Draws together current climate research from around the world o present 20 critical observations, insights and understandings to help inform and guide the stark choices that now stand before us.
Alan Kohler: Scott Morrison, the Murdochs and the crime of the century | The New Daily
It’s not entirely Scott Morrison’s fault that he managed to look like a dissembling idiot at President Joe Biden’s leader’s summit on climate change last week.
He probably hasn’t read a word of the science about global warming and the grim future that awaits his children and grandchildren.
That’s not an excuse, but it tells us the scientists and bureaucrats who advise him and other politicians have been falling down badly on their jobs.
Australian super funds to vote against company directors not tackling climate crisis | The Guardian
Big super funds have threatened to vote against company directors who do not make sure their businesses are committed to action on global heating that includes hitting net zero by 2050.
The Australian Council of Superannuation Investors (Acsi), which represents investors that manage more than $1tn in retirement savings and hold about 10% of the shares in the top 200 companies in the country, said some boards were not tackling the climate crisis quickly enough.
Plastics Can Be Broken Down Into Fuel, And We Just Found a Great Method For It | Science Alert
This is definitely not the first time scientists have turned plastic into fuel (in fact, we've been reporting on these methods for years), but like most material sciences, the goal is to get the most plastic converted into the most fuel, at the cheapest cost and using the least amount of resources to do so.
The new technique ticks plenty of those boxes: it uses 50 percent less energy than similar technologies, can be done at temperatures of a normal kitchen oven, and doesn't involve adding carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. All exciting steps in the right direction.
Reset.21 Forum 6 | National Climate Emergency Summit
The dramatic shift in mainstream climate policy in support of a zero-emissions target is widely welcomed. But are we at grave risk of missing our intended outcome by attaching highly dangerous timeframes to this critical goal?
The evidence is clear: any further emissions released from now will only jeopardise the ability to address the existential threat of climate change. Current emissions will have ongoing impacts, and temperatures will continue to rise even if all future emissions were prevented today.
In addition for the need to address the question of immediate cooling, two actions critical for long-term climate repair include eliminating all further emissions, and large-scale removal of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.
What are the leading tech disruptions, key innovations and economic strategies that could dramatically accelerate the transition to zero within the decade? What elements could make up an effective global drawdown program at the monumental scale and speed required?
Saul Griffith – Founder and Chief Scientist, Rewiring America
Heidi Lee – CEO, Beyond Zero Emissions
Justin Borevitz – Professor of Plant Energy Biology, ANU
Moderated by Natasha Mitchell – ABC Broadcaster & Journalist
Satellites reveal ocean currents are getting stronger, with potentially significant implications for climate change | The Conversation
Using available data from 1993 until 2020, we analysed changes in the strength of eddies across the globe. We found regions already rich in eddies are getting even richer! And on average, eddies are becoming up to 5% more energetic each decade.
One of the regions we found with the biggest change is the Southern Ocean, where a massive 5% increase per decade was detected in eddy activity. The Southern Ocean is known to be a hotspot for ocean heat uptake and carbon storage.
APRA releases guidance on managing the financial risks of climate change
The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) has released for consultation its draft guidance to banks, insurers and superannuation trustees on managing the financial risks of climate change.
The draft Prudential Practice Guide CPG 229 Climate Change Financial Risks (CPG 229) is designed to assist APRA-regulated entities in managing climate-related risks and opportunities as part of their existing risk management and governance frameworks.
APRA has developed CPG 229 in response to requests from industry for greater clarity of regulatory expectations and examples of better industry practice. The guidance covers APRA’s view of sound practice in areas such as governance, risk management, scenario analysis and disclosure. The PPG does not, however, create new requirements or obligations, and is designed to be flexible in allowing each institution to adopt an approach that is appropriate for its size, customer base and business strategy.
