The AGM will be on Wednesday 12 August 2020 at 7:30pm. Watch this space for access details.
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‘Save Our One Planet Alliance’ is a new Australian political party and the first one registered in Australia to run on a climate emergency platform focused on reversing global warming. Save Our One Planet is an alliance of two climate emergency focused parties, Save the Planet and One Planet, both founded in Victoria but with supporters Australia-wide, who combined their membership in order to successfully register for the next federal election.
While there is widespread public support for strong action on climate, we do not have the political will in our current governments for the climate emergency response needed to avoid a climate catastrophe. The new party's main aim is to get candidates elected that are committed to restoring a safe climate. Why do we need a climate emergency party exclusively focused on restoring a safe climate? There are two reasons: Firstly, no other party is running a climate emergency platform - a climate emergency platform strives for maximum protection of humanity; Secondly, restoring a safe climate must be prioritised front and centre for any chance at success. One of the tools that Save Our One Planet Alliance (short name ONE PLANET) will use is preferencing other candidates based solely on climate policy, not preference deals. This strategy has helped leverage outcomes in many elections to date. Decades of inaction, with Australia - among other wealthy nations - hijacking ambitious emissions reduction targets in international agreements, means that Australia's and the world’s emissions are still increasing. Not only are the impacts of current warming unacceptable, but we have also set off multiple dangerous feedback loops, which are speeding up warming (such as release of methane from melting permafrost in the Arctic Circle). Because these accelerations are happening now, we need to recognise that targets of zero emissions by 2040 or 2050 are suicidal. The only target that makes sense is net negative emissions as deep and as soon as possible. To achieve net negative emissions and restore safe greenhouse gas concentrations - below 300ppm, we need industrial-scale action to cease carbon emissions and then, in addition, draw down excess greenhouse gas emissions. Emergency action inherently involves an opportunity to address the growing inequities within countries and between countries. High carbon emissions translate directly as wealth, so the two go hand in hand, and as wealth increases in some areas, the inequity grows in both measures - wealth and emissions. With the growth of wealth being dependent upon emissions, we now have resulting corruption and anti-democratic practices endemic in nearly all our political systems. Our current economic system where, for example, Capitalism ignores dangerous externalities, is one of the core drivers of our current climate and ecological crisis. We need to rapidly transition away from the unsustainable perpetual population and material growth model to sustainable alternatives, such as doughnut economics. Save Our One Planet Alliance (ONE PLANET) will strive to pass a Climate Emergency (Restructuring and Mobilisation) Act that goes far beyond a declaration of a climate emergency. It will help set up essential processes and structures for government to enact the required actions for emergency-speed reduction to zero emissions, as well as industrial-scale drawdown of excess greenhouse gases. The plan encompasses a number of areas in our economy - stationary energy, transport, agriculture and land use, building and planning – and covers industrial processes and materials. Fortunately, Beyond Zero Emissions and other groups have been working on the plans for these transitions for years and now have most of the solutions. Where there’s a solution gap, all that’s needed is dedicated R&D. These types of transitions, while intensive, are ultimately an economic boon. However, “business as usual” and the stanglehold of vested interests are deeply entrenched, as some industries will not relinquish their exclusive rights to wealth-building without a dirty fight. Witness the attacks on renewable energy industries as they threaten coal production. There is a challenge ahead to encourage government and society to support such a critically necessary restructuring of the economy. A huge hurdle to overcome is the undue influence by media, corporations, and political donors who like it just the way it is, thank you. We’ve come so far in the past two years. The climate emergency campaign has suddenly swept around the world with a force that will not relent until governments act. Greta Thunberg has reached millions of young people who are now pressuring their representatives. The ‘climate emergency’ phrase is now used not only by school strikers and Extinction Rebellion, but also by Environmental NGOs, several nations, and over 1000 local governments across 22 countries. Cities include New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Sydney and most Australian capitals; state and national governments, universities, medical associations... and the list goes on. Ireland, Argentina and Portugal have made national declarations. Save Our One Planet Alliance has begun recruiting candidates for the next federal election in 2022. We welcome candidates of good character from across the political spectrum. Beyond prioritising the Save Our One Planet Alliance climate emergency platform, candidates may campaign with their own suite of policies (as long as they do not conflict with the party platform). If you would like to get involved as a candidate or in other way, please get in touch. Save Our One Planet Alliance’s four shared policies are available here https://www.voteplanet.net/ |
AuthorBryony Edwards, Kammy Cordner, Adrian Whitehead ArchivesCategories |
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