Lots of news and reports in September to digest. The Energy Transition is well under way. But Australia is still approving new fossil fuels.
The Approval by the Environment Minister of three new thermal coal projects was a shocker. Fracking is ramping up in the Northern Territory, and while an assessment has been called by Tanya Plibersek, she is still not using her formal powers with the Water Trigger regarding Fracking in the Beetaloo Basin. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who once proposed a climate Trigger in National Environment laws, now says it is not necessary. Celebrated author Tim Winton has called out our leaders, calling them “collaborators with fossil fuel colonialists“.
Internationally, the war in Ukraine, and the continued Israeli attacks in Gaza, Lebanon and suppression of human rights on the West Bank is a huge humanitarian crisis and distracts from tackling the climate crisis that is ramping up. As Climate Action Network International state in a statement 30 September: There is no peace without justice. There is no climate justice without human rights.
Global climate impacts: Massive flooding events in Central Europe, huge flooding from Hurricane Helene in eastern USA (read Bill McKibben on this Flooding disaster), intense rainfall and floods in Nepal. In September “we’ve seen massive flooding in Turkey, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Marseilles, Milan, India, Wales, Guatemala, Morocco, Algeria, Vietnam, Croatia, Nigeria, Thailand, Greece, Romania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, with the Danube hitting new heights across Central Europe.”
The Amazon forests and wetlands are on fire. Many heat records were also broken. Intense heat in Western USA, Arabia. 2024 still on track to pass 2023 as hottest year on record.
Meanwhile, Council elections are underway across Victoria and here in Merribek. Extreme heat and flood risk are both direct climate impacts on Merri-bek citizens, as well as the indirect impact of increase in insurance premiums due to increasing climate driven extreme weather events. Increasingly we need to focus on adaptation measures for our health with the increase in extreme weather and continue to reduce emissions. Council actions are just as vital as State and Federal climate action.
Climate Diary
30 September 2024 – Statements on Climate by Foreign Minister Senator Wong at UN General Assembly (Climate Citizen)
30 September 2024 – Australian author Tim Winton on the dejection of young people with the Climate Crisis experiencing helplessness, anger, insomnia, panic and guilt about climate breakdown. “A child born now will experience 24 times the number of extreme climate events as a politician born in the 1960s.”
Our leaders are “so ensnared in webs of patronage and co-option they can neither see nor acknowledge our real predicament, which is a state of global subjugation to fossil capitalism. What they offer us – young and old – is business as usual, and for all their deluded airs of respectability and legitimacy, our leaders are largely agents of desolation. Deep down we know it. This is the source of our communal dread. Few of us want to admit it, but what we’re experiencing is the horror of resignation, the humiliation of captivity and the shame of collaboration.” Our leaders are collaborators with fossil fuel colonialists. This is the source of our communal dread (Guardian)
29 September 2024 – The ‘Wicked problem’ of declining Fuel Excise tax as EV sales increase, and raising revenue for road maintenaince: Coalition doesn’t rule out EV road user tax as fuel excise falls with uptake of greener vehicles (Guardian)
29 September 2024 – Waste to Energy Incinerators in Australia questioned. Burning rubbish to create energy could end landfills. But some worry where Australia’s new path is leading. Some conservationists believe the ‘incineration industry’ is trying to gain a foothold in Australia and say the trend will end up damaging the environment (Guardian) See also new IPEN report on how Waste Incineration Drives the Triple Planetary Crisis (3 Sep).
See Toxics Free Australia zoom 24 September on Waste Incineration and the Environment. “While Australia generates some of the highest per capita volumes of waste especially plastic waste, globally, it also claims to be pursuing a Circular Economy built around clean and renewable energy sources. Waste incineration subverts all of these goals as the most expensive and polluting way to make energy or manage waste. Learn more about waste to energy incineration and what it means for Australia in this webinar.” Organised by Toxics Free Australia.
Speakers include; Jane Bremmer – Toxics Free Australia, Nicola Jelinek – Arnika, Czech Republic, Jindrich Petrlik – Arnika / IPEN, Lee Bell – IPEN (International Pollution Elimination Network)
28 September 2024 – Scientists test heat limits on humans for the first time (ABC News Video) Also draws upon 2021 study Global, regional, and national burden of mortality associated with non-optimal ambient temperatures from 2000 to 2019: a three-stage modelling study (Lancet Planetary Health), and this 2023 study: A physiological approach for assessing human survivability and liveability to heat in a changing climate (Nature Communications)
27 September 2024 – For the first time Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) issues a warning for Victoria’s electricity grid — known as a minimum system load notice – due to extent of rooftop solar providing electricity and reducing demand during sunny mild weather. (ABC News) Obvious more grid, community scale and household batteries are required in the system. And hydrogen electrolyzers to soak up the green energy for storage and use in gas turbines?
