Invitation - Corals' Last Stand - film screening

DCAN is hosting a screening of the powerful new documentary Corals' Last Stand and we would love you to join us. The film is about Scott Reef, a pristine coral atoll off the WA coast, home to endangered sea snakes, turtles, and pygmy whales, which is under threat from Woodside’s plans to drill for gas. The documentary follows author Tim Winton and musician John Butler, as they journey to protect this extraordinary place.

There will be a post-film Q&A with Mitch Pope, Campaign Manager for the Australian Marine Conservation Society. The wonderful Climate Choir Melbourne will be singing before and after the film. The film screening is on August 10th, 4-5pm at the Thornbury Picture House. Book your seat now to avoid disappointment.

North West Ward By-election

Do you live in the North West ward? Use your vote for action on the climate emergency and building stronger local democratic processes. Read the candidates' responses to the DCAN questionnaire here. As this election is by postal ballot make sure to post your ballot paper no later than 6pm on August 1st. (Authorised by A. Sanson 17 Hartington St Northcote 3070).

New report unveils the truth about Australian gas exports to Japan and South Korea

New research reveals that Japan doesn't need Australian gas for energy security as Minister Bowen would have us believe. Japanese buyers of Australian LNG are over-contracted and resell up to a third of this gas to other countries in Asia such as Taiwan and Thailand. Expanding the Gas Empire and exporting more Australian gas to Asia isn’t really about ‘keeping the lights on in Tokyo’, it’s about corporations making more money.

Read @Jubilee Australia’s new report ‘How to Build a Gas Empire – Part 1’ co-published with the Australian Conservation Foundation and Fossil Free Japan

[Above picture credit: Fran Johnson-Cash]

Passing +1.5C and our 2035 targets


Last year was the hottest year on record and +1.6C warmer than pre-industrial times. We won’t officially breach the lower limit agreed at the Paris climate talks for some years, but currently we are seeing, not just warming, but accelerating warming. Sir James Hansen says we have passed +1.5C ‘for all practical purposes’.

This puts us in the danger zone for runaway warming, as outlined in the 2018 ‘Hothouse Earth’ paper by the late Professor Will Steffen and colleagues.

DCAN has long pushed for an emergency transition to zero emissions and strenuously opposed new or expanded fossil fuel projects. However, as Sir David King, former UK Chief Scientist, has argued, we are now so far into the danger zone that emissions reductions alone are no longer enough.

By September, the Labor government will decide Australia’s 2035 emissions reduction target. When DCAN representatives meet with our local MP, Ged Kearney, we will be arguing that we must commit to a 100% reduction target. It is nonsense to talk about a ‘remaining carbon budget when the Earth is already way too hot! We will be arguing that Australia must also set ambitious targets for large-scale drawdown of the excess greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere and work with other nations to research active cooling measures.

Read more about the ‘three Rs’ (Reduce, Remove and Repair) here.

The time to stop procrastinating is now!

Take action on those home energy emissions by starting with a risk and money free chat with a DCAN energy expert. Meet with DCAN member Graham Moore to get insights into how you can save money and emissions in your home or small business. Contact DCAN now to arrange a meeting in a place of your choice.

Electrify your home and life - Report on a Library event

Darebin City Council Climate and Environment team hosted a timely winter event at the Reservoir Library with two speakers providing practical guidance on how we can reduce our energy bills and electrify our homes to get off unhealthy and polluting gas. Speaker Tim Forcey explained how transitioning to solar power and energy efficient appliances makes our homes safer and more energy efficient. Tim’s tips are detailed in his book My Efficient Electric Home Handbook, which is available to borrow from Darebin Libraries. Tim also recommended searching the ‘My Efficient Electric Home’ Facebook group to find answers to questions on a wide range of electrification topics including advice on purchasing solar systems and hot water heat pumps. Find out more about Tim on his website.
The second speaker, Nathan Burgess, shared how he and his partner Jess Barry built an all-electric home with limited space and budget. Nathan designed the home based on holistic, sustainable design principles and the result is a home that is comfortable, healthy, energy efficient and affordable.
Darebin Library supports the clean energy transition providing information on going electric here and you can trial induction cooking by borrowing a portable induction cooktop here.

