A wholesale attack on Renewables
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A wholesale attack on Renewables Inbox x LABOR
Something’s not right.We’re having trouble connecting to Google. We’ll keep trying…More1 of 55 -
Of clowns and coal THE Australia Institute
Something’s not right.We’re having trouble connecting to Google. We’ll keep trying…More1 of 56Of clowns and coal
Inboxx The Australia Institute <mail@tai.org.au>
2:13 PM (9 minutes ago)to me
Dear Neville — Demand for coal is cooling off, but demand for coal news is hotter than a super-critical ‘clean coal’ power plant right now. As usual, we’ve been at the coal face. Our Director of Research, Rod Campbell, has the following dispatches on three flashpoints:
Barnaby Joyce and the Shenhua coal project
The biggest story in coal last week was Environment Minister Greg Hunt’s approval of the Watermark mine, owned by Chinese coal giant, Shenhua. The mine is located on the Liverpool Plains, NSW’s premier agricultural region, which is represented in Federal Parliament by the Agriculture Minister himself, Barnaby Joyce.
Locals are opposed to the mine because of its potential to affect the groundwater that their farms depend on and they’re furious that Joyce has been unable to stop the project. Joyce claims that he has done “everything in my power to try and stop the mine.”
The Australia Institute, through Rod Campbell and Mark Ogge, has also done everything in our power to try and stop the Shenhua project. Not that it’s a competition, after all, Joyce is a Federal Minister and we’re just a think tank, but let’s tally up the scores:
Effort against Watermark project
TAI’s Rod Campbell and Mark Ogge
New England MP Barnaby Joyce
Made a submission on the Environmental Impact Statement Yes
No
Made a submission to the Planning Assessment Commission Yes
No
Went to Planning Assessment Commission hearing in Gunnedah, NSW Yes
No
Said the following: We like to romanticise the complexities and sinews of our economy but we really have a very simple business plan – we survive on the charges we raise to allow people to dig up black rocks and red rocks: coal and iron ore
No
Yes
This won’t be the last you hear of this project. Before any digging happens a mining licence needs to be issued by the NSW government. By the time that happens, New England could have a new/old Member of Parliament – Tony Windsor, who is thinking of throwing his big hat back in the ring because of the Shenhua mine.
The Battle for Bulga
The village of Bulga continues its David vs Goliath style battle with Rio Tinto, with interesting recent developments.
In previous episodes the Land and Environment Court and the NSW Court of Appeal rejected Rio Tinto’s bid to expand their Warkworth mine near the historic Hunter Valley village of Bulga. But through furious lobbying, Rio got legislation changed and now its project is back in front of the Planning Assessment Commission.
The final decision was to be made without a public hearing, but due to the level of public interest two days of hearings were held in Singleton. TAI’s Rod Campbell went to Singleton and presented on the first day.
But then something happened… or did it?
New NSW Planning Minister Rob Stokes has moved to repeal the controversial regulations that Rio had earlier lobbied for, which put ‘economic benefits’ as the primary consideration for project approval. The coal industry cried blue murder, while the people of Bulga commended the move.
Our take is a bit different. As Rod wrote in Climate Spectator:
The mining industry should be celebrating this move. It helps divert attention away from some of their greatest embarrassments and dodgy economic claims.
The repeal is sensible– economic effects should be balanced with environmental and social impacts, which the change emphasises. But it makes little difference to most decisions. For example, more coal mines have been rejected since the change Rio lobbied for than before it. At a time when the economics of coal mines is very uncertain, the last thing the coal industry should want is decision makers focusing on their marginal finances.
The change in regulation is likely to have little actual effect. What is interesting is that the change has been made at all. Not only is there a new minister, but there are also some changes in senior personnel within the NSW Planning Department.
The Planning Assessment Commission has now re-opened submissions in light of the changes. The battle for Bulga continues.
Galilee Basin
The Australia Institute have been arguing for some time that the huge Carmichael mine proposed for Queensland’s Galilee Basin is unviable without massive government subsidy. Turns out, Queensland Treasury agrees with us.
Documents released under freedom of information (FOI) show that senior Treasury officials felt they were being “set-up” in meetings with the mine and their colleagues at the Department of State Development. Treasury says that the project is “unbankable”.
We’ve also submitted a few FOI requests in on these issues. Who knows what else might be happening in the Queensland bureaucracy?!? Stay tuned in the coming weeks.
