VEN Blog

Image: Cheng et al. (2024) Mechanically strong yet metabolizable multivalently form a cross-linked network structure by desalting upon phase separation. Science. doi: 10.1126/science.ado1782 Riken press  Researchers led by Takuzo Aida at the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS) have developed a durable plastic that won’t contribute to microplastic pollution in our oceans. The new […]

By business reporter Gareth Hutchens in ABC news Topic:Economic Trends and Indicators Thursday 13 March Over the past 20 years, Australia’s population has grown by 35 per cent. The OECD average is 13 per cent. (ABC News: Mark Leonardi) In summary:  Researchers say the geopolitical landscape has shifted dramatically in the last three years. They […]

Graph: https://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/topics/housing/ Peter Mares If we’re serious about tackling the housing crisis and boosting productivity in the home building industry, we need to rethink our planning rules Thu 13 Mar 2025 in The Guardian Walking past a building site in Sydney recently, I was struck by the pitch for the new homes under construction. “Outrageously […]

Graph: https://www.transcend.org/tms/2019/10/at-716-billion-the-us-military-budget-is-bigger-than-those-of-144-countries-combined-and-largest-contributor-to-climate-change/ Countries ramping up military budgets must also strengthen climate efforts or risk more conflict in the future, warns Ana Toni, Brazil’s chief executive of the Cop30 summit. EHN news summary In short: Ana Toni argues that climate change fuels inequality and poverty, which can lead to future wars, making climate action a key […]

Graph related to article below: Shorrocks, R. (2018). Cohort Change in Political Gender Gaps in Europe and Canada: The Role of Modernization. Politics & Society, 46(2), 135-175. https://doi.org/10.1177/0032329217751688 (Original work published 2018) Commentary from Guardian UK editor in chief Katharine Viner Since a majority of American men aged 18-30 voted for Donald Trump last November, […]

Graph from ECIU report The future is green: The economic opportunities brought by the UK’s net zero economy Ed Miliband visits Beijing as part of plan to create global axis working in favour of climate action Ed Miliband: ‘The global battle against the climate crisis needs China’ Fiona Harvey Environment editor Fri 14 Mar 2025 […]

Figure 1. Breakdown of Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Deforestation accounts for about 11% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. This is a significant driver of climate change, accounting for more emissions than the entire United States economy. Climate change is more than smokestacks and tailpipes. While the use of polluting fossil fuels is the biggest […]

Extended Data Fig. 2: Global distribution of CIM in 2050 under the best-case and worst-case scenarios under RCP 4.5. (a) best-case scenario estimated at the global scale, (b) worst-case scenario estimated at the global scale From: Strategic planning could reduce farm-scale mariculture impacts on marine biodiversity while expanding seafood production A new study says the answer […]

Graph Source: GMU Center for Climate Change Communication Climate psychology has come a long way. And it has a long way to go By Mark Harris It happens every day. A friend or colleague talks enthusiastically about buying a new gas car, or shivers theatrically on a chilly day and says: “So much for global […]

Why fear of billion-dollar lawsuits stops countries phasing out fossil fuels Companies can sue governments for closing oilfields and mines – and the risk of huge damages is already stopping countries from passing green laws, ministers say Phoebe Weston and Patrick Greenfield Thu 6 Mar 2025 in The Guardian In the mountains of Transylvania, a […]

Image: government interactive map Australia’s oldest commercial wind farm to close as cost of repowering is too high Image: Pacific Blue Rachel Williamson Feb 10, 2025 RENEWABLES, WIND In a first clue as to what might be the future for some ageing wind farms sites, renewable energy company Pacific Blue says it will not repower […]

Patrick Greenfield in the Guardian newsletter Last week, countries signed off a hard-won compromise on nature finance after marathon negotiations in Rome, finally bringing biodiversity Cop16 meetings to an end. In November, the UN nature summit was suspended in disarray after negotiators ran out of time to complete their work in Cali, Colombia. They needed […]

Image: Fukushima nuclear plume mapped over Mt Piper with wind conditions carrying radiation all the way over Sydney Today is the 14th anniversary of the Fukushima disaster, and this morning Don’t Nuke the Climate released a huge research project that shows what a Fukushima-style nuclear disaster would look like if it happened at one of Dutton’s seven […]

Health in National Tribune 3 Mar 2025 EnergyScience Coalition A new report by the EnergyScience Coalition corrects false claims by the federal Coalition and others that ‘the world is going nuclear’. Co-authors Assoc. Prof. Darrin Durant, Prof. Jim Falk and Dr. Jim Green note that: The number of operating power reactors worldwide has fallen to […]

Tax credits will be awarded on delivery. By political reporter Tom Lowrey Tue 11 Feb in abcnews IMAGE IN ORIGINAL ARTICLE Critical minerals producers will be able to claim a credit priced at 10 per cent of the costs of processing and refining minerals. (Supplied: Vanadium Resources) After months of wrangling, the federal government’s production […]

Australia’s reliance on imported oil exposes us to global shocks. More than 90% of our liquid fuel supply is imported, with refineries shutting down and our strategic reserves held offshore. By Tracey Graves in Pearls and Irritations Mar 4, 2025 The recent article by Christopher M. Johnson on Australia’s liquid fuel security risks underscores an […]

It might not look like it, but Pippa Buchanan’s house is, in many ways, a very modern type of power plant. By energy reporter Daniel Mercer Tue 18 Feb in abc.net.au Inside the shed at her property in Cowaramup, a rural town about 3 hours south of Perth in Western Australia, a small battery is […]

Media Release from Solutions for Climate Australia As the impacts of Cyclone Alfred begin to land on south east Queensland and northern New South Wales, it is clear that the eventual clean up bill will be in the billions of dollars. It’s past time that coal and gas corporations pay to clean up their mess. […]

Australia Institute Media Release Friday 7 February 2025 The revelation that many of Australia’s biggest companies have quit a government-run carbon offset scheme is real-world, real-time proof that carbon credits don’t work. Less than a week out from The Australia Institute’s 2025 Climate Integrity Summit, it’s been revealed that organisations like Telstra, Australia Post, PwC […]

“Albanese’s climate report card: ‘D for Delivery’ as progress stalls” The first term of the Albanese government has failed to deliver a promised transformation in Australia’s climate efforts. New government data shows just how bad the failures have been. MICHAEL MAZENGARB in Tempests and Terawatts MAR 01, 2025 see original article As the first term […]