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.

When: Tuesday 15 October, 6-8pm

Where: Lecture Theatre 401, Building 401, 20 Symonds St, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Auckland

Speakers:

Matheson Russell – Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Auckland (involved in the divestment campaign within the Anglican Church)

Rodger Spiller – Responsible Investment Association

Jeanette Fitzsimmons- Former co-leader of the Green Party and Coal Action Network Aotearoa organising group member

Ashlee Gross- 350 National Coordinator

What’s it about?

What is divestment? What will it contribute to the movement for a healthy climate and sustainable future? What are the alternatives and how can we demand divestment of institutions? Come to one of the events nearest to you – hear the financial experts explaining the financial case of fossil fuel divestment, NZ community members telling about local climate change impacts, climate action leaders sharing stories about previous and future actions, and find out how can you be part of it.

More information and Facebook signups

• On the web: http://350.org.nz/gofossilfree/forums/
• Facebook event for the Auckland forum: https://www.facebook.com/events/618557204833396/

Future forums

• Wellington forum: Wednesday 6 November, other details tba
• Forums in other centres: details tba
• Check http://350.org.nz/gofossilfree/forums/ for updates.

The post Let's Talk Divestment! Public Forums: Auckland, 15 October, 6pm – Others To Follow appeared first on Coal Action Network Aotearoa.

When: 6pm – 8pm, Wednesday 25 September

Where: Dance Studio, Toi Poneke, 61 Abel Smith St, Wellington.
Entrance is from the rear of the Arts Centre – follow the signs!

Hosted by: Coal Action Network Aotearoa (CANA), 350.org and the Keep the Coal in the Hole Wellington network

What:

• 6:00 – 7:00pm: Speakers from CANA, 350.org and Forest and Bird
• 7:00 – 8:00pm: Facilitated discussion on what we can do here in Wellington

Come along if you are keen to get involved, or want to learn more*

Join the Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/457375387709529/

About Denniston:

From: http://www.forestandbird.org.nz/campaigns/save-the-denniston-plateau-ours-not-mine

Paved with sandstone and edged with rocky outcrops, Denniston Plateau is home to a number of geological curiosities that bring to mind images of Middle Earth.

The unique rock formation that makes up this ancient part of New Zealand gives rise to a rich mosaic of life that is only found here: bonsai gardens of rata, tussock and pygmy pine.

At night, great spotted kiwi and our carnivorous giant snails can be found hunting out worms and grubs.

Cryptically hidden in the shrublands lie  vast communities of green geckos, ground weta and speckled skinks.

Doused with an annual rainfall of 6 metres, water carves the quartzose sandstone into unusual shapes.

But Denniston is under threat from Bathurst’s planned open cast coal mine. Forest and Bird, CANA and others across the country have been campaigning to save this beautiful conservation land.  Bathurst is only still in business by the good grace of their bankers who, last September, waived their right to take retaliatory action after Bathurst breached their repayment agreement. See CANA’s article on http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1308/S00200/the-westport-story-right-of-reply-from-coal-action-network.htm

About divestment:

The global divestment movement was initiated by the international climate action organization, 350.org.  Here in Wellington, it was launched by Bill McKibben at his Do the Math tour earlier this year.

From http://gofossilfree.org/nz/:

It’s our money, so we’re asking them to divest! We’re all connected to institutions that ought to be looking out for the public good.

Many of these institutions, however, support the fossil fuel industry through stocks, bonds and investment funds – using our money.

We’re part of a rapidly growing global campaign calling on institutions and organisations we’re a part of to divest all direct investments from fossil fuels and increase investment in renewables. Collectively we have the power to take on the multi-billion dollar industry driving climate change.

The Anglican Diocese of Auckland recently decided to divest from the fossil fuel industry; the first institutional body in New Zealand to do so: http://www.anglicannews.org/news/2013/09/auckland-diocese-to-divest-from-fossil-fuels.aspx

Groups across the country are campaigning for divestment.

* * *

For more information, please email coalactionnetwork@gmail.com

We look forward to meeting with you on Wednesday 25 September

*Spies not welcome!

The post Wellington meeting | 6pm, 25 September | Save Denniston | Tell The Banking Industry to Divest from Bathurst! appeared first on Coal Action Network Aotearoa.

