VEN – Good News on Climate Action – Blog
Why 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…
Read MoreUN: From Australia to the Arctic, young Indigenous changemakers speak out
“When we listen to the land, the land will listen to us. It’s a language. Climate change is creating a language barrier.” Taylar Dawn Stagner Indigenous Affairs Fellow PublishedApr 24, 2024 This story is published as part of the Global Indigenous Affairs Desk, an Indigenous-led collaboration between Grist, High Country News, ICT, Mongabay, Native News…
Read MoreA technology in road markers could cool cities by up to 20°C
Engineers are using retroreflector technology—based on prisms and reflective materials—to direct sunlight back into the sky and out of the urban canyon. By Anthropocene Team April 18, 2024 Heat-related deaths around the world are climbing up as more frequent, longer-lasting extreme heatwaves become a harsh reality due to climate change. Heat deaths are projected to…
Read MoreCompanies that ignore climate change risks lose market value
A first-of-its-kind study showed that companies that proactively respond to climate risk are rewarded by the market; those that don’t, are punished. By Sarah DeWeerdt April 23, 2024 in Anthropocene Adapting to climate change and preparing for the green transition entails significant costs for businesses—but is likely to be a good investment, according to a…
Read MoreVictimise people who raise a voice in Britain? Then destroy their families? Not in my name
Marcus Decker dared to protest on climate and was punished. Now he could be deported. Is that a humane democracy? George Monbiot in Guardian When the traditional ruling class was obliged to concede to demands for democracy, it gave away as little as possible. We could vote, but it ensured that crucial elements of the…
Read MoreWant to fight climate change? Triple global renewables target to 11TW by 2030
Rachel Williamson Nov 21, 2023 0Renew Economy POLICY & PLANNING RENEWABLES SOLAR WIND ENERGY The developed world is doing okay when it comes to renewable energy installations, but needs to set more ambitious targets and triple renewable capacity to 11 terawatts by 2030 to meet climate targets, according to energy think tank Ember. The research…
Read MoreEnergy modeller Rystad says accelerated transition to clean technologies puts global climate goals ‘within reach’
By energy reporter Daniel Mercer in abc news Posted Wed 22 Nov 2023 at 5:46am One of the world’s foremost energy modellers has forecast that temperature rises are set to be kept within 2 degrees Celsius of pre-industrial levels thanks to the rapidly advancing efficiency and affordability of clean technologies. Key points: Global energy modellers Rystad…
Read More‘Grownup’ leaders are pushing us towards catastrophe, says former US climate chief
The Observer Paris agreement negotiator Todd Stern attacks premiers who say that decarbonisation programmes are unrealistic and should be slowed down Fiona Harvey Environment editor Sun 14 Apr 2024 20.00 Political leaders who present themselves as “grownups” while slowing the pace of climate action are pushing the world towards deeper catastrophe, a former US climate…
Read MoreReport: Banks Should Set Stricter Climate Goals for Agriculture Clients
Published on April 8, 2024 By Meg Duff in Capital and Main Though factory farming is a small part of bank financing, it leaves an outsized carbon footprint. The industrial livestock industry represents a small portion of big banks’ financing portfolios — but it may be responsible for a disproportionately large share of the greenhouse…
Read MoreRooftop solar subsidy should be extended and expanded to home batteries and EV chargers
The Climate Change Authority recommends the government extend support for rooftop solar beyond 2030 and expand the types of technologies eligible for support. from Switched On by Renew Economy April 12 2024 The Albanese government has “noted” – but not agreed to – a recommendation from the Climate Change Authority (CCA) to extend the federal…
Read More