All articles
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Carmichael coal mine’s impacts will be felt for generations
TEN MONTHS AGO I described pending decisions about coal developments on the Great Barrier Reef left by the outgoing Labor government as “a dead cat in Greg Hunt’s in-tray”. Originally posted on the ABC – 28 Jul 2014 I’ve met Greg Hunt a few times over the years and I reckon he’s a decent…
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Australia made history, but for all the wrong reasons
A few short years ago, putting a price on carbon was a sensible first step on the journey to tackle the main cause of climate change – our carbon emissions from increasing use of fossil fuels. Image via @geeksrulz on Twitter Since that sensible first step, the world and Australia have continued to warm. On…
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Local produce: not just for hipsters
Whether you’re on a low-carbon diet or just want fruit and vegetables that taste great, here are 4 reasons eating local produce is for everyone. Image via positiveatmosphere.com According to the EPA, food accounts for around 30% of the Australian ecological footprint. Luckily, eating local produce can be a great way to cut down on…
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An Inconvenient Strewth? 4 things you should know about the Palmer-Gore climate speech
Watching last night’s press conference with Clive Palmer and Al Gore on climate change was one of the more bizarre moments I’ve witnessed in Australian politics. Image: twitter.com/SBSNews We won’t know exactly what Clive’s announcements mean for a little while yet. Based on past experience, what he said last night might not be his view tomorrow –…
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Do energy company executives really hate solar panels this much?
This wasn’t what people on Sydney’s George Street were expecting to see on their morning commute. Three men, dressed as the CEOs of Origin Energy, AGL Energy, and EnergyAustralia, were surrounded by a crowd and TV cameras as they hauled a dozen solar panels into a dumpster while spectators booed them on. Seriously! Activists bring…
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Hockey exposes us as fair weather friends
With this Budget, Joe Hockey has signaled to the rest of the planet that Australia expects to free ride on the efforts of others. He has abandoned the core Australian value of being true blue, writes David Ritter. Originally published in The Drum. “Hey True Blue, don’t say you’ve gone…” As Australians, we like to…
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Coal industry gets preferential treatment from Baird government
Press release – 14 May, 2014Sydney, Thursday 15 May 2014The new Ministers for Environment and Planning in NSW – Rob Stokes and Pru Goward – are continuing the pattern of preferential treatment for the coal industry by weakening environmental protections associated with the Maules Creek coal mine to facilitate its development. State Government agencies have…
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Great Barrier Reef ‘facts’ TV ads ignore dredge dumping risks
The United Nations is concerned about port expansions and dredging disposal in the Great Barrier Reef – but that bigger picture is ignored in new ‘Reef Facts’ commercials. -By Jon Brodie, James Cook University Image courtesy NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL, MISR Team, CC BY New “Reef Facts” commercials are currently airing during prime-time television shows in Australia, purporting to…