We are living in a world that is being destroyed by throwaway plastic. Plastic pollution has flooded our planet, harming people’s health, accelerating social injustice, destroying biodiversity and fueling the climate crisis.

Science is only beginning to understand the long-term effects of plastic on human health, yet microplastics have been found in the air we breathe and the food we eat, and even in our organs and our blood. And communities on the frontlines of plastic production and waste are disproportionately affected by plastic pollution, social injustice,  and the climate crisis.

The fact is that 99% of plastic is made from oil and gas —  and big oil are making more and more each year. The full lifecycle of plastic harms livelihoods and the climate. Despite all of this, big oil, in league with big brands like Unilever, Nestlé and Coca-Cola, continue to promote false solutions and a throwaway single-use model where ‘convenience’ and corporate profits outweigh the cost to our communities.

But now, we have the opportunity to end the plastic crisis by pushing for a strong and ambitious Global Plastics Treaty that will end runaway plastic production and use. 

Governments around the world are now negotiating a Global Plastics Treaty – an agreement that could solve the planetary crisis brought by runaway plastic production.

A treaty that fails to deliver major reductions in plastic production and use will not solve the plastic crisis. Greenpeace, with our allies and supporters, demand an ambitious, legally-binding global plastics treaty that will cap and phase down plastic production and use, and ultimately end single-use plastic.

We demand a treaty that will keep oil and gas used to produce plastic in the ground and puts an end to big polluters’ relentless plastic production. The Global Plastics Treaty must be firmly rooted in a human rights-based approach that reduces inequalities between people, priorities on human health, protects the environment and ensures a just transition to a low-carbon, zero-waste, reuse-based economy that centres justice and the interests of communities most affected. A strong plastics treaty delivers a cleaner, safer planet for us and for future generations.

We know that the petrochemical industry, corporations and some governments will try to weaken the ambition of the Global Plastics Treaty, and here is where the battle truly begins. The Global Plastics Treaty is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to solve the plastics crisis. For the sake of our collective future, we must not waste this moment.

At the upcoming negotiations in coming years, we will show how an unstoppable global movement can achieve an ambitious Global Plastics Treaty that will turn off the plastics tap and finally, end the age of plastic – for our health, our communities, climate, and the planet.

How did you get on with your Plastic Free July challenge? Each year I look forward to reducing my use of single-use plastic as much as possible. Wouldn’t it be nice if Coca-Cola and Pepsi did the same (wink wink)?

Individual actions matter. But the entire system needs changing.

There are actions we all can take to reduce our personal plastic footprint — bringing our reusable coffee cup to the cafe, taking tote bags to the supermarket, carrying a refillable water bottle and even buying products like sunscreen and shampoo in bulk.

But while these lifestyle changes are important, to create large-scale sustainable change we must reduce and eliminate single-use plastic production at its source. Even the most conscientious shopper among us will struggle to be 100 percent plastic free as single-use plastic packaging alternatives can be hard to find. Throwaway plastic is almost synonymous with consumer goods and is often still the most common option found for straws, takeout containers, bottles, bags and food wrappers. We need to change the system. 

Plastic-free bulk food stores and package-free options are popping up around the country. But many people in Australia and around the world do not have access to affordable package-free options. It can be nearly impossible to find essentials like shampoo, dish soap, and toothpaste that aren’t packaged in single-use plastic.

Access to refillable, plastic-free options in our communities should be more than a “nice to have” and for those that can afford the often higher price point. 

That’s why Greenpeace is asking supporters to demand corporations that produce goods packaged in single-use plastic switch to a reuse and refill system.

Sign our petition to tell Coca-Cola and Pepsi to move away from polluting single use plastics.

PETITION

Corporations like Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestlé, and Unilever have been among the worst plastic polluters – as reported in Greenpeace’s Break Free from Plastic global brand audits four years in a row.

After a beach cleanup held in 45 countries, nearly 20,000 Coca-Cola branded products were collected from polluted sites. Only 9% of plastic waste products are actually recycled according to data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (1). Which is why pushing for reuse and refill products from big corporations is vital to reducing plastic waste. 

Coca-Cola became the first big brand to announce a commitment to make at least 25% of their packaging reusable or refillable by 2030, according to the 2021 brand audit report (2). While this announcement was a step in the right direction, as one of the top polluting brands in the world, we need Coca-Cola to set more ambitious targets for reducing plastic waste. 

