Writer
Peter Sainsbury
Peter Sainsbury is a retired public health worker with a long interest in social policy, particularly social justice, and now focusing on climate change and environmental sustainability. He is extremely pessimistic about the world avoiding catastrophic global warming.
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Environment: Building nuclear involves killing more people
Building nuclear power plants requires keeping air-polluting coal power going for an extra 25 years and killing 3000-10,000 Australians. Which milk alternatives will reduce your environmental footprint? Australia’s Carbon Credit Units trade for less than a tenth of the social cost of carbon. US Environmental Protection Agency abandons the environment. Continue reading »
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Environment: The folly of focusing on net zero
Governments and corporations have been tricking the public by focusing emissions reduction attention on net, rather than real, zero. Reducing methane emissions would reduce global warming quickly and cheaply. Bring back our swamps. Continue reading »
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Environment: Albanese sacrifices the marine environment for Tasmanian votes
Prime minister showers salmon farmers with treats despite the environmental destruction and massive salmon deaths. Nations have opportunities during 2025 to improve ocean health. Exponential increases in global battery storage capacity. People alive today have produced most of the world’s greenhouse gases. Continue reading »
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Never has violence been initiated by the oppressed
Violence is initiated by those who oppress, who exploit, who fail to recognise others as persons – not by those who are oppressed, exploited and unrecognised. Continue reading »
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Environment: Governments like docile populations, that’s why they intimidate activists
Governments want you to feel powerless, but the tools for change are in our hands. Australia’s economy is failing to decarbonise. Burning trees to produce electricity is phoney environmentalism. Continue reading »
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Environment: Australia’s exported greenhouse gas emissions are double our domestic emissions
Australia is the fourth largest exporter of fossil fuel emissions. The US should be bearing the largest financial responsibility for helping poorer nations cope with climate-related damage. There’s never been a global transition from one energy source to the next. Continue reading »
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Environment: States and territories to reduce their emissions by 44% by 2030
States and territories on target to reduce their net emissions by 44% by 2030. Solar’s contribution to the world’s energy supply could hit 50% by 2035. How to curb the carbon-guzzling lives of the super-rich. Helping your local native birds through the hot days. Continue reading »
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Environment: Australia unlikely to play its proper part in keeping warming under 1.5°C
Will Australia’s Paris Agreement emissions reduction target for 2035 be consistent with a 1.5oC-world? The US wants a fossil fuel future; China wants renewables. Whatever … coal consumption is still rising. Continue reading »
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Environment: One giant leap for mankind was nothing compared with today’s challenges
Facing the challenges of the energy transition sustainably and fairly. British Medical Journal jumps into the degrowth debate. Let’s all celebrate World Wetlands Day. Continue reading »
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Environment: Accelerating towards a collision with the climate
Human societies are setting themselves on a collision course with climate-induced catastrophes. Lithium-ion batteries will soon be facing competition. How to deal with x and the conflicts it creates? Continue reading »
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Environment: Warming, thawing Arctic presents problems for everyone
The Arctic is warming faster than the rest of the globe and the effects are global. Bacteria responsible for escalating methane emissions. The false binary of system change or individual behaviour change. Continue reading »
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Environment: Global plastic pollution treaty talks collapse
Should we focus on the plastic or the pollution to eliminate plastic pollution? How to ensure that climate action produces a fairer, more inclusive, healthier world. Brush turkey urban population takes off. Continue reading »
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Environment: Australia opposes nations’ legal obligations to tackle climate change
International Court of Justice to provide advice on nations’ climate change obligations. SE Australia and WA to experience more heat waves than predicted but NT and FNQ will have fewer. Mixed evidence of countries working together to progress sustainability. Continue reading »
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Environment: Climate protesters blockade Newcastle’s coal port despite government bans
Draconian laws don’t discourage climate protesters. Hydrogen’s rainbow of colours. CCS continues to underperform. Clean energy investments increasing but so are investments in fossil fuels. Continue reading »
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Environment: The future of humanity hangs in the balance
‘We are on the brink of an irreversible climate disaster’, scientists conclude. Donkeys: feral pests or nature’s saviours? Climate change threatens global food security and farmers’ incomes. Continue reading »
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Environment: Carbon capture and storage – what’s the real goal?