27 September 2024 – Seismic Blasting in the Otway Basin in Bass Strait abandoned a Blow to offshore gas exploration. This was due to widespread community protest and submission writing. (ABC Nerws | Australian Marine Conservation Society | Greenleft)
26 September 2024 – Sea level rise inevitable for Pacific Islands despite future greenhouse gas emissions reduction, NASA finds (ABC News)
25 September 2024 – Dutton’s nuclear plan would mean propping up coal for at least 12 more years – and we don’t know what it would cost (The Conversation)
25 September 2024 – Australian Rooftop solar installations booming. (The Age). Households added 1.3 GW of power capacity to the national electricity grid through 141,364 new rooftop solar installations in the first six months of 2024, a Clean Energy Council report says, while only 310 MW large-scale generation projects came online during the same period. Australia now has 24.4 gigawatts of installed rooftop solar capacity, compared with 21.3 gigawatts of coal-powered electricity in the 2023-24 financial year. Clean Energy Regulator approved 1.4 gigawatts of large-scale renewables in the first half of 2024, with 2.5 gigawatts of applications awaiting assessment.
24 September 2024 – Tanya Plibersek approves three coalmine expansions in move criticised as ‘the opposite of climate action’ (Guardian) Merri-bek outrage over coal mines decision (CAMerribek) Federal Labor MP Peter Khalil Advisory Group resigns en mass – coal approval last straw. (CAMerribek) Rising Tide blocks Newcastle coal train (ABC News)
24 September 2024 – Planetary Boundaries – Earth may have breached seven of nine planetary boundaries, health check shows. Ocean acidification close to critical threshold, say scientists, posing threat to marine ecosystems and global liveability (Guardian)
23 September 2024. Global research on positive tipping points cascade in power, transport and heating. During New York City Climate Week the Global Systems Institute at University of Exeter, UK released a policy comparison of targeted tax, subsidies or regulatory mandate for effecting energy transition. It found that regulatory mandates with specific timeframes were the most effective and likely to cause a positive cascade. (Exeter University | Guardian | Report PDF)
23 September 2024 – Peter Dutton refuses to divulge costs of Australia going nuclear at anticipated ‘could it work’ speech (Guardian) “The protestors with the placards outside the hotel were closest to the truth: This is about denial and delay, the whole policy is an elaborate troll, a political hoax, and a refuge for the climate deniers and do-littles. Nothing more, nothing less.” (Renew Economy)
23 September 2024 – Carbon credits review: Criticism by Chief Scientist of Clean Energy Regulator interference in independent submissions. The Safeguard mechanism for Australia’s top climate polluters is heavily dependent on use of Carbon Credits. (SMH)
22 September 2024 – UN Summit for the Future commits to “transitioning away from fossil fuels”, cementing the agreement made at COP28, but weakened by last-minute addition of loopholes, qualifiers and dangerous distractions directly from the fossil fuel industry playbook. 56 actions agreed to on climate, peace, poverty reduction to help meet Sustainable Development Goals. (Fossil Fuel Treaty | UN Pact for the Future outcomes | UN News)
21 September 2024 – Corporate Capture: Western Australian gas companies Mineral Resources and Woodside gave more than $20,000 to WA Labor while it was considering changes to its domestic gas policy that allowed more gas to be exported from the state. (Guardian)
20 September 2024 – The Coalition’s Nuclear Plan and proposal to cap large-scale renewable energy would lead to “massive” electricity supply shortages risking blackouts, according to analysis by the federal government Energy Department. Electricity supply could be at least 18% less than what will be needed in 2035 under a scenario that reflects the few details of the Coalition plan. (Guardian) Further an IEEFA report says Coalition’s nuclear plan will add $665 a year to average power bill. The cost of electricity generated from nuclear plants would likely be 1.5 to 3.8 times the current cost of electricity generation in eastern Australia. (Guardian)
19 September 2024 – Climate Council Seize the Sun report on the need to ramp up rooftop solar. Currently 3.6 million households have solar with an additional 300,000 added each year. Rooftop solar adds up to 23 gigawatts of affordable renewable energy capacity, about a quarter of total capacity. Potential to add 4 million solar systems. Need to roll out 25 gigawatts of battery storage to unlock the cost savings of solar. Existing solar saves Average households more than $1,500 a year. Collectively, Australian households with rooftop solar are saving nearly $3 billion a year on their power bills, rerducing the cost of living. Action: sign-on to an open letter to Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition to ramp up rooftop solar.
