Energy like it’s 1899
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Category: News
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Energy like it’s 1899 AVAST
4 of 57 -
1) GET UP
More1 of 551) Most people haven’t heard about it; 2) When they do, they get mad
Inboxx Alycia – GetUp!
8:44 PM (14 minutes ago)to me
Dear NEVILLE,
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) – the dirtiest deal too many people haven’t heard of – is inching ever closer to becoming law.
The US is bulldozing ahead with TPP ‘fast track’ legislation, which means the final text of the agreement – which could allow foreign companies to sue Australia for laws that protect our health and environment – might be a matter of weeks away.
Fortunately, the US doesn’t speak for us, and our Senate will cast a critical vote on whether the TPP is implemented. The Liberal Party has signalled its support for the TPP, but they don’t have the numbers on their own. The ALP will be critical in determining whether our government is ultimately able to put the interests of foreign corporations ahead of Australian families.
We know two things about the TPP: 1) Most people haven’t heard about it, but 2) When they do, they get mad.1 That’s why we’ve an audacious plan to get information about the TPP into the hands of the critical marginal seat voters who Labor cares about most – and the plan is powered by GetUp members.
First, GetUp members pitch in the funds to print thousands of ‘door hanger’ info pamphlets that spell out what the TPP could mean for access to medicine, food safety, environmental protections and more. Then, GetUp members in critical electorates will go door-to-door, neighbour-to-neighbour, taking that information right to people’s doorstep (or doorknobs, as it were).
The TPP agenda is being primarily driven by Big Business, Big Pharmaceuticals, and Big Tobacco – but its impacts will affect everyday Australians. Public health measures, environmental protections, access to medicine, and Internet freedoms are all in the firing line. This is why high-paid lobbyists of multinationals are hard at work trying to ensure the passage of this colossal trade deal in secrecy.2 And to make matters worse, there have been leaks to suggest that some corporations have seen the draft text while everyday citizens are left in the dark.3
And their efforts are paying off, with predictions that delegates from the 12 countries – including our very own Trade Minister Andrew Robb – may sign onto the deal as soon as late July.4
The next few weeks are critical. Not only is the next round of TPP negotiations taking place, but the Labor National Conference on 24 July will see the ALP debate and vote upon its national policy platform.
GetUp members in electorates with razor-thin margins are stepping up by the dozen to distribute door hangers in their electorate. But to make this happen, we need the funds to cover the cost of printing and delivery. Together, we can bring enormous pressure to bear on Labor MPs to take a stronger stance against this dirty deal. Can you help fund the effort?
With the ALP National Conference just two weeks away, this is the prime time to catch the ear of Labor MPs in important battleground electorates listening out for the issues that matter to their constituents. Together, we can show Labor that Australians don’t want any part of this dirty deal.
https://www.getup.org.au/tpp-chip-in
Thanks for putting people over profits,
Alycia, Mark, Daney and Nat, for the GetUp teamPS – Yet to sign the petition? Join over 91,000 Australians calling on Parliament to stop the TPP. Once you sign, you’ll have an opportunity to chip in to help fund the door hanger effort!: https://www.getup.org.au/tpp-sign
PPS – The designers are still putting finishing touches on the door hangers, but here’s a sneak preview of what they’ll look like.
References
[1] ‘Eden Monaro poll: The massive trade deal half of Australia hasn’t even heard about’, PRWire, June 2015
[2] ‘Here’s how much corporations paid US senators to fast-track the TPP bill’, The Guardian, 27 May 2015
[3] ‘Documents released under US FOI laws in the case of IP Watch v USTR’, Electronic Frontier Foundation, 5 June 2015
[4] ‘TPP ministerial meeting set for last week of July: source’, Reuters, 29 June 2015 -
“Utterly Offensive” Blair Palaise 350 0rg
1 of 15“Utterly Offensive”
Inboxx 
Blair Palese – 350.org Australia <350@350.org> Unsubscribe
7:35 PM (35 minutes ago)to meNeville,
Our Government has just told the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) — Australia’s investment fund for renewable energy — to stop investing in clean energy!
Yep, you heard us right. Joe Hockey finds wind turbines “utterly offensive”. So, having slashed the renewable energy target, his Government has directed the CEFC to stop all investment in wind and small-scale solar[1], rubbing salt in the wounds of a renewables sector that is already battling to keep afloat after years of ever-changing policy and little to no support.
Our Government needs to know that Australians don’t support these dangerous attacks — and that each time they do something like this, it brings them one step closer to being voted out at the next election.
Click here to tell Abbott and co. that you find their behaviour “utterly offensive.”
This is yet another step towards the Coalition’s grand plan of scrapping the CEFC altogether. According to Abbott – if renewable energy stacked up economically, then it wouldn’t need this kind of support. Never mind that renewables are cost-competitive with fossil fuels in numerous regions nor that they’re competing with a fossil fuel industry that our Government is subsidising to the tune of $10 billion annually.[2]
Take action now if you find this outrageous.
