Post of the Day
The federal election result shows a shift in Australian politics
Antony Green
Australia has a new prime minister, but Labor’s path to victory has been unlike any election in history.
On This Day
Ecological Observance
Day of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources – Azerbaijan
Bike Day – Canada
Climate Change
Shut down fossil fuel production sites early to avoid climate chaos, says study
Nearly half existing facilities will need to close prematurely to limit heating to 1.5C, scientists say
Portugal “will feel” climate change effects most
The Minister of the Environment and Climate Action, Duarte Cordeiro, has warned that Portugal is “one of the countries that most feels and will feel” the effects of climate change in Europe.
Climate change: The global climate crisis is also a health crisis
Without effective climate action, more than 100 million people could be forced back into poverty by 2030, according to estimates from the World Bank.
National
After years of voting for one of the two major parties, many Australian voters jumped ship in this year’s federal election. Some Sydney and Brisbane voters explain why.
Greens and Lambie set to determine Labor agenda with Senate balance of power
The future of Labor’s parliamentary agenda may rest in the hands of the Greens and independent Jacqui Lambie, who look set to hold the balance of power in the Senate.
‘Teal revolution’ to push Labor on climate targets as defeated Liberals take stock
Incoming “teal” independent MPs flag their willingness to work with Labor in the event of a hung parliament, but say they will push for the party to “come to the table” on stronger emissions reduction targets.
From climate to migration and healthcare: This is how Australia will change under a Labor government
While it remains unclear whether Labor will hold a majority government or be reliant on the Greens and independents, we can be sure that Australia is eyeing a new political chapter. From promises made both before and during the election campaign, here’s what we can expect from a Labor government.
Simon Birmingham: Liberals need to be more proactive on climate and women
The Liberal Party will need to embrace a more ambitious climate target and preselect more women in its efforts to rebuild, senior frontbencher Simon Birmingham says.
Climate credentials essential as Westpac eyes green lending boom
In five years’ time, big corporations will be unable to secure a loan from a bank unless they can provide a credible plan to cut their carbon emissions. That’s the view of Westpac’s institutional boss Anthony Miller, a former investment banker who is eyeing off a boom in green-tinged lending as he tries to turn around his division’s performance.
Labor’s climate ‘super majority’ targets miners, emitters, drivers [$]
Australia’s oil and gas industry, as well as fuel standards for motorists, are among sectors slated to face the greatest pressure for change after the election.
Nats set to dictate Coalition policies [$]
Senior Liberal and Nationals frontbenchers have acknowledged growing differences between urban and regional communities, as well as ongoing conflicts over climate change.
Albanese, Wong to take South-East Asia and climate policies to Quad meeting
Labor is hoping to have a greater focus than the Morrison government on South-East Asia, given its proximity to China and the growing economic growth and power of the region.
Green investors tip renewable revival [$]
Labor’s win will help turbocharge spending on wind and solar farms, according to major clean energy investors.
Cannon-Brookes says election shows AGL coal plans untenable, as Forrest lays into Coalition
Billionaires Mike Cannon-Brookes and Andre Forrest seize on climate driven poll results to push case for rapid green energy transition.
Australians have voted for bolder climate action and integrity in politics
Statement from the Australian Conservation Foundation’s (ACF) Chief Executive Officer, Kelly O’Shanassy
“ACF congratulates Anthony Albanese and the Labor Party on their election to government. The trends across the country show a majority of Australians care deeply for bolder climate action and integrity in politics – it is a huge win the environment, at a time when nature needs us most.”
Electorate stands up for equality, climate, and brighter future
Australia has handed the incoming Labor Government a golden opportunity to work in collaboration to address the significant challenges of inequality and climate change we face, as we continue to emerge from this pandemic, the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) said today.
Doctors for Environment believe climate was decider for voters in Australia
Doctors for the Environment Australia media release
National Chair of Doctors for the Environment, John Van Der Kallen said climate change is now a deciding issue for Australian voters from all sides of politics.
Election result resets agenda on climate action, brings renewed hope for our reefs
Australian Marine Conservation Society media release
The Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) congratulates Prime Minister elect Anthony Albanese and the Labor party on their election as Australia’s next government and recognises the achievements of the Greens and teal independents in the wave of support they have received.
Australia’s climate champions have spoken: now it’s time for Labor to step up
Climate Council media release
Australians who care deeply about climate change have spoken loud and clear this election, with a clarion call for the incoming Labor Government to step up to the biggest challenge and opportunity that our country faces.
The teals and Greens will turn up the heat on Labor’s climate policy. Here’s what to expect
Anna Skarbek and Anna Malos
Public concern over climate change was a clear factor in the election of Australia’s new Labor government. Incoming Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has committed to action on the issue, declaring on Saturday night: “Together we can take advantage of the opportunity for Australia to be a renewable energy superpower”.
The federal election result shows a shift in Australian politics
Antony Green
Australia has a new prime minister, but Labor’s path to victory has been unlike any election in history.
