EcoRadio

Category: News

Add your news
You can add news from your networks or groups through the website by becoming an author. Simply register as a member of the Generator, and then email Giovanni asking to become an author. He will then work with you to integrate your content into the site as effectively as possible.
Listen to the Generator News online

 
The Generator news service publishes articles on sustainable development, agriculture and energy as well as observations on current affairs. The news service is used on the weekly radio show, The Generator, as well as by a number of monthly and quarterly magazines. A podcast of the Generator news is also available.
As well as Giovanni’s articles it picks up the most pertinent articles from a range of other news services. You can publish the news feed on your website using RSS, free of charge.
 

  • The John James Newsletter 74
    3 of 50

    The John James Newsletter 74

    Inbox
    		 x

    John James
    5:42 AM (3 hours ago)
    to John
    The John James Newsletter 74
    15 August 2015
    Slim Chance 
    Obesity might be incurable. Once you become obese biological changes lock you in.
    One in five Australians have multiple chronic diseases
    The chronic diseases being arthritis, asthma, back problems, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and mental health.
    Solar citizens protection
    Joining this group may allow us to stand up to the big power companies and stop excess billing for solar users.
    Major parties’ 2030 emissions targets compared
    The shifting of baselines from 2000 levels to 2005 – widely regarded as a trick to make their targets appear stronger than they are – can make it somewhat confusing to understand and compare 2030 targets offered by the major parties.
    Obama on Iran: The Specter of World War III
    In an extraordinary speech Obama warned that powerful factions within Congress are determined to carry out a war against Iran that would have incalculable consequences. If the House of Representatives and the Senate override his veto, Obama warned, war will come, and “soon.” and gave the unmistakable impression that control over the movement toward war was slipping out of his hands.
    US and Saudi Oil Deal from Win-Win to Mega-Loose
    the Saudis are beside themselves with rage against Washington, so much so that they have openly admitted an alliance with arch foe, Israel, to combat what they see as the Iran growing dominance in the region—in Syria, in Lebanon, in Iraq.
    Why Syria is Winning
    Syria’s victory will also be that of Iran and of the Lebanese Hezbollah. The conflict has helped build significant measures of cooperation with Iraq that will defeat plans for a US-Israel-Saudi dominated ‘New Middle East’. This regional unity comes at a terrible cost, but it is coming, nonetheless.
    Russia and Nato ‘actively preparing for war’
    Rival war games by Russian and Nato represent greatest build up of military tension since Cold War
    We’re A Year Into The Unofficial War Against ISIS With Nothing To Show For It
    That’s the conclusion of the US intelligence community. It’s a tragic waste with no clear goal and no end in sight
    Saudi Arabia spent more than $80 billion on its military last year, trailing only the United States and China,
    Let the Global Race to the Bottom Begin
    I Asked Atheists How They Find Meaning In A Purposeless Universe
    People like me don’t worry about what it’s all about in a cosmic sense, because we know it isn’t about anything. It’s what we make of this transitory existence that matters.
    What years in solitary confinement does to you:
    Sealed for years in a hermetic environment – one inmate likened the prison’s solitary confinement unit to “a weapons lab or a place for human experiments” – prisoners recounted struggling daily to maintain their sanity.
    The Point of No Return
    The worst predicted impacts of climate change global warming are starting to happen much faster than expected. London reached 98F during the hottest July day ever recorded; James Hansen suggests mean sea levels could rise 10 times faster than previously predicted, with devastating social disruption that might make the planet ungovernable.
    Temperatures soar in deadly Egypt heatwave
    Temperatures reached highs of 47C in conditions made less bearable by elevated humidity 
    Heat wave hits some European countries, more wildfires reported
    More Than 1 Million Acres of Paddy Fields Destroyed by Floods
    The oceans will die even if we remove carbon dioxide from atmosphere
    Even if an efficient method is found to remove C02 from the atmosphere, it will not stop the oceans becoming acidic. http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change-oceans-will-die-even-if-we-remove-carbon-dioxide-from-atmosphere-say-scientists-10435775.html
    De-Zionising the American empire
    Obama’s speech about the Iran nuclear deal marks a pivotal departure from past US policy towards Israel –  a significant turning point in the US-Israeli  relations.
    Israel’s $100 Million Gamble
    Israel’s desire to upend the arrangement must be based on what Iran represents as a regional power. Iran has more than ten times the Israeli population, is physically nearly seventy-four times larger, has abundant oil resources and a young and highly educated workforce. It is geographically well situated on both the Persian Gulf and Caspian Sea with borders on Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Armenia, Azerbaijan Turkmenistan and Turkey. Israel has never been seriously bothered by the potential of an Iranian nuke, which has been little more than a pretext. It has been concerned over Iran becoming an unfriendly regional superpower.
    Will Republicans Fall for the Iran Trap?
    If the GOP manages to kill the Iran deal, thus isolating the country and putting it on a path to war, then the party’s political viability could be placed on ice for a considerable period.
    Pelosi says Iran deal ‘a diplomatic masterpiece’
    The Iran nuclear deal: a triumph of diplomacy
    Interactive Map Shows the Global Impact of China’s Dramatic Currency Devaluation
    Analysts have been fretting for weeks about what they have called a global economic “contagion” stemming from China’s slowdown. The drop in China’s RMB could be a possible domino leading to retrenchment elsewhere
    ‘Perfect Storm’ Engulfing Canada’s Economy Perfectly Predictable
    Throughout the world, analysts no longer refer to bitumen as Canada’s destiny, but as a stranded asset. Nearly $60-billion of projects representing 1.6 million barrels of production were mothballed last year.
    Ten Years Later, the “Halliburton Loophole” and America’s Dirty Fracking Boom
    Bush explicitly exempted fracking operations from key provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act. These exemptions from a fundamental environmental protection law provided the oil and gas industry the immunity to develop a highly polluting process on a grand national scale.
    Cheap solar in India sounds death knell for coal imports, Australia’s included
    Solar pricing is now cheaper than new imported thermal coal-fired power plants.  Thus it is irrational to build another power plant fuelled by imported coal. The death knell for the seaborne traded coal industry has sounded.
    The Red Cross says the world must “wake up” to the spiraling humanitarian crisis in Yemen.
    Civilians are living in appalling conditions under heavy fighting and a Saudi blockade. The humanitarian situation is catastrophic. Every family in Yemen has been affected by this conflict and it is getting worse by the day,
    Turkish security forces reel from wave of attacks
    Two women shot at the U.S. consulate in Istanbul on Monday and at least eight people were killed in a wave of separate attacks on Turkish security forces, weeks after Ankara launched a crackdown on Kurdish militants.

