Scott Morrison wants to shut down moderate climate action group, Market Forces, BECAUSE IT’s TOO EFFECTIVE
Inside Market Forces, the small climate group Scott Morrison wants to put out of business, From humble beginnings, Market Forces is now in the crosshairs of the Coalition’s war on environmental boycotts, Guardian, Adam Morton Environment editor @adamlmortonMon 11 Nov 2019 When Market Forces, a small climate activist group, was singled out as the target of the government’s push to stop environmental campaigns that advocate boycotts of fossil-fuel companies, its leader was briefly taken aback but not disappointed.
“You know you’re doing something right when the Morrison government tries to bring you down,” Julien Vincent, the group’s executive director and founder, says from its base in Melbourne. “It’s unpleasant, but it’s only happening because we are getting results.”
From Vincent’s perspective, those results include the Commonwealth Bank and insurers QBE, Suncorp and IAG pledging they would soon no longer work with or underwrite developments that use thermal coal, and the group’s part in the campaign that frustrated attempts by Indian company Adani to find investors for its proposed Carmichael coalmine.
In terms of winning the government’s attention, it is likely the results also included a recent profile in the Australian Financial Review, the newspaper of the business community. Under the headline “How activists pushed CBA out of coal in five years”, it talked up Market Forces’s successes and methods, including a deal-making meeting with the bank’s chairwoman, Catherine Livingstone.
Coincidentally or not, the attorney general, Christian Porter, last week nominated Market Forces as a poster child “radical activist group” trying to impose its will on companies through coordinated harassment and threats of boycotts. Porter said it was “simply not OK” that mining and resources businesses were being targeted on ideological grounds by activists that wished them financial harm.
It followed Scott Morrison telling the Queensland Resources Council that activists who campaigned for secondary boycotts against miners and small businesses that work with resources companies potentially posed a “more insidious threat” to jobs and the economy than street protests……
With the details in the wind, Morrison’s push has led to some confusion among Coalition MPs about what is proposed and how it will avoid impinging on freedom of expression, though none spoke publicly. The Business Council of Australia has backed the prime minister; legal academics have warned changes to reduce the influence of environmental campaigns could breach the constitution.
Environmental and civil liberty groups noted the apparent hypocrisy in the government floating a secondary boycott ban given Canavan had urged his constituents to stop doing business with Westpac after it ruled out financing the Adani mine …… https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/nov/11/inside-market-forces-the-small-climate-group-scott-morrison-wants-to-put-out-of-business
Australia’s over-exploited water supply – an issue being ignored
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Although Australia is a land often devastated by drought, if you live in the city, it’s very unlikely that you’ll turn on the tap and find no water comes out.Even during the Millennium Drought nearly a decade ago, we avoided coming close to a Cape Town-style ‘Day Zero’. And given about 70 per cent of Australians live in major cities, it’s easy to forget just how good most of us have it. Whether it’s for cooking, drinking or bathing, we don’t have to collect water from a well, or pump it ourselves, or worry about it being dirty or unsafe. The sources of our water supplies are out of sight, out of mind. But it hasn’t always been that way — and we need to stop and think about where it comes from. If we don’t, we risk being unprepared for when the next prolonged drought comes around. ‘Liquid sausage meat’ It’s important to note that not all Australians have access to safe drinking water: spare a thought, for example, for remote Indigenous communities, or for the people trucking drinking water to small drought-stricken towns…….. [The author gives a history of Australia’s water sources, water use, and restrictions] We have to start thinking about our waterMore than a decade has passed since those tough restrictions on household water use. As our cities grow and the climate changes, it’s no longer reasonable to wash our hands of the water question. For our hotter and drier cities of the future, building more dams won’t be the answer. Seawater desalination plants aren’t without their problems: desal is energy-intensive and its salty brine is damaging to the local marine environment. Although some cities like Perth are making headway with wastewater recycling, the cheapest and easiest option for all of us is to change our water behaviour, and to better live within our means. Relying on technology alone is not the answer. The development of urban water supplies and sanitation over the past century or so has brought incredible benefits to our lives, while technology and infrastructure allows us to consume that water in the blink of an eye. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, households in the Northern Territory (349kL) and Western Australia (241kL) use the most water each year, while Victoria (166kL) and Tasmania (147kL) use the least. Climate, soils and pricing all play a role here, but these statistics suggest that some cities have much thirstier habits than others. Thinking more carefully about where our water comes from — and at what cost — is vital to making sense of living in Australian cities now and in the future. Dr Ruth Morgan is an environmental historian at Monash University, and an ABC Top 5 humanities scholar for 2019.https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-11/changing-australian-water-attitudes-for-conservation/11647258 |
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First offshore wind farm in Australia being tested
Testing begins for first offshore wind farm in Australia, The Age, By Benjamin Preiss, November 10, 2019 —Scientific testing begins this month for Australia’s first proposed offshore wind farm, near Gippsland, which could provide enough power for more than 1.2 million homes.
The testing comes as the union movement launches a campaign to lobby the state and federal governments to smooth the way for the project to proceed.
The Star of the South wind farm is expected to provide up to 2000 megawatts of power − about 18 per cent of the state’s power demand − and is set to cost between $8 billion and $10 billion.
Within weeks, the company will begin detailed studies of the wind and wave conditions at the 496-square-kilometre area off the south coast of Gippsland. It will also conduct environmental studies on marine and bird life.
