New figures show we’re using more energy and still pumping out more emissions — so why aren’t we moving the dial?

This comes as no surprise. The analysis from the International Energy Agency is in line with other preliminary reports from other organizations. But it raises an awkward question: if renewables are growing and the prices of solar, wind, and batteries are falling, why is the world’s climate pollution still going up?

The San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in California,
shuttered in 2013, is shown here in 2008.

Global energy demand and related carbon emissions both rose again in 2018, according to new figures out this week.

The first answer is the growing global economy, which pushed energy demand up by 2.3% last year, the IEA says. A contributing factor was that more energy was needed for extra heating and cooling in regions hit by unusually severe cold snaps and heatwaves. These were at least partly driven by our shifting climate. All of that drove increases in generation from coal and natural gas, both of which spew greenhouse gases that warm the planet.

Read the story from MIT Technology Review by James Temple - “New figures show we’re using more energy and still pumping out more emissions — so why aren’t we moving the dial?”

The Darling River is simply not supposed to dry out, even in drought

The deaths of millions of fish in the lower Darling River system over the past few weeks should come as no surprise. Quite apart from specific warnings given to the NSW government by their own specialists in 2013, scientists have been warning of devastation since the 1990s.

Puddles in the bed of the Darling River are a sign of an ecosystem in crisis.

Put simply, ecological evidence shows the Barwon-Darling River is not meant to dry out to disconnected pools – even during drought conditions. Water diversions have disrupted the natural balance of wetlands that support massive ecosystems.

Unless we allow flows to resume, we’re in danger of seeing one of the worst environmental catastrophes in Australia.

Read the piece from The Conversation by Professor Fran Sheldon from the Australian Rivers Institute at Griffith University - “The Darling River is simply not supposed to dry out, even in drought.”

All care, no policy: Liberal party pretenders exposed

It probably should be no surprise that last night’s royal wedding became part of the political debate this week. But the criticism by government members highlighted yet again the Liberal party’s policy of pretending to care about something while simultaneously doing everything to work against it.

 ‘In January 2014, then minister for employment Eric Abetz (left)
warned unless businesses stood up to unions we risked seeing a
 wages explosion.’

Peter Dutton and Tasmanian senator Eric Abetz bought into the issue of the ABC’s coverage of the royal wedding off the back of erroneous reporting in News Corp papers suggesting the ABC had flown hosts Annabel Crabb and Jeremy Fernandez to London in business class. Abetz, who is never one to miss an opportunity to slight the ABC, echoed Dutton’s thoughts when he suggested he would “would like to see the justification for flying those two over when there is a crew permanently in London”.

It is the standard operating procedure of the Liberal party: cut funding to the ABC that in effect is designed to ensure it struggles to do a professional job, then either criticise it for not being up to scratch or, when it does something professionally, criticise it for wasting money.

Read Greg Jericho’s story from The Guardian - “All care, no policy: Liberal party pretenders exposed.”