  • Climate Change Authority head Bernie Fraser issues blistering rebuke to Abbott government

  • The #5and5 TONY BURKE LABOR

    1 of 14

    The #5and5

    Inbox
    		 x

    Tony Burke Unsubscribe
    5:45 PM (5 minutes ago)
    to me
    The latest politics update from the Australian Labor Party | Unsubscribe
    .
    Neville —

    This week began with the election of a new Speaker and condolence motions for Western Australian MP, Don Randall, who sadly passed away during the parliamentary break. Don was one of the few Members of Parliament to lose their seat and make a comeback. The loss was felt deeply by Members on both sides.

    Here’s this week’s #5and5.

    BEST:

    1. On Wednesday Bill Shorten launched Two Futures, a book written by Labor MPs Clare O’Neil and Tim Watts. Two Futures asks the important questions to examine what Australia will look like in 2040. In Labor’s year of ideas, this book is packed with plenty of them. Bill said “Two Futures is underwritten by an optimism that a better nation is within our grasp. It is this idea of an empowered choice, an ability to seize the moment, a chance to make change work for all Australians, that appeals to me.” I’m sure Tim and Clare would want me to remind everyone that Two Futures is available in all good book stores.

    Two_Futures_Bill.jpg

    2. On Thursday, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Brendan O’Connor, highlighted how Tony Abbott’s Union Royal Commission has been completely undermined by the PM’s hand-picked Royal Commissioner agreeing to speak at a Liberal Party fundraiser. How can anyone have faith in the findings of the Union Royal Commission when its chief inquisitor agreed to speak at a Liberal Party fundraiser?

