1. The next ORCA meeting will be on Monday 16th February, 7.30pm, Marrar Woorn Community House, Pengilly Ave, Apollo Bay. All are welcome. The main agenda items for this meeting will be: Acceptance of the ORCA Terms of Reference and designing ORCA’s 2009 Action Plan.

2. The Minutes of ORCA’s last meeting on Monday 19th Jan.

3. See Training for Transition workshop flyer for training from the 20th-22nd Feb. Place are limited, please fill in Training for Transition VIC Registration form.

• Don’t forget about the Inaugural ORCA AGM Monday at 6:30pm on the 17th November in the Community House (6 Pengilly Ave, Apollo Bay). All positions are vacant and nominations for Chair, Treasurer and Secretary are called for. Please contact either Matt Armstrong 03 5237 1007 or Simon Pockley 0418575525.

Calendar of coming events:

1. 15th November: – 1:00 pm Melbourne Walk against warming starting at 1pm at Federation Square – walking to Parliament House.NASA’s Dr. James Hansen, the world’s leading climate scientist will be addressing the crowd from the big screen at Federation Square before we all walk to Parliament House to send a direct message to our leaders – We Want Urgent Climate Action Now! Bring your friends, family, colleagues and neighbours to make it clear that the whole community wants action to stop climate change – and bring something to make some noise with! Info: Environment Victoria 03 9341 8112, victoria.mckenziemcharg@envict.org.au
2. 17th November: ORCA AGM on Monday at 6:30pm at the Community House (6 Pengilly Ave, Apollo Bay).
3. 23rd November Sunday 9am to 1pm Making Your Own Biodiesel Workshop – Camberwell Community Centre, 33 Fairholm Grove, Camberwell VIC Cost: $110 Register:www.sustainability.ofm.uwa.edu.au/welcome/biodieselJonathon Thwaites has a wide ranging expertise in sustainable energy and alternative technologies. He has been running biodiesel workshops for six years, is a founder of the Perth Sun Fair and provides training courses for Bioworks, an Australian company that is establishing regionalised biodiesel factories for local industry and reactors suitable for backyard or farmyard use. The aim of the course is show how easy it is to manufacture biodiesel and how biodiesel fits into the future of alternative energy.
   Course Outline:
   * Biofuels and biodiesel introduction
   * Biodiesel demonstration, making a two litre batch in class and safety
   * Morning tea and discussion
   * Theory on biodiesel chemistry and testing
   * Finish biodiesel lab
   * Legal aspects, future of biodiesel and conclusion
   For more information contact Jonathon Thwaites on jthwaites@admin.uwa.edu.au
4. 31st January 2009: Canberra. Invitation to the Climate Action Summit. From February January 31st to February 3rd, community climate action groups from across the continent are joining together for Australia’s
   Climate Action Summit in Canberra, the weekend before the first day of the 2009 Federal Parliament.
5. January 20th to February 20th 2009 CO-EDAPT

More things of interest

Sent by Carbon Equity and the Climate Action Centre Melbourne

VERY SPOOKY———————–

Southern Ocean close to acid tipping point

www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/11/11/2416190.htm

Bianca Nogrady, ABC News, 11 November 2008

AND

Tighter timeline for ocean organisms

http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2008/s2416423.htm
ABC The World Today, 11 November , 2008

New documentary on the oceans and climate change

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/new-documentary-on-the-oceans-and-climate-change,613595.shtm

Ocean acidification background

http://oceanacidification.wordpress.com/

ENERGY & INNOVATION—————

Zero Carbon Communities

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=44558

Mario de Queiroz, IPS,  3November 2008

This small municipality in the south of Portugal is becoming increasingly well-known for its alternative energy initiatives. The latest is the Sunflower project, which also involves communities in seven other European Union countries.

Green coal?

http://www.precaution.org/lib/08/prn_is_coal_green.081106.htm

Peter Montague, November 6, 2008

As we search for solutions to global warming and toxic contamination, we can compare technologies, intending to select the least harmful.

Running on empty: deserts could solve energy crisis

http://www.theage.com.au/environment/running-on-empty-deserts-could-solve-energy-crisis-20081104-5hqu.html

Adam Morton, The Age, November 5, 2008

DESERTS could generate enough renewable energy to power Australia, in the process creating unprecedented opportunities for its remote communities, a leading scientist says.

Solar Power Game-changer: ‘Near Perfect’ Absorption Of Sunlight, From All Angles

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081103130924.htm

ScienceDaily, November 4, 2008

Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have discovered and demonstrated a new method for overcoming two major hurdles facing solar energy

New international agency to promote renewable energies

http://www.euractiv.com/en/energy/new-international-agency-promote-renewable-energies/article-176895

3 November 2008

Joint efforts to expand worldwide use of renewable energies recently received a boost as countries from all continents team up to support the establishment of an International Renewable Energy Agency.

