Not Going to Rain On Our Parade

More than 1,500 people marched, sang, danced and sploshed yesterday in the 2006 Brisbane Walk Against Warming, despite each one being entirely soaked by torrential rain. And it was torrential - there was more rain yesterday than the entire month of October, with the city of Brisbane recieving 43mm in 24 hours. It was a day for the true believers, and the spirit of the marchers were lifted by the rains that coincided with the city's move to Level 4 Water Restrictions earlier in the week.

Not to be daunted by the weather, the dedicated marchers decorated their umbrellas, weather-proofed their banners, and adapted their chants: among them, "We are here for the atmosphere" and "We don't mind if we get wet, we'll stop global warming yet!"

As Senator Andrew Bartlett reflected, " I was astonished at the turnout in such miserable weather and feel it was more positive than getting 5000 people on a dry day."

The message of the march was rendered more potent by the willingness of the participants to raise banners and voices in the conditions. As announced by Queensland Conservation Council Co-ordinator Toby Hutcheon, the march was intended to send a message from the community to politicians about the level of concern on climate change. This message is all the more reinforced by the commitment of the marchers. "Politicians are looking at things that are 25 years away from offering solutions to reducing greenhouse emissions," said Hutcheon. "We want something more immediate – energy efficiencies and a focus on renewable energy sources."

Anti-nuclear campaigner Kim Stewart told the crowd, that we already have the solutions to climate change. "Wind, solar, geothermal, biofuels - these technologies are available today, we need just to invest in them, not invest in end-of-pipe dreams."

"We need to embrace a new localised, community based economy where people help each other, not just themselves. Climate change is a matter of survival for many of our poorer neighbours: our inaction increases their jeopardy. As the biggest per capita GHG emitters, it's our duty to take action at both government and individual level."

The crowd cheered Queensland Greens campaigner Drew Hutton's plan that included no new coal-fired power stations, a ban on nuclear energy plants, and a target for all energy to come from renewable sources by 2020.

Brisbane's Catholic Archbishop John Bathersby told the crowd of the moral dimensions of climate change, and their spiritual implications. "I don't think we can be Christian unless we are ecologically converted," he said.

Marchers across Australia called on the Howard Government to:

• Urgently introduce legislation to put a price on greenhouse gas emissions
• Introduce a renewable energy target of 25% by 2020
• Ratify the Kyoto Protocol
• End the Australian dependance on coal and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by at least 30% by 2020.