* "climate change" is a euphemism introduced by opponents of government and corporate action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to make the situation sound less threatening than "global warming" or the more accurate "global heating". See the links below for the tactics of lobby groups who have a vested interest in maintaining unsustainable consumption of fossil fuels.
Bushfires, coastal storms & floods are "climate disasters" - calling them "natural disasters" underplays the human contribution to the events!
This letter published in New Scientist ($) explains the situation:
Weather calamities are climate disasters, Published 21 February 2024
From Michael Paine, Sydney, Australia
Your view on whether the world has already warmed by 1.5°C refers to extreme weather events. The resulting human tragedies are often referred to as “natural disasters” by politicians and the media. But the causes are becoming less and less natural. Let’s start calling them what they are – “climate disasters” (Leader, 10 February).
Contents
Political/Misinformation Alerts from 2007 (latest at top) .
- 12 Nov 24 ABC: BOM and CSIRO State of the Climate report 2024 predicts more extreme weather as warming increases.
- 12 Nov 24 The Guardian: The Australians who sounded the climate alarm 55 years ago - Dr Richard Gunn's parliamentary address in 1970 & Prof Harry Bloom's address to a Senate enquiry in 1969 (added to my Global warming timeline) + Dick Smith’s ABC radio rant against renewables overflows with ill-informed claims.
- 28 Oct 24 The Conversation: Queensland election signals both major parties accept pumped hydro and the renewable energy transition as inevitable.
- 23 Oct 24 The Guardian: Matt Kean lambasts ‘wild fantasy’ of former Coalition colleagues to extend coal power and build nuclear plants + Let’s be clear, Peter Dutton’s energy plan is more focused on coal and gas than it is on nuclear power
- 12 Oct 24 The Saturday Paper: The opposition leader’s nuclear bullshit - by John Hewson - an excellent summary of the false and misleading claims
- 2 Oct 24 The Guardian: Australia’s ‘immoral’ coalmine decision akin to drowning Pacific neighbours, Tuvalu climate minister declares + Amid Australia’s chaotic climate politics, the rooftop solar boom is an unlikely triumph.
- 30 Sep 24 The Conversation: Dutton’s nuclear plan would mean propping up coal for at least 12 more years – and we don’t know what it would cost.
- 26 Sep 24 The Guardian: Labor’s coalmine expansion approvals undermine its credibility on the climate crisis + Stuck on repeat: why Peter Dutton’s ‘greatest hits’ on nuclear power are worse than a broken record
- 21 Sep 24 ABC: Nuclear would add hundreds to power bills and leave half of energy needs unmet, reports claim + The Guardian: Coalition’s nuclear plan will add $665 a year to average power bill, report warns.
- 19 Sep 24 The Guardian:
- Australia is a mess. Cop31 is a chance to redefine ourselves from climate laggard to global leader + Norway: electric cars outnumber petrol for first time in ‘historic milestone’ (the article refers to "fossil fuel vehicles". In my view this term is much more appropriate than "internal combustion engine" (ICE) as it excludes hydrogen-fuelled vehicles. Also the term ICE plays down the pollution from these engines
- South Australia is aiming for 100% renewable energy by 2027. It’s already internationally ‘remarkable’
- 5 Sep 24 ABC: Climate Authority warns that to limit warming to 1.5 degrees, Australia must cut emissions by 75pc by 2035 + CCA Review "We need to seize this once-in-a-generation opportunity to ensure Australia's rapid and orderly transition as the world transforms to avert the worst impacts of climate change,"
- 1 Sep 24 The Conversation:
- Wondering what to make of warnings about our electricity system? The outlook is improving – but we’re not out of the woods
- Talk isn’t enough: Pacific nations say Australia must end new fossil fuel projects
- Australia has just been handed a map for getting to net zero. Here’s how it will guide us
- 10 Aug 24 The Saturday Paper: Peter Dutton’s nuclear lies by Prof Ian Lowe. Concise analysis of false and misleading claims
- 28 Jul 24 Japan Today: Nuclear wildcard reignites Australia's climate wars.
- 9 Jul 24 RenewEconomy: UK Labour to double onshore wind, triple solar power, and quadruple offshore wind by 2030 -
Peter Dutton seizes on UK Labour’s commitment to nuclear. What he didn’t mention is that its wind and solar plans are even more ambitious than Australia’s Labor government.
- 4 Jul 24 ABC: CSIRO chief executive says Peter Dutton's comments on energy report 'corrode public trust in science'.
- 4 Jul 24 The Guardian: Extravagant maker of schemes: unpicking Barnaby Joyce’s anti-renewables campaign.
- 25 Jun 24 The Conversation:
- Big batteries are solving a longstanding problem with solar power in California. Can they do the same for Australia?
- Albanese appoints former NSW Liberal energy minister Matt Kean to chair Climate Change Authority
- No costing, no clear timelines, no easy legal path: deep scepticism over Dutton’s nuclear plan is warranted
- How would a switch to nuclear affect electricity prices for households and industry?
- Peter Dutton’s nuclear energy policy will do nothing to ease Australians’ hip-pocket pain, now or in the future
- No nuclear veto: if the Coalition isn’t seeking community consent, is that really consultation?
