The following has been written by RFS volunteer in western Sydney and a GetUp member. He gives his view on the Morrison government’s failure to respond and provide vital support for communities suffering in the floods that have devastated Queensland and New South Wales. This has happened before and carries a terrible sense of déjà vu, he says. Perhaps this time around people will remember this in the coming election and beyond.Australia needs a comprehensive plan to deal with disasters.
The future of the Channel Country is on the line. While the Queensland Government delays protecting the rivers and floodplains, oil and gas giants are on the march.
After returning from a disastrous appearance at COP 26, Scott Morrison has unveiled his plan to embrace electric vehicles. This is not as it might appear. It is a ploy designed to give the embattled prime minister credibility with an election on the horizon. Continue reading Scott Morrison’s electric vehicle revolution is a fake→
Brian Wilcox, the chief executive of the national employer association, the Australian Industry Group (AI), wrote the following article (The Guardian 16 October 2021). He puts the case for Australia embracing a carbon neutral policy direction. Whether one believes that the Morrison government is moving in this direction or not, it remains that from the viewpoint of much of Australian business, to not keep up with the pace of other nations will inevitably mean loss of trade and investment, a blow to the economy, and a loss of jobs and income for many. He says that the transition means paying due attention to the mass application of new technologies through the economy, providing suitable incentives, and the involvement of in making this a reality. Brian Wilcox speaks for those he represents within the context of division in the Coalition, and some of what he says may not be in accord with everyone’s views. Nevertheless, he makes good points that should be taken seriously.
Theodore Whyte (Resilience 26 August 2021) argues that central banks across the world are being less than honest about pledges to pull out of the fossil fuel industry when they are doing the opposite. A campaign marketing to build a positive image for population concerned about the climate crisis, is not the same thing as acting on it.
Lesley Rankin is a researcher at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR). She wrote the following article (Open Democracy 28 July 2021), and argues that the failure to do enough to tackle the climate crisis is a failure of political leadership and the to involve the population as active participants. This means that dealing with the environmental challenge and preparing for future shocks are inseparable from the battle for justice.
United Nations officials have begun moves to put Australia’s Great Barrier Reef on the UNSCO list of “in danger” world heritage sites. Being on the list would pressure the Australian government to do much more to protect it. If this goes through, it will be the first time a world heritage site has been on the list because of the threat of global warming. Continue reading The UN is moving to list the Great Barrier Reef as threatened by global warming→
