Gardening for ourselves and Earth
A couple of years ago I decided to leave Sydney and find refuge in a remote valley from what’s coming. This is the story of that failed escape and the refuge I find in gardening, still living in the city.
Climate Change
When the birds stop singing and the roads begin to melt
Australia’s summer officially begins on December 1, but climate change observes no calendar. And even as another summer is almost upon us, memories of last summer’s ferocious fires still linger on the minds of those devastated by all manner of loss. For weeks on end, the residents of many towns and cities not directly threatened were […]
Two-thirds of Australian suburbs at risk of extreme heat effects due to lack of trees
The lack of trees in around two-thirds of Australian suburbs is intensifying extreme heat effects, which could make these cities almost unliveable in the coming years according to new report. The new RMIT and Greener Spaces Better Places Where Will All the Trees Be? report aims to understand to what extent urban density, population growth, […]
Carbon dioxide – outlaw and hero in one molecule
As an environmental scientist, I have long puzzled as to why climate science is so contentious.
The truth about emissions targets
Make no mistake, as groups of countries form a pact and commit to a target year for net-zero emissions they will increasingly discriminate against freeloading countries like Australia by imposing penalties. Over the past two weeks, our PM Scott Morison has repeatedly declared that our policies on GHG emissions won’t be set in any part […]
Mike Cannon-Brookes & Co back Climate Change Bill legislating net zero target re-introduced to parliament this week
A bill that would legislate a net zero emissions target for Australia by 2050 was re-introduced to parliament on Monday with the backing of more than 100 organisations, including Unilever, Atlassian and the Clean Energy Council – and the support of over 92,240 signatures. First announced in February, independent MP Zali Steggall’s Climate Change Bill […]
Remind me… where do Trump and Biden stand on environmental issues?
The 2020 United States Presidential Election is here and there is a lot to unpack on both sides of the race when it comes to the environment.
We need slower thinking on climate change?
It’s called co-design in the academic world – where you build the research with community partners. And we know that it’s the most powerful form of creating a pathway to new knowledge. “You go slower, but you produce new ideas.” Australia has been in panic mode on climate for a decade, and has gone backwards, […]
Auckland’s ambitious climate plan to tackle transport, energy
This month, New Zealand’s Auckland Council adopted a unique plan for tackling climate change centred on cutting transport emissions, retrofitting buildings and transitioning to a clean energy system.
We need 3 things to deal with coastal erosion
In these stormy days, one is reminded of Charles Dudley Warner’s quip: “Everyone complains about the weather, but no one does anything about it”. This past week, much to the exasperation of Wamberal residents as they forfeit a good slice of their back yards, we remain confused about what to do and who should do […]
Australia: an emissions superpower
The not-my-problem attitude to fossil fuel exports in Australia is making the country a major contributor to global climate change. Here’s why supply– not just demand – ought to be the target of climate action.
Breathing space and life after climate change
Life in the civilised lane is rule-bound and consumption-driven to the point that it is not unusual for our heartfelt aspirations to run contrary to the promise of modern living. Not only has the fundamental concept of sustainability become difficult to envisage, but modern-day sustainability seems unable to prevent the social destruction of communities through […]
In the eye of the storm, great things are possible
Recovery investment in green infrastructure, education and training, R+D into clean tech and agriculture, and real investment into renewable energy would certainly herald a new policy position on action on climate change. It would assist the economic recovery, and demonstrate a willingness to make smart decisions in the eye of the storm. The Covid-19 emergency […]
Climate Active – A little more action, please
While the race to achieving net zero is on, we need to focus on acting.
Out-of-date offsets are undermining carbon neutral claims
Carbon neutral certifications are multiplying under the government’s Climate Active program. Mother Nature is not necessarily impressed.
On what’s that thing New Zealand’s hiding behind that long white cloud?
News from the front desk: If you’ve ever languidly wished you could vote for Jacinda Ardern as Australian PM you may not want to read further.
In the news: Rio Tinto calls for climate action, breathing walls and more
News from Australia and around the world.
A climate-change conscious post-Covid-19 economic stimulus will deliver recovery faster – it did last time
All bets are off. Covid-19 has changed the rules of the way we live and do business forever.
COVID-19’s extraordinary opportunities are on offer
In the short term, the COVID-19 pandemic has stalled the climate action momentum that was growing in Australia following the disastrous 2019/20 bushfire season. In the medium to long term, the pandemic and our response to it may yet prove a watershed for climate action. The pandemic has, of course, delivered an enormous hit to […]
In the news: Resilience NSW, calls to halt Snowy 2.0, and more
The NSW government has created a new agency dedicated to resilience, Resilience NSW, with the NSW Rural Fire Service boss who dominated the news cycle over the summer, Shane Fitzsimmons, to take the reins.
A decarbonised Australia is possible, and buildings are low-hanging fruit
It’s possible for Australia to limit temperature increase to 1.5°C but only if every sector – including the built environment – commits to an “all in” approach, according to a new report from ClimateWorks Australia.
Winning the “fossil fuel word game” and other priorities for the next decade
The summer bushfires were Australia’s wake-up call on the climate emergency, and now there’s no time to waste. Fortunately, the road to decarbonisation is becoming clearer.
Things we can learn from Covid-19 to help with the climate emergency
The Covid-19 pandemic and climate change are both worldwide emergencies and remind us we are all sharing one planet, dependant so tightly upon one another in a fragile network of threads.
Is this economic shut down what degrowth advocates have been calling for?
COVID-19, people may ask whether this shock to the system resembles what “degrowth” advocates have been calling for in recent years.
Now’s the time to recalibrate to a low carbon future
Once we’ve recalibrated our lives, with a heightened awareness of health and our environment, the low carbon economy will be the practical option writes Mark Thomson from Eco Effective Solutions.
Your guide to low carbon lingo
EXPLAINER: From property portfolios and home builders to multinational corporations and governments, commitments to get a grip on carbon emissions are multiplying. But the plethora of terms can get a little confusing, for example, is net positive the same as carbon negative?
OK Gen X (and where the bloody hell are you?)
The most critically important place to do something is the workplace. Workplaces are the new village. They are one of the few institutions we still trust. And it’s time to look at Gen X for action.
First National Climate Emergency Summit gathers the big names along with anger, hope and mobilisation
Speakers at the first-ever National Climate Emergency Summit came from all walks of life and industries that just a few years ago, you’d have been surprised to see at such an event.
Our trade talks with Europe and Britain are set to become climate talks
Climate change is set to become an inescapable part of negotiations now underway over an Australia-European Union free trade agreement, and also negotiations over the Australia-UK agreement necessitated by Britain’s exit from the European Union.
Australia’s super companies excuse their positions behind enemy lines
Major Australian super funds are not walking the talk on climate action, with news emerging this week that Cbus, UniSuper, Hostplus, HESTA and AustralianSuper are all pouring billions into fossil fuel companies.