Another key player in the plastic pollution game, PepsiCo has indicated their intention, not a confirmed commitment, to set a refill and reuse goal by the end of 2022. 

Recycling alone can’t this huge plastic pollution problem.

Will Pepsi seize this moment to beat Coca-Cola to a refill and reuse system that can reduce new throwaway plastics from entering our oceans and food systems that are impacting billions of people and wildlife around the world?

Join Greenpeace in turning up the heat on big brands. Sign our petition today calling on Coca-Cola and Pepsi to move to a reuse and refill model and away from polluting single use plastics.

Lisa Ramsden is a Senior Oceans Campaigner at Greenpeace. 

Sign the our global petition today!
Tell Coca-Cola and Pepsi to move away from polluting single use plastics.

PETITION

Sources:

(1)  Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development 2022

(2) Greenpeace Breakfree from Plastic Report 2021

The report, by the Human Rights Law Centre, Greenpeace Australia Pacific, and the Environmental Defenders Office, reveals how the unregulated political influence of the fossil fuel industry – a murky web of connections between governments and industry – is driving political inaction on climate change and the repression of those calling for action. Forms of repression include:

• The introduction of harsh, and at times unconstitutional, anti-protest laws targeting climate defenders
• The enforcement of punitive bail laws and excessive penalties for minor protest related offences
• Stifling civil society by defunding climate education and threatening to deregister charities that engage in climate activism
• Targeting activists with litigation, and surveilling and infiltrating groups of climate defenders 

Anj Sharma, who secured a Federal Court ruling that the Minister for Environment has a duty to protect young people from the climate crisis, said: 

“When it comes to protecting the future of our planet, young people across the world are increasingly turning to activism to generate action, rather than relying on governments. We’re not doing this because we want to, but because we have to. This is an emergency. Instead of persecuting the messengers, it’s time for governments to not only listen to our message but act on it.”

In the face of governments’ inertia, climate activism has been vital in helping persuade big business to change their ways: Equinor, BP, Santos and Chevron have abandoned risky oil drilling plans in the Great Australian Bight, Australia’s four major banks have agreed to exit the thermal coal sector on or before 2035, and Australian corporations including Coca Cola Amatil, Bunnings Warehouse and Officeworks have committed to sourcing 100 per cent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2025.

Global Warning calls for urgent and immediate reform to stop the attack on climate defenders, including by establishing a federal integrity commission, capping political donations, and strengthening legal protections for activists by introducing an Australian Charter of Human Rights.

Yusur Al-Azzawi, Senior Lawyer at the Human Rights Law Centre, said:

“For those without money or political access, protest is a critical way to advocate on the issues they care about. Yet we are seeing an alarming trend in which climate defenders are increasingly being restricted, intimidated and attacked by governments and politicians wedded to fossil fuels. At a time when the stakes could not be higher, and dire warnings about the earth’s warming could not be clearer, this is nothing short of reprehensible. It’s time for Australian governments to take action on climate change instead of attacking those protesting their inaction.”

Katrina Bullock, General Counsel at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said:

“Studies show the vast majority of Australians want stronger government action on climate change, yet the Morrison Government has been widely criticised for its inaction. We’ve just seen this play out at COP26, where Australia’s progress blocking and weak emissions reduction targets came under intense international scrutiny. 

“We live in a democracy which was designed to give effect to the will of the people, yet the voices of the general population calling for climate action are being drowned out by the disproportionate influence of powerful fossil fuel players. This report documents the disturbing pattern of repression experienced by peaceful climate activists in Australia as they attempt to be heard – from the laws introduced to criminalise peaceful protests to the excessive bail conditions, penalties and lawsuits endured by those who advocate for a greener, healthier future.”

Julia Grix, EDO Managing Lawyer, said:

“In our work representing climate activists we are seeing a concerning national trend towards an inappropriate use of police powers against peaceful protesters. What we are seeing is police placing onerous bail conditions on climate activists, including strict curfews and movement restrictions, despite these conditions being repeatedly overturned in the courts.

“In one instance two environmental activists with no criminal record spent more than 24 hours in police custody after refusing to sign bail conditions which would have imposed a curfew and severely limited their movement. These conditions were later thrown out in court.

“Most concerning is that this abuse of police powers is not limited to a particular jurisdiction. Around the country we are seeing an inappropriate and at times aggressive use of police powers against peaceful environmental protesters.”

