VEN Blog

As wildfires rage, what is the smoke doing to our health and bodies? Scientists are discovering just how toxic wildfire smoke is to the body – here’s what to know and how to stay safe Katharine Gammon in Los Angeles Wed 31 Jul 2024 The Guardian As dozens of wildfires rage across the US and […]

‘We’ll be living with these’: The renewable-energy blitz dividing regional towns Despite having billions behind it and broad public support, Australia’s renewable energy rollout is facing headwinds in the very communities it needs on board. For the transition to succeed, they need a bigger stake in it. By James Button JULY 20, 2024 in SMH […]

In a new book, journalist Royce Kurmelovs look at the origins of the Australian petroleum industry, investigating what these companies knew about climate change when, and how they learnt to wield influence. ROYCE KURMELOVS JUL 30, 2024 Crikey.com.au The following is an extract from Slick: Australia’s Toxic Relationship with Big Oil (UQP) by Royce Kurmelovs. […]

Graph: Carbon Brief analysis of Bistline et al 2023 and Rhodium Group 2023. Black line: Historical US greenhouse gas emissions 1990-2022, billions of tonnes of CO2 equivalent. Red line and area: Projected emissions under the “Trump” scenario where Biden’s key climate policies are eliminated. Blue line and area: Projected emissions under the “Biden” scenario with […]

There has been a “dramatic” change in predictions for the world’s population and Australia cannot afford to be complacent in guarding against the potential impacts, experts say. from SBS.com Ten years ago, experts didn’t think the world’s population would peak this century but in a “significant” turnaround, this scenario is now considered highly likely. The […]

Graph source: Statista 2024 The answer depends on what you think is the fastest way to cut carbon. By Mark Harris July 18, 2024 in Anthropocene Environmental progress has traditionally meant sacrifice. If you wanted to help the climate, you needed to emit less, travel less, eat less—and more than likely earn less. These days, […]

UN chief urges wealthy countries to beat fossil fuel ‘addiction’ amid expansions Secretary general said wealthiest countries are ‘signing away our future’ with more production and called for phase-out of fossil fuels Oliver Milman in New York The Guardian Fri 26 Jul 2024  The world’s wealthiest countries are “signing away our future” by leading a […]

image: Niu Y. et al. Fig. 1: Scheme of the synthetic process of the gene- and nano-engineered E. coli cell Building on similar past work, researchers created a new bacterial strain that gobbles up sewage even faster and generates a more powerful electric current. By Sarah DeWeerdt July 23, 2024 in Anthropocene magazine A genetically- […]

Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists estimates $7.3bn a year for 30 years could avoid most extinctions, repair soils and restore rivers Lisa Cox in The Guardian Wed 24 Jul 2024 Saving Australia’s threatened wildlife, repairing degraded land and restoring ailing river systems is possible and would cost just 0.3% of Australia’s GDP, according to a […]

Image: Critical minerals CSIRO Australia could play critical role EVs, solar minerals By Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson July 24 2024 in Canberra Times from AAP DOWNLOAD FULL REPORT Australia could stake a massive claim on the world’s booming critical minerals market, a report has found, but only if policymakers, researchers, mining firms and investors act quickly. The […]

by Claire Konkes Senior Lecturer in Media and Communication, University of Tasmania in The Conversation In recent weeks, the Menzies Research Centre, the Liberal party-aligned think tank, has criticised the rise in “environmental lawfare”. National media outlets duly took up the mantle. With an introduction by BHP Chief Executive David Hughes and nearly all the […]

Peter Lewis PODCAST of ESSENTIAL POLL How do we make political engagement a better experience than the emotion-fuelled punishment it has become? Tue 16 Jul 2024 in The Guardian In just over a week Australians shall break from our tribal hostilities to cheer as one under the glow of the Olympic flame as our quest […]

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ voices in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) process. The report commissioned by the federal government shows how Indigenous Knowledges can help Australia track and cope with climate change. As part of the report release, Wiradjuri artist Dr Tom Munro-Harrison created an animation to help share climate information […]

Climate plans of Australian companies would be exempt from private litigation for three years under proposal Bill praised for targeting corporate climate responsibility but lawyers say it could allow polluters to avoid public scrutiny for longer Adam Morton Climate and environment editor Mon 15 Jul 2024 in the Guardian The climate plans of Australian companies […]

Image: China’s emissions set to fall in 2024. Annual change in emissions from fossil fuels and cement (million tonnes of CO₂) Nick O’Malley in The Age For months, the reports came in and climate scientists and analysts pored over the data. Something unfamiliar was happening. It looked a little like good news. Perhaps even something […]

The ‘dark arts’ tactic that could be a major threat to Australia’s climate goals For the general public, behind-the-scenes government lobbying can be opaque, but a new report suggests it’s how some companies are ‘greenwashing’. from SBS news Companies not living up to their public environmental claims will be increasingly vulnerable to legal risk, a […]

Pigs might fly: Australian aviation’s delusional emissions future By Mark Carter Feb 19, 2024 in Pearls and Irritations Australian aviation is in the news again. Having ripped off passengers, illegally sacked workers, and impacted the health of residents under airport flight paths, the industry has now received $30m from taxpayers to manufacture “sustainable aviation fuel” […]

Climate superfund legislation is gaining traction across the USA. How do the bills fit into the broader movement to hold polluters accountable? BY EMILY SANDERS 8 MINUTE READ  in Fast company As communities across the United States grapple with the rising costs to protect residents and infrastructure from the worsening impacts of climate change, some state […]

Adam Morton in The Guardian Activists are convinced a wartime campaign of resistance is the only way to highlight the existing system’s failure to meet the moment Tue 9 Jul 2024 As pro-Palestinian protesters sparked outrage scaling the roof of Parliament House last week, a few dozen activists at Newcastle were making an equally sharp […]

Scientists call for ‘major initiative’ to study whether geoengineering should be used on glaciers Report finds many questions remain around technology to address glacier melting and sea-level rise Date: July 11, 2024 Source: University of Chicago in Science Daily Summary: Scientists have released a landmark report on glacial geoengineering — an emerging field studying whether […]