Appearances in person

There are three in-person events:

• Auckland – Tuesday, 11 June, Epsom Girls Grammar School Hall, 7-8.30pm: Buy tickets
• Dunedin – Wednesday, 12 June, Colquhoun Lecture Theatre, Dunedin Hospital, University of Otago, 12 June, 7pm: RSVP
• Wellington – Thursday, 13 June, The Embassy Theatre, 7-8.30pm: Buy tickets

Please note: Invercargill event is now a delayed broadcast on Thursday 13 June

The Invercargill event, which was originally listed as a live broadcast on 11 June, will now be a delayed broadcast starting at 6.45pm on Thursday 13 June at Level 3, 5 The Crescent.

Live broadcasts on Tuesday 11 June

Bill McKibben’s Auckland presentation will now be broadcast live to many other centres. Current details are below. For updates, please join the Facebook event to receive the latest updates, or check math.350.org/nz.

Tuesday, 11 June, 6.45pm-9pm by live video stream

• Palmerston North – All Saints Community Centre
• Gisborne – Gisborne District Council building
• Tauranga- Wesley Centre, 100 Thirteenth Avenue
• Hamilton – Room S.G. 03, Knighton Road, University of Waikato
• Waiheke Island – Waiheke Community Cinema
• Nelson – The Yurt at The Free House, 95 Collingwood Street. Seats limited RSVP at http://billmckibbennelson.eventbrite.co.nz/ to guarantee a seat.
• Christchurch – Jack Mann Auditorium
• Timaru – Aoraki Polytech – Room G3,Godley Block, Arthur St
• Golden Bay – 20 Central Takaka Rd, Takaka. Limited capacity, lease RSVP to helloon@gmail.com

The post Bill McKibben Tour: Updated Details Of In-Person And Broadcast Events appeared first on Coal Action Network Aotearoa.

The conservation groups say that the distinctive plateau with its strange rock formations and suite of specialized plants and animals should be protected and the coal left in the ground to help meet New Zealand’s climate protection commitments.

Photographer Rod Morris will show off Denniston’s secretive creatures and spectacular geckos and landscapes, and eminent botanist Sir Alan Mark will tell tussock and other tales about the Denniston’s distinctive plant diversity. Denniston’s lichens will be exposed by Otago University Student Lars Ludwig. Coal Action Network Aotearoa representative Tarsh Turner will discuss the climate change implications of turning Denniston into New Zealand’s largest open cast coal mine.

Australian owned Bathurst Resources has applied to open cast mine and destroy 200ha of public conservation land on the Denniston Plateau and has permits across the plateau which would dig up more than 50 million tonnes of coal.

Tarsh Turner said ‘Mining the Denniston Plateau will significantly increase New Zealand’s coal exports, at a time when we need to be transitioning away from fossil fuels to avoid catastrophic climate change.’

‘Digging up Denniston is the wrong direction for our valuable clean green image,’ she said.

“Open cast mining will destroy the landscape, and the existing indigenous ecosystems.  These can not be picked up in a digger and replaced,” Forest and Bird’s Otago Southland Field Officer, Sue Maturin says.

Forest and Bird believe the area should remain protected and that mining should be prohibited forever, just as in our National Parks.

The post Denniston Public Meeting To Be Held In Dunedin, Thursday 26 April appeared first on Coal Action Network Aotearoa.

What’s happening, what does it mean to our environment and communities and how do we stop it? These meetings are aimed at groups and individuals who are interested and engaged in working to protect Aotearoa from the destructive social and environmental impacts of mining.
From coal (lignite and conventional), gold, iron sands and other mineral mining to fracking and deep sea oil drilling there is a broad agenda of resource extraction on the table. We would like to discuss with you your concerns and the impacts, risks and opportunities towards clean alternatives and a green economy.