19 September 2024 – Western Australia’s decision to lift onshore gas export ban will drive up emissions, say conservationists (Guardian)
18 September 2024 – a zombie gas project rears its head off the NSW Coast. Albanese government issues ‘preliminary refusal’ of Pep11 gas project previously vetoed by Scott Morrison (Guardian)
18 September 2024 – The world is spending at least $2.6tn (£2tn) a year on subsidies that drive global heating and destroy nature, according to new analysis by Earth Track. (Guardian) Report: Protecting Nature by Reforming Environmentally Harmful Subsidies: An Update (Earth Track)
Another report by Action Aid – How the Finance Flows: The banks fuelling the climate crisis – says that more than $650bn (£494bn) a year in public subsidies goes to fossil fuel companies, intensive agriculture and other harmful industries in the developing world. Many of the subsidies were owing to “corporate capture” of the government and public institutions, while climate finance to enable transition is lacking. (Guardian | Action Aid Report)
18 September 2024 – Fossil fuel companies sponsor $5.6bn in global ‘sportswashing’ deals, and this is likely an underestimate. (Guardian) Top sports sponsors include Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil company ($1.3 billion); British oil major Shell ($469 million); petrochemicals giant Ineos ($776 million); and French oil company TotalEnergies ($327 million), the study by the New Weather Institute found.(Desmog) This includes some $80 million by Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting into Olympic sports since 2012. (SMH) Action: Climate Council developed in 2023 a fossil fuel free sponsorship code, Calling Time: How to Remove Fossil Fuel Sponsorships from Sports, Arts and Events. (Climate Council)
17 September 2024 – The big Labor fail in updating Australia’s Nature laws to include climate impacts and beefed compliance. Adam Morton on The environment was meant to be ‘back on the priority list’ under Labor. Instead we’ve seen a familiar story (Guardian) “Every year since the act came into force in 2000, Austalia’s threatened species populations have actually fallen 2-3%. When development, agriculture and infrastructure projects do get assessed under these laws, about 99% are approved. Experts have found the laws permit ongoing destruction of critical habitat for threatened species…. our government is showing worrying signs of letting industry and developers control their environmental agenda.” (The Conversation) Biodiversity Council has urged Labor Government to establish a robust EPA and EIA (Biodiversity Council).
16 September 2024 – Prime Minister Anthony Albanese rejected need for a climate Trigger in National Environment Laws, despite proposing a climate trigger in 2005. (Renew Economy) “I don’t support adding a trigger to that legislation. Climate issues are dealt with through the safeguard mechanism. We’ve dealt with that.” he said at a PM press conference. See also 23 Sep Explainer: How the “climate trigger” could be the answer to Australia’s fossil fuel problem (Renew Economy)
16 September 2024 – ‘Extreme risk’: Australia’s Carbon watchdog mismanaged conflicts, ‘intimidated’ scientists (the Age) The whole Safeguard Mechanism to reduce emissions is reliant on the integrity of carbon offsets. Research by former Emissions Reduction Assurance Committee Chair Andrew Macintosh in 2022 found the majority of carbon projects were fraudulent, a massive waste of taxpayer funds and failing to abate emissions. See also MacIntosh etal, Nature, 26 March 2024, Australian human-induced native forest regeneration carbon offset projects have limited impact on changes in woody vegetation cover and carbon removals (Nature)
14 September 2024 – Environment Minister refers NT Beetaloo Basin fracking for scientific assessment of impact on water resources, but fails to use her powers under the Water Trigger to ‘call-in’ the projects to halt fracking while the assessment is underway. (Guardian). Request for advice is far too little too late says Lock the Gate.
14 September 2024 – The Hague becomes world’s first city to pass law banning fossil fuel-related ads. Legislation makes it illegal to advertise fossil fuel products and services with a high carbon footprint. (Guardian) Australia should do the same and implement a Fossil Ad Ban.
