SDSN’s Final Report on Indicators and a Monitoring Framework for the Sustainable Development Goals
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SDSN’s Final Report on Indicators and a Monitoring Framework for the Sustainable Development Goals
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Australia must stand up for Rohingya AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
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Graeme, Amnesty International Australia <actioncentre@amnesty.org.au> Unsubscribe
3:50 PM (3 minutes ago)to meThousands of people are still stranded in boats off the coast of south-east Asia.
Tell the Australian Government they must step up and take responsibility.
Dear Neville,
This Friday, leaders of the Asia Pacific will gather at an emergency summit in Bangkok to tackle the unprecedented refugee crisis unfolding off the coast of south-east Asia.So far, our own government’s response has been horribly inadequate. “Nope, nope, nope” condemns innocent people to die.As a country, we must do better.After more than 26,000 Australians signed our petition last week, we saw some good progress on this issue: Malaysia announced it would take in 7,000 people stranded at sea.Unfortunately, this falls short of what’s needed. There are still thousands of people currently stuck on boats, and with dwindling food and fuel supplies most won’t make it ashore without help.Australia can save people’s lives, now and in the future, by taking a lead role at Friday’s emergency summit.We must push for, and assist with, immediate search and rescue operations. At the same time, we must champion new solutions like creating safe routes to protection for refugees in our region.We know that many of those stranded in boats, in need of rescue, are Rohingya people — a persecuted ethnic minority from Myanmar and Bangladesh.The Rohingya are stateless with no citizenship rights. Because of this, they’re often victims of human trafficking. Wherever they go, they face discrimination, violence and hardship.It’s no wonder they flee.In hope,Graeme McGregorRefugee Campaign CoordinatorAmnesty International AustraliaPS. “Nope, nope, nope” condemns people to die. Tell Minister Bishop: Australia must do better.o enable desktop notifications for Gmail. Learn more HideMore1 of 8Australia must stand up for Rohingya
Inboxx Graeme, Amnesty International Australia <actioncentre@amnesty.org.au> Unsubscribe
3:50 PM (3 minutes ago)to meThousands of people are still stranded in boats off the coast of south-east Asia.
Tell the Australian Government they must step up and take responsibility.
Dear Neville,
This Friday, leaders of the Asia Pacific will gather at an emergency summit in Bangkok to tackle the unprecedented refugee crisis unfolding off the coast of south-east Asia.So far, our own government’s response has been horribly inadequate. “Nope, nope, nope” condemns innocent people to die.As a country, we must do better.After more than 26,000 Australians signed our petition last week, we saw some good progress on this issue: Malaysia announced it would take in 7,000 people stranded at sea.Unfortunately, this falls short of what’s needed. There are still thousands of people currently stuck on boats, and with dwindling food and fuel supplies most won’t make it ashore without help.Australia can save people’s lives, now and in the future, by taking a lead role at Friday’s emergency summit.We must push for, and assist with, immediate search and rescue operations. At the same time, we must champion new solutions like creating safe routes to protection for refugees in our region.We know that many of those stranded in boats, in need of rescue, are Rohingya people — a persecuted ethnic minority from Myanmar and Bangladesh.The Rohingya are stateless with no citizenship rights. Because of this, they’re often victims of human trafficking. Wherever they go, they face discrimination, violence and hardship.It’s no wonder they flee.In hope,Graeme McGregorRefugee Campaign CoordinatorAmnesty International AustraliaPS. “Nope, nope, nope” condemns people to die. Tell Minister Bishop: Australia must do better. -
2,500 jobs lost in clean energy GET UP
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Inboxx Paul – GetUp!
3:19 PM (8 minutes ago)to me
NEVILLE,
Last week, the Coalition slashed Australia’s keystone clean energy policy – the Renewable Energy Target (RET). The result of the deal and the 18 month negotiations leading up to it? Over 2,500 jobs lost, $6 billion in clean energy investment gone, and a proposal to include burning native forests as a source of ‘renewable’ energy.
