Dirt Radio

We all know about infiltration of campaigns by undercover agents, and we were all shocked by the level of surveillance reveled by the Snowden leaks. So why are so many activists so lax when it comes to digital security?Phil Evans interviews Glenn Todd of ActionSkills about why digital security is so important and oulines 4 simple steps theat EVERY activist must take in order to begin to build a 'herd immunity' online and to secure their information.Check out actionskills.org/course/digital-security/ for more details and tips on digital security.

Another in the Dirt Radio series exploring the backround, motivation and key radicalizing moments in the lives of long-time Friends of the Earth campaigners. This week Chloe Aldenhoven, currently Western District Lock the Gate Coordinator in the state of Victoriahttp://coalandgasfreevic.org/https://www.facebook.com/coalandgasfree/?fref=nfhttps://quitcoal.org.au/

Today I talked about the coming decision to potentially Ban Gas drilling in Victoria. The decision has been postponed in June cause election stuff and this month we are waiting for a huge news with the Lock the gate campaign. Chloe is with me today. She is the campaign coordinator for Lock the gate Victoria and she is working under the Friends of the Earth banner. Who will make that decision? http://coalandgasfreevic.org/2nd part: Since mid-April in France a lot of things happen in this land nestled between the Meuse and Haute-Marne in resistance against a proposed nuclear mega-trash promising to bury 100 000 m3 of radioactive waste worse, or 99.9% of the French radioactivity, in 300 km of tunnels excavated at 500 m under land for over 100 000 years to 130 years of industrial implementation, estimated to cost between 25 and 35 billion or more, in short, the biggest industrial project of Europe! all of it has been approved by only 20 members of parliament 2 days ago...Colin

Yarra Riverkeeper, Andrew Kelly, talks about the job of a riverkeeper and about  'Protecting the Yarra River/Birrarung'. a recently released discussion paper calling for a full river system management plan for the Yarra, its tributaries and surrounding environments.The big four banks are still pouring huge amounts of money in coal mining in Australia. Despite warnings that, with the growth in renewables, coal will become a 'stranded asset', the banks aren't listening. Community organizer Pablo Brait is part of the team of environmental activists at Market Forces, an affiliate of Friends of the Earth, and in part 2 of the show, he talks about their current divestment campaign and targeting superannuation funds.

Last week 19 Democrat senators in the US stood before Congress to talk about the machinery of climate science denial and the ways that the fossil fuel industry supports and funds this machinery.Graham Readfearn, Brisbane journalist and blogger, has been tracking the dark arts of climate denial over many years. This week he talks with Dirt Radio about 'the web of denial' revealed in the US Congress, and its connection with Australia and the re-animated One Nation party.

In February this year, a 'flock' of seven Climate Guardians Angels blockaded a road leading to Santos’ Narrabri Gas Project in northern NSW. Involving the construction of 850 coal seam gas (CSG) wells in the Pilliga State Forest, the project has been deemed high risk for the flow of ground water catchment and farm production.And for their efforts to raise questions in a very public way about climate change, and its connection with the fossil fuel industry, the seven Angels were arrested, charged with engaging in criminal activities, sent to court and warned that when it comes to protest, the strong arm of the state is the final arbiter of justice.This week on Dirt Radio, two of those participating Angels, talk about the action, and relflect on the growing power of the state in relation to  environmental activism.

Modern elections, like the one on July 2, 2016 in Australia, increasingly draw attention to the influence of lobby groups, which have much riding on which party takes power. This week in the first part of Dirt Radio, George Rennie, researcher and writer on the growing sway of lobbyists in the political process and the workings of democracy talks about the lobbying strategies of the mining and fossil fuel industries in Australia. What about the other half of the mining equation - what happens once the lobbying and the digging is done? 50,000 mines have been abandoned all across Australia, with no provisions for rehabilition. In the second half of the show we hear from  Rick Humphries, co-ordinator of Lock the Gate's recently launched Mine Rehabilitation Reform Campaign.

Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FZANZ) is the bi-national government agency that's supposed to keep a watchful and regulatory eye on the safety of what we eat. But they're not doing a very good job when new bio-technologies like nanoparticles in food and food packaging are involved. In part one of Dirt Radio this week, we hear from Jeremy Tager from the FoE's Emerging Tech Project to find out why.Wind technologies will be getting a major boost with the Andrew's Labor government in Victoria announcing new renewable energy targets over the coming decades. In part two of the show, Leigh Ewbank, campaign co-ordinator for Yes2Renewables explains what this change of policy means and how the Y2R campaign played a part in promoting these changes to government policy.

The federal election campaign drags on. Still several week to go to election day, and still only paltry commitments from the major political parties to confront climate change and the potential devastation looming for Australia. #KeepYourPromise is a social media based campaign working to put that commitment front and centre in the lead up to the election. Australia’s leaders must honour the promises they made at COP21 in Paris - to reduce emissions now. First up, Dirt Radio talks to Andrew Laird, the campaign's digital 'engine driver'.In part two of the show, we hear from Morgana Russell, coordinator of FoE Melbourne's River Country Campaign. She talks about an increase inappropriate logging passing itself off as scientifically based culling, and the fight to protect irreplaceable red gum forests in national parks along the Murray River.

This week we are going to talk about a great campaign for divestment. Not the banks or Super but for Universities. Yes Unis are investing in Fossil Fuel and a lot. The Fossil Free Unis Crew ran by students has been lobbying for years now and last week the first Big Victorian’s Uni just decided to divest. More should follow!! www.fossilfreemu.org  or facebookPat is today the Y2R spoke person. Y2R is a positive campaign of Friends of the Earth, working with local communities, politics and the renewable industry sector. We talked to Leigh Ewbank couple month ago about a just transition with communities suffering from the coal industry like the one in our beautiful and infamous La Trobe Valley. With the early announcement of a potential closure by Engie (the French runned company who owns The Hazelwood power plant) of the coal plan, the most polluting coal plant in the world, The community must start to take transition offer pretty seriously. facebook