I can’t say I make a habit out of attending events promoting climate change skeptism, but there I was, learning about why I really shouldn’t be concerned about climate change. The take home messages were simple: the temperature record is unreliable, the effect of CO2 diminishes in higher concentrations, CO2 is plant food, and after all, it’s the sun anyway. Or in other words, there’s no warming, there can’t be any warming, the warming that isn’t and can’t happen is a good thing, and the warming that isn’t happening is happening because of the sun. Confused? You’re not alone.

If you haven’t heard about the current climate skeptics tour of Australia, then you could probably be forgiven – it seems that the tour has not had quite the impact that the organisers (the Climate Skeptics Party) would have hoped for. It all sounds promising: featuring prominent skeptic and retired television weatherman Anthony Watts (author of WattsUpWithThat.com) plus a range of Australian skeptics and pseudo-scientists, the tour will reach 19 towns in a series of events across the country. Morgan Goodwin reported last week how little media attention the tour has attracted, and unfortunately for Watts, it seems that he doesn’t have the same degree of celebrity appeal that Christopher Monckton enjoyed in his Australian visit last year.

Along with other members of UQ Climate for Change, I went along to the event in Brisbane to find out what it’s really like at a climate skeptics event. It wasn’t really what I expected – attendance was low, and there was ample opportunity to talk to other attendees and discuss points of disagreement in what was an overall friendly and low-key affair. Yes, the presentations by Watts, David Archibald and Bob Carter left a bit to be desired in terms of accuracy, detail, or dare I say facts, but I was glad to have the opportunity to listen to the talks, and to ask questions (my iPhone app definitely came in handy!).

You can read more details about the event here; but I feel like I learnt some important lessons from this experience. Although not without its difficulties, direct engagement with climate skeptics has to occur if we want to move the public discussion beyond is or is it not happening, and towards getting on with the work that is needed to reach a safe climate. And by engaging, I don’t mean having an argument (however tempting it might be in cases where misleading tactics are used), or necessarily waving placards and protesting when climate skeptic tours roll into town – but simply asking questions and talking with those who have different opinions. Young people have good reason to be frustrated by the public confusion that climate skeptics such as Watts insist on generating, but do have an important role to play in countering their effects.

The impact of the youth voice in the climate debate is apparently not something that has escaped the attention of some skeptics, who are now developing programs specifically targeted at young people who more “readily believe” the climate science. In his recent visit to Australia, 350.org founder Bill McKibben recently praised the Australian youth climate movement in Australia, saying that “it’s high time the rest of us got in line behind their leadership”. It might seem easier to think that climate skeptics will simply fade away over time, and we would be better off getting on with the job of working on projects with our local communities, and calling for action at the national and international level. The fact is that all of these things are all important- which is why a large, motivated and active youth climate movement is needed to make the impact necessary to generate the changes that we want to see, and also why it is such an exciting thing to be a part of.

UQ Climate for Change is a small, but dedicated group of students and staff at the University of Queensland who are involved in climate advocacy and awareness projects at UQ, and our members are often involved more broadly through campaigns at state & national levels. As part of the AYCC’s Climate Reality Week this year, we were very grateful to have John Cook from Skeptical Science give a presentation on the reality of climate change, followed by a panel discussion including experts in climate science and environmental law. We also encourage the UQ community to share their own climate reality through banner writing, climate facts sheets and of course, lots of cake (our carbon footprint recipe is a speciality!).

As well as participating in events such as AYCC’s Youth Decide and the 350.org global day of action, a core interest for UQCfC to raise awareness within the UQ community not only about climate change, but more broadly about sustainability. We believe that our Universities, as centres of learning, research and critical thought, have a responsibility to demonstrate leadership in environmental management and in research and education for sustainability. We successfully campaigned for UQ to sign the Tallories Declaration – a ten point action plan for incorporating sustainability and environmental literacy into all aspects of the universities teaching, research, operations and outreach. Our aim is for UQ to have a systemic and co-ordinated ‘Sustainability Plan’ that outlines how to implement these actions. As part of our ongoing work, we recently we made a submission to the first part of the drafting process for a sustainability plan, which focussed on how to integrate sustainability into teaching and learning at UQ.