Australia’s natural Strategy for Energy Efficiency: Policy report

http://www.climateinstitute.org.au/images/energy%20efficiency%20policy%20paper%20final.pdf

SCIENCE & IMPACTS————-

Current warming sharpest climate change in 5,000 years: study

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hHeIQXFs5IrQxlhEFpsF0R68GMaQ

AFP, 7 November 2008

Research on Arctic and North Atlantic ecosystems shows the recent warming trend counts as the most dramatic climate change since the onset of human civilization 5,000 years ago, according to studies published Thursday.

Carbon Dioxide Levels Already In Danger Zone, Revised Theory Shows

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081108155834.htm

ScienceDaily, Nov. 9, 2008

If climate disasters are to be averted, atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) must be reduced below the levels that already exist today, according to a study by a group of 10 scientists.

Energy Agency warns of 6 °C rise in temperatures

http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/climate-change/dn15144-energy-agency-warns-of-6-c-rise-in-temperatures.html0

Catherine Brahic, NewScientist,  06 November 2008

Our voracious appetite for energy is potentially putting the planet on the path for a 6°C rise in temperatures – which is far more than what climate specialists say the environment can cope with.

Bubbling our way to the apocalypse

http://www.climatecodered.net/permafrost.html

David Spratt & Damien Lawson, Rolling Stone (Aust), November 2008

Kevin Rudd should send his climate change minister, Penny Wong, to Siberia.

Power, water, roads at risk: climate report

http://www.smh.com.au/news/environment/power-water-roads-at-risk-climate-report/2008/11/06/1225561044334.html

Ben Cubby, Sydney Morning Herald, November 7, 2008

THE country’s electricity and water supplies are at high risk from climate change, and immediate action is needed to prepare for the threat, a report presented to the Federal Government has warned.

Garnaut’s grim reality here to stay

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24546508-11949,00.html

Asa Wahlquist, The Australian, 8 November 2008

THE Garnaut report, the Impacts of Climate Change in Australia, paints a grim picture. Without mitigation, it says, within the next two decades urban water supplies will be stressed, and agriculture will be affected.

World needs climate emergency backup plan, says expert

Correcting ocean cooling

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/OceanCooling/printall.php

Rebecca Lindsay, 5 November 2008

FAQ on climate models

http://www.realclimate.org/index.php?p=527

Real Climate, 3 November 2008

Measuring extinction, species by species

http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE4A501920081106

Alister Doyle, Reuters, 6 November 2008

The Yangtze River dolphin, the Christmas Island shrew and the Venezuelan skunk frog are all victims in an alarming flood of extinctions, but how do scientists decide when such “possibly extinct” creatures no longer exist?

Drought land ‘will be abandoned’

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/nov/02/climate-change-desertification-water-drought

Juliette Jowit, The Observer, November 2 2008

Climate change will cause ‘economic deserts’ even in rich countries, warns UN environment chief

OCEANS, POLES & SEA LEVELS——————

Arctic Sea Ice Down to Second-Lowest Extent; Likely Record-Low Volume

http://nsidc.org/news/press/20081002_seaice_pressrelease.html

NSIDC, 2 October 2008

Despite cooler temperatures and ice-favoring conditions, long-term decline continues.

Arctic heat

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20026794.500-60-seconds.html

Autumn air temperatures have risen to record levels in the Arctic.

Arctic Sea Ice Decline Shakes Up Ocean Ecosystems

http://www.sflorg.com/earthnews/en110808_01.html

SLForg, November 8, 2008

Avoiding confusion for stabilization targets for climate change and ocean acidification

http://www.climateshifts.org/?p=683

Climate change drives Maldives to buy land

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e4d63c6a-af55-11dd-a4bf-000077b07658.html?nclick_check=1Judith Evans, Financial Times, November 10 2008

The Indian Ocean state of the Maldives will start to divert cash from its largest industry, tourism, to buy land in case rising sea levels submerge the country’s low-lying coral islands.

SUSTAINABILITY—————

More of the same no cure for inherent ills

http://business.theage.com.au/business/more-of-the-same-no-cure-for-inherent-ills-20081106-5jej.html

CARBON TRADING—————-

Carbon crash hits Europe’s emission trading scheme

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/business/story/0,28124,24608324-30538,00.html

Carl Mortished, The Australian, November 06, 2008

WHILE you were distracted by crashing banks and clashing US senators, you may have missed a small environmental earthquake. The price of carbon has collapsed.

