VEN – Good News on Climate Action – Blog
Sodium-ion batteries could “keep the lights on”
The extent to which renewables should dominate Australia’s energy grids is a major issue in science and politics. Solar and wind are clearly now the cheapest form of electricity. But limits to these technologies can undermine the case for a renewables-only electricity mix. Author Peter Newman Professor of Sustainability, Curtin University, in National Tribune The…
Read MoreKey nickel mining plans suspended by BHP will lead to massive redundancy and loss of world leading project.
World’s biggest renewable energy microgrid suspended Marion Rae Jul 28, 2024 0Renew Economy RENEWABLES Mining heavyweight BHP’s plans for powering a new economic region with clean energy have been suspended but one outback city will keep the lights on. A recent decision to mothball nickel exploration, mining and refining operations means redeployment or redundancy for…
Read MoreAlternative career: bird migration guide
The climate crisis changed how these birds migrate – meet the man keeping them safe Phoebe Weston in the Guardian The northern bald ibis had been extinct in central Europe for 300 years. In the past few decades, conservationists had successfully reintroduced them, but one issue remained. These wild birds are migratory and none of…
Read MoreTalk isn’t enough: Pacific nations say Australia must end new fossil fuel projects
(see original article for images) Low-lying Tuvalu. Romaine W/Shutterstock Published: August 29, 2024 4.40pm AEST Liam Moore, James Cook University in the Conversation This week, one of the world’s largest fossil fuel exporters went to a meeting of island states strongly affected by human-induced climate change. Or, in more conventional language, Australian leaders attended the…
Read MoreAlternative pathway: What if Big Oil championed – and profited from – the green transition? Here’s how it could work
Published: August 30, 2024 6.32am AEST Richard Meade, Griffith University in the Conversation Like the petroleum industry itself, households are heavily invested in existing transport technologies. Getting oil and gas companies – and consumers – to switch to zero-emissions transport is a huge challenge. We can’t presume battery electric vehicles (EVs) will displace fossil fuel…
Read MoreWhy won’t politicians persuade people of the need for action on the greatest issue of our time?
Dear ministers, I am a climate crisis campaigner: nationalise me right now George Monbiot Lurking in many people’s minds, I suspect, is the thought: “If the environmental crisis were really so serious, someone would stop me. Surely I wouldn’t be able to drive this SUV, or take a dozen flights a year, or eat beef…
Read MoreKoalas or coal mines? New report
Download new report Key Findings: There are at least 26 proposed new coal mines that will clear important koala habitat, including 23 projects that are being assessed under the EPBC Act and seeking approval from the Albanese government. The 26 coal mining projects plan to clear a combined total of 11,644 hectares of koala habitat…
Read MoreClimate scientist: Global methane pledge success could save us half a degree of warming through ‘atmospheric restoration’
‘A Repair Manual for the Planet’: What Would It Take to Restore Our Atmosphere? “Optimism and hope are muscles we have to exercise,” climate scientist Rob Jackson says. His new book offers a paradigm for how to think about climate change and the health of the planet. By Phil McKenna July 28, 2024 In a…
Read MoreCharging climate polluters with homicide
EHN Curators Jul 31, 2024 Climate experts and legal advocates are targeting major polluters like TotalEnergies, seeking to hold them criminally accountable for deaths caused by extreme weather events exacerbated by climate change. Lois Parshley reports for The Lever. In short: Elisa’s mother died in a historic flood in France, prompting a lawsuit against TotalEnergies,…
Read MorePeace is a process; nonviolence is action
By Tim Hollo • July 26, 2024 from The Green Institute Nonviolence is a powerful, active, creative and generative form of resistance to violent systems. Every act of violence creates a more violent world. Nonviolence refuses to accept the self-perpetuating logic of the inevitability of violence, and demands of us that we cultivate space for…
Read MorePoll on spending priorities conducted for The Australian
Health top spending priority for Australian public NATASHA BITA 8:11pmJuly 28, 2024. The Australian Health is the top priority for Australians in terms of government spending, followed by public housing, law enforcement and education. A public spending wish-list is revealed in The Australian’s exclusive Needs of the Nation survey, which shows half of respondents think…
Read MoreHealth risks and adaptation to ‘wildfire’ smoke
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…
Read More“This transition happens with us, not to us.” Community involvement critical to sustainable transition
‘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…
Read MoreThe Australian oil and gas sector understood the danger posed by fossil fuel combustion back in the ’70s
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.…
Read MoreClimate: The differences between Harris and Trump
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…
Read More‘Dramatic’ shift in world’s population could impact how we live our lives
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…
Read MoreIs it OK to profit from climate change?
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,…
Read MoreAustralia is a petrostate: Wealthy countries like Australia are guilty of burning up our future using the ‘drug-dealers defence’.
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…
Read MoreDesigner bacteria clean wastewater and generate power—at the same time
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-…
Read MoreAustralia’s environment could be fixed and threatened species saved for just 0.3% of GDP, experts say
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…
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