Critical Times

“Climate Emergency – No More Business as Usual!” Adelaide, October 10-11, 2008 **** Currently confirmed speakers include: David Spratt, author of Climate Code Red; Dr Mark Diesendorf, Institute of Environmental Studies, University of NSW; Professor Barry Brook, Director, Research Institute for Climate Change and Sustainability, University of Adelaide; Renfrey Clarke, Green Left Weekly environment correspondent ****

The Environmental Activists’ Conference “Climate Emergency – No More Business as Usual” will be held from Friday 10 October to Saturday 11 October 2008. The conference is designed to provide an open forum for education, ideas, solidarity and campaigning perspectives on how to avert the global warming threat. It aims to initiate wide-ranging discussion that will include exchanges between climate scientists and educators, activists and community organisations, environmental groups and concerned individuals.

Existing climate change policy has lagged behind the emergency the world faces. Vested interests stand in the way of climate sustainability, and have to be confronted. To effect change, the broadest possible alliance for social justice and climate sustainability must be formed. The Environmental Activists’ Conference “Climate Emergency – No More Business as Usual” will consider practical alternatives to the now-lethal “business as usual” approach. We invite you to participate.

Despite the enormity of the global warming danger, effective change is still possible. Carbon reduction mechanisms, renewable energy technologies, clean industrial practices and forms of economic and social organisation compatible with a sustainable world already exist or can be created. While some progress has been made toward implementing sustainable energy policies and reducing energy demand, these measures remain drastically inadequate and under-resourced.

The conference will include plenary sessions and workshops addressing the following themes:

• This is an Emergency – An Introduction to the Real Science of Global Warming

• Why not business as usual?

• Ways Forward – Offering Directions

• Let’s get active! What can we do Locally, Nationally, Globally? and
• Beyond Business as Usual

There will be two banks of workshops, run by teachers and community groups on the workshop sub-themes:
1. “Why not business as usual?”

Implications and effects of the science

Challenging vested interests and barriers

The politics of education (with a focus on the environment)

Students as maintainers of the status quo or agents of change?

2. “Let’s get active! What can we do locally, nationally, globally?”

Developing school students as environmental activists

How do we organize/educate for change?

What are we actually doing now – stories from the teachers and community groups

Political Activism

Teachers, academics, community and environmental groups are invited to provide 100-200 word descriptors of proposed workshops addressing the workshop sub–themes. Please include details of the space, layout and equipment needs. Workshops should be educative, and where possible should share resources and stories of successful teaching practice and/or campaigns. To submit a proposal for a workshop, please e-mail lhall@aeusa. asn.au. To join the list of sponsors of the conference email jennbain@internode.on.net or ruth_ratcliffe@yahoo.com

Endorsed by: Australian Education Union (SA-NT Branch), Ecosocialist Network, Green Left Weekly.

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activism is my rent for living on this planet

– alice walker