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rboyd

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Re: Australian politics and climate
« Reply #1 on: May 21, 2019, 11:56:22 PM »
The denialists are sweeping Canada as well, with a probable win in the general election this fall. Only New Zealand among the white settler ex-colonies seems to not be in the denier category, and their climate change policies are still deemed "insufficient" by climate action tracker. If you had told me that this would be the case 10-20 years ago I would certainly not have believed you!

Seems that Adani may now get their Australian coal mine go ahead!

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-21/adani-mine-should-go-ahead-election-shows-rockhampton-mayor-says/11133948

magnamentis

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Re: Australian politics and climate
« Reply #2 on: May 22, 2019, 01:27:38 AM »
wherever people pretend to be (play) cowboy, drive pick-up truck in masses with a gun in the back
denialists, trump voters, racists, to just name a few significant attributes, are a majority.

nothing against cowboys but against machos who think that manhood is related to rifles, hats, belts, SUVs and cowboy boots.

NevB

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Re: Australian politics and climate
« Reply #3 on: May 23, 2019, 04:31:18 PM »
Since this is about Australia here's two stories that unfortunately involve politics however politics is something we have to deal with if we are to make any progress in addressing AGW. I was really hoping I could ignore this for a long time but this election leaves no choice but to do what can be done.

1st Here's a politician from a major party that understands the issue and what has to be done and is trying to deal with the political reality of what is possible after spending more than a decade fighting (and losing) for what should be done.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/may/23/tony-burke-floats-green-new-deal-style-approach-to-labors-climate-policy

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The shadow environment minister, Tony Burke, has declared Labor can no longer pursue a climate policy based on a market mechanism to reduce emissions.

But he insists there can be no retreat from what the science says needs to happen to avoid dangerous warming.

In a significant piece of post-election positioning, Burke told Guardian Australia Labor needs to adopt new policies of regulation and spending – like the Green New Deal model pursued by some Democrats in the United States, or like the existing Australian Direct Action model – because that is the only way a majority of Australian voters will sign on to climate action.

Then there's ex PM Kevin Rudd, (too intellectual for the comfort of Australian voters) with a very lengthy analysis of the political landscape, based on the issues in Australia but also very relevant to many of the issues that have been discussed here.

http://kevinrudd.com/2019/02/04/the-complacent-country/


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Planning for the Future – The Question of National Vision

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Our Future National Challenges – The Dangers of The Great Disruption


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Impact on the National Psychology

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Murdoch and the Far Right

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The Dilemma of the Reforming Centre

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The most tragic, continuing example of this is climate change and the capture of the Australian conservatives by a legion of climate change deniers – repealing Labor’s carbon price, and repeatedly launching political assaults on our legislated mandatory renewable energy target.

BTW This is the current PM that the Australian people just elected and Murdoch's media (who controls 70% in Aus) has delivered.


The point of all this is to illustrate that the mainstream "Left" here accept the science, totally understand the problem and have been trying to do what's needed for decades. However the conservatives and mining interests have successfully used their media power to turn the people against any change. They have also relentlessly been attacked from environmentalist's for not doing enough which has significantly undermined any chance they have of making any progress.
Some of this echo's the situation in the US.

PS This thread should be moved to "The Rest" if possible as it shouldn't be listed with the science pages. 
   


Tom_Mazanec

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Re: Australian politics and climate
« Reply #4 on: May 23, 2019, 06:53:12 PM »
I thought it would come under 'policy', but mo


rboyd

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Re: Australian politics and climate
« Reply #6 on: June 03, 2019, 11:48:48 PM »
In October Canada (election time and the conservatives are leading) will most probably join Australia and the USA in the climate denial asylum.

The three monkeys: see no climate change, hear no climate change, speak no climate change.

Human Habitat Index

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Re: Australian politics and climate
« Reply #7 on: June 04, 2019, 02:13:56 AM »
As the oldest son of non-English speaking migrants, I started reading newspapers at the age of seven in the sixties.

I know Oz politics like the back of my hand.

Australia is a perfect case study of climate (in)action.

Bottom line IMO is yes, Murdoch etc have propagandized the debate, but as Industrialized Humans we can not conceptualize beyond the all encompassing Growth Paradigm.

Anyway, the peer reviewed science, taken in totality tells us it's too late to save the situation.

The only debate is about timelines of destruction.

