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Thank yourself!
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2:58 PM (3 hours ago)
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Dear friends,
Campaign email writing 101: “always ask something of your members.” Today, because it’s almost Christmas, we’d love you to do something for yourself. For just a moment, stop, reflect and thank yourself for what you’ve done, this year, to bring the vision of a safe climate closer to reality.
Rather than deferring to our political leaders to lead, we’re empowering, inspiring and gearing up to take the fight to a new level. We’re also focusing our campaigning might squarely on the biggest blockers of them all – the fossil fuel industry and their supporters.
Take, for example, this past fortnight in which we’ve witnessed decisions that might well compel the most hardened campaigner to hang up their hat. We’ve seen our government approve two massive coal terminals which could cook the climate and wreck the Reef. Despite dwindling demand for coal, we’ve seen Australia’s largest commercial bank – ANZ – renew its loan for a massive open-cut coal-mine in Leard State forest.
But we haven’t buried our heads in the sand. We haven’t succumbed to apathy or depression. We’ve stood up and we’ve turned out in a new and exciting way. Check out this video of highlights:
Over the weekend, dozens of ANZ customers showed up at bank branches across the country to close their accounts in protest over the Bank’s lending to fossil fuels (check out the SBS coverage here). Last month, over 100 Commonwealth customers did the same and dozens more ANZ customers before that. In 2014, we’ll continue to support bank customers and super fund members, fund managers, and public institutions to join this growing movement of change-makers. We’ll fight city-by-city, account-by-account, dollar-by-dollar, for as long as it takes to win.
And while folk turned out in cities over the weekend, more than 100 Australians – grandfathers, teenagers, mothers and more – made the journey to Maules Creek, risking arrest to block construction of a coal mine which will destroy a forest and commit our children to a grim and unimaginable future.
In the same fortnight, dozens of people attended AGMs of the Big Four Banks – the managers of our savings, mortgages, and our kids’ future finances – who are fuelling a future that no parent would wish upon their child. Last Friday, you helped us and Market Forces deliver a 3000-strong message to Westpac. On Wednesday, dozens of concerned Australians put climate change front and centre of ANZ’s AGM, prompting the chairman to plea: “no more questions on coal!” (checkout this piece from ACF’s Ian Lowe.).
And that was just two weeks in 2013. Think of what we can achieve together in the 52 to come next year.
The climate stakes are high, rising higher by the day. But so too are we rising – arming ourselves with the financial literacy, political power and stalwart resilience needed to wage this fight – the biggest we’ll ever face – and win.
So, as the year draws to a close, thank yourself, reflect on this moment in which we began to overcome our inner enemies to fight the real enemies and win back the brilliant future that’s ours if we want it.
Have a wonderful xmas, get re-charged, and see you in 2014.
With fire in the belly and xmas cheer,
Charlie, Blair, Aaron, Simon and Josh