Climate forces consolidate as coal backers rush for government help

Forces on the green-energy side are positioning for a renewed climate change debate in coming months, as the Turnbull government struggles to convince internal dissenters of the need for tougher carbon reduction measures.

Ben Oquist, executive director of the Australia Institute. 

The nation's preeminent advocate of strong laws against carbon emissions, the Climate Institute, will close its doors on June 30 after a dozen years in operation, and transfer its assets and intellectual property to high-profile progressive think tank the Australia Institute.

The financial terms of the new arrangement have been kept confidential.

As the recipient body, the economically-oriented Australia Institute will in turn establish a dedicated "Climate and Energy Program" with the aim of stepping up the public pressure on lawmakers to meet Australia's obligations under the Paris Accord. 

Read Mark Kenny’s story in today’s Melbourne Age - “Climate forces consolidate as coal backers rush for government help.”

Climate Institute to shut due to lack of philanthropic support

Australia's original climate change-focused think-tank and lobby group will shut after it failed to replace the multi-million-dollar bequest it relied on.

Outgoing Climate Institute
chief John Connor. 

The Climate Institute, known for its research and leading role in public debate since being set up in 2005, will close in June.

It comes 18 months after the institute called for public donations to offset the lapsing of the foundational support set up by Rupert Murdoch's niece, Eve Kantor, and her husband, farmer Mark Wootton.

Mr Wootton, also the institute's chairman, said he was proud that the institute had built understanding of a complex issue during a public debate in Australian public life.

Read Adam Morton’s story in today’s Melbourne Age - “Climate Institute to shut due to lack of philanthropic support.”

Climate change: 90% of rural Australians say their lives are already affected

The Climate Institute says 82% of poll
respondents in rural and regional Australia
 and 81% of those in capital cities were
 concerned about increased droughts as a 
result of climate change. 

Ninety per cent of people living in rural and regional Australia believe they are already experiencing the impacts of climate change and 46% believe coal-fired power stations should be phased out, according to a new study.

A poll of 2,000 people conducted by the Climate Institute found that 82% of respondents in rural and regional Australia and 81% of those in capital cities were concerned about increased droughts, flooding and destruction of the Great Barrier Reef due to climate change, and 78% of all respondents were concerned there would be more bushfires.

About three quarters of all respondents – 76% in capital cities and 74% in rural or regional areas – said ignoring climate change would make the situation worse and about two-thirds said they believed the federal government should take a leading role.

Read Calla Wahlquist’s story in The Guardian - “Climate change: 90% of rural Australians say their lives are already affected.”

Soon it will be 'Black Saturday' every two or three years

Bushfires will soon be bigger, more
severe and more intense.

Most people can clearly remember the 2009 Victorian bushfire known as “Black Saturday”.

Soon, however, it will not be a matter of remembering the fires rather it will be the reality of actually dealing with them.

The Climate Institute believes that with the current progress of climate change, Victoria could, on average, have a ‘Black Saturday’ level event every two or three years.

Australia’s 50,000 to 60,000 annual bushfires are likely to increase in size, severity and intensity as climate change continues to worsen.

Promoting another Climate Conversations forum: “Can we prevent bushfires? Issues and challenges”, the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute  (MSSI) and the Australian-German Climate and Energy College say that as with many of our climate change responses, the response to bushfire is still operating in the old world paradigm.

A trio of speakers will speak about preventing bushfires and the issues challenges with that at the University of Melbourne’s School of Design on Tuesday, September 27, at 12.30pm.

The speakers will be:

Associate Professor Janet Stanley - A Principal Research Fellow in Urban Social Resilience at MSSI, a consultant in Sustainable Policy, and Director of the National Centre for Research in Bushfire and Arson.

Her work involves strategic responses to social, environmental and economic challenges in the context of social equality and climate change with particular interests in policy, bushfire, social inclusion and transport.

Associate Professor Alan March – the Director of Bachelor of Environments and Bachelor of Design, School of Design.

Alan’s publications and research include an examination of the practical governance mechanisms of planning and urban design, and the ways that planning systems can successfully manage change and transition as circumstances change, especially in relation to emergencies and establishing resilience.