- Extreme wildfires are on the rise globally, powered by the climate crisis
- 22 Jun 24 The Saturday Paper ($):
- Peter Dutton’s plan for a nuclear power grab
- ‘What the hell is this?’: Inside the Coalition’s climate division
- Dutton declares Abbott-style climate war
- The courage of a scoundrel
- 22 Jun 24 The Guardian:
- Peter Dutton’s nuclear plan is an economic disaster that would leave Australians paying more for electricity
- Peter Dutton’s nuclear proposal disrupts investment in cheaper renewables. Is that the point?
- Peter Dutton’s flimsy charade is first and foremost a gas plan not a nuclear power plan
- CSIRO stands by nuclear power costings that contradict Coalition claims
- Peter Dutton names seven potential nuclear power station sites but avoids questions on cost
- 17 Jun 24 The Saturday Paper: ‘What the hell is this?’: Inside the Coalition’s climate division.
- 17 Jun 24 The Guardian:
- Peter Dutton’s energy policy is a political death wish – and utterly irresponsible in the face of the climate emergency - Ian Lowe
- Disastrous, dark shadow, destroys our economy: five climate elders
- Germany’s top climate envoy says ‘this is the critical decade’ after Dutton ditches 2030 target
- Offshore windfarm zone off Illawarra coast given green light
- Farmers who graze sheep under solar panels say it improves productivity
- Coalition to impose ‘cap’ on renewable energy investment, Nationals leader says
- Andrew Forrest says Coalition’s abandonment of 2030 emissions target would ‘decimate’ economy
- 19 Mar 24 ABC: Chief scientist backs renewables, calls nuclear power 'expensive'.
- 15 Mar 24 The Guardian: CSIRO chief warns against ‘disparaging science’ after Peter Dutton criticises nuclear energy costings.
- 14 Mar 24 RenewEconomy: Nuclear slow and expensive, renewables fast and cheap: Bowen slaps down Coalition “fantasy” + How new wind, solar and batteries would keep lights on in NSW heatwave, even without Eraring.
- 28 Feb 24 ABC: After a weird summer of floods and heatwaves, scientists explain why weather extremes are 'on steroids' [a comprehensive review of global warming issues - well done Jess Davis]
- 27 Feb 24 ABC: Andrew Forrest slams fossil fuel industry and Coalition for nuclear energy 'bulldust' + Watch the entire National Press Club address on iView (registration required, Australian IP addresses only) - every politician should be required to watch this talk that stresses the economic benefits of renewable energy.
- 14 Feb 24 ABC: Veteran economists say a carbon levy would cut emissions, cut inflation and raise billions, but see little prospect of adoption (see also their National Press Club address today) + 19 Feb 24 The Conversation: Ross Garnaut and Rod Sims have proposed a $100 billion-a-year fossil fuel tax – and it’s a debate Australia should embrace. + National Press Club address on iView.
- 8 Nov 23 Climate Council: CODE BLUE: OUR OCEANS IN CRISIS + (Book$): The Carbon Club - includes the negative influence of John Howard!
- 23 Oct 23 The Saturday Paper: Government settles climate bond lawsuit + Australia must act now to raise climate targets.(Zali Steggall)
- 6 Sep 23 ABC: Australian government acknowledges risk of climate change to bonds after court case
- 7 Jul23 ABC: Peter Dutton opting for the nuclear option for Australia's energy future - say no more! Then again... "small modular reactors" would be a terrorist's dream come true - a small explosion would render 100s of square kilometres uninhabitable.
- 24 Feb 23 Japan Today: Experts back more robust U.S. estimates of social cost of carbon.
- 22 Nov 21 Japan Today (for a limited time): Australia's climate policies don't match its big talk at COP27 - "Australia, one of the top global exporter of coal and gas, has not committed to ending new projects or halting the expansion of existing ones, and it continues to subsidise fossil fuel development... Canberra did not sign a clean energy transition agreement that calls for an end to all new direct public support for the international fossil-fuel energy sector by year's end, which was supported by peers like Canada, Britain and the United States."
- 3 Nov 22 ABC: Greta Thunberg tells Australia to 'wake up and treat the climate emergency like an emergency'.
- 27 Sep 22 The Conversation: How to deal with fossil fuel lobbying and its growing influence in Australian politics.
- 6 Aug 22 The Saturday Paper ($): The Peter Dutton schtick (a gimmick, comic routine, style of performance) - Sophie Scamps, who won Mackellar, told parliament “people want concrete action on climate change now”
- 26 Jul 22 The Conversation: Climate bill makes clear 43% target is ‘minimum commitment’: Bowen
- 9 Jun 22 The Guardian: David Littleproud’s coal case study to defend Coalition energy policy is something of a credibility stretch - "Even if Millmerran power station’s [experimental] carbon capture plan succeeds, it will only eliminate 2.1% of emissions. Plus: nuclear still [much] costlier than renewables" + New Scientist: Mini nuclear power stations may produce more waste than large ones.
- 2 Jun 22 New Scientist: Australia votes for stronger climate action in 'greenslide' election.
- 24 May 22 RenewEconomy: Cannon-Brookes says election shows AGL coal plans untenable, as Forrest lays into Coalition + The political and media establishment ignored climate – but voters didn’t.
