Earth Matters

We take a look at how the campaign to stop fracking and unconventional gas mining in WA is going.The long running campaign has had many successes along the way, and has managed to keep the industry at bay in the resource industry captured state.We talk with Claire McKinnon from Lock the Gate WA for the update. Check out and support their great work at frackfreewa.org.auMusic: End of the World Dub by Combat WombatPhoto: Lock the GateProducer: Phil EvansProduced on Whadjuk Noongar boodja - Boorloo/Perth WA.Earth Matters Episode #1449

Bid for World Heritage listing for the Nullarbor and the Great Australian Bight Mirning Elders supported by the Wilderness Society of South Australia are calling for the Great Australian Bight and the Nullarbor to be World Heritage listed to protect this iconic place for good. Peter Owen outlines the Wilderness Society's work to protect the area going back almost 20 years. Mirning Elders describe their connection to country and the urgency of protecting the Bight and the Nullarbor. And finally, we look at how the bid for World Heritage listing is progressing. GuestsUncle Bunna Lawrie, Mirning Elder and Whale Songman Mirning Elders: Aunty Dorcas Miller, Aunty Rose Miller and Robbie Miller Peter Owen, Director, Wilderness Society of South Australia To sign the Petition, open "Protect it for good" on the Wilderness Society website (below):https://www.wilderness.org.au/iconic-places/great-australian-bight Draft Consultation Documenthttps://www.wilderness.org.au/images/uploads/WorldHeritageBightNullarbor.pdf Music: Dancing in the Moonlight, by Uncle Bunna Lawrie and Coloured Stone Photo: Bunda Cliffs by Brad Leue. Photo provided by Peter Owen Damage to Koonalda Caves: Media reportshttps://nit.com.au/21-12-2022/4564/vandals-destroy-40000-year-old-cahttps://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2022/dec/21/ancient-aboriginal-rock-art-destroyed-by-vandals-in-tragic-loss-at-sacred-sa-sitehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/30000-year-old-indigenous-cave-drawings-in-australia-have-been-destroyed-180981363/ Websiteshttps://mirning.org/https://www.wilderness.org.au/iconic-places/great-australian-bight Producer: Judith PeppardEarth Matters Episode #1448

Peter Dutton has threatened to reduce access to the Environmental Defenders Organisation; the independent legal representation for community groups attempting to enforce the law against the climate crimes of the fossil fuel industry. Dutton made this threat when he was speaking to an event organised by the Council for Minerals Energy in Perth to an audience including some of the Liberal Party's biggest donors.Independent Federal MP Zali Steggall (OAM) spoke to Sean O'Shannessy on the politics of Duddo's threats and Dr Chris McGrath ABarrister specialising in environmental law and researcher and University of Queensland), regarding some of the legal implications of these threats. Links: Transcript of Peter Duttons speech to The Chamber of Minerals and Energy. Earth Matters # #1447 was produced by Sean O'Shannessy on Bundjalung Country; first for the "Environmental as Anything" radio show on River FM, and then by Bec Horridge for Earth Matters.

On Saturday March 23, Tasmanians headed to the polls in an early election – but one issue seemed to be absent in the public debate: the environment.With the Liberals likely to govern for a fourth term in a minority government, most likely with the Jacqui Lambie Network, the future of issues such as native logging, climate change, and marine conservation remains uncertain.So what’s next for the island state, the home of prominent environmentalists Bob Brown and Christine Milne, and one of the birthplaces of the global Greens movement?Jacob Gamble speaks with Campaigns Manager at the Bob Brown Foundation Jenny Weber, peaceful forest activist Dr Colette Harmsen, and director of the Monash Climate Change Communications Research Hub Professor Libby Lester.

Whalers Way is a peculiar choice for a new orbital rocket launch complex. The remote conservation area is one of the last remnants of uncleared land on South Australia's Eyre Peninsula.We speak with Patrick O'Connor from the University of Adelaide about the proposed site and why it is in the wrong place. Produced by Phil Evans on palawa, Kaurna, and Barngarla Land. Earth Matters #1445 Music: LTJ Bukem and David Bowie.

