Morrison government experts say Australia must 'do more' on climate

The Morrison government's climate change advisers say Australia and others must do a better job of cutting emissions for the world to meet the Paris goals, and more ambitious policies are needed to put the nation "firmly" on the path to a zero-carbon economy.

As the driest inhabited continent on earth, Australia is
particularly vulnerable to the effects of planetary warming.

The statement coincides with a new scientific assessment of the Great Barrier Reef that found coral had suffered an "unparalleled" decline over the past five years and the damage wrought by climate change would only worsen.

Read the story from The Age by Nicole Hasham - “Morrison government experts say Australia must 'do more' on climate.”

Don’t despair: the climate fight is only over if you think it is

In response to Monday’s release of the IPCC report on the climate crisis – which warned that “unprecedented” changes were needed if global warming increases 1.5C beyond the pre-industrial period – a standup comic I know posted this plaintive request on her Facebook: “Damn this latest report about climate change is just terrifying. People that know a lot about this stuff, is there anything to be potentially optimistic about? I think this week I feel even worse than Nov 2016 and I’m really trying to find some hope here.”

‘Climate change is an inescapable present and future
reality, but the point of the IPCC report is that there is
still a chance to seize the best-case scenario rather than
 surrender to the worst.’

A bunch of her friends posted variations on “we’re doomed” and “it’s hopeless”, which perhaps made them feel that they were in charge of one thing in this overwhelming situation, the facts. They weren’t, of course. They were letting understandable grief at the news morph into an assumption that they know just how the future is going to turn out. They don’t.

Read the story from The Guardian by Rebecca Solnit - “Don’t despair: the climate fight is only over if you think it is.”

Advocates Shouldn’t Be Afraid to Tell the Truth About Climate Change

It has been a tough few months for climate change. In October, an international body of climate scientists declared humans have a little more than a decade to make the drastic changes needed to keep rising temperatures reasonably in check. In November, federal scientists released an equally grim assessment detailing the unprecedented floods, droughts and wildfires expected to hit the United States. Then, this month, with the world ablaze, diplomats gathered in Poland to bicker over how much water each country should pour on their respective fires and, in some cases, whether scientists were exaggerating the size of the flames.

Al Gore - he's always told the truth about climate change.

It’s bad, for sure, and worse than most people realize. Many scientists and advocates go to great lengths to keep sanguine about the carbon crisis, even when the news is certifiably grim, and this threatens to undermine public understanding of climate change. Too many spoonfuls of sugar blunt the effect of the medicine.

Read the story from Nexus Media by Jeremy Deaton - “Advocates Shouldn’t Be Afraid to Tell the Truth About Climate Change.”

Environmental activists frustrated COP24 deal not strong enough

Canadian Minister of Environment and Climate Change Catherine McKenna and environmental activists are emphasizing that more action is needed to combat climate change despite Saturday's deal reached by countries at a UN climate summit.

Canadian Minister of Environment and Climate Change
 Catherine McKenna said more work remains over the
 coming year after negotiators in Katowice failed to reach
 an agreement on emission trading.

In addition, some green groups and certain countries expressed frustration that more ambitious climate goals were not achieved during intense negotiations that ran into the weekend.  

Nearly 200 nations at COP24 agreed upon universal, transparent rules that will govern efforts to cut emissions and curb global warming and enable countries to put into action the commitments they made in the 2015 Paris climate accord.

Read the CBC story - “Environmental activists frustrated COP24 deal not strong enough.”

Reset climate policy to fix energy market

In releasing yet another report on electricity prices, ACCC chairman Rod Sims said that the energy market is ‘‘broken’’. What is needed is not a repair job on the whole electricity market but a clear decision on climate change policy.

The 35 per cent real increase in household electricity bills in the past decade is certainly a significant burden but the ACCC’s 398-page report, On restoring electricity affordability, part of a veritable reference library on the topic in the past few years, must not be allowed to muddy the water.

The electricity market basically works except Australia cannot establish how fast to cut its greenhouse gas emissions and make the transition from coal to renewables. Mr Sims’ vague language only encourages the usual suspects to claim that the solution to the problem is building more coal plants.

Read the Editorial from The Age - “Reset climate policy to fix energy market.”

Warning we must step up fight against climate change... meet Kirsten Dunlop, head of Climate-KIC

Tackling 'vested interests' and undertaking a complete societal transformation is needed to combat the ravages of climate change and put the world on track for a low-carbon future.

The head of Climate-KIC, Kirsten Dunlop.

The head of Climate-KIC (Knowledge and Innovation Community), Kirsten Dunlop, says the scale of the challenge requires a global effort never seen before in human history, which will require deep transformation, regulation and convincing capital markets to invest in new technologies.

"In terms of self-transformation, we've rarely done that as a species and we've never had to do it at a planetary level. To get on track, we're going to have to do the really difficult stuff which is going to run foul of every vested interest we have out there," she says.

Climate-KIC is the EU's largest public-private partnership, tasked with addressing climate change through innovation by achieving deep decarbonisation across cities, while tackling land use, agriculture and industrial manufacturing, and securing finance.

Read Paul Mella’s story from the Independent - “Warning we must step up fight against climate change... meet Kirsten Dunlop, head of Climate-KIC.”

Down to the wire: A sustainable electricity network for Australia

State governments have spent up to $20 billion more than was needed on the electricity grid, and households and businesses are paying for it through their power bills.

Building a sustainable electricity network for Australia

Customers in NSW, Queensland and Tasmania are paying $100-to-$400 more each year than they should.

Those state governments should write down the value of the assets to reduce electricity bills, or give direct rebates to customers.

The cost of the National Electricity Market’s power grid rose from $50 billion in 2005 to $90 billion today. But up to $20 billion of that was not needed to cover growth in population, consumption, or even demand at peak times.

Read the Grattan Institute report by Tony Wood, David Blowers and Kate Griffiths - “Down to the wire: A sustainable electricity network for Australia.”