- 20 May 22 The Guardian: What would following Australia’s ‘leadership’ on the climate crisis actually look like? + Australia’s greenhouse pollution from coal higher per person than any other developed country, data shows.
- 20 May 22 The Conversation: Scorched dystopia or liveable planet? Here’s where the climate policies of our political hopefuls will take us.
- 6 Apr 22 ABC Fact Check: Scott Morrison says Australia's emissions record is better than the US, NZ, Canada, Japan and many European countries. Is that correct?
- 6 Apr 22 The Conversation: The Morrison government’s $50 million gas handout undermines climate targets and does nothing to improve energy security + Poor policy and short-sightedness: how the budget treats climate change and energy in the wake of [climate] disasters + IPCC says the tools to stop catastrophic climate change are in our hands. Here’s how to use them + IPCC finds the world has its best chance yet to slash emissions – if it seizes the opportunity.
- 30 Mar 22 The Guardian: Budget papers show Morrison government plans to cut climate spending if it wins election.
- 28 Mar 22 The Saturday Paper ($): Taylor’s office spent $1 billion on ‘sham’ carbon projects + Anjali Sharma: An open letter to Scott Morrison (about duty of care)
- 24 Mar 22 The Guardian: Australia’s carbon credit scheme ‘largely a sham’, says whistleblower who tried to rein it in.
- 22 Mar 22 SMH: UN boss: ‘Madness’ to back fossil fuels as global energy crunch bites - “A growing number of G20 developed economies have announced meaningful emissions reductions by 2030 – with a handful of holdouts, such as Australia.”
- 20 Mar 22 The Saturday Paper ($):
- Angus Taylor’s $3.5 billion carbon blunder [that's another $200 per taxpayer!]
- Morrison’s economic lies - "...successive Coalition governments have not only cut the tax bill for the oil and gas industry but handed them billions in subsidies as well...The fossil fuel industries aren’t the backbone of the Australian economy. While exporting oil and gas and coal is enormously profitable for the foreign companies that dominate those industries, between them they employ only 65,000 of the 13.2 million people who work in Australia. ..."
- Grasshopper government - "the burning of the planet is not a problem for the government because the law is insufficiently clear on the subject of responsibility..."
- What the river didn’t forget - "The flooding in south-east Queensland is the result of climate change, two La Nińa summers and a slow-moving low-pressure system. More than that, it is the result of a failure of collective memory and of governments to act."
- How climate change is impacting health in Australia.
- 14 Mar 22 The Guardian: Scott Morrison says closing coal power stations will drive up electricity prices. Is he right? + In Lismore, it’s getting harder to tolerate climate inaction – and Morrison’s cowardly silence spoke volumes.
- 23 Feb 22 The Guardian: Australia spending billions on new gas pipelines that may end up worthless stranded assets - “highlights the Australian government’s unbridled enthusiasm for the gas industry despite the risk of creating stranded assets... the scale of construction in Australia showed the “toxic level of influence” fossil fuel companies had on government."
- 21 Feb 22 SolarQuotes: Eraring Power Station Closure “Bitterly Disappointing” – Taylor + The Guardian: The early closure of Australia’s biggest coal plant caught Angus Taylor by surprise – but it shouldn’t have + News Corp claims coal and gas moratorium would be a revenue ‘black hole’. How much would it really cost? + The Conversation: Australia’s largest coal plant will close 7 years early – but there’s still no national plan for coal’s inevitable demise.
- 21 Feb 22 The Guardian: Clean energy companies plea for government ‘not to get in the way’ of renewable shift + Gas-fired power falls to lowest level since 2005 as Coalition pushes ahead with its ‘gas-fired recovery’
- 3 Feb 22 The Conversation: The $1 billion Great Barrier Reef funding is nonsensical. Australians, and their natural wonder, deserve so much better + Labor’s plan to green the Kurri Kurri gas power plant makes no sense + New German leader proposes a ‘climate club’ of leading economies that would punish free riders like Australia.
- 1 Dec 21 The Guardian: ‘Vandals’: Victoria, Queensland fume over federal climate intervention - The commonwealth has used new powers to cancel states’ participation in global climate action
- 14 Nov 21 The Guardian: Scott Morrison’s net zero modelling reveals a slow, lazy and shockingly irresponsible approach to ‘climate action’ + Australia named ‘colossal fossil’ of Cop26 for ‘appalling performance’.
- 13 Nov 21 The Guardian: Australia shown to have highest greenhouse gas emissions from coal in world on per capita basis + Cop26 in extra time as leaders warn of the deadly cost of failure + Backed by Climate 200’s $2m war chest, independent challengers circle Coalition seats
- 12 Nov 21 The Conversation - Grattan on Friday: Scott Morrison has a bingle or two on the campaign trail + Just 1.7% of people in PNG are vaccinated against COVID. Why is resistance so fierce? [possibly relevant to Morrison's attitude to climate change: "Nearly all Papua New Guineans (99.2%) are Christian. And the religious landscape in the country is powerfully influenced by Pentecostal and evangelical churches...Many Christians, especially those believing in the Pentecostal and evangelical traditions, have a strong interest in the end of the world, as this signals the return of Jesus Christ."]
