IN A HOT CLIMATE

In Australia they are part-way through a series of four Climate Camps across the country – because, as our SchNEWS correspondent says - it saves them “chugging across the country in dodgy hippy vans”, and causing more er carbon emissions.

As we covered in SchNEWS 691, the first was held September 12th-13th in Victoria, when over 500 people went to the Hazelwood coal fired power station in the Latrobe Valley, calling for an end to coal power and a switch to renewables. Despite a heavy police presence, 22 people scaled the fence to serve a Community Decommission Order on the power station.

Next up was South Australia, where from September 24th-27th a Climate Camp targeted a coal train running to Port Augusta. 50 people camped for four days and held a demo outside the Port Augusta coal fired power station, presenting a Community Decommission Order and 350 native flowers at the gate. Police had agreed that the coal train wouldn't run all weekend on safety grounds, but later – making a mockery of attempts to negotiate with police - it turns out that the train had run, at a different time, because apparently it had accidentally derailed.

NSW climate campers experienced some extreme climatic conditions, including gale force winds and heavy rain during their camp October 9th-11th. 200 people camped near the Metropolitan Colliery in Helensburgh for three days of workshops, campaign planning and direct action. The camp included a sovereignty tent, where Traditional Owners from around the country gathered to share stories of resistance. The camp was also visited by members of an Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory who have recently walked off their community in protest against the continuing racist 'intervention' in indigenous communities (for more info on that, check out http://interventionwalkoff.wordpress.com). Early in the morning of Sunday 11th October, four people entered the Dendrobium coal mine and locked on to a conveyor belt. Later that day 500 people attended a big rally through town, finishing at the Colliery where eight more were arrested after jumping the fence. Despite threatening drinking water supplies, the mine is set for expansion, so no doubt we'll be hearing more from local campaigners down there.

And even though Queenslanders didn't have a camp, on October 22nd, 20 people went out in kayaks on the Brisbane River attempting to stop a ship loaded with 90,000 tonnes of coal from leaving the city's port. See www.sixdegrees.org.au

As the Copenhagen talks come to an end in December, Western Australians will camp in the state's coal capital, Collie.

For more see www.climatecamp.org.au