For more information contact Maddison Bates-Wills on 0401 244 296

After posting a $2.7 billion loss, the pressure was on the operator of some of the country’s dirtiest coal burning power stations to clean up its act or face even bigger losses in the coming years.

As well as the epic financial losses, the review was driven by a pressing need for AGL to get with the times. The old economic model that underpinned coal-fired power generation is under enormous pressure from asurge of large-scale renewable energy and storage projects already powering Australia and exerting downward pressure on energy prices, with many more to come online in the near-term, coupled with world-leading rates of households adopting rooftop solar. 

 Rather than moving to get onboard the renewables roadtrain, AGL has chosen to deal with the pressure by announcing plans to split into two businesses.

A ‘retail’ business, which will house AGL’s token renewable energy assets and try to push the community friendly image that AGL likes to cultivate.

And a separate company to hold AGL’s coal assets including some of the nation’s top climate polluters, Bayswater and Liddell in New South Wales’s Hunter Valley, and Loy Yang A, in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley. 

Bayswater is a coal fired thermal power station owned by AGL Energy near Muswellbrook in New South Wales, Australia. It was opened in 1985 and is due to shut down by the end of 2035. AGL Energy is Australia’s single largest climate polluter. This image document the water pollution and ecosystem impacts from the leaching coal-ash waste dumps.

AGL has once again let down its investors, shareholders and the growing number of Australians who want to see coal replaced with clean energy like wind and solar.

AGL wants to keep these ageing, unreliable and climate-wrecking coal-burning power stations out of the public eye but will continue to rely on them to generate the bulk of its power for decades to come, in the case of Loy Yang A, until 2048!

AGL plans are completely at odds with its hollow marketing rhetoric and the globally accepted timeline for coal closure that we need to maintain a safe climate.

By hiding its polluting coal assets away in a separate business, AGL is attempting to pull the wool over the eyes of its millions of customers. It’s masquerading as a forward-facing, modern energy business while holding on to its ageing, unreliable coal power stations.

AGL has already been left behind and this dodgy demerger will only entrench its backward position on climate and energy. Its main rival Energy Australia, which has been slow but seems almost like a Formula One race car compared to the glacial pace of AGL, has brought forward the closure of its Yallourn coal burning power station in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley to 2028. Yallourn will be replaced by the world’s largest battery.

Energy Australia Man ging Director Catherine Tanna said the new battery “will help to secure Victoria’s energy supply and enable more renewables to enter the system”.

The very same renewables that make AGL’s decision to run its Loy Yang A power station until 2048 completely untenable on economic and environmental grounds.

Given where the coal market is headed, AGL’s CEO Brett Redman is dreaming if he thinks Loy Yang A can stay open that long. This timeline is also completely inconsistent with nation-wide efforts to reach net zero emissions by 2050.

AGL is clearly a company in trouble and it’s gone into damage control. But rather than doing anything of substance, AGL has chosen to treat the inevitable decline of coal and it’s terrible environmental impact as a marketing problem rather than an opportunity.

Customers of all businesses want them to take meaningful action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Other businesses are listening and responding by announcing shifts to 100 per cent renewable electricity. This year we’ve seen Coles, Coca-Cola Amatil and TPG Telecom make the renewable switch, following brands such as Woolworths, Bunnings, Officeworks, Telstra and ALDI last year.

These are all big, complex companies that use lots of energy but that hasn’t stopped them from making concrete plans to reduce emissions.

Energy providers, like AGL, should be doing the same, rather than relying on complex corporate manoeuvres to try and hide their destructive operations and continue polluting.

If AGL was serious about the future of the planet, and the long term future of its business, it could power Australia with renewable energy – and it would create thousands of jobs and thriving industries, particularly in regional Australia. 

There are clear economic benefits for AGL to make the switch to clean energy, pumped hydro and battery storage could be attached to the sites of its existing power stations, where they can easily hook up to high voltage transmission lines.

With renewable energy already powering the country, and growing every day, it’s time for AGL to come clean and make the switch – or fall even further behind.

Glenn Walker, Greenpeace Australia Pacific senior coal campaigner, says the demerger is a cynical attempt to ringfence the AGL brand from criticism of its poor environmental performance.

