Since launching broad divestment campaigns in both New Zealand and Australia during Bill McKibben’s June tour, the campaigns have now focused in and targets are lined up. Today marked a new phase of campaigning in both countries, and builds on the rapid successes of various religious institutions paving the divestment way. Here are 12 photos from things that happened today across both countries (more are rolling in!). All these efforts coincide with the international Reclaim Power Month of Action.
In New Zealand, 350 Aotearoa and Coal Action Network Aotearoa launched a campaign calling on Westpac bank to stop financing Bathurst Resources Ltd, the company which has plans to dig up coal on the Denniston Plateau – an important conservation area home to rare species of geckos, prostrate plants, giant snails and kiwi. Westpac makes big promises around its sustainability practices and its time it lived up to them by not funding climate change. You can send them a letter asking them to withdraw their financial support to Bathurst Resources here. The 350 Aotearoa team also kicked off the first of their Divestment Forums tonight – to a great crowd in Auckland.
Meanwhile, across the ocean and not too far away, students from across 18 of Australia’s universities joined together for a Fossil Free Universities day of action. In-roads are already being made at campuses like the Australian National University and Monash University. Over the coming months and into next year we’ll be expecting to hear much more as all these Fossil Free Campus groups ramp up their campaigns that are pushing their universities to divest. Meanwhile, later this week we’ll see 500 people turn out to Divestment Forums in Brisbane and Melbourne, as part of a series of forums around the country. Check out some of the fantastic photos that came from the day of action (a slideshow of them is viewable by clicking here):
University of Queensland
Melbourne University
University of Tasmania
Monash University
Andrew at University of Sydney
Queensland University of Technology
Australian National University
James Cook University
University of New South Wales
Griffith University
Flinders University
You can keep up to date with what’s happening Down-under through Facebook: 350.org Australia and350 Aotearoa (just hit ‘Like’ on their pages) and/or check out their hot websites: 350.org.au and 350.org.nz