There is so much news around this week. Most of it is positive where things are heading in the right direction. Three things emerged this week - real momentum is building for a starting point deal on addressing global warming; countries individually are getting on with it and money is talking and, disappointingly new Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull continues to tie himself up in knots on climate change policy, to the point where it is now very noticeable.
The Guardian’s Lenore Taylor put it best: “Malcolm Turnbull needs all his rhetorical skill to bridge the gap between what he knows is true and what he has to say to appease his party”. Mr Turbull got in his latest set of knots when announcing a new Chief Scientist for Australia, Dr Alan Finkel. Climate Change News reports Dr Finkel envisions a world free of fossil fuels. His appointment came on the day 61 prominent Australians called for no new coal mines. At a media appearance with Dr Finkel, Mr Turnbull quickly dismissed the call for a moritorium. “Coal is a very important part, a very large part, the largest single part in fact, of the global energy mix… and likely to remain that way for a very long time.” He variously argued that coal-fired power would reduce poverty in developing countries and that if Australia stopped exporting the black stuff, others would. “It would make not the blindest bit of difference to global emissions,” the Guardian reported him saying. Reaction was swift. Former Governor of the Reserve Bank and Chairman of the Climate Change Authority, Bernie Fraser, joined the chorus of condemnation, telling the ABC it is “nonsense” and “obscene” for the Federal Government to argue there is a “moral case” to open new coal mines. “It’s the vulnerable people around the world that are going to suffer the most, and have the greatest difficulty adjusting to global warming, even to a two-degree (Celsius) global warming, and a lot of those people are in developing countries, including countries like India,” he said. “It’s a nonsense argument really and to sort of put a moral label to it is quite obscene really.” Much of the talk about coal being good for humanity relates to energy needs in India. Well, it appears the Prime Minister of India didn’t get the memo about Australian coal being needed in his country. The Hindustan Times reports Prime Minister Narendra Modi could formally announce at next week’s India-Africa forum summit a global alliance of 110 countries aiming to promote solar power for meeting growing energy requirements and fight climate change. Modi floated the solar alliance idea early this year and found several backers such as Australia, New Zealand, China, African nations and Brazil,” the media organisation reported. The Guardian reports the Prime Minister of Fiji has delivered a blistering broadside at his Australian counterpart over the “climate change deniers” in his government who are helping doom Australia’s “unlucky island neighbours”. Frank Bainimarama criticised Australia and New Zealand for failing to back Pacific island nations over climate change, claiming that the entire region risked being wiped out by rising sea levels, extreme weather and ruined agriculture. “The Australian government, in particular, seems intent on putting its own immediate economic interests first,” Bainimarama said in a speech delivered in Nadi, Fiji. And Dr Finkel? Renew Economy reports “Dr Finkel, drives a renewable-powered Nissan Leaf electric car and says wind, solar and storage could power all of Australia. But he is also a supporter of debate about the potential of nuclear power. The new chief scientist is in no doubt where the energy system is heading, and should be an eloquent speaker on the major technology trends and their impact.” Looking at Paris now, Renew Economy reports the last official round of negotiations before the Paris climate change talks have broken up in Bonn, with some progress made but a global climate deal still needing fresh impetus from political leaders to put the world on a course to rapidly decarbonise the global economy. “In Bonn, after a week of talks, a 20-page text was expanded to 63 pages, and will need to be cut back. But at least there appears to be agreement on what needs to be resolved. The principal blockages remain around the scale of ambition, and on issues such as finance and the concept of “loss and damage”. The UN has what it says is a “manageable” text and a good “starting point” for negotiations. The text, say observers, has been expanded as each country or bloc inserts their own “bargaining” chip. They say it is now time for the leaders to step in,” Renew Economy reported. In other Paris related news this week:
All the more reason to turn up the heat on government and business. The Week That Was Flipboard Editions are at Climate Communication. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Weekend reading A selection of great reading on climate change politics, policy, innovation and science from Climate Reality Leader Andrew Woodward. @climatecomm and www.climatecommunication.net AOL - Jared Leto: Al Gore The Atlantic: The (Planet-Saving, Capitalism-Subverting, Surprisingly Lucrative) Investment Secrets of Al Gore ABC Online: Fact Check: Was the cost per tonne of carbon under Labor's carbon price 100 times higher than the Government's scheme? ACF: Government needs to get on board the energy transition The Conversation: Renewable energy is ready to supply all of Australia's electricity The Conversation: Worldwide, climate change is worse news for women Cosmos Magazine: Race to store renewable energy (Alan Finkel) Climate Change News: 7 climate change data tools and what they tell you Climate Communication: Responsibility Plus Bulletin for brands and reputation CTV: Trudeau invites May, other leaders to join UN climate summit delegation Guardian: IEA report on benefits of coal is 'deeply misleading’ Guardian: There is no 'moral case for coal' in Australia, just an imported PR line Guardian: Coalition committee tries to balance climate science briefings by inviting denialists from thinktank EcoWatch: Naomi Klein: Electing Trudeau Isn't Enough, We Need 'Relentless Pressure From Below’ Labor Herald: Climate skeptics and cheap sophistry – is this the new deal for the environment? (Andrew Giles - Member for Scullin) Medium: Climate Change Is Our Problem. We Can Solve It. — Natural Resources Defense Council New York Times: Greenland Is Melting Away New York Times: 2015 Likely to Be Hottest Year Ever Recorded NPR: How U.N. Climate Negotiations Are Like Splitting A Bar Tab Politico: Al Gore: Optimist? Renew Economy: Australian Academy of Science President: why we divested ourselves of fossil fuel investments Renew Economy: Garnaut heads energy company willing to take consumers, communities off grid Renew Economy: The long-term future of Australian coal is drying up Renew Economy: UK kills wind and solar support as it seeks to reboot nuclear Saturday Paper: How the Minerals Council of Australia has govt’s ear on coal Sierra Club: We Are Changing the World: New Report Finds U.S. Leads the World in Moving Beyond Coal Sydney Morning Herald: Ready or not, climate change will challenge Australia's military US Government: Weekly Address: Protecting our Planet for Future Generations World Bank: Climate action does not require economic sacrifice Weekend Reads Flipboard Editions are at Climate Communication
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This Week in Climate Change (formally The Week That Was), a weekly review of climate change politics, policy, innovation and science from Climate Reality Leader Andrew Woodward. @climatecomm
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June 2019
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