    Brendan_O'Connor.png

    3. We are watching the new Speaker carefully. A new Speaker was an opportunity to return Question Time to what it is supposed to be, an opportunity to hold the Government to account. While some of the more obvious bias seems to have gone, there are still some approaches which need to be constantly challenged. This week it was the new generation of Labor MPs who held the Speaker to account. Jim Chalmers, Terri Butler, Pat Conroy, Andrew Giles, Tim Watts and Clare O’Neil, all from the class of 2013, constantly sought to return the Speaker to the Standing Orders and bring balance back to Question Time.

    4. Warren Truss, the Minister for Infrastructure, tried to claim he built a bridge. He seemed rather proud of this, as you’d expect him to. His name is actually the title of a particular type of bridge (this is true, please Google “Warren Truss bridge”). Albo couldn’t help pointing out that the bridge was in fact built by workers, not the LNP, and funded by Labor. Warren no longer seemed so happy.

    5. Sarah Henderson, the Member for Corangamite, complained about people using props in the Parliament. If you had watched it on TV, you would have seen her wearing a promotional scarf and all of a sudden seeming a bit confused about the point of order. While the microphones didn’t pick it up, this was because Tanya Plibersek had just called out “You do realise you’re wearing a prop”.

    WORST:

    1. On Thursday we learned that Tony Abbott’s hand-picked Union Royal Commissioner, Dyson Heydon AC QC, had accepted an invitation to speak at a Liberal Party fundraiser. The invitation included a Liberal Party of NSW logo, asked for cheques to be payable to the Liberal Party of Australia (NSW Division) and said “all proceeds from this event will be applied to State election campaigning.” By his own actions Dyson Heydon has disqualified himself from continuing to lead Tony Abbott’s political witch hunt.  I sought to move a censure motion against the Prime Minister on this, you can watch it here.

    Tony_Burke.png

    2. It was clear at the beginning of the week the Abbott Government is in chaos, with the different factions of the Liberal Party in all out war with each other. This was obvious when Christopher Pyne reportedly accused Tony Abbott of “branch stacking” with the Nationals to stop a free vote on marriage equality. Since the six hour fight in the Liberal Party room on Tuesday, Cabinet Ministers have been at war with each other in the media. No one knows what their new position is, including them.

    3. Thirty three times Tony Abbott promised Australians there would be no changes to the GST, yet over the Parliamentary break we continued to see Tony Abbott and Joe Hockey blackmail the states into increasing the GST by not backing down from their $80 billion cut to the States’ schools and hospitals funding. On several occasions we asked Tony Abbott to recommit to “no changes to the GST” and he refused. Not only that, he wouldn’t even say the letters out loud.

     4. This week the Government announced its Emissions Reduction Target, which is supposed to be the Government’s scheme to limit global warming to no more than two degrees Celsius. The Prime Minister described this as the same target as the United States, which is absolutely wrong. The Prime Minister also called wind turbines “unnecessary”. Being stuck in the past is a problem. Wanting the rest of Australia to keep him company there is a disaster. 

    vlcsnap-2015-08-14-16h56m42s849.png

    5. At the beginning of the week we laid down two important markers for the new Speaker: One, answers have to be relevant to the questions asked, and two, questions must be relevant to the Minister’s responsibilities. It will take a little while to see how the rest of the term pans out, but so far the rulings on these two have been almost identical to the rulings which used to be given by Bronwyn Bishop.

    Finally, there were a lot of reports about me last week and it would be wrong for me to just skip over them. Some were accurate, some were not. You can read the transcript where I explained the events here. There is also an apology from News Limited issued here.

    The #5and5 will be back next week.

    Tony Burke

    PS: This week’s #5and5 song of the week is in honour of the six hour meeting the Coalition held on Monday. Not my favourite band, but the lyrics from Chicago Indi Band, Sea Lanes are perfect. Here’s: Endless Meeting.

