Dear Mary,

Incredible! Not content with their massive profits, nor the fact that fossil fuels already receive 28 times more tax payers’ money than renewable energy, the Australian Coal Association led a call this week for the government to give priority to highly questionable so-called ‘clean coal’ technologies.  

The coal lobby are making a grab for some of the money generated through the proposed Emissions Trading Scheme – which is supposed to reduce our national carbon footprint.  It’s a bit rich, even coming from a hugely wealthy industry group used to getting its own way. This would be like taking from the coal industry with one hand - and giving it right back with the other!

Now’s the time for a concerted push on our petition calling on Rudd and Swan to reduce the fossil fuel handouts and give renewable energy a fair go. Thanks to all those who have already signed! If you haven’t yet, please spare 30 seconds to sign.

Click here to sign the petition – or if you have, how about telling a friend you know will be as outraged as you?

Meanwhile, our campaign to “Stop Fueling Climate Change” is building momentum. Two weeks ago, we asked for your support to launch a radio ad voiced by actor Colin Friels, and hundreds of you helped out. We’re pleased to report the ads were heard across major metropolitan and regional radio stations more than seventy times, including on 3AW in Melbourne, 2UE in Sydney and 4BC in Brisbane, reaching hundreds of thousands of listeners. We also sent the ad to community radio stations and 170 agreed to broadcast it for free.

And many of you are taking this even further! More than forty local community groups have offered to promote the campaign, distributing campaign postcards and organising events. And more than 250 of you have told us you’ll actually make a quick call to Wayne Swan’s office on the issue. Thanks.

We’ll be closing the petition off next Friday, ready to handover to the Federal Treasurer. So lets give it one last push.

Thanks again for your support - together we can see real action on climate change.

Julien Vincent
Climate campaigner
Greenpeace

PS:  I was up early last Tuesday to organise this daring flight in the Greenpeace hot-air balloon between the smokestacks at two of the country’s biggest coal-fired power stations. The great photos present the stark choice we have between fossil fuels & renewable energy and received a good run in the media.  Check out the photos and video.