On today’s program, you'll hear a selection of conversations from and about this year's Anti-colonial Student Environment Network (ASEN) Training Camp, featuring zinemaker and ASEN organiser Willow, veteran environmental justice and Indigenous rights activist Uncle Winiata Puru, and Kokatha Mula Elder and anti-nuclear resistance leader Aunty Sue Coleman-Haseldine. Our thanks to Rochelle Humphrey and Genetic Circus Productions for the recording of Aunty Sue's talk.The 2024 ASEN Training Camp ran from 14-17 January at Camp Eureka on Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Country, and was hosted by the Victorian branch (VicSEN). The Camp brought together over 100 activists and organisers from around the continent to share skills and strengthen our collective work towards liberation from colonial violence and climate catastrophe.Note: the ASEN membership voted during this year's AGM, held during the training camp, to change 'Australian' to 'Anti-colonial' in its name.

Humanity is at a cross-roads for reducing carbon emissions to secure the climate. At COP28 women played a significant role in bringing greater ambition to the fore. And the international women's movement around climate action is gathering strength with new allies in the Global North and South, and increased advocacy for the interconnections of climate change, human rights, food and water security, biodiversity and demilitarisation. COP28 culminated in an international agreement to ‘transition away from fossil fuels’ (‘UAE Consensus’). This was heralded as ‘historic’ on the one hand and too weak on the other.Meanwhile, while the conference resolved to ‘drive gender-responsive just transitions, which strengthen all women’s and girls’ leadership and meaningful participation’, of the 133 world leaders who attended the conference, only 15 were women and only 38% of the negotiating teams from participating countries were women.In this event Womens Climate Congress Founder, Dr Janet Salisbury was in conversation with Mamta Borgoyary, Executive Director of She Changes Climate (whose advocacy brought the need for a phase-out of fossil fuels to the fore at COP28); Angelica Mantikas, a youth advocate with the Australian delegation and coordinator of the Oceania Climate Stories project; Tishiko King, a proud Kulkalaig woman from the Torres Straits and Our Islands Our Home campaigner; Sarah Ransom, General Manager, Australian Water PartenershipTogether they will examine the ups and downs of the conference, the outcomes and the next steps for the women's movement.

In celebration of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras this weekend, Jacob delves into the relationship between queer identities and the natural world.'Queer ecologies' is a school of thought that rejects binary, rigid, and heteronormative approaches to environmentalism. To unpack this juicy topic, we are joined by Professor of Environmental Arts and Justice, Cate Sandilands, and the co-founders of ecological education platform 'PermaQueer', Guy Ritani and Toad Dell.Featuring poetry by Jacob Gamble and the voices of queers from Naarm: Ādaraya, 'Betty with the good hair', and Nicky Tsekouras.

Stopping Seismic: The Great Ocean Rescue Tour The Great Ocean Rescue Tour to stop seismic blasting in the Otway Basin rolled out across the southwest coast of Victoria over January, organised by OCEAN the Otway Coastal Environment Action Network. From Ocean Grove to Portland people marched, attended film screenings and signed petitions to protest against three proposals for seismic blasting off the southwest coast of Victoria. If all three proposals go ahead an area the size of Tasmania would be affected with a devastating impact on the marine environment. Lisa Deppelertell founder of OCEAN and Mitch Pope, one of the coordinators of the Great Ocean Rescue Tour, tell us why the community is so opposed to seismic blasting in the Otway Basin and the actions being taking to have it stopped. Laurie Laurenson, a marine biologist from the South-West Coast Scientific Group of the Clean Ocean Foundation discusses the Group's response to the Environment Plans submitted to the national regulator NOPSEMA by the three companies proposing to conduct seismic surveys and why they've recommended that they be rejected. Laurie describes the potential impact on the marine environment and how the loss of krill, a keystone species, will effect whales and other marine creatures. To sign the petition or comment on the CGG Environment Plan before midnight Feb 26th, go to the Australian Marine Conservation Society websitehttps://www.marineconservation.org.au/actions/stop-cgg-seismic-blasting-victoria/ MusicOcean by John ButlerUpwelling by Carli Reeve Photo by Great Ocean Photography kindly provided by Mitch Pope Produced by Judith Peppard Earth Matters #1441