Dr Paul Read - is shortly to take up a position with MSSI to undertake research on bushfire.

Dr Read is also a senior lecturer in Psychology, teaching Post-Graduate Diploma, Masters, and honours students at Monash Faculty of Medicine, and a Director of the National Centre for Research in Bushfire and Arson.

He undertakes research on the interface between social, economic and environmental sustainability and climate change, as well as the prevention of bushfire arson.

The seminar is free, but those intending to attend should RSVP to Claire Denby at MSSI

Climate change to decimate coffee growing areas impacting on 120m people

Climate change is going to halve the area suitable for coffee production and impact the livelihoods of more than 120 million of the world’s Climate change who rely on the coffee economy, according to a new report by the Climate Institute, commissioned by Fairtrade Australia & New Zealand.

The report findings follow stark warnings by some of the world’s biggest coffee producers, including Starbucks and Lavazza, who have said climate change is posing a severe risk to the industry.

Climate change is already impacting coffee crops around the world, according to the report. In Tanzania, where 2.4 million people’s livelihoods rely on coffee, production has fallen by about 137kg per hectare for every 1C rise in the minimum temperature on farms. Overall there has been a 50% decline there since the 1960s.

Extreme temperatures and unusual high-altitude rains have also sparked costly waves of pests and disease through coffee farms. In 2012, coffee leaf rust affected half of the coffee across Central America – some producers in Guatemala lost up to 85% of their crop.

Read The Guardian story - “Climate change predicted to halve coffee-growing area that supports 120m people.”

Australia poised to 'blow' its carbon budget

Australia will blow its carbon budget with either the Coalition’s emissions reduction targets, or those suggested by the Labor opposition, highlighting the urgent need for negative-emissions technology, analysis commissioned by the Climate Institute shows.

“Everyone is just now beginning to work out the implications of the 1.5C goal, and how hard it is to get to it,” said John Connor, chief executive of the Climate Institute.

The report found that while the policy measures needed to keep global warming to 1.5C or 2C were similar, the risks and costs associated with letting global temperatures reach 2C would be “unmanageable”.

Global warming of 1.5C would make rare events such as extreme heat waves and coral bleaching the new normal, but 2C of warming would move the world into “uncharted territory”, the report by Climate Analytics found.

Read Michael Slezak’s story in The Guardian - “Australia will need to remove CO2 from air to keep warming below 2C, climate body says.”

Mixed response to Frydenberg's climate/energy appointment

The Climate Institute boss hopes for progress
from the new climate and energy framework.

Malcolm Turnbull's moves to combine the energy and environment portfolios has won a mixed response, as Victorian Liberal Josh Frydenberg's record in the competing areas comes under renewed scrutiny.

Greenpeace slammed Mr Frydenberg's appointment to replace Greg Hunt in the expanded portfolio as a blow to the Great Barrier Reef, while Climate Institute boss John Connor said the upcoming review of the government's climate and energy policy framework could deliver progress.

The move follows Labor's lead in combining energy and environment under Mark Butler.

Mr Connor said it could see an end to the current "hodge-podge" of climate and energy policies and help the government meet its Paris agreement obligations.

Read Tom McIlroy’s story in today’s Melbourne Age - “Combined energy and environment portfolio for Josh Frydenberg a 'huge blow' for Great Barrier Reef.”

Banks urged to consider climate risks when making mortgage lending decisions

Weather events, such as the 2011 floods in
Brisbane, pictured, have not had a large
 impact on bank losses. But a new report
argues these risks will increase over time

Banks are being urged to consider climate change risks in their mortgage lending decisions and investigate whether they may be holding loans against billions of dollars worth of properties under threat from changes such as rising sea levels.

A new report from the Climate Institute says banks' mortgage portfolios – which make up nearly two-thirds of the big four's total loans – may be exposed to risks, because of hazards made worse by climate change, such as flood, rising sea levels, storm surge and coastal erosion.