- 4 Nov 21 The Conversation: Australia is about to be hit by a carbon tax whether the prime minister likes it or not, except the proceeds will go overseas + Australia’s refusal to sign a global methane pledge exposes flaws in the term ‘net-zero’ + COP26: global deforestation deal will fail if countries like Australia don’t lift their game on land clearing.
- 3 Nov 21 The Guardian: Australia considering more than 100 fossil fuel projects that could produce 5% of global industrial emissions - The coal and gas works, if approved, would result in a nearly 30% increase in emissions within Australia
- 1 Nov 21 The Conversation: Scott Morrison attends pivotal global climate talks today, bringing a weak plan that leaves Australia exposed - "Governments dropping glossy brochures brimming with political messaging, produced behind closed doors, is not the way to deal with a complex long term national issue..."
- 31 Oct 21 The Guardian: Australia has trashed the Paris agreement and exposed itself as the worst kind of climate hypocrite.
- 30 Oct 21 The Saturday Paper ($): How the gas lobby captured Morrison’s Glasgow response + How it happened: the Nats and net zero + A steaming pile of nothingness.
- 27 Oct 21 The Guardian: Australia’s net zero emissions ‘plan’: the five things you should know - "Scott Morrison’s ‘Australian way’ contains no new emissions reduction policies" + The Coalition’s net zero policy is merely a plan to freeload off the rest of the world
- 27 Oct 21 RenewEconomy: “A joke:” Morrison’s net zero plan has net zero detail, and no change to policies.
- 26 Oct 21 The Conversation: Australia’s stumbling, last-minute dash for climate respectability doesn’t negate a decade of abject failure + View from The Hill: Morrison’s net-zero plan is built more on politics than detailed policy ( see this article from Scientific American in 2019: Scrubbing Carbon from the Sky "The U.S. Department of Energy, for instance, has spent huge sums of money on carbon capture projects intended to make “clean coal” power generation a reality. Southern Company abandoned the latest attempt in 2017, switching the Kemper County clean coal plant in Mississippi to natural gas after spending $7.5 billion..."
- 21 Oct 21 RenewEconomy: Australia ranked worst amongst international peers for climate action, fossil fuel use.
- 19 Oct 21 ABC: Barnaby Joyce's Nationals take aim at Scott Morrison's Liberals in climate change showdown + The Conversation: Joyce says Nationals don’t want bigger 2030 climate target as party room frets about regional protections [Opinion: the National's "case" sounds more like a desperate defence for drug dealer in court - "I needed to do it to maintain my standard of living... If they don't buy it from me they risk a low quality product"!]
- 16 Oct 21 ABC: Barnaby Joyce, Nationals and Coalition flayed for Australia's lack of climate change policy by Labor and Independents on Q+A. + SMH: The Queen condemns ‘really irritating’ world leaders for snubbing Glasgow climate talks.
- 11 Oct 21 The Saturday Paper ($): Last resort - "Resources Minister Keith Pitt envisages the slush fund he wants in exchange for agreeing to a net-zero target. The price of action on climate change, he has determined, is a $250 billion loan facility to pay out to the mining sector when no one else will."
- 4 Oct 21 BBC: Climate change: Stop smoke and mirrors, rich nations told - Greta Thunberg ""We are sick of their blah blah blah and sick of their lies."
- 2 Oct 21 The Saturday Paper ($): Biden adviser: ‘I don’t know whether Angus Taylor is an ideologue or an idiot’ + Morrison must tell the truth on climate.
- 29 Sep 21 The Guardian: Climate pressure on Scott Morrison grows as NSW promises to cut emissions in half by 2030.
- 29 Sep 21 The Conversation: The Nationals signing up to net-zero should be a no-brainer. Instead, they’re holding Australia to ransom.
- 28 Sep 21 The Guardian: Coalition inertia on climate undermines Australia’s credibility in region, ex-diplomats warn + Explainer: Barnaby Joyce is right, the UK is in an energy crisis – but is it relevant to Australia? [No - it is partly due to an overreliance on gas!]
- 6 Sep 21 The Conversation: Bushfire survivors just won a crucial case against the NSW environmental watchdog, putting other states on notice.
- 11 Aug 21 The Guardian: ‘No place to hide’: pressure on Australia to end support for new fossil fuel projects after IPCC report.
- 11 Aug 21 The Conversation: With the release of a terrifying IPCC report, Australia must face its wilful political blindness on climate
- 10 Jul 21 The Saturday Paper ($): Frydenberg pushed AGL to sack boss [for closing Liddel coal-fired pwoer station and moving to renewables]
- 8 Jul 21The Conversation: Politics with Michelle Grattan: Barnaby Joyce on net zero 2050, a coal-fired power station – and how resources is (sort of) in cabinet.
- 8 Jul 21 The Guardian: Morrison government rejects call to phase out coal power ahead of UN session on Australia’s human rights record.
- 7 Jul 21 SBS: Government credit agency gave 80 times more money to fossil fuels than renewables over last 11 years - "up to $1.69 billion in financing to the fossil fuel industry compared to just $20 million for renewable energy projects between 2009 and 2020...'
- 20 Jun 21 The Conversation: Acting PM Michael McCormack on net zero 2050 and prospects for a new coal-fired power station.
