As part of Climate Scorecard Report #17 we asked our Country Managers to provide a list of organizations in their countries that might help support our 2020 Campaign. Over the next several months we hope to explore whether the organizations listed below, and others, are interested in supporting the Campaign and implementing the recommendations provided by our Country Managers in Report #16.

Farmers for Climate Action

This group was featured in the Sept 2018 Climate Scorecard report and continues to build momentum with Australian farmers. FCA aims to amplify the voices of farmers concerned about climate change, particularly those who are desperate for the federal government to commit to strong action. FCA works throughout the regions and helps network like-minded farmers together and provides support for those farmers wishing to step up and interact with MPs to lobby for climate action. 

Email: verity@farmersforclimateaction.org.au

https://www.farmersforclimateaction.org.au/

Beyond Zero Emissions

BZE are a forward thinking, proactive organization who release plans and policies for decarbonizing sectors across the Australian economy. Last year they debuted their vision for a zero-emission cement industry in Australia (complete with technical details and case studies), and already this year they’ve laid out a 100%-plus renewables plan for the Northern Territory, an Australian state at the energy crossroads (fracking or renewables). BZE aims to inspire and plays an important role in spreading good news stories about alternative, zero-emissions technologies. 

Email: vanessa.petrie@bze.org.au

https://bze.org.au/

Environmental Justice Australia

EJA is a small team of lawyers and campaigners who litigate pro-environmental causes, often on behalf of the community. EJA’s current focus is in the state of Victoria, where they are fighting to get stricter pollution limits placed on ageing fossil fuel power stations (Australian coal stations have the worst levels of pollution emissions in the developed world). Cracking down on polluting power stations will no doubt force many of them into retirement as retrofits will be expensive and uneconomical, hence the importance of EJA’s work. 

Email: bronya.lipski@envirojustice.org.au

https://www.envirojustice.org.au/

Lock the Gate

The Lock the Gate Alliance was formed in 2010 as a groundswell of community opposition to coal seam gas mining projects coalesced. “Lock the Gate” is a call to landowners and rural communities to protect themselves against intrusive and unwanted approaches from mining companies, many of whom ride roughshod over property rights. The alliance is now a network of 450 local groups who mobilize to oppose fossil fuel projects across Australia. There are particularly big fights on their hands currently: a massive coal seam gas project in Narrabri, New South Wales whose approval still hangs in the balance and a likely boom of fracking projects in the Northern Territory. Although there is more work to be done with coal, a looming fight will be Australia’s gas exports and untapped gas resources: most if not all of which needs to stay in the ground for Australia to come close to meeting is Paris commitments. 

Email: naomi@lockthegate.org.au

https://www.lockthegate.org.au/

*** This proposed Australian coalition has huge potential but needs more support. Its members are already working with climate affected sectors across Australian society: farmers, resource workers, big electricity consumers & generators and (most importantly) citizens affected by fossil fuel pollution. But it needs more visibility, more momentum and more emphasis on a common goal: climate action benefits everyone, and those benefits are not just limited to lower emissions. After Australia’s recent election campaign – where the media was fixated on the high cost of climate action – it would be heartening to see a shift occur and a more positive narrative emerge.