Queenslanders count the cost of climate change
Extinction Rebellion Australia, 17 Mar 2022
Jo sent XR Brisbane/Meanjin this photograph, taken as her family watched the waters rise in Logan.
The recent flooding events have had a devastating impact in Queensland and other parts of Australia. These floods are not random unforeseeable events - they have been predicted for decades.
In the immediate aftermath of the flooding, Rene, a Brisbane rebel, shared this poignant story and image with XR Brisbane/Meanjin.
Rene:
“When the going gets tough... everyone stops competing and helps each other. My body is worn out but my spirits are high, having been part of an immense effort, in generosity of spirit helping people who were in difficult situations with their clean up. So many memories, precious items and furnishings are now covered in stinking mud, awaiting dumpage.
“Then I imagine my own house getting full of water, almost everything wrecked. How much of this stuff do I really need or use? The frequency and scale of these events is accelerating. Can we be better prepared? We can still prevent the worst impacts of climate breakdown. Together we can.”
Bill Cruickshank sent this photo to the XR Meanjin/Brisbane North Facebook page
On 12 March, XR Brisbane/Meanjin gave us Jake’s story. A little longer than the usual facebook posts, it is real, both heartbreaking and powerful. Jake is angry and grieving. He wants those in power to be held accountable for what they've allowed our world to become, for responsibility to taken, and the truth to be spoken. So do we.
Don't let the message be drowned by fossil fuel supporters in the media and government. What we have been told is coming is here. What we do in the next few years can be the difference between disaster and extinction. Join us in taking action!
Brisbane rebel banner drop over the M1 on 15th March, seen by thousands of motorists on their way to work
People suffering from the effects of these catastrophes shouldn’t be begging for handouts. Coal, oil and gas producers are the culprits here. Exxon’s research team predicted global warming and subsequent catastrophes in the 1970’s. They have known all this time, but have put profits before people.
It’s time to demand the fossil fuel industry pays for the disasters they have knowingly caused. Last financial year, our taxes paid for $10.3 billion in subsidies to the fossil fuel industries. Let’s demand that the government stops these climate wrecking subsidies immediately, and that money goes to prevention, preparation and supporting climate disaster relief. This could include a universal basic income to all those rendered homeless by climate disasters, paid until they are rehomed.
We cannot sit by and see these disasters continue to happen. Our actions can be the difference between disaster and extinction. We must stop using coal, oil and gas. Together we can do this!