File:Gathering outside the Coburg library for inaugural Moreland Climate Cup 2021-11-06-MorelandClimateCup-Coburg-JE IMG 7791 (51658830220).jpg

A few months ago a group of grass root climate organisations decided we should hold a local event: a #Racetozero emissions while #COP26 was on in Glasgow. And so the idea of the #morelandclimatecup was born. This is around the time of the Melbourne CUP spring racing festival, so it works off the back of 'CUP' fever here in Melbourne.

Of course Prime Minister Scott Morrison repeatedly saying “it’s not a race” regarding vaccine rollout got our goat up. The vaccination rollout was always a race against the virus in this pandemic. It’s also a race to decarbonise to avoid climate impacts and locking in tipping points in the planet’s climate system. Australia is on the wrong track expanding fossil fuel production, the net zero ‘plan’ announced in Glasgow is full of magical technology thinking and solutions like CCS that have so far been an enormous failure, but are there to delay action.

There are still public health regulations in force for Victoria for public gatherings (up to 30 fully vaccinated people may gather in public) We had event pre-registration and event QR code and set about organising this as a decentalised protest across Moreland, keeping within Covidsafe guidelines..

We held three separate events at the same time around Moreland: at Brunswick, Coburg and Newlands. What unites us all is the #MorelandClimateCup hashtag and common demands.

Climate Coalition of Moreland organised these events. Climate Action Moreland, XR Moreland, StopAdani Moreland Neighbours United for Climate Action, ACF Community Melbourne NxNW all involved.

Today is also the #GlobalDayofAction organised by the COP26 Coalition organising outside #COP26Glasgow calling for #climatejustice

Our Demands:

1. 100% renewable energy by 2030 – End public funding of coal, oil and gas.

2. Expand public transport networks & bike paths to encourage people to reduce car use. Shift vehicles to electric.

3. Address the biodiversity Crisis, fund species conservation to prevent extinctions. End Native Logging by 2024. Implement Australian Trees and Biodiversity Plan to reduce climate pollution by at least 1 billion tonnes by 2030.

4. Australia to contribute its fair share of global climate finance to support low-income countries implementing climate action.

5. Climate justice means creating alternative jobs for fossil fuel workers and their communities, funding Indigenous-led land management with jobs on country to repair ecosystems, reduce emissions and reduce fire risk.

6. Make the climate criminals pay. Put a levy on fossil fuel companies to help pay for the crisis.