VEN – Good News on Climate Action – Blog

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…

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…

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…

After a slow start, Australians are about to be spoilt for EV choice. We look at the lay of the land – on batteries, charging, price and the secondhand market by Royce Kurmelovs Sat 6 Jul 2024  in The Guardian Whether it’s the space-age sound some models make when they accelerate, or the smug sense…

Experts warn that Tesla batteries sold in Australia have a key function which could allow users to sell power back to the grid disabled.  The Guardian Exclusive: Experts say Tesla should be excluded from rebates for disabling function on its batteries in Australia that would let users alter power usage remotely Peter Hannam Sun 7…

in Pearls and Irritations By Ken Russell Jul 6, 2024 If tidal waves of science and activism along with increasing extreme weather events aren’t enough to turn things around, where can we turn to? From the late 1970’s ExxonMobil, the world’s biggest oil company was aware of the connection between fossil fuels, climate change, and…

A loophole in how car emissions will be counted could let manufacturers rush high-polluting vehicles into Australia without penalty. The New Vehicle Efficiency Standard loophole could see emissions targets for the first three years undermined. Posted Tue 2 Jul 2024 in abc news What’s next? The government says it wants to address the loophole, but conceded…

Californians will likely see $10B climate bond on November ballot BY SHARON UDASIN – 07/01/24 1:59 PM IN The Hill The California Legislature came to an agreement Sunday on the terms of a $10 billion climate resilience bond that it expects to appear on the November 2024 ballot. The anticipated inclusion of such a bond…

in The Conversation July 1 Bhavna Middha ARC DECRA and Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University Ralph Horne Associate Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research & Innovation, College of Design & Social Context, RMIT University Every year, the Plastic Free July campaign asks us to refuse single-use plastic. The idea is that making a…

By Mike Foley in The AGE July 4, 2024 Bob Hawke said in 1988 that Australia should become “the clever country”. Judging by the current state of the gas market, the nation is a long way from that goal and about to reap the results of some truly dumb decisions. Australia looks set to import…

The Danish government says it hopes it will inspire other countries to follow suit. SBS news from Reuters Denmark, a major pork and dairy exporter, will introduce a tax on livestock carbon dioxide emissions from 2030, making it the first country to do so. The tax was first proposed in February by government-commissioned experts, to…