But when crisis strikes, GetUp members are ready to fight back: and last Monday was no exception. Hundreds of GetUp members, like Anne from Brisbane, stood up for all of us who want a clean energy economy by calling their local MP about the cuts.
Here’s what Anne had to say about calling her MP:
“I stressed that a major concern for me was the cut to investment in clean energy when it was booming in the rest of the world. I felt that Australia should be leading the way as we were such a wealthy country and the envy of many, instead 2,500 jobs have been lost already and many more will not be created.
Personally I felt ashamed of the position that our government is taking toward investment in clean energy. I assured the staff member that at the next election I will certainly be considering Theresa’s renewable energy policy and would hope to see a significant improvement.”
Like Anne, you live in a marginal Coalition electorate. In fact it was just a few thousand votes that decided the outcome for your MP Louise Markus at the last election.
Tight margins like these mean every single phone call to an electorate office from a local constituent can get an MP listening and active on an issue. And if your MP continues to get calls every day about clean energy, they’ll know that their decision to cut the RET will hit home on their electoral bottom line.
After ongoing negotiations that have shaken the clean energy industry to its core, last Monday the Coalition got their way and pushed through a deal that will see our target for clean energy slashed by 8000 gigawatt hours. But wading through the commentary and reporting, it can be hard to make sense of what 8,000 gigawatt hours means in real terms.
Here’s what you need to know about the real cost to our economy and community from of last Monday’s deal and the 18 months of negotiation leading up to it:
- Investment gone: $6 billion cut to investment at a time when clean energy investments are booming around the world, but stalled here.1
- Jobs lost: Almost 2,500 jobs lost in the sector already2, with thousands more now unable to be created.
- More pollution: 8000 gigawatt hours would have had the same pollution reduction impact as taking 1.6 million cars off the road.3
- Australia seen as ‘uninvestable’: The last year of uncertainty has seen an 88% drop in investment, and new major solar or wind construction projects abandoned.4
- Burning native forests as ‘renewable energy’: An eleventh hour proposal to include burning native forests as a source of clean energy could divert up to 15% of investment and capacity away from solar and wind projects5, while driving the destruction of irreplaceable native forests.
When bad news breaks, sustained public reaction defines what politicians do next. And because your electorate of Macquarie is a marginal seat, (so marginal it can make or break an election) your local Coalition MP, Louise Markus, will be paying extra close attention.
http://www.getup.org.au/call-louise-markus-mp
GetUp members have been at the forefront of the fight for the clean energy along with dozens of community groups and environmental advocates for almost 18 months now. Together, we funded hard hitting ads on TV, in cinemas and in the papers, putting solar and wind jobs front-and-centre at town hall events across the country, and so far 11,000 of us have switched our homes electricity away from AGL, Origin and EnergyAustralia, the dirty energy companies who are lobbying against renewables in the halls of parliament.
There’s no doubt: the Renewable Energy Target could have been slashed further or cut altogether if it wasn’t for the actions of passionate people like you. Now it’s time to show our decision-makers that we’re not giving up the fight for a clean energy future.
Paul and Jess,
for the GetUp team[1] New renewable energy target will mean $6 billion cut to investment: analysts. Sydney Morning Herald. May 18, 2015.
[2] Renewable energy sector has lost almost 2,500 jobs in last two years, says ABS report. ABC. April 13, 2015.
[3] ‘Greenhouse Gas Emissions from a Typical Passenger Vehicle’, United States Environmental Protection Agency, May 2014.
[4] Australia’s large-scale renewable investment dives in 2014. Sydney Morning Herald. January 12, 2015.
[5] RET deal to pass parliament in spite of wood waste inclusion. Climate Spectator. May 18, 2015. -
Crazy plans for Sydney’s drinking water catchments ACF
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Inboxx Basha Stasak, ACF Unsubscribe
11:14 AM (3 minutes ago)to me24 hours to go! Over 1000 ACF supporters have written a personal submission against expanding coal mining in Sydney’s drinking water catchments. Will you speak out before public comments close at 5pm on Monday?
INGA
Sydney’s drinking water catchments nourish life for millions of people. Can you believe there are plans to expand underground coal mining in them?