Climate change and sustainability are issues that affect everyone, no matter what your background, interests or career path – which is why it’s important for everyone to become motivated to act collectively and in their own lives, and to learn about the changes that are needed to reach a safer climate. If you’re not already involved with the AYCC’s activities, or part of a climate action group in your school, university or local community, then now is the time to take part. Everybody has a role to play, no matter how big or small – because the changes that can be made by working collectively with each other are a force to be reckoned with.

Written by Megan Evans from University of Queensland Climate for Change.

Listen up: This week our lobby team took the youth climate message to Canberra.

I have a confession to make. It’s not something I’m proud of, and in all my time at the AYCC I’ve never come across someone with the same problem. But I’m ready to admit it – I’ve always been terrified by the concept of the ‘personal narrative.’

The ‘personal narrative’ is something that most people involved in climate action will come across at some stage or another. Developed by the Obama campaign, the personal narrative is a way of communicating our individual stories and tying them to the issues we are passionate about. Starting with your own journey, it’s a way to engage with everyone from politicians to school students.

That’s the theory, anyway. In my case, however, putting it into practice was nothing short of agonising. I don’t have an amazing turning point that catapulted me into climate action. I haven’t worked for five years as a coal industry lobbyist, had a revelation involving a sunset and the fresh mountain air, or ended up onstage with Bono. I just care about social justice, was frightened by the impact climate change could have on the issues I cared about, and joined the AYCC. Simple. Boring.

So it was with more than a little trepidation that I landed in Canberra on Sunday to prepare for the Climate Advocacy Day. My nerves, however, had nothing to do with the horde of politicians I would be meeting the following day in my first experience lobbying. A flick through the notes for the Sunday training confirmed my fears – there would be no getting out of the dreaded personal narrative.

After half a day practicing with our team members – each group consisting of one AYCC member, one from the Union Climate Connectors, and a representative for The Climate Project – it was time to head to Parliament House and meet with some politicians.

We arrived at Parliament House early yesterday morning. I’d only been once before, a few years ago, as a tourist. I’d watched a few minutes of question time, and the only clear memory I had was of watching backbenchers in their seats writing Christmas cards, presumably to members of their electorates, as their part leaders battled it out.

My team had a mixed bag of meetings lined up. We knew from our research that some would be sympathetic, some less so, and some downright hostile – or, as one Senator put it to us, ‘a bit prickly.’ The toughest one, a climate sceptic from Western Australia, was up first, so we gathered in a corner and conducted a practice meeting, minus the politician.

The time came for the meeting, and we began the trek through the labyrinthine corridors of Parliament House. On the way we noticed Therese Rein – or, to put it more accurately, she noticed us noticing her. She smiled and said hello. Phillip Ruddock opened a door for us, unfortunately literally rather than metaphorically.

We were ushered into the Senator’s office and she shook our hands, before sitting and, in a tone that could be interpreted as either cold or businesslike, said, ‘Well, off you go then.’

Off we went. I was starting, and had no choice but to launch straight into my story of self. I just wanted to get through it, and then get into the policy we were there to present as quickly as possible.

But as I was telling my story, I was surprised to see her look up from the page in front of her and engage with what I was saying. I won’t pretend that my story transformed her outlook on the issue – but what it did do was open our meeting up into a real discussion.

Once we shared our stories, our politician jumped straight in with her own. Being from a farming community, she told us, made her uncomfortable being told by non-farmers like us what was best for the land. It is the farmers, after all, who are quietly adapting to changes as they occur. What she wanted, in other words, was for us to acknowledge her own story – and it was through our personal narratives that this was able to occur.

We didn’t change her mind about specific policy points, but that was never a realistic option. What we did do, was break down some of the communication barriers between our community as climate activists and hers. Once we made it clear that we had no hostility toward farmers whatsoever – quite the opposite – she visibly relaxed. She even apologised at the end for being a bit ‘rough with us’ at the beginning. It was a small step in the right direction, and it is through many small steps such as these that we can change individuals, communities, and, ultimately, politics.