- 15 Jun 21 The Guardian: Michael McCormack says coal here to stay as G7 countries commit to decarbonised power by the 2030s - Coal ‘pays for a lot of barista machines’ for inner-city cafes
- 11 Jun 21 The Guardian: Queensland commits $2bn to boost local renewable energy jobs + Morrison government’s $600m gas power plant at Kurri Kurri not needed and won’t cover costs, analysts say.
- 4 Jun 21 SMH: Mathias Cormann calls for ‘ambitious’ plan to reach net zero emissions [Former Australian finance minister and now OECD secretary-general, Mr Cormann, "was a key contributor to the Abbott government’s removal of Australia’s carbon price"]
- 19 May 21 ABC: Federal government will spend $600 million on new Kurri Kurri gas [electricity] plant in the NSW Hunter Valley [comment: this is sickening bloody-mindedness from the federal government in the face of overwhelming economic and scientific advice. Meanwhile a Newcastle Uni initiative aims to solve the issue of storing energy generated by renewables and utilising "retired" coal-fired power stations to meet peak demands but is ignored in the misguided energy "policy"] + The New Daily: Alan Kohler: IEA lays out energy challenge as Australia missteps again.
- 17 May 21 The Guardian: ‘They seem to have gone coal mad’: major parties sing as one, but Upper Hunter voters are not so sure.
- 11 May 21 ABC: Malcolm Turnbull snubs Nationals, endorses independent candidate in Upper Hunter by-election
- 7 Apr 21 The Guardian: Turnbull blames 'rightwing media' for dumping from NSW climate change board + ABC: Malcolm Turnbull dumped from role on NSW government clean energy board after 'media backlash'
- 5 Apr 21 The Conversation: Seriously ugly: here’s how Australia will look if the world heats by 3°C this century.
- 11 Mar 21 ABC: Australian exporters could face millions of dollars in European tariffs as EU seeks to punish polluters.
- 10 Feb 21 ABC: Scott Morrison faces Nationals threat to 'cross the floor' over 2050 carbon cuts - the Nationals call for agriculture to be exempt from a net-zero target now appears at odds with the National Farmers Federation (NFF), which says agriculture is "too important to leave out"..."NFF chief executive Tony Mahar said the group's clear position was to support reaching net zero by 2050, while ensuring "agriculture is not worse off".
- 5 Feb 21 ABC: NSW Environment Minister Matt Kean blasts Scott Morrison's 'ridiculous' 2050 emissions stance
- 28 Jan 21 The Guardian: Coalition signs Australia up to agreements to price in climate risk + ABC: Labor set for climate change shift with architect of emissions target Mark Butler to go + SMH: Albanese drops Butler from climate in reshuffle restart on emissions [in an attempt to secure some marginal seats in coal electorates]
- 13 Jan 21 ABC: Fifty countries, not including Australia, join global coalition at One Planet Summit vowing to protect 30 per cent of land and sea by 2030.
- 2 Jan 21 The Guardian: 2020 was dismal in many respects but it was a landmark year for renewables in Australia - "Kean’s ambitious moves, which prepare NSW for the coming wave of coal power station retirements, received almost no pushback from conservative media. Whimpers of protest from federal energy minister Angus Taylor barely registered. (To nobody’s surprise, a recent poll of AFR readers voted Taylor “worst minister” of 2020.)"
- 23 Nov 20 RenewEconomy: Matt Kean takes on Angus Taylor: “I’m not on the side of vested interests” + Australia’s carbon twist: Taxing consumers who refuse to burn fossil fuels.
- 16 Nov 20 RenewEconomy: Renewables industry rejoices as Australia’s biggest electricity state goes green.
- 16 Nov 20 ABC: Labor MP and resources spokesman Joel Fitzgibbon quits Shadow Cabinet.
- 9 Nov 20 The New Daily: [Zali] MP wants conscience vote on climate bill + Canberra Times: Bushfire royal commission signals need for Zali Steggall's Climate Act + The Guardian: Climate crisis: more than 100 Australian businesses and organisations support net-zero target - 'Australian Medical Association, Unilever and Atlassian among groups supporting Zali Steggall’s bill in newspaper ads...'
- 9 Nov 20 RenewEconomy: It’s Scott Morrison versus the world about his gas-fired fantasy + Labor and Greens slam Taylor’s “unacceptable attack” on CEFC
- 9 Nov 20 Northern Beaches Review: [Zali] MP wants conscience vote on climate bill + "I will keep pestering" (see page 6)
- 9 Nov 20 ABC: Joe Biden's election as US president will not change Australian climate policy, Scott Morrison says.
- 9 Nov 20 The Conversation:
- Biden says the US will rejoin the Paris climate agreement in 77 days. Then Australia will really feel the heat
- Some say neoliberals have destroyed the world, but now they want to save it. Is Scott Morrison listening? "The International Monetary Fund this week delivered a somewhat surprising message. It warned Earth was on course for “potentially catastrophic” damage under climate change, and called for green investment and carbon prices..."
- Tim Flannery: Australia, the climate can’t wait for the next federal election. It’s time to take control.
