The fear of climate change is transforming young identities

Rallies planned across Australia on Friday drew thousands of students who walked out of school to protest inaction on climate change.

Young people's sense of self, identity, and existence
  is being fundamentally altered by climate change.

These Australian students joined children from more than 82 countries who are striking to highlight systemic failure to address climate change.

But the strikes represent more than frustration and resistance. They are evidence of an even bigger process of transformation.

My research investigates how young people's sense of self, identity, and existence is being fundamentally altered by climate change.

Read the piece from The Conversation on ABC News by Blanche Verily - “The fear of climate change is transforming young identities.”

Solar nitty gritty to start

A year-long process is soon set to begin to design all elements of the forthcoming solar farm planned for GV Link land south of Mooroopna.

And then, providing a planning permit is awarded, a further year to build the site.

This all comes after Shepparton councillors formally resolved to enter into a lease for the proposed facility with GVCE Mooroopna Solar this week.

This resolution is described by those behind the proposal as the start of a journey.

Goulburn Valley Community Energy chief executive Geoff Lodge, who welcomed the decision, remained pleased to be moving to the next stage of the project.

He said the next year would lead to the ‘‘critical step’’ of seeking planning approval.

‘‘That’s 12 months’ work ahead of us,’’ Mr Lodge said.

‘‘The most important thing about (this week), is we can now start that journey.

‘‘The key thing is, we have tenure over that to be able to do those works.’’

The forthcoming $40 million solar farm will encompass an estimated 62 000 panels and 35 000 MWh/year of electricity generated across 30 ha of land.

The project is estimated to have 120 jobs attached at peak construction and service about 6500 homes (at 15 kWh/day/house).

This forthcoming design process is set to look at details such as, ‘‘exactly where we put in each solar panel’’ and ‘‘how are we mounting them to a frame’’.

In short, it will be the design of every aspect of the project.

Mr Lodge said with a lease commitment made, subject to a planning permit and other agreements, the team could invest efforts to do the design work.

‘‘Now we’ve secured the lease, when it’s signed, probably next week, we’ll start all these design aspects,’’ he said.

This 12-month process will entail collecting all necessary information, including studies and agreements and grid connection information.

‘‘We will have a consultation with the local community, with what we propose to do,’’ Mr Lodge said.

‘‘What this step is it now means the signing of the lease . . . That will happen very soon, which enables the commencement of the design process.’’

Following the 12-month design process, a further year is expected to be taken constructing the facility.

But for now, Mr Lodge described the forthcoming ‘‘journey’’ and stage it was at as exciting.

Story by Thomas Moir from The Shepparton News - “Solar nitty gritty to start.”

When These California Wildfires Go Out, New Ones Will Come

“Paradise is gone,” resident Sue Brown told the Los Angeles Times after witnessing the devastation from the Camp fire, which is now the largest fire in California history. Brown said she and her husband had planned to spend the rest of their lives in Paradise, a city of about 27,000 in the Sierra Nevada foothills about two hours north of San Francisco. But now the entire town is in ashes. The Camp fire has burned more than 110,000 acres and consumed 6,713 structures. Twenty-nine people have died. And it’s still burning. Southern California is also ablaze. In the hills around Malibu, the Woolsey fire has consumed 83,000 acres and forced more than a quarter-million people to evacuate.

A tattered American flag flies over a burned out
home at the Camp Fire, in Paradise, Calif., Nov 11, 2018.

I remember Paradise. I have driven through it while visiting family, who live just north of the town, or on my way to a cabin we used to have in the Sierra Nevada mountains. I remember Paradise because the name always struck me as so hopeful, even if the town, itself, seemed ordinary, with modest ranch houses set among scattered oak trees and pines. People have ATVs in the garage and horses on a few acres of land out back. On clear days, you can see the outline of the Sierra Nevada mountains on the horizon. This is not elite treehugger California; Butte County, which includes Paradise, was a Trump stronghold in the 2016 election.

Read the story from Rolling Stone magazine by Jeff Goodell - “When These California Wildfires Go Out, New Ones Will Come.”

The true cost of keeping the Liddell power plant open

For a long time, Australian governments have believed that the private sector should run the electricity sector. And successive governments have used market instruments to incentivise reducing emissions, by supporting renewables, discouraging coal use, or both.

The Liddell power station in the Hunter Valley near Newcastle.

Now things seem inside out: uncertainty about energy policy mechanisms is pervasive, and the federal government is attempting to broker a deal for the ageing Liddell coal plant to stay open past its planned decommissioning date. It’s possible the plan will require government payments – amounting to a carbon subsidy.

Fear of supply shortages and an appetite for coal have combined with an inability to resolve the political side of energy and climate policy.

Read the piece on The Conversation - “The true cost of keeping the Liddell power plant open.”