Kristin sends this report:

Three days amongst 250 of Australia’s most inspiring coal and gas campaigners has been a surprisingly emotional experience. As I reflect on the journey of the past few days I am left with a deep sense of respect for these people and those around the world so heavily impacted by the fossil fuel industry.

In my daily life and work it has been easy to overlook the widespread harm the industry is causing to right now to ordinary people every day. This conference has brought this home for me and I would like to share that with you.

Opening night: grim stories from the coal face  

A bloke of about 50 stands up, takes the mic, and introduces himself as an ex-coal miner who now spends his time fighting the expansion of the coal port, and therefore coal industry in McKay, Queensland.

He has felt the damage first hand. The numbers he uses are staggering, the millions of tonnes of coal, the amount of seabed that needs to be dredged, the number of coal trains, the amount of coal dust spread across the city.

And he tells the story of hurt, of struggle, and of grim determination that is similar to many other stories that night and those of the hundreds of people here, and the tens of thousands of people across the country so heavily impacted by the mining industry.

The first evening feels incredibly cathartic. People just need to tell their stories, talk about the hurt that is being felt in their communities, the price that is being paid by the land, the water and the people for the promised riches of this mining boom. And they are feeling it very hard.

The announcement next morning of the suicide of a farmer whom many here have been supporting brings it into sobering relief.  The pressure of being the only farmer in his area not to sell out to a giant coal seam gas company proving too great. There are plenty of tears.

Similarities with NZ 

I hope we never feel it this hard in New Zealand but am immediately struck by the similarities.

I think of the stories from around our country and how much they resonate with the stories I am hearing here.

I think of the people around Puhi Puhi, unsure and afraid of what the new gold mining permits issued there mean.

I think of the people of Waihi, who will now have to live with mining under their homes.

I think of the folks in Taranaki, who find their rural landscape suddenly industrialised by the burgeoning oil and gas companies; and the people of the Tararua, valiantly trying to stop Tag Oil doing the same to theirs.

And I think of Greymouth, the loss of jobs, the loss of life, and how much hurt they must be feeling.

Day two: Optimism and momentum 

But by day two there are less signs of pain and more smiling faces and it obvious why such a large and diverse crowd have gathered here. Workshops on the latest climate science, community organising, media skills, health monitoring, direct action, social media, lobbying, and groundwater impacts fill the place with an amazing sense of optimism.

When you look at the diversity in the crowd it is obvious that this is a movement that has momentum and knows it is going to win. Doctors, farmers, students, church leaders, grandmothers, taxi drivers and others talk about the positive change that is happening around the country.

1 million homes on solar power, coal power stations shutting down, communities blockading gas companies, nanas knitting to stop coal seam gas, everyday folks changing their super funds because they invest in fossil fuels.

And they say this is just the beginning.

Lessons for NZ: finance is crucial 

Coming home, I am inspired to put some of the lessons from here into action. The key points discussed here are stopping investment and encouraging divestment from fossil fuel projects. Knowing our government Superfund, our major banks, and other institutions responsible for investing our money are putting it in such a destructive industry demands attention.

Understanding finance seems crucial in exposing and ultimately stopping investment in climate change. There is also a lot of work being put into building community resilience, simple and effective when the industry comes knocking.

I also feel inspired to help make an event like this happen in New Zealand. The sharing, the support and the strategising are invaluable and can only strengthen our movement.  I’m taking expressions of interest.

It has been an experience and a privilege to have spent these past days in the midst of such a determined movement. The words shared at the closing are less about hurt and more about the inevitability of success.

I have a moment of jealousy, wishing for the resources and breadth of experience in our movement in New Zealand, but quickly acknowledge it is borne out of necessity, something I hope we never feel like here to the same extent. These fractured communities see not only contaminated water and land, but understand that the floods and the droughts are also impacts of the fossil fuel industry and climate change.

In New Zealand we have had some great victories against the fossil fuel industry. The fight which stopped Marsden B going ahead has ensured we will never build another coal fired power station again. Petrobras abandoning plans for deep sea oil exploration off the East Cape and Solid Energy dropping plans for lignite conversion in Southland are some of our recent wins.

In New Zealand we have achieved a great deal but still find ourselves on the cusp of a massive expansion of the fossil fuel industry. This expansion is already being passionately opposed across the country – from the fight to stop coal mining at Denniston, the growing Lock The Gate movement against oil and gas, and the national opposition to the threat of Anadarko drilling in our coastal waters this summer.

We have defeated these threats before and must continue to learn, to share, and to work together to ensure we defeat them again and minimise the harm like I have witnessed here.

We still have a choice:

We can let the government continue to roll out the red carpet to these companies and face the same fate as these people who have gathered here this weekend.

Or we can take a cue from the growing number of communities I have met here this weekend and take action to keep them out.

I know which I am inspired to do.

Kristin

The post Inspiring report from Australia coal activist gathering appeared first on Coal Action Network Aotearoa.

