Strategies in Action

The strength of the Climate Emergency Declaration movement lies in the many individuals and groups taking initiative and working together – or separately, or both – to achieve the campaign goal.

Reversing the climate emergency requires all hands on deck

– all levels of government, all walks of life, and you.

EVERYONE can do something to help build the public demand for a Climate Emergency Declaration and Mobilisation. If you can only do one thing, please make it this: erase ‘climate change’ and global warming’ from your vocabulary and say ‘climate emergency’ instead!

Please scroll through the sections below to find actions that appeal to you.


Ask MPs to sign in support

Download and print the Statement of Support and ask your local federal and state MPs to sign it. Take a photo for us to display on Facebook and here (federal MPs) or here (state MPs) on this website, then email it to us.

Ask Mayors and Councillors to sign in support

Download and print the Statement of Support and ask your local Mayor and/or Councillors to sign it. Take a photo for us to display on Facebook and here on this website, then email it to us.

Promote on social media

Please visit the cedamia Facebook page or Twitter page and share or retweet any posts or tweets that you like.


Make personal actions visible

Please give visibility to the actions you take to reduce household and personal greenhouse gas emissions.

Even though we are reliant on all levels of government for the big changes we need, it is very useful to build the visibility of household and personal actions.

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– people who think their own actions are too small to make a difference will be encouraged to act when they see ‘everyone is doing their bit’

– taking personal climate-related actions puts individuals and households on the ‘right side’ of the issue – cognitive dissonance makes it hard to remember there is a climate emergency if we are acting as if there is no climate crisis, and confirmation bias means we are more likely to pay attention to climate science if we are making conscious efforts to reduce climate impacts

– it adds integrity to demands for government level action if governments know the people making the demands are taking initiative to reduce their own greenhouse gas emissions

– it demonstrates to governments that there is considerable public support for tackling the climate emergency, and that the public is eager to be part of a society-wise climate mobilisation

– it builds a sense of ethical outrage – how dare governments allow or incentivise new climate-damaging projects which counteract the climate-benefiting efforts made by their citizens


Take placards to rallies and events

Help amplify the climate imperative by taking along Climate Emergency Declaration placards to public rallies, gatherings outside the offices of MPs and fossil-fuel corporations, etc.

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Going to a climate-related rally or public action? It might be a march, a divestment action, or an anti-fossil fuel gathering outside the office of a corporation or MP, but you can underline the climate imperative behind such gatherings by taking along a Climate Emergency Declaration placard.

When you do, please email us photos of the people holding the placards at the event for display on social media to help make this ‘a thing’ that inspires others to also amplify the climate emergency imperative.


Image credit: Mark Carter

Download and print this A3 banner image and stick it on cardboard or similar to make your placard.



Image credit: Mark Carter

Download and print this A3 banner image and stick it on cardboard or similar to make your placard.


To print the placard image below at any size —


Image credit: Mark Carter

Click here – or right-click on the image – to download a zip-package with an EPS-document in vector format. Can be used at whatever size is required.



Talk to local Councillors or council candidates

Talk to local Councillors and council candidates about what local councils can do to tackle the climate emergency. It turns out a surprising amount can be achieved, and is already being achieved, at the local government level.

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We want Councillors at every single local council in Australia to receive a visit and have a conversation with local Climate Emergency Declaration campaigners. But first please take a look at the Local Government page to see what is already happening, and see the Councillors and Candidates page for the Mayors and Councillors who already support the Climate Emergency Declaration campaign.

We’ve set up a spreadsheet covering all regions or Australia with the view to finding at least one person to visit each local council. Please let us know how you go so that we can map progress on building local government support for a Climate Emergency Declaration.

Local councils’ Climate Emergency role

Local councils can declare a Climate Emergency and follow up with:
– Revamping council operations accordingly
– Education programs encouraging the local community to act accordingly
– Practical programs to help local residents and businesses act accordingly
– Outreach to encourage other local councils to adopt similar Climate Emergency policies and programs
– Lobbying to encourage their state government to declare a Climate Emergency
– Lobbying to encourage the federal government to declare a Climate Emergency

The ultimate aim is a national declaration of Climate Emergency with its ability to unlock all the required policy changes and funds for a rapid climate emergency response, but local councils can start the ball rolling by demonstrating successful climate emergency initiatives at the local level. Early successes in their own local community can then spread outwards to other local council areas and upwards to the state/territory and federal levels.

