Victoria should consider burning rubbish to generate energy, reduce landfill, report finds

Burning rubbish is being touted as a viable alternative to landfill for Victoria, under a waste-to-energy proposal put before the State Government.

Waste-to-energy technology could reduce landfill
by about 90 per cent, the report said.

The Andrews Government commissioned a series of public consultations on waste-to-energy technology after local councils took legal action against the expansion of Victoria's largest tip, at Ravenhall, last year.

The public consultation report urged the Government to support the creation of a $220 million waste-to-energy plant in Melbourne's western suburbs.

The technology involves burning rubbish to produce electricity, which could reduce the amount of waste going to landfill by around 90 per cent.

Read the ABC News story by Joseph Dunstan - “Victoria should consider burning rubbish to generate energy, reduce landfill, report finds.”

World’s oldest insurance market to stop investing in coal

Lloyd's of London joins the ranks of big insurers who no longer see coal as a viable investment.

Lloyd's of London no longer see coal as a viable investment.

Insurance companies have long worried that climate change-related weather events could put make their jobs much, much harder. And their success also relies on being good stewards of other people's money.

That's presumably why insurance giants like Axa have often been on the forefront of divesting from fossil fuels, and now they are being joined by the oldest insurance market in the world.

Read the Treehugger story - “World’s oldest insurance market to stop investing in coal.”

Social decisions play a major role in mitigating GHG emissions

S

ocial decisions will play a major role in mitigating the emissions that culminate in climate change.

There has been significant social
pressure around the closure
of the brown coal
Anglesea power generator.

And it is that which has led to the closure of the rather dirty Anglesea brown coal generator.

Reneweconomy wrote: “It could be the classic tale of a stranded asset. And one that should resonate throughout the energy and investment sector. Even when Alcoa announced 15 months ago it would close its Point Henry aluminium refinery near Geelong, it refused to shut the highly polluting brown coal coal fired generator that had supplied the refinery for 46 years.

“Alcoa reasoned that someone must want to buy its output, or even the generator. “Alcoa believes the Anglesea power station is a viable asset and that is why it will be offered for sale,” a spokesman said in early 2014.”

Read the story - “Anglesea brown coal generator to close after losing social licence”.