And now CAM, with assistance from CANA, has organised the 2013 Summerfest, with the overall theme “Shaping Our Future – We Have Options!”. See the website:

http://nocoalsummerfest.org.nz/

The 2012 Summerfest was held on Mike Dumbar’s farm near Mataura. The 2013 Summerfest will be held from Friday 18 January to Monday 21 January 2013 at Dolamore Park, a beautiful camping ground surrounded by bush about 10 minutes by car from Gore, very near the north-western corner of Solid Energy’s landholdings in the Mataura Valley.

You can register online for Summerfest. To do so, please read the Festival Kaupapa and then the Festival Information page, which is also where you can get started on the registration process.

On the website, you can also find information about the Festival programme and speakers – keep checking back for updates to these. We already have one international speaker confirmed: Rob McCreath from Friends of Felton in Queensland – where they stopped mining in their valley and prevented the installation of a chemical plant. He’s definitely worth hearing.

Help with posters: Coal Action Murihiku have produced 500 coloured, eye-catching posters to advertise Summerfest, for distribution around the country. If you can help put them up where you live, please email Jenny Campbell, jennycam (at) xtra.co.nz, with your name, mailing address, contact phone number, and contact email address, plus the number of posters you need.

See you in Southland!

The post Summerfest 2013: The Keep The Coal In The Hole Summer Festival is on again appeared first on Coal Action Network Aotearoa.

Drew is a long-term environmental campaigner who has worked closely with farmers, landholders and indigenous communities in Australia. He is the President of the Lock the Gate Alliance.

Now you can learn from Drew’s experience and find out how we can Lock the Gate on fracking, coal mining and Coal Seam Gas projects.

Lock the Gates Tour

Tour schedule

Wellington: 22nd August, St Johns in the City, 170 Willis St, 6.30 pm.

Dannevirke: 23rd August, The Hub, Allardice St, 2pm.

Hastings: 23rd August, Heretaunga Taiwhenua, 821 Orchard Road, 7-9pm.

Gisborne: 24th August, Gisborne District Council Chambers, 2pm.

Te Karaka, 24th August, Rangatira Scout Hall, 7pm.

Rotorua: 25th August, Keynote speaker at Ka Nui Conference, Rotorua Convention Centre 3pm. http://kanuiconference.wordpress.com/

Hamilton: 27th August, Waikato University room S.G.03, 7pm.

Taranaki: 28th August, Norfolk Hall, S.H3 Norfolk (near Inglewood), 7pm.

Gore, 29th August, James Cumming Wing, Ardwick St, 7.30pm.

The post Drew Hutton Lock The Gates Tour, August 2012 appeared first on Coal Action Network Aotearoa.

So we are holding the Ka Nui! Enough! Conference at the same time to discuss the huge negative impacts mining has on our economies, communities, and environment and what we are going to do about it. And we hope you’ll be able to attend.

Ka Nui! Enough!

Website: http://kanuiconference.wordpress.com/

Location: Rotorua

Dates: Saturday 25th & Sunday 26th August

Speakers: Dayle Takitimu (Te Whanau-a-Apanui) Drew Hutton
(Lock the Gate Alliance Australia), Dr Susan Krumdieck (Canterbury
University) and more . . .

Cost: $25 for the weekend or koha on the day.

Registration: to register email your name and contact number to kanuiconference@gmail.com

Kaupapa

The extractive industries, including fracking, mining & oil drilling, have huge negative impacts on our economies,communities & environment.

We must move past this in a way that is just for all. Join us to learn more and strategise together.

Please forward this invite widely. And please register asap to support those communities on the frontlines, to learn, to share, and to strategise.

The post Ka Nui! Enough! Conference, Rotorua, 25-26 August: How To Attend, Why To Attend appeared first on Coal Action Network Aotearoa.

L&M Energy held its AGM in Wellington today. The company is involved in underground coal gasification and coal seam gas exploitation, while another of the companies in the L&M group, L&M Lignite, is trying to exploit the massive quantities of lignite in Eastern Southland. These companies have been actively looking to gain new investors for mining projects.

Coal Action Network Aotearoa spokesperson Tim Jones said that the time is past when mining companies like those in the L&M group can go about their business unnoticed. “We know the Government supports coal mining, and doesn’t give two hoots about the terrible consequences of mining coal for our climate and the local environment. And we know mining companies like L&M are hoping to strike it lucky, with no regard for the climate, the environment or anything but lining their own pockets.”

“Coal Action Network Aotearoa, and anti-coal groups all over the country, are here to tell L&M and other companies with coal projects that there are no free passes any more. If you plan to mine coal, expect trouble. And if you don’t intend to actually mine, but instead intend to deliberately start an underground coal fire and collect the resulting gases – which is what underground coal gasification means – then you might want to watch out for trouble too,” Tim Jones said.

“The same goes for foreign investors who might be thinking of putting some money into New Zealand coal companies and projects. If they come here, they can expect an unpleasant time of it. Opposition to the Government’s mining agenda is growing, and now isn’t the time for mining investors to put themselves in reach of opposition from a growing number of angry New Zealanders. We suggest they look at investing in renewable energy instead,” Mr Jones concluded.

Tim Jones
Spokesperson
Coal Action Network Aotearoa

Contact Tim Jones, phone 027 359 0293, email tjonescan@gmail.com

The post Press Release: Investors Told To Stay Away From Coal appeared first on Coal Action Network Aotearoa.