For an in-depth discussion of the local government campaign, initially in the Darebin Council area but spreading to other areas, see the Community Action in the Climate Emergency (CACE) website.

Talking to Councillors

You know your own local council and Councillors, so you are in the best position to decide what to talk about, but the ideas below might help you plan your conversations.

Listen to Darebin Councillor Trent McCarthy giving inspiration and great tips for getting your local council on side.

For Councillors who already support the Climate Emergency Declaration campaign:

– Talk about the potential role of local councils in building a nationwide climate emergency response
– Tell them about the actions taken so far by the Darebin City Council. See the Local Government page for details.
– Take them a copy of the Darebin Climate Emergency Plan
– Discuss ways you or your local group could help build support amongst your other local Councillors and community

For Councillors not yet familiar with the Climate Emergency Declaration campaign:

– Explain the campaign vision and the amount of support generated so far (number of signatures, support from eminent people including other councillors and mayors, etc.) See the Supporters page for examples.
– Talk about the potential role of local councils in building a nationwide climate emergency response
– Ask them to sign the Statement of Support below and email us a photo of them holding up the signed sheet


Click here – or right-click on the image – to download the A4 sheet for council sign-on (PDF document)

For Councillors who don’t yet regard climate as an emergency:

– Take along some material indicating the urgency of taking climate action and some examples of actions taken by local governments elsewhere
– Talk about the actions being taken by the Darebin City Council. See the Local Government page for details.
– Talk about the amount of support generated so far for the Climate Emergency Declaration campaign (number of signatures, support from eminent people including other councillors and mayors, etc.) See the Supporters page for examples.

Talking to candidates in local council elections

– Download, print, and take along the Council Candidate Statement of Support below. Ask them to sign it, take a photo of them holding it up, and email us the photo for inclusion on our website and in social media posts.


Click here – or right-click on the image – to download the A4 sheet for council sign-on (PDF document)

 



Talk to your local state and/or federal MP

Note: See the NMBI Actions Kit for actions specific to the No More Bad Investments (NMBI) campaign which specifically targets state/territory governments.

We want every single state and federal MP to receive a visit from at least one local resident and hear about the call for a Climate Emergency Declaration.

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It’s vital that every state and federal MP is aware of and can consider supporting the call for a Climate Emergency Declaration. Ideally they will hear about it via a visit from a local resident or climate group.

We’ve set up a spreadsheet covering all regions or Australia with the view to finding at least one person for each slot. Please let us know who you visit and the outcome so we can map our progress.

To find your local MP, see:
Federal MPs
State Parliament MPs

Visiting state and federal MPs

Please email us and tell us the name(s) and electorate(s) of the MPs you will be visiting, and your snail mail address. If they haven’t yet received copies of three Breakthrough publications (Climate Reality Check, Striking Targets, and Recount), we will organise for these to be sent to you – one set for each MP you plan to visit.

(For your own reference, you can download electronic copies of the three publications from the Breakthrough website.)

Ring the MP’s electorate office and ask for an appointment to meet with your MP. Before your visit, you might like to visit the How Does Your MP Vote? site to check their past voting behaviour, but we’d like all MPs to hear about our campaign regardless of their current position.

Give them the Breakthrough publications, and also show them any other supporting materials that you think might influence them. For example, you could download and print a copy of the Open Letter below that was signed by 24 eminent Australians.

 

Also click on the image below to download the Statement of Support sheet. Take it along and ask them to sign. If they agree, please take a photo of them holding up the signed sheet, and email us the photo so we can post it on social media and on our website.

 

Model Climate Emergency Act
Have a look at Philip Sutton’s Model Climate Emergency Act. You might like to mention this if your MP raises the issue of how a climate emergency declaration and mobilisation could be implemented.

An electronic copy of the latest version of this Model Act is available here.

You could take along a copy if you wish, or just send your MP the link as a follow up after your meeting if you’ve discussed it with your MP.



Hold an info stall

You could hold a stall at a local market or an info table at a local event.

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It’s often possible to have an info table at festivals, markets, marches, and public events. Just ask the organisers if you can.

› Look through the workshop powerpoint presentations here for useful infographics to print and display.

› If you have them, take along the Breakthrough publications Climate Reality Check, Striking Targets, and Recount. You can download electronic copies of the three publications from the Breakthrough website.

› Have a look at Philip Sutton’s Model Climate Emergency Act. You could print this out and have it is a resource at your info stall in case any of the people you talk to want to know that degree of detail. An electronic copy of the latest version of this Model Act can be downloaded here.



