Scott Morrison announces $2b Climate Solutions Fund to reduce Australia's emissions

Prime Minister Scott Morrison will today launch a new pre-election climate change policy, pledging $2 billion for projects to bring down Australia's emissions.

Scott Morrison - 'dog whistler' extraordinaire.

The Climate Solutions Fund is an extension of former prime minister Tony Abbott's Emissions Reduction Fund.

The 10-year program will provide funding for farmers, businesses and local governments for projects such as revegetating land, reducing bushfire risk and replacing lighting and refrigeration systems.

Mr Morrison is expected to unveil the policy in Melbourne this morning.

Read the story from ABC News by Jade Macmillan - “Scott Morrison announces $2b Climate Solutions Fund to reduce Australia's emissions.”

(This is ‘dog whistling’ in the extreme. PM Scott Morrison is telling his supporters he is acting on climate change, when in fact he is doing nothing but staying true to the ideology of the coalition party and so pumping more public money into private enterprise while doing nought about countering climate change. 

Those conscious of what Australia needs to do to meet its Paris commitments, targets PM Morrison claims we will meet in a “canter”, point out, using reliable and convincing numbers, that Australia is actually galloping in precisely the opposite direction. 

Mr Morrison and his acolytes are deluded and Australians who believe what he is saying are equally deluded - Robert McLean)

World has no capacity to absorb new fossil fuel plants, warns IEA

The world has so many existing fossil fuel projects that it cannot afford to build any more polluting infrastructure without busting international climate change goals, the global energy watchdog has warned.

Smoke billows from the coal-based Badarpur power
station in New Delhi. The IEA said India had
taken backward steps on cutting fossil fuel subsidies.

The International Energy Agency said almost all of the world’s carbon budget up to 2040 – the amount that can be emitted without causing dangerous warming – would be eaten up by today’s power stations, vehicles and industrial facilities.

Fatih Birol, the executive director of the Paris-based group, told the Guardian: “We have no room to build anything that emits CO2 emissions.”

The economist said to limit temperature rises to 2C, let alone the 1.5C as scientists recommend, either all new energy projects would have to be low carbon, which was unlikely, or existing infrastructure would need to be cleaned up.

Read the story from The Guardian by Adam Vaughan - “World has no capacity to absorb new fossil fuel plants, warns IEA.”

Green Climate Fund commits a further $80 million to climate change adaptation projects

The Green Climate Fund has approved over $80 million for three new climate change adaptation projects.

Earlier in 2018, the Green Climate Fund announced funding worth $1 billion for climate adaptation projects. The interagency partnerships led by the United Nations Development Programme will support programmes in Bangladesh, Georgia and Zambia. In total, the projects will catalyse over $239 million towards climate resilience.

Pradeep Kurukulasuriya, the Head of Climate Change Adaptation, UNDP noted: “The approved projects touch on issues related to food security, access to water, and resilient infrastructure,”

Read the ClimateAction story - “Green Climate Fund commits a further $80 million to climate change adaptation projects.”

Waste-to-energy incineration should be 'last resort' as Josh Frydenberg flags expansion

Waste-to-energy projects may be expanded to help tackle the growing recycling crisis in Australia, according to Minister for Energy and Environment Josh Frydenberg.

Burning waste means we are still reliant on virgin resources.

But industry has warned that burning waste to produce energy should be an absolute last resort, and instead say the Government needs to lead by example by preferencing recycled materials in its infrastructure projects.

Speaking to AM's Sabra Lane today, Mr Frydenberg described Australia's waste management problem as an "important, urgent issue" that he was looking forward to working with the states to solve.

"We've already got more than 30 [waste-to-energy] projects underway in Australia...and we look forward to expanding these over time," Mr Frydenberg said.

Read Nick Kilvert’s story from ABC News - “Waste-to-energy incineration should be 'last resort' as Josh Frydenberg flags expansion.”

Browned off: $90m 'clean coal' program ends as final project collapses

The last of a long list of government-backed "clean coal" projects has fallen over, with the Andrews government reluctantly confirming the end of a $90 million program announced amid much fanfare six years ago.

Latrobe Valley brown coal.

After days of pressing by The Age, Treasurer Tim Pallas’ department issued a statement announcing the conclusion of the joint federal and state Advanced Lignite Demonstration Program (ALDP) after the collapse of the program’s remaining scheme – a plan to turn Gippsland coal into char and oil by a company called Coal Energy Australia.

Mr Pallas refused to answer questions, instead leaving his department to handle media requests. Two other projects supported under the program had already failed.

The latest failed project did not receive any of the $90 million in government funding as it did not succeed in turning brown coal into clean fuel. It is not clear how much of that money has gone to any project.

Read the story from The Age by Royce Millar and Ben Schneiders - “Browned off: $90m 'clean coal' program ends as final project collapses.”

Millions spent on Great Barrier Reef projects against expert advice

Millions of dollars of Commonwealth money is being handed to tourism-linked groups for Great Barrier Reef protection, despite official advice recommending against the projects, or repeatedly finding them to be failing.

Government money being spent on protecting
the Great Barrier Reef contrary to official advice

The contracts include millions of dollars for tourism operators to cull out-of-control coral-eating crown of thorns starfish. Funds continue to be distributed, despite researchers employed to evaluate the program repeatedly finding it to have failed, and potentially having made the problem worse.