So, after all the torment that my ‘story of self’ has caused me, I now find myself an unlikely advocate of the personal narrative. It not only conveys our journeys, but invites others to reflect on and communicate their own. If we wish to empower and inspire change, then I can’t think of anything that could be more important.

- Lucy Manne is a student and the AYCC’s Volunteer Media Liason

Climate activist (and now AYCC staffer) Emily Lawrence knows exactly how that feels. She attended Power Shift 2009 in Sydney, and looking back, sees it as a turning point.

“It was just incredibly inspiring and exciting to connect with so may people and feel like I was part of a movement that was bigger than me and my community,” she said.

Did those connections last?

“Definitely. The bus on the way home was absolutely buzzing with excitement, ideas and intoxicating energy. I met people there that I went on to team up with and organise a big cycling event called Pedal Back to 350.”

For AYCC General Manager Ellen Sandell Power Shift 2010 is all about safeguarding her generation’s future in a time of muddy, uninspiring politics.

“At the moment, neither party has a strong policy on climate change and for me that’s really scary,” she said.

“The good news is that young people are ready to take the lead and get to work on climate change, and this event will give them skills and show them how.”

Ms Sandell says the AYCC has a positive, achievable vision for Australia’s future which is based on ambitious, smart investment in renewable energy.

They are preparing to think big and get loud on behalf of their members and young voters who are concerned about climate change during the upcoming Federal election.

To find out more information on joining Power Shift head to the info page.

–  Claire Snyder

From Monday 3rd May until Monday 10th May, young Australians have the chance to educate their communities about climate science and win great prizes – a $2000 voucher for Intrepid travel, $500 cash, tickets to see The Cat Empire, tickets to Woodford Folk Festival, and book vouchers.

The Competition

We’re launching a competition called ‘Reality Check’ to fight back against misinformation about climate change. We’ll give  great prizes for young people who:

• display our slogan “The Climate is Changing: We Can’t Escape Reality” in the craziest, most creative way to the most number of people, and/or
• spread our climate mythbusting fact sheet to the most number of people and/or
• show our animated video to the most number of people.
  

You can be as innovative and crazy as you want!  The competition is open for any Australian between the ages of 12 and 29 years old. There are 2 categories – school groups and non-school groups.

Click here to enter

The AYCC is also doing a speaking tour of the country during Climate Reality Week – 3rd til 10th May.  Want a speaker to come to your school, uni or community group? Email sophie.trevitt@youthclimatecoalition.org and let us know.

Got question?  Check out our FAQs and Terms and Conditions.

Thanks to these generous organisations for providing the prizes:

From Monday 3rd May until Monday 10th May, young Australians have the chance to educate their communities about climate science and win great prizes – a $2000 voucher for Intrepid travel, $500 cash, tickets to see The Cat Empire, tickets to Woodford Folk Festival, and book vouchers.

The Competition

We’re launching a competition called ‘Reality Check’ to fight back against misinformation about climate change. We’ll give great prizes for young people who:

• display our slogan “The Climate is Changing: We Can’t Escape Reality” in the craziest, most creative way to the most number of people, and/or
• spread our climate mythbusting fact sheet to the most number of people
• show our animated video to the most number of people.

You can be as innovative and crazy as you want! The competition is open for any Australian between the ages of 12 and 29 years old. There are 2 categories – school groups and non-school groups.

Click here to enter

The AYCC is also doing a speaking tour of the country during Climate Reality Week – 3rd til 10th May. Want a speaker to come to your school, uni or community group? Email sophie.trevitt@youthclimatecoalition.org and let us know.

Got question? Check out our FAQs and Terms and Conditions.

Thanks to these generous organisations for providing the prizes:

It’s been a weird few months, hasn’t it? Recovering from the bruises of Copenhagen, we’ve struggled on here in Australia with an endless (and endlessly frustrating) back and forth on ETSs, CPRSs and WTFs…not many LOLs, though. Even for those who really care, it’s hard to keep engaged with the ever changing plans our political parties come up with every other week to solve the climate crisis. The only thing that remains the same is that everyone keeps talking! But for those struggling with the ‘isms,’ologies and acronyms of Australia’s climate change debate, you can find a serious overview of the Aussie issues here or a slightly more entertaining one  here, and a very  gentle intro to the international scene here.

