Geelong grapples with its climate emergency declaration - a podcast by Anthony Gleeson, Jackie Matthews, Colin Mockett, Mik Aidt

City of Greater Geelong Council is now on the official list of 1,400 local governments that have declared a climate emergency after a unanimous vote [at 1:21:00 min in the streaming video] in Geelong Council on 25 February 2020.







However, there were mixed feelings and claims of greenwashing among the climate action activists who had come to follow the debate. For instance, Brenda Hawke wrote on Facebook right after the desicion had been made that she thought it was a “Very strange council meeting. They did not vote to declare a climate emergency, but just acknowledged a recognition of the climate emergency. Playing with semantics. And get this… They are engaging Global Reporting Initiative to implement this sustainability framework. Huge mining and fossil fuel companies use the GRI standards, like ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell, BP, BHP, Rio Tinto and Adani!”







Colin and Mik, who both attended the meeting at city hall, spiritedly discuss just what it means for Geelong residents and ratepayers.







Our guest in the studio, Monica Winston from Transition Streets Geelong, comments on this, and also tells us about the big event her organisation runs on 8 March 2020 at Deakin Waterfront, the Sustainable Living Festival 2020. We’ll be talking with Mayor Stephanie Asher about this when she is guest in the program in about three weeks’ time.







Hear Monica speak very excitedly about the day her organising team has put together. There really is something for everyone in the day which is going to be MC’ed by veteran social justice comedian Rod Quantock.







Tony talks with Michael Chee about his project Portraits of Change exhibition and workshops – based on his PhD project on using photographs to tell stories of environmental projects. For the last three years Michael has been working with youth in China, Bangladesh and Australia, empowering them how to use photos to tell stories about what they are doing. The project concludes with an exhibition of his photos at Monash University’s Caulfield campus, Portraits of Change, which runs till Sunday 1 March 2020. Paul Sheldon from Transition Australia delivers his weekly ‘National Wrap’ events calendar. He tells of the many events on the climate emergency and sustainability calendar in Victoria and beyond.







At the National Climate Emergency Summit at Melbourne Town Hall on 14-15 February 2020, a group of school students had a workshop about how schools and students can declare a climate emergency. We listen to a speech by a very impressive 14-year-old climate activist and Year 10 student Zel Whiting from Adelaide. See the video recording of his speech below on this page.

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Website of Anthony Gleeson, Jackie Matthews, Colin Mockett, Mik Aidt