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NCC: Stop logging the previously protected old-growth and high-conservation-value public forests.
>15,000 hectares of NSW previously protected old-growth and high-conservation-value public forests are to be logged.
More than 29,000 hectares of previously protected old-growth forests on private land have already been opened up to logging in recent years.
These rare and important forests have been protected for almost 20 years. They store huge amounts of carbon and provide irreplaceable habitat for many threatened species, including koalas, gliders, quolls, frogs and owls.
Add your voice to the call to ‘Save Our Old-Growth Forests‘.
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GONDWANA BURNING – Frontline Films [David Bradbury] > 9 Minute Pre Film Preview
Dear Invitee.
David has asked our [CEC] attention and interest, he has provided the 9 minute Pre Film Preview and requested feedback regarding the degree of interest shown.
… Northern NSW native forests are to be fed into European furnaces as fuel to make electricity.
Here is the 10 minute Pre Film Preview – Gondwana Burning
It is password protected, the password is frontline.
David has asked our [CEC] attention and interest, he has provided the 9 minute Pre Film Preview and requested feedback regarding the degree of interest shown.
Reply below: …
Everyday is World Environment Day. UN theme for this year is: ‘It’s Time for Nature.’
The UN has declared “It’s Time for Nature” as the theme for this year’s World Environment Day. To explain the theme the UN says, “The foods we eat, the air we breathe, the water we drink and the climate that makes our planet habitable all come from nature. Yet, these are exceptional times in which nature is sending us a message: To care for ourselves we must care for nature. It’s time to wake up. To take notice. To raise our voices. It’s time to build back better for People and Planet.”
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Caldera Environment Centre
DEAR EU PARLIAMENT, REGARDING FOREST BIOMASS
“… the renewable energy directive … amend the present directive … avoid expansive harm to the world’s forests and the acceleration of climate change.
“The flaw in the directive lies in provisions that would let countries, power plants and factories claim credit toward renewable energy targets for deliberately cutting down trees to burn them for energy.
“… cutting down trees for bioenergy releases carbon that would otherwise stay locked up in forests.
“… using wood deliberately harvested for burning will increase carbon in the atmosphere and increase warming for decades to centuries.
“Burning wood is inefficient and therefore emits far more carbon than burning fossil fuels for each kilowatt hour of electricity produced.
Managing Native Vegetation
The NSW Govt Audit Office report found the clearing of native vegetation on rural land is not effectively regulated and managed. “The processes supporting the regulatory framework are weak and there is no evidence-based assurance that clearing of native vegetation is carried out in accordance with approvals.”
https://www.audit.nsw.gov.au/our-work/reports/managing-native-vegetation
Art Auction Artists For Climate Online
Land-Clearing Must Stop
The North East Forest Alliance is calling for an immediate halt to land-clearing in the light of the Natural Resources Commission’s damning review showing that land-clearing has skyrocketed, the promised off-setting is not being implemented, Areas of Outstanding Biodiversity Value are not being protected, the regulatory map has not been released, and that land-clearing represents a biodiversity risk across north-east NSW.
“This follows a damning report from the Auditor General last year finding the regulation of land-clearing was fraught with problems of weak processes, poor assessments, inadequate protection, limited monitoring and poor enforcement, NEFA spokesperson Dailan Pugh said.
“We are in a climate and extinction emergency, clearing more vegetation and releasing its carbon into the atmosphere is pouring more fuel onto the fire, it has to stop.
“Last year over half of north-east NSW’s remnant native vegetation was burnt with the likely death of over 350 million native mammals, birds, lizards and frogs, including thousands of Koalas.
“Many species of plants and animals have had their populations decimated and are teetering on the brink of extinction, it is outrageous that the NSW Government is now allowing land-clearing and logging to push many populations over the brink.
“The Natural Resources Commission’s belatedly released July 2019 report on land-clearing gives another damning assessment of NSW’s land-clearing free-for-all, it is no wonder the Government suppressed it for so long.
“The NRC reveals that from June 2018 until May 2019, 45,553 hectares was approved to be cleared under the Government’s new Land Management (Native Vegetation) Code, excluding “invasive native species”.
“This was a massive increase from the average of 2,700 hectares per year between 2006/07 and 2016/17.
“Though the NRC are scathing in their assessment that the Government is only setting aside in protected areas a fraction of the area approved to be cleared, when the Government promised they would protect 2-4 times more than was cleared.
“On the north coast the NRC reveal only one fifth the area of the land cleared is being set aside, and this drops down to less than a tenth on the New England Tablelands.
“As the NRC point out, in the second reading speech to Parliament for the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016, the then Minister for Primary Industries Niall Blair stated that ‘for each hectare cleared under the framework, it is estimated that between two and four hectares will be set aside and managed in perpetuity’ in order to conserve biodiversity values.
