Some good things have happened: Lloyds of London insurers Ascot and Lancashire will not renew insurance policies for Adani (38 insurers have now walked away from Adani), Greenpeace won its case against AGL,Woolworths to be 100% renewables by 2025; Aldi in Australia now 100% renewables; The Senate has voted against government’s plan to open up ARENA funding to carbon capture and storage projects and fossil fuel hydrogen; Mark Vaile (chairman of Whitehaven Coal) declined his appointment as Newcastle University’s next chancellor after academic and public pressure; Samsung, KLP and Storebrand dumped their investments in Adani Ports; Senate voted to establish a Parliamentary inquiry into Morrison’s $50 million handout for fracking in the Beetaloo Basin
WHAT’S ON
Wild at Heart art competition ACF has partnered with Forestmedia Network Inc to run a competition for children 5-12 to learn about the extinction of our flora and fauna and produce an artwork. Competition closes 30 July. For information go to http://www.acf.org.au/artcomp
Clean Energy Conference The Clean Energy Council is running a conference 25 – 26 August at the ICC in Sydney about renewable energy. Free but you need to register https://www.energynext.com.au/en-gb/visit.html
Adani’s green washing campaign. Adani has decided its up to children and not it come up with ideas on how to tackle climate change with their #ican campaign.You can help by jumping on Twitter and exposing Adani’s greenwashing hypocrisy, using the hashtags #ican and #StopAdani. https://ican.adani.com/
Meet the candidates The Ryde Hunters Hill Flora and Fauna Preservation Society will run a forum on 21 August 2-4pm at the Environment Education Centre in the Field of Mars for candidates in the Ryde area standing for the council election. Come and ask them what their views are on climate change.
WHAT WE’VE BEEN DOING
Signed Lock the Gate petition opposing Vickery Mine
Signed letter to moderate Liberal MP’s and John Alexander asking them to oppose proposed changes to ARENA
Sent letter to NSW Treasurer asking he not impose a tax on EVs
Signed petition asking Matt Keane not support Kurri Kurri gas project
Sent a submission in support of Ryde Council’s proposal to extend green corridors.
Made a submission to WA government citing concerns about plan for water management of Fitzroy RIver (which could end up like the colossal failure of the Murray Darling River water management plan)
Signed letter asking banks not to fund Whitehaven or Vickery Mine expansions.
Signed petition opposing seismic blasting in marine parks.
Signed letter to Sustainalytics asking they revisit their assessment of Adani ports
NEWS AND EVENTS
Vickery Mine Sign the petition opposing this mine. https://www.lockthegate.org.au/vickery_coal_2021
Kurri Kurri gas plant Sign the petition to Matt Kean asking him to oppose this plant https://me.getup.org.au/petitions/reject-kurri-kurri-gas-plant
The plant won’t cover costs.https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jun/10/morrison-governments-600m-gas-power-plant-at-kurri-kurri-not-needed-and-wont-cover-costs-analysts-say
Seismic blasting in marine parks Sign the petition calling for a halt to seismic blasting,a precursor to gas and oil mining in our marine parks. https://www.saveourmarinelife.org.au/actions/stop-seismic-blasting/
Whitehaven mine Sign the petition asking banks not fund this mine https://www.marketforces.org.au/coal-affair-sinks-mark-vailes-uni-application/
ARRCC letters to the PM Australian Religious Response to Climate Change is encouraging us all to write a letter to the PM asking for real action on climate change. Send the letters to ARRCC by 10 September and they will forward them to the PM https://www.arrcc.org.au/letters
Adani The Queensland government will not make any inquiries about Adani’s water plans for the Carmichael coalmine even though most of the state is in drought. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jun/26/queensland-government-wont-look-into-adanis-undisclosed-new-water-source
And now Adani wants to use coal mined in Australia to make plastic in India https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jun/17/adani-blasted-over-toxic-4bn-plan-to-use-australian-coal-to-make-plastic-in-india
Sustainalytics says Adani’s port is low risk. Sign the letter asking they rethink this. https://www.marketforces.org.au/sustainalytics-adani-ports/
NSW’s EV policy NSW government’s incentives for us to take up EV’s – at last! https://www.sbs.com.au/news/nsw-plan-to-incentivise-electric-vehicle-use-wins-praise-from-environmental-urban-policy-groups
Sign the letter asking NSW treasurer not to tax EVs. https://www.solarcitizens.org.au/email_the_nsw_treasurer_ev
NSW transport minister wants to electrify the transport system – shame he has ignored health concerns raised in the past about the government’s massive road projects. https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/minister-wants-electrification-of-all-nsw-vehicles-to-overcome-health-concerns-20210609-p57zl4.html
Land clearing in NSW is accelerating at an alarming rate.
