In the coming year, there will be an election for the Australian Parliament, at a time when the very future of human civilisation is precarious. Three important books have appeared in recent months that should be read by politicians and their constituents, everywhere. The first, “How to Fix a Broken Planet”, is by acclaimed, Canberra Continue reading »
climate
“History is a nightmare from which I am trying to wake” James Joyce Figure 1. The five mass extinctions in Earth History. The rate of the current rise of greenhouse gas levels and thereby temperatures is higher by more than an order of magnitude than that of previous mass extinctions. (Figures 11.2, 11.5). Glikson. A.Y., Continue reading »
You can’t solve a problem without talking about it, honestly. Take the impact of climate disruption on security. “Too hot to handle: The scorching reality of Australia’s climate–security failure” is a report published this week by the Australian Security Leaders Group (ASLCG) . This article is an extract from the report. One line of evidence Continue reading »
With the federal budget just over three weeks away, researcher Chelsea Hunnisett has some pointed questions for the Albanese Government, including: what happened to plans for a wellbeing economy, and where is your commitment to intergenerational investment for health and wellbeing? Hunnisett is a Laureate PhD Candidate and Government Relations Specialist in the Planetary Health Continue reading »
Australia’s carbon offset scheme costs a lot and captures almost no carbon but provides a fig leaf for continuing emissions. Technology-based Carbon Dioxide Removal is still a distant dream. Distributed energy resources can be the Swiss Army knife of the electricity system. Australia’s carbon offset scheme exposed as a scam Over the last decade the Continue reading »
Five times in the history of life on Earth the corals have perished, swept from the board by conditions hostile to nearly all life. Each time, it has taken them millions of years to evolve anew. Each mass death of corals has been accompanied by the mass deaths of most other species, on land and Continue reading »
Scientists confirm a fourth global coral bleaching event, the second in the last ten years. “This is something everyone should be worried about, and everyone should be angry about, frankly”, the head of the Coral Reef Watch program at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Derek Manzello, told ABC Radio. “Significant severe coral Continue reading »
Australian leadership is no longer an embarrassment at UNFCCC COPs. Nonetheless, Australia’s participation in the fossil fuel industry, including through new projects, is not putting us on the fastest path to net zero. Will we miss our “brief and rapidly closing window” to secure a liveable future? The UNFCCC COPs reflect the ‘international rules-based order’ Continue reading »
One month ago, three Extinction Rebellion protesters led by Deana ‘Violet’ Coco blocked the Westgate Bridge to deliver a desperate plea to all Australians. ‘Climate Breakdown has Begun.’ ‘Declare a Climate Emergency!’ they urged. Despite 1.15 degrees of warming confirmed in 2022 and the drastic effects of climate change currently affecting global communities, the Federal Continue reading »
The recent P&I article by Chris Douglas featuring Glencore and the Great Artesian Basin raised many genuine concerns, especially regarding the sophism of corporate social responsibility. These included Glencore’s predatory culture and rapacious deeds and the egregious conduct of many other extractive mining brigands across Australia and elsewhere around the globe. Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Continue reading »