

The post You are invited to the launch of Our Climate Declaration on Sunday 18 June appeared first on Coal Action Network Aotearoa.

• Already know you want to take action? Find and sign up for the New Zealand action nearest you.

Help seize the moment. Join one of these Global Divestment Mobilisation events happening near you between May 5 and 13.  They’re organised by people in your community to highlight the deadly climate impacts being driven by the fossil fuel industry and call on our local institutions to take a moral stand by breaking off their ties with this industry.

In our region, the biggest new planned coal project is the Adani Group’s proposed new giant Carmichael coal mine in Northern Queensland. Despite the massive additional greenhouse gas emissions this project would cause, the Australian Government is bending over backwards to try to ensure that it goes ahead.

Banks have an important part to play in funding – or deciding not to fund – such climate-destroying projects. Late last week, campaigners on both sides of the Tasman secured a major victory when Westpac rewrote its coal project lending policy to effectively rule out lending to the Adani project – the latest of a number of banks to directly or indirectly with draw from funding the project. We know that the pressure New Zealand activists have put on Westpac over their funding of coal projects played a major part in securing this victory.

Logo of the joint 350 Aotearoa-Coal Action Network Aotearoa “Westpac – Dump Denniston Coal” campaign, 2014

But the project is far from defeated yet, and so Australian activists are calling out for international support to help step up the pressure. Here are link to the actions you can take part in – RSVP to your nearest action for full details:

Auckland, Wednesday 10 May: http://act.350.org/event/gdd2017/13519/

Wellington, Tuesday 9 May: http://act.350.org/event/gdd2017/13521/

Christchurch, Sunday 7 May: http://act.350.org/event/gdd2017/13522/

Dunedin, Friday 12 May: http://act.350.org/event/gdd2017/13520/

The post May 5-13: Join The Global Divestment Mobilisation! appeared first on Coal Action Network Aotearoa.

• When the Prime Minister’s own science adviser produced a report highlighting the serious degradation in New Zealand’s fresh water quality, Environment Minister Nick Smith called its conclusion “simplistic” in Parliament (see his second answer to Question 4).
• The Prime Minister refuses to acknowledge the scientifically proven link between climate change and the greater frequency of extreme weather events such as cyclones.

And so it’s high time for people who support science – including climate science – to speak up in its defence. On Saturday 22 April, you can do just that. Here is the information you need to take part.

NZ Marches for Science

Website:  https://www.marchforsciencenz.org/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/marchforscienceNZ/

On Saturday 22 April (Earth Day) Marches will be held in the following centres – click on your nearest centre’s link for event details:

• Auckland
• Palmerston North
• Wellington
• Christchurch
• Dunedin
• Queenstown (we don’t have any details for this one yet, sorry)

There is info about each of the marches on the website and Facebook page.

The New Zealand marches will be the first in the world.

The aims of the NZ marches are:

• To highlight that science is international
• To acknowledge that good scientists can be political
• To promote greater inclusion in science

Science includes social as well as physical sciences.

In a world of “alternative facts”, science is under attack. Spend a little of your time next Saturday helping to defend it.

The post Join The New Zealand Marches for Science, Saturday 22 April appeared first on Coal Action Network Aotearoa.

In Aotearoa, there will be actions in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. All of the actions will adhere to a strictly non-violent kaupapa and will be accessible for all with different levels of involvement available.

When it comes to the future of our planet, it’s fossil fuels or us. So we encourage everyone who can to get involved in these actions. You can sign up for actions here: https://nz.breakfree2016.org/ and you can also join each action on Facebook:

Auckland: https://www.facebook.com/events/1133726439991775/
Wellington: https://www.facebook.com/events/159524387777137/
Christchurch: https://www.facebook.com/events/1702837439985045/
Dunedin: https://www.facebook.com/events/1066761856715041/

The post It’s Time To Break Free From Fossil Fuels appeared first on Coal Action Network Aotearoa.