Also, I’ll be heading up to Queensland to be in the State Budget Lockup. Will the new Labor Government continue to be the nations leading coal subsidiser? Or will they invest in schools and hospitals instead? I’ll let you know.
– Rod Campbell
Follow me on twitter at @R_o_d_Cps. Tomorrow’s Financial Review will feature a great article by Richard Denniss. It will be a story of a tragic love affair between a Prime Minister and… fossilised carbon.
Weekly updates from TAI
We aim to keep you updated every week. Every fortnight we send out the Between The Lines which provides an overview of our research and topical issues. On alternate weeks we send out a newsletter based on our work in equity and mining. If you would like to receive those, click here, choose your newsletter, and we’ll make sure they land in your inbox.
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I’m not about to stop now BILL SHORTEN
1 of 51I’m not about to stop now
Inboxx Bill Shorten Unsubscribe
2:25 PM (2 minutes ago)to me
Inga, I’ve spent my whole adult life standing up for the pay and conditions of working Australians — and I’m not about to stop now.
No matter what Tony Abbott and the Liberals throw at us, Labor’s record stands proud against WorkChoices.
At the Beaconsfield mine disaster I saw first-hand how important workplace safety is. And as Parliamentary Secretary, I fought for the National Disability Insurance Scheme. I want to keep on building on that important work and form the next Government.
Telling Australians about Labor’s positive plan for the future, compared to Tony Abbott’s plans to drag us back to the past, is important if we want to win the next election. That’s why I’ve recorded a quick message about my vision for Australia: and as a dedicated Labor supporter, I wanted you to see it first.
Tony Abbott and the Liberals had a red hot go this week at trying to distract us from what they’ve really been up to. But Tony Abbott’s Royal Commissions won’t make us forget his attacks on Medicare, his plans for $100,000 degrees, cuts to pensions, and his bizarre war on renewable energy.
If Tony Abbott wants us to focus on Labor’s record of standing up for the pay and conditions of working people, instead of the lies he told to get into office or his $80 billion in cuts to schools and hospitals, then so be it.
But I want Australians to know I am more determined than ever to stand up for a future that makes good schools, good hospitals and good jobs accessible to every Australian.
Thanks for standing with me on this,
Bill
Australian Labor Party
Authorised by G. Wright, Australian Labor, 5/9 Sydney Avenue, Barton 2600 ACT -
We took your message to Oslo – and it worked!
1 of 12We took your message to Oslo – and it worked!
Inboxx Ben Hewitt for A World at School info@aworldatschool.org via bounce.bluestatedigital.com
9:04 PM (1 hour ago)to me
Dear NEVILLE,
It worked! Last week, we asked you to help get the word out about the #UpForSchool petition, so we could get more than eight million signatures to share with world leaders. And together, we did it!
Your message is handed over to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for you by Hellen Griberg, A World at School Global Youth Ambassador
On Tuesday we took your messages to world leaders attending the Oslo Education Summit. Your message was heard – in meetings with Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg, with United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, in the media, and in an inspiring speech given to the whole Summit by Global Youth Ambassador Hellen Griberg.
Leaders at the Summit heard your outrage that last year only 1% of all humanitarian aid went to education leaving millions of children out of school and at risk due to conflicts and natural disasters. They responded to your message – and made a firm commitment to establish a platform for education in emergencies to urgently address the funding gap and crisis.
The Prime Minister of Norway and Presidents from Malawi, Chile and Indonesia and the UNESCO Director General also called for a new International Commission to look at how to reverse the decline in funding to education, to be chaired by UN Special Envoy Gordon Brown.
And on top of this, the Norwegian Government agreed to double its aid to education, and the European Union committed to increase its humanitarian aid to education, and several other countries pledged new funding to help Syrian refugees go to school.
You can read more about the achievements on A World at School – please share the good news on Facebook, Twitter and elsewhere!
This is a crucial first step, the result of increased momentum over the past couple of months, built by campaigners like you standing together in your millions. The hard work starts now to turn commitments into increased funding and access to education. Now we need to make sure world leaders know we’ll be watching – and they must deliver.
As Hellen Griberg, the Global Youth Ambassador who took your message to the summit said: “This is a civil rights movement led by young people demanding our right to an education. We need to see urgency and political leadership equal to the scale of this crisis. It’s time for action“.
So – let’s make we keep going so that we have more progress to report at the United Nations General Assembly meetings in September!
Thanks for you support,
Ben, Tyler, Kolleen, James & the A World at School team.
