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Simon Copland – 350.org Australia simon@350.org	4:45 PM (2 minutes ago)
to me

Dear friends,

I have to tell you that as I write this email I am absolutely exhausted. I am that sort of tired where I am having trouble keeping my brain and fingers in line with each other as I try to type. I really would like to go to bed.

But I am typing on. Because whilst I am overwhelmingly exhausted, my stronger feeling today is one of inspiration. And I have to share that inspiration with you. A couple of weeks ago we emailed you all about a mass convergence at Maules Creek – opposing the construction of the disastrous coal mine proposed in the region by the coal company Whitehaven. Well, I’ve just gotten back from the forest and I have to tell you about it.

We’ve told you about this coal mine – the mine that will destroy the Leard State Forest which houses 34 threatened species. The mine that will spew the equivalent greenhouse gas emissions into the air as New Zealand’s entire energy system. The mine that will drain the water table, forcing farmers out of the region.

Well, on Tuesday, over 150 people took to the Leard State Forest to blockade the construction of the mine. We had teams situated all around the mine site – four blocking the gates to forest, and three inside locking themselves onto equipment so Whitehaven couldn’t continue with their destruction of the forest. We held the company out for hours, seriously disrupting their work on the day.

The crew were as diverse as you could think. We had seasoned campaigners in this fight, and those who had never been to a protest before. We had people coming from the local community members to cities as far away as Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne and even Adelaide! Our ages ranged dramatically – from those in their early twenties, to Bill Ryan, a 91 year old legally blind World War Two veteran who sat in front of the main gate determined to stay there and stop Whitehaven from entering the site.

Each and every person was an inspiration to me – whether they were putting themselves in a place to get arrested, or staying back and looking after the camp to make sure we all had food when we got back from the long day.

Tuesday was exciting. It was inspiring. Back home now in Brisbane I am tired, but ready and excited for more. I am ready and excited to step it up again and stop this destructive mine. And that is why we need your help. We have a series of information sessions coming up where you can find out about the Maules Creek Coal Mine Campaign – whether you want to head out to the forest, or help in the city.

The first sessions are happening in Brisbane and Sydney tonight, whilst there are more on their way in Canberra, Melbourne, and other cities to be confirmed! We’d love to see you there. Click here to see the details.

If you can’t make it, then please get in contact, and we’ll let you know about other ways you can get involved. If you want to host your own information session as well, then we’ll provide you the support to do that.

This campaign is a line in the sand. It is the time where we all have to step up and say ‘enough is enough’. It is the time where we let the coal industry know that they will not get away with their destructive behaviour any more.

I have been thoroughly inspired watching people doing this so far, but we need many more.

Please come along and find out how you can help.

For the climate, our land, our water and our community,
Simon Copland and the rest of the 350.org team.

P.S. For further information about how you can get involved in this or other Summer Heat activities, please visit joinsummerheat.org

We rallied outside Whitehaven’s office

We camped out into the night

We joined with Gomeroi Elders and Traditional Owners for a spiritual ceremony and a march in Gunnedah

And we stopped Whitehaven from working. Join us and together we can

As sea level rises, Fijian village begins to relocate citizens

Climate Progress

Bodysurfers ride a wave at Natadola Beach in Natadola, Fiji, on Nov. 5, 2013.

Faced with rising sea levels that flood farmlands and seep into homes during high tide, residents of the Fijian village of Vunidogolo are packing their bags.

The village is the first to have its citizens relocated under the country’s “climate change refugee” program, according to a report in the Fiji Times. The relocation has included the construction of 30 houses, fish ponds, and farms, which reportedly cost the small island’s government about $879,000.

“All 30 houses have been fully constructed, painted and prepared well for the villagers,” Fiji Acting Commissioner Northern Alipate Bolalevu told the Times. “The Fisheries Department is in charge of the fish ponds and the Agriculture Ministry will help the villagers with farming practices.”

The village’s relocation is not the first instance where people have sought “refugee”-like status from the affects of climate change. Last year, 37-year-old Ioane Teitota and his family attempted to legally seek refugee status in New Zealand, having left Kiribati — a low-lying Pacific Island nation near the equator — in 2007 due to sea level rise. Though his request was eventually rejected, one of Teiota’s core arguments for refugee status was that humans cause exorbitant carbon emissions, which are responsible for rising sea levels and changes of weather patterns. Therefore, he argued, climate change constitutes an indirect but worldwide persecution on he and his family.

The New Zealand court called the argument “novel” and “optimistic,” but ultimately ruled that it was unconvincing. If it were adopted, the court said, then millions of people experiencing the effects of climate change could seek refuge in New Zealand or any other county.

Meanwhile, Fiji’s National Climate Change Policy says that it expects global sea level changes to more than double by the end of the century, based on projections from the fourth U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessment report. The IPPC’s Fifth Assessment Report released in September, however, was even worse, predicting that ocean levels would rise by as much as three feet by the end of the century due to climate change.

The country’s 2012 policy document also notes that average monthly sea levels at the country’s Lautoka tide have been increasing at a rate of 4.6 millimeter per decade since 1993, though satellite observations indicate that the sea level is changing at the faster rate of 6 millimeters per year over the same period.

While Fiji is a minor emitter of greenhouse gases on a global scale, the country has nonetheless expressed a desire to commit to reducing its own emissions. However, the country’s climate policy document notes that Fiji faces “major barriers to improved energy efficiency,” most notably lack of information, inadequate pricing signals, and a lack of standards for imported appliances and machinery.

Rising sea levels in Fiji also stand to affect the country’s tourism industry. With the island receiving more than 500,000 visitors per year, the industry is the largest and fastest-growing, contributing about 17 percent to Fiji’s overall gross domestic product and employing approximately 40,000.

Jan 29 2014 03:41 PMGas Detection

Laser Diode Combats Cross-gas Interference

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Knowing exactly where methane (CH4) emissions are occurring on site is essential in order for AD biogas plants to comply with environmental enforcement agencies and save valuable energy, yet cross-gas interference can often cause a problem in identifying accurate emission locations and the gases present.

Flame Ionisation Detectors (FIDs) traditionally use hydrogen cylinders which can often require refills, and regularly costly servicing. They can also prove ineffective in adverse weather conditions and are unsafe to use in potentially explosive environments due to the flame. FIDs can also suffer from cross-gas interference, unlike the TDL-500 laser diode methane detector, from Geotech (UK).

The  TDL-500 uses laser diode technology to accurately detect methane to 1ppm, with no interference from other gases. It also has optional  GPS functionality with an accuracy of 0.5 meters, compared to 10 metres with FID units, meaning it shows precisely where methane emissions are happening on site. It combines accurate sensitivity with speedy results, having a response time of 2 seconds.

Geotech’s customers greatly benefit from this increased level of accuracy, Dwight El Mahassni, from Thermo Fisher Australia, stated “The instrument works extremely well. Its ability to distinguish from other volatile compounds in the atmosphere is very useful and the readings are very stable”.

The TDL-500 is also ATEX certified, making it intrinsically safe and a more robust instrument out in the field.

Combining laser technology with a practical build, the TDL-500 is the ultimate in safe, time saving, and cost-effective