Nannas had a learning week: about PFAS in drinking water, a Queensland coal mine 10km from the sea and how to stop native forest logging and seismic blasting in our south-eastern oceans.
Blue Mountains Sustainability Festival
Sydney Nannas attended the Blue Mountains Sustainability Festival on 28 September at the request of Letitia from the Blue Mountains PFAS Action Group. They are on a mission to raise awareness around Australia of newly revealed alarming PFAS levels in drinking water.
The information session on PFAS was booked out but the Nannas attended another session on how to reduce consumption and waste, and to enhance recycling.
Nannas met up with Deb from Bundaberg in North Queensland where she expressed her deep concern that Fox Resources plan to open a coal mine on productive pastoral land, 10km from a beach. This will impact on her local community at the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef. We don’t need more climate wrecking nature destroying projects for fossil fuel cartels.
Knitting Nannas visited Ale from 350.org and Greens council candidate Melanie Long at their ‘no more coal and gas’ table. They were smiling for the photo but crying on the inside about the recent approvals of three coal mine expansions in NSW. Was it a coincidence that the news broke when everyone’s attention was on grand final week?
The Nannas enjoyed their trip to this informative community event.
Pathway out of Native Forest
Federal Independent MP, Dr Sophie Scamps, was joined by the Australia Institute’s Stephen Long, Senior Fellow and Contributing Editor, and Vanessa Bleyer, spokesperson for Native Forests and the Director and Principal Lawyer at Bleyer Lawyers at Redfern Town Hall on 30 September.
Dr Scamps is working in parliament to have Article 37 of the proposed Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act) removed. This is the exemption of Regional Forestry Agreements from coverage by the Act, which makes logging projects exempt from environmental protection! Addressing this is regarded as a matter of urgency and the audience was asked to sign a petition and write to local federal politicians and the minister.
Forestry have lost several court cases for rogue, destructive behaviour, with the judge ruling they are serial offenders. Their surveys for native fauna have been shown to be designed to minimise the numbers and species found. Forest defenders are doing scientific surveys and proving there is large scale destruction of critical habitats of endangered animals, particularly koalas and gliders in native forests across NSW.
Dr David Lindenmeyer’s book, Forrest Wars, was recommended to all present. It was a very informative session.
Webinar on seismic blasting
Australian Marine Conservation Society online forum on 1 October focused on the Special Prospecting Authority and ‘spot’ applications for some of the world’s largest seismic blasting in Australia’s south-eastern oceans between Victoria and Tasmania. Applications to search for oil and gas, and for carbon capture and storage (CCS) locations, are cheap – $8250 – but their potential damage is massive.
Seismic damage to whole unique ecosystems has been recorded, from plankton and krill, the crucial foundations of the food web, to large mammals such as whales.
NOPSEMA, Australia’s offshore energy regulator, needs to have teeth, befitting the scale of destruction seismic blasting causes. Our weak EPBC Act means that NOPSEMA is a weak regulator.
People were asked to send a message to Minister King to let her know that we need to end seismic blasting SPA permits to protect endangered species and threatened marine habitats.
Forestry vigil at Chris Minns office
Instead of the Bob Brown Foundation’s regular Forestry Vigil outside the NSW parliament the group went to Kogarah on 2 October to Chris Minns’ electoral office. Initially the Premier’s staffers hid but eventually came out and we were able to speak with them about the danger of losing animals to extinction.
Saturday – Sunday 12-13 October – Picket the Pipeline
A convoy will leave from Narrabri to protest the Narrabri Gas and its Hunter Gas Pipeline. The convoy will stop for rallies in Gunnedah, Scone and Singleton on the way to a major demonstration in Newcastle on Sunday 13 October. Organised by Unions NSW committee.
Some Nannas are doing the whole trip, others are going to Singleton and Newcastle and some to the final event in Newcastle only. Contact us if you wish to join us along the way.
Video here:
Tuesday 15 October 6.30 – Amnesty International – Chippendale
6.30pm – Walanbaa_ngiiyani – a film about the gathering of Gomeroi and Pacifika climate activists in the Pilliga forest will be followed by our Knitting Nanna 15 minute climate activism presentation. RSVP here
How to access a mining company’s AGM
Anyone can go to an AGM by registering, but only shareholders can ask questions and vote. There is no lower limit on the number of shares you need to purchase. You can buy shares through a broker (expensive) or set up as a trader. All (major) shareholders are listed publicly.
Market Forces encourage shareholders to use their shares to change companies’ behaviour. They organise questions for proxy voters and have put forward resolutions with the least number of shareholders required – 100.
Nannas are reading
Our leaders are collaborators with fossil fuel colonialists. This is the source of our communal dread – by Tim Winton. (The Guardian)
Born of nightmares by Tim Winton – A reflection on the process and burden of creating an imagined future during a time of climate crisis and existential dread.
“As the world burns and our leaders avert their gaze – or actively abet the industries and systems setting our house on fire – this entanglement of private and collective anxiety envelops and oppresses millions of us. We find ourselves in a communal trance, “sleepwalking to a mass extinction”, as evolutionary paleobiologist Matthew Wills declared in 2018. Many of us are wondering what will deliver us from this stupor. Must we be shocked awake by some external force, or can we climb free of its clutches by joining hands and lifting each other up into wakefulness?” (The Monthly)
Australian extensions for coal mines angers pacific states. The decision could kill Australia’s chance to co-host a UN climate summit with island nations in two years time. (asiafinancial)
Energy Science & Engineering reports that US production of shale gas, as well as liquefaction to make LNG and LNG transport by tanker, is energy-intensive, which contributes significantly to the LNG greenhouse gas footprint and equals or exceeds that of coal. (The Guardian)
Twiggy Forrest from Fortescue says it’s time to walk away from the ‘proven fantasy’ of net zero and to embrace “real zero” by 2040. [Net Zero – allows fossil fuels to continue to be mined using carbon credits and offsets.] (CNBC)
Vitrinite accused of clearing koala habitat and illegal coal mining in Queensland (ABC News)
Nannas are watching
Blasting Obscenity: Court’s verdict finds Maules Creek Mine guilty on all counts. NWPA story here
Following the Flow (SBS) – The story of the once-mighty Wambool (Macquarie River) told as a terrible drought finally breaks. It is a river completely in the hands of humanity, detached from its natural ability to self-regulate. 1h 22m.
Forthcoming Events