This week we look at the best ways that humans can interact with nature, errr when nature calls.We talk to Professor Jamie Kirkpatrick about the Poo Project which looked at the ecological impact of human faeces in nature, as well as a hiker who explains the what and how of a poo tube, and a camper with a portable composting toilet.Produced by Phil Evans on palawa, Kaurna, and Barngarla Land.Earth Matters #1440Music: Wall of Voodoo, Johnny Cash, and Monkey Marc.

Drug policy reform: The missing link to climate justice The International Coalition on Drug Policy Reform and Environmental Justice has published its first report, Revealing the Missing Link to Climate Justice: Drug Policy here This episode of Earth Matters looks at how the war on drugs and international prohibition regime support organised crime, encourage corruption and, as Clemmie James puts it, is a "wrecking ball" for the environment, impeding international efforts to protect the environment and prevent climate change. Clemmie James, Climate activist and Chair of the International Coalition on Drug Policy Reform and Environmental Justice. Neil Woods, former UK police officer and undercover drugs operative, author and board member of Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP) in the USA and in the U.K. and member of the International Coalition on Drug Policy Reform and Environmental Justice. Dr. Diego Andrés Lugo-Vivas, scholar and activist from Columbia and member of International Coalition for Drug Policy Reform and Environmental Justice. Produced by Judith Peppard Earth Matters # 1439 Music: Astro by Mateo Kingman

The 2020s have been a story of fire, floods, and natural disasters. Communities are still recovering from 'once in a lifetime' natural disasters, and preparing for the next one.This week, we speak with bushfire survivor and climate activist Jack Egan, flood survivor and resilience leader Kate Coxall, researcher and sociologist Fiona McDonald, youth peer worker Cherrie Byrne, and disaster specialised youth worker Carla Hall, about the impact of disaster, and the role young people can play in building resilience.

This amazing First Nations panel responds to the questions: “How can the environment and climate movement best show solidarity with first nations people?”“What does First Nations justice have to do with climate justice?”Featuring Awabakal elder Aunty Tracey, Ngemba elder Aunty Caroline, Bundjalung and Worimi saltwater woman Phoebe McIlwraith, and Ngemba, Wangan and Jagalingou protector of country Wilka Kirakuta. The conversation was moderated by Wadi wadi man of the Yuin nation, Matthew Jeffery.These voices were at the Peoples Blockade of the world’s largest coal port where thousands of climate activists took to the water on the weekend of November 25-26, blockading the coal port in Muloombinba Newcastle for well over 30 hours. 109 people were arrested together in defiance of the the 30 hour limit of allowed blocking of the shipping channel.The blockade was organised by Rising Tide. What’s happening next? Find out about the next ten day blockade of the coal port with 10,000 people during November 20th -29th, 2024 at https://www.risingtide.org.au/Facebook event page for 2024 Event November 20th to 29th http://bit.ly/3u4JW8hLinks:Rising TideSupport the Rising Tide 109 | Chuffed | Non-profit charity and social enterprise fundraising(link is external)Kirketts Mob Quest Fundraising Page on Facebook for Caroline Kirk and her activist mob for transport and communications costs. Kirketts Mob Facebook Fundraising PageHashtags: #PeoplesBlockade | #RisingTideAus | #NoNewCoal | #MakePollutersPayEarth Matters #1437 was on produced by Bec Horridge

