Climate
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The Climate Emergency: a need for radical honesty – laced with courage and compassion: Part 2
The sight of an ice-free Arctic or Siberia on fire is tantamount to the discovery of cancer spreading to the brain. Some mitigation is possible but the prognosis is bad…. Continue reading »
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The climate emergency – a need for radical honesty – laced with courage and compassion: Part 1
We have all been abandoned by our “leaders”, a pathetic coterie of self-focused, ignorant and immature individuals who lack courage, compassion and the capacity to recognize an impending catastrophe, with likely societal collapse and massive loss of life (already beginning). There is no possibility of technological salvation…. Continue reading »
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Sunday environmental round up – bees like blue.
John Kerry predicts an ‘unlivable tomorrow’ if the Glasgow COP fails to deliver clear plans for the next decade, but are wealthy nations listening? Recommendations for speeding the transition to EVs and making electricity systems more resilient. Bees like blue…. Continue reading »
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What goes around comes around: carbon tariffs bite our exports
In his excellent opinion piece, Ross Gittins points out that those posturing against the proposed EU carbon tariffs on our exports are the very people who struck down own effective national greenhouse action. They argued then that that unfair competition from countries who were not acting would impact our industries – so it’s a bit… Continue reading »
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Sunday environmental round up.
Developing nations issue a ‘last chance’ challenge to rich countries in the lead up to the Glasgow climate change meeting. Exxon’s climate action cynicism exposed by insiders. EU wants all new cars to be EVs by 2035. Alan Kohler calls for more climate change risk analysis. Street art proclaims ‘Don’t Frack the NT’ in Melbourne…. Continue reading »
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The idiocracy of America. It is perilously close to becoming a failed state
The hilarious 2006 film “Idiocracy” offers a vivid depiction of American politics. The movie is classified as a sci-fi comedy, but it is more like a searing documentary. It almost perfectly describes America’s crisis of survival today. The American people, and the people of the world, deserve better than an American idiocracy…. Continue reading »
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The EU tariff plan is good news for Australia’s place in the World
The steady deterioration in Australia’s environment and the ineffective revision of the EPBC Act suggests that we need help from other developed nations to solve our problem. This help may come from proposals on trade from the EU and the USA…. Continue reading »
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Sunday environmental round up.
Plants and growth: where to plant 60 billion trees in the USA; climate change destroying kelp forests; burning biomass destroys native forests and fuels climate change; and forbs disappearing from Victoria’s basalt plains. Plus degrowth, of the economy rather than vegetation…. Continue reading »
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“Fossil fuel economy has reached its limits”: EU to slash emissions and drag Australia with it
The European Commission has outlined its ambitious policy package to more than halve its emissions by 2030, a move which could have major consequences for climate recalcitrant trading partners like Australia – including an A$80 plus per tonne carbon tax on imports…. Continue reading »
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After many years the Great Barrier Reef ‘in danger’ listing shouldn’t come as a surprise.
Environment Minister Susan Ley says she was “blindsided” by UNESCO’s recommendation to declare the Great Barrier Reef ‘in danger’. Prime Minister Morrison was “appalled”. Their responses reflect a concern that the Reef’s political potency may be re-ignited. Then to top it off they blamed the Chinese…. Continue reading »
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South Australia’s impressive renewable energy transition
South Australia underwent a significant renewables transition under successive ALP governments from 2002 until 2018. In 2002 SA generated its electricity locally from brown coal and gas and imported around 30% of its annual needs from Victoria where brown coal production dominated. There was no production from renewables. Jump to 2018, when the ALP lost… Continue reading »
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Sunday environmental round up.
Greta Thunberg accuses world leaders of pretending to tackle climate change. Ecocide gets a legal definition – President Bolsonaro beware! Economic viability of gas power plants justified on false assumptions and lots of reasons why nuclear isn’t the answer either. Australia’s emissions per person not as praiseworthy as the government would have us believe…. Continue reading »
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Carbon Offsets are a Delusion
Any government, corporation, industry or nation, that is relying on carbon offsets to justify claims to be “Net Zero” is relying on bogus accounting – looking at the credits whilst sweeping the debits under the carpet…. Continue reading »
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A choice between national happiness – and national misery
Australia treats its environment with indifference. Yet the evidence is mounting that the environment is at the heart of national wellbeing. One country is showing the way…. Continue reading »
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Sunday environmental round up.
