Green washing and the psychology of climate change denial

Humans live in a bubble of self-delusion in which the perceived short-term imperatives of the market have been prioritised above the need for a sustainable planet. Corporations and governments are cynically exploiting the space between public perception and scientific fact, lulling us into a false sense of security that climate change is a problem for the future, rather than an urgent that must be addressed in order for the species to secure its long-term future.

In 1978, the Australian social scientist, Alex Carey, pointed out that the 20th Century has been characterised by three developments of great political importance: “the growth of democracy; the growth of corporate power; and the growth of corporate propaganda as a means of protecting corporate power against democracy.”

One of the key public relations strategies among the vested corporate interests that deny the scientific consensus on climate change, is to cynically exploit the space that exists between public perception and scientific fact, sometimes referred to as the “consensus gap.”

Read the Medium story by Daniel Margrain - “Green washing and the psychology of climate change denial.”

The CarretOn will deliver electricity to Puerto Ricans without power

In our dystopian future we might all be buying power by the watt-hour from a cart in the market.

You wouldn't know it from reading the news, but there was a hurricane in Puerto Rico a couple of months ago and a lot of American citizens there still don't have electricity. Industrial designer and furniture builder Alexandre Díez Gradín was one of them. He tells TreeHugger:

In the Caribbean we know a thing or two about Hurricanes ...or that's what we thought. Hurricane María was different. We thought we were gonna be out of power only for a couple of weeks and after a month we were going to be able to shake things up and go back to normal. Not at all, María was not only a stronger hurricane but also a logistical nightmare that left in evidence new necessities and problems in times of devastation. We realized that now telecommunications are one of the main things you wanna be able to use, now we have smartphones and social media. 

Read the Treehugger story by Lloyd Alter - “The CarretOn will deliver electricity to Puerto Ricans without power.”

Ford partners with India’s Mahindra Group to build new electric vehicle

The latest step towards the large-scale transition to electric vehicles was signalled this week.

Will we ever see and elecrric-powered Mustang?

Car giants Ford and the Mahindra Group have agreed to work together on developing a new EV for the huge Indian market, but potentially for sale elsewhere.

The two companies signed five separate, non-binding memoranda of understanding (MoU) which will develop their strategic alliance and the co-development of new products, including a small electric vehicle.

Read the ClimateAction story - “Ford partners with India’s Mahindra Group to build new electric vehicle.”

(Reiterating earlier observations, we don’t need privately owned and operated electric cars, rather we need a sophisticated electric public transport infrastructure, but the world’s present economic structure prohibits this ever happening, However, needs impressed upon us by changes wrought by a changing climate system many force our hand - Robert McLean)

Snowy 2.0 could flood market with cheap energy, analysts say

The government-owned Snowy Hyrdo 2.0 could flood the market with cheap energy, curbing investment in dispatchable capacity or storage in a few years' time, analysts say.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull during his tour of the
Snowy Hydro Tumut 2 power station during his visit
to the Snowy Mountains region to give an update on
Snowy Hydro 2.0.

Energy analysts and generators are concerned that Snowy 2.0's new ownership regime, following a $6.2 billion federal buyout earlier this month, means that changes in price may be driven more by political issues rather than commercial motives.

"It’s got the private sector worried as the government doesn’t operate by the same rules," Grattan Institute energy director Tony Wood told Fairfax Media.

"You end up with a weird game if the government can set prices and move the market. It really has the potential to distort the market; it doesn’t have to act economically to bring the prices down.

"That is the fundamental issue, as we’re seeing the potential conflict emerge with a single government-owned entity distorting the market.”

Read The Age story by Cole Latimer - “Snowy 2.0 could flood market with cheap energy, analysts say.”

NEG’s new framework may raise costs, industry groups say

Energy industry groups are concerned the National Energy Guarantee may create barriers for new companies entering the electricity market and fail to cut power costs.

Industry groups warned that the NEG may make it more
 difficult for competition in the energy market.

It comes as stakeholders gathered on Monday to discuss the framework for the NEG at the Energy Security Board public forum.

The public forum examined the different design options for the National Energy Guarantee and sought to act as a vehicle for discussion to achieve what ESB deputy chairwoman, Clare Savage, called "a high-level model for the COAG Energy Council" rather than showcasing a final result.

Read Cole Latimer’s story in The Age - “NEG’s new framework may raise costs, industry groups say.”

Australian canola for European biodiesel emits half the greenhouse gas of fossil fuels

Australia has secured access to a billion-dollar European biodiesel market for canola, just two weeks away from a cut-off date.

Australian canola is highly competitive in the global market, a researcher says.

The CSIRO has found that using Australian canola in the biodiesel supply chain produced half the greenhouse gas emissions of fossil fuel, at the point that it is pumped into the car.

Europe had tightened its Renewable Energy Greenhouse Gas Savings Target to be 50 per cent of the emissions from mineral diesel, a fossil fuel.

That is due to come into effect on January 1.

It had been set at 35 percent.

Read the ABC News story - “Australian canola for European biodiesel emits half the greenhouse gas of fossil fuels.”

Power prices forecast to fall over next two years but AEMC warns they won't last

Power prices in Australia rose almost 11% during 2017 but a new forecast says they will fall over the next two years because of the entry of 5,300 MW of new generation capacity into the national electricity market – most of it renewable.

The Liddell power station in New South Wales. Power prices in Australia rose almost 11% during 2017. 

A new assessment from the Australian Energy Market Commission predicts power prices will fall over the next two years, beginning in mid-2018.

But the AEMC, which played a significant role in designing the Turnbull government’s proposed national energy guarantee, says the price reductions won’t last if governments don’t settle an energy policy that provides incentives for investing in dispatchable power.

Read Katherine Murphy’s story on The Guardian - “Power prices forecast to fall over next two years but AEMC warns they won't last.”

The Big Australian under pressure to quit Minerals Council over coal lobbying

The world's biggest mining company has told lobby groups and politicians to "back off" and let the market resolve Australia's energy impasse, at its annual general meeting in Melbourne.

The Big Australian has told lobby groups and
politicians to "back-off" and let the market  resolve
Australia's energy and climate change troubles.

BHP Billiton chief Andrew Mackenzie made the comments as the company comes under pressure to cut its ties with the mining lobby, the Minerals Council of Australia.

The Minerals Council campaigned against Alan Finkel's Clean Energy Target and has lobbied for a new Government-funded coal-fired power station.

The Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility says this undermines BHP's stated positions on climate change.

Listen to the Radio National interview why Fran Kelly - “The Big Australian under pressure to quit Minerals Council over coal lobbying.”

(Leave it to the market! It was a laissez-fair approach to the market that has brought the world untold troubles and most certainly worsened climate change and has long frustrated any attempts to mitigate what is happening and the damage it is doing Earth's atmosphere - Robert McLean)

Carbon price the key to ending Australia’s energy woes

The primary reason for the doubling of electricity prices in the past decade is the failure by successive federal governments to listen to the market.

We have reached an absurd impasse.

he industry itself is saying there is no rational future for coal-fired power generation in Australia.

And yet an avowedly pro-market Coalition government – having intervened some months ago in the gas market with threats to block exports and more recently in the retail electricity market by jawboning sellers into writing to customers about cheaper offerings – is now trying to force one of the biggest operators, AGL, to extend the life of Australia's oldest coal-fired station, NSW's Liddell.

This policy, if continued, will merely enrich AGL with taxpayers' funds and cause further costly delays in the transition to low-emission, low-cost power.

Read the Editorial in today’s Melbourne Age - “Carbon price the key to ending Australia’s energy woes.”