It was estimated in 2009 that $74 billion worth of Australian houses may be at risk from natural hazards, but the report says the current figure is "almost certainly" greater than this.

As the risk of damaging weather events grows due to climate change, the report says banks should take action to integrate climate risk into their mortgage lending processes.

Read Clancy Yeates’s story in today’s Melbourne Age - “Banks told to look at climate risks in mortgages”.

Seats taken as Joeri Rogelj explains 1.5C Paris possibility

Joeri Rogelj speaking at 
LAB 14 about keeping
warming below 1.5C.
 

Nearly all seats were taken for the May 18 presentation at the LAB 14 lecture theatre by Joeri Rogelj.

The Research Scholar at the Energy Program of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), discussed “Keeping warming to below 1.5C. Possible? And if so, how?”

Dr Rogelj, whose visit to the Australian-German Climate and Energy College was co-hosted by the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute (MSSI) and the European Union Centre on Shared Complex Challenges (EU Centre), was optimistic about keeping warming below 1.5C.

He was joined by the deputy CEO of the Climate Institute, Erwin Jackson, who also discussed the achievement of the how the ambitious Paris target can be reached.

The seminar video is now available here and you can download Joeri's slides here.

Erwin's slides can be looked at here.

Climate goals at risk if coal-fired power plants remain open

Long-term climate change goals will be missed, and clean energy investment will stagnate, if Australia does not start forcing its dirty coal-fired power plants to close, new analysis has found.

Economic modelling commissioned by the Climate Institute also suggests that putting off closure until after 2030 would force the country into more-extreme measures to meet the longer-term goals of the Paris climate agreement.

That could include a hurried closure of more than 80 per cent of existing coal power generation in the five years following 2030, causing significant economic and social disruption, particularly in communities dominated by the industry such as the Latrobe Valley.

Read Tom Arup’s story in today’s Melbourne Age -“Shut coal plants or risk missing climate goals and hurting clean power, says Climate Institute.”

Australia taking careful steps in Paris, when it needs to be taking bold strides

T

he CEO of the Climate Institute of Australia, John Connor, says the world is doing a lot more on climate change and Australia should be lifting its game.

Mr Connor says that while signing on to the second Kyoto protocol is significant, refusing to sign the fossil fuels communique will send a signal to our biggest polluters.

Read the ABC transcript from the interview with Michael Brissenden - “Paris climate talks: Australia'staking steps where strides are necessary, says Climate Institute.”

Community concerned Coalition ignoring climate change

A

ustralians are deeply worried the Abbott government is underestimating the importance of climate change, new polling shows, as cabinet debates crucial long-term targets for greenhouse gas reductions.

The annual polling by the Climate Institute thinktank reveals Australians overwhelmingly support wind and solar energy – as the Coalition seeks to limit support for both – and see it as inevitable that coal-fired power stations will have to be phased out and replaced.

Read the Guardian story - “Australians fear Coalition is not taking climate change seriously,poll shows”.

Australia's financial system ill-prepared for climate change

E

xtreme weather events, underinsurance and banks invested in a nation of coastal properties mean the economy is vulnerable, Climate Institute says.

The Guardian quotes the Climate Institute saying that Australia’s financial system is ill-prepared for the impacts of climate change.

It reports that, “A new discussion paper warns of threats to Australia’s banking, insurance and superannuation sectors not mentioned in the Abbott government’s inquiry led by David Murray.

“It says although several submissions made to the financial system inquiry in 2014 referred to climate risk, its final report made no mention of the issue.”

Read the Guardian story - “Australia's finance sector heavily exposed to climate risk, report says”.

Signature policy wins praise from expected quarters

W

hat else but a “stunning outcome” could Greg Hunt attribute to the first play in the Australian coalition’s signature Direct Action policy?

Greg Hunt - claiming emissions
 auctions a "stunning outcome".

The Federal Environmental Minister said auctions to award emissions reduction contracts worth $660.4m for businesses to prevent 47m tonnes of greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere produced a “stunning outcome”, exceeding expectations.

However, amidst the clamour from the minister, the Climate Institute has said the first auctions showed the policy would fall well short of meeting even Australia’s “woefully inadequate” emissions reduction target.

