Climate & Energy Justice
Introducing Climate Live 2021
Introducing Climate Live 2021, organised by School Strike 4 Climate and Green Music Australia with support from Friends of the Earth.
Land & water
Solidarity with Bangladeshi communities saying NO to MAAR Ltd.’s toxic waste
Friends of the Earth Australia have signed on to a statement of solidarity (below) with Bangladeshi communities mobilising to protect their canals against the dumping of toxic industrial waste.
Land & water
EPBC review - please write a submission
The federal government has been trying to ‘reform’ the environmental assessment laws for major projects. They have now tabled amended legislation, which was approved by the House of Representatives in September.
As we know, when the federal government talks about ‘Cutting Green Tape’, it is code for ‘let business do what it wants’. In the real world, the new legislation will mean large resource companies being given the green light to cut corners and get their projects waved through by government.
The government has tabled legislation which will profoundly weaken the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (or EPBC Act).
Faced with opposition in parliament, a new Senate Inquiry into the EPBC legislation that was passed by the House of Representatives in September has been established. While the ALP moved an amendment for the reporting deadline to be in February next year, it was not successful. We only have 2 days to put submissions in.
Climate & Energy Justice
Regionalism requires strong, committed leaders: Dame Meg Taylor at the Blue Pacific Futures Webinar
This is a statement by Dame Meg Taylor, Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum, delivered at the Blue Pacific Futures Webinar on 3 November 2020
Climate & Energy Justice
Climate change and Pacific sovereignty forums
The challenges of climate change to the very sovereignty of Pacific atoll nations is the topic of a series of consultations jointly organised by Friends of the Earth's Climate Frontlines project and the climate change network of the Pacific Islands Council of QLD (PICQ).
Land & water
Microplastics in Water
by Professor Alfred Poulos
One of the most important properties of water is its capacity to dissolve, transport, or carry, a greatvariety of substances- solids, liquids, or even gases. Rivers and lakes, a major source of drinkingwater for many people, contain varying amounts of dissolved substances, as well as sedimentderived from rocks and soil. Sediment is formed by the physical action of water as it flows over asurface and can include particles of clay, sand, and minerals. In addition to the organic matter that isderived from natural sources, water can carry waste, chemicals associated with agricultural,industrial, and other human activities, as well as organisms that cause disease. Over the last fewyears it has become apparent that water from many different natural sources also contains tinyplastic particles, referred to as microplastics (1, 2)
Image Source: https://avadaenvironmental.com/2019/04/18/microplastics/
Climate & Energy Justice
Another Lloyds insurer drops Adani
Another Lloyd’s insurer, Apollo Underwriters, that is providing cover for the Adani Carmichael project has committed to not renewing or taking on any new policies with the destructive coal project.
Climate & Energy Justice
JOINT STATEMENT: Bushfire Survivors & Friends of the Earth say emissions reductions a litmus test for Royal Commission
Last week, former NSW Fire & Rescue chief Greg Mullins told the ABC that the bushfire Royal Commission will fail if it does not recommend reducing emissions.Bushfire Survivors for Climate Action and Friends of the Earth Australia have added their voice to that position on the eve of the release of the Royal Commission’s final report.
Land & water
Q: What do synthetic clothing and the food we eat have in common? A: Micro Plastics
Plastics and synthetic textiles that are allowed to indefinitely degrade in the environment, gradually break down into smaller and smaller fragments. These breakdown products are called micro plastics and increasingly they are being detected across the world, even in rain.
Image Source: https://wwtonline.co.uk/news/effects-of-microplastics-in-sewage-sludge-on-soils-overlooked-
Land & water
Take Action: East Gippsland food bowl at risk from mining
Kalbar Operations Pty Ltd, a company with no experience operating a mine, is proposing a massive open-cut mineral sands mine at the Fingerboards, 20km north west of Bairnsdale in East Gippsland.
This proposal will come with a large environmental cost, huge impact on local farmland and the local economy, and is strongly opposed by the majority of locals.
The state government has opened up the opportunity to express your opposition to the mine. You can send a submission in response to the Environment Effects Statement (EES) for the project. Submissions must be lodged by 5pm on 29 October 2020.