Conversations for a better tomorrow - August workshops

There are two remaining workshops in this series of conversations designed to help us to connect, find hope and take action. 'Youth and the Future' is the next workshop featuring DCAN Convenor Ann Sanson and Parents for Climate who will lead a discussion on 'How do young people stay hopeful and how can parents help?' This workshop is on August 2nd from 3pm- 5pm. The final workshop focuses on 'Resilience' in a changing future. This workshop is on the August 30th, 4pm-6pm. Both events are at the Black Spark Cultural Centre Northcote. Book your tickets here.

Transition Darebin is collaborating with Transition Australia, Parents for Climate, DCAN, climate experts and local community groups to bring you this series of workshops.

Big win for strong climate action in Darebin!

Thanks to significant community pressure, Darebin Council has agreed to allocate $200,000 to a program which will help speed up household electrification, especially for low income households. This is a key initiative in the Climate Emergency Plan (CEP) and one that DCAN campaigned to have included in the 2025/26 annual budget. We would like to thank everyone who made submissions and signed the community petition to ensure that climate action remains a priority for Darebin Council. Much work remains to be done to make sure Darebin's CEP is fully implemented and properly funded. If you are keen to help drop us an email at [email protected]

Singing for Scott Reef

DCAN is delighted to welcome Climate Choir Melbourne with their singing before and after the showing of the film “Corals' Last Stand”. They will even sing a couple of songs about Scott reef. Here’s a verse from one of them (sing it to the tune of the well-known children’s hymn “All things bright and beautiful”):

All things bright and beautiful
All creatures great and small
All things wise and wonderful
Our gas will kill them all.

The Browse gas field is under
The heritage Scott Reef.
Now Woodside wants to drill it
That’s just beyond belief.

This is just one of the many songs from their current songbook Get Out of Gas.

 Fridays for Future Climate Vigil

The Fridays for Future Climate Vigil with Extinction Rebellion has celebrated its 100th gathering. Through hot and cold a bunch of committed activists have managed to show up with banners, flyers, cheerful greetings and facts for all and sundry who wander past the Spring Street Parliament steps.
We’ve had interesting chats with John Pesutto, Tom Gleeson, and even Ross Garnaut. But the most rewarding ones are with everyday folk, from groups of schoolboys who tell us we’re “doing a beautiful thing”, to tourists who use their phone apps to translate our signs, then tell us the same thing. Their friends take photographs of them standing with us and holding those signs.
We are hoping to celebrate another two years worth of Fridays, on August 8th, but every Friday from 8 a.m. (usually) to 12 p.m. (usually) we’ll be there, and would welcome company.

Vale John Englart (1955-2025)

It is with a very heavy heart that we pass on the sad news that John Englart, convenor of Climate Action Merri-bek, has passed away.

Many of us have worked closely with John on climate campaigns, some of us for a decade or more. We have greatly appreciated John’s insight and advice on strategies and tactics designed to influence our political leaders.

John also campaigned on many other issues including public transport, social justice and environment. He was also an amazing citizen journalist, providing analysis on important international climate meetings representing grassroots community perspectives.

Our sincere condolences go to John's family, friends, and fellow activists. He will be sorely missed.

Help DCAN Grow on Social Media!

Exciting news! DCAN is now on Instagram and Bluesky, and we’d love you to join us there. By following and engaging with our posts, you help spread the word about climate action in our community.

Instagram – See inspiring photos, event updates, and climate tips. darebin_climate_action

Bluesky – Join the conversation on policies, actions, and solutions. @darebincan.bsky.social

Every like, comment, and share helps amplify our impact. Follow us today and be part of the movement for a greener future! Please email us if you would like to join the DCAN social media team.

Want to know more about DCAN?

Why not come along to one of our monthly meetings? We usually meet on the second Thursday of each month at 7.00pm at the Bridge Thornbury. Please drop us an email at [email protected] to let us know if you are coming so that we can make sure to welcome you and give you an agenda ahead of the meeting.

Our next meeting will be at 7:00 pm on August 14th at the Bridge, 131 Shaftesbury Parade, Thornbury.