Previous 2011 events FFSC have supported:

•Nearly 45,000 Australians supported the 'Say YES to a price on carbon' rally.
•Deckchair Democracy
•Rally against HRL new coal plant (May 2011)
•Climate Summit (April 2011) - Summit Communique is available


 

Other Events

Switch Off Hazelwood Protest (13/09/09)

FFCC protested peacefully at Hazelwood, demanding the decommissioning of the coal fired power station with approximately 500 other campaigners. We enjoyed the company of many peaceful and creative campaigners including people in suits issuing "decommission orders". Our representatives attending the protest were astounded by the high level of police presence which included helicopters, trail bikes, inflatable boats, foot police and mounted police.  FFCC are part of a growing core of ordinary people feeling increasingly worried about our climate future. To read more about the protest and get some facts on Hazelwood go to www.switchoffhazelwood.org

National Climate Emergency Rally, Melbourne State Library (13/06/09)

FFCC led the march alongside Green's Senator Bob Brown and other rally speakers calling for greater action on climate change. Other speakers included the fire fighter's union leader and representatives from Tuvalu. The march made it's way from the State Library to the Town Hall where the Labor Party Conference was in progress. Some 4,000 people sat down outside the Town Hall calling for the State Government to take positive action on solar power and a just transition to green jobs for those employed by the coal industry.

Children from FFCC carried their homemade banners with messages of "I love solar power", "Renew my future", "100% 2020" and "Rudd's CPRS is prehistoric".

Future Spark - making clean energy to power the Earth Hour Concert (27/03/09)

On Friday 27/3/09 Families Facing Climate Change joined in the Future Spark event to generate clean energy to power Melbourne's Earth Hour Concert. Together with hundreds of other cyclists we pedalled on bikes to generate a final total of 62249.2 Wh, and used 44611.2 Wh of it for the concert. Still almost a third left over! This left over power was used to help power the other restaurants and lighting at Federation Square.
To read more on Future Spark click here >>

Step it up on Climate Change - highlighting the inadequacies of the CPRS (27/03/09)

On Friday 27/3/09, Families Facing Climate Change gathered with other concerned locals from the Higgin's Electorate to communicate our concerns about the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme legislation:

We were also joined by a team of Federal and State police who were directed to protect Peter Costello from us!

The inspiration for communicating our concerns was from Guy Pearce's recent essay “Quarry Vision” about the CPRS legislation: “It seems to not matter”:

• most of our emission cuts are to be made offshore.
• our actual emissions won’t fall at all,
• our worst polluters are to be subsidised by everyone else
• and this will be to an ever greater extent each year,
• all the out-sourcing and burden shifting will deny the nation and future generations the opportunities and skills required to prosper in carbon constrained economy.

(Pearce, G. (2009) Quarry Vision. Quarterly Essay).

We held 19 black balloons and one green balloon as a symbol of the inadequacy of the CPRS and this was given to Peter Costello with a letter outlining our concerns about the CPRS. On each of the black balloons a species or ecosystem that will be lost with climate change was named and the green balloon was popped to signify that the 5% target was not real as our emissions will actually increase. Whilst we had initially been barred from entering the electoral office the police eventually relented when they realized we were not in fact a threat to Mr Costello.

Our activities generated lots of local and national press
Read more in The Age >>
Read more in the Stonnington Leader >>
Read a copy of our letter to Peter Costello >>

Summary of the National Climate Summit (31/01/09)

We received an update on the science from David Spratt which was alarming. He focussed on 3 main issues:

• Arctic sea ice is now predicted to be gone by 2013 in summer as opposed to 2100 as predicted by the IPCC. This will commit the Greenland ice sheet to full melting, eventually causing a 7m sea rise which will set off the melting of permafrost.
• Permafrost melting will release perhaps 12 times the amount of CO2 that has been released into the atmosphere through fossil fuels up to now.
• Melting of Himalayan ice cap - this will initially cause flooding/avalanches in the Himalayas. Then the 7 main rivers which flow from this ice and supply water to most of Asia will reduce their flow. As many of these countries have nuclear weapons it is likely that nuclear warfare over water rights may follow.

In order to prevent this catastophic cascade of events we need to reduce CO2 from 385 to 300 so that the arctic sea ice can reform, hence we need to act quickly. It's an EMERGENCY!

Having absorbed this we then developed 3 campaign goals for 2009:

1. Prevent the carbon pollution reduction scheme becoming law as it will discourage individual action to reduce emissions and enable big polluters to continue to pollute.
2. Build community wide action to demand green jobs, a just transition and 100% renewable energy by 2020.
3. Build community support for a goal of stabilization at 300 ppm CO2 and strong international agreement in line with what science and global justice demands. To communicate this position to Copenhagen and strongly urge the Australian government to adopt this position.