********************
More information:
BBC News: Charities and campaigners call for global education emergency fund: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-33409112
A World at School News: Action on education in emergencies and funding announced at Oslo Summit: http://www.aworldatschool.org/news/entry/Global-education-action-announced-at-oslo-summit-2108
Young people demand education, A World at School’s Hellen tells Oslo summit
http://www.aworldatschool.org/news/entry/Young-people-demand-education-Oslo-summit-is-told-2105 -
Farewell and thanks from me. SAM McLEAN GET UP
More1 of 49Farewell and thanks from me.
Inboxx Sam McLean – GetUp!
6:25 PM (14 minutes ago)to meNEVILLE,I’m just emailing to let you know that I’ve decided to step down as National Director of GetUp today, and make way for new leadership.
When I walked through GetUp’s doors as a volunteer eight years ago, I found my tribe: people of all ages across the country who believe in collective action, because politics is just too important to be left to politicians! Working with you all has been an absolute privilege. I recorded a short video to say thanks and explain what comes next!
I’m so proud to have been part of what this movement has achieved together already, and I will always be part of that as an active member. Maybe this is cheeky of me – but I literally just filled out my credit card details to become a weekly donor to GetUp because I really believe in what the team is doing, and if you’d like to join me in supporting them, please do!
Ultimately, GetUp has never really been about our small team of staff. It’s about what we can all achieve when hundreds of thousands of us work together. With our Government brazenly attacking climate action and trampling roughshod over basic democratic rights, especially for asylum seekers, we have so much to keep fighting for. But as always, we don’t give up, we GetUp!
With hope,
SamPS – I particularly want to thank all those members I have met in person over the years, and the incredible team of staff and volunteers who will keep making GetUp members more and more powerful. I love you all. Thank you so much!
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The John James Newsletter 68
1 of 48
The John James Newsletter 68
Inbox x John James
3:15 PM (7 minutes ago) The John James Newsletter 68
11 July 2015 – Chalk Farm, EnglandWe’re three metres from the iceberg and we have been asked if we’re going to go right or left. Either way we’re going to hit the icebergGreek voter
The Climate Deception DossiersInternal fossil fuel industry memos reveal a deliberate campaign to deceive the public that continues even today. Containing 85 internal memos totaling more than 330 pages, the seven dossiers reveal a range of deceptive tactics deployed by the fossil fuel industry. These include forged letters to Congress, secret funding of a supposedly independent scientist, the creation of fake grassroots organizations, multiple efforts to deliberately manufacture uncertainty about climate science, and more.http://www.ucsusa.org/global-warming/fight-misinformation/climate-deception-dossiers-fossil-fuel-industry-memos#.VZ83RuedzjC Exxon knew of climate change in 1981 – but it funded deniers for 27 more yearsA newly unearthed missive from Lenny Bernstein, a climate expert with the oil firm for 30 years, shows concerns over high presence of carbon dioxide in enormous gas field in south-east Asia factored into decision not to tap ithttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jul/08/exxon-climate-change-1981-climate-denier-funding?CMP=ema_632Big Oil Knew. Big Oil Lied. And Planet Earth Got Fried.Leading oil giants such as ExxonMobil, BP, and Shell—just like tobacco companies who buried and denied the threat of cancer for smokers—knew about the dangers of global warming and the role of carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions long before the public received warning from the broader scientific community. And what’s worse, of course, is not only that they knew—but how they have spent the last nearly thirty years actively denying the damage they were causing to the planet and its inhabitants.http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/07/09/big-oil-knew-big-oil-lied-and-planet-earth-got-fried
This is the ANNUAL tally, that sharply INCREASED with the signing of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997. SO???? !!!!!! Are climate negotiations just a smoke screen?
