VEN Blog

Figure 1.1. Total cases over time, US and non-US, to 31 May 2021 from Source: Global Trends in Climate Litigation, London School of Economics, 2021 republished in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance Beyond politics: Why battle to rein in climate change can only be decided in our courts Insights by Dennis Atkins We are facing a summer when […]

Figure 1 a and b: Meta-analysis summary of potential pathways and effects of NBS to reduce urban carbon emissions. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-023-01737-x Green infrastructure can set off a virtuous cycle of climate action A new study suggests that greener cities not only reduce carbon emissions, they also can absorb them. By Sarah DeWeerdt in Anthropocene magazine September […]

Figure 5 from study: Top 20 Planet Wrecker countries by capacity to fund a fast and fair transition relative to degree of economic dependence on oil and gas “All of this action must be global. It must be immediate. And it must start with the polluted heart of the climate crisis: the fossil fuel industry. […]

Source: The Environmental Performance of Blue Foods Most seafood is more climate-friendly than its terrestrial counterparts. But the latest controversies run deeper than simply wild-caught vs farmed. By Mark Harris in Anthropocene magazine Seafood production has quadrupled over the past 50 years, and almost all the extra fish have come from a rapidly growing aquaculture industry. Wild […]

A protester during an Extinction Rebellion demonstration in London in 2019. Photograph: SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images Link to climate activism is seven times stronger for anger than it is for hope, say Norwegian researchers Ajit Niranjan Tue 22 Aug 2023 in the Guardian Anger is by far the most powerful emotional predictor of whether somebody plans […]

The dam micro-PHES concept uses a single pipe with a pump that acts as a generator when run in reverse.(Supplied: Nicholas Gilmore/UNSW) ABC Science / By environment reporter Nick Kilvert Posted Thu 7 Sep 2023 ABC news There are over 30,000 paired dams across Australia that could produce power.(Getty Images: Kiara Bloom) At the Goudemand apartment […]

Super funds voice concerns over reaching 2030 green targets The superannuation industry can band together to help take action in addressing ‘the thorny problem’ of climate change, one of the biggest funds says. Megan Neil in Courier Mail August 30, 2023 – 5:10PM The Australian Business Network Big super funds have raised concern over Australia […]

In recent months, a resolution calling on the State of California to endorse the proposed Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty has gone through several legislative hurdles. Today, the resolution passed in a historic vote by the State Assembly, making California the largest global economy to support the proposal, which is gaining significant momentum across the world […]

Image: Ergon Energy Networks Queensland spends $28m to get four remote communities off diesel for good Rachel Williamson 29 August 2023 Renew Economy The Queensland government is spending $28 million to allow four remote communities to ditch fossil fuels for good by setting them up with solar and battery storage. State-owned energy network Ergon will […]

The agriculture sector is a priority sector for climate risk management, both due to its heightened vulnerability and its importance for Sri Lanka. Image by Dennis Mombauer. In a world of climate risks, Sri Lanka is finding ways to adapt by Dennis Mombauer on 31 August 2023 in MOnga Bay In a landscape of interconnected […]

Image: The Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has called on parliaments of its participating States to enshrine the concept of ecocide in national and international law. The global initiative to Stop Ecocide is seeing astounding progress. Domestic ecocide bills are being proposed or progressed in new countries every […]

Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry at the Scottish Global Dialogues in Edinburgh, Scotland REMARKS JOHN KERRY, SPECIAL PRESIDENTIAL ENVOY FOR CLIMATE SCOTTISH GLOBAL DIALOGUES EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND AUGUST 24, 2023 Source: US Department of State Good afternoon everyone, and thank you for inviting me to share some thoughts with you today. Mark Muller Stuart, […]

Diagram: Green Rhino Energy Solar and windfarm investment is drying up – and Australia needs a wake-up call on the future of the electricity grid Adam Morton in The Guardian The energy transition is a race and what’s needed are policies that will drag large-scale renewable power into the system faster Thu 24 Aug 2023  […]

Image: former politician John Hewson from Council for the Human Future Australia could be leading the way on human survival: Will Albanese act? By Bob Douglas Aug 25, 2023 from John Menadue’s Pearls and Irritations Our human species is drifting rapidly towards extinction, and there is not yet in place, a process to prevent it. […]

Former Pacific leaders take out a full-page ad in the Fiji Times calling for a delay in support for Australia’s UN climate bid. Photograph: Pacific Elders’ Voice In full-page newspaper ad, current and former leaders call for delay in support for hosting Cop31 until Australia stops pursuing coal and gas projects Adam Morton Climate and […]

G20 poured more than $1tn into fossil fuel subsidies despite Cop26 pledges – report Public money still flowing into industry despite agreement to phase out ‘inefficient’ subsidies, thinktank says Coal at Newcastle, Australia, the world’s largest coal exporting port. Scientists estimate the air pollution from fossil fuels kills up to 10 million people a year. […]

World Aug 21, 2023 11:03 AM EDT by Associated Press RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Ecuadorians voted against drilling for oil in a protected area of the Amazon, an important decision that will require the state oil company to end its operations in a region that’s home to two uncontacted tribes and is a hotspot […]

Figure 1: Impact on overall emissions through electrification of residential gas demand in Victoria (Source FFCRC, ENA Analysis). Sydney council proposes huge change for all new homes and buildings The move has been lauded by environmentalists — but not everyone is impressed. Joe Attanasio in Yahoo news Tue, 22 August 2023 The City of Sydney […]

Image: Students in an ecology of urban environments course at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, plant a campus garden, the outcome of a final project in collaboration with the university’s Office of Sustainability. Student projects were guided by the climate goals of the university’s Sustainability Action Plan and focused on emissions reduction (e.g., through reduced […]

‘The 1% should not get a free ride while destroying our environment.’ Photograph: EXTREME-PHOTOGRAPHER/Getty Images/iStockphoto Edward J Markey in The Guardian Private flights pollute up to 14 times more than commercial ones – yet are taxed less. Let’s change that Thu 10 Aug 2023 The climate crisis is not in transit, it’s arrived at the […]