All articles
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Australia’s coal politics are undermining democratic and Indigenous rights
Can Australia achieve fair and open decision-making when big coal players are involved? The case of Adani’s proposed Carmichael coal mine suggests the answer is no, and Indigenous land owners are bearing the brunt. Queensland’s Speaker of the House Peter Wellington holds a Declaration of Defence of Country given to him by the Wangan and…
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Three political parties, one environmental message
Despite their party differences, past Australian political leaders are agreed on one thing: the politicians of the present are failing us on the environment. Parliamentary heavyweights John Hewson, Bob Carr and Christine Milne took to the stage on Saturday, 22 October, at the National Environment Meeting, and you can see edited highlights of their speeches below.…
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Pray for our Pacific: Finding strength in solidarity
Earlier this month, Pacific Island communities gathered together to summon the strength to confront the climate battles ahead. They were joined by communities from all over the world in a show of solidarity and support to collectively hold space for the Pacific. Faith is a central tenet of Pacific Island communities, and climate change is often…
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Why fixing your phone is one of the most empowering things you can do
Like most people, I don’t go anywhere without my phone. In the morning, its shrill alarm rouses me from sleep. During the day it bobs between my ear, my hand, and my pocket. At night, I hunt for Pokémon before putting it away on the nightstand. My phone is my MP3 player, my camera, and…
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6 amazing plastic bans from around the world
Good news! Plastic bans across the world have been hitting the headlines lately. From the US to India and Morocco, governing bodies are taking control of the plastic pollution problem, bringing in either complete bans on plastic, or bans on specific forms like polystyrene. By Fiona Nicholls 1. Karnataka, India In March this year, the…
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Welcome to Ban the Bag!
Hi! My name is Ruby, I’m a volunteer with the Ban the Bag team at Greenpeace Australia Pacific. Welcome to the campaign and to the Greenpeace family! Plastic bag in the waters of Laganas Bay, the most important nesting area for loggerhead sea turtles in the Mediterranean Sea. Plastic bags can block the digestive system…
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Is the Prime Minister’s transition fast enough to save the Great Barrier Reef?
At the Leaders debate at the National Press Club in Canberra on May 29 the Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told the public that he had a practical plan for action on climate change and it was working. The Prime Minister didn’t mention the Reef once. In my last post I discussed the stakes for…
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There’s no place like home for turtles
Turtles are awesome. Seriously, they’re living dinosaurs that have survived against all odds to roam the oceans for more than 100 million years. They live about as long as elephants, and rock their wrinkles in the same way. And let’s face it, they have the cutest grumpy face ever. In celebrity terms, they’re the Iggy…
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We did it! We won a world-class recycling system for NSW
From July 2017, you’ll get 10c back for every can and bottle you recycle. It may not sound like much, but it worked for South Australia with double the recycling rate of other states. It’s the system we were promised by Premier Mike Baird back in 2015 – and he was dragging his heels until…
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Windfall for fossil fuels, slim pickings for the Reef: unpicking the 2016 budget
I know this question has kept you up the last three nights and now, finally, we have the answer: $6.236. That’s $6.236 billion in the 2016 federal budget for the diesel fuel rebate. Read on for what that means… TL;DR – this budget gives billions to the mining industry, cuts environment funding, ignores the…