POLITICS AND POLICY———————

‘Big gains in greener behaviour’

http://www.theage.com.au/environment/big-gains-in-greener-behaviour-20081109-5kxf.html

Adam Morton, The Age, November 10, 2008

A detailed analysis of Victoria’s greenhouse footprint has found the state could slash its emissions in half by 2020, largely through existing technology that is yet to be embraced.

Download report

http://www.envict.org.au/inform.php?menu=5&submenu=1919&item=1923

Countdown to perilous global warming

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/nov/09/carbonemissions

Andrew Simms, The Guardian, 9 November 2008

The climate clock is speeding up. Governments must take responsibility and protect their people from disaster

The Climate for Change

Al Gore, New York Times, November 9, 2008

ALSO

President Obama’s Big Climate Challenge

http://e360.yale.edu/content/feature.msp?id=2082

Energy: can Obama keep it clean?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2008/nov/07/barack-obama-energy-auto-industr

Obama victory signals rebirth of US environmental policy

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/nov/05/climatechange-carbonemissions

John Vidal, The Guardian, November 05 2008

Climate talks: Obama victory offers hope

http://www.smh.com.au/news/environment/global-warming/climate-talks-obama-victory-offers-hope/2008/11/05/1225560930149.html

Climate change to take formal role in planning decisions

http://www.businessgreen.com/business-green/news/2229836/national-planning-policies

Tom Young, BusinessGreen, 05 Nov 2008

Government moves to address renewables project bottleneck by forcing all national planning strategies to make it clear how they will mitigate climate change

Climate crime outbreak may occur: study

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=652127

ninemsn,  Oct 23 2008

Australia may need to brace for an outbreak of climate crime as the world warms and greenhouse gas emissions reduction plans are imposed, a new study warns.

American evangelical takes climate change crusade to Canberra

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/11/10/2414844.htm

ABC News,  Nov 10, 2008

Climate change is not an issue normally associated with evangelical Christians but a visiting American religious leader has taken up the mantle of climate change crusader.

ACTIVISM—————–

UK Report launch: How do we get back to climate safety?

www.climatesafety.org

On Thursday 27th November, The Public Interest Research Centre will present the Climate Safety report at Friends Meeting House, Euston, London.

Australian direct actions on coal

http://whosepower.wordpress.com

http://www.climatemovement.org.au/2008/11/four-power-plant-shutdowns-in-seven-days

http://www.greenleft.org.au/2008/774/39927

http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE4A91CK20081110

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/11/06/2411942.htm?section=business

VIDEO—————-

Now or Never: Tim Flannery in conversation with Robert Manne on climate change: video

http://www.themonthly.com.au/tm/node/1310

Congratulations to everyone who made this successful Community Forum possible – and to those who participated!

For those that couldn’t make it, around 60 people heard Climate Change expert from Deakin University, Associate Professor John Sherwood outline some of the specific impacts of Climate Change on the Otways: property values, the environment and the economy of the region. Sherwood explained in clear, measured terms that, due to storm surges, a rise of 50 cm in sea level would mean a 50 metre inland shoreline movement. The minimum expected rises are between 50cm – 100cm leading to the likelihood of a 100 metre shoreline movement. The northern regions of Victoria are expected to dry out. There will be considerable pressure on the Otways through population influx, pest plant and animal migration and the need to secure local sources of food and water.

Associate Professor John Sherwood

But will we have the will, or the resources, to create north-south wildlife corridors to allow for the migration of native animals and birds? What will happen to local businesses when sections of the Great Ocean Road are closed? Where will the town of Apollo Bay be relocated? Sherwood asked if we, as a community, would be prepared to defend the infrastructure of our towns or retreat inland?

The 2 other speakers, David Shapero, Managing Director, Future Energy Limited, and Scott Kinnear, Hepburn Renewable Energy Association, spoke about their experiences in working with the Hepburn community. This community had not only been able to imagine a different future
but to act on it. Hepburn is now well on its way to raising $10 million for 2 community owned wind turbines that will power the majority of houses in the district. They pointed out that climate
change is not just a cause for hopeless concern or alarm but can also offer economic opportunities that demonstrate how communities can prosper when they take action.

Sherryl Smith chaired the community forum. She explained that the purpose of the forum was to gauge the level and range of interests within the Otway community. The audience indicated that their primary interests were Community Power, Local Food Production and Sustainable Housing.

The future of the Otways does not have to be bound to economic and infrastructure collapse. As a community, we are capable of imagining and creating a more prosperous and sustainable future. Members of ORCA believe that only community owned actions are truly sustainable and that local actions have a global impact.

