‘Fake action': Labor will not use Kyoto credits in major new emissions package

Labor will ban the use of Kyoto credits to meet Australia’s Paris climate commitments in a key decision that opens up a gulf between Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten on the environment just weeks out from the federal election.

Labor leader Bill Shorten knows environment policy carries political risk.

Ridiculing the Coalition's use of carryover credits as “fake action on climate change,” Mr Shorten will end months of secrecy on Monday by unveiling how Labor plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 45 per cent on 2005 levels by 2030 if elected in May.

The decision is part of a broad policy platform that includes subsidised solar batteries for 100,000 homes, a $10 billion boost to the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and a national electric vehicle target of 50 per cent of new car sales by 2030.

Read the story from The Age by Eryk Bagshaw - “‘Fake action': Labor will not use Kyoto credits in major new emissions package.”

Supermarket ban sees 80pc drop in plastic bag consumption nationwide, retail association says

The ban on single-use plastic bags by Australia's two largest supermarkets has prevented the introduction of an estimated 1.5 billion bags into the environment — and the retail industry is hopeful this is only the beginning.

NSW is now the only state or territory in Australia
 that has not moved to legislate to phase out plastic bags.

Coles and Woolworths' decision to stop offering single-use disposable plastic bags mid-way through the year was initially met with swift public backlash.

But three months on, the radical change has translated to an 80-per-cent drop in the consumption of plastic bags nationwide, according to the National Retail Association (NRA).

Read the ABC News story - “Supermarket ban sees 80pc drop in plastic bag consumption nationwide, retail association says.”

Straw No More in Adelaide as Mayor backs ban with War On Waste II set for launch

A ban on distributing most single-use plastic straws at Adelaide parklands, city square and council-managed events could be in place as soon as next year — if Adelaide's Mayor has his way.

Teenagers and children join the Straw No More
march with Craig Ruecassel and Ali Clarke.

Australians use an estimated 10 million straws every day, or 3.5 billion a year, with single-use plastic straws among the top 10 items found on shores and beaches, according to advocacy group Ocean Conservancy.

Read the story by Malcolm Sutton from ABC News - “Straw No More in Adelaide as Mayor backs ban with War On Waste II set for launch.”

EU votes for outdoor ban on common insecticide over danger to bees

European Union countries have backed a proposal to ban all use outdoors of insecticides known as neonicotinoids that studies have shown can harm bees.

The move follows a number of studies linking the use
 of the insecticides to population declines in bees.

The ban, championed by environmental activists, covers the use of three active substances — imidacloprid developed by Bayer CropScience, clothianidin developed by Takeda Chemical Industries and Bayer CropScience as well as Syngenta's thiamethoxam.

Read Laura Webster’s story from ABC News - “EU votes for outdoor ban on common insecticide over danger to bees.”

Cheap gas is gone' - stark warnings over gas shortage

Consumers and businesses will face higher gas prices as long as southern states ban gas exploration.

A hold on onshore development in NSW and Victoria is pushing up gas prices.

In sharp commentary on the issue on Wednesday Australian Competition and Consumer Commission fingering moratoriums on gas exploration in NSW and Victoria as exacerbating a tight supply situation.

Read Cole Latimer’s story in The Age - “’Cheap gas is gone' - stark warnings over gas shortage.”

(Energy, particularly that derived from fossil fuels, is at the nexus of climate change and so rather than figuring out how we can find and use gas, at a cheaper price, we should be exploring ways and means of living without using gas at all - Robert McLean)