Border climate change activists will add their voice to a a call for a major energy company to transition away from coal, made by protestors at Falls Creek on Saturday.
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Seven representatives from a 350.org campaign attended the Kangaroo Hoppet cross-country ski event to send a message to one of the sponsors, AGL.
Melbourne’s Vicky Fysh said the energy company, as the biggest carbon emitter in Australia, had an opportunity to lead the way towards renewable energy.
“We were there to highlight that if AGL and other companies continue to emit carbon at the rate we’re currently seeing, we won’t be able to go to the snow within 50 or so years,” she said.
“Climate change goes far beyond not being able to ski on the weekend and we need to act with the urgency that’s required.”
Ms Fysh said AGL had supported a 1.5-degree temperature rise limit, but needed to commit to stronger action to enable that target.
“They’re currently saying they’ll shut down coal-fired stations by 2048 and we’re saying they should move that forward to 2025,” she said.
"They need to act more urgently for the sake of the climate"
- WATCH member Lizette Salmon, on AGL
“We will have a presence at their annual general meeting on September 28 in Sydney and at their Melbourne office to push AGL, shareholders and customers to move quicker.”
Wodonga Albury Toward Climate Health will add its momentum to the campaign.
Member Lizette Salmon invited residents to join the group at midday on Tuesday, September 13 at the intersection of Osburn and Bank Street in Wodonga.
“We will be meeting at midday to hold up at a banner that calls on AGL to go fossil-fuel free,” she said.
“That photo will be sent to 350.org, enlarged and held up at the AGM with photos from other communities.”
Ms Salmon said the 2048 timeframe for closing down coal-fired power stations was "out of step with science".
“Reports have shown there’s been a loss of as much a 40 per cent of snow cover since the 1980s,” she said.
“They need to act more urgently for the sake of the climate but also shareholders.”
AGL declined to comment on Saturday’s protest.
The Falls Creek event was the 26th international Kangaroo Hoppet, attended by more than 1000 skiers representing 27 countries.
Competitors from the United States took out both the women’s and men’s elite 42 kilometre events.