Sydney is the only city in the world that allows longwall mining in its public water catchments. These special areas are so protected, a wandering bushwalker would cop a $44,000 fine.Yet Wollongong Coal plans to expand the Russell Vale mine with eight new longwalls perilously close to the Cataract Reservoir, recklessly risking damage to your drinking water.The company is seeking approval from Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt and the mine expansion is now open for public comment.Greg Hunt has the power to stop this expansion and protect Sydney’s water from polluting industry. Let’s tell Wollongong Coal, and the Minister, we do not support coal mining in drinking water catchments.speak out for sydney’s drinking water
Longwall mining at the existing Russell Vale mine.Will you make a public comment on Wollongong Coal’s Environmental Impact Statement?
If thousands of people from NSW write to the company, they are required to summarise all of the comments and send them to the federal environment department. That’s why we want you to write your own unique comments, with your own unique concerns about the risks to water and endangered species. You don’t need to be an expert. Just explain why you care.
Even NSW Minister for Resources and Energy, Anthony Roberts, recognised that, “the Special Areas of Sydney’s Water Catchment are the most sensitive and important areas for securing our drinking water supply.”The Illawarra Mercury reported: “The government has acknowledged the potential for cracks to form in the riverbeds of water-storing swamps and other sensitive areas of the Cataract Dam catchment area.”The water catchment is home to many threatened animals including the Southern Brown Bandicoot and the Giant Burrowing Frog. The mine threatens the Endangered Coastal Upland Swamps where the Giant Burrowing Frog lives. Like us, frogs depend on water to live.In times of reduced rainfall, the swamps protect Sydney’s drinking water supply by storing vital water.“Clouds move in off the sea, hit the Illawarra escarpment and dump their rain, which then flows down into the lakes, creeks, rivers and swamps of the drinking water catchment,” says local resident Kaye Osborn, who has stood up to Wollongong Coal for over 5 years with Illawarra Residents for Responsible Mining.
When Kaye collected a jar of water from the creek near the existing mine to take to a public meeting, it was black.
“This catchment is part of a system supplying 4.6 million residents of Greater Sydney. The potential gains from Wollongong Coal’s mine are limited and short term. It’s not worth risking this incredible natural drinking water.”
Stand with Kaye and local residents. Make a comment against the Russell Vale mine expansion.
http://www.action.org.au/russellvale
Join the campaign
Thanks for being part of this,
Basha
Basha Stasak
Healthy Ecosystems Campaigner
Australian Conservation FoundationP.S. Are you happy to share your thoughts and opinions about how ACF communicates? We want to know more about what engages you. We’re holding a Sydney focus group – on Tuesday 26 May, 6:00-7:30pm in Ultimo. Please register your interest.
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Ireland votes yes for marriage equality – results map the tally room
elete forever[New post] Ireland votes yes for marriage equality – results map
Trashx The Tally Room <donotreply@wordpress.com> Unsubscribe
10:01 AM (9 minutes ago)to meNew post on The Tally Room
Ireland votes yes for marriage equality – results map
by Ben Raue
Ireland voted on Thursday in a referendum on allowing same-sex marriage, and it passed overwhelmingly.
Since I have previously produced a Google map of Ireland’s parliamentary constituencies (download it here), I thought I would put together a quick map showing the shape of the vote by constituency.
The ‘no’ case won in only one constituency: Roscommon-South Leitrim.
The ‘yes’ case did particularly well in Dublin, winning over 70% in nine out of twelve constituencies. The worst ‘yes’ vote in Dublin was 66.4% in Dublin North-East.