Whilst Australia buries its head in the sand on the very solutions that could dig us out of this climate mess, the rest of the world is moving ahead. Those so-called “offensive” and “awful” wind turbines last week generated 140% of Denmark’s electricity and will soon provide Kenya with a fifth of its energy needs.[5]
Meanwhile, NASA just gave us a glimpse of the pace with which China is leaping ahead on renewables when they revealed images of Chinese solar arrays in the Gobi Desert — so massive they can be viewed from outer space.[6]
Email our Government to tell them to dig their heads out of the sand today.
The world’s energy needs will not and cannot continue to be met by coal, oil and gas. Instead they will and must come from the sun and the wind. The rest of the world already knows this, which is why they’re moving their money out of fossil fuels and into renewables by the day. Yet Australia is intent upon denying the science, ignoring common sense and keeping us wedded to a dirty, backward industry of the past.
Tell our Government that they’ve gone too far – it’s time to stop this madness – it’s offensive, embarrassing and outright destructive.
In outrage,
Blair for the 350.org Australia team
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References:
[1] Coalition bans government’s clean energy bank from financing wind power, The Guardian, 12 July; Abbott government extends renewable energy investment ban to solar power, The Guardian, 12 July.
[2] Where your taxes go, Market Forces.
[3] Liverpool Plains community ‘gutted’ – Shenhua vindicated by federal approval for controversial Watermark coal mine, ABC, 10 July.
[4] Adani’s Carmichael Mine is unbankable says Queensland Treasury, Sydney Morning Herald, 30 June.
[5] Windpower generates 140% of Denmark’s energy demand, The Guardian, 10 July; Kenya’s New Wind Farm will Provide Nearly One Fifth of the Country’s Power, Climate Progress, 6 July.
[6] Nasa satellite images show China’s giant solar panel expansion in Gobi Desert, International Business Times, 2 July.
350.org is building a global climate movement.You can connect with us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and become a sustaining donor to keep this movement strong and growing.
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Sign the petition before Thursday’s threatened species summit! ACF
1 of 15Sign the petition before Thursday’s threatened species summit!
Inboxx Kelly O’Shanassy, ACF Unsubscribe
5:45 PM (3 minutes ago)to meHi INGA
Have you heard the news? Yesterday, the Abbott government banned the Clean Energy Finance Corp from investing in wind power and small solar projects. Seriously.
Pollution and global warming threaten our communities and the wildlife we love.Just last week, another eight plants and animals were added to Australia’s list of over 1,800 species at risk of extinction.Mining, logging, land-clearing and global warming are destroying habitat, while governments turn a blind eye. But we can shine a spotlight on them this week.On Thursday, all of Australia’s state and federal environment ministers gather in Melbourne for the first ever national Threatened Species Summit.It’s a critical moment.Minister Hunt called the summit to launch a threatened species strategy “with hard and measurable targets.”It sounds great – but what if the real issues aren’t even on the agenda?I’ll attend the Threatened Species Summit and give the ministers the exact steps they can take to tackle extinction in our new report Recovery planning: restoring life to our threatened species.Let’s make sure all of Australia’s environment ministers uphold their duty of care to protect life.Sign the petition to:- Stop the loss of threatened species habitat from mining, logging and land clearing.
- Protect ‘climate refuge’ habitat threatened species need as our planet heats up.
- Develop a national plan to cut pollution and tackle global warming.
https://www.action.org.au/protect-wildlife-we-love
Thank you,
Kelly
Kelly O’Shanassy
CEO
Australian Conservation Foundation -
Unbelievable. CLAIRE SOLAR CITIZENS
Something’s not right.We’re having trouble connecting to Google. We’ll keep trying…More1 of 57Unbelievable.
Inboxx Claire, Solar Citizens
5:36 PM (8 minutes ago)to meDear Neville —Just when you thought the Federal Government’s war on solar and clean energy couldn’t get any more unbelievable, reports yesterday revealed the Abbott Government has banned the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) from investing in small-scale solar projects*.
The CEFC has been a roaring success, helping thousands of Australians cut their bills by providing cheap finance for rooftop solar projects on homes, businesses and community buildings across the country.But this latest attack means thousands of Australian who want solar will be denied the opportunity.
The true intentions of the Abbott Government have never been clearer. This government wants to see our solar industry destroyed and they’re willing to do the dodgy on ordinary Australian families and businesses to achieve their aims.
I’ll make no bones about it. To protect and grow solar in Australia we need a real opposition that kicks off real debate on what our nation’s ambitious solar future looks like. We need Bill Shorten and the ALP to show some leadership, nothing less. And to make sure they do this, we’re going to flood the upcoming ALP National Conference with thousands of personal messages from the ordinary Australians they represent – that’s you and me.