Former UN human rights commissioner, ex-president of Ireland and all round super woman Mary Robinson was interviewed by the Guardian last week, and told them that she thinks governments were the among the biggest obstacles to achieving climate justice. Mary reckons Copenhagen was one massive dead canary in the coal mine (no pun intended, I’m sure), and that the solution to climate change lies in the hands of “civil society” …and by that you mean who, exactly, Mary?  ”I mean churches, I mean business, I mean trade unions, I mean the environmental groups, development groups, human rights groups, youth groups – as never before we have to build up the pressure.” Preaching to the choir, sister!

Another big problem at the moment is the rise of climate change sceptics. It isn’t just happening here (I’m looking at you Andrew Bolt, Tony Abbott and Miranda Divine!), it’s happening in the UK too. The British equivalent of Penny Wong released an ad campaign based on nursery rhymes that was supposed to remind people of the threats posed by climate change, but there is speculation that there was a counter-campaign by deniers to sabotage it after the British Advertising Standards Authority was inundated with complaints.

The real issue here, however, is just how difficult it is to communicate the seriousness of climate change without sounding like the boy who cried wolf. When you go too hard on the doom-and-gloom-we’re-all-going-to-die angle, it creates paralyzing fear about the impacts of climate change. If you over-hype the threat of climate change’s impacts you ultimately play into the hands of critics, who can then dismiss the message by saying it’s ‘’alarmist’’. It also adds to something called ‘green fatigue’, where people just tune out completely. We face a really similar situation here in Australia, so you all need to put your massive brains to work and think of creative ways to inspire people to act, by getting involved in the AYCC’s Climate Reality Week!

But for those of us who grew up with a 30 second attention span, and even shorter retention rate, we’re still a bit hazy on what the real issue is, how it happened and what to do next. Ok…we could blame it on the smog, but we all know it’s cos of too much Simpsons, MTV and refined sugar – which is why it’s awesome that The Coalition of The Willing have united the best and most creative artists from around the world to animate the climate movement’s history in handy 30 second bite-size pieces. Watch the film at http://coalitionofthewilling.org.uk/ .

I’m trying not to panic. I haven’t packed, my ticket is AWOL, and my printer has decided to die in the middle of some very essential documents that I’ll need when I eventually get where I’m supposed to be going. I’m frantically running around trying to solve any or all of these problems when smoke begins to waft from the kitchen.  Just another Thursday night at my place, really, except this Thursday night, I’m supposed to be leaving for four days on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula that I hope will turn me from  ‘’Ciara O’Riordan: disaster zone’’ to ‘’Ciara O’Riordan: kick arse climate activist”.
Roughly an hour after burning my dinner, I take my (very uncomfortable) seat on the overnight train from Sydney to Melbourne. With 12 cold unforgiving hours ahead of me, and the faint taste of a charcoal stir fry lingering in my mouth, I settle in to reflect on what exactly I have got myself in to; 4 days on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula in charge of the cooking and logistics at AYCC’s  inaugural training camp .

I’ve never been an activist before, yet I somehow found myself not only attending but organising a training camp for the most inspiring youth climate leaders in Australia. Me, who could set cornflakes on fire! Me, whose idea of being organised is to be only 10 minutes late, instead of 20! Me, who couldn’t even make it on to the plane without losing her passport the last time she travelled (thankfully found where she had absentmindedly left it in the women’s bathroom)! For the next four days I’m supposed to be the go-to gal for 35 people of all ages from around Australia, coming together to gain the skills to lead the next stage of AYCC’s fight against climate change. I am convinced any one of them would be better qualified than me to fill my role. The chill running over me isn’t just from the blasting air-con – I am beginning to feel very, very worried.

Perhaps noticing my anxious face, the white-haired man next to me introduces himself as Keith and asks where I’m headed. As I unburden myself, his eyebrows climb his forehead with increasing alarm. “Well love,” he says exhaling heavily as I conclude, “I think the question you should be asking yourself is what those 35 kids have got themselves in for.”  Thanks, Keith.