Ben Raue | May 24, 2015 at 10:01 am | Tags: Ireland, Referendum, Same-sex marriage | Categories: Uncategorized | URL: http://wp.me/ppI95-6RCComment See all comments -
The John James Newsletter 61
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The John James Newsletter 61
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1:27 AM (7 hours ago) The John James Newsletter 61
23 May 2015– ParosIsrael has for years worked to remove Assadwith US support it has encouraged Assad’s enemies, including ISnow that IS controls Palmyra, the “pearl” of the desert, the most intact 2,000 years old monument to ancient Rome,should its imminent destruction be blamed on Israel, on it’s clandestine control over US policy?Will Israel still prosper with IS in control of Damascus?Senior Israelis say they would prefer a victory by Al-Qaeda over a victory by Assad. https://consortiumnews.com/2015/04/29/the-day-after-damascus-falls/andhttp://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2015/05/palmyra-destroyed-syria-isil-150521113045812.html andhttp://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/2013/03/16/Syria-s-ancient-city-of-Palmyra-on-brink-of-destruction.html Syrian War Set to Re-ExplodeUS, Turkey, Saudi Arabia alliance with Al Qaeda has the potential to engulf the region in violence. Deep Saudi pocketbooks combined with Turkish ground forces are a catastrophe in the making.http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article41842.htm
Palestine Scores Major Victory With Vatican Recognition of StatehoodWith the Israeli-Palestinian peace process all but dead and buried, a growing chorus of countries and international bodies are moving toward recognizing Palestinian sovereignty in an attempt to push the Israeli government to make concessions toward their Palestinian rivals. That effort received a powerful boost when Pope Francis announced that the Vatican has recognised the state of Palestine.http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/05/13/palestine-scores-major-victory-with-vatican-recognition-of-statehood-pope-francis/136 Nations Recognise the Palestinian State http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/136-nations-recognize-a-palestinian-state-only-obama-stands-in-the-way-of-full-global-recognition
NATO deliberately destroyed Libya’s water infrastructureUNICEF reported that the disruption to the GMR had left 4 million Libyans without potable water. The GMR remains disrupted to this day, and Libya’s national water crisis continues to escalate. The deliberate destruction of a nation’s water infrastructure, with the knowledge that doing so would result in massive deathshttp://www.theecologist.org/News/news_analysis/2869234/war_crime_nato_deliberately_destroyed_libyas_water_infrastructure.html
Huge Bee Die-OffUS lost 40% of bees last year. Some pesticides, like neonicotinoids, have long been shown to be major causes of bee decline. http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/05/14/years-ago-was-unheard-dire-trend-persists-huge-bee-die
Macedonia – the next hot spot after Ukraine?A few days ago, Russia stated that the the Turkish Stream gas will go through at the end of 2016. If this happens, the US will lose a trump card to put pressure on Russia and Europe, which may encourage the CIA to repeat its Ukraine strategy in Macedonia.http://fortruss.blogspot.mx/2015/05/macedonia-next-hot-spot-after-ukraine.html
Super heating of the methane traps of SiberiaNo Pause — NASA Shows Human Hothouse Maintaining Record High Temperatures for 2015.Overall, temperatures at +0.99 degrees Celsius above 1880s averages for the first four months of 2015 should be cause for concern. We still have El Nino ramping up in the Pacific could well ramp higher later this year. Looking at the global temperature anomaly map provided by NASA, we can see where much of this extra heat accumulated throughout April:https://robertscribbler.wordpress.com/
What can we do about climate change?How do we have meaning in a world that is going to be so different from the one in which most of our values were created? http://judithcurry.com/2015/05/19/what-can-we-do-about-climate-change/#more-18784
Bibi: The Hidden Consequences of His VictoryThe Israeli electorate has given a mandate for policies that preclude any settlement with the Palestinians. The international boycott [against Israel] will intensify. The demand to fully enfranchise the Palestinians will eventually prove irresistible. What happens after that, no one can say.http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2015/apr/23/bibi-hidden-consequences-his-victory/
Yet Another Huge Diplomatic Victory for RussiaUnless you read Russian you might not have noticed that something big just happened in Russia: Kerry, Nuland and a large State Department delegation have met with Foreign Minister Lavrov and then with President Putin. With the latter they spent over 4 hours. Not only that, but Kerry said he would strongly caution Poroshenko against renewing military operations. To say that this is a stunning development would be an understatement.http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article41835.htm andhttp://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/16/world/europe/a-diplomatic-victory-and-affirmation-for-putin.html