“The difference is even starker if the clearing of ‘invasive native species’ is accounted for as the Auditor General’s report last year identified that over 140,000 ha was also cleared under this dubious category.
“Because of the abject failure of the Government to live up to their promise to parliament, the NRC found there was a high biodiversity risk with nine of the eleven regions exceeding their biodiversity trigger thresholds.
“Land-clearing must stop, at least until there is a full assessment of the impacts of the bushfires on our imperilled wildlife, and the Environment Minister has fulfilled his responsibility to identify Areas of Outstanding Biodiversity Value, such as core Koala habitat, for protection.
“Land-clearing increases regional temperatures, reduces rainfalls and releases large quantities of carbon into the atmosphere, we cannot afford for it to continue, let alone escalate. We need to be planting more trees to take up carbon, not bulldozing them.” Mr. Pugh said.
World Environment Day festival Postponed
Climate Council > getting a “green recovery” after the epidemic > support
TSC Draft Climate Change Policy targets net zero by 2030
Earth Learning: At present the EPBC Act is failing to protect the environment – especially in matters of environmental significance.
Tweed Local Strategic Planning Statement
Tweed Local Strategic Planning Statement
On exhibition from Tuesday 3 March 2020 to Friday 3 April 2020
Local residents and visitors to the Tweed are invited to have their say on the Tweed Local Strategic Planning Statement ‘the Statement’ which sets out the 20 year vision for land-use planning in the Tweed. The Statement describes the special characteristics that contribute to the Tweed’s local identity, the shared values the community want to maintain and enhance, and how growth and change will be managed into the future.
Visit Your Say Tweed for more information and to have your say or visit Council offices in Murwillumbah or Tweed Heads.
SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT ON HAZARD REDUCTION FACTSHEET
Australia’s 2019-20 bushfire season is shaping up as being the worst on record.
Already, New South Wales and Queensland have su ered more property damage and forest loss than in any previous fire season, with the worst fire danger period yet to come for Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia.
This guide sets out the facts on hazard reduction and the role of climate change in this catastrophic bushfire season.
Unless we address climate change and urgently reduce our emissions as part of a global e ort, the window of opportunity for prescribed burning will continue to shrink. And as bushfire weather worsens, the e ectiveness of hazard reduction will diminish – no amount of hazard reduction will protect human lives, animals and properties from catastrophic fires.
Caldera Music – The Blissmongers Collective
CEC Movie Club: The TARKINE
Groups Ask Koala Inquiry to Support Logging Moratorium
A number of groups have appeared before the NSW Legislative Council inquiry into Koala populations and habitat in New South Wales and have requested the committee actively call on the NSW Government to put in place a moratorium on logging koala habitat across public and private lands as an emergency response to the loss of thousands of Koalas and their habitat due to wildfires.
Wild fires have burnt out over 1.6 million hectares of the north east NSW bioregion (north from the Hunter River and westward to the Great Escarpment ), this represents 28% of the region and 39% of native vegetation, said NEFA spokesperson Dailan Pugh.
“It has been observed that in eucalypt forests, even where tree canopies are just scorched rather than burnt, that most leaves are desiccated or die, leaving little food for surviving Koalas.
The water mining legislation is broken, change the legislation.
| November 15, Lismore, Tweed Water Alliance are convening a meeting of key people with a view to thinking through the mess of legislation and regulation around groundwater. “We are keen to protect our groundwater stocks and wind back this ridiculously greedy industry. Of course we will let you know the outcome and urge you to vote accordingly.” We have invited: Janelle Saffin, Member for Lismore. Geoff Provest, Member for Tweed. Tamara Smith, Member for Ballina. Sue Higginson, Environmental lawyer, consultant and former Greens candidate for Lismore. Austin Curtin, farmer and former Nationals candidate for Lismore. Katie Milne, Mayor, Tweed Shire. David Wright, Mayor, Ballina Shire. Scott Sledge, Northern Rivers Guardians. Jem Hallinan, Environmental Defender’s Office. Geoff Provest has already declined because of a prior engagement and we are trying to change that. The TWA executive (of course) as proponents of the initiative, Denise White, Pam Veness, Muffy (Pamela) Smith, Trevor White, Pat Miller. Janelle Saffin will be the principal proponent of this in the NSW parliament. We are very keen to have the initiative supported across parties and across legislative boundaries. |
Update: the Karlos appeal against TSC’s refusal to allow further water extraction.
