There is an exciting and packed program for Climate Camp '09.  Kicking off with a Welcome to Country from Uncle Dootch (Dharawal Traditional Owner and Chairperson of the Illawarra Aboriginal Land Council), then workshops on new media, climate justice and coal expansion. On Saturday, there'll be practical workshops about taking action and learning your legal rights, great forums on political donations, sustainable transport, and planning for a vibrant community action on Sunday.

Check out the Climate Camp Program or read more about this year's Workshops. 

Program

Friday 9th October

The camp site will be open from Friday morning, all are welcome to come and help set up.

Saturday October 10th

Sunday October 11th - Action Day!

Workshops

Dirty coal, dirty money: Political access, donations and the fossil fuel industry

A workshop looking at the cosy relationship between the coal industry and government. This workshop will explore the tactics employed by industry - including political donations, lobbyists and government committees - to gain access to MPs and decision-makers and open up discussion on how we can campaign to expose and limit the coal industry's fingerprints on government policy.

CPRS, Copenhagen and beyond - Challenges, opportunities and directions for the climate change campaign

The two major initiatives currently taking up the mainstream debate – the emissions trading scheme (CPRS) and Copenhagen - seem unlikely to deliver the changes needed to stop runaway climate change. Join the panel for a discussion that looks forward at the opportunities and challenges for the climate change movement and the directions we can take to get real action on climate change.

Beyond carbon: transport
Can we get from A to B without
destroying the climate? Is it the end of the road for private cars? Dr
Garry Glazebrook from UTS presents his transport plan for Sydney, the
basis of the Herald's independent transport inquiry, while Guy Pross
from Better Place Australia explains why electric vehicles and the
Better Place recharge network spell "the end of oil".

Nuking the climate

This session will confront the false solution of nuclear power as a solution to climate change by tackling the green-wash and outlining the problems of the entire nuclear chain. Participants will leave armed to talk up about why nuclear is no solution to climate change; its too expensive, too unsafe, contributes to nuclear proliferation and leaves the long term problem of radioactive waste.

A huge marketing scheme has been launched internationally to re-badge nuclear power as a “clean, green” energy source. Industry and governments worldwide are hijacking the broad concern about climate change to promote uranium mining and the broader nuclear industry at the expense of community and environment.

Climate Justice

Climate change is happening now and does not impact everyone in the same way – consider effects on low-income households in New Orleans, to the effect on Aboriginal peoples and farmers in Australia. Come along to build a definition of climate justice, and explore links between effective action on climate change and organising against oppression like racism. Share ideas to achieve equitable solutions to climate change, and build justice in the way we organise. You don’t already need to know about these issues to come – just a willingness to learn and respect for each other.

Environmental movements have recognised before that struggles to make a healthy environment are inseparable from the struggle of communities to live healthy lives with dignity. Campaigns against companies like Shell and BHP Billiton have been supported by a sense that environments should be protected, but also that communities have rights to manage their land and live without having their drinking water and crop lands irretrievably contaminated.

We'll explore what climate justice is, how we can put communities at the centre of how we talk about the climate, how we can campaign for just solutions and begin to work for climate justice together.

Green organising, trade unionists and climate action

Workers, both in Australia and the rest of the world, will bear the brunt of dangerous climate change. However, as trade unionists know, workers can build significant power to change industry practices and government policies in ways that can create good working conditions, and stand up for communities and the climate.

Some trade unions have begun some advocacy and policy work around climate change – it is crucial that we build this into on the ground organising. Rank and file member involvement in climate justice campaigning is an important way for unions to actively engage current and future members on issues that are important to them, in their workplaces. Organising for climate justice is also an important way unions can activate and engage young workers.

Come along to this workshop with other trade unionists to discuss how we can organise in our workplaces and trade unions for climate justice. Hear stories from some emerging trade union initiatives in Australia and elsewhere.

Activist Legal Rights and Strategies

This workshop aims to introduce activists to their legal rights and the laws relevant to activism, especially to Non-Violent Direct Action (NVDA). There will also be space to share practical tips for dealing with police, court and other legal institutions.

Grassroots climate campaigning in the leadup to Copenhagen

This workshop will briefly look at the importance of the UN climate talks in Copenhagen this December, but will mainly focus on grassroots initiatives to catalyse public action for safe climate future. Hear from people planning a Just Transitions road trip in November, maximising pressure on the Australian government before the Copenhagen talks, and catalysing a kick-arse campaign against new coal-fired power stations.

Coal campaign strategy session

A session for people campaigning on coal in NSW to get together to strategise and plan for working together on coal campaigning, especially in response to the NSW government's recent coal expansion plans.

Burning profits: new coal fired power stations and electricity privatisation

The Rees government is selling off the electricity industry and luring private investors into building three new coal or gas fired base load power stations. This double headed climate disaster will add up 30 million tonnes of CO2 to the state's annual emissions and devastate the ability of NSW households to reduce their carbon footprints. Corporate control of the electricity sector locks in a coal-addicted future. This workshop outlines the government's plans, analyses its carbon, employment and social consequences and develops an alternative jobs-rich renewable electricity future for NSW. The workshop will conclude with small group discussions focusing on campaigning plans.

Southern Coalfields and the Illawarra Environment

Rivers SOS, formed in 2005, is an alliance of 45 groups throughout NSW, all concerned to protect river systems from the impacts of mining. In the southern coalfield we have been particularly concerned about impacts from longwall coal mining in Sydney's drinking water catchment Special Areas. The catastrophic nature of these impacts was made starkly obvious when the damage to Waratah Rivulet, which feeds Woronora Dam, was discovered in 2006. That this damage was predicted and yet still approved has been a rallying point for Rivers SOS to campaign to change government policy through making the public aware of what is going on in these areas that one would expect to be protected for water supply, not degraded by mining.