Introduction by Croakey: Following the second warmest November globally on record, 2024 is on track to become the warmest year on record, according to a new report by Copernicus, a European climate change service.
It is also “effectively certain” that global-average surface air temperature in 2024 will exceed the 1.5-degree limit above the pre-industrial level, the report said.
An analysis by the ABC showed this week that cuts to Australia’s overall emissions have stalled since the end of 2020, and that “to get to net zero, all industries will need to do much more. And so far, there aren’t the right policies in place to make that happen”.
Meanwhile, the health and research communities were represented at a ten-day, two-part peaceful protest against fossil fuels held last month in Newcastle, on Awabakal and Worimi Country, and on the lawns of Australia’s Parliament House, on Ngambri and Ngunnawal Country.
Hosted by grassroots organisation, Rising Tide, the event engaged people in organised civil disobedience, workshops and discussions about movement building, democratic processes, equity, decolonisation, and hopeful futures, according to PhD candidate Giorgia Dalla Libera Marchiori and early career researcher James Hasler-Bail.
They urge more academics to “step into the often-uncomfortable shoes of civil disobedience”.
Giorgia Dalla Libera Marchiori and James Hasler-Bail write:
Late in November 2024, Newcastle’s Foreshore Park, on Awabakal and Worimi Country, was transformed from a local picnic hotspot into a bustling activist community.
Organised by grassroots organisation Rising Tide, an estimated 7,000 people descended on the charming harbour front location to join “The People’s Blockade” – a coordinated effort to peacefully block the world’s largest coal port (and Australia’s single largest source of carbon emissions) for 50-hours.
People power was on full display as attendees claimed Horseshoe Beach and hundreds of colourful kayaks paddled out into Newcastle harbour.
Cheers erupted as a desperate attempt by the Chris Minns’ NSW Labor Government to impose a four-day exclusion zone was deemed invalid and overturned by the NSW supreme court.
As a result, business as usual halted for several hours and one bulk carrier loaded with coal was forced to turn around – a major success in the eyes of those involved.
Several days later, many of those same protestors progressed to the lawns of Australia’s Parliament House, on Ngambri and Ngunnawal Country, for the “Canberra Wave” where they were joined by more activists.
Rising Tide’s demands for the Federal Government include:
- Immediate cancellation of all new fossil fuel projects
- Taxing fossil fuel export profits at 78 percent to fund community and industrial transition and pay for climate loss and damage
- Ending all coal exports from Newcastle by 2030.
Labelled by Rising Tide organisers as Australia’s largest climate civil disobedience action, over 190 people were arrested, including 14 youth.
One young 16-year-old protestor and high-school student exclaimed, “I shouldn’t have to be here today. My friends and I shouldn’t have to spend our teenage years fighting battles that this government is too scared to fight. We should be dreaming of our futures not fearing them”.
Aligning actions with science
As early career researchers passionate about improving population health and wellbeing, we felt it was important for us to join Rising Tide and use our voices to remind the Australian Government of their commitment to protecting the health and wellbeing of Australian’s and people around the world.
Australia, alongside many other countries, is a signatory of the Paris Climate Agreement which aims to ensure that global temperature does not rise above 1.5°C from preindustrial levels.
Despite this, the current Australian Government has approved 28 new coal and gas projects during their current term. Just three of these coal mine expansions will emit 1.3 billion tonnes of damaging greenhouse gases over the next 24 years, or more than three times Australia’s entire annual emissions.
Such actions are misaligned with global emissions reduction targets and repeated calls from international organisations, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the International Energy Agency, who have clearly stated that no new fossil fuel projects can be opened if we are to limit warming to 1.5°C.
Scientists and health professionals worldwide warn that increasing global temperatures, in combination with continued biodiversity loss, risks catastrophic and irreversible harm to human health.
Not only will climate change threaten fundamental ingredients for human health, like clean air, water, food, and shelter, but it will also exacerbate many existing diseases and undermine social and environmental health determinants through extreme weather events, infrastructure damage, and displacement.