13 September 2024 – Labor’s new ‘renewable hydrogen’ targets aim for Australia to produce 15m tonnes by 2050, and a stretch goal of 30m tonnes. The plan aims for annual exports of 200,000 tonnes of exports by 2030, with a “stretch” goal of 1.2mt/year. (Guardian | Hydrogen Energy Plan 2024 PDF | Chris Bowen Speech to the APAC Hydrogen Summit, Brisbane) The strategy does not Mention The Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain project converting brown coal to hydrogen, jointly funded by Commonwealth and State Governments along with Japanese energy companies. (See Environment Victoria) For background see also Hope and hydrogen – Australia’s hydrogen export charade. Australia needs to produce 500,000 tonnes just to replace current fossil fuel hydrogen use, before considering new use in road, rail, ship and aviation transport and for export. (Australia Institute)
13 September 2024 – Federal Minister approves Melbourne Airport 3rd runway costing $3 billion to be constructed by 2031, ignoring the greenhouse gas emissions this will induce, estimated at a 55% increase in emissions by Flight Free Australia (Minister statement | Flight Free Australia)
12 September 2024 – Rich nations stay silent on future climate finance says Climate Action Network. Parties to the United Nations climate negotiations ended their final technical meeting ahead of November’s COP29 climate summit in Baku with little progress on an agreed new climate finance goal, known as the NCQG. (CANi)
12 September 2024 – Legal action against fossil fuel companies has tripled since 2015. 86 climate lawsuits have been filed against the world’s largest oil, gas, and coal producing corporations – including BP, Chevron, Eni, ExxonMobil, Shell, and TotalEnergies – with two in five cases involving claims for compensation for climate change damages linked to fossil fuels. (Oil Change International)
11 September 2024 – Climate Council report on how Australia hosting a UN Climate Conference, COP31 in 2026, would bring impetus to decarbonistion and economic benefits. Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide are in the running as city hosts. The decision likely to be made this November at COP29. (Climate Council)
10 September 2024 – Fossil Fuel Subsidies: The Fuel Tax Credits Scheme, also called the Diesel Fuel Rebate, is a subsidy for fossil fuel use valued at $10.2 billion in 2024-25. It works by refunding fuel tax paid by certain fuel users. The Scheme largely benefits coal and iron ore miners. The subsidy is estimated to be worth $4.8 billion to the mining industry, and $1.3 billion to farmers in 2024-25, with $1.4 billion going to the coal industry alone, The Report recommends scrapping fuel tax rebates for mining, not farmers (Australia Institute).
9 September 2024 – Almost 68% of Australia’s tourism sites at major risk if climate crisis continues, report says. At least half of 178 tourism assets around the country – from national parks to city attractions and airports – are facing major climate risks. And as the heat rises, so do the disruptions. Many of the country’s 620,000 tourism jobs will be under threat (Guardian | Zurich media release and report link)
8 September 2024 – Report of Second Meeting of U.S.-China Working Group on Enhancing Climate Action in the 2020s, 4-6 Sep (US State Dept)
- Meeting reaffirmed their intention to jointly host, with the COP 29 Presidency of Azerbaijan, a Methane and Other Non-CO2 Greenhouse Gases Summit at COP 29;
- advance efforts to halt and reverse forest loss by 2030, and continue collaborative efforts to enforce their respective laws on banning illegal imports, and promote global forest conservation and sustainable management;
- strengthen dialogue, collaborative efforts, and working with other Parties to support the Azerbaijan Presidency for a successful outcome of COP 29, including on, inter alia, the new collective quantified goal (WRI Explainer: new collective quantified goal on climate finance (NCQG)) and Article 6 (Carbon Markets) under the Paris Agreement (Pollination Explainer: Article 6 developments for COP29)
8 September 2024 – South Australia is aiming for 100% renewable energy by 2027. It’s already internationally ‘remarkable’ for a grid serving 2 million people. Bipartisanship was a key enabler, along with substantial uptake of rooftop solar, providing a lesson for other states and Federal sphere of Australian Politics (Guardian)
7 September 2024 – Global heat: Summer 2024 sweltered to Earth’s hottest on record, making it even more likely that this year will end up as the warmest humanity has measured, says Copernicus (Copernicus | Guardian) Heatwave across US west breaks records for highest temperatures. Hottest summer on record continues,with millions from Phoenix to Los Angeles to Seattle under heat alerts (Guardian) While in the UK Soggy summers and warmer winters are hitting sales as climate crisis blurs seasons (Guardian) Australia: Temperatures surge in south-eastern Australia as windy weather blasts NSW and Victoria (Guardian)
6 September 2024 – Dusky Sea Snake on threatened species list undermines Woodside Energy’s Browse gas project around Scott Reef (Guardian) But it seems the Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has already ruled out reassessment of the $29bn gas project based on the threat to the sea snake. (Australian Business Review) It is shocking enough that the climate impacts of a new gas field aren’t enough to stop it, reason why we need a Climate Trigger in National Environment Laws.