Carbon capture and storage fails to deliver carbon but succeeds for governments and industry. The pros and cons of reducing your personal carbon footprint. How best to tackle Australia’s land clearing loopholes. Continue reading »
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Environment: Optimistic predictions for the energy transition
Renewable energy and its applications are pushing fossil fuels out of business – but will it be fast enough? Climate scientists are encouraged to be more vocal to stave off a ghastly future. Continue reading »
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Environment: Earth system tipping points threaten our stable environment
Dangerous tipping points threaten the stability of several of Earth’s natural climate-controlling systems. Conclusion: warming of 1.5oC is not safe. Possible to protect humans from dangerous animals without killing them. Tanzania accused of apartheid by its own people. Continue reading »
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Environment: The climate crisis is a health crisis
Climate change will soon be causing an additional 250,000 deaths per year worldwide – children are at particular risk. Only 4% of greenhouse gas emission reduction policies actually reduced emissions. Continue reading »
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Environment: using the law to drive (and retard) climate action
Climate activists are increasingly using the courts to challenge development approvals and change the law, but so are action delayers. Access to electricity is increasing worldwide, but fossil fuels still dominate electricity production. Continue reading »
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Environment: NSW’s environmental assessment process for logging ignores the previous 200 years
Ignoring 200 years of native forest logging underestimates the consequences of current logging. Beware of false solutions for plastic pollution. How to make your garden bird-friendly. Continue reading »
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Environment: Zambia has lots of copper but will Zambians benefit?
The green transition needs copper but how do poor copper-rich countries reap the rewards? The hydrogen-energy balloon is floating away. Underground tanks help to manage flash floods. Big cats become the prey. Continue reading »
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Environment: Peak oil is close but the descent will be slow
Peak oil is imminent but it will be a long time before we return to base camp. China surging ahead with solar while continuing to burn coal. NATO produces the equivalent of half of Australia’s annual CO2 emissions. Continue reading »
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Environment: hole in the ozone layer: the patient is improving but still needs intensive care
The hole in the Antarctic’s ozone layer is recovering but very slowly. How to eat seafood sustainably, restoring our disappearing mangroves and cemeteries for the living. Continue reading »
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Environment: burning wood in power stations doesn’t help the climate
The living, not our forebears, have put most of the CO2 into the atmosphere. Substituting wood for coal in power stations doesn’t reduce CO2 emissions. A little warmth helps bell frogs fight chytrid fungus. Continue reading »
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Environment: will humans behave like monkeys when climate apocalypse strikes?
Summers right across the northern hemisphere are getting hotter but vegetation can lower the temperature locally. Macaques show humans how to cope with hotter conditions. Poor progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Continue reading »
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Environment: banks still bankrolling fossil fuels
Big banks keep providing big money to fossil fuel companies but it’s time for the Global North to invest for the future and pay its historic climate debt to the Global South. Diminishing Sagebrush is threatening the USA’s Greater sage-grouse. Continue reading »
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Environment: eating responsibly – less bottled water and even less meat
Bottled water is not good for the environment or your health. If you eat meat, eating less is good for both. Governments are unreliable protectors of forests and human rights (but you knew that already). Continue reading »
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Environment: Solar gets cheaper but more oil and gas is what we’re promised
As solar panels get cheaper, companies and governments commit to increasing oil and gas production. Community opposition to wind farms funded by fossil fuel interests. Indigenous languages threatened by climate change. Continue reading »
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Environment: Pacific politician calls out Australia’s climate duplicity
The temperature is rising and the world is getting increasingly dangerous, even the rich bits. Former Tuvalu PM slams Australia’s climate policies. Rights of and around rivers. Continue reading »
