VEN – Good News on Climate Action – Blog
What does family planning look like in a warming world?
The answer will depend as much on climate anxiety as carbon emissions. By Mark Harris April 26, 2024 In recent years, climate change has thrown a wrench into the intensely personal decision of whether or when to have children. A 2020 survey found that 78% of Gen Zers in the US weren’t planning to have…
Read MoreExperts: Voting for politicians who act on climate is the most effective individual action against global warming
Image : Pew Research Centre In Anthropocene by Mark Harris Can climate change break the partisan logjam? Don’t underestimate the power of a common enemy to splinter cynicism and rearrange alliances The Guardian recently asked hundreds of authors and editors of the IPCC climate reports to share the most effective action for individuals to take in…
Read MoreHere are five quick facts about Australian native bees and how you can help on World Bee Day
Flowers, honey and plenty of produce: bees play a vital role in nature’s ecosystem, and without them, we wouldn’t have any of these things. By Liana Walker in abc news To mark World Bee Day, experts have spoken to the ABC about how to spot native bees and how technology is helping us learn more…
Read MoreIKEA To Invest $4.5M in Truck Charging Network
IKEA Australia will invest $4.5 million in dedicated electric chargers for delivery partner fleets in all its stores across the country. in Heavy Vehicles Australia newsletter The home furnishings retailer says with accessibility of urban charging infrastructure a frequent challenge for logistics providers, the investment represents a major step forward by a retailer that will…
Read MoreClean energy slump – why Australia’s renewables revolution is behind schedule, and how to fix it
in the Conversation For years, the electricity sector has been the poster child for emissions cuts in Australia. The sector achieved a stunning 26% drop in emissions over the past 15 years, while other sectors have hardly budged. The share of renewable energy has gone from 7.5% to more than 30% in that time. Author…
Read More1.5C blowout means we must help politicians stand up to increasingly desperate fossil fuel industry
The 1.5C global heating target was always a dream, but its demise doesn’t signal doom for climate action Bill McKibben in the Guardian Missing a target doesn’t mean the sense of emergency should fade. What it must do is stop politicians dithering – and fast Wed 15 May 2024 22.06 AEST I remember the…
Read MoreEconomics of action are compelling: it’s far cheaper to prevent climate change than to keep causing it
Fig. 1: The commitment and divergence of economic climate damages versus mitigation costs. Estimates of the projected reduction in income per capita from changes in all climate variables based on empirical models of climate impacts on economic output with a robust lower bound on their persistence (Extended Data Fig. 1) under a low-emission scenario compatible…
Read MoreHydrogen-powered aircraft in development by Australian company AMSL Aero aims for net zero aviation
ABC Western Plains By Olivia Ralph Posted 22h ago22 hours ago WATCH Duration: 1 minute 42 seconds1m 42s Vertiia is the first Australian-made aircraft to apply for advanced air mobility type certification through CASA.(Supplied: AMSL Aero) abc.net.au/news/hydrogen-electric-powered-aviation-net-zero-target/103728122 In short: Testing is underway for a hydrogen-powered electric aircraft developed by Australian startup, AMSL Aero. The company received…
Read MoreAustralian fossil fuel producer subsidies jump 31 pct to $14.5 billion
Andrew Brown May 13, 2024 in Renew Economy Government subsidies to fossil fuel producers have risen, triggering calls for the Commonwealth to scrap the financial assistance. Research from think tank The Australia Institute reveals subsidies to fossil fuel producers from federal and state governments have increased to $14.5 billion in the 2023/24 financial year. It’s…
Read MoreWhy the PRRT (resource rent tax) should be increased to compensate local governments for the climate costs of fossil fuels.