5 September 2024 – University funding from fossil fuels slowing switch to green energy (Guardian) Study: Fossil fuel industry influence in higher education: A review and a research agenda. One key site of ongoing climate obstructionism identified by researchers, journalists, and advocates is higher education. (Wires)
5 September 2024 – new report on Japanese fossil fuel finance around the world – $93 billion over 10 years. Japan is purchasing Australian LNG and onselling to Asia. Billions Off Course: Japan’s Oil and Gas Financing Fueling the Climate Crisis (For Our Climate)
5 September 2024. New report on the gas sector. With proposals to import gas this new report shows the farce and political failure in managing and regulating gas industry. Around 80% of Australia’s gas is exported as liquefied natural gas (LNG). Over half (56%) of gas exported from Australia attracts zero royalty payments, effectively giving a public resource to multinational corporations for free. Across the country, gas and oil extraction employs just 21,200 workers — less than half of one percent (0.15%) of the 14 million people employed in Australia. (Australia Institute)
5 September 2024 – The Australian government may delay the announcement of a 2035 climate target until after the February deadline and beyond the next election, in part due to uncertainty about the ramifications of the US presidential election. Climate Change Authority suggests Australia could meet an “ambitious” target of cutting emissions by at least 65% and up to 75% below 2005 levels by 2035 (See CCA Targets paper, April 2024), but is yet to make its final recommendation. (Guardian)
4 September 2024 – Climate Council releases The Race to the Top report, which compares states and territories’ progress on important shifts like rooftop solar, home batteries, electric vehicle registrations and more, has found the most populous states are enhancing their plans to cut climate pollution, while South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT are already powered by close to 100% clean electricity. (Climate Council)
4 September 2024 – 600 new zero emission battery electric buses by 2035 for Victoria (Premier media release | The Driven) Also of note: Volvo releases 600km range heavy duty battery electric truck (The Driven)
4 September 2024 – Companies that received federal environmental approvals made $54.8 million in political donations in the 24 years to 2022, analysis shows. (Lock The Gate)
- Woodside and Santos donated nearly $3 million each to Labor and the Coalition during the 24 year period.
- Santos projects received eight federal environmental approvals and Woodside projects received nine federal environmental approvals during this time.
- Coal companies including Adani, Whitehaven, and Glencore collectively donated $3.1 million dollars over the 24 year period and received 24 project approvals under the EPBC Act.
- Lobby groups representing the interests of mining companies such as the Minerals Council of Australia and NSW Minerals Council collectively donated more than $1 million to the two major parties.
3 September 2024 – New Report from IPEN: Waste Incineration Drives the Triple Planetary Crisis. Report argues Incineration is an outdated, unsustainable method for waste disposal, as burning waste, especially plastics, produces dangerous air emissions and high amounts of toxic ash. IPEN finds that burning waste, especially plastics, produces unsustainable and unmanageable hazardous air emissions and large amounts of highly toxic solid residues (ash), concluding that alternatives to incineration should be implemented globally. Given the challenges faced by the triple planetary crisis of biodiversity loss, climate change, and toxic pollution, the report finds that waste incineration contributes to all three of these interlinked problems. (IPEN) Note: Victorian state government is planning 5 Waste to Energy incinerators around Melbourne.
3 September 2024 – 20 more species added to Australia’s threatened wildlife and flora list, including a species of Waratah. One ecological community – the King Island scrub complex, was also added.The fresh listings bring the total number of endangered plants, animals and ecosystems to 2,245. This listing comes days after the Albanese Government suggested watering down new EPA legislation. (Guardian)
2 September 2024 – offshore wind zone declared off the coast of Bunbury, Western Australia. After engagement and consultation the Bunbury offshore wind zone has been amended to be at least 30km from shore at its closest point, excludes more than 60% of the recreational fishing areas requested for exclusion including Naturaliste Reef and provides further separation from breeding areas and migratory paths for Southern Right Whales. The final area covers 4,000km2 – reducing the zone by about half. It will create close to 7,000 jobs during construction and around 3,500 ongoing jobs for engineers, electrical technicians, cable installers, boilermakers, crane operators, riggers, seafarers, dockworkers and administrators. (DCCEEW – Chris Bowen media release)
2 September – Albanese Government looking to water down new EPA powers in national environment laws. Still no action to insert Climate Trigger in these laws. (Guardian)
2 September 2024 – Australia sweats through hottest August on record with temperatures 3C above average (Guardian) See also BOM: Australia in August 2024
1 September 2024 – Australian emissions rise by 0.6% in March 2024 Quarter as emissions reduction flatlines for past 3 years (Climate Action Merribek) See also Adam Moreton raising the same issues relating to emissions reduction on 4 Sep: Let’s be honest: Australia’s claim to have cut climate pollution isn’t as good as it seems (Guardian)
References:
This post is based on John Englart’s Climate Citizen post: Australia at COP29 Climate Diary. https://takvera.blogspot.com/2024/08/australia-at-cop29-climate-diary.html
Climate Action Merribek 