Climate & Energy Justice
ESSO dumps ‘rigs to reef’ option
Huge win for the environment
Friends of the Earth Australia (FoEA) is congratulating Esso Australia for saying it has rejected the idea of dumping retired oil and gas platforms into the ocean to form fishing reefs.
In Melbourne consultations today, Esso told FoEA the good environmental news that they would now remove the platforms — including the long steel support structures or ‘jackets’ — from the ocean.
In doing so, Esso (a company owned by ExxonMobil) said it acknowledged the science that does not support the artificial reefs idea. Esso is planning to remove 13 retired oil and gas platforms from Bass Strait in coming years.
Climate & Energy Justice
World Overshoot Day - A Rally for Change
Yesterday on 2 August, was World Overshoot day.
It is a day that many people dread. World Overshoot day signals the day that the world uses up all its resources that it can regenerate. Beyond that day, the resources we consume are, in effect, stealing from the future. It's the day when we put our planet under even more pressure than it was.
Climate & Energy Justice
Hunter offshore wind zone declared
In a welcome move, the federal government has declared the Hunter offshore wind zone in New South Wales. Friends of the Earth (FoE) has been campaigning for years for governments to get on with facilitating the development of offshore wind, and the creation of designated zones for development is an important step in the process of seeing wind farms built. With a zone already declared in Gippsland, and one expected in the Illawarra, the industry will play a key role in decarbonising the grid while creating new jobs for coal regions like the Hunter, Wollongong and the Latrobe Valley.
A number of projects are proposed for the Hunter-Central Coast Renewable Energy Zone, which was announced by the federal Energy minister, Chris Bowen, in February this year.
Climate & Energy Justice
Liddell Power Station closes, ushering in a new era of cleaner energy. But we must ensure a just transition for the community
On Friday the 28th of April, Liddell Power Station, one of the worlds oldest coal powered generators, will switch off, ushering in a new era of rapidly developing clean energy. However, as we watch the decentralisation and transformation of the energy sector, we must ensure a just transition for the workers of the power station, and Hunter Valley, who have built their entire community around Australia's oldest operating coal plant.
Climate & Energy Justice
Methane Gas Emissions Wildly Underestimated
A slew of unmeasured methane leaks from platforms and pipelines off Australia’s coast have released large amounts of the dangerous greenhouse gas into the atmosphere, but we will never know exactly how much, and it will certainly not be included in Australia’s emissions calculations. Methane, which is otherwise known euphemistically as “natural gas,” is more than 80 times worse than carbon dioxide for global warming.
Climate & Energy Justice
COP27 outcome: Loss and damage fund established in historic first step, but other outcomes perilously weak
A historic breakthrough in deadlocked COP27 talks means a loss and damage fund to compensate developing countries for the irreversible impacts of climate change has been established, despite consistent efforts by the US and other developed countries to derail it.
Climate & Energy Justice
Thousands of fossil gas and oil rigs that could be recycled
Sitting off Australia's coast are scores of rusting fossil gas and oil rigs, hundreds of wells and thousands of kilometres of pipeline, all of which need to be retired over coming years.
In addition, 2600 platforms, amounting to 7.5 million tonnes of steel, will need to be decommissioned across the Indo-Pacific region over the next decade.
Climate & Energy Justice
Justice and equity must accompany every decision at COP27
Friday 4 November 2022, Sharm El-Sheikh (Egypt) - To stem runaway climate change, COP27 must steer away from seductive-sounding ‘nature-based solutions’ and geoengineering fixes, and instead focus on cutting fossil fuel emissions at source, say Friends of the Earth International on the eve of the UN climate talks.
Climate & Energy Justice
Volunteer to do immediate disaster relief
We know that climate change is already impacting people and the environment around the world. Locally, the influence of human driven climate change is clear in many recent natural disasters like floods, fires and droughts. We also know that we are locked in to future climate change which will continue to make these disasters worse.
Climate & Energy Justice
Time for a National Just Transition Authority
Australia has traditionally relied on coal fired power stations to meet its energy needs. This is now rapidly changing, as renewable energy and storage becomes cheaper and older coal fired power stations become ever more expensive to run and less reliable.