South Carolina blaze brings tally of recent black church fires to sevenSince a young white man shot nine black people in the Emanuel AME church on 17 June, at least six predominantly African American churches in the south have been set ablaze. The fire at Mount Zion brings that tally to at least seven.http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jul/01/south-carolina-black-church-fires-mount-zion-greeleyville?CMP=ema_565 US police killings headed for 1,100 this year, with black Americans twice as likely to die http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jul/01/us-police-killings-this-year-black-americans?CMP=ema_565
What do we do when antibiotics don’t work any more?No wonder resistance is growing when 80% of drug use is on the farm. http://www.ted.com/talks/maryn_mckenna_what_do_we_do_when_antibiotics_don_t_work_any_more
Oligarchs and Vigilantes Take Over Public Safety in a Big CityIn Detroit, safety is a privilege enjoyed by the white and wealthy. In the black neighborhoods, public safety has been sacrificed to the gods of austerity. With the city government too poor provide basic security, safety has become a private commodity.http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/98019392/0/alternet~What-Happens-When-Oligarchs-and-Vigilantes-Take-Over-Public-Safety-in-a-Big-City
Austerity Has Failed: An Open Letter From Thomas Piketty to Angela MerkelFive leading economists warn the German chancellor, “History will remember you for your actions this week.” http://www.thenation.com/article/austerity-has-failed-an-open-letter-from-thomas-piketty-to-angela-merkel/ 440 cuts and counting – the Abbot LegacyThis post will be regularly updated to keep track of the Abbott Government’s broken promises and everything his Government does to hurt Australians. Each item will have a link to a source.http://sallymcmanus.net/abbotts-wreckage/Pacific radioactive waste is leakingThe Runit Dome in the Marshall Islands is a hulking legacy of years of US nuclear testing. Now locals and scientists are warning that rising sea levels caused by climate change could cause 111,000 cubic yards of debris to spill into the oceanhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/03/runit-dome-pacific-radioactive-waste?CMP=ema_565
The World’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions in One Graphican infographic and huge databaseof the world’s current greenhouse gas emissions.http://www.climatecentral.org/news/greenhouse-gas-emissions-by-country-19167
The drums of war – Iran deploys new long-range radar days ahead of nuclear talks deadline:Iran is building up its air defense systems and particularly the ability to detect enemy aircraft as the US and Israel maintain that they could use military force to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear capability.http://rt.com/news/271801-iran-early-warning-radar/ U.S. stockpiles powerful bunker-buster bombs in case Iran nuclear talks fail:The bunker-busting bombs are America’s most destructive munitions short of atomic weapons. At 15 tons, each is 5 tons heavier than any other bomb in the US arsenal.http://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-fg-pentagon-iran-20150704-story.html#page=1 Japan joins US-Aussie military drills amid regional tensions:The ‘Talisman Saber’ exercises will last two weeks, with 30,000 US and Australian troops taking parthttp://rt.com/news/271747-japan-us-australia-drills/
Australia in battle to save threatened species:About 20 percent of Australia’s unique mammals are threatened with extinction, along with 12 percent of its birds.http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/07/australia-battle-save-threatened-species-150705105649032.html
Russia: Tit for TatSurprise, surprise: the majority of Russians would prefer the West’s hostility of Brezhnev days to their warm embraces in the days of Gorbachev and Yeltsin.http://www.unz.com/ishamir/russia-tit-for-tat/
Will ISIS Liberate Palestine?Da’ish is paying an average of $300 a month, promising two days off each week to visit one’s family, cash bonuses for marriage and one-time child subsidies of $400 per child. Whereas UNWRA has just reduced monthly cash for food stipends to $30 per month. One can imagine what some of the camp residents are thinking: which horse is the best bet for an improved life? http://www.countercurrents.org/lamb040715.htm
The Arctic is hotter than Miami!Professor Wadhams, the East Siberian Sea is a lurking monster. The effect of a methane outbreak could be as catastrophic as an asteroid collision. The amount of warming would be immediate and large. The probability is about 50%. The ramifications are profound.http://beta.counterpunch.org/2015/07/03/methane-outbreak-nears/
Fracturing of the Jet Stream The jet stream used to act as a barrier, keeping cold air in the Arctic and keeping temperate air in the temperate zone. As the jet stream fractures, more extreme weather – including more intense heatwaves – can be expected.http://arctic-news.blogspot.fr/2015/07/fracturing-of-the-jet-stream.html
China’s Declared Growth Rate Is FictionChina avoided the global recession after the 2008 crash by opening the credit taps and embarking on the largest spending spree on infrastructure the world has ever seen. But capitalist economies cannot avoid recessions forever. http://www.thespec.com/opinion-story/5609073-dyer-china-s-growth-rate-pure-fiction/
Looting Syrian, Iraqi sites on industrial scaleISIS militants are looting ancient sites and selling treasures to middlemen to raise cash, http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2015/Jul-02/304832-isis-looting-syrian-iraqi-sites-on-industrial-scale-unesco.ashx
Greek Government Approves Brutal Austerity Measures In Proposal To EUGreece’s Syriza-led government agreed to a massive new €13 billion (US$14.34 billion) package of austerity measures yesterday evening, less than a week after Sunday’s landslide “no” vote in a referendum on European Union (EU) austerity.http://www.countercurrents.org/lantier100715.htmto John
