The book tells us we can run everything on renewable energy and get rich exporting it. Unsurprisingly it has been met with much fanfare and enthusiasm. But on the crucial issues it either provides flimsy and unconvincing analyses or fails to deal with them at all.
Category: Climate
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Research reveals shocking detail on how Australia’s environmental scientists are being silenced (The Conversation Sep 9, 2020)
Ecologists and conservation experts in government, industry and universities are routinely constrained in communicating scientific evidence on threatened species, mining, logging and other threats to the environment, our new research has found.
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Ecological Conversion
Are there shy signs of a new era emerging as humanity faces this pandemic? Could we be moving towards a more ‘woke’ state, leaving behind something of our 2019 ‘zombie’ selves, heads cowed over smartphones?
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The EPBC Review says good-bye to environmental and human health on Planet A
The Samuel Report and its rejection of an independent regulator by the Minister have ‘grave’ implications for the health of countless communities around Australia. (more…)
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Sunday environmental round up, 6 September 2020
COVID is increasing deforestation but the Australian government moves rapidly to put fast-tracked development above the environment. Computer geeks start monitoring the sources of CO2 emissions and Indigenous groups use the law to challenge governments to protect their lands and lives. Sharks mount a media campaign to improve their image.
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Joe Biden’s bold climate policies would leave Australia behind (The Guardian Sep 2, 2020)
Australia may be sailing perilously close to being cast by Biden’s team with other climate resisters Brazil and Saudi Arabia.
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Air pollution from coal blights young lives, even before birth
Air pollution from Australia’s dirty coal-burning power stations needlessly causes 850 cases of low birth weight and at least 800 premature deaths per year. Coal is also the number one cause of the climate crisis. Clean renewable technology is available now to prevent these problems and protect young lives.
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Environmental values remain threatened
Environmental legislation now before federal parliament offers an opportunity to go beyond that of removing “green tape”. Devolution to the states of federal responsibilities without an independent regulator and funding support will ensure our environmental trajectory remains unsustainable.
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Sunday environmental round up, 23 August 2020
A rich man takes some lessons from COVID and a businessman tells us how to correct the failings of the EPBC Act. Scotty has a heatwave named after him. Canada loses an ice shelf and the French say ‘Non’ to a bicycle ad. But, bad news …
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The Coal Curse – A Review
Governments are abrogating their first responsibility, which is to safeguard the people and their future well-being.
The first part of historian Judith Brett’s Quarterly Essay, The Coal Curse – Resources, Climate and Australia’s Future, is a masterly dissection of Australian economic history since WW2.
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Sunday environmental round up, 16 August 2020
CO2, CO2, and CO2: an oil pipeline in the USA reopens, coal mines and CSG wells in NSW look for approval, Feds give green light to more emissions, gas flaring increases, while Texas ‘mothballs’ its carbon capture and storage poster-child and blows the other states away with wind energy. French scientists use AI recognise individual Zebra Finches.
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40 Years of Climate Warnings Ignored by Australian Politicians
Coronavirus will have a temporary effect on much of humanity but global warming will have a permanent impact on the whole of humanity. Our current federal government relies heavily on science to deal with the former but largely rejects it for the latter.
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130 Degrees (NYRB August 20, 2020 )
With the climate crisis…no one is going to produce a vaccine. (more…)
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Sunday environmental round up, 9 August 2020
Renewables may be cheaper and growing faster than fossils but it’s emissions that matter and countries’ Paris agreement ambitions are a long way short of salvation. Maybe Doughnut Economics holds the key to a happier, more sustainable society and maybe mangroves can save Africa’s eastern coastline. A talented 13 year-old sings for the truth.
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Our political processes have failed us on climate change and the environment.
