Bathurst Community Climate Action Network (BCCAN) was formed in 2007 by members of the local community who were concerned by the impact of greenhouse gas emissions on the global climate.
Greening Bathurst is aimed at people who love the Bathurst region and who want to preserve and enhance the environment that makes it special.
Since about 2008, members of BCCAN and Greening Bathurst contributed a weekly column to the Western Advocate, entitled Eco-News. These were short columns on a variety of climate change, environmental and ecological subjects, and were generally well received by readers.
In 2025, we received a double whammy – Tracy Sorenson, president of BCCAN and leader of our writers group, very sadly passed away; and the Western Advocate, due to a reorganisation, no longer accepted our columns. But the editors of the Village Voice have now kindly agreed to publish our columns once again. They will be in the same format, with the same Eco-News heading, and, in keeping with Village Voice’s aims, we will present good news stories about Climate Change and Environmental issues.
So we are aiming to contribute a regular Eco-News column to Village Voice going forward, and we hope readers will enjoy them and find them informative.
Climate scientists report that we are in a climate emergency, and that the future of all life on Earth hangs in the balance. Our Great Barrier Reef is dying as oceans heat up, and recent bushfires, floods and heatwaves have broken long-established records. In 2025, Australia’s average temperature exceeded 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels. Carbon and methane emissions (the greenhouse gases that cause climate change) must be reduced to zero in this decade, and we must rapidly transition from fossil fuels to 100% renewable energy, or at least “Net Zero”, where any remaining emissions are offset by things like forest plantings.
The good news is that we have the technology to help us do this, and it’s becoming cheaper and more prevalent. Transition is never easy, but momentum is building, and change is becoming unstoppable. This is what we will be writing about. BCCAN’s website (link below) has a section “Climate 101” for those who need a bit more convincing.
If you are interested in climate change and what we can do about it, why not join BCCAN? We have regular meetings and functions, film screenings, site visits and actions. You can find more information at bccan.org.au, and we have a stand at every Bathurst Farmers Market where you can get information and join up.
Greening Bathurst has a monthly “Green Drinks” meeting (open to members and non-members alike) with an interesting presentation on an environmental issue, and an opportunity to socialise and meet like-minded people. Find out more at greeningbathurst.org.au.
So read, think, and, if the feeling takes you, act. You’ll be in good company!
