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.
Climate & Energy Justice
Stop Adani online rally: Lloyd's Insure Our Future, not Adani’s mine!
On Wednesday 28th October, people working for a safe climate future from around the world will converge at the Stop Adani online rally: Lloyd's Insure Our Future, not Adani’s mine!
Land & water
Crunch Time Looming for Maryvale Pulp Mill Supply
In late 2019, the Daniel Andrews Labor Victorian Government announced that by 2030 there would be no more native forest logging in Victoria. The Government said there would be a transition to plantations and as a “sweetener”, the Government would invest $110m to grow the new plantations. (Note, that this marks the first re-entry of the State Government into plantation management since privatisation in the 1990’s.)
Recent logging of native forest in the Snobs Creek catchment, Central Highlands
Land & water
Quantifying community concerns over drinking water quality in Australia
The Australian Drinking Water Map was created by Friends of the Earth (FoE) in November 2017 as an attempt to determine which communities around Australia are most concerned about the quality of their drinking water and which substances dominate drinking water problems across the country.