Friends of the Earth Bangaldesh AKA Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association or BELA, have made calls for an independent investigation into the shooting of coal plant workers by police back in April that left 7 people dead.The workers were defending their worker’s rights and payment of their overdue salary.We hear from Bareesh Hasan Chowdhury a research lawyer from Friends of the Earth Bangaldesh / Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA).Read Friends of the Earth Bangaldesh / Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA)'s statement here.Audio from this episode comes from our sister show, Real World Radio.Join Friends of the Earth Melbourne for the Cane Toad Awards Trivia Night on July 1st.Please donate during Radiothon to Keep Dirt Radio on the air. 

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Workers killed by police at a Bangladeshi coal fired power plant

This week on the show we hear another of the presentations from a recent webinar held by Friends of the Earth and the Climate Council about the potential for an offshore wind industry in Australia. This time we heard a little further north ot the home of the world's largest coal port, Newcastle, and hear from Lord Mayor, Nuatali Nelmes, aobu how offshore wind could be a transition boom for the city.Watch the full webinar hereTake action to get Victoria's buses 100% electrified!

Offshore wind - realising the potential pt. 2

Today on the show we hear some of the highlights from a recent webinar held by Friends of the Earth and the Climate Council aobut the potential for an offshore wind industry in Australia. We hear presentations from Tony Wolfe, a coal fired power plant worker, and Penny Howard, a research officer with the Maritime Union of Australia.Watch the full webinare here Read the Blue Economy Cooperative report on offshore wind potential hereGet active with Friends of the Earth's Yes 2 Renewables collective here

Offshore wind - realising the potential

This week on Dirt Radio - Lucinda, Mareta, and Phil catch up with Friends of the Earth's Anthony Amis and Michelle Baxter from the Strzlecki Koala Action Team and find out why the koala issue is a lot more complicated than first glance.Get involved with the Strzlecki Koala Action Team at Friends of the Earth here.Get involved with protecting Greater Gliders by joining the crew at GECO, or with the Friends of the Earth forest collective.Say no to nuclear submarines in Australia with this petition, and read more information about the decision here.

Getting up to speed with the Strzlecki koala

Today on the show we will catch up Laura Sykes - Friends of the Earth’s Sustainable Cities collective coordinator to talk about all things transport, climate change and anew campaign that is being launched called Better Buses in Melbourne’s West.Take action to call for better buses.Take part in a day of action to call on stronger Australian targets for COP26 (if it goes ahead!)

Transport, climate justice, and better buses in Melbourne's West

We listen in to a presentation by the Kathy Jetnil-Kijner - and activist, artist and poet from the Marshall Islands - made at the Climate Change Challenges to the Cultural Identity and Sovereignty of Pacific Atoll Nations conference organised by the Pacific Island Council of QLD(link is external) and Friends of the Earth in July.Join the national Day of Action for Australia's 2030 Climate Target on Friday 1 October to call for Prime Minister Scott Morrison to take a strong 2030 target to the COP26 climate summit.Be part of the Better Buses for Melbourne's West Campaign Launch on September 15.

Pacific Island Sovereignty and Climate Change - Kathy Jetnil-Kijner

We listen in to a presentation by the Honourable Simon Kofe - The Tuvalu Foreign Minister - made at the Climate Change Challenges to the Cultural Identity and Sovereignty of Pacific Atoll Nations conference organised by the Pacific Island Council of QLD and Friends of the Earth in July.SIGN THE PETITION: Call on Prime Minister Scott Morrison to match (or beat) Boris and Biden's climate targets for COP26!

Pacific Island Sovereignty and Climate Change - Simon Kofe

Zianna Fuad from Friends of the Earth Australia joins Phil Evans via phone to discuss LGBTIQA+ struggles, and how they intersect with climate justice work.We also run through 6 ways to build more inclusive movements:Educate yourself about LGBTIQA+ struggles and share knowledge and resources.Challenge harmful perceptions and actions, especially if you’re straight and cis-gendered.Never assume identity - invite people to share if they feel safe to do so.Use inclusive language - in meetings, and in your campaigning, and organising materials.Be deliberately inclusive.Turn up and be good comrades.Meanwhile check out the awesome work happening up at Camp Nunguu.Also check out these other great sister shows on 3cr celebrating all things queer:In Ya FaceOut of the PanQueering the Air 

6 ways to build safer spaces for LGBTIQA+ folks

Today we are looking at so called, "junk agroecology" and what's behind the transition towards a sustainable agricultural narrative in agroecology circles. We will dig into a report released in 2020 titled “Junk Agroecology: The corporate capture of agroecology for a partial ecological transition without social justice.”Yes, it is Food Sovereignty, Agricultural Practices, Corporate Cooption and social justice today on Dirt Radio with a special report featuring an interview with Katie Sandwell from Transnational Institute of the Netherlands (TNI) recorded by our sister show, Friends of the Earth International’s Real World Radio who also wrote today's script (used under Creative Commons licence).Please email phil.evans@foe.org.au if you want to find out more about food sovereignty work, or to get involved.