The Covid crisis will be controlled in a few years with new pharmaceuticals, vaccination or gradual human attenuation or immunity. Its lasting impact may well be from its distraction from addressing the crises eating away our life support systems. (more…)
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Sunday environmental round up, 2 August 2020
Sombre statistics about the murder of environmental activists but better news about the economic as well as environmental and human benefits of protecting large areas of land and sea. Ongoing coal consumption may incinerate the Paris Agreement targets but that doesn’t won’t stop Australia exporting it as long as possible, even if Australia itself is rapidly transitioning to renewables. Gas is no better.
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The mystery of the Top End’s vanishing wildlife, and the unexpected culprits (The Conversation, July 29 2020)
Only a few decades ago, encountering a bandicoot or quoll around your campsite in the evening was a common and delightful experience across the Top End. Sadly, our campsites are now far less lively. (more…)
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Population ‘Bomb’ Already exploded
Like many commentators before him, Kevin Bain’s ‘Prospects for refugees and migrants if the population bomb goes bust’ (Pearls and Irritations, 23/7/20) assumes that population is a future problem, ignoring the fact that the world is already over-populated. (more…)
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An obituary for our native flora,fauna and habitat.
The essential reform…the appointment of “an independent cop on the beat” to remove politics from a system infested by donors and lobbyists, mainly miners and developers. (more…)
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Sunday environmental round up, 26 July 2020
The NT’s moratorium on seabed mining expires soon. Invasive animals and plants are a serious and growing threat to the environment and humans. Japan moves away from funding overseas coal-fired power but inadequate climate action renders CO2 removal from the atmosphere more likely.
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Confronting global warming: do democracies have the expertise?
Global warming, ecological collapse, biodiversity loss, and social injustice are complex, technical challenges. Understanding them and their relationship to each other requires high levels of expertise, and solutions will demand political leadership. Confidence that democracies can meet these challenges isn’t high. (more…)
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How climate has changed the world
The Morrison Government’s attitude to our history is that it started with Captain Cook and then – as if transported by the DeLorean car – arrived at the era of John Howard, Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher and Milton Friedman. (more…)
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Who will save Blinky?
It has been 20 years since the last comprehensive reform of our national environment law, why the sudden need to preempt independent review findings with fast-track amendments? Blinky Bill and a lot more is at stake (more…)
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Kosciusko, myths, alternative facts and facts
The Kosciuszko area is inundated with myths, views and alternative facts about land management sponsored for political advantage and by vested interests and never for the benefit of the iconic Kosciuszko National Park.
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Could ‘corporate clean conversion’ save the economy and the planet?
The recent second wave outbreak of Covid-19 at the Crossroads Hotel in Casula, NSW creates an apt metaphor for the climate crossroads at which nations globally now find themselves.
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We now know gas is far from the clean fuel it’s claimed to be (SMH 16.7.20)
Australia’s recovery will be driven by gas says the prime minister. A task force headed by Andrew Liveris- a business figure with career doused in carbon- recommends subsidies to ramp up the industry.
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Sunday environmental round up, 19 July 2020
Australia becomes the world’s largest exporter of coal and gas and joins other rich countries pouring billions into supporting fossil fuels during the COVID pandemic. Time magazine wants rapid action on climate change and doesn’t think a re-elected Trump will deliver. Greta Thunberg displays her frustrations and intelligence and an engaging wryness. More problems identified with deep-sea mining.
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The last chance to stabilise Earth’s climate
The aspirational Paris target of 1.5ºC maximum warming will be beyond our reach if the economy returns to pre-Covid ‘normal’. Technological solutions, although necessary, are not sufficient. (more…)
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GARY MOORHEAD. Cheap renewable energy and the future of manufacturing.
Whether it’s economic recovery post COVID, enhancing our future defence capabilities or even helping deal with climate change, manufacturing has become the new black. But before we can see any lift in manufacturing performance, a truly wicked problem must be overcome. (more…)
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As warming approaches 1.5°C, a carbon budget for the Paris targets is delusional
There’s a lot of talk about how much “carbon budget” (new emissions) are allowable to keep global heating to the Paris target of 1.5°C. The reality is that over the last year, global average warming was already close to 1.5°C, based on a true, pre-industrial baseline.