Hold a meeting

Organise a local public meeting for anyone wanting to help build the Climate Emergency Declaration campaign. Or gather friends and colleagues for a private meeting in your home.

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Hold a meeting or workshop and invite along anyone in your area who is interested in helping to build momentum towards a Climate Emergency Declaration and Mobilisation. It doesn’t matter if six people or 100 come along.


Climate Emergency Action Plan: Some inspiration for your meeting.

climate-emergency-mobilization-action-plan

Download Miriam Robinson’s the Action Plan as a pdf file .

Download the Action Plan Powerpoint presentation.


Other resources

Here is very good six-minute video of excerpts from Years of Living Dangerously that you might like to show:

» www.araceagainsttime.org

» Youtube.com


You might also like to look at some of the videos of presentations at the workshop held in Melbourne in September 2016 and pick out any parts you think will be useful for your audience.



Write letters to the editor

Letters to the editor are good for influencing the public discussion about climate.

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The letters to the editor pages of the daily newspaper or weekly papers in your neighbourhood or region are a key platform for citizens to present their views and tell their side of the story.

The letter-writing tips below are courtesy of the highly successful Yes2Renewables campaign in Victoria.


The letters to the editor pages are a barometer for the public’s view on a topic. Newspaper editors use it to understand the views of their readership and this feedback may influence the way the publication reports an issue.

Politicians may pay close attention to the letters to the editor pages, especially if they are named. For a politician, each letter represents a view shared by hundreds of constituents.


Tips to get published

  • Brevity is power. Keep your letter to three to five sentences.
  • Keep you letter focused on making one key point.
  • Name drop. Get on the radar of politicians by naming them.
  • Send in your letter by 12pm (the earlier the better).

A good letter to the editor will identify a villain, victims, a heroine, and an on-the-fence character that needs to be influenced.

Example:

“The fossil fuel lobby’s (villain) blaming renewable energy as the cause of the recent power spike is untrue and exaggerated. The claims of coal and gas companies reveal they’re prepared to sacrifice jobs, investment in regional communities, and our climate (victims) for their own vested interest.

South Australians (heroine) aren’t buying the anti-renewables spin and want more renewable energy, not less. Jobs, regional investment, and action on the climate emergency is something all politicians can support. This is why Premier Weatherill and opposition leader Steven Marshall (on-the-fence) should stand up to the fossil fuel bullies and commit to 100 percent renewable energy.”

Note: Newspapers expect that any letters to the editor that you send to them are sent exclusively to them. A good way to increase the chance of your letter being published is to relate it to an article or letter from someone else published in their paper that morning.

Newspapers generally require that you include your full name, address and phone numbers below the letter.

 

Addresses for sending letters to the editor

The Age: Use the form on www.theage.com.au

Sydney Morning Herald: Email to letters@smh.com.au

The Advertiser: Use the form on www.adelaidenow.com.au

The Daily Advertiser: Use the form on www.dailyadvertiser.com.au

Queensland Times: Use the form on www.qt.com.au

The Examiner: Use the form on www.examiner.com.au

The Mercury: Use the form on www.themercury.com.au

NT News: Use the form on www.ntnews.com.au

The West Australian: Email to letters@wanews.com.au

Alice Springs News: Email to letters@alicespringsnews.com.au

The Australian: Email to letters@theaustralian.com.au

Australian Financial Review: Email to edletters@afr.com.au – max 250 words.
Apart from your name and email address you must include the following details in your email: Phone Number (both day and night time) and address.

Regional

Bendigo Advertiser: Use the form on www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au

The Border Mail: Use the form on www.bordermail.com.au

Gladstone Observer: Use the form on www.gladstoneobserver.com.au

The Queanbeyan Age: Use the form on www.queanbeyanagechronicle.com.au

Townsville Bulletin: Use the form on www.townsvillebulletin.com.au

Geelong Advertiser: Email to yoursay@geelongadvertiser.com.au

Surf Coast Times: Email to editor@surfcoasttimes.com.au

The Indy (in Geelong): Email to editorial@geelongindependent.com.au


If you have other addresses, please let us know!

 



Launch your own Climate Emergency Declaration petition

Have your group launch its own national, state, and/or local council level climate emergency declaration petition.

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Your group might like to launch your own Climate Emergency Declaration petition. It could be addressed to either the federal parliament, your own state parliament, your local council, or to all three levels of government.

It’s much like a climate march, where different groups march together for a common top-level ask of climate action despite having different concerns and messages.

