The federal government has just announced its plan to invest the greater part of its Covid-19 recovery budget in coal seam gas, at a time when the global climate crisis is at breaking point, and Australia has just seen its worst ever recorded bushfire season.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has revealed his plan to give billions to the dirty gas industry. Gas is a dangerous fossil fuel that will drastically speed up the climate crisis. Many already existing and potential future gas projects will directly threaten First Nations communities.
First Nations People at the Front Line
Australia’s First Nations peoples have been contending with the government giving the green light for fossil fuel companies to frack traditional land in the Northern Territory for several years now, since the ban to frack on the state was lifted in 2018 under much public dispute. Several organisations, including Seed Mob, have been running ongoing campaigns to push back against fracking for gas on traditional land.
What is Fracking?
Hydraulic fracturing (or fracking) is an extraction technique used to recover gas and oil from shale rock. This is bad new for several major reasons: One, fracking uses huge amounts of water, which is extracted, consumed and transport at a large environmental cost. Two, fracking causes instability under the earth’s surface, which means earthquakes and tremors. And three, toxic chemicals are released during drilling and contaminate groundwater around the fracking site, poisoning water supplies. Oh, and, you may have heard of water lighting on fire? Yep, you guessed it, that’s also due to fracking.
Standing Together
On Friday September 25th, First Nations communities, school students, unions, and many more will host actions across Australia to stand up and tell our government that Australians everywhere want them to #FundOurFutureNotGas. This day also coincides with a global day of action calling for a climate-led Covid-19 recovery.
We at Life Apparel stand with our First Nations peoples, our youth, and all others against the coalition’s disastrous gas plan. We strongly urge you to head over to the School Strike for Climate (SS4F) website to find our more and to find your local event, and have your voice heard.
The organisers of this year’s events are mindful of the fact that we are in a pandemic, and so the intention is to hold a large number of small, Covid-safe gatherings, both in person and online. Head over to the SS4C website and find your event now, and be sure to tell your friends and family.
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