  • We are so close Kate — Land Water Future

    More

    1 of 45

    We are so close

    Inbox
    		 x

    Kate — Land Water Future <kate@landwaterfuture.org.au>
    4:36 PM (1 hour ago)
    to me
    Neville,

    Yesterday the NSW Parliament’s Upper House debated whether or not to strengthen protections of our land, water and communities against the risks of coal seam gas.

    Take a look at who said what, and who had our back when it mattered.

    The public gallery at parliament was packed full of people from communities right across the state: there were knitting nannas and farmers, people from Sydney and people from much further afield.

    MPs from The Greens, Labor, Animal Justice Party, and the Christian Democratic Party all rose to their to feet to praise the efforts of our communities in fighting off coal seam gas.

    They argued that we deserved to be listened to by our government, and that we have a right to laws that properly protect our land and water from the threat of coal seam gas.

    Disappointingly, the Liberals, the Nationals, and the Shooters joined forces to ultimately vote the bill down. The NSW Government had the opportunity yesterday to support sensible measures to safeguard our most state’s vital assets: land, water, and communities. They squandered that opportunity.

    You can read what our MPs had to say during the coal seam gas debate here.

    The good news is we’re closer than ever before to winning, and we’re not stopping until our farms, forests, water and communities are properly protected.

    Thank you for being part of the journey towards a gasfield free NSW,

    Kate and the Land Water Future team

    PS: Share the news — forward this email to your friends, and share on Facebook:

    Share on Facebook
    Land Water Future is an alliance campaign to protect farms, forests, water and communities across NSW from coal and gas. If you were forwarded this email, you can sign up here. To stop receiving emails, click here. You can also keep up with Land Water Future on Twitter and Facebook.

  • Denied urgent medical treatment in prison AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
    1 of 13

    Denied urgent medical treatment in prison

    Inbox
    		 x

    Rose, Amnesty International Australia <actioncentre@amnesty.org.au> Unsubscribe
    3:03 PM (1 hour ago)
    to me

    Dear Neville,

    “For a long time, I won’t be able to see their innocent faces, I won’t be able to hear their voices. I won’t be able to smell them while holding them in my arms.”

    These are the desperate words of Narges Mohammadi, a mother of two, imprisoned by Iranian authorities for advocating against the death penalty. Will you take action demanding the Iranian authorities release Narges?

     

    The authorities are denying Narges access to her young kids, as well as urgent medical attention. She’s currently suffering from paralysis and a potential blood clot in her lungs.

     

    Doctors have told the Iranian authorities that Narges needs proper medical care for these serious conditions. The authorities are ignoring these warnings and Narges’ health is deteriorating. Help Narges before it’s too late.

     

    Narges has been imprisoned many times for her peaceful activism. This time, the authorities are denying her even a phone call from her eight-year-old twins. She hasn’t heard her childrens’ voices since last month.

    Narges stood up for human rights in Iran and now she’s paying a terrible price. Together we must stand up for Narges’ human rights.

     

    In hope,

     

    Rose Kulak

    Individuals at Risk Coordinator

    Amnesty International Australia

    PS. We worked together to free Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh and reunite her with her two children and husband. Now I’m asking you to help free Narges.

  • Switch, and say “Frack no!” to AGL and NSW’s secret CSG handshake

    2 of 16

    Switch, and say “Frack no!” to AGL and NSW’s secret CSG handshake

    Inbox
    		 x

    Anthony – GetUp!
    9:01 PM (42 minutes ago)
    to me
    Dear NEVILLE,

    Wow. In news breaking today, it seems that the New South Wales government has been teaming up with AGL to ensure that little stands in the way of the company’s fracking plans.

    A special report in the Sydney Morning Herald has revealed the government redefined planning laws at AGL’s behest to fast track approvals for their devastating coal seam gas mining just outside the community of Gloucester [1].

    The Gloucester project has been a nightmare for local residents, with the government and AGL riding roughshod over concerns about the health and well-being of their community, their local environment and their prime agricultural land [2].

    If the revelations are true, it would appear the New South Wales government is outsourcing environmental planning to Australia’s biggest polluter. What’s worse? AGL’s getting away with it. The good news is there’s something you can do to show AGL their apparent disregard for local communities is not on.