Add your voice to the call. Click here to submit your personalised message to ALP National Conference Delegates. We’ll print them on sunny postcards and place them into the hands of the decision makers at the Melbourne conference on 25-26 July, just over a week from today.
Thousands of Solar Citizens from across the country have been lobbying hard for months now – emailing, calling and meeting with their local Labor MPs and Senators – asking them to Stand Up For Solar ahead of the ALP National Conference later this month. If you’ve been part of the effort so far, thank you!
Right now, the moment we’ve been building to is just around the corner and we won’t be leaving anything to chance. It’s more important than ever that Labor adopts a visionary solar and renewables policy platform ahead of the next Federal Election. That’s why we’re going to make sure Australia’s clean energy future is front of mind for our ALP representatives before they go to vote.
During ALP National Conference Solar Citizens volunteers will deliver your messages directly into the hands of each and every decision maker, reminding them to Stand Up For Solar. At every opportunity we’ll be there with a stack of sunny personalised postcards – when delegates arrive for the day or leave for the evening, when they pop out for a coffee break or when they drop by our Conference stall to check out the Tesla electric car we’ll have on display.
Click here to submit your personalised message to ALP National Conference delegates.The Abbott Government may be doing its best to destroy solar, but it’s community members like you and I who hold the keys to Australia’s sun-powered future. By acting together we can turn this train wreck around.
Yours in stunned disbelief and dogged determination,
Claire O’Rourke
National Director, Solar Citizens
P.S. Personal message submissions close 5pm this Friday, so make sure you get yours in ASAP: http://www.standupforsolar.org.au/your_message*http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jul/12/abbott-government-extends-ban-on-renewable-energy-to-solar-panels?
Solar Citizens
http://www.solarcitizens.org.au/-=-=-
Solar Citizens is an independent community-based organisation bringing together millions of solar owners and supporters to protect and grow solar in Australia. You can keep up with Solar Citizens on Twitter or like us on Facebook.
Was this email forwarded to you? Click here to add yourself to Solar Citizens. This email was sent to nevilleg729@gmail.com. To stop receiving emails, click here. But, just know, we’ll miss you!
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Abbott’s war on clean energy GET UP
3 of 57Abbott’s war on clean energy
Inboxx Sam R – GetUp!
5:13 PM (28 minutes ago)to meDear NEVILLE,Prime Minister Tony Abbott just upped the ante in his bizarre and devastating war on renewable energy. He has demanded the $10 billion investment fund for renewables — the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) — stop investing in any small-scale solar or wind power projects.1
It’s a spiteful, ideological move designed to cut our renewable energy industry off at the knees to serve his friends in the fossil fuel industry. With strong public support for renewables across the whole country, it’s likely that many of Abbott’s own backbenchers are unhappy. But to speak out against the leader of their own party, they’ll need to know they have the support of their constituency behind them.
Can you write to your Coalition MP or Senator now and demand they stand up for clean power?
Many new wind and solar generators are now cheaper to build than new coal-fired power. Investment in clean renewable power is even outstripping coal, gas and oil combined.2,3 The writing is on the wall, and investment in renewables is taking off across the world. Last Thursday, Denmark provided 140% of its electricity needs from wind, selling the excess power to neighbouring countries.4
But the emergence of such cheap, clean power is a threat to Abbott’s polluting friends in the dirty fossil fuel industry — and the move to cut funding to wind and small-scale solar is another cynical ploy to cripple Australian investment in the worldwide clean renewable power boom.
Not only will it stifle investment and jobs growth, it will stop small businesses, renters, public housing residents, local churches and low income earners from getting access to cheaper, cleaner power.
The plan is so unsound that Abbott’s own party is beginning to revolt. Environment Minister Greg Hunt appears to have not even known about the changes before they were announced, and talks of a split in Abbott’s Cabinet are surfacing.1 As much as Abbott is determined to attack wind and solar power, he can only do it with the support of his own Government. If Coalition backbenchers from all over the country hear from an overwhelming number of Australians, we can cause them to stand up to Abbott and slow down his maniacal attack on our burgeoning renewable sector.
Will you write to your Coalition MP or Senator now and demand they stand up to Tony Abbott and defend our clean energy future? https://www.getup.org.au/clean-power
As Abbott looks determined to take his war on renewables all the way to the next election, it’s so important we undermine his agenda as early as possible, and there’s no better place than with his own party.
Thanks for standing up for clean renewable power,
Sam R, for the GetUp team
[1] ‘Tony Abbott has escalated his war on wind power’, Sydney Morning Herald, 12 July 2015
[2] ‘Wind power is now cheaper than coal in some countries’, New Scientist, 11 February 2013
[3] ‘Fossil Fuels Just Lost the Race Against Renewables’, Bloomberg Business, 15 April 2015
[4] ‘Wind power generates 140% of Denmark’s electricity demand’, The Guardian, 10 July 2015