Please make sure your petition includes words to the effect that:

1. We face a climate emergency

2. We call on our political leaders to declare a climate emergency

3. We need the government to follow through with the necessary resources and action to fully address the crisis at emergency speed.


Example of a possible state-level petition

We call on the [state or territory] Parliament to declare a climate emergency and mobilise state resources accordingly.

In February 2016, average global temperatures topped 1.5°C, and scientists tell us another 0.5°C of warming is already ‘in the system’ unless we can also draw down excess carbon dioxide currently in the atmosphere.

Climate impacts are already dangerous. People are dying from heat stroke, starvation, and extreme weather events. Wild fires are increasing, permafrost is thawing, low lying land is being inundated by seawater, and coral reefs, mangroves, kelp forests, and other ecosystems are being severely damaged.

In particular, we call on Parliament to ban any further public or private investment in projects that will make the climate emergency worse, such as coal, oil, and gas projects. Instead, Parliament should facilitate investment in beneficial projects such as renewable energy, electric vehicles, energy efficiency, reforestation, and climate-friendly land use, and phase out existing sources of greenhouse gas emissions.

Any essential processes and practices that cannot be made to avoid greenhouse gas emissions entirely should be offset by draw down projects. Projects that draw down excess carbon dioxide already in the atmosphere should also be implemented.

We also ask the [state or territory] Parliament to urge the federal government to declare a climate emergency and mobilise resources accordingly to restore a safe climate as rapidly as possible.



Use the right words

We can help change the public conversation by the words we use when we talk about climate, and in particular by correcting the fallacies that often appear in articles and climate messaging.

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This page is a work in progress, in collaboration with Carol Ride (Psychology for a Safe Climate) and others. Please email info@cedamia.org to suggest changes or additions.


UseAvoid
climate emergencyglobal warming, climate change
dangerous fossil fuelspolluting or dirty fossil fuels
safe renewable energyclean energy
dangerous levels of atmospheric carbonclimate pollution, carbon pollution

TruthFallacy
There is no carbon budget left[*]Our carbon budget will be used up in x years
We need net zero emissions ASAP and carbon drawdown to save coral reefs (a major source of food for millions of people)Stop Adani (or similar) to save the Reef
People are already dying due to climate impactsGreenhouse gas emissions reductions of x per cent by 2030/2050 is a reasonable target
Sea level rise is already forcing people from their homes in Alaska, Bangladesh, and the PacificSea level rise will be a problem later this century
Climate is already dangerous at around 1°C above pre-industrial timesA rise of 1.5°C above pre-industrial times is the safe limit
The Paris Accord will take us to 2.7°C–3.5°C in this centuryThe Paris Accord will limit warming to 2°C or even 1.5°C
People are already anxious about climate and will engage if you also spell out what we all can do to reverse the emergencyYou can't talk about a climate emergency because people will just switch off
We are already over 1°C, and even if we stop burning fossil fuels tomorrow, another 0.5°C rise is already locked inWe should try to keep temperature rise to no more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial times

[*] The IPCC reports that “to provide a 93% mid-value probability of not exceeding [a dangerous post-industrial increase of] 2°C, the concentration [of atmospheric greenhouse gases] would need to be stabilised at, or below, 350 ppm CO2-equivalent, that is, below current levels, which means no carbon budget left for 2°C.”


Use the Common Cause ‘sandwich’ messaging principle

One Common Cause messaging principle is to ‘sandwich’ threatening news in between appeals to our higher ‘universal’ values. Here is an example of how you could apply that principle to our climate emergency declaration campaign messaging:

People are great at rising to the occasion in an emergency. If you happen to be there when a fire or flood occurs, chances are you’ll pitch in alongside emergency service workers to do whatever is needed. Neighbours help neighbours, and strangers help strangers.

We are now in the biggest emergency ever – the climate emergency. Already people are dying and ecosystems are being destroyed.

We know what needs to be achieved – right now – and we already have the technology to do it. We must face up to climate facts, go into emergency mode, and throw everything we’ve got at restoring a safe climate.

We know from our experience of full-scale wartime mobilisations that amazing economic transformations can be achieved in just a few years when we face an existential threat. Let’s demand equally strong leadership and action from our peacetime government in order to protect everything we love.

Join us in petitioning the Australian Parliament to declare a climate emergency and mobilise society-wide resources at sufficient scale and speed to protect civilisation, the economy, people, species, and ecosystems.