- A Biden presidency would put pressure on Scott Morrison over climate change
- 30 Oct 20 The Guardian:
- Centre-right thinktank warns Morrison government of 'grave future for coal exports'
- Nationals call for ANZ boycott after bank's push for net zero emissions
- Marise Payne declines to welcome adoption of net zero emissions target by Japan and South Korea
- Labor agrees to support new gas projects after public brawl sparked by Joel Fitzgibbon despite...
- 2020 likely to be one of warmest years on record despite La Nińa
- 13 Sep 20 ABC: NAB chief's enlightening answer under questioning by Federal MP Craig Kelly on Australian coal.
- 3 Sep 20 The Greens: Stealing from climate to give to the polluters. (see these news items: Government’s push for a gas-fired recovery crumble as Suncorp cuts ties to industry & Hopes of a gas boom fizzle)
- 2 Sep 20 The Guardian: Climate crisis: business, farming and environment leaders unite to warn Australia 'woefully unprepared'.
- 21 May 20 The Conversation: Morrison government dangles new carrots for industry but fails to fix bigger climate policy problem.
- 19 May 20 ABC: Australia’s most senior former public servants and scientists reveal their anger about climate policy failure + Four Corners: Climate Wars
- 20 Feb 20 News.com: ‘Cosmos: Possible Worlds’ makers accuse PM Scott Morrison of being ‘woefully dishonest’ on climate change
- 20 Feb 20 The Guardian: Anthony Albanese backs Adani coalmine but criticises proposed Collinsville power plant [Labor capitulates!]
- 20 Feb 20 Brisbane Times: Adani gave $200,000 to Coalition weeks after securing approvals.
- 15 Jan 20 Australian Academy of Sciences: Statement regarding Australian bushfires + What is climate change?
- 15 Jan 20 Climate Council of Australia: The facts about bushfires and climate change
- 13 Jan 20 New Scientist: Australian government report predicted severe wildfires 11 years ago.
- 14 Dec 19 ABC: Liberal MPs Matt Kean and Sussan Ley link bushfires to climate change - "...do our bit to abate carbon and reduce the impact of climate change..."
- 15 Nov 19 The Conversation: When the firies call him out on climate change, Scott Morrison should listen.
- 19 Oct 19 ABC: John Hewson slams Coalition on climate change while business takes lead reducing emissions.
- 12 Oct 19 Climate Change Protests Australia - Lists protests around Australia
- 30 Sep 19 ABC: We fact checked Scott Morrison's speech to the United Nations. Here's what we found.
- 28 Sep 19 ABC: ABC: David Attenborough slams Australian PM on climate record
- 25 Sep 19 The Conversation: Highly touted UN climate summit failed to deliver - and Scott Morrison failed to show up.
- 24 Sep 19 The Guardian: Greta Thunberg condemns world leaders in emotional speech at UN - Comment: Maybe the young generation should declare that if (when) they inherit the effects of rapid global warming in coming decades they will seek compensation from those currently in power - reparation for climate change inaction. Update: Draft "How dare you" declaration - for discussion.
- 20 Sep 19 Climate Strike around Australia (e.g Sydney Domain at noon) + The Guardian: 'Going to the streets again': what you need to know about Friday's climate strike + Greta Thunberg to Congress: ‘You’re not trying hard enough. Sorry’ + Perhaps we need to explain climate change to politicians as we would to very small children + The Conversation: The gloves are off: ‘predatory’ climate deniers are a threat to our children - by Tim Flannery
- 18 Sep 19 The Guardian: Josh Frydenberg overruled department to block Lord Howe Island wind turbines [in 2017 - "At the time, [Alan] Jones was regularly railing against windfarm projects..."
- 12 Sep 19 ABC: Malcolm Turnbull says renewables plus storage are cheaper than coal and nuclear for new power generation. Is he correct? (note this does not take into account "frequency control ancillary services" or FCAS - the SA Telsa battery is saving costs of more than $100 million per year)
- 19 Aug 19 The Guardian: Australia removes climate 'crisis' from Pacific islands draft declaration.
- 27 Jul 19 ABC: Have you got climate zombies? We debunk the myths that refuse to die:
- CO2 doesn't cause warming - see also this timeline
- It's Milankovitch cycles
- There's been a 5? 10? 20? year pause in warming
- It's a natural cycle, man
- Plants grow better with more CO2 anyway
- It was warmer during the Medieval Warm Period
- But the world's been colder before when CO2 levels were higher
- Climate science is a conspiracy of the 'elites' (or China or ....)
- CO2 has historically followed, not caused warming
- Climate scientists are only in it for the money
See also The Conversation: Five climate change science misconceptions – debunked
- 9 Jul 2019 The Guardian [more shame]: Australia's emissions reach the highest on record, driven by electricity sector.
- 6 Jun 19 ABC: Australia's greenhouse gas emissions rise again, according to delayed Federal Government data.
- 20 May 19 ABC: Election 2019: What happened to the climate change vote we heard about? [fear and greed!]
