XRSA September Newsletter

Greetings Rebels,

Welcome to the September XRSA Newsletter. We hope this email finds you safe and well.

We’re just weeks away from the Asia-Pacific Oil and Gas Conference in Adelaide. This event marks the first wave of disruptive action as part of our targeted End Fossil Fuels Now Campaign. This month rebels have been preparing for what we expect to be XRSA’s most disruptive action period. We hope you will join us.

This month we have seen a range of good news stories on climate. International legal history was made when the UN Human Rights Committee found that the Australian Government violated Torres Strait Islanders rights by failing to act on climate breakdown. Tiwi Traditional Owners have won a historic case over Santos’ approvals to drill Tiwi Sea Country. Rebels from Blockade Australia and XRWA have had charges for civil disobedience actions dropped. Origin Energy is divesting from the Beetaloo, AGL will close the Loy Yang coal-fired power station a decade early and the Queensland government announced a $62 billion clean energy plan that included the ‘world’s largest pumped hydro energy storage’.

While these are all positive signs the climate crisis still rages on. Our responsibility in this time is to take action proportionate to the emergency that we face. Mass participation civil disobedience is our best and last chance to avoid climate collapse.

Next Steps for New Rebels

Watch the Heading for Extinction Presentation (recording)
Get trained in non-violent civil disobedience.
Hit the streets! Join us as we take action (details below)
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok!
If possible, support us through a once off or recurring donation.

Hope & Reality in Rundle Mall

In early September rebels lined Rundle Mall with messages of climate hope and reality. They were joined by the Red Rebel Brigade as they stood on top of soapboxes wearing sandwich boards. On one side of the board was a list of things they find hope in, and on the other is the devastating reality that counteracts that hope.

Watch News Coverage | Watch Livestream | View Photos

Street stitching in Rundle Mall

Rebels returned to Rundle Mall later in the month for the third Stitch It Don’t Ditch It action. Drawing attention to how fast fashion and textile waste contributes to global emissions by mending clothes in front of fast fashion giant, H&M.

Watch News Coverage | Watch Livestream | View Photos

Kidical Mass

Last weekend the streets of Adelaide were taken over by young cyclists and their families as part of the global Kidical Mass day of action. Reclaiming the streets in the name of cycling safety and accessibility for children. This action was supported by rebels in XRSA.

Watch Livestream | View Photos

Refusal to accept divestment petition at University of Adelaide

Ahead of today’s University of Adelaide Council meeting, Vice-Chancellor Peter Høj has refused to meet with activists to receive a petition with 520 signatures calling for the University to immediately divest from fossil fuels. You can read the media release from Fossil Free Adelaide Uni and Uni Students for Climate Justice here.

Disrupting Santos at the InDaily Business Index Lunch

Yesterday Cathy got on stage to disrupt the keynote speech of Santos’ Brett Woods at the InDaily Business Index lunch. Woods, the President of Midstream Infrastructure and Clean Fuels Division at Santos was spruiking Carbon Capture and Storage. A technology with a long history of failure that the industry shills to justify new fossil fuel projects and to continue polluting longer than necessary.

Cathy gave a brief speech calling out Santos before leaving the stage and being escorted out of event.