A number of Climate Action Groups (CAGs) in NSW held a series of actions at federal MP offices on March 27.
The "Step-it-up" campaign followed on from the snap action on March 10 outside the NSW ALP's headquarters protesting the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS), which — if passed by the Senate — will grant billions of dollars to the fossil fuel industry and turn pollution permits into property rights.
Under this scheme, polluters are not forced to comply with strong carbon reduction targets, as cheap and/or free permits offer no incentive for industries to shift to less polluting practices. They can simply buy their way into polluting and disguise their actions with "greenwash".
It would seem that the complete failure of the carbon trading scheme in Europe has not taught the Rudd government any lessons. Instead, the government is intent on carrying out a program that will once again reward the big polluters and deter investment in renewable energy.
The March 27 actions highlighted the outcomes of the exciting Climate Action Summit in Canberra last February. More 550 people attended the summit and, on the last day, joined hands to encircle parliament house to show their opposition to the government's proposed 5% cut in emissions by 2020.
The summit adopted the goal of 100% renewable energy by 2020, as recommended by the latest climate science, to avert the disastrous consequences of climate change.
CAG's are now working towards a national "climate emergency rally" on June 13.
These proposals were the result of a four-day summit that was productive and inspiring, highlighting the breadth and scope of a strong and diverse movement. Action groups and individuals networked and shared their enthusiasm and knowledge about solutions to climate change, emphasising the need for a strong vision that goes much further than "changing light bulbs" and participating in "earth hour".
The movement does not deny the importance of these individual contributions to reduce the harm of climate change. However, our vision should have a particular urgency in a country that has the dirtiest aluminium smelting industry and the highest levels of emissions from coal-fired stations in the world.
In this light, "Earth hour" and other such initiatives remain ineffectual and self-congratulatory measures, in clear contrast to the enormity of the problem.
Furthermore, they can be misleading and create a false sense of "comfort" in our own everyday actions, which are nevertheless dependent on energy generated mostly by coal.
The CAG's demands are backed by leading economists and scientists who have also called on the government to renounce the CPRS in favour of research, investment and development of renewable energy.
Yet, as a member of a CAG, one often gets asked two questions: First, if we do not implement the CPRS, what is the alternative? The short answer to this is that many people now recognise that the CPRS is worse than nothing. It will lock in compensatory arrangements with big polluters for years to come and derail efforts for real action to reduce emissions.
Second, and more importantly, as an economic crisis looms, is it possible to maintain a high level of economic growth and to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels in order to protect the environment?
The answer to this question might lie in the fact that our leaders are not only showing a lack of political will but a terrible lack of imagination.
With thousands of green jobs waiting to be filled, a country that has the highest average solar radiation of any continent and an unmatched potential for solar energy, the question to ask is not "what solutions can the CAGs put forward", but what sort of vision and leadership can this government offer those who already have the ideas?
The aim of CAGs goes beyond looking at the legislation and how we can effectively oppose the CPRS: we aim to achieve real change to address the climate crisis, and we believe this is possible if we garner community support and lead the way. In doing so, we are not just thinking critically: we are thinking positively and creatively!
[Elena Ortega is an activist People for a Safe Climate (Sydney) and a member of the Socialist Alliance.]