It is never to late to participate. You can make a positive contribution. Why not make a difference? ORCA will be having its inaugural AGM on Monday at 6:30pm on the 17th November in the Community House (6 Pengilly Ave, Apollo Bay). All positions are vacant and nominations for Chair, Treasurer and Secretary are called for and will close at 5:00pm November 17th. Please contact either Matt Armstrong 03 5237 1007 or Simon Pockley 0418575525.

More photos from the Forum will be uploaded soon…

Previous Steering Meeting Minutes 20th October 2008.

Calendar of coming events:

Please add any further items using the comments box below.

Next steering meeting: Monday 13th October 6:30pm at the Community House (6 Pengilly Ave, Apollo Bay).

1. Meeting Minutes 6th October 2008
2. Thanks to our Forum Door Prize Benefactors: Jacinta Cleary Editor of ReNew Magazine from the ATA – (Alternative Technology Association) has donated a year’s subscription to ReNew. Michael Williamson, Sustainability Victoria has donated a copy of the Victorian Wind Atlas.
3. Public Forum on the 17th October 2008
   
   Please promote this event by emailing your contacts, sending letters and putting up posters.
   
   Your promotional kit includes:
   • Colour Poster [PDF 1,425KB] High resolution also available
   • Link to letter of invitation
     http://orcaction.org/climate-change-in-the-otways-public-forum-17th-october-2008/
   • Printable Invitation [Word doc 24KB]
4. Fern Rainbow writes: Can we make the Transition? A series of workshops on “Making the Transition” will be held on Friday nights at Marrar Woorn following the “Community Power” forum on October 17th. These workshops will look towards ways that self, kin and community can create local solutions to make the transition to a society of lower carbon emissions. They will comprise of creative and practical activities, film screenings, information and presentations and will lead towards an exhibition at Colac Otway Performing Arts Centre in early next year. Expressions of interest from local artists and community members are invited to be part of these workshops and exhibitions exploring local solutions to peak oil and climate change issues. See Can we make the Transition?

Calendar of coming events:

1. 9th October 2008: Can emissions trading save the planet? Cost: $15, $10 ATA & TAI members (Includes refreshments). Richard Denniss and Alan Pears will discuss Australia’s looming emissions trading scheme – the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme. They’ll look at what emission trading involves, how the proposed cap and trade scheme should work and if it is likely to work. Discover why voluntary contributions like buying greenpower won’t contribute to reducing emissions under the proposed scheme. A question and answer session follows the discussion. Time: 6.30pm onwards for a 7pm start Where: Federation Hall, Victorian College of the Arts, Grant St, Southbank (near St Kilda Rd)
2. October 14th: Melbourne. The Consumer Utilities and Advocacy Centre (CUAC) will be hosting a forum on community energy projects (details to follow soon). The ‘Improving energy supplies to your community’ forum is to help community groups understand what is involved in getting together a community energy project, and how it can be done. It will be a one day forum from 9-5.30pm based in Melbourne, and will be focused on reticulated gas and renewable energy projects.
3. October 17th Friday – Otway Ranges Climate Change Action Forum
4. October 22nd Proposed date for Human Sign – letter from Dean Bridgfoot
5. November 15th 1:00 pm: Melbourne Walk Against Warming. Organisers are looking for volunteers to help out in the lead up, so if you or anyone you knew were interested they’d love to hear from you. Ph: 03 9341 8112 Mobile: 0428 480 409
6. January 20th to February 20th 2009 CO-EDAPT

Perhaps of interest:

• There is no evidence of human-induced financial crisis by Bernard Keane and David Howarth
• Grim news from the UK’s Independent: The methane time bomb
• Fiona Nelson writes: Here’s a good website about this climate emergency. The group is based in Melb, instigated by Adrian Whitehead – a past resident from here who was involved in Otways campaign for a number of years, don’t know if any may remember him. From this site you can download Climate Code Red – Phillip Sutton & David Spratts excellent book – also available at our bookshop “Paradise books” Apollo Bay

  Also see http://www.beyondzeroemissions.org.au

• Plans are underway for a summit in Canberra for Climate Action Groups in February 2009 – the Saturday, Sunday, Monday before Parliament resumes leading into and including the day it resumes – a Tuesday. It is to be called Australia’s Climate Action Summit. All groups will be invited to attend, As this is an interstate event it is necessary for Victorian CAG’s to plan various aspects of their participation. A planning meeting for Melbourne ( and Victorian if possible – realise this is probably impossible) groups is planned for 5.30pm to 7pm Wednesday October 8th at Ross House in the mezzanine, 247 Flinders Lane.
• Dismay over solar legislation about to go through the Victorian parliament

Please add your items using the comments box below. I’ll update this section in a day or so