“NewAGL is a bit like “New Coke” – a cynical attempt to rebrand the same old, tired and polluting product, without making any substantive changes. Relying on offsets to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions is a cop-out. As Australia’s largest energy company, AGL has the responsibility to take concrete action to reduce emissions by switching to 100 per cent renewable energy within the next decade, or sooner,” he said.

“AGL is trying to dodge its responsibility to manage the shutdown and rehabilitation of its ageing coal burning power stations by hiding its coal assets in a separate business. This demerger should be seen for what it is – an attempt by a company worried about its brand to hide its reputation as the nation’s biggest polluter.” 

“AGL operates some of Australia’s most environmentally destructive and increasingly unprofitable power stations. Instead of abdicating its duty, AGL must step up, embrace its own marketing hype and rapidly shift its power generation to 100 per cent renewable sources as soon as possible.”

AGL is responsible for almost a quarter of Australia’s total electricity sector emissions and eight per cent of the country’s emissions overall, which primarily comes from the coal burned at the energy giant’s three major power stations: Liddell, Bayswater, and Loy Yang A. 

This morning CEO Brett Redman reaffirmed that AGL has no intention of closing Loy Yang A, its notorious Latrobe Valley coal-burning power station, before 2048. This timeline puts AGL at odds with its competitors, including Energy Australia, which recently announced it is bringing forward the closure date for its Yallourn facility to 2028.

Mr Walker said that AGL’s failure to plan for Loy Yang A’s closure was, at best, unrealistic.

“Given where the coal market is headed, Brett Redman is dreaming if he thinks Loy Yang A can stay open until 2048. This timeline is also completely inconsistent with nation-wide efforts to reach net zero emissions by 2050,” he said.

In recent months demand for renewable energy has continued to soar, with new projects announced almost daily and some of Australia’s largest energy users, such as Coles and Woolworths pledging to source 100 per cent of their electricity from clean energy sources by 2025.

Notes

[1] https://cdn-api.markitdigital.com/apiman-gateway/ASX/asx-research/1.0/file/2924-02358644-2A1289840?access_token=83ff96335c2d45a094df02a206a39ff4 

Contact

Greenpeace Australia Pacific Communications Campaigner, Martin Zavan

0424 295 422

martin.zavan@greenpeace.org 

“Coca-Cola Amatil switching its Australian operations to 100% clean energy by 2025 shows that you can’t beat the renewable thing,” she said.

“Greenpeace is the last organisation you’d expect to find cheering on an announcement from Coca-Cola Amatil. But in this instance we think they’re doing the right thing by switching to 100% renewables, and committing to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040.”

“Coca-Cola Amatil is one of Australia’s major energy users. Coke committing to 100% renewable electricity will reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions and put pressure on other major businesses to make the switch.”

“Coca-Cola Amatil joins big brands like Woolworths, Bunnings and Telstra who’ve committed to 100% renewable electricity. They recognise that it’s a crucial part of their responsibility to tackle climate change, and increasingly, what their customers want to see.”

“As our Federal leaders dither over an inadequate net-zero by 2050 emissions reduction target, they’re being out-run by Australian businesses who are rapidly transitioning to renewable energy, and setting net zero goals for ten years earlier. When even Coca-Cola’s doing more for the environment than our government is, it shows it’s time for Australia to up its climate ambition.”

Coca-Cola Amatil’s 100% renewable announcement, made as part of the company’s 2020-2040 Sustainability Strategy, sets out the company’s goal to achieve net zero direct carbon emissions (Scope 1 and 2) by 2040 and 100% renewable electricity in Australia and New Zealand by 2025.

Greenpeace Australia Pacific is still calling on Coca-Cola Amatil to commit all of its global operations to 100% renewable electricity and join over 280 businesses worldwide in the RE100 initiative, which brings together some of the world’s largest and most ambitious companies on renewable energy.

Lindsay Soutar said that, while Greenpeace Australia Pacific welcomes the company’s renewable energy announcement, it’s not letting Coca-Cola off the hook on other environmental issues.

“While this is a welcome step, Coca-Cola Amatil still has a lot of work to do on its environmental impact, such as banning single use plastic drink bottles, one of the biggest contributors to harmful plastic pollution ” she said.

For more information or to arrange an interview please contact Fiona Ivits on 0487 003 872 or fiona.ivits@greenpeace.org

With a few possible exceptions in the Federal Government, the whole nation has felt the impact of this disaster and has dug in and come together, undeniably turbocharged by climate change.