Such impacts are already being felt across the world, including in the Pacific Islands with whom the current Australian Government has proposed to host the 2026 UN Climate negotiations.
While the Australian Government has largely remained silent after the protests, Rising Tide was joined outside Parliament House by independent Senator David Pocock, who thanked protestors for their courage and acknowledged the influence of the fossil fuel industry.
“In Australia…we have state capture of the major parties by the fossil fuel industry,” Pocock said. “And in the face of all the scientific evidence…we’re not seeing the courage and the action to actually safeguard our futures.”
A just transition
As researchers, we acknowledge that the demands by Rising Tide are not only aligned with contemporary climate science, but also recognise the importance of ensuring a just transition for local and Indigenous communities.
“The tide is rising, voices united, in hope and action, we must fight…The tide is rising, but so can we, in unity for the earth and sea…,” states Francis Nona, a Torres Strait Islander academic and activist, in his poem for The People’s Blockade.
On the stage in front of Parliament House, Grant Howard, ex-coal miner turned climate advocate, reminded the Government that the energy transition is inevitable, and coal workers should be at its heart so their livelihood can be safeguarded.
Workers should not have to pay for this transition, the fossil fuel industry should, since it has failed to pay its fair share while benefitting so immensely from Australia’s communities and common resources.
Rising together
Beyond nonviolent action, Rising Tide is about community. It’s self-titled “protestival” attracted a diverse group of people from all ages and walks of life as well as some of Australia’s most well-known musicians, including John Butler, Peter Garrett, and Angie McMahon.
As several thousand people came together, a joyful, democratic, and civil community quickly emerged where everyone was respected and welcome.
For ten days, people engaged in organised civil disobedience, participated in workshops and discussions about movement building, democratic processes, equity, decolonisation, and hopeful futures.
People ate, sang, danced, laughed, and looked toward a better future together, all while participating in safe, well organised, nonviolent protest – an activity integral to a well-functioning democracy.
With many of Rising Tide’s members hailing from Newcastle, the group is determined to continue engaging diverse participants in targeted and disruptive actions to shift the politics around fossil fuels Australia wide.
Rising Tide say they are looking to continue connecting with people across the country, building their community and story, and increasing their capacity for action, communications, coordination, and training as they look towards a bigger, better, and bolder People’s Blockade for 2025.
Activism
As researchers for planetary health equity – the equitable enjoyment of good health in a stable Earth system – we also believe that we must continue to peacefully push.
For researchers, we believe this means continuing academic work passionately and questioning the norms and approaches of current systems to identify possible leverage points for achieving equitable health outcomes.
We also strongly advocate for more academics to join a social movement and step into the often-uncomfortable shoes of civil disobedience.
Activism, in its many forms, should form part of our professional commitment to work towards a better future by supporting our fellow humans in creating a strong cohesive voice.
When we step out of our academic circle and into the broader community, we are energised and assured that we are not alone. Our call for change is supported by so many like-minded individuals who share the dream of a healthier and more equitable future – something worth fighting for.
**Feature image: Protestors gathered on the water of Newcastle Harbour – on the traditional waters of the Awabakal and Worimi peoples – in front of a departing bulk carrier loaded with fossil fuels.
About the authors
Giorgia Dalla Libera Marchiori is a health scientist by training and a systems thinker by passion. She previously worked in infectious diseases research and with different non-governmental organisations in global health and sustainability.
She is currently doing her PhD at the Planetary Health Equity Hothouse, at the Australian National University, investigating health philanthropy’s research agenda and its implications for the achievement of planetary health equity.
James Hasler-Bail is a dedicated early career researcher at the School of Public Health, University of Queensland. His career bridges the creative and academic worlds, blending expertise in screen and media production with a passion for advancing public health and community wellbeing.
Driven by a commitment to health equity and transdisciplinary solutions, James’ research interests focus on addressing the commercial determinants of health to achieve planetary health equity. Based in Meanjin/Brisbane, he is passionate about harnessing storytelling and communication to inspire societal change and improve health outcomes on both local and global scales.
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