In that case, denialism is a rational response.
There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance. That principle is contempt prior to investigation. - Herbert Spencer

Tom_Mazanec

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« Last Edit: June 17, 2019, 07:14:53 PM by Tom_Mazanec »

Tom_Mazanec

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Tom_Mazanec

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Tom_Mazanec

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Re: Australian politics and climate
« Reply #11 on: August 15, 2019, 09:27:44 PM »
New Zealand PM calls on Australia to answer Pacific island climate change demands
http://news.trust.org/item/20190814082118-p5kqs/
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern challenged Australia on Wednesday to answer South Pacific island demands for more action on climate change, saying her country was doing its part to limit global greenhouse emissions.
Pacific island leaders meeting in Tuvalu this week have called on Australia to take tougher action on climate change, citing its heavy reliance on coal-fired power.


TerryM

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Re: Australian politics and climate
« Reply #12 on: August 15, 2019, 10:23:27 PM »
New Zealand PM calls on Australia to answer Pacific island climate change demands
http://news.trust.org/item/20190814082118-p5kqs/
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern challenged Australia on Wednesday to answer South Pacific island demands for more action on climate change, saying her country was doing its part to limit global greenhouse emissions.
Pacific island leaders meeting in Tuvalu this week have called on Australia to take tougher action on climate change, citing its heavy reliance on coal-fired power.
Australia's government leans just a little to the right as I recall. Sad stuff - and I fear that Canada's government will tip far to the right in the next election.
Terry

Tom_Mazanec

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Re: Australian politics and climate
« Reply #13 on: August 17, 2019, 07:56:43 PM »
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-15/no-endorsements-come-out-of-tuvalu-declaration/11419342
Australia has stymied efforts by small island states to get Pacific-wide consensus on their declaration for stronger action on climate change.
Australia expressed reservations about emissions reduction, coal use and the Green Climate Fund
Scott Morrison said he understood sensitivities in the Pacific region but ultimately he was "accountable to the Australian people"
Tuvalu's Prime Minister was disappointed with the outcome, saying leaders "should have done more work for our people"
Regional leaders, including Australia and New Zealand, held 12-hour talks in the tiny Pacific nation of Tuvalu for this year's Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), eventually reaching an agreement on a statement on climate change and a communique early this morning.
They could not reach agreement on the Tuvalu Declaration made by smaller Pacific countries, instead drafting a separate Kainaki II Declaration, with different terms on coal use and emissions reduction.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/aug/16/pacific-islands-will-survive-climate-crisis-because-they-can-pick-our-fruit-australias-deputy-pm-says?CMP=share_btn_tw
Pacific islands will survive climate crisis because they 'pick our fruit', Australia's deputy PM says
“I also get a little bit annoyed when we have people in those sorts of countries pointing the finger at Australia and say we should be shutting down all our resources sector so that, you know, they will continue to survive,” he said.
« Last Edit: August 17, 2019, 08:55:58 PM by Tom_Mazanec »

Tom_Mazanec

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Re: Australian politics and climate
« Reply #14 on: August 23, 2019, 02:26:12 AM »
Six sentences of hope: defining a unifying vision in the face of the climate crisis
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/aug/22/six-sentences-of-hope-defining-a-unifying-vision-in-the-face-of-the-climate-crisis
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We believe Australia can be an affirming light in a time of despair, a global leader in transitioning to a carbon-free and socially just society, and that is why we wish our government to –

Work with Australian land managers to stop land clearing, protect existing forests and grow new forests to absorb existing carbon pollution.

Work with Australian farmers and graziers to make farming carbon neutral.

Work with Australian miners to ensure a transition into 21st century minerals (nickel, rare earth) and end thermal coalmining and gas fracking in Australia.

Work with Australian regulators to make all Australian ground transport powered by renewable energy by 2030.

Work with Australian industry to make Australia a renewable energy giant and carbon-neutral economy by 2050, funded by progressive pollution tariffs on global heaters.

Tom_Mazanec

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Re: Australian politics and climate
« Reply #15 on: August 29, 2019, 10:29:32 PM »
Australia pressures Unesco over impact of climate change on Great Barrier Reef
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/aug/29/australia-pressures-unesco-over-impact-of-climate-change-on-great-barrier-reef
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The federal government is pushing Unesco’s world heritage committee to resolve how it will deal with the impact of climate change on world heritage properties, including the Great Barrier Reef.