Junk Agroecology - corporations coopting a food system social movement

A new report suggests that Australia has some of the world’s best offshore wind assets, in fact enough to replace our aging fleet of coal fired power plants. Centred in this new opportunity is the Latrobe Valley, home of Victoria’s remaining brown coal reserves and power generation. It’s never been as simple as switch off coal and switch on renewables, and today we will be joined by Pat Simons from Friends of the Earth’s Yes2Renewables campaign to hear about some of the obstacles, and some of the opportunities that wind powered energy generation has for the community. Yes it is the tale of two wind farm projects, here on Dirt Radio!Take action to get the government moving on offshore wind here.Find out more about the Delburn wind project and public submissions here.

Tale of two wind farms

Phil is joined by Friends of the Earth's Sam Castro, who is part of an international working group looking at dismantling patrirchy and gender justice. Friends of the Earth believes that social and environmental justice is only achievable through a radical transformation of our societies. We seek justice and freedom from all systems that devalue and exploit women, peoples and the environment, including patriarchy, racism, (neo)colonialism, class oppression, capitalism and heteronormativity. These systems cannot be tackled in isolation; they reinforce one another in the constant drive for material accumulation and for the benefit and privilege of elites in society.Today we drill in to capitalism, why we must apply a feminist lense to our environmental justice work, and what some examples might look like.Get involved with Friends of the Earth.

Patriarchy, Capitalism, Feminism & Environment

The temporary ban (moratorium) on onshore ‘conventional’ gas drilling, which has been in place across Victoria since 2014, expires July 1st. This will leave significant areas across Gippsland and South West Victoria exposed to gas exploration. Phil is joined on the phone by Cam Walker from Friends of the Earth to talk about the renewed threat.Drillwatch is coming - sign up here.

The gas threat is back in VIC - Join Drillwatch

For the first time in history, a judge has held a corporation liable for causing dangerous climate change. As a result of legal action brought by Friends of the Earth Netherlands (Milieudefensie) together with 17,000 co-plaintiffs and six other organisations1 the court in The Hague ruled that Shell must reduce its CO2 emissions by 45% within 10 years. This historic verdict has enormous consequences for Shell and other big polluters globally.  Sam Cossar-Gilbert from Friends of the Earth joins us to talk about this historic win that has sent shockwaves around the globe and shivers down the spine of fossil fools everywhere.Vote now in the Cane Toad awardsGet involved with Friends of the Earth's Economic Justice Collective

Historic victory: judge forces Shell to drastically reduce CO2 emissions globally

The onshore conventional gas moratorium - or temporary ban - is due to be lifted on June 30. This means that a potential new front could open up in the fight against fossil fuels with onshore drilling and exploration across Victoria's farmlands.In this report we hear from South West VIC resident and former dairy farmer, Gillian Blair, and the Australia Institute's Mark Ogge, about how the economic argument for gas just does not stack up - especially when it comes to jobs.Upcoming events:Delivery Day for the People's Climate Strategy - June 4Fundraiser for local anarchist publication - Beyond the Dark Horizon - June 26

Onshore gas threat - The jobs fallacy

Phil is joined by Friends of the Earth's Sam Cossar-Gilbert to talk about the Cane Toad Awards.From BHP’s Samarco dam disaster in Brazil to Mayur Resources’ push for the first coal industry in the Pacific.  Many Australian companies are implicated in the destruction of our planet and peoples livelihoods, just like cane toads. Demand accountability by voting in Australia’s most disgusting award, sharing and exposing these toxic toads.VOTE NOW!Get active for corporate accountability:Friends of the EarthJubilee AustraliaActionAid

Cane Toad Awards - vote now for corporate accountability

Friends of the Earth campaigners and activists dig down into the dirt on important environmental and social justice issues.

Workers killed by police at a Bangladeshi coal fired power p...