- 13 May 19: BBC Doco on Youtube: Climate Change - the Facts - with David Attenborough, Michael Mann, James Hansen and many other respected scientists "This is a must watch for everyone who cares about our planet"
- 23 Apr 19 SMH: On the road with the two faces of Zali Steggall - documents the misinformation being spread by spooked Abbott supporters and quotes Zali on the costs of transitioning to a low-carbon economy: “the reality is the cost of inaction is far greater than the cost of action. We know renewables do not need subsidies, so I don’t understand why a COALition government which is about small government and competitive forces is promoting a policy that is about subsidies to an industry. The benefit to our economy of transitioning is so much more than the cost of not.”
- 9 Feb 19 The Saturday Paper: The Stop Adani Convoy [Feb 2019] by Bob Brown - he uses the term "global heating"
- 17 Jan 19 The Conversation: 35 degree days make blackouts more likely, but new power stations won’t help - "Contrary to the impression the politicians and media might give, it’s very unlikely the outage will have been caused by a lack of power supply – whether coal, gas or renewable. So be sceptical when a hot-headed politician tells you the solution is their preferred energy generation technology. Neither a new coal-fired power station nor a giant solar-fed battery will keep the power on if your local network fails."
- Dec 18 The Saturday Paper: Inside the economics of Snowy 2.0.
- 8 Oct 18 - I am stunned and ashamed! SMH: Former official criticises Angus Taylor over 'extraordinary' coal protection measure - "Energy Minister Angus Taylor is considering indemnifying new coal projects from their future carbon risk as part of the government's plan to underwrite new "reliable" electricity generation." - In my view this amounts to generational vandalism because, in effect, future taxpayers will have to pay for coal-fired power stations to emit more CO2 - the same generations who will be severely affected by unchecked global warming. This goes far beyond the decades of shameful undermining of world efforts to reduce global warming by conservative governments (see the list below)
- 10 Oct 18 ABC: Environment Minister rejects top scientists' advice on phasing out coal, after UN's warning
- 3 Oct 18 - South Australia's Telsa big battery is exceeding expectations for stabilising the grid and is doing this at much lower cost than conventional (coal/gas) sources - Prime Minister Morrison previously compared it with the Big Banana and other government ministers have also derided it.
- 13 Sep 18 ABC: New Zealand's politicians just came up with a good [climate] plan — together
- 11 Sep 18 ABC: There's a certain Trump-like quality to Australia's discourse on emissions reductions - these reassurances are at completely at odds with the Government's own official advice
- 24 Aug 18 - Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull dumped by right-wing opponents of emission reduction targets
- 18 Aug 18 ABC: Malcolm Turnbull dumps plan to legislate Paris emissions targets - but there is a glimmer of hope - Craig (Coal at all Costs) Kelly :"... The great concern is if you put it in regulation, that gives a future Labor party, a minister, just by a tick of a pen or a stroke of a pen to change the regulation and put the target up higher..." - this was the point made by Ken Baldwin in an article in The Conversation: The renewable energy train is unstoppable. The NEG needs to get on board - "the politically charged emissions reduction target needs to be set not in legislation but by regulation, so that it can easily be used as a dial to tune the level of ambition. Any future government could then ramp up the electricity sector’s emissions target beyond 26%..." + The Conversation: Turnbull dumps emissions legislation to stop rebels crossing the floor. [Update: It now seems any emissions target by regulation is to be dropped!]
- 22 Apr 18 ABC: Labor warns Government's National Energy Guarantee will lead to renewables lag
- 24 Feb 17 The Saturday Paper ($): Malcolm Turnbull’s switch on power sources - "First, clean coal is not actually very clean ( see this diagram). Even the best available technology was incompatible with meeting Australia’s current greenhouse gas reduction target...During last week’s heatwave, the NSW energy grid came perilously close to disaster. Two of four units at the 45-year-old Liddell coal power station had broken down – again. Then two big gas-fired generators went off. There was not much help coming from the interconnector with Queensland, which had its own heatwave to worry about. Nor much from the Victorian interconnector. Wind, solar and particularly pumped hydroelectric power saved the day. But don’t expect to hear too much about it from the government."
- 10 Nov 16 NewSci: President Trump means we can’t escape a dangerously warmer world.
- 27 Aug 16 ABC Science Show: Response to rapidly changing climate - deflect, distract, deny and delay
- 13 Aug 16 The Age: John Church and the rising ocean - Described as the “Don Bradman of sea-level science”, John Church’s sacking from the CSIRO left many observers gobsmacked. Can we – Australia and the rest of the planet – really afford to let him go? .. "Australia has a huge coastline ... few countries could benefit more from an accurate understanding of sea-level rise."
- 14 May 16 SMH - more shame for Australia: Global sea-level expert John Church made to walk the plank by CSIRO - For John Church, a leading authority on sea-level rise caused by global warming, there was much that was fitting – and yet callous – about being sacked at sea + Nature: Australian climate job cuts leave hole in Southern Hemisphere research.
- 24 Mar 16 SMH: Malcolm Turnbull's green shift another blow to Tony Abbott
- 10 Nov 15 NewSci: Australia can go green and have economic growth – if it wants to - Australia can continue to grow its economy by relying heavily on agriculture and mining, while also slashing emissions and improving the natural environment. But smart government policies will be key...
- 6 Aug 15 SMH: Windfarm 'wing nuts': Public health expert takes aim at activists + Adani and Commonwealth Bank part ways, casting further doubt on Carmichael coal project.