Auckland – Wednesday 11th April, 7 – 9pm
Lecture Theatre B15, Library Basement, University of Auckland

Hamilton – Monday 16th April, 7 – 9pm
Trade Union Centre, 34 Harwood Street

Wellington – Tuesday 17th April, 7 – 8.30pm
Mezzanine Room, Wellington Library, 65 Victoria Street

Christchurch – Thursday 19th April, 7 – 9pm
Workers Educational Association, 59 Gloucester Street

Dunedin – Monday 30th April, 7.30 – 9.30pm
Practice Room, Clubs and Societies Building, 84 Albany Street

For more information contact Alina Siegfried on 04 801 5297 or alina.siegfried@parliament.govt.nz

The post The Green Party Mining Our Future Community Tour appeared first on Coal Action Network Aotearoa.

A coal company has all but destroyed the community of Acland, Queensland, where Australian seed and grain farmer Sid Plant lives, he told the community of Mataura, Southland, today at the “Keep the Coal in the Hole Summer Festival” open day.

Around 300 people are attending today’s open day at the Mataura Community Centre. Locals have joined the 150 scientists, members of NGOs, MPs, farmers and concerned citizens from across New Zealand who have been camping since Friday, discussing Solid Energy’s plans to develop dirty lignite coal, which would increase our greenhouse gas emissions by 20%. They’re camping on the land of one farmer who refuses to sell to Solid Energy, Mike Dumbar.

Mr Plant’s 1200 ha farm in southern Queensland (near Toowoomba) borders the four million tonne New Hope coal mine that will later expand to ten million tonnes. He has watched as neighbour after neighbour has been bought up by New Hope.

“The mining companies all say ‘we will make it better than it was’ but they destroy the land – it can never be rehabilitated. I’ve witnessed the desecration of the best quality farmland where I live – just as Solid Energy is about to do in Southland. You can never get it back,” Mr Plant told the meeting.

Also speaking at the Open Day was orthopaedic surgeon Russell Tregonning, on behalf of Ora Taiao, a group of more than 140 senior doctors and other NZ health professionals gravely concerned about the impacts of climate change as a leading global health threat this century (according to the World Health Organisation).

“The threat from climate change supersedes the threat of cardiovascular disease, cancer, AIDS/HIV, the diabetes epidemic – all combined,” he told the meeting.
Dr Tregonning also outlined the threats to the local community from a range of pollutants that would be emitted from Solid Energy’s operations in Southland.

“Coal pollutants affect all major body organ systems and contribute to four of the five leading causes of mortality in the US: heart disease, cancer, stroke, and chronic lower respiratory diseases,” he warned.

Antarctic geologist Dr Peter Barratt outlined concerns about climate change.

“Changes to the climate have already begun. As an Antarctic scientist, it troubles me that the ice sheet has already begun to melt – when I traveled there 40 years ago that idea was inconceivable. If we keep on burning fossil fuels the way we are now, by the end of the century there will be as much CO₂ in the atmosphere as 40-50 million years ago when average global temperatures were many degrees warmer than they are today.”

Dr Shannon Page, a lecturer at Lincoln University’s Environmental Management department, warned against assurances that the emissions from lignite can be taken care of by Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS).

“CCS is an experimental technology, but even in the best case, it could only reduce emissions from some of the process of coal use – not the extraction nor the end use of briquettes. It is highly unlikely that there would ever be somewhere to bury CO₂ in Southland,” he said.

Coal Action Network Aotearoa spokesperson Kristin Gillies was “delighted” with the turnout both at today’s meeting, and with the festival.

“The whole of New Zealand should be extremely worried about Solid Energy’s plans for lignite exploitation in Southland. As a result of this festival we now have a national campaign determined to oppose this company, every step of the way.”

ENDS

Twitter hashtag for festival: #coalinhole

Contacts:
Coal Action Network Aotearoa Spokespeople:
Tim Jones 027 359 0293 and
Kristin Gillies 021 065 8460

Media contact: Cindy Baxter 021 772 661

The post Don’t trust coal companies, Aussie farmer tells Southland appeared first on Coal Action Network Aotearoa.

West Coast Environment Network Inc, Greenpeace NZ, Forest and Bird and Coal Action Network Aotearoa are pleased to invite you to:

Say No to Fossil Fools

A panel discussion with groups campaigning against fossil fool extraction.

Monday 17th October, 6-8pm
Wellington Central Baptist Church, 46-48 Boulcott St, Wellington. 

