Economics for Earth
First State Super to divest thermal coal mining
First State Super today released its new Climate Change Adaptation Plan, with the headlines being that Australia’s second biggest superannuation fund would finally start to divest from thermal coal mining companies from October, and would set targets to reduce the emissions from its portfolios.
Land & water
Australia's SolGold pushes ahead in Ecuador despite unrest
Communities barricaded a bridge in Chical, close to the Colombian border, on January 17 to express their frustration with mining companies continuing to explore despite community opposition. The event took place around 5 kilometres from the Chical concessions of Australian gold and copper mining company SolGold, where they announced significant deposits last year.
Economics for Earth
Fossil fuel lending by Australian banks tops AU$35bn
Despite repeated pledges and policies to the contrary, Australia’s big four banks have once again increased funding to the expansion of the fossil fuel industry over the past year.
Land & water
Los Cedros Reserve in Ecuador - Created with Grant from Australian Government - Needs your Help
Los Cedros Reserve in Northern Ecuador is of outstanding ecological significance. Los Cedros is 4800 ha in size, of which 85% consists of highly diverse pre montaine wet tropical forest and cloud forest. The Reserve was set up in 1988 with a grant from the Australian Government. Long term environmental campaigner, John Seed from the Rainforest Information Centre was one of the campaigners who helped create the reserve.
Los Cedros Reserve: Photo: Elisa Levy
Land & water
Bunnings axe ties with VicForests over illegal logging
A leaked Bunnings staff newsletter has revealed Bunnings will phase out VicForests products from their supply chain following a federal court judgement which found they had illegally logged over 25 areas of native forest, and that their future logging plans fail to comply with state and federal laws.
Land & water
Droughts, floods and fires: where does water fit in the climate crisis?
Charlotte Borthwick – The severity of the recent bushfire crisis makes it clear that things are no longer 'business as usual'. Bushfires are being exacerbated by our rapidly warming climate and lack of water in our waterways due to drought and over-extraction for irrigation.
Economics for Earth
HESTA divests from coal!
Friends of the Earth member group, Healthy Futures, have secured a huge win for our future, our world and for people's health everywhere. Superannuation fund, HESTA, announced that they're divesting from thermal coal, one of the most toxic and environmentally destructive forms of energy production still operating on the planet.
Economics for Earth
Earthworker Newsletter June 2020
Sign up to receive Earthworker Cooperative's newsletter via email here. Earthworker Cooperative are a member of Friends of the Earth Australia.
Land & water
Thousands of Trees in Reserve Threatened by Herbicide Spray Drift
Friends of the Earth has uncovered a disturbing incident in the Holey Plains State Reserve, in Central Gippsland, Victoria. FoE has found an area of several hundred hectares, in the Reserve which appears to have been impacted by spray drift from an adjacent pine plantation which was recently aerially sprayed. Thousands of trees appear to have been impacted. The trees were slowly recovering after being severely burnt by bushfires which ravaged Holey Plains in early 2019.
Food & Technology
'Miracle cows' highlight the risks of gene editing
Louise Sales – They were the poster children of the gene editing revolution. In 2014, the US company Recombinetics announced they had developed gene edited hornless dairy cattle. They argued that the genetic modification was just a small genetic 'tweak' and that their cattle shouldn't be subject to onerous safety assessments or regulation. Really this was just a way of speeding up natural breeding – or 'precision breeding' as they called it. Except this wasn't actually true.