Month: February 2021

Looks like cake stalls and sausage sizzles are the lot of not-for-profits in Tasmania for years to come, yet there is an alternative to brokers in the middle creaming off …

Yes, EPBC Act again, because this is serious. Three ‘S’ Sussan is in charge so how confident are we that the environment is safe? https://www.watoday.com.au/politics/federal/morrison-government-s-environment-watchdog-a-toothless-tiger-20210226-p5766j.html From: Maelor Himbury <maelor@melbpc.org.au>Date: 27 …

Dr Gary Johns, current head of the ACNC, ex-Keating Minister and IPA fellow, in claiming powers to sanction charities for what he thinks they might do is no defender of progressive movements. We should be very wary of this attempted LNP clamp on civil society. Manning Clark termed the coalition straighteners and narrowers – and indeed they are. I prefer to live in his other category – the enlargers,https://probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2021/02/alp-concerned-by-push-to-boost-acnc-enforcement-powers/

First Dog looks at the thylacine that nearly was in this comment on guilt at wiping out a species. There’s a lot of guilt to go around with our track record of environmental carnage. The Samuels Review of the EPBC Act isn’t a total answer but it is a start that we absolutely need.https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/feb/24/the-thylacine-that-wasnt-even-though-we-wish-it-was

You could apply the analysis of The Tragedy of the Commons to this – the subset of the community that are shareholders receive the dividends, but all of the community, including the shareholders, suffer the losses. What use dividends on a scorched planet? Ultimately, being able to afford the best air-conditioning won’t help on a depopulated, drought-stricken, biodiversity-lacking planet.https://www.modernghana.com/news/1063299/how-extractive-industries-manage-to-carry-on-harmi.html

Parliamentarians used to be exemplary citizens, the smartest and most outstanding to lead us to the broad sunlit uplands of a successful future. Can you describe any of the current crop of Nats we have in Canberra in such terms? Embarrassing troglodytes, dunderheaded fools and grifters on the take – yet they get re-elected. What does that say about us?https://independentaustralia.net/environment/environment-display/national-party-waging-war-against-australian-environment,14824

Phthalates are the story here – and there’re many other sorry stories that could be told about plastics generally. Listen to an albatross with a stomach full of plastic flotsam or a seal with plastic rope around its neck, there’re nurdles in the water column, discarded plastic gathered in ocean gyres.https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/20/health/baby-brain-damage-plastic-phthalates-wellness/index.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twCNN&utm_content=2021-02-20T18%3A45%3A09&utm_term=link

It’s hard to argue against the proposition that media education, backed by what we used to call ‘Clear thinking’, is education of fundamental importance. What an unholy alliance described here, the capacity for Google to spread gibberish and that of NewsCorp to generate it.https://reneweconomy.com.au/googles-sky-news-australia-team-up-will-make-it-a-climate-misinformation-powerhouse/

Whitehaven (a lovely reassuring name, eh?), BHP and Glencore all lose on collapsing coal prices. Watch our for Barnyard and Canavani attempting to divert CEFC funds away from clean energy though.https://reneweconomy.com.au/collapsing-thermal-coal-price-pushes-miners-deep-into-the-red/