Things are reversed in the southern hemisphere, right? Toilets flush the other way, and conservatives are really liberals in Australia. Wacky.
This diary is a call for advice!
I'm going to spend 5 months in Melbourne, and want to be involved in political blogging, climate change activism and learning more about how progressive can and are changing the world. Some of you may know me for my involvement in US youth climate activism. While there are some important fights coming up here, (Clean Air Act, Senate Climate Bill, 2010 elections) I'm jumping ship so to speak for the opportunity to travel and learn more about just what I want my role to be.
Australians have higher carbon emissions per capita than any other major nation. Australians have been stuck with some crappy politicians who have bowed to corporate interests, opposed the Kyoto protocol, wrecked havoc in the international climate negotiations, and opened up the continent to dirty extractive industries.
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When I come back from Australia, I hope to have some lessons to share here. Australia is the largest exporter of coal in the world, and lot of it going to China. China seems like a big economic threat to Americans, but imagine how an Australian feels, having an economy driven by resource extraction to feed Chinese factories.
There are a lot of signs for hope. The Australian Youth Climate Coalition, counterpart of the US Energy Action Coalition, is a bad-ass organization that mobilizes thousands of young people on climate in the country. And their home solar subsidies definitely put American ones to shame.
So send me links! Send me blogs! Send me places to visit and people to connect with! Help make this trip a huge learning experience, because those lessons learned are going to go straight back into the progressive movement here when I get back.