Panellists:

• Jeanette Fitzsimons (former Green MP, concerned grandmother) on Southland lignite
• Rod Morris (wildlife photographer) on the biodiversity rich conservation land of the proposed Denniston coal mine
• Mike Smith (Greenpeace NZ) on the threat of deep sea oil drilling happening off the East Coast
• Robyn Harris-Iles (Environmental researcher) on fracking (hydraulic fracturing)

All welcome
Free entry; koha appreciated

Each panellist will speak for 15 minutes. There will then be 45 minutes for questions and discussion, followed by time to check out the stalls of groups working on fossil fuel / climate change / climate justice campaigns here in Aotearoa NZ. Tea, coffee, biscuits provided.

Join the movement against the destructive expansion of fossil fuel extraction in the lands and waters of Aotearoa New Zealand. Protect our climate / health / conservation land / farmland / seabeds.

For more information, please email: coalactionnetwork@gmail.com

Please note:

• There is a flat entry (no stairs) into Wellington Central Baptist Church via the path to the right of the venue.
• There is free carparking available across the road at the Wilson Carpark – Just say you are at the meeting at the Wellington Central Baptist Church. (The Church has kindly offered for us to benefit from this arrangement with Wilsons Carpark).
• Of course, if you can bus / bike / walk etc to get there, great!

Kind regards,

Frances Mountier

The post Wellington Public Meeting 17/10/11 appeared first on Coal Action Network Aotearoa.

“Maintaining farm productivity and profits in an uncertain climate”

Auckland Friday 2 September

Auckland 4.30 to 6.30 pm Owen Glen Building, Lecture Theatre OGGB4 Grafton Road, University of Auckland

Title: Preparing for White Swans: Climate change and opportunities for the economy

Contact:  Ilse Hindle i.hindle@auckland.ac.nz

Christchurch Thursday 22 September

Christchurch 12 noon to 2 pm, University of Canterbury venue TBA

Title: Preparing for White Swans: Climate change and opportunities for the economy

Contact:  Bronwyn Hayward bronwyn.hayward@canterbury.ac.nz

Rangiora 4 to 6 pm Enterprise North Canterbury venue TBA

Contact: Heather Warwick heather@enterprisenc.co.nz

Central Otago Friday 23 September

Omakau 3 to 5 pm Omakau Rugby Club

Contact: Jonathan Gadd jonathan.gadd@codc..govt.nz

Eastern Bay of Plenty Wednesday 28 September

Whakatane Environment Bay of Plenty 1 to 3 pm venue TBA

Contact: Simon Stokes Simon.Stokes@envbop.govt.nz

Palmerston North Friday 30 September

Palmerston North Horizons Manawatu venue TBA

Contacr: Craig Mitchell craig.mitchell@horizons.govt.nz

Oamaru Monday 10 October

Oamaru 12 noon to 2 pm Inkbox Theatre, Oamaru Opera House (Waitaki District Council)

Contact: Richard Mabon rmabon@waitaki.govt.nz

Palmerston 7 to 9 pm venue TBA

Dugald MacTavish dugald@es.co.nz

Dunedin Tuesday 11 October

1. Centre for the Study of Agriculture, Food and Environment CSAFE, University of Otago

Title: Preparing for White Swans: Climate change and opportunities for the agricultural economy

Contact: Chris Rosin chris.rosin@otago.ac.nz

2. Centre for Theology and Public Issues, University of Otago

Contact. Andrew Bradstock andrew.bradstock@otago.ac.nz

The second seminar will look at ethics and intergenerational issues

Southland Thursday 27 October

Invercargill, Environment Southland venue TBA

Wellington Tuesday 1 November 

Wellington 4.30 to 6.30 pm Victoria University of Wellington Hunter Building Council Chambers, Climate Change Research Institute

Title: Preparing for White Swans: Climate change and opportunities for the economy

Contact: Liz Thomas liz.thomas@vuw.ac.nz

The post Climate Tour September – November 2011 appeared first on Coal Action Network Aotearoa.

You can read Dave Kennedy’s write-up on the Invercargill meeting last Tuesday here: http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.com/2011/04/lignite-mining-what-price-for-future.html

And here is a report from the meeting’s co-host, Jenny Campbell of Forest and Bird:

The post Report from Invercargill Public Meeting appeared first on Coal Action Network Aotearoa.