https://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/nsw-losing-sydney-sized-chunk-of-tree-cover-every-two-days-to-clearing-20210629-p58564.html
Woodside given approval to increase emissions over next decade by WA government. WA is the only state that has increased its emissions since 2005.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jun/09/campaigners-dumbfounded-by-abatement-plan-that-will-let-woodside-increase-emissions-in-wa
Council elections will be held on 4 September. It is worth reading the document outlining the achievements of Ryde Council regarding climate change, largely through the efforts of dedicated and well-informed Greens, ALP and Independent councillors. http://www.ryde.nsw.gov.au/SCGAchievements
Community funding for PV Community groups that would like to install PV can apply for a grant through COREA. For information go to https://corenafund.org.au/ For information about community energy projects, go to Community Power Agency https://cpagency.org.au/
Australia – the laggard The PM’s weasel words at the G7 are an embarrassment https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jun/11/ignore-defend-and-pretend-scott-morrisons-g7-climate-strategy-is-embarrassing
No more fossil fuel projects if we want to limit temperature increase to 1.5 degrees. https://theconversation.com/even-without-new-fossil-fuel-projects-global-warming-will-still-exceed-1-5-but-renewables-might-make-it-possible-162591
Matt Canavan says the cold snap proves climate change isn’t real. Three myths busted. https://theconversation.com/matt-canavan-suggested-the-cold-snap-means-global-warming-isnt-real-we-bust-this-and-2-other-climate-myths-130878
Federal government supports gas and oil mining near Twelve Apostles
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-16/twelve-apostles-gas-and-oil-plan-sparks-anger/100219264
Be aware of fossil fuel industry’s inflated claims of non-mining jobs created with its projects https://theconversation.com/be-suspicious-of-claims-the-mining-industry-creates-non-mining-jobs-161899
Santos boss warns that climate change is pressuring gas industry https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/climate-pressure-on-gas-sector-is-ramping-up-santos-boss-warns-20210614-p580y0.html
EV’s what needs to be done https://theconversation.com/check-your-mirrors-3-things-rooftop-solar-can-teach-us-about-australias-electric-car-rollout-162085
Federal Labor strongly supports gas (oh dear) https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jun/17/federal-labors-madeleine-king-defends-gas-as-critical-to-australias-needs and doesn’t support Zali Steggall’s call for no money to be given to the Beetaloo gas project https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/labor-in-new-row-over-whether-to-back-gas-20210601-p57x2y.html
Effects of Climate change Coastal erosion will increase because ocean waves are more powerful https://theconversation.com/climate-change-is-making-ocean-waves-more-powerful-threatening-to-erode-many-coastlines-160998
What companies, organisations and communities are doing
Alcoa, a major energy user, is trialing renewables https://arena.gov.au/blog/alcoa-aluminium-producer-to-trial-renewables/
Rewilding – saving our native fauna https://npansw.org.au/2021/05/31/re-wilding-in-review/
Insurance companies walking away from fossil fuel projects https://www.finextra.com/blogposting/20417/insurers-as-influencers-building-a-more-sustainable-responsible-and-equitable-world
A $231billion investor is targeting Australia’s reliance on fossil fuel investments https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-16/a-213-billion-investor-targets-whole-nation-over-climate-change
Saving unburnt forests Sign the petition asking that six areas of unburnt forests in NSW be protected. https://www.wwf.org.au/what-we-do/2-billion-trees/defending-the-unburnt-six
Microplastics in your life Where they come from and how to reduce the amount in your life.https://www.1millionwomen.com.au/blog/reducing-amount-plastic-your-life-its-time-talk-about-microplastics/
So you rent and want to get solar? Here’s how you can do that. https://www.1millionwomen.com.au/blog/how-get-solar-power-renter/
RECYCLING AND SUSTAINABILITY
Plastic recycling NSW to ban a number of plastics from next year. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jun/13/nsw-plan-to-ban-single-use-plastics-from-next-year-a-win-for-the-environment-advocates-say
Recycling cotton clothes to make more cotton? https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jun/17/from-fashion-to-field-cotton-clothing-shredded-to-help-grow-future-cotton-crops
Recycling at Hunters Hill Hunters Hill Council has set up an area called The Yarn in Hunters Hill Village which is open Tuesdays and Thursdays 10am-4pm where you can drop off items such as textiles which are not suitable for donation to charity, tablets, mobile phones, household batteries, metal coat hangers, plastic lids and bread tags, dry soft plastic bags and printer cartridges. These items can be recycled into repurposed materials such as benchtop tiles. This project is in conjunction with The Centre for Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT) at the University of New South Wales. For more information go to https://people@huntershill.nsw.gov.au
Recycling soft plastics 94% of soft plastics end up in landfill. Researchers at Sydney Uni’s Centre for Internet of Things (IoT) and Telecommunications have developed a robotic system to sort recyclable plastics. https://www.sustainabilitymatters.net.au/content/waste/news/robotic-recycling-system-could-save-soft-plastics-from-landfill-935747794
Turning green waste into compost A massive project in Queensland to reduce carbon emissions. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-05/how-waste-is-helping-feed-australians/100180582