VEN Blog

Envisioning the urban skyscraper of 2050 A high-rise for a warming and overpopulated Earth. JAMES HOLLOWAY – 2/19/2013, 8:10 AM Arstechnica Cable cars, algae bio-fuel cells, and urban agriculture are sandwiched into just a small slice of Arup’s future skyscraper. Rob Hunt/Arup The urban buildings of the near-future will be tall, smart, adaptable, responsive, honest, […]

‘Vandals’: Victoria, Queensland fume over federal climate intervention The commonwealth has used new powers to cancel states’ participation in global climate action The latest move on emissions is ‘a global embarrassment’ for the federal government, says Victoria’s energy, environment and climate change minister, Lily D’Ambrosio. Photograph: Dean Lewins/AAP Peter Hannam Mon 29 Nov 2021 03.30 […]

from the Breakspear_Blog published December 2018 IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON ECONOMIC ACTIVITY AND HUMAN MORTALITY [return to Climate Primer main page] The impact of global heating extends beyond the natural environment. For example, global heating directly changes the number of days where productive labour can be conducted in many working environments (e.g. manual labour outside […]

Photo: Former ABC journalist Zoe Daniel made the shock announcement on Twitter Former ABC journalist Zoe Daniel to run at next federal election A veteran ABC journalist has announced a shock career move that is guaranteed to raise eyebrows. News.com.au Rhiannon Tuffield High-profile former ABC journalist Zoe Daniel has announced a tilt at politics. Daniels […]

1. GEELONG’S CARBON NEUTRALITY DECLARATION: THE SPEECHES 2. Scott Morrison told the Business Council of Australia he “did a bit of a jig” after hearing Woodside decided to go ahead with one of the largest fossil fuel projects of the last decade – Scarborough gas.1 1. GEELONG’S CARBON NEUTRALITY DECLARATION: THE SPEECHES 27 November 2021 […]

From Bob Brown Foundation 25 November 2021: This morning, the Australian Antarctic Division announced that it is dumping plans to build a giant concrete airport in Antarctica. This unprecedented project would have increased the human disturbance footprint on the ice continent by a staggering 40%. Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley has officially announced that the Davis […]

GROW TOP SOILS – THE SCIENCE OF SOIL CARBON WEBINAR SERIES – hosted by AgriProve This seven part webinar series explores how to build soil carbon and improve soil health, with highly regarded soil scientist Declan McDonald. Declan digs into the science behind growing soil organic carbon, how to implement regenerative management techniques, and how to […]

Future-proofing the Hunter: Voices from our community A REPORT PREPARED BY HUNTER RENEWAL & HUNTER JOBS ALLIANCE We have to understand the pace of change that will occur in the makeup of industry in the Hunter Valley over at least the next ten years, and plan for, and reposition ourselves to take advantage of these […]

November 25, 2021 6.05am AEDT The Conversation Image: Zareth Long undertaking controlled burn in Birriliburu Indigenous Protected Area, WA. Annette Ruzicka, Bush Heritage Australia, Author provided Australia’s plan to reach net zero emissions by 2050 relies heavily on unproven technologies to sequester carbon from the atmosphere, among other things. But we already have solutions based […]

Image: A leaf sits on top of a pile of coal in Youngstown, Ohio, U.S., September 30, 2020. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton The closure of Portugal’s last coal plant is yet another indicator of how coal exit plans can accelerate. Back in 2017, Portugal announced it would close its last two coal plants by 2030. They are […]

Boom time in carbon farming country 41m 8s By Geoff Thompson, on Background Briefing Download Boom time in carbon farming country (56.50 MB) Download 56.50 MB Graziers are discovering there’s millions to be made from their flat red earth. Taxpayers are funding billions to reduce the nation’s carbon footprint. Reporter Geoff Thompson investigates whether carbon […]

The haunting images that impressed photo prize judges By Nick Galvin SMH November 23, 2021 — 12.00am South African photographer Gideon Mendel has won the prestigious portrait prize in this year’s Head On photographic festival with an image highlighting the personal toll of last year’s bushfires. Mendel’s photograph depicts sculptor Jenni Bruce standing among the […]

More than 100 world leaders promised to end and reverse deforestation by 2030, in the COP26 climate summit’s first major deal. Getty Images: Trees are often cut down to create grazing land to feed the world’s hunger for meat By Georgina Rannard & Francesca Gillett BBC News 2 November Brazil – where stretches of the […]

Morrison government rejects direct calls for action from Britain, the US, Europe and Pacific nations at Cop26 Adam Morton Climate and environment editor Mon 8 Nov 2021 14.10 The Guardian Pressure on the Australian government to lift its 2030 emissions target is expected to escalate and continue into next year, based on a document released […]

1. Powering Down Coal — COP26’s Impact on the Global Coal Power Fleet 2. Asia coal power pipeline to shrink by two thirds after China finance cut 3. European Carbon Permits Rise to Record After COP26   1. Powering Down Coal — COP26’s Impact on the Global Coal Power Fleet The commitments to “no new […]

Climate activist barricades himself inside car at world’s largest coal port The activist has encase his arm inside concrete and is inside an immoblised car reinforced with wire From Samuel Webb 11/11/2021 of The Independent UK A climate activist has barricaded himself inside a reinforced car on a railway leading into the world’s largest coal […]

Tim Warren in “Twin Town Times” Sep 6, 2021 The book puts an emphasis on why farming is a critical part of everyone’s life and exactly why we should all have an interest and care in the farming industry. Gabrielle raises the point that we must focus on and address the tough challenges that the […]

from Breakspear_blog Jan 2020  5.1. Bushfire risk Global heating has substantially transformed global wildfire, increasing fire seasons across 25% of the Earth’s vegetated surface and doubling the global burnable area affected by long fire weather seasons [paper]. Global heating increases fire risk in several ways; most directly through an increase in the number of extremely […]

Image: Senator Andrew Bragg, left, and Dave Sharma, right, have launched a series of complaints against the transparency site They Vote for You. CREDIT:ALEX ELLINGHAUSEN MPs call for ‘partisan’ political transparency site to lose charity status By Nick Bonyhady and Rob Harris November 12, 2021 — 5.00am SMH, Age A website that tracks MPs’ voting […]

[Image File: Phil Noble/Reuters] DRAFT TEXT on 1/CMA.3 Version 10/11/2021 05:51 Draft CMA decision proposed by the President The Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement, Emphasizing the importance of multilateralism in tackling climate change and the crucial role of international cooperation in implementing the Paris Agreement […]