| Justice Pain gave Karlos a belting. The Tweed Shire Council didn’t come out of it too well either. It’s a litany of either wrong or misconstrued advice, miscommunication and in our view, askewed interpretation of the local government act. That act and others around water were written to favour business and life has changed since it was enacted. No environment, no business in this shire. Read the judgement sections 230 to 233. It’s time to change the legislation and rules to ensure protection of our groundwater. Look how well the same set of rules has served the Murray Darling. Not! Our interpretation of the draft determinations – still not final – is that Karlos has 2.5 years to comply with the judgement – to wind back from 28.5Ml per year to 5Ml per year as originally approved, then somehow muddled through verbal wrong advice, Karlos misinterpreting it and complete lack of enforcement of DA conditions anyway. It should be back at 5Ml right now. Click here to read the draft orders. Here are a few other facts for you: Nobby’s Creek is still running enormous trucks carting water out.Nobby’s Creek has illegal infrastructure to fill these trucks built on Crown Land.That particular Crown Land has miraculously been released to council.On November 7 council will vote on whether to allow a swap to happen (I can hear the deal, “You can have the crown land, TSC will take a bit of your property. She’ll be right.”) so the illegal infrastructure suddenly comes legal.Click on the link and just have a read of Page 12 of the agenda. Council staff are recommending that it is approved.Our answer is a resounding ‘no’. Help us get the message to the Tweed Shire Council. You can’t make something legal retrospectively. Try doing that with your next parking fine. Here’s the link to the councillors’ contact phones and emails. Get in touch with them, email or have a chat. They are elected representatives and need to hear from you. Don’t forget they are your servants, not the other way around. And while we’re at it, how come crown land is suddenly available when our Uki Community Garden had to wait two years for the release of their modest plot of land? Here’s the heavy reading for you – the entire judgement from The Honourable Justice Nicola Pain in the matter of the Karlos appeal against the Tweed Shire Council’s refusal to allow further water extraction. |
Call for Submissions: Tweed River Estuary Management Plan 2019
The Caldera Environment Centre encourages those who care about the conservation and recreational use of the Tweed River estuary to forward a submission in support of the Plan to Tweed Shire Council.
The Plan has introduced the concept of Character Zones in two locations, Stotts Island (high conservation significance) and upstream of the Commercial Road boat ramp Murwillumbah (high potential for restoration). These zones will restrict the use of powered craft for towing and wake boarding. Currently the whole of the estuary is open to use for these activities. Character Zones will only limit use in a small section of the Tweed River and will provide areas for passive recreation and conservation.
The CEC has nominated Claire Masters and World Environment Day in the Tweed Sustainabilty Awards and would like to encourage members to view the nominees and vote.
The Tweed Sustainability Awards: Public voting is now open.Vote across the three categories of: Regenerative Agriculture, Wildlife and Habitat Conservation and Tweed Sustainability.
Read more about the nominees …, a chance to find out about the inspiring people and projects helping to protect and enhance our natural environment.
The CEC has nominated Claire Masters and World Environment Day and would like to encourage members to view the nominees and vote.
People’s Choice voting is now open.
Vote online or in person.
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The Tweed Sustainabilty Awards is a TSC initiative.
BRAEMAR’S KOALAS NEED YOUR URGENT HELP
NEFA (North East Forest Alliance) have identified a nationally significant population of Koalas on the Richmond Lowlands, with core breeding habitat in Braemar, Carwong and Royal Camp State Forests.
The Forestry Corporation are proposing to log the Koala high use areas in Braemar State Forest.
NEFA need your help to stop them.
“The rules used to be that the Forestry Corporation had to search for and protect Koala High Use Areas (HUAs).
With logging imminent under the old rules in Braemar State Forest, we [NEFA] checked it out in July 2019 and found an extensive Koala HUA that the Forestry Corporation had missed. We had caught them out again, and wrote to the Premier asking her to intervene to ensure all Koala HUAs were protected.
Northern Rivers Extinciton Rebellion Brisbane CBD action against CSG Corporation Santos
Brisbane Rebellion Week: Event Schedule and XR Daily Report Links
The Pottsville Global Climate Strike – Climate Justice is needed now.
PRESS RELEASE
The Pottsville Global Strike for Climate rally was attended by 1580 people who marched along the main Street to make their point – that Climate Justice is needed now.
The count was taken as the attendees filed out from Ambrose Brown park.
Welcome to Country was spoken by Claude Williams of the Tweed Byron Local Aboriginal Lands Council.
The rally was addressed by five individual students ranging from Primary School to Year 12. Saige Hill from Kingscliff High School acted as MC and introduced us to his activist group, Zero Hour Australia.
Katie Milne ( mayor) addressed the crowd with the welcome news that that Council voted last night to declare a Climate Emergency. She thanked Council’s Youth Advisory Council which had recommended that motion and provided an excellent speaker at the Public Forum session.
Local organiser Danielle Brown spoke of her concerns about inaction on Climate, while adding that the numbers attending had far exceeded her expectations.
Tweed Shire Council declares a Climate Emergency [!]
At its meeting on 19th September, Tweed Shire Council adopted a motion put by the Mayor, Katie Milne, to declare a Climate Emergency.
