Snap action: Bushfire funding, not coal and gas!
Hundreds rallied outside NSW Parliament on Tuesday, 12 November, to call on the Berejiklian government to take action on the climate crisis unfolding before us.
It was an emotional and powerful morning. Two bushfire survivors, Fiona Lee and Aaron Crowe, traveled from the north coast to share their experience of losing the home they built with their own hands. They carried with them the remnants of their home, now a pile of ashes. Like many of us, they are angry that the NSW Government is not taking serious action to slash climate pollution and protect communities from bushfires like these
Bushfire survivors, Aaron, Fiona and their daughter with the remains of their home outside NSW Parliament.
Scientists have been warning us for decades of the consequences if we do not curb greenhouse gas emissions, yet the NSW Government is doing worse than nothing - it is sending us backwards on climate action and making it easier to pollute.
Outside NSW Parliament for the urgent rally yesterday.
Instead of protecting communities and wildlife, the government is trying to pass a Bill that would stop planning approval agencies and courts considering the full climate change impacts of new coal mines and gas fields.
On the most catastrophic weeks of the fires, while we saw the state burn, the government moved its climate-heating Bill one step closer to becoming law. That’s why bushfire survivors like Fiona and Aaron travelled to Sydney: to ensure the voices of those affected are heard.
School Striker Varsha shared the experiences of Shiann, a student from Nymboida in the north coast who lost her home:“Many of us don’t want to return home, we don’t want to see it yet. Our only home has been ravaged by a firestorm.”
The climate catastrophe is happening right in front of us, with tragic consequences for communities.
Bushfire survivors are calling for action on the climate crisis right now as they live through its devastating effects. Former NSW Fire and Rescue Commissioner Greg Mullins said this week that fires were burning in places and at intensities never experienced before, and he urged governments to slash greenhouse gas emissions fast.
Some politicians are refusing to talk about climate change and its link to the bushfires. They say we shouldn’t be talking about it now. But as farmers, bushfire survivors and the former Fire Commissioner are saying: If not now, when?”
The rally was a show of our strength as a community. It was powerful to see everyone come together to call on the Berejiklian Government to put the community ahead of coal profits. Together we raised nearly $4, 500 for the Rural Fire Service and Red Cross; this is a show of solidarity to the communities affected by bushfires.
It was later announced that the final debate on the Bill has been pushed back to March. This gives us time to ramp up the pressure until the government scraps it for good. We will not let them ignore the voices of those affected.
Tags
Coal and gas
Let others know about this issue