On Sunday October 11th, the Australian community will again voice its opposition to the coal industry, in the next of a series of protests at coal infrastructure around the country.
This time the protest is in Helensburgh, south of Sydney, at Australia’s oldest coal mine. Despite the fact that coal is Australia’s biggest contributor to climate change, the coal mine is set for a massive expansion, recently approved by the NSW Government.
The Helensburgh Collieries’ planned expansion is symbolic of everything that our state and federal governments are doing to resist an evolution to a renewable and climate-friendly future.
What’s heartening is the growing movement of Australians determined to expose and undermine this dirty relationship between the politicians and the coal industry. Just a few weeks ago, over 500 people took part in a peaceful protest at Hazelwood Power Station in Victoria, one of Australia’s oldest and dirtiest coal-fired power stations. They were demanding that Hazelwood be switched off and replaced with renewable energy.
It’s a sane and reasonable request in the face of potentially catastrophic climate change. And, as Professor Clive Hamilton wrote in response to the Hazelwood action, when other avenues have been exhausted, civil disobedience is morally justified.
If you want more renewables and less coal, more action and less talk … then be a part of the action! Climate Camp ’09 is a three day event, with workshops and speakers on the Friday and Saturday (9-10th Oct), and the peaceful community action on the Sunday. Either make a weekend of it, or bring your placards and packed lunch to Helensburgh at 11am on the Sunday, to make your voice heard!