The Guardian has written about the event in the story headed: “Greg Hunt calls Australia's Direct Action auction a success, despite criticism”.

Direct Action seems to about 'mate's rates' on emissions

D

irect Action appears to be about “mate’s rates” for Australia’s worst polluters.

The Guardian reports, “So-called ‘safeguards mechanism’ will at best mean business as usual for Australia’s major polluters and at worst lead to far more greenhouse gas output.”

The story - “Direct Action set up to allow large rise in emissions, says Climate Institute” – reports, “The final element of the Abbott government’s Direct Action climate change policy will at best mean major polluters continue business as usual and at worst lead to significant increases in their greenhouse gas emissions according to the Climate Institute thinktank.”

Failure to respond to climate change is "intergenerational recklessness'

The Government’s treatment of climate change in Thursday’s Intergenerational Report should come under close scrutiny.

If you don’t have a plan for climate change, you don’t have a plan for the future. A sensible plan will lay out how we can help to avoid 2°C warming and include a decarbonisation pathway to phase down our greenhouse gas emissions to zero by mid-century.

CEO of the Climate Institute, John Connor, has written on Reneweconomy about our intergenerational failures; a failure to act on climate change and so act responsibly for the following generations/

His story: “Failure to act on climate is intergenerational recklessness” discussed the increasingly mainstream calls that are echoing around the world, although Australia’s political and business leaders have been slow to act.

It's getting hotter and there are fewer places to hide - John Connor

Climate Institute CEO, John Connor

It's getting hotter with fewer places to hide according to the chief executive of the Climate Institute, Mr John Connor.

Writing in the Sydney Morning Herald about the “known knowns” of 2015, Mr Connor said, “These are the known highlights on the 2015 calendar, but surprises from the relentlessly warming political and natural world will undoubtedly provide more.”

The story headed: “It is getting hotter, with fewer places to hide for government” he wrote: “With several more key milestones in 2015, there will be even fewer places to hide for the government and other political and business groups.”  

Increasing temperatures threatening to disrupt Australia's sporting culture

Days of forty degrees and more will become increasingly common threatening to seriously disrupt Australia’s sporting culture.

A story on the ABC reports: “Scientists are warning the viability of Australia's $12 billion sports market is being threatened by global warming and extreme weather events.”

The story headed: “Australian sport needs to lift game on climate issues, Olympians and sport bosses say” says that those responsible for sport in Australia are inadequately prepared to deal with the consequences of climate change.

A report from the Climate Institute has warned that failure to implement the appropriate policies about heat could result in an athlete’s death.

A 'modest', but important $200 million to UN Green Fund

 The Climate Institute's Irwin Jackson -
 he says $200 million is "modest".

Australia has announced a $200 million contribution to the UN Green Climate Fund.

PM Tony Abbott, who is not at the Lima talks, has said: "I think it's now fair and reasonable for the Government to make a modest, prudent and proportionate commitment to this climate mitigation fund: I think that is something that a sensible government does."

The decision to donate was reported in an ABC story headed: “Climate change: Julie Bishop announces Australia's $200 million contribution to UN Green Climate Fund”.

The ABC story reports the Climate Institute's Erwin Jackson as saying the total amount was "modest" given it "falls short of the $350 million per year.

Interestingly, the total amount will be given over four years, meaning Australia will be contributing on $50 million a year.

Some observers are disappointed by the lowly amount promised, but others are enthused as they see it as a significant change by a government that up until now has been relentless in discrediting climate change science and now sees this as an acknowledgement and a positive change.

Foot-draggers for leaders, spinters for followers

The Climate Institute found June this year that Australia’s political leaders risked being stuck in the past as public attitudes on climate change and its solutions were on the rebound.

Little has changed, maybe even worsened.

Australians are general progressive and liberal thinkers, but our leaders are mostly mired in the past, unable to free themselves, and their thinking, the paradigms of the 20^th Century.

The Climate Institute report is headed: “Australians are no climate dinosaurs as support for action evolves: poll”.