Speeches addressing this motion were made in the Public Forum by Jasmine Cook, a member of Council’s “Youth Advisory Committee”; and by Barry Firth, a member of CEC.
The motion was adopted with a majority of 4 votes to 3, but the three Councillors who voted against the motion did not speak, so we don’t know on what basis they were opposed to it.
Adoption of a Climate Emergency Declaration imposes new priorities for action and new reporting requirements for Council, so it should have a real impact.
The full text of the mayor’s motion is reproduced below. For those interested, it makes very good reading!
7 [NOM-Cr K Milne] Climate Emergency Declaration
NOTICE OF MOTION:
Councillor K Milne moves that Council:
1. Declares that we are in a state of climate emergency that requires urgent action by all levels of government, including by local councils.
2. Notes that on 14 August 2019 Council’s Youth Advisory Committee proposed that Youth Council, as a group, recommend that Council declare a ‘Climate Crisis’. As this proposal was made during an informal session of the meeting such a recommendation could not be made. All members of the committee asked that this be noted with consideration being given to presenting at a future Community Access meeting.
3. Notes that our young people have the most at stake as they are the ones that will face the worst impacts of climate change if this is not addressed rapidly and effectively.
4. Supports the Schools Strike for Climate on the 20th September that is calling on adults to join them in the strike, and notes Council staff where practical are able to use leave entitlements if they wish to attend.
5. Notes that 45 other Australian Local Councils have declared a Climate Emergency, along with 987 government bodies around the world.
6. Notes Tweed’s 2017 Flood was the largest on record, and the two recent major fires that have burnt hundreds of hectares of Tweed’s bushland.
7. Notes last year’s IPCC report that global emissions of carbon dioxide must peak by 2020 and reduce by 45% by 2030 to keep the planet below 1.5?C increase.
8. Notes that even at 1.5?C increase there will be significant climate disruptions including the Great Barrier Reef predicted to lose 90% of its coral and the outlook for the reef now classified as very poor.
9. Notes the recent advice by Sir David Attenborough on Climate Change that “We cannot be radical enough in dealing with the issues that face us at the moment”.
10. Notes the numerous positive steps available to address this Climate Emergency if public and political will is mobilised.
11. Notes that the fastest and second fastest growing jobs in America are solar technicians (300,000 solar jobs) followed by wind power technicians, with the coal industry providing only 50,000 jobs.
12. Notes its commitment to reporting on and reducing emissions through the Global Climate Change Compact and the Cities Power Partnership.
13. Notes its Renewable Energy Action Plan target of 25% renewable energy by 2022 and 50% by 2025, and Council’s zero waste target is a great start but does not account for all Council’s emissions such as transport, buildings and infrastructure emission.
14. Brings back a report on actions Council is currently undertaking to address climate change and further steps that can be taken to reduce emissions to levels at least consistent with IPCC targets, and provides this report to the Youth Council for their input.
15. Includes advice in all reports to Council meetings on the implications for sustainability from the staff recommendations.
16. Requests the Mayor to write to the NSW State and Federal Governments and local Members of parliament requesting them to declare a climate emergency and prioritise actions to address this emergency.
17. Through the Mayor encourages neighbouring Local Government Areas to join with us in declaring a climate emergency.
Extinction Rebellion [XR] Call to Action!
We are facing an unprecedented global emergency. We are at ecological, economic and social tipping points right now, as you read this text. Australia is currently headed for a 4°C rise in global average temperature from preindustrial times, this amounts to a catastrophic loss of life.
We are calling on everyone, regardless of your political beliefs to join us in fighting for the survival of humanity and the billions of species on this planet. Join us in non-violent direct action against climate denial and in support of a just and rapid climate transition.
Please join us in Murwillumbah on Tuesday, 24th September at 5:30pm in the new Murwillumbah Community Centre to find out about Extinction Rebellion, the climate rebellion.
Or join us on Rebellion Week, Oct. 7th – Oct. 14th in Meanjin/ Brisbane City to demand action from our state and national governments. …
Annual General Meeting
CEC 30 Year Dinner Invitation
Send the conservative Councillors an overwhelming message that we want them to vote with Greens Mayor Katie Milne and declare a CLIMATE EMERGENCY!!!
We need the biggest crowd ever ( including as many students as possible) at the Council meeting in Murwillumbah at 4.30pm on 19 September to send the conservative Councillors an overwhelming message that we want them to vote with Greens Mayor Katie Milne and declare a CLIMATE EMERGENCY!!!
The meeting will start at 5.30pm however members of the community can put their point of view to the Councillors at the Public Forum from 4.30pm onwards and Barry Firth will be doing so regarding the Climate emergency motion. If anyone else would like to present their view please ring Tweed Council on 02 66702400 and ask to be booked in for “Public Forum”. (Speakers’ allocations are limited, and they may already be fully taken up.)