It comes ahead of the release of two government reports that are expected to project a poor outlook for the reef, the status of which will be reassessed by Unesco next year after previously avoiding an in danger listing.

Tom_Mazanec

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Re: Australian politics and climate
« Reply #16 on: September 04, 2019, 07:29:59 PM »
John Kerry calls out Australia
John Kerry says we can't leave climate emergency to 'neanderthals' in power
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/sep/03/john-kerry-says-we-cant-leave-climate-emergency-to-neanderthals-in-power
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In a keynote address to the Global Table food and agriculture conference, Kerry made veiled swipes at the Australian government’s lack of climate and energy policy. He also weighed in on the heated debate about the massive Adani coalmine proposed for north Queensland.

Sciguy

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Re: Australian politics and climate
« Reply #17 on: September 05, 2019, 09:10:23 PM »
Australia on pace to meet 2020 goals for renewable energy:

https://www.inverse.com/article/58989-clean-energy-why-australia-is-about-to-beat-its-renewable-energy-target

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The Clean Energy Regulator, the government body responsible for overseeing the targets, announced Wednesday that it has given the thumbs-up to enough energy capacity to meet its target for large-scale grid projects. The goal was to produce 33,000 gigawatt-hours of clean energy by 2020.

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These initiatives are paying off. Wind and solar moved from the most expensive forms of energy in 2001 to the cheapest today. These declining prices are expected to have a knock-on effect, with analysis from RepuTex claiming the country could reach 50 percent renewables by 2030 without any new policies, thanks to declining prices.

Imperial College London data shows that Australia ranked 10th in terms of renewable capacity additions from 2008 to 2017, adding 0.4 kilowatts per person, edging out the 12th-placed United States but adding less than half the capacity of first-placed Germany.

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The Clean Energy Regulator is just one of the many steps taken by the government to meet these goals. It’s an independent statutory authority, established by the government in the Clean Energy Regulator Act 2011, which states its goal as “accelerating carbon abatement for Australia.” It does this by administering the legislation that will help reach this goal, which includes the large-scale target.

The regulator stated in 2016 that 6,400 megawatts of capacity would need to be built between 2017 and 2019 to meet the renewable energy target. This target was met on August 30, 2019, when the regulator approved four large wind and solar power stations totaling 406 megawatts. The body is tracking a further 6,410 megawatts of renewable energy sources to be built over the coming years.

Tom_Mazanec

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Re: Australian politics and climate
« Reply #18 on: September 11, 2019, 08:40:18 PM »
Climate change survey shows Australians want action on emissions, but are divided on nuclear
https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2019-09-10/climate-of-nation-australia-attitudes/11484690
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Key points:
More than 40 per cent of Australians said droughts and floods were already being affected by climate change
New report found solar was the most popular energy choice, with opinions divided on nuclear
Australia should act on climate change regardless of big polluters like US and China, respondents said
But we're still divided on how to get there, with solar energy topping the list of preferred energy sources and nuclear power continuing to polarise

Tom_Mazanec

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Re: Australian politics and climate
« Reply #19 on: September 13, 2019, 10:54:39 PM »
Australian emissions rise as LNG production soars
https://www.climatechangenews.com/2019/08/30/australian-emissions-rise-lng-production-soars/
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Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions rose in the year through March largely due to increased liquefied natural gas output, the government said on Friday, adding that without LNG, the country’s emissions would have fallen.

Greenhouse gas emissions rose 0.6% to 538.9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-e) from the previous year, mainly due to a 19% rise in LNG exports and growth in steel and aluminium production, the government said in a quarterly greenhouse gas update.

LNG output added 4.7 million tonnes CO2-e, more than offsetting a 2.1% drop in emissions from the electricity sector, the biggest source of carbon emissions, as the growth of wind and solar power has reduced the use of dirty coal.

Tom_Mazanec

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Re: Australian politics and climate
« Reply #20 on: September 18, 2019, 07:03:58 PM »
This is what climate change looks like in Australia – in pictures
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/gallery/2019/sep/17/this-is-what-climate-change-looks-like-in-australia-in-pictures
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As predictions about the climate crisis increasingly become observations, Australians are witnessing first hand the impacts of more frequent and severe weather events. These images supplied by the Climate Council show the devastating effects on the continent’s ecosystems and unique wildlife. Australia’s ecosystems are already under grave stress from land-clearing, over-harvesting and invasive feral animals and plants; climate change is adding to the litany of woes and proving to be the last straw for some systems and species

