climate
Climate, health, and the Rising Tide
“Climate activists are sometimes depicted as dangerous radicals. But the truly dangerous radicals are the countries that are increasing the production of fossil fuels. Investing in new fossil fuel infrastructure is moral and economic madness” – Antonio Guterres Two weekends ago, I decided to take part in an action that I knew could have consequences. Continue reading »
Breakthrough deal on Loss and Damage: What next for COP28?
The Global Stocktake, the report card on climate action for parties (countries), is shaping up to be the fight of COP28. What might look like a technical exercise: either we are, or we are not consistent with 1.5, is anything but. Instead, the assessment must go through the conference floor to be accepted and agreed Continue reading »
Environment: Rich investors make profits from killing leopards, tigers and rhinos
Western financial institutions are funding the extinction of threatened species. Many EV batteries make lights work. Investing in the extinction of leopards, tigers and rhinos Feeling feverish? No problem, rhino horn will cool you down. Joints stiff and painful? Tiger bone works wonders. Difficulty breastfeeding? Pangolin scales ease the flow. Wind problem? Blown away Continue reading »
Analysis exposes big oil disinformation efforts ahead of COP28
“Digital platforms continue to provide vested fossil fuel actors with a cheap and easy way to disinform the public about climate change,” said one campaigner. An analysis published Wednesday shows that major fossil fuel corporations have pumped millions of dollars into digital advertising this year in the lead-up to the COP28 talks, part of a Continue reading »
The government will underwrite risky investments in renewables – here’s why that’s a good idea
Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen last week announced a scheme to underwrite the risk of investing in new renewable energy generation and storage. The expansion of the national Capacity Investment Scheme follows a successful pilot study with New South Wales. The government paid A$1.8 billion for just over a gigawatt of capacity, through a combination of batteries Continue reading »
Regulatory certainty and entrepreneurship: Unlocking Australia-China climate collaboration
Entrepreneurs occupy a pivotal role in bridging the gap between Australia and China, especially when it comes to climate collaboration. Collaboration between Australia and China on solar energy technologies stands as a testament to the potential of entrepreneurship and international partnerships in driving innovation and sustainability. The synergy had led to various successful joint ventures Continue reading »
Environment: 1.5 degrees of warming in 10 years
Not long ago it looked like we’d exceed 1.5oC in 20 years, now it looks like 10. Maybe sooner if politicians keep approving new fossil fuel mines and fields and the logging of native forests. Particulate air pollution kills 9 million a year. When will we hit 1.5oC of warming? Because people know I have Continue reading »
What was Parliament doing as the earth boiled?
On the day on which the Earth recorded a global average surface temperature of more than 2 degrees centigrade for the first time since records began what was the Australian Parliament and media doing? While the Australian Parliament and the media were obsessed by whether or not the Prime Minister did or did not say Continue reading »
Restoring democracy to avoid climate collapse
17 November 2023 will go down in history as the day when planet Earth reached its first two degree plus temperature anomaly relative to the preindustrial baseline. It was also the day that I was carted off to hospital in an ambulance after spending over two weeks on a climate hunger strike on the lawns Continue reading »
COP-out: Why the petrostate-hosted climate talkfest will fail
After a succession of record-breaking months of record heat including 1.8°C in September, global warming for 2023 as a whole will likely tip 1.5°C, with 2024 even hotter as the effect of the building El Nino is felt more fully. Already hundreds of thousands have died and millions displaced, primarily in countries least responsible for Continue reading »