It also includes $2.2m spent on an unusual project involving giant fans installed on a small part of the reef to cool water down to prevent bleaching. Documents obtained by the Guardian reveal the government’s independent expert panel recommended against the project proceeding, finding the justification relied on claims that were “a major departure from reality” and that the fans could accidentally kill nearby coral.

Read Michael Slezak’s story from The Guardian - “Millions spent on Great Barrier Reef projects against expert advice.”

Council backs solar farms.

Councillors are celebrating a ‘‘solar city’’ return with more than $300 million and 200 megawatts of proposals across five solar farm projects being considered for Greater Shepparton.

The council on Tuesday night voted for its chief executive to request Victoria’s planning minister decide on the solar farm planning applications in Greater Shepparton.

The council also resolved to invite the minister to establish a process that provides a fair and proper opportunity for all affected stakeholders to be heard.

Background to this week’s meeting detailed that if future applications are lodged, officers propose to also refer those applications to the minister for a decision.

Five solar farm proposals — located in Tatura East, Tallygaroopna, Lemnos, Congupna and Mooroopna — have been detailed by the council in background to the meeting.

These projects would produce an estimated output of 217 megawatts and cost a total $316 million, according to council projections.

The council’s main concern with the applications is ‘‘whether the loss of productive agricultural land . . . for a solar farm produces acceptable planning outcomes’’.

Officers would need to consider conflicting policies and decide on net benefit, considered a difficult task.

‘‘Officers consider that the most efficient method of determining these solar farm applications . . . is to request (the minister) become the decision maker,’’ the report continues.

If agreed, it would ensure decisions were determined faster.

Background also refers to a sixth solar farm application, totalling 100 megawatts and worth $150 million, as being expected in about six months.

In moving the motion to refer the proposals on to the minister, Cr Dinny Adem stressed the ‘‘1000 percent’’ support for solar farms from the council and cited the potential for applicants to get tied up in processes.

Cr Chris Hazelman agreed it was appropriate to refer the items on for government assistance in helping determine such applications.

‘‘This is really the tip of the iceberg,’’ Cr Bruce Giovanetti said, referring to renewable energy targets, predicting ‘‘huge development in this area’’.

Cr Fern Summer moved an amendment to ensure the council also helped develop a strategy to balance the existing prime agricultural land use with large-scale renewable energy applications but did not receive support.

Following the meeting, Mayor Kim O’Keeffe spruiked the ‘‘significant investment’’ forthcoming from the proposals, which presented a valuable opportunity for the city.

Background to the meeting emphasised the motion carried by the council did not remove the opportunity of objectors to two of the projects to be heard.

Story by Thomas  Moir in the Shepparton News - “Council backs solar farms.”

Sustainability experiments

Science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics were front and centre at McGuire College when Year 7 students showcased projects based on harnessing energy.

Teacher Lynda Howard said the STEAM Fair on Wednesday was about students using solar, wind, and water in their sustainability experiments.

Thermodynamics: (Above right) Year 7 students
Rowan Farren, James Bucktin and Dylan Stevens
tackle perpetual motion in the Science Technology
Engineer Art and Mathematics Fair project.

Projects were then judged by Deakin University’s STEAM project officer Barry Plant and Goulburn-Murray Water’s Stuart Nield.

Wilmot Rd Primary School Year 6 students had the chance to vote on projects, while parents were invited to check them out after school hours.

Mr Nield was looking for construction quality, whether students understood the concept of what they were doing, and putting it into practice.

‘‘The classrooms were assigned to a task and had to build and explain their project; one classroom tackled perpetual motion, another created solar ovens, another harnessed wind power to lift a weight and one used water to turn plastic turbines and water wheels,’’ Ms Howard said.

Year 7 student Rowan Farren, who tackled the challenge of perpetual motion, said his group used a bicycle wheel and attached water bottles to keep the wheel spinning.

Science: (Right) Rachel Cooper, Brianna Nimla-Or, Olivia Judd,
Angelia Mason,  and Georgina Comloine with their wind powered machine.

"The theory is the water in the bottles will overbalance when it reaches a certain point and it will continue turning,’’ he said.

Ms Howard said it was great to have Year 6 students from Wilmot Rd see the fair as next year some would be taking part in a new STEAM class separate to existing subjects which is part of a curriculum change.

Mr Plant was working closely with secondary teachers about improving student engagement through STEAM.

This kind of hands-on learning, linked to real life is good because students are engaged in problem solving and using their creativity,’’ he said.

Story from today’s Shepparton News - “Sustainability experiments.”

States leave federal government in the shade when it comes to renewables: report

NSW has the most large-scale renewable energy projects under way in Australia, and lifted its share of clean energy markedly in the past year, as states and territories take the lead in decarbonising the electricity sector, a report by the Climate Council has found.

The states are leading the way on
renewables, a new report finds. 

A jump in hydropower helped raise renewable energy share in NSW by 5 percentage points last year to 17 per cent. That was marginally above the national share of 16 per cent, and the second-biggest increase after South Australia.

The Climate Council, though, rated by the most populous state behind all but Western Australia and the Northern Territory. While NSW has a net-zero economy-wide emissions target for 2050, it has not set a goal for renewables.

By contrast, Victoria gained credit for its efforts to legislate this year a 25 per cent renewable energy share by 2020 and 40 per cent by 2025. Last year, the state's share was 12 per cent, up one percentage point from 2015.

Read Peter Hannam’s in today’s Melbourne Age - “States leave federal government in the shade when it comes to renewables: report.”