How Albanese’s practical pivot on climate paved the way for a Greens surge
Katharine Murphy
As Labor focused on opportunities for working people in the transition to renewables, the Greens mounted a formidable on-the-ground campaign
Australia’s rightwing government weaponised climate change – now it has faced its reckoning
Katharine Murphy
PM Scott Morrison has been dumped by electorate fed up with inaction on emissions and eager for change
Climate voters herald an irrevocable change to politics [$]
Phillip Coorey
The Coalition, which has weaponised climate change at every election since 2010, found itself for the first time on the receiving end, with brutal consequences.
Meaningful climate action defines small ‘g’ green election
Canberra Times editorial
It was undeniably a green wash-out – that’s green with a small ‘g’, especially in the ACT.
On back of urgency on climate, Australia is tipping centre-left
Bob Carr
Climate was a decisive issue in Saturday’s election – and not only in the teal seats.
The most important line in Albanese’s victory speech signalled the end of an era
Sean Kelly
One reading of this election is that Australians now recognise they can no longer stay relaxed and comfortable.
If I were Albanese here’s what I’d be praying for
Ross Gittins
An outcome where the Greens or the teals impose a much more adequate policy on climate change on Labor might not be a bad thing.
It’s time. Time for Labor and the Greens to say yes to love
Mark Sawyer
To win an election on 32.84% is not a triumph, it’s a warning. An alliance with the Greens now, while the Liberals are flat on their backs, would seal government for three terms and more. Scare campaigns from the right about the Greens would have no traction.
Election May 2022 – A new beginning for climate and energy policy?
Alan Pears
I’m writing this the day after the 2020 federal election, when it is clear that Australia will not have a Coalition government, but it is not yet clear whether Labor will govern in its own right, or how the composition of the Senate will influence energy and climate policy.
Victoria
Infrastructure fails to keep up with population boom in Melbourne’s north
Travelling in Melbourne’s north remains “painful and frustrating”, Tamara Nolan says, with no end in sight.
New South Wales
Scientists look to history in bid to save critically endangered marsupial from climate change
Scientists have combed through fossil records from millions of years ago to justify the move of 14 mountain pygmy-possums to their new home in Lithgow.
Revealed: Plans for permanent cycleway linking to Bondi Beach [$]
A key street leading to Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach is set for an impressive revamp, with plans for a cycleway to cater to the area’s rising demand.
People before royalties as partnership with gold mine sees traditional owners farm on country
The Wiradjuri Condoblin Corporation says it will operate the farms for profit, but the real benefit is being able to offer young Indigenous people job and learning opportunities.
Small in size, big in impact, scientists fear end for microscopic species
The decline of crucial species only visible through a microscope is putting rare ecosystems — like that at Mount Canobolas — at risk, according to scientists.
How growing up in a country town is giving these fashion designers a cutting edge
In Cameron Robert McCormick’s home town, the clothing store doubles as a hardware shop. While Manilla is not a thriving fashion capital, it is home to a supportive community and his studio, where he focuses on producing sustainable high-end fashion.
Queensland
Queensland’s losing LNP and Labor candidates in three inner-city Brisbane seats decline requests to speak to media, following a historic “greenslide” swing towards the Greens.
LNP must resist net-zero policies despite Greens’ march: Canavan [$]
Despite doing well in Queensland the LNP must focus on the ‘forgotten people’ in its rebuild, Matt Canavan has declared.
Western Australia
Big fat carp and koi clogging up Perth’s urban wetlands
About 500 koi have been removed from a lake in Subiaco over the past few months. Another big haul came out of the Princeton Lake in the City of Stirling.
Forrest welcomes Albo amid hopes for better climate future [$]
The WA mining billionaire was among the first business leaders across Australia to congratulate the Labor leader.
Woodside’s fossil fuel focus could push our climate over the edge
David Ritter
Climate polluter Woodside is building its business strategy around the absurd notion that the very thing driving the climate crisis should continue as part of the emergency response.
Sustainability
Nuclear expert reaffirms harm of dumping nuclear-contaminated water into ocean
Experts have reaffirmed the inevitable radioactive pollution to be caused by the dumping of nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean after Japan initially approved the discharge plan.
A secretive vote in the arcane and Byzantine world of international safety standards late last month may lead to a dramatic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from home heating and cooling systems in the coming years.
The problem of global energy inequity, explained by American refrigerators
The average fridge in the US consumes more electricity in a year than an average person in dozens of countries.
Nature Conservation
Vanished marine life returns to Turkey’s preserved Marmara Sea
A series of better preservation efforts helped the Marmara Sea reclaim its disappearing marine life, with underwater creatures such as octopi making a comeback, experts say.
Climate change forces moth species to move further north
Data collected by the University of Eastern Finland shows that climate change is driving the pine beauty moth to settle further north due to higher-than-average temperatures in the region.
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