Deep thinking Grant Howard, who works in the coal industry, shares his realisation that politicians:“deliberately lied; not to protect mine workers but lied and used mine workers to protect their own jobs”, A large, happy crowd of sun-hatted people sitting on the sand of a coal port beach, listening to their friends on the stage tell them why coal exports from Australia must be stopped. Next, they will get into canoe’s and do just that by paddling out and blocking the massive coal ships shipping lane with their colored canooes and fabulous flotilla.Karl Eric makes instant lyrics on the power of washing up ! and an arrestee thanks the NSW police for being careful, not rough.After hearing Manjot Kaur you won't forget her name.The planned 2024 coal port blockade with 10,000 people for ten days and upcoming Rising Tide tour to build numbers of like minded people is well mentioned.This action leaves no doubt that an increasingly huge number of ordinairy people are unstoppably and happily willing to risk jail to stop coal exports from this stolen land to slow runnaway climate chaos.Facebook event page for 2024 Event November 20th to 29th http://bit.ly/3u4JW8hLinks:Rising TideSupport the Rising Tide 109 | Chuffed | Non-profit charity and social enterprise fundraisingHashtags: #PeoplesBlockade | #RisingTideAus | #NoNewCoal | #MakePollutersPayEarth Matters #1436 was produced by Bec Horridge in Mulubinba,(Newcastle) on the Awabakal Nation.

This episode was inspired by a recent a Nyamat Yarkeen Karween - Southern Ocean Dreaming Gunditjmara Ceremony that host Phil Evans attended recently in Narrawong, VIC. Audio from the ceremony is heard throughout.First they blast. Then they drill. American oil and gas giant ConocoPhillips has announced plans to explore for gas in commonwealth waters as close as 8km from the coast of Warrnambool. Before any exploration begins, the area is scheduled for a series of seismic blasting surveys, to be undertaken by another company CGG. We look at some of the effects this will have on environment and culture.We hear from Gunditjmara, Yuin and Bidjara woman, Yarran Couzens Bundle and Warrnambool marine scientist, Zoe Brittain.Sign the Citizens Protection Declaration to stand in solidarity with First Nations communities asserting their care for Sea Country.Songs from Gunditjmara Bundiya are featured in the show.Earth Matters #1434 was produced by Phil Evans with thanks to Friends of the Earth.

Transcript and Reference ListWhen most Australians can access all the water they could ever want with the simple twist of a tap it’s easy to think that water is a common resource. But even in our own backyard, Indigenous people are legally entitled to less than 0.1% of the Murray Darling Basin by the Australian government.Building on the concept of the “tragedy of the commons,” guest producers completing sociology at the University of Melbourne dive into the theory behind whether water can be collectively owned. Unpacking the sociology of sustainability, student producers are here to walk you through how climate racism and patriarchy operate to limit marginalised people’s right to water, and therefore right to life.Presenters & Topics:Zi Yuan: The tension between capitalism and water sustainability, focusing on the case study of the Fukushima dilemmaOla Wallis: Ecofeminism and the gender inequalities in relation to water access and sanitation, examining the experiences of low caste women in Mumbai, as well as Indigenous women in MoroccoBrionie Young: Looking at “epistemicides,” or the destruction of Indigenous knowledges through the colonisation of river systemsVida Davies: Indigenous in the case study of the Murray Darling river basin and the possibility of commoning water whilst upholding Indigenous sovereignty **Please note that producer Ola Wallis covers issues of sexual assault in discussion of ecofeminism at time stamps 7minutes-8minutes**Earth Matters #1434 was produced by Ola Wallis, Zi Yuan, Brionie Young & Vida Davies.

