Australia’s prime minister pledges to outlaw climate boycotts, arguing they threaten the economy

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison railed against environmental protesters in a lunchtime speech on Friday, warning of a “new breed of radical activism” that was “apocalyptic in tone” and pledging to outlaw boycott campaigns that he argued could hurt the country’s mining industry.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his wife
 Jenny leave after attending the inauguration of Indonesian
President Joko Widodo for a second term, in Jakarta on Oct. 20, 2019. 

The remarks were made to an audience at the Queensland Resources Council, an organization that represents peak mining interests in the northeastern Australian state. The proposed limits on protest quickly drew condemnation from human rights groups and activists.

“From ending slavery to stopping apartheid, boycott campaigns have played a critical role in achieving many social advances that we now take for granted,” Hugh de Kretser, executive director of the Human Rights Law Center, said in a statement.

Read the story from The Washington Post by Adam Taylor - “Australia’s prime minister pledges to outlaw climate boycotts, arguing they threaten the economy.”

(Maybe Scott Morrison should consider that his inaction on climate change is “apocalyptic in tone”  - Robert McLean)

Trump vows to ‘unleash’ American energy but unveils only modest new steps

President Trump vowed to “unleash American energy” on Thursday, pledging to bolster the ailing nuclear industry, open up new offshore areas for drilling, and help seal deals for oil pipelines and coal exports.

President Trump speaks on Thursday at
the Energy Department in Washington. 

Riding a wave of shale drilling that doubled the country’s total oil and gas production during the Obama administration, Trump said: “We’re here today to usher in a new American energy policy, one that unlocks millions and millions of jobs and trillions of dollars in wealth.”

But energy experts were not impressed with the measures Trump unveiled Thursday, saying they would have little effect.

Read story by Steven Mufson and Chris Mooney in The Washington Post - “Trump vows to ‘unleash’ American energy but unveils only modest new steps.”

Big Australian banks invest $7bn more in fossil fuels than renewables, says report

Australia’s big four banks invested three times as much in global fossil fuels as they did in clean energy in 2016, despite pledging to help Australia transition to a low carbon economy.

Australian banks continued to fund coalmines in
2016 despite committing to support the Paris
climate agreement pledge to keep global
warming below 2C.

The banks provided a combined $10bn to projects around the world that expanded non-renewable energy, according to finance group Market Forces.

ANZ and the Commonwealth Bank were the worst offenders, investing over $3bn each in fossil fuels. In the same period, ANZ only lent $225m to renewables, giving it a 14:1 ratio.

Overall the banks invested $7bn more in fossil fuels than clean energy.

Read Naaman Zhou’s story on The Guardian - “Big Australian banks invest $7bn more in fossil fuels than renewables, says report.”