Leading doctor says mobile phone radiation a hotline to brain cancer There is a million times more radiation today than there was 50 years ago,” he said. “The World Health Organisation has upgraded cell phone radiation to B2 category, which means possibly carcinogenic.http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/leading-doctor-says-mobile-phone-radiation-a-hotline-to-brain-cancer/story-fni0fiyv-1227349594139 too much electromagnetic radiation is being emitted from them which could be a reason for rising cancer rates and an increase in autism and obesity.Nearly 200 experts are calling on the UN to provide guidelines as they say the radiation is damaging DNA in our cells.http://www.euronews.com/2015/05/12/scientists-warn-against-mobile-phone-radiation/ for the texthttp://www.emfscientist.org/images/docs/International_EMF_Scientist_Appeal_Description.pdf
Why Australia will lead the world in solar + storageTesla has changed the conversation around battery storage. Consumers want it, competitors and retailers are going to have to move quickly to meet that demand, and Australia is being regarded as the market where it could all happen. Australia is going to be the testing ground for the world,http://reneweconomy.com.au/2015/why-australia-will-lead-the-world-in-solar-storage-78627 Queensland commits to 50% renewable target by 2030This means that all three Labor states are looking to ambitious renewable energy targets, in contrast with the Federal government which is looking to cut the target for large-scale renewables.http://reneweconomy.com.au/2015/queensland-commits-to-50-renewable-target-by-2030 States meet on climate, renewables, in effort to lead Australia as feds stallACT hoped to lead a state-based climate effort that would more than make up for Australia’s distinct lack of ambition on the federal front.http://reneweconomy.com.au/2015/states-meet-on-climate-renewables-in-effort-to-lead-australia-as-feds-stall-35220
Climate Denial Takes a Toll on Scientists—and ScienceClimate denial campaigns “can absolutely influence what you do and what you write about,” said Trenberth, who was not involved in the study. “Part of the reason they do it is to distract you and get you to waste your time.” Instead of “publishing the good science needed to advance our understanding of climate change,” scientists are left defending their work and debunking false claimshttp://insideclimatenews.com/news/11052015/climate-denial-takes-toll-scientists%E2%80%94and-science.
Trident whistleblower: nuclear ‘disaster waiting to happen’“This is bigger than me, it’s bigger than all of us. We are so close to a nuclear disaster it is shocking, and yet everybody is accepting the risk to the public.” A fascinating bad-time story…..https://wikileaks.org/trident-safety/ Range of Wikileaks papers:
Who is not bombing in the Middle East? The Saudis are bombing Yemen because they fear the Shia Houthis are working for the Iranians. The Syrian government is bombing its enemies in Syria and the Iraqi government is bombing its enemies in Iraq. America, France, Britain, Denmark, Holland, Australia and Canada are bombing Isis in Syria and in Iraq. The Egyptians are bombing parts of Libya, the Iranians have acknowledged bombing in Iraq and of course the Israelis have bombed Syrian government forces in Syria but not Isis (an interesting choice, we’d all agree). http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/robert-fisk-who-is-bombing-whom-in-the-middle-east-10222938.html
Is email killing off the art of conversation? Most replies contain just five words. Younger people send shorter emails than older users who also spend more time composing their emails.http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3037312/Is-email-killing-art-conversation-messages-replies-contain-just-five-words-finds-biggest-study-email.html#ixzz3ZCEwFwxh
Peruvian farmers restoring 7th century canalsNon-governmental agency helping farmers restore ancient system in Andean region and revitalise their water supplies.http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/05/peruvian-farmers-restoring-7th-century-canals-150503084636928.html
A Thoughtful Look at the German-Soviet Clash: Could Hitler Have Won?What was the real turning point in the war, and why? If Hitler had played his cards a bit differently could he have won the war? German forces came very close to defeating the Soviet Union in 1941. Defeat of Soviet Russia would effectively have resulted in German hegemony over all of Europe – a drastic change in the course of world history.http://www.ihr.org/jhr/v15/v15n6p38_Bishop.htmlto John
