Newswire

The Sea Shepherd vessel Steve Irwin has been followed for the last 3 weeks by a security vessel/harpoon ship called the Shonan Maru 2. When on Tuesday the Steve Irwin docked in Hobart she was followed right up to the Australian EEZ by this whaling vessel. It is thought the Shonan maru 2 is still lurking offshore. A small group have decided to hunt the whale hunters just outside the Australian EEZ and have taken their boat to search for the lurking Shonan Maru 2. These people are not linked to any conservation group and are entirely self funded.

Two well made and free to download films on climate chaos.

Wake Up Freak Out (12) http://www.wakeupfreakout.org

Brilliantly made and informative animation about the science of climate chaos. Also, available in many languages.

The First Wave (26m) http://www.engagemedia.org/Members/LBurke/videos/The_First_Wave.mp4/view

Unfortunately, climate change isn´t some far away thing that may happen, its happening. The First Wave’ is a documentary about the first climate change refugees.

A handful of tenacious people have stopped the Traveston Dam, in southeast Queensland.

About 1,000 people celebrated the victory on 12 December in Kandanga, a one-horse town that would have been almost completely flooded.

Noosa Community Radio covered the celebration. Listen at http://www.noosacommunityradio.org/elation-and-worries-in-the-mary-valley/

When the Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin left Fremantle on December 9, the Japanese ship Shonan Maru No 2 was waiting to intercept and has continued to tail the whaling conservation ship south to Antarctica. Aleady there has been some initial conflict in the icy Southern Ocean near the French Base at Dumont D'Urville.

Forty climate activists have closed down the rail line into the world's biggest coal port this morning, (Sunday December 20) protesting the failure of the UN climate talks in Copenhagen to produce a just, effective, and legally binding treaty.

Twenty five of the diverse group - aged from 19 to 86 years and including a Buddhist priest, and an elected local councillor - are occupying a rail bridge in Newcastle, Australia, and refusing to leave. They have hung large banners reading "Greed wrecked Copenhagen: Now it's up to us all", and "You could have done something great."

Climate negotiations in Copenhagen ended with a whimper and some chaos in the final plenary. 119 national leaders attended the Copenhagen climate talks but the final 'agreement' (PDF) announced by the US, India, China and South Africa, was drafted far outside the consensus process of the United Nations and amounted to only aspirational targets and promises, falling far short of an ambitous, fair and binding treaty demanded by civil society.

Australia one of the worst Climate Fossils in Bullying small island States and also in Financing Adaption | UN Leaked Document verifies world heading for 3 degree plus temperatures | ClimateIMC: Climate Colonialism: Clinton's $100 billion in funding comes with colonial strings | Perth IMC: Copenhagen sham: the Empire reveals its nakedness in the land of Hans Christian Andersen

A leaked draft UNFCC document dated 15th December shows that current committments of emissions reductions "remain on an unsustainable pathway that could lead to concentrations equal or above 550ppm with the related temperature raise around 3 degrees C.".

The 9th Fossil of the day award was announced with Australia as part of the Umbrella group winning 2nd place. The satirical awards are a popular event presented by Climate Action Network activists.'Fossil of The Day' awards are given to the countries who perform the worst during the past day's negotiations at UN climate change conferences. (Youtube Video)

Goodooga, northwest NSW, 12 December 09 -- Aboriginal political activist, Michael Anderson, is calling for Elders from around the country to join him in Canberra for a ‘New Way’ summit on 30 January and 1 February next year.

The summit will be at the Aboriginal Centre ‘Jabal’ at the Australian National University (ANU).

“This summit is important for our future in order to take back our right to make our own decisions and stamp out the government-appointed spokespersons,” Mr Anderson argues in a media release.