Graphs: Above – Australian government taxing of oil and gas, Below – Norwegian government taxing of oil and gas. Author: Mark Ogge Date: January 2024 Australia Institute report Key points Local governments bear enormous costs from the impacts of fossil fuels on our climate, including sea level rise and the aftermath of increasingly frequent and…
Read MoreFrom solar to EVs: Five green tech supply chains that could deliver $215 billion boost to Australia
Rachel Williamson May 8, 2024 4Renew Economy AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ELECTRIFICATION Building Australian supply chains for the manufacture of solar, wind, batteries, heat pumps and commercial electric vehicles could deliver $215 billion of benefits in just a decade, a new report has found, provided we get the policy and regulatory settings right. The Make It…
Read MoreGas is good until 2050 and beyond, under Albanese gas strategy
National Tribune 8 May 2024 The Albanese government is talking up the crucial role of gas as a transition fuel “through to 2050 and beyond”. Author Michelle GrattanProfessorial Fellow, University of Canberra In a gas strategy to be released on Thursday, the government envisages the fuel’s uses would change over time, as energy efficiency improved,…
Read MoreThreat to mandatory climate-related financial disclosure laws
Lily McCaffrey NCA newswire May 8, 2024 The Albanese government’s proposed mandatory climate-related financial disclosure laws may be under threat from the Coalition and the Greens. The Coalition is pushing back against the proposed laws and have expressed concern the regime may cost the economy $2.3bn annually. Coalition is pushing back … cost While the…
Read MoreThe ‘Future Made in Australia’ plan for solar panels relies on a crucial ingredient: Help from China
ABC Science By technology reporter James Purtill Posted Wed 24 Apr 2024 abc.net.au/news/australia-need-chinas-help-for-solar-sunshot-manufacturing-plan/100954734 Twenty-three years ago, a Chinese-Australian solar scientist moved from Sydney to Wuxi to build China’s solar panel manufacturing industry from scratch, using technology developed in Australian universities. Chinese-Australian solar scientist Shi Zhengrong became the world’s first clean energy billionaire, nicknamed “The Sun King”…
Read MoreHospitals take scalpel to waste as health sector’s carbon footprint is double that of aviation
abc AM By Katherine Gregory 24 Apr 2024 In short: The healthcare sector makes up about 7 per cent of Australia’s carbon footprint — twice as much as the aviation sector. Experts say there are three pillars to transitioning to a low-carbon health system: reduce, reuse and recycle. What’s next? Emergency departments in Australia are cutting plastic…
Read MoreIn federal elections Australians can now take the lead in setting the agenda for their nation
In Pearls and Irritations By Bronwyn Kelly May 4, 2024 In 2025 Australians are due to vote in another federal election, this time to elect their nation’s 48th parliament. In past elections Australians have been required to cast their votes in favour of whatever candidates might stand for office. But those candidates have always set…
Read MoreImagine powering your phone with carbon dioxide
Aussie Researchers have made a proof-of-concept device that absorbs the greenhouse gas to produce electricity. By Anthropocene Team April 25, 2024 Finding ways to power the world while emitting minimal planet-warming carbon dioxide is a Holy Grail for researchers. Now, scientists in Australia have made a device that goes the other way: it consumes carbon…
Read MoreAustralian Security Leaders Climate Group (ASLCG) Report: identifies actions for an Australian government that has failed in duty of care
FULL REPORT This is a report that the Australian Security Leaders Climate Group (ASLCG) wished it did not need to publish. ASLCG was formed in 2021 by a group of senior former military and intelligence leaders concerned that the security implications of climate change were not understood or addressed by governments. The ASLCG focus is…
Read MoreMandatory disclosures of climate risk: essential to accountability
in Renew Economy There’s a huge difference between asking “what’s most likely to happen, and how could that affect us” versus “what’s the worst that could happen, and how likely is that.” While the latter is the traditional risk management framing, the first approach is how most Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports are…
Read MorePediatricians say climate conversations should be part of any doctor’s visit
From low birth weight to wildfire smoke, kids can bear the brunt of climate change. in GRIST The reality of climate change came home for Dr. Samantha Ahdoot one summer day in 2011 when her son was 9 years old. An assistant professor at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, Ahdoot and her family…
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