What we need in Australia's new nature laws The Federal government is overhauling the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act or EPBC Act (1999) after a damning review published in 2020. The public is encouraged to have their say via the following website:https://consult.dcceew.gov.au/australias-new-nature-positive-laws Euan Ritchie, Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at Deakin University, and his colleagues have described 5 things we need to see in Australia’s new nature laws if we are to avoid disaster and even more biodiversity decline. Euan explains what to look for.https://theconversation.com/5-things-we-need-to-see-in-australias-new-nature-laws-217271 We also hear from Kate Umbers, Managing Director and founder of Invertebrates Australiahttps://theconversation.com/trapped-australias-extraordinary-alpine-insects-are-being-marooned-on-mountaintops-as-the-world-warms-211104https://www.3cr.org.au/earthmatters/episode/emissions-impossible-and-biodiversity-knife-edge-alpine-insect-decline Rob Fowler, Professor of Environmental Law, who spoke to 3CR in 2020 about the interim report of the review of the EPBC Act.https://www.3cr.org.au/actingup/episode-202008101400/more-environmental-decline-likely-federal-government-seeks-devolve Music: One Song Archie Roachhttps://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=Archie+Roach+One+Song#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:152b00da,vid:nFE78q6gKb0,st:0 Earth Matters Episode #1433 Produced by Judith Peppard

Summer is here again and for many people - it is festival season! But when you hit the dancefloor, what will be the environmental impact? And what are festivals doing about transport, trash and toilets to lower that impact?We talk to Berish Bilander from Green Music Australia, whose mission it is to green the music and festival scene, and have us all party for a purpose, and the planet. We also hear from festival organiser from WA's Blazing Swan, Gwynneth Jones, and Victorian festival and burn enthusiast, Ronnie Backhouse.This show features an array of Australian based electronic music artists:CAIN - Platypus PoisonTerrafractyl - Liquid CirclesDysphemic - Koala Bass (DNB Mix)Tijuana Cartel - IshtarSuseri - EuphoriaCheck out Camping Buddy as mentioned in the show.Produced on Gunaikurnai Land - Gippsland, VIC.Earth Matters #1432 was produced by Phil Evans.

Thousands of climate activists took to the water on the weekend of November 25-26, blockading the coal port in Muloombinba Newcastle.Jacob spoke to blockade organiser Zack Schofield, and school striker Niamh Cush, about the protest. We also hear a First Nations panel discussion featuring Awabakal elder Aunty Tracey, Ngemba elder Aunty Caroline, Bundjalung and Worimi saltwater woman Phoebe McIlwraith, and Ngemba, Wangan and Jagalingou protector of country Wilka Kirakuta. The conversation was moderated by Wadi wadi man of the Yuin nation, Matthew Jeffery.Featuring music by Newcastle band 'Photos of the Moon'.

“If we don’t end war, war will end us.”H.G. WellsAs true as it was back in 1936, it is still true today. And whilst the human cost of war is undeniable, not often considered is the environmental damage that comes with it. Today we draw from a recently run forum, which looked at how the climate movement can show solidarity for the Palestinian cause, particularly with the latest round of violence, death, and destruction in Gaza.We look at how a colonial, extractivist mindset has shaped the relationship with Palestinian land, the connection to the experience in Australia, how climate change is being driven by the carbon bootprint of militaries, and some of the impacts of militarism on land and water in Palestine.We hear from:Rihab Charida, a digital story teller, filmmaker and producer.from Safsaf, Safad region in the Upper Galilee, Palestine.Pablo Brait, a Jewish campaigner and community organiser who has been fighting for climate justice and against coal and gas expansions for over 15 years.Asseel Tayah, a Palestinian born and raised artist and activist telling stories of home and having to leave it.Danya Jacobs, an environmental lawyer in Naarm, and a human rights activist doing accompaniment and solidarity when visiting Palestine/Israel.Boe Spearim, a Gamilaraay and Kooma man, podcaster and activist based in Brisbane who has been involved in both for over 10 yearsFahimah Badrulhisham from the Muslim Collective, architect and climate justice campaignerElise West from the Medical Association for the Prevention of War.With thanks to Medical Association for the Prevention of War, Friends of the Earth, Action Aid, Muslim Collective, 350.org, Tipping Point, and Democracy in Colour for their assistance in the production of this show.Featuring music from Australian producer, Monkey Marc, with his track, Emergency.Earth Matters #1430 was produced by Phil Evans.Produced on Gunaikurnai Land.