Australia’s third-largest carbon emitter says it must transition to renewables and curtail coal plants | The Guardian
Australia’s third-largest greenhouse gas emitter and Queensland’s largest power generator, Stanwell Corporation, has revealed plans to transition its business from fossil fuels to renewables, including curtailing the output of its coal-fired power plants.
Aim High, Go Fast: Why Emissions Need to Plummet this Decade | Climate Council
This report “Aim High, Go Fast: Why Emissions Need to Plummet this Decade” is the Climate Council’s science-backed vision for what Australia’s best effort could look like. Australia is a nation of currently high emissions but rich renewable energy resources. The country has been ravaged by unprecedented bushfires, droughts, and floods in recent years, and decision makers should not ignore these warnings.
Australian fossil fuel subsidies hit $10.3 billion in 2020-21 | The Australia Institute
“Coal, oil and gas companies in Australia give the impression that they are major contributors to the Australian economy, but our research shows that they are major recipients of government funds,” said Rod Campbell, Research Director at The Australia Institute.
“From a climate perspective this is inexcusable and from an economic perspective it is irresponsible. The major subsidies are Commonwealth tax breaks that mean the largest users of fossil fuels get a refund worth $7.8 billion on a tax that the rest of the community has to pay.
Report claiming global temperature rise will top 1.5C by 2030s divides scientists | The Guardian
It says Australia, to do its fair share, needs to effectively triple its emissions reduction target to 75% on 2005 levels by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2035.
'Every choice matters': can we cling to hope of avoiding 1.5C heating? | The Guardian
In what it described as a landmark report, the Australian Academy of Science painted a picture of what could happen to the country under 3C of global heating, including ecosystems made unrecognisable, food production being compromised and people’s ability to exist and survive in hotter and longer heatwaves regularly tested.
We can’t wait for this government. Let’s beat emissions together | The Sydney Morning Herald
The people who dig up, transport, sell and burn fossil fuels are the proud beneficiaries of this subsidy-through-omission. An aggressive union of vested interests has created a haven for those who want to profit from an industry incompatible with human life.
Absolute Decoupling of Economic Growth and Emissions in 32 Countries | The Breakthrough Institute
there is increasing evidence that the world is on track to absolutely decouple CO2 emissions and economic growth — with global CO2 emissions potentially having peaked in 2019 and unlikely to increase substantially in the coming decade. While an emissions peak is just the first and easiest step towards eventually reaching the net-zero emissions required to stop the world from continuing to warm, it demonstrates that linkages between emissions and economic activity are not an immutable law, but rather simply a result of our current means of energy production.
Alan Kohler: The climate spin can't go on forever. Net zero must be our aim | The New Daily
Most other countries have already made that commitment, and just about every other Australian organisation and state government has done it as well, but Scott Morrison’s current wording is that he wants to achieve net-zero emissions “preferably” by 2050.
Rosberg and Button face off at Extreme E Desert X Prix - in pictures | The Guardian
Green motorsports - finally here!
NASA just released the first direct evidence that humans are causing climate change | ZME Science
“This is the first calculation of the total radiative forcing of Earth using global observations, accounting for the effects of aerosols and greenhouse gases,” said Ryan Kramer, first author on the paper and a researcher at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. “It’s direct evidence that human activities are causing changes to Earth’s energy budget.”
Shell expects to pay Australia no resource tax on gas drawn from Gorgon project | The Guardian
Fossil fuel multinational Shell does not believe it will ever pay the Australian government a cent in resource taxes for the gas it draws from the country’s biggest gas project, Gorgon.
'Delay is as dangerous as denial': scientists urge Australia to reach net zero emissions faster | The Guardian
The Australian Academy of Science is calling on the Morrison government to accelerate the country’s transition to net zero greenhouse gas emissions in a report that examines what Australia could look like in a 3C world.
The analysis paints a grim picture in which heatwaves in states such as Queensland would occur seven times a year and last for 16 days at a time, and unprecedented fire seasons such as the 2019-20 fire disaster become a regular occurrence.