Marine algal blooms are increasing but not everywhere, while bottom trawling fishing releases vast amounts of CO2. Earth is trapping even more solar energy than expected: anthropogenic or meteorological? Whichever, every fraction of a degree of global warming wipes out another glacier. Lessons from wartime Canada…. Continue reading »
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Australia ranked dead last in world for climate action in latest UN report
Australia has been ranked dead last for climate action in the latest Sustainable Development Report, which assesses the progress of countries towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals…. Continue reading »
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Carbon Leakage: the Achilles heel of climate change
Not dealing with “carbon leakage” has plagued emission reduction negotiations since the United Nations Climate Change Convention of 1994. It led to the failure of the US to ratify the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, then the Protocol itself, and may well lead to the demise of not only the 2015 Paris Accord but the WTO…. Continue reading »
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Sunday environmental round up.
Food farming is an important source of air pollution, no matter how much the industry denies it. Urgent measures needed to ensure that the energy transition has the metals it needs. Thirty years of climate change diplomacy doesn’t seem to have achieved much…. Continue reading »
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The Senate’s nuclear waste dilemma
The Australian Senate is poised to vote on a controversial nuclear waste dump plan. It is an issue of national concern, but it has been pitched by the government as a matter only for the 824 eligible voters of the Kimba Shire…. Continue reading »
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The curse of coal and government health malfeasance
Policies which prolong the life of coal shorten the lives of many Australians and must be confronted – they are preventable deaths. It is distressing that ideology and ignorance have come to this…. Continue reading »
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Outcomes of the ‘Biodiversity, Natural Capital and the Economy’ Report at the G7 Summit
Following Australia’s extravagant claims to climate leadership at the G7, hopes for a more diplomatic approach were dashed by a Prime Ministerial statement claiming that “Australia is a frontrunner when it comes to taking action to conserve our biodiversity…”… Continue reading »
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The Great Barrier Reef in danger. But is there a China conspiracy afoot?
The Government deliberately fuelled a conspiracy theory that China must have been involved in the UNESCO report. It is alleged that the Prime Minister’s Office backgrounded journalists along these lines for the first 24 hours of the release. The Australian ran a story, China-led ‘ambush’ on health of the Reef. This was a complete fabrication… Continue reading »
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The climate change runaway chain reaction process
Amplifying feedbacks are leading to runaway global warming…. Continue reading »
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Sunday environmental round up, 20 June 2021
The harmful health effects of climate change are under-recognised. Calls for a socio-ecological approach to tackling climate change and biodiversity loss together. Trends in the reporting of climate science. ‘Zombie’ fires in northern boreal forests, and LGBQTI+ activists stand up for climate change and human rights…. Continue reading »
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Solving the mega-risks
The world is awash with literature describing the deepening self-inflicted crisis into which humanity is pitching. I am frequently asked how we can solve it, presuming we wish to do so. Here, briefly, are the ten most urgent solutions…. Continue reading »
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Sunday environmental round up.
Ecosocialist advice for the G7’s leaders and encouragement to read a recent P&I article on carbon accounting. The price of solar panels is rising slightly and our sylvan friends are emitting ‘treethane’. Finally, a plea to dog owners…. Continue reading »
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Carbon border adjustments: what are they and how will they affect Australia?
Australia cannot continue to stand apart from other wealthy countries, free riding on their emission reduction efforts. Sooner rather than later, we will need to set commensurate targets under the Paris Agreement and implement policies to achieve them…. Continue reading »
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Climate tipping point looms
It is ironic that the most successful film – in box office terms – about climate change and dramatic changes to the earth was made by Rupert Murdoch’s 20th Century Fox…. Continue reading »
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Jobs versus climate
A debate between having a job and acting on climate change is painful for everyone involved and will not end well. Yet the absence of a clear narrative from our political leaders to clarify the issue is leaving many Australian communities in exactly that position…. Continue reading »
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After the G7, the G20 and COP 26 in Glasgow, what might be real progress on the climate crisis by the end of the year?
We’ve had President Biden’s ‘zoom’ climate Summit. The G7 meeting in Cornwall this week is looking to ramp up ambition on climate response. And the most significant UN meeting on climate change since Paris is taking place in Glasgow in November. Expectations are high. But with intense geo-political tensions and covid response concentrating attention, what… Continue reading »
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