All articles
-
An open letter to Kevin Rudd on climate
Today Greenpeace released this joint statement, together with over 50 Australian environmental organisations. Any day now the Federal Cabinet will be making a decision about the target for cutting greenhouse emissions over the next decade. It’s a crucial moment. We’ll find out what the target is on the 15th – when we will know if…
-
The energy revolution will not be centralised!
This week has seen yet another round of protestations from the big end of town about how difficult it will be to cut greenhouse emissions, and how they are going to have to move offshore if a decent emissions trading scheme is introduced. Meanwhile, another renewable energy manufacturer has just announced that they are actually…
-
Herald-Sun breaks the silence on new Limits to Growth report
Congratulations to Melbourne’s Herald-Sun for breaking a thirty-year taboo on the dreaded ‘Limits to Growth’ hypothesis today, in an article by Peter Jean. Limits to Growth is the theory that since the Earth is finite, an endlessly growing global economy will eventually run out of planet to get resources from, dump pollution into, grow food…
-
Garnaut, climate change and the need for 2020 vision
It is reassuring to hear a respected economist such as Professor Garnaut emphasise the importance of committing to 2020 targets and his warning that as climate change is proceeding faster than predicted, more urgent action is needed. Having been such a devoted laggard on the issue, Australia now has the opportunity to show international leadership…
-
Climate whistleblower speaks out: Guy Pearse speaking tour
Australia’s climate change response: Guy Pearse speaking tour Greenpeace is excited to announce a series of climate change forums with Guy Pearse, the Liberal insider turned whistleblower on climate change. Guy Pearse joined the Liberal party in 1989 and spent the past 18 years studying environment policy and working in the political ‘dark arts’. He’s…
-
Students take direct action against coal
As I write, 20 student activists are peacefully blockading the Newcastle coal loader to highlight the insanity of expanding the world’s biggest coal port at a time when we need urgent cuts in greenhouse emissions (see coverage on abc and SMH). Yesterday, activists shut down power generation at the Loy Yang power station in Gippsland’s…
-
And another renewable energy company bites the dust
The Howard’s government’s persistent failure to support renewable energy claimed another victim today with the world’s largest wind turbine manufacturer Vestas announcing it was shutting its Portland factory in Victoria. Unless the Howard government or the ALP intervenes by increasing Australia’s pathetic 2% renewable energy target 136 workers at the factory will lose their jobs,…
-
Climate heating up on the hustings
Things are heating up in the eastern suburbs Melbourne seat of Deakin. Sitting member Phil Baressi has in recent months been the subject of a Greenpeace leaflet which highlighted that Mr Baressi hasn’t mentioned the words climate change in Parliament in his 11 years of office. The leaflet was letterboxed in Deakin from April to…