Climate & Energy Justice
National Convention Centre Canberra on Friday 19 August
The fossil fuel sector has mounted an aggressive attack on South Australia’s renewable energy leadership in recent weeks.These interests are trying to undermine renewable energy’s reputation and destabilise states who are taking leadership, such as the ACT, SA, and Victoria.The coordinated attack on renewable energy is an attempt to pressure state and federal energy ministers into a pro-gas agenda at the upcoming COAG Energy Council meeting in Canberra on Friday August 19.What's the antidote to the smear campaign of fossil fuel backers?... THE COMMUNITY!
Indigenous Land & Rights
Chain Reaction #127
Founded in 1975, and currently published three times a year, Chain Reaction is the national magazine of Friends of the Earth Australia.
The August 2016 edition will soon be mailed to members and subscribers.
It has a feature on environmental racism, updates on the renewable energy revolution, a strong focus on the nuclear industry in Australia and heaps of book reviews.
Climate & Energy Justice
Wandoan mega mine and the Fitzroy Delta
The announcement by the Queensland Government's Minister for the Environment Stephen Miles to make the Fitzroy Delta a declared fish habitat marks the end to the Balaclava Island Coal Export Terminal proposed by then Xstrata (Glencore). At the height of Australia's coal boom, the pristine waters of the Fitzroy Delta and Balaclava Island's wetland were proposed for development to support coal exports.
Friends of the Earth welcomes the decision by Minister Stephen Miles to protect the Fitzroy Delta, and the waters of Keppel Bay, which are home to the Snubfin Dolphin, and looks forward to the finalisation of the regions planning to protect the area from future development.
Climate & Energy Justice
Energy Minister right on renewables and climate, wrong on gas
New federal energy and environment minister Josh Frydenberg has indicated a significant shift in energy policy for the Coalition. Minister Frydenberg has said that more renewable energy will be required with the decline of coal.
The minister has also called for more gas supplies and suppliers and for gas moratoria to be removed.
Friends of the Earth are encouraged by the positive rhetoric on renewable energy but urge the new minister to support bans on risky onshore gasfield development.
“Mr Frydenberg correctly notes that renewables are not to blame for recent high electricity prices in South Australia” said Cam Walker of Friends of the Earth Australia.
Climate & Energy Justice
Fuelling the fire: new coal technologies spell disaster for climate
A new report by Friends of the Earth International demonstrates how Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) and Coal Chemical technologies threaten to destabilise the earth’s climate and irreversibly damage local environments.
The report, launched today, comes in the wake of UCG being banned in Queensland, Australia. There is interest in and development of UCG in Europe, Russia, Canada, the US, China and India. It is currently under moratorium in Scotland.
Food & Technology
Markets say retain state powers over GM bans and keep GM food labelling
GM-Free Australia Alliance members reject the Productivity Commission’s recommendations to remove states’ rights to ban genetically manipulated (GM) crops for marketing reasons and to remove GM food labelling. GM crops pose unacceptable risks to our health, the environment and key export markets and removing the bans and GM labeling would eliminate choice for farmers and consumers.
Louise Sales from Friends of the Earth’s Emerging Tech Project says: “The Productivity Commission has ignored the compelling evidence from the Tasmanian and South Australian Governments, and other stakeholders, that show the value of remaining GM-free. Instead its report reads like a Monsanto press release.”
Economics for Earth
Trans-Pacific Partnership 2016 Election Scorecard
Friends of the Earth is a founding member of the TPP Unions and Community Roundtable. We are committed to preventing the ratification of the TPP, and work with a variety of politicians, unions, community groups and individuals in order to achieve this goal.
In order to accurately score politicians on their commitment to disabling the TPP, the following two questions were emailed to all parties and independents currently holding seats in the upper or lower house:
Climate & Energy Justice
Renewable energy jobs boom on the horizon as Andrews govt announces Vic Renewable Energy Targets
VICTORIA, 15 JUNE 2016: A renewable energy boom is on the horizon for Victoria as the Andrews government today announces state Renewable Energy Targets (VRET). The long-awaited announcement comes after a two-and-a-half year community campaign to grow renewables.
"The Andrews government's announcement of Victorian Renewable Energy Targets is a big win for communities who want a pathway to 100 percent," said Leigh Ewbank, Friends of the Earth spokesperson.
"These targets will make Victoria the national leader when it comes to renewable energy, which is good newsfor manufacturing, regional communities, and our climate."
Food & Technology
This time FSANZ has gone too far
Our food regulator Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has misrepresented the findings of two independent reports it commissioned on the safety of nanomaterials in food and food packaging. The reports were supposed to have been completed by June 2015 but were never released. On 27th May 2016 Friends of the Earth submitted an FOI request to FSANZ for these reports and associated documents. Six days after the request was filed FSANZ released the reports – claiming that the reports concluded “none of the nanotechnologies described are of health concern.”
This as a deliberate misrepresentation of the reports. In fact, the reports draw attention to the major data gaps regarding the safety of nanoparticles in food and food packaging and raise concerns regarding the potential toxicity of nano-silica, titanium dioxide and silver.
Climate & Energy Justice
Climate change impacts on central Victoria
In the lead-up to the Bendigo in a Warming Future forum, which will be held in Bendigo on June 15, a fieldtrip hosted by local ecologists highlighted the impacts of climate change which are already being felt in northern Victoria.
Warning on local climate
Climate change is already taking its toll locally. During a field trip to Bell Swamp and Mount Alexander on Friday, local ecologists pointed out examples of the impact on the region’s ecology.
Examining a large group of dead Grey Box at Bell Swamp, located to the north west of Maldon, Damien Cook, ecologist with Rakali Consulting said, “trees die all the time and it's a natural occurrence, but so many dying at once indicates environmental change. These trees were aged between 300 and 500 years and had lived through countless floods and droughts. They’ve died as a consequence of recent extreme weather events – the millennium drought followed by the massive flood of 2011”.