- 23 Jul 15 SciAm: Sea Level Could Rise at Least 6 Meters ( with list of affected northern hemisphere cities - see also Sydney , Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Newcastle - from my tsunami awareness page)
- 21 Jul 15 NewSci: Australian PM bans renewable energy body from investing in wind (more shame) + The Saturday Paper: Abbott's campaign to kill renewable energy sector.
- 16 Feb 15 ABC: Climate change booklet aims to dispel confusion, misinformation + Australian Academy of Science: The science of climate change: Questions and answers.
- 9 Dec 14 BBC: Australia worst performer on climate change - report
- 13 Nov 14 SMH: US-China climate deal puts pressure on Tony Abbott
- 10 Jun 14 SMH: Tony Abbott missing signs of world's switch to carbon trading, experts say + Tony Abbott seeks alliance to thwart President Obama on climate change policy [This shameful act is reminescent of John Howard undermining climate talks in 2000]
- Sep 2013 - Tony Abbott is elected at Prime Minister of Australia on the mantra that the carbon tax will be abolished... despite... Hottest year [on record for Australia] shows need for carbon tax
- 26 Jun 13 SMH: Obama unveils sweeping climate plan - the world does not have time for “a meeting of the flat earth society” before it acts on climate change
- 3 Jul 12 ABC: Judge for yourselves on carbon tax, Gillard tells voters + Carbon tax 'economically efficient': Garnaut. Carbon pricing explained.
- 27 Apr 12 Scientific American: U.S. Voters Favor Regulating CO2
- 22 Oct 11 Scientific American: Different Method, Same Result: Global Warming Is Real - Independent analysis confirms earlier results but aims for greater transparency.
- 14 Oct 11 BBC: Australia parliament passes divisive carbon tax
- 23 Aug 11 Scientific American: Australia Passes CO2 Offset Laws, Carbon Pricing Next - Opinion: unfortunately masterful scaremongering by media people and some politicians means that Australians do not understand the intentions and effects of a carbon tax. The situation has effectively become a witch-hunt with reptilian instincts aroused and rational decision-making discarded.
- Australian Academy of Sciences: The Science of Climate Change: Questions and Answers - by Australia's peak science organisation [eminent scientists with no vested interest in the energy industry]
- 11 Dec 10: I have a suggestion for the skeptical politicians. Every developed country that refuses to implement effective climate-change polices should be required to enter into a future contract that requires their nations to pay for the effects of climate change on poorer nations. In other words, if they are that confident that there will be no human-induced climate change (or no serious consequences) then they should be repared to make a commitment to repair some of the damage, if they are proved wrong in coming decades.
- 13 Aug 09 ABC: Doomed emissions bill fuels election talk - Australia nearly had an emissions trading scheme. More shame from the Liberal/National COALition - now in opposition.
- 17 Dec 2007 Daily Telegraph: [Australian Senator] Penny Wong's way is the right way for Bali roadmap.
There are dozens of articles on this subject appearing every week. The following list is just a personal and somewhat random selection. Check out the links for many more.
Update 27 Nov 2000
Opinion: The Australian
Government contributed to the collapse of
the climate talks in The Hague. I am sure that the
majority of Australians disagree with the stand taken by the
Howard Government but it is evident that vested
interests have prevailed. This government's apparent disregard
for future generations is reprehensible. On the same day that
former Environment Minister Robert
Hill was scuttling the climate agreement in The Hague
the Australian Prime
Minister John Howard was touring northern New South
Wales viewing the damage from the worst flooding in decades.
This flooding is not necessarily linked to global warming but,
as with other recent flooding around the globe, shows clearly
how sensitive
our economy is to climate extremes - extremes
that
will become greater under the effects of global warming.
23 Sep 01 (Not an item to be proud of) Engineers Australia: Australians are the worst greenhouse gas polluters in the industrialised world.... Update: Sorry URL no longer available - here is an extract:
Puzzled by reports of the US and other countries having the coldest winter for decades? See this article from EurekaAlert: The eastern U.S. keeps its cool while the world warms (updated URL) (also here) - warming oceans produce more cloud over the US (+ Higher ocean temperatures linked to cooling in Midwest) . Livescience.com: How Global Warming Can Chill the Planet. Some of the think tank organisations are misleadingly using this effect to question global warming.
Jul 22 The Conversatrion: 4 ways to understand why Australia is so cold right now despite global warming +
Pollution from coal-fired power stations and other
health/safety risks from coal:
Health risks from coal-fired power stations - diagram prepared in 2011 when I learned that Oecusse in Timor Leste had been proposed as a site for a second-hand Chinese power station, despite the region having no coal and no reliable water supply.
For a succinct description of the problem of global warming
read chapter 11 of Carl Sagan's last book "Billions
and
Billions" and chapter 4 of Cosmos - "Heaven and Hell"
(extract) that was written in 1980. See also Carl
Sagan's Baloney Detection Kit - particularly before you
click on the following links!
18 Oct 08 Opinion: Would these same organisation claim that the current stock market turmoil is cyclic and that there is no reason for government intervention?
greenhous.html?
When this page was created in 1997 I was limited to 8 letter
filenames! My apologies for broken links.
Compiled by Michael Paine. For latest
update see News items.