“I almost fell off my seat” Isaac Astill – 350.org

“I almost fell off my seat.” – Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane responding to Newcastle City Council’s decision to divest from fossil fuels on Tuesday night.

Dear friends,

Newcastle’s landmark decision to divest from fossil fuels is under attack from the coal industry and the coalition.

Can you help defend Newcastle’s leadership by writing a letter to The Newcastle Herald editor?

On Tuesday evening, the Newcastle City Council, home to the world’s largest coal port, voted to divest from fossil fuels.* It was a courageous decision from a council striving to diversify the community’s economy away from coal, just as leaders are globally.

But an attack led by the coal lobby and conservative politicians is labelling Newcastle’s decision as “astounding” and “misguided.” These comments have come to a head in The Newcastle Herald. It’s vital that we push-back against this unhelpful commentary by showing that the community supports Newcastle’s decision.

Can you write a letter to The Newcastle Herald, expressing your support for Newcastle City Council’s decision to go fossil free?

To maximise the chances of getting your letter placed, we’d recommend keeping it short and sweet. Keep a professional tone and say a little about yourself. Then explain why you care about divestment. It also helps to mention the article you are responding to – which would be this article from the Newcastle Herald yesterday, entitled ‘Newcastle Council’s Coal War’.

Some suggested talking points could be:

• The world is moving away from fossil fuels, and in particular coal.
• Newcastle’s decision supports investments in clean, renewable energy, and innovation.
• This decision focuses investment towards diversification, and encourages new employment opportunities for people in Newcastle and Australia.
• Newcastle City Councillor Declan Clausen is demonstrating the visionary leadership that Australian politics lacks.
• Newcastle joins 35 institutions in Australian and 350 institutions globally who have committed to divest from fossil fuels. This includes the $900bn Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund, Stanford University and the ACT Government.

Click here to send a letter to the editor. Thank you for supporting real community leadership!

Onwards!

Isaac for the 350.org Australia

PS: Spread the wonderful news about Newcastle divesting by sharing our graphic here and invite others to join you in writing a letter to the Newcastle Herald editor here.

*”Newcastle, home of coal, joins fossil fuel divestment push“, The Sydney Morning Herald, 26th August.

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