Environmentality 10 September 2014, Renae Verboon, Lucy Fallon & Ahmed Yussuf, members of La Trobe University's Equality, Sustainability and Peace group

Divestment from fossil fuels is an important step to let the dirty polluters know WE MEAN BUSINESS… literally! Fossil fuel divestment is more than just you taking your money away from dirty, unethical, environmentally degrading investments. It is a statement to your super fund, your bank, your broker (if you’re lucky enough to need one) which in turn makes an even bigger statement to the fossil fuel industry, the government, clean energy investors that says “we’ve had enough, nobody wants these polluters around anymore and we’ll put our money where our mouth is, we’re taking our business elsewhere”

marketforces.org.au

This can and will be very powerful once the big banks and super funds realise the groundswell and have to listen to what their customers want because as we know too well in our society, money talks!

This week we had a conversation with some members of La Trobe University’s Equality, Sustainability and Peace group about divestment from fossil fuels. Listen to the podcast to hear what they had to say.

marketforces.org.au

Do you want to know what your bank is doing with your savings? Do you want to know where your superannuation fund is being invested? There are many great resources on the world wide web but a good starting point would be Market Forces.org and 350.org. These resources will give you a good idea of who is investing in what and all in easy to understand graphs and figures. Did you know that 55% of the world’s superannuation is invested in coal, oil, gas and other climate-exposed investments whilst less than 2% is invested in climate solutions like renewable energy? Or did you know that Since 2008, Australia’s big 4 banks have loaned $19 billion dollars to fossil fuel projects  including coal and gas export projects on the Great Barrier Reef? If you are not happy about it then get onto those websites and see what you can do about it.

Also on this week’s show we discussed an article by Alex White in the guardian ‘The ten worst environmental decisions in Abbott’s first year’. Have a read and see what you think. The crazy thing about this article is that there are 10 decisions, yes TEN (not just a few), all of which are devastating for the environment in their own right and all within the first year of this Government coming into power. What is in store for the next two years?

theguardian.com

On next week’s show we have My Everyday Garden with resident garden guru Jodie Jackson.

Music was selected by our guests this week (except for the last one, thanks Jaime)

It Isn’t Nice by Malvinia Reynold

Eyes Wide Open by Gotye
Welcome Home by Radical Face
Something’s Gotta Give by John Butler Trio
Lost Stars by Adam Levine