Australians have opened their wallets to provide funding to our fire services, staffed by a volunteer army still battling blazes across our country. Many have also opened their homes, while others are giving time and assistance to charity groups or sewing pouches for injured wildlife.

We’ve also seen some of Australia’s biggest corporations stepping up to help out where they can. Woolworths has giving $3.5 million in relief, and Coles has donated $3 million. Wesfarmers (the parent company of Bunnings, Kmart, Target and Officeworks) donated $1.5 million, and is also matching employee donations of up to $1 million. Telstra is offering disaster assistance for fire affected areas and free mobile plans for firefighter and state emergency volunteers. Coca-Cola Amatil has delivered 250,000 drinks for emergency services responders on the front lines.

But the question corporate Australia needs to answer now is what comes next? What will they commit to do to address the very real and ongoing climate crisis that has made this fire season so much worse?

Most Australians would not realise the biggest brands they interact with daily are some of Australia’s biggest energy users.

Powering all those lights, coolrooms and check-outs, Woolworths is Australia’s 5th largest electricity consumer in Australia. Coles is the 10th largest, and our biggest telco, Telstra, is 11th. Combined, these three companies alone account for 2 per cent of Australia’s total domestic climate pollution.

So what are the solutions and opportunities available for these companies to help prevent increasingly worse impacts of climate change?

Australia’s biggest companies must lead the way and set plans for a rapid transition to zero net emissions, with the easiest first step committing to 100 per cent renewable electricity.

Already, over 80 companies operating in Australia have already made this commitment via the global RE100 initiative – these companies include Google, Ikea, Apple, Microsoft, David Jones, L’Oreal and all the big four banks.

And it’s not just individual companies – whole sectors are switching. By the end of 2019 all major beer brewers in Australia – Carlton & United, Lion and Asahi Australia – were committed to 100 per cent renewable electricity by 2025, meaning all our schooners will soon be powered by the sun.

Switching to renewable energy makes sense on many levels.

Greenpeace’s Renergise Australian Business report analysed 80 big-name companies and institutions across seven major industry sectors and found that businesses that commit to switch to renewable electricity will save money, take greater control of their energy supply, and get closer to meeting their climate commitments.

This transition is also be a huge boost for brands. Being 100 per cent renewable gives companies the social license to talk about being good corporate citizens and raises employee morale.

The Edelman Trust Barometer from 2019 found that 71 per cent of employees believe it’s critically important for “my CEO” to respond to challenging times, with three in four workers saying CEOs should take the lead on addressing change, rather than waiting to follow slow-moving governments like those held-back by climate blockers.

The fastest, easiest and cheapest way Australia can reduce our carbon emissions is to scale up our country’s transition to 100 per cent renewable energy. And corporate Australia has a major role to play as our country collectively looks at how we respond to climate change.

The summer is only two-thirds through, the bushfire crisis will continue to rage for months – and it will come again. 

When this season’s fires are extinguished and the blanket of smoke is lifted from our cities and towns, the legacy of this catastrophe will remain. But the legacy should not be all bad.

Corporate Australia must grab hold of this opportunity, commit to making a rapid switch to renewable energy and reframe the legacy of the bushfire crisis as one of action on climate, not anguish and anger.

Lindsay Soutar is a senior renewable energy campaigner for Greenpeace.

As we were reflecting on all of the incredible rallies, protests and actions from our people-powered movement over the past few years, we  happened upon a heartwarming trend: we have a sizeable number of furry friends in our ranks!

From Dachshunds to Dalmatians, pups of all sizes and breeds having been showing up, tails wagging, to remind us that it doesn’t matter how loud your bark, but that you bark at all that counts. For your bark is just one among many!

Naturally, we wanted to celebrate our canine crew and their #PupPower by creating a curated selection of Greenpeace puptivists from over the years.

Photo credit: Chris Grodotzki / Greenpeace

Dreaming of a winter wonderland, this polar pooch  told Shell to keep their paws and drills off the Arctic!

Photo credit: Greenpeace / Christian Åslund

This Sami puptivist showed us that size is inconsequential when defending the Arctic from Oil Exploration. The floofier the better!

Photo Credit: Greenpeace / Tim Aubry

This Good Boy could be on the next cover of Vogue with that irresistible, over-the-shoulder pout. Instead, he put his modelling skills to work to tell Shell to back off. “Woof” indeed!