    Tell AGL to frack off and join 12,000 others who’ve switched to a low-cost, cleaner energy company with genuine green credentials.

    Since its inception, the Gloucester CSG project has been plagued by environmental problems, including the dumping of tainted water into Newcastle’s sewer system and the discovery of harmful BTEX chemicals in flowback water [3][4]. In both cases AGL got the all-clear from the NSW government and was allowed to go on drilling the heart out of this regional community [5][6].

    Our government is the only thing standing between mining companies and the wholesale destruction of our natural environment, but now the truth is clearer than ever – they’re playing on the same team.

    When governments can’t be trusted to uphold their own laws and hold big, polluting corporations to account, we the people need to step up and take matters into our own hands.

    GetUp’s Better Power campaign is one way households can take the power back by switching away from Australia’s dirtiest energy companies to a low-cost, cleaner energy alternative.

    Send a message to dirty energy giants like AGL by switching retailers through GetUp’s Better Power campaign.

    For the Better Power campaign GetUp has partnered with Powershop – an affordable, carbon-neutral retailer which was ranked greenest in Australia by Greenpeace in their latest Green Electricity Guide [7]. Powershop is owned by Meridian, a 100% renewable energy generator which has already invested more than $1 billion in wind farms in Australia, and has a commitment never to invest in fossil fuels like coal and CSG.

    You’ll still be getting your electricity from the grid, which means it won’t be different from the power you’re currently getting, but you’ll have peace of mind knowing that your energy consumption is offset and you’re no longer contributing to companies that fund and support CSG.

    So far more than 12,000 everyday Australians have made the switch through Better Power, offsetting an estimated 70,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide over the coming year – equivalent to a whopping 28,000 cars off Australia’s roads! [8]

    Best of all, for every person who switches through the campaign, Powershop pays a commission that goes towards GetUp’s pro-renewable and anti-CSG campaigns. So far we’ve raised more than $1.2 million through the Better Power campaign, and it all goes towards supporting real, meaningful action on climate change and against unconventional coal seam gas.

    Plus, by switching you’ll be joining 12,000 others and adding your voice to a growing movement designed to show polluters, energy companies and the government that Australians mean business when it comes to renewable energy, and they’re prepared to vote with their wallet to show they care.

    For too long, companies like AGL have been ignoring the community’s wishes on CSG and coal-fired power. Let’s make a stand today and use our power as consumers to raise our voices for change.

    Anthony, for the GetUp Team

    P.S. We know that this campaign, and the millions of dollars we take away from AGL’s retail brand as a result, will influence their upcoming decision on whether to continue with coal seam gas and the Gloucester project. Their own CEO said as much recently, admitting that the Gloucester project’s impact on AGL’s retail brand was “always something [they] have to be attentive to”[9]. Meanwhile leading investment analyst Credit Suisse estimated that if we switch 30,000 AGL customers, we’ll take $100 million off their bottom line[10]. So get switching!

    References
    [1] AGL coal seam gas in Gloucester: Government bowed to pressure for urgent amendment, documents show, Sydney Morning Herald, 13 August 2015
    [2] CSG more trouble than it’s worth for AGL, Sydney Morning Herald, 14 March 2015
    [3] AGL, Transpacific probed over fracking water discharges, Sydney Morning Herald, 9 January 2015
    [4] AGL suspends coal seam gas project after traces of chemicals BTEX found in water samples, ABC Rural, 29 January 2015
    [5] EPA finds ‘no breach’ in discharge of water from AGL’s Gloucester coal seam gas site, ABC News, 22 January 2015
    [6] Coal seam gas: AGL cleared of adverse findings to resume operations in Gloucester, Sydney Morning Herald, 19 May 2015
    [7] The Green Electricity Guide, Greenpeace, August 2014
    [8] Modelling on Better Power campaign, ClimateCare, July 2015
    [9] AGL takes $600m in writedowns, The Australian, 6 July 2015.
    [10] Credit Suisse analysis, July 2014; Credit Suisse Research and Analytics, AGL Energy – I can see clearly now, 19 March 2015; Citi Research, 18 February 2015.