We were greatly encouraged to see the powerful example and strong leadership recently shown by our local Mornington Peninsula Shire Council when it followed Melbourne City Council and other Councils world-wide and voted to implement urgent Climate Emergency measures.
Enormous areas of the world’s forests are suddenly and unseasonably ablaze, releasing vast amounts of previously stored carbon into Earth’s atmosphere. We are acutely aware of the decisive, urgent efforts that are needed now to follow up the Council’s admirable claims and intentions with real action for change.
Save Westernport and our supporters look forward to seeing the Council’s Climate Emergency measures enacted in meaningful, and perhaps challenging ways by our local Shire and its residents.
It’s been exactly one year since Mornington Peninsula Shire Council announced its concerns and stated its opposition to the AGL gas import proposal at Crib Point. AGL has conceded that the energy required to ship and process the gas at Crib Point would cause at least 20% more carbon emissions than conventional local gas. This out-dated and deeply unpopular fossil-fuels project is still being forced onto the local community by AGL, but every day they persist, the corporation is causing irreparable damage to the AGL brand…
There is no doubt that AGL lacks the social license needed to operate in this community. The recent round of AGL drop-in “information sessions” supplied no new information. People reported leaving the AGL sessions feeling unconsulted and increasingly outraged by the process. We were not surprised to hear that many people are deciding to boycott the AGL sessions.
The public sessions seem like tokenistic attempts to fulfill the community consultation. The Victorian government has required AGL to participate in this review, and once it’s completed the public will have a chance to comment on their reports. AGL has a unique and valuable opportunity to demonstrate its corporate responsibility and environmental integrity. Save Westernport will continue urging the AGL Board to heed the wishes of this community by immediately withdrawing from the Crib Point project.
Next Friday September 20, Save Westernport will participate in the Schools Strike for Climate in Melbourne. For the first time, school kids have invited adults to join their march and support their demands for immediate action against Climate Change. We invite you to march with Save Westernport. Look for our Save Westernport banner at 2pm in the Treasury Gardens next Friday.