Photo credit: Pierre Gleizes / Greenpeace

“Merci beaucoup” to this colourful canine, leading the charge to tell Nuclear to go fetch! *oui oui, woof woof*

Photo credit: Amy Scaife / Greenpeace

This guy takes Park Pride very seriously. Don’t let him catch you littering in his local green-space, cause he’s got his eyes, nose and ears on you. #caninecleanup

Photo credit: Amy Scaife / Greenpeace

That raised eyebrow says “Excuse me, is this yours??” (we’re looking at you Coca Cola)

Photo credit: Amanda J. Mason / Greenpeace

Raise your paws in app-paws for this Politically Active Pupper #wheatensagainstwalls

Photo credit: Mankica Kranjec / Greenpeace

You must be barking mad if this doggo can’t convince you to Break Free from polluting fossil fuels

Photo credit: Zsuzsi Dorgo

This little sausage roll showed us that it’s not the size of your bark, but how you use it that’s important. Howl for Civil Rights anyone?

Photo credit: Júlia Mente / Greenpeace

Ruff for rainforest preservation! #dogsagainstdeforestation

Photo credit: Greenpeace / Genevieve French

The only POSitive from the NEG was seeing this power-ful pupper raising her “ruff” for renewables (and the fact that you all got this dirty power plan thrown out!) #ruffruffforrenewables #savesolar

Photo credit: Jonne Sippola / Greenpeace

This border collie is part of a very different border, helping to paw a red line against railroads to the Arctic #paintthetownred

Photo credit: Greenpeace

What’s better than an adorable pup?? How about an even more adorable PAP! All you supermarkets producing #pointlessplastic better listen up to this conscious canine.

Photo credit: Bence Jardany / Greenpeace

Look at this Husky do the hustle for a legislated plastic bag ban in Hungary! The idea of a bag-ban makes us want to boogie too… #prancingwiththestars

Photo credit: Greenpeace

Read it and weep, Oreo. This doggo wants you to keep your paws off palm oil. #dropdirtypalmoil

Photo credit: Sarah Pannell / Greenpeace

Surf’s up for this little guy! Surfboard in paw, and ready to take on Big Oil in the Fight for the Great Australian Bight. Bow-wow Big Oil…bow-wow.

So there you have it! Our round up of environmentally conscious canines from around the world, getting their paws dirty and making their barks heard in the fight for a cleaner, greener planet. Pet Activists of the World, we howl in your honour *awoooo*

I hung up the phone with a chuckle at her enthusiasm, but as the day went on I became more and more frustrated. All this talk of sustainable toothbrushes, and meanwhile Australia remains the leading coal exporter in the world, and our state governments carry on refusing to regulate single use plastic bags.

ABC’s recent ‘War on Waste’ has put living a greener life back into the lime light. In the last couple months, disposable coffee cups have become a dirty look, composting a trendy past time, and zero waste living the hottest trend. People [like my lovely mother] who had never before taken an interest in environmental issues have sat up and started paying attention to the negative effects their actions are having on our world, and it’s fantastic.

But it’s time to be real, boycotting disposable coffee cups alone, will not curb climate change. Pushing the responsibility for environmental action onto consumers is something major corporations have been doing for decades [Coca-Cola, we’re looking at you!]. It’s far cheaper for big business to have the cost fall to their customers rather than to shoulder it themselves. Why should they have the responsibility to fix it at the source, when we’re smug and happy taking containers to our favourite Thai restaurant, and telling our mates how wax food wraps are the greatest investment we ever made?

A couple weeks ago, after an incredible wave of public consciousness, Australia’s two largest super markets decided to ditch single use plastic bags; proving, yet again, that the power we have as a collective is unfathomably more beneficial to our world than if we each go it alone.

Around 60,000 people turned out to call for strong climate action ahead of the COP21 climate talks in Paris.

Our individual efforts to minimize our environmental impacts are but drop in our [plastic filled] ocean when compared to the potential improvements to be made by our government and corporations. So it’s our responsibility to hold them responsible, and let them know that we expect better, much, much better.

So let’s keep that conversation going, because with it comes the responsibility to speak up and demand the same commitment from those with the power to create enormous change. The environmental movement has taken a definite shift in recent decades, from fighting against individual, destructive projects, to a worldwide battle to prevent catastrophic climate change; this is a movement of shifting mindsets and perspectives at every level; of collective responsibility and action. But with the combined enthusiasm of the collective in every aspect of our lives we will be the positive driving force in the movement which is set to define our time.

