Simon Butler

  • ACTU congress says no to radioactive dumps

    The June 2-4 Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) congress passed a series of motions calling on the federal government to abandon plans to build a radioactive waste dump in the Northern Territory.

  • Climate protest stops aluminium smelter

    Police arrested four climate change activists on June 9 after their protest stopped production for five hours at Australia’s largest aluminium smelter at Tomago, near Newcastle.

  • Ten reasons why population control can't stop climate change

    Without doubt, climate change is the greatest challenge humanity has ever faced. The scientific evidence of the scale of the threat is overwhelming, compelling and frightening. Climate tipping points — which, if crossed, will lead to runaway global warming — are being crossed now.

  • Carbon budget blowout

    Two protesters abseiled from the front of parliament house on May 13 in a dramatic protest against the federal government’s policies on climate change.

  • Protest for our climate future

    MELBOURNE — Locals into Victoria’s Environment organised a 5000-strong protest against the federal government’s climate change policies on May 17.

  • To save planet, end capitalism, Morales says

    Bolivian President Evo Morales called a special press conference in New York on April 22. The UN general assembly had passed a motion put by Bolivia’s radical, pro-poor government to make that day “International Mother Earth Day”.

  • Climate groups condemn gov't

    Within 24 hours of the Rudd government’s announcement of new changes to the proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, 66 climate action groups signed a statement condemning the decision.

  • Rudd adds billions to war spending

    Despite the economic crisis, the Australian government has announced it will increase military spending by billions of dollars over the next 20 years.

  • Tamils speak out against genocide

    In an act of peaceful civil disobedience, more than 500 Tamils occupied George Street in Sydney’s CBD for more than an hour. The May 1 action protested the genocide being carried out by the Sri Lankan government against the Tamil people in the north and east of the country.

  • Australia and the sunset on coal

    “Quarry Vision: Coal, Climate Change and the end of the Resources Boom”
    By Guy Pearse
    Quarterly Essay, Issue 33
    Black Inc, 2009
    129 pages, $16.95