In the northern hemisphere over the last few months, communities have been experiencing terrible droughts and fires.
It’s hard to comprehend, but in Europe alone, and with data covering less than half the continent, experts say well over 35,000 more people died this summer as a result of the back-to-back heatwaves. In Canada and the United States this season, firefighters have fought tens of thousands of wildfires, forcing people to flee their homes and pushing air pollution to dangerous levels across thousands of kilometres.
This could be a sign of what we have in store for our own summer here in Australia, and across the Pacific and Asia. After an unseasonably warm winter, Australian authorities are already predicting alarming fire danger levels as we prepare for this spring.
The average global sea surface temperature just hit its highest level on record, increasing the risk of extreme weather events across our region this summer – something especially worrying for island countries in the Pacific and South East Asia, which are especially vulnerable to destructive cyclones.
But while communities are bearing the devastating brunt of climate change – losing their homes, their incomes, polluting their environment and harming their health, and disrupting their everyday lives – fossil fuel companies have reported record profits.
It’s time that polluters paid for the damage they cause. And that’s exactly what we demanded at this month’s Make Big Polluters Pay community launch.
ActionAid Australia is a core member of the Make Big Polluters Pay Alliance, and our Community Launch week this August was the first step to bring grassroots and community members into our campaign. Together with our allies from Bushfire Survivors for Climate Action, Climate for Change, Tipping Point, Amnesty International Australia, 350 Australia, and the Cairns and Far North Environment Centre, we reached hundreds of supporters across the country.
Some highlights from our events included:
- MBPP 101 Webinar – With Bushfire Survivors for Climate Action and Oxfam Australia, we kicked off the week with a webinar where over 100 of us heard from Katherine Tu (ActionAid Australia), Flora Vano (ActionAid Vanuatu), Barbara Ibuai (Climate Collective Zenadth Kes), and Greg Mullins AO. Together, we learned more about what this campaign is calling for: a levy on polluters, and a Climate Compensation Fund to support communities facing climate change here in Australia and across our region. Watch the highlights here if you missed it.
- Effective Conversations Workshop – Co-hosted with Bushfire Survivors for Climate Action and Climate for Change, this workshop gave 30 people a deep dive into how to talk about climate change in a way that lands, including a special presentation from Nelli Stevenson on the research behind why Australians are increasingly backing this campaign, and the messaging that wins hearts and minds.
- Communities for Climate Compensation Power Up Trainings – Co-run by Tipping Point, Climate Justice Coalition and Amnesty International Australia, these trainings brought together close to 150 people across Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne, Canberra and smaller team sessions to power up local council campaigns and set the stage for the next phase of community and council outreach.
- Naarm Community Dinner – With 350 Australia, we brought community members together at our Melbourne office to reflect on how big polluters are driving climate impacts like heatwaves here in Naarm, and brainstorm how to build on this moment to make big polluters pay.
- Bentley Effect Screening – Cairns and Far North Environment Centre (CAFNEC) hosted a documentary screening paired with an MBPP 101 explainer, recruiting new volunteers ready to continue local conversations and council work.
This community launch was just the start of our public mobilisation for this campaign. Over the coming months, leading into and beyond summer we have many plans to build the campaign’s power, to put pressure on our decision makers, and win a Climate Compensation Fund, funded by making big polluting coal and gas companies pay.
Leaders take notice when communities are organised and working together. To hear more about how you can be part of this campaign, take action now to show you support holding big polluters to account – and we’ll be in touch before you know it.