A detailed policy document was also developed to which we have individually responded/voted.

The Summit concluded with a moving protest in which 2,500 people, dressed in red to symbolize an emergency, encircled Parliament house on the first sitting day of 2009.

Walk Against Warming (15/11/08)

On Saturday November 15th, Families Facing Climate Change again led the march to highlight the need for urgent action on climate change. Some 15,000 people listened to speakers in Federation Square before walking up Flinders Street to Parliament House where a giant clock slowly ticked towards midnight symbolizing how little time we have left in which to act to reduce carbon emissions. It was a great family event with 3 generations of family members represented in our group. The children all had great fun creating their banners and proudly carrying them.

Prior to the event Families Facing Climate Change gained media attention as they encouraged people to attend the walk in the Progress Leader, our local paper. A gorgeous photo of our kids in their distinctive orange T-shirts conveyed the message that it was for our children's future that we would be joining the Walk Against Warming.

Our children having fun making banners and leading the Walk Against Warming

Power from the ground up (The Age 13/12/08)

FFCC's Anna Mezzetti and Dimity Williams were interviewed by journalist Michael Green after the Walk Against Warming. His inspirational article in the Insight section of Saturday 13th December's The Age saw them quoted several times and used the image of our children in the park as a symbol of the next generation cleaning up the mess left by the current one. To read the article click here >>

Climate Emergency Rally - Riding For Our Future (5/07/08)

On Saturday July 5th 2008 FFCC members joined the Climate Emergency Rally from the city square to the Alexandra Gardens. In the gardens we created a fantastic banner in which young people each added to a collage of bike images in the theme of "Riding for our Future". The banner asked Penny Wong to please support the forthcoming Climate Protection Bill. It was a fantastic event with great positive energy. After the banner was created we joined in the formation of a human sign which was photographed from the air. It read "Climate Emergency" and highlighted the urgency of this issue.
To view images of this great event click here >> 

Families Facing Climate Change presented this banner to Penny Wong at Parliament House in Canberra, along with thousands of postcards asking federal members to support the Climate Protection Bill, which has recently been introduced to federal parliament.

Supporting the Climate Protection Bill (21/09/08)

FFCC's Sue Pratt joined other climate change action groups in Canberra to support the Climate Protection Bill. According to Sue "A Climate Protection Bill will ensure our country is taking firm steps towards seriously reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The Bill ensures that energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy become enshrined in ‘business as usual’. Our emissions are still rising despite widespread knowledge of the links to climate change and associated dangers. The only way to reduce our emissions to the levels required to limit climate change consequences is through legislation such as the Climate Protection Bill. The Bill halves Australia’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 2020 compared to 1990 levels and ends the logging of old growth forests in addition to other initiatives".

Walk Against Warming (2007)

 

This was the second year we attended the march. Thirty members of the Families Facing Climate Change group joined the crowd of 50,000 to send out our messages about climate change during the federal election.

We were invited to lead the walk, as the organisers valued the presence of the children at the head. A reminder that it is an issue for all generations. The positive energy and enthusiasm vibrated down Swanston St, as we weaved our way past the onlookers, holding our banners - grand parents, parents and children. The banners were created by the children with their own message, to share with their families and all Victorians.

The march pulsed with the hope of making a difference. We believe it sent a strong message to all political parties that climate change and carbon emission targets should be a core issue.

Higgins Electorate Climate Change Forum (12/09/07)

FFCC held a forum, Climate Change: The Way Forward on 12th September 2007 at the Glen Iris Rd Uniting Church hall which was well attended by in excess of 100 people from the Higgins electorate.

Dr Graeme Pearman provided informative insights on the changes we must make if we are to avoid catastrophic climate change and fielded many questions from an enthralled audience. Representatives from the Liberal, Labour, Democrats and Greens party's outlined their party's policies (or lack thereof!) regarding climate change and were either flummoxed or pleased to complete our whiteboard questionnaire asking them to commit specific responses. It was a great effort from the FFCC team!

We meet Federal Treasurer Peter Costello (15/06/07)
 

Following the successful Footprints in the Park event held in May, members of the group took the colourful canvas to Peter Costello at his office on 15/06/07 read more >> 

Footprints in the Park (18/05/07)

On a rainy afternoon after school on Friday 18/05/07, 140 kids gathered for Footprints in the Park in Ashburton. Amidst much excited chatter and energy, each child stamped a colourful footprint on our giant canvas. The first 100 children received a free T shirt, which united the kids in a sea of orange. Each child also made a footprint on a postcard, which they then took home and sent off with a personal message to Peter Costello. The Age came and took a photo of the canvas and the kids which appeared in the paper on Friday 15 June.  
 

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