What a difference a day makes. Having arrived at Southern Cross station and meeting the rest of the AYCCers travelling down by public transport, we had settled in at the Bayplay Lodge, unpacked and taken a quick swim at the beautiful beach just 500 metres away. I already feel a world away from the sleep deprived, fretful person on the train.

We sit ourselves in a circle to make introductions. One by one we share our names and something we care about.  Everyone has a different story, but they all share a clear vision of better future and a determination to make it a reality. I decide that honesty is the best policy and tell the group that I haven’t been involved in much activism before, but I joined AYCC because I no longer wanted to feel powerless to have an impact on my world; my hope for the weekend is to come away feeling equipped with the skills to do what activists do best – take action! By the end it’s very clear that there is enough passion, potential and smarts in this little lodge to take on anything, but there is only one BIG ISSUE in our collective sights – climate change.

It is also immediately clear that this is a group of friends, though many of us are meeting face-to-face for the first time. Throughout all the workshops, people encourage and support each other. Laughter is always coming from somewhere, and there are more hugs than Oprah would know what to do with. It’s the best possible environment in which to learn.

The workshops, led by AYCC’s senior members, cover everything from leadership styles, to project management, campaign strategy and personal narrative. Things really get cracking on the third day when we divide into groups to work on AYCC’s projects for the year, including Climate Reality Week and the upcoming federal election. There is practically electricity in the air as people realise that they are integral to the creation, planning and execution of the 2010 strategy for Australia’s largest youth coalition.

Another highlight is 2 hours spent picking the brain of Simon Sheikh, who is National Director of Get Up!, a 300,000 member strong grass-roots community advocacy organisation. His conversation ranges over the domestic political landscape as if he’s a tour guide for a bus load of eager activist-sightseers; to your left you’ll see the divides in the Australian environmental movement, to your right the lobbying power of industry and business. Just ahead of you, a possible Emission Trading Scheme, but mind your step over the double dissolution election just here.

As the camp comes to a close on Monday afternoon, everyone feels excited to throw themselves into the work that lies ahead. When AYCC’s co-founders, Anna, Ellen and Amanda, look around the room one last time they tell us that they too look forward to standing shoulder-to-shoulder with such committed, intelligent and passionate young people in the months ahead. For my part I feel very lucky to be counted among them.

“Given the future growth of green jobs in our economy, an education system grounded in sustainability is critical to the development of engaged and productive citizens,” said AYCC spokesperson Lucy Manne. “Students themselves know this, and we are glad to see this reflected in the draft documents.”

Over 5,000 young Australians have now signed a petition calling for meaningful inclusion of sustainability in their curriculum. The released documents list a “commitment to sustainable living practices” as one of three cross-discipline perspectives, recognising that sustainability must be central to our education system.

With areas of the curriculum still being written, however, it is yet to be seen whether this commitment to sustainability education will be carried through all aspects of the National Curriculum.

It is particularly vital that the Geography curriculum, set to be released in mid-2010, integrates sustainability in a way that allows students to develop the skills and capabilities they will need in this crucial area.

“Students themselves are asking for an education which has a strong focus on sustainability,” commented AYCC co-director Amanda McKenzie. “It is vital the new National Curriculum takes this into account.”

###

For more information or media enquiries please contact:

Lucy Manne

0417 387 516

lucy.manne@youthclimatecoalition.org

After the excitement of the year that was 2009, it was high time for our hard-working volunteers to kick back and relax, and last Sunday that’s exactly what our Melbournians did. At the AYCC Victoria Summer Picnic there were no petitions to sign, no data to enter, and no votes to cast – just good company, spectacular banana bread, and the sounds of Bhangra and Bollywood beats in Melbourne’s beautiful Fitzroy Gardens.

Of course it wouldn’t really be an AYCC event without dancing. And dancing there was. Our attempt at Bollywood dancing was amusing, if not entirely convincing – but a lot of fun, as always.

2010 promises to be an even more productive and exciting year for the AYCC. But while things might get busy, it’s always worth making time to get together to eat cake, bask in the sunshine, and have some fun. And don’t forget your dancing shoes!