If considered feasible, the wind farm is slated to provide “full power” by 2027.
Unions hope the wind farm will provide secure jobs for electricity workers in the Latrobe Valley, where the economy has relied heavily on coal-fired power generation.
The Latrobe Valley was hit hard by the closure of the Hazelwood power plant in 2017, and remaining coal-fired power plants are scheduled to begin closing in coming decades.
The broader region is bracing for more job losses with the state government phasing out native timber logging by 2030, sparking a furious response from the Construction Forestry Maritime Mining and Energy Union.
Previous estimates indicated the Star of the South wind farm could include 250 turbines but that is yet to be determined. Its proposed site is between 10 kilometres and 25 kilometres from Port Albert.
Last week a group of unions and Victorian Trades Hall Council launched a report calling for a “direct transition” to help redeploy workers in fossil fuel industries to jobs at Star of the South.
They want the commonwealth to establish a “transition authority” and a master plan to develop offshore renewable energy……
The Victorian government has set a renewable energy target of 50 per cent by 2030…..https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/testing-begins-for-first-offshore-wind-farm-in-australia-20191110-p53970.html?fbclid=IwAR2pEmquJ0zzGw5egjYDTM1H6loOXZBaaTWIPAY0brsixjmlUuwiU4r-_lg
At Least 3 Dead as Australia Battles Bushfires; Tuesday 12 November Forecast to be an Especially Dangerous Fire Day — Mining Awareness +
“Radiant Heat Kills from a Distance” http://www.cfs.sa.gov.au/site/prepare_for_bushfire/be_bushfire_ready/be_bushfire_ready_app.jsp#step1 “What to expect in the event of a Bushfire?” from p. 24 of http://www.cfs.sa.gov.au/public/download.jsp?id=30936 See more: https://miningawareness.wordpress.com/2015/08/02/dangers-of-bushfires-wildfires-nuclear-business/ From VOA News: “3 Dead as Australia Battles Bushfires By Phil Mercer November 10, 2019 03:42 AM SYDNEY – At least three people have died in bushfires in Australia. Authorities in […]
Western Australia set to decide on 180MW solar farm for state’s south west — RenewEconomy
Plans to build a 183MW solar farm with 20MW of battery storage in Western Australia’s south west looks set to be approved this week. The post Western Australia set to decide on 180MW solar farm for state’s south west appeared first on RenewEconomy.
via Western Australia set to decide on 180MW solar farm for state’s south west — RenewEconomy
Qantas aims for zero net emissions by 2050, cap emissions at 2020 levels — RenewEconomy
Qantas will match carbon offsets purchased by customers as part of a plan by the airline to achieve zero net emissions by 2050. But no talk of electric planes. The post Qantas aims for zero net emissions by 2050, cap emissions at 2020 levels appeared first on RenewEconomy.
via Qantas aims for zero net emissions by 2050, cap emissions at 2020 levels — RenewEconomy
November 10 Energy News — geoharvey
Opinion: ¶ “India Doesn’t Need To Choose Between Clean Air And Growth” • In India, air pollution causes over a million deaths annually. It increases healthcare costs and leads to the loss of productivity as people take sick days, leading to a $55 billion loss in 2013. Some people believe dealing with pollution will be […]
Jane Fonda lights up Fire Drill Fridays — Beyond Nuclear International
Says we may have to close down the government to get action
via Jane Fonda lights up Fire Drill Fridays — Beyond Nuclear International
1.This month.
Zoom webinar – “Nuclear Winter: The Environmental Consequences of a Nuclear Exchange.”
April 7th at 11:30 am PST / 2:30 pm EST
Nuclear Winter: The Environmental Consequences of a Nuclear Exchange”
Join us for an informative webinar with renowned atmospheric scientist, Professor Brian Toon, as he discusses the environmental risks and global impacts of a nuclear war. Despite the potential damage caused by the blast from even small nuclear weapons, many countries continue to invest in and expand nuclear arsenals. Professor Toon will provide a scientific assessment of civilian fatalities, agricultural failures, climate concerns, and complications with food supply that would follow any international nuclear conflict. We need to plan how to prevent nuclear conflict and avoid catastrophe. Politicians and military planners must be made aware of global climate and agricultural complications that would ensue. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from, and engage in, this vital conversation
The Road to War brings a sharp focus to why it is not in Australia’s best interest to be dragged into a war with China which will almost inevitably go nuclear very quickly. The filmmaker has interviewed some of Australia’s senior foreign policy analysts who have vast experience behind them in analysing what really is going on here as the United States rattles its sabres with China. And sets us up to be its proxy, like the poor Ukranians have been fed into the Meatgrinder. So America can remain the Top Dog. The Road to War reveals how the United States through its spy base at Pine Gap and by stationing six nuclear capable B52 bombers in the Top End (without permission from the traditional owners) is making Australia a prime nuclear target if the current war of words suddenly melts down into full scale war.
The Road to War shows the implicit connection between Carbon emissions (the US military uses a whopping 70% of America’s annual petroleum to move its armies and vast War Machine around the globe to its 800+ military bases..but under a loophole wangled at Kyoto, the US military does not have to report its C02 annual emissions). The Road to War starts screening at selected cities and regional centres in March. See the trailer end for details.
Antinuclear 