So we’ll see you all at the next Greenpeace action proudly carrying your Star Wars keep cup, in up-cycled organic cotton kit, while we raise our collective voice and call for action.

The good

After many years of pressure from thousands of Greenpeace supporters and our friends at the Boomerang Alliance, the New South Wales government finally announced a container deposit scheme, despite opposition from Coke. This will prevent tens of thousands of tonnes of bottles and cans from choking our seas and killing marine life. In his valedictory speech, Mike Baird said this will be transformational for the state – and we couldn’t agree more.

Years of growing land-use conflict around fracking of farmland and forests across NSW led to the NSW government pledging to buy back coal seam gas licences across the state, protecting vast swathes of land from underground water contamination and health impacts to local communities. Nevertheless, the government has still not prevented fracking in the Pilliga forest, which is the southern recharge for the Great Artesian Basin.

Last August, the NSW government announced it would buy back the Caroona coal mine license on the Liverpool Plains from BHP Billiton, after years of pressure from farmers and traditional owners. However, the Plains are still not safe, with Shenhua retaining a license famously granted to it by disgraced ex-mining minister Ian MacDonald eight years ago.

Mike Baird also offered to take in at least 10,000 Syrian refugees as he made a public plea for the Australian government to do more to help the millions of victims fleeing Syria’s civil war.

The bad

The NSW Government has still not abandoned its ineffective shark netting trial, despite existing installations causing the deaths of dozens of dolphins, turtles and rays and the availability of alternative solutions. This is a mess which will be left to his successor to clean up.

Despite leadership from Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory in banning single-use plastic bags, the NSW government have dragged their heels on the issue. Every day that passes means more plastic ending up in the ocean – and globally, that means a garbage truck of plastic washing into our seas every minute!

The Ugly

Mike Baird’s former chief of staff, Stephen Galilee, is the head of the increasingly shrill NSW Minerals Council. He has clearly retained the ear of the Premier, having succeeded in lobbying for laws to “throw the book” at groups like the Knitting Nanas who use creative protest to protect the landscape from coal and coal seam gas. Baird’s anti-protest laws have been specifically designed to have a chilling effect on democratic protest – and they haven’t only been used to target climate campaigners.

Sydney residents opposed to the construction of Australia’s biggest and arguably most controversial infrastructure project, Westconnex, have been the recipients of heavy-handed police tactics using the new laws designed by Mike’s mining mates. The toll road is itself an environmental catastrophe, promising to increase the number of cars on the road and pollution in the air. Meanwhile, forward-thinking global cities are doing the opposite by providing sustainable public transport systems for their citizens. Like so many of Mike’s decisions, developers and big business are the main beneficiaries.

To rub salt into the wounds, Mike also oversaw the introduction of draconian cycling laws that have resulted in a decrease in the number of cyclists using this healthy, clean means of transport.

Prior to the NSW election, Mike Baird raised everybody’s hopes when he promised to take a “personal interest” in the village of Bulga, whose very soul as a community is threatened by the massive expansion of Rio Tinto’s Mount Thorley Warkworth mine, breaching an agreement they had made to protect the ridge between the mine and the village in perpetuity. Clearly “personal interest” meant something a little different to what you might think, as the mine expansion was approved several months after the election.

The Baird government also gutted NSW’s land clearing laws, weakening requirements to protect threatened species with a flawed system based on offsets. This will lead to an increase in deforestation and put iconic species at risk.

Despite coal-related corruption claiming the scalps of not one, not two, but three former mining ministers in NSW, and ICAC having led to the immediate resignation of his predecessor, Barry O’Farrell, Mike Baird sacked the anti-corruption commissioner Megan Latham and diluted the powers of the commissioner. This is not good news at a time when the concentration of ownership of coal mining and other developer interests is likely to increase the risk of corruption.

People power works

The highs and lows of the Baird era have made it clear that no matter how rich or powerful an environmentally damaging company might be, you can’t beat the people. As the state grapples with heat waves and droughts, we’re reminded of the pressing urgency to transition to a greener and more peaceful future.

The new NSW premier can break the cycle by introducing an immediate moratorium on new coal projects, re-introducing laws to prevent deforestation, rolling out non-lethal beach safety strategies, and banning single-use plastic bags. And as history shows us, when enough of us work together, we can be an unstoppable force.