Tom_Mazanec

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Re: Australian politics and climate
« Reply #21 on: January 18, 2020, 12:00:05 AM »
When Will Australia’s Prime Minister Accept the Reality of the Climate Crisis?
https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/when-will-australias-prime-minister-accept-the-reality-of-the-climate-crisis
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For now, it seems, Australia will remain reliant on coal. On Wednesday, Morrison told reporters in Canberra, “Our resources industry is incredibly important to Australia.” The country remains the world’s second-largest exporter of thermal coal (the kind used to make electricity), after Indonesia. In 2018, the country sent two hundred million metric tons, worth twenty-six billion dollars, to China, Japan, and other countries in Southeast Asia.
Seems the word they are groping for is "never".

Sigmetnow

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Re: Australian politics and climate
« Reply #22 on: February 10, 2020, 08:22:13 PM »
Queensland miner Grant Howard faces the challenges of being a miner and a climate activist
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... Mr Howard believed mine workers should not feel like they were shouldering the responsibility of climate change, and that Australia's government needed to step up to address carbon emissions.

"It's got to be a planned and organised and resourced transition that takes place not in one day, [but] that is planned over the next 10, 20, 30 and 40 years," he said.

He said miners should feel empowered to have their own opinions without feeling that their livelihoods were being threatened.

"I see politicians using coal miners for their own political advantage, and I'm very angry about that, because they're simply putting forth a very simplistic argument," he said.

"They're not giving coal miners the information they should need.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-10/coal-miner-becomes-climate-change-activist-after-38-years/11937230

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Warning - disturbing imagery and highly emotional content. Prof. @MichaelEMann joins Tara Brown and representatives of the Fire Service and a politician to discuss the impact of climate change on the ferocity of Australia’s bushfires. #ClimateEmergency #AustralianBushfires
https://mobile.twitter.com/scowlingmonkey/status/1226682783009038336

60 Minutes Australia on Twitter: "Did you miss any of last night's #60Mins? International viewers can catch up on 'Fire Fight' in full on the @60Mins official YouTube channel. https://t.co/skoLnHWEX6
https://mobile.twitter.com/60mins/status/1226656035454144512

The fight against Australia's biggest ever bushfires | 60 Minutes Australia
 
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

gerontocrat

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Re: Australian politics and climate
« Reply #23 on: February 10, 2020, 09:06:18 PM »
When Will Australia’s Prime Minister Accept the Reality of the Climate Crisis?
https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/when-will-australias-prime-minister-accept-the-reality-of-the-climate-crisis
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For now, it seems, Australia will remain reliant on coal. On Wednesday, Morrison told reporters in Canberra, “Our resources industry is incredibly important to Australia.” The country remains the world’s second-largest exporter of thermal coal (the kind used to make electricity), after Indonesia. In 2018, the country sent two hundred million metric tons, worth twenty-six billion dollars, to China, Japan, and other countries in Southeast Asia.
Seems the word they are groping for is "never".

Two stories.

Despite the Morrison Government, renewable energy production is growing strongly in Australia. We will see how the punch-up between the dinosaurs, (Morrison Govt & Labor sitting on a fence very uncomfortably), and most users of electricity (private & business) and most State Governments. If the dinosaurs win, goodbye Australia.

See attached and https://www.aemo.com.au/-/media/files/major-publications/qed/2019/qed-q4-2019.pdf

The other story is exports of coal (and LNG). That probably depends on what China, India & the rest of Asia do about renewables in their own economy.

But for the billion animals killed - too late, and generations of work required for a just a chance o restore habitats for far too many unique species to list. We haven't the technology, we probably can't rebuild it.
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Australian politics and climate
« Reply #24 on: February 12, 2020, 04:11:50 PM »
Yikes! :o  Definitely NSFW.  Hard-hitting “ad” about Australian government and the fires.

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theJuice on Twitter: "The Australien Government has made an ad about this summer’s fires and it’s surprisingly honest and informative.  Don't get used to it:

Honest Government Ad | After the Fires – The Juice Media
https://www.thejuicemedia.com/honest-government-ad-the-fires/


#HonestGovernmentAd
 
https://mobile.twitter.com/thejuicemedia/status/1227347211941318657
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

NeilT

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Re: Australian politics and climate
« Reply #25 on: February 12, 2020, 05:02:54 PM »
They do have another one....

Being right too soon is socially unacceptable.

Robert A. Heinlein