THE winds of change for renewable energy and better action on climate change blew into Tamworth yesterday as more than 100 people gathered for a rally in Bicentennial Park.
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The Tamworth People’s Climate Rally was one of many worldwide rallies as world leaders head to Paris for the United Nations climate summit.
Those at the Tamworth rally had travelled from as far as Quirindi, Breeza and Narrabri to have their voices heard.
New England Climate Change Action Group member, Tamworth’s Dr Robin Gunning, said about 130 people attended the rally, which was more than they had before.
Speakers for the day included Liverpool Plains farmers John Hamperson and Kirrily and Derek Blomfield, as well as former Tamworthian Jim Kable, who is visiting the area on family matters, New England Greens candidate Mercurius Goldstein, Emma Stilts who spoke about the renewable energy projects in Manilla and Dr Gunning.
Dr Gunning said Manilla Community Renewable Energy Inc was developing a community solar farm and a community bio-digester to generate power.
“As the weather heats up, most definitely people are becoming more aware of the issues,” she said.
“We are getting more and more people every time we do something, and the rally was particularly good because we got lots of new people. People are starting to say no new coal mines.”
Mr Kable said they were gathered to protest the “lack of action by our elected governments who have, for the most part, abandoned their democratic responsibilities to protect the citizens and the environment to serve instead the vested and profit-making interests of largely foreign, non-tax-paying, but political-party-donating investors in the mining of minerals and other resources lying beneath our land”.
Mr Kable spoke of the issues confronting farmers and residents of Bulga, as the Warkworth mine expands, threatening species, along with the small Hunter village.
“You saw those citizens on the ABC TV News – exhausted and abandoned by our government,” he said. “It makes us weep for this land.”
Dr Gunning said the group’s next event would be a forum to talk to people about how to divest their bank accounts from businesses that support fossil fuels, how to change electricity accounts to suppliers that support green energy in the new year.
“It’s a way that everybody can do their bit,” she said.
