NSW urges climate action as bushfire royal commission's recommendations tabled (excerpt): ABC News

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"A former New South Wales fire chief is among those calling on the Federal Government to take urgent action on climate change as the Black Summer royal commission's findings hit Parliament.

Key points:

• Climate change, firefighting capabilities, network issues and air quality are all major concerns for Australians in fire-prone areas
  
• Experts, politicians and firefighters have largely supported the recommendations made by the bushfire royal commission
• Federal Emergency management Minister David Littleproud described the recommendations as "pragmatic"

Eighty recommendations feature in the report, which acknowledges the evidence that climate change will continue to increase the frequency and intensity of natural disasters.

Former top firefighter Greg Mullins is leading calls for the Government to act on the recommendations.

"We need the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition to immediately endorse all 80 recommendations, to commit to fund them no matter who is in government, and to take urgent action to cut greenhouse gas emissions," he said."

...............................

"Key recommendations:

• National State of Emergency
• Air quality monitor
• Climate change
• Fire rating system
• Hazard reduction burns
• Aerial firefighting resources
• Emergency warning app
• Better communications
• Charity reforms
• Advice on where we live" 

Go to ABC story

 Related: 1 year on since Australia's biggest bushfire: Climate Council

1 year on since Australia's biggest bushfire: Climate Council

Exactly 12 months ago today, the huge Gospers Mountain Fire started from a lightning strike north-west of Sydney. The fire burned for almost 80 days, and became the biggest forest fire in Australia's recorded history. 

 

One year on, the fire has left a heart-wrenching scar on both the landscape and the communities it tore through. This is what climate change looks like. 

 

In just a few days, the Royal Commission will hand down its findings into the 2019-20 bushfire season, and it's imperative that it clearly acknowledges the role of climate change in fuelling the 2019-20 bushfires.

 

 

 

Related: 

Polling Shows Growing Climate Concern Among Americans. But Outsized Influence of Deniers Remains a Roadblock (excerpt): DeSmog

 

 

#climatefires,#Australia,#cambio-climatico,#climateemergency,#bushfires,#firestorms,NSW,

Narrabri gas project: former judge questions independence of NSW planning commission (excerpt): The Guardian

Adam Bandt Facebook post

(Pics not from The Guardian)

"A former New South Wales judge has called for “independent” to be dropped from the name of the state’s planning commission after it approved the controversial Narrabri coal seam gas development, arguing the body is effectively controlled by the government.

The commission on Wednesday gave what it described as “phased approval” of the $3.6bn project in the state’s north. The decision, which included 134 conditions, was welcomed by the proponent, oil and gas company Santos, and the federal and state governments, but criticised by local farmers, conservationists and Indigenous traditional owners.

Paul Stein QC, a retired court of appeal judge now speaking as a committee member of the Centre for Public Integrity, said he was “deeply concerned” that the NSW Independent Planning Commission had been diminished by changes introduced by the government in March following complaints by mining and resources interests.

Adam Bandt Facebook post re corporations and tax payments

 

They included allowing the planning minister, Rob Stokes, to impose a tight timeframe in which a decision had to be reached and appointing new members to the commission.

“We believe the IPC shouldn’t have the word independent in the title anymore because they’re essentially under the control and direction of the minister,” Stein told Guardian Australia.

 

Invest in a green future not fossil fuels

“This was a massive inquiry, highly technical, and it was ordered to be finished in 90 days, and that was only extended to 120 days because [Santos] put in further submissions. It is very hard for a tribunal or commission to withstand such intense political pressure.”.... "

Go to original The Guardian article

 

Facebook Posts re the decision below.

@JustinFieldIndependent  · Politician

 

..................................

 

Related: Narrabri gas project: do we need it and what's at stake for Australia's environment? in The Guardian

 Related:  Class action to stop planned coal mine extension filed by climate action-focused Australian teenagers (excerpt): ABC

 

 Narrabri,#methanegas,gas,farmers,Great Artesian Basin,NSW, Justin Field, IPC, Independent Planning Commission,indigenous peoples, tax,political party donations from corporations,#climate crisis, scandal,#jailclimatecriminals,

 

 

Greens amendments to protect renters pass NSW Parliament

The Greens NSW successfully amended the COVID-19 Emergency Measures Bill in NSW Parliament last night, to enable protections for renters to be part of the emergency response by the relevant Ministers now that Parliament has been adjourned.

Greens NSW MP and Housing spokesperson, Jenny Leong MP, said today:
“The COVID-19 Bills introduced by the NSW Government yesterday didn't include any measures for renters or tenants - in fact there was nothing that even began to address the housing and homelessness crisis that is just around the corner if we don't act swiftly.”

“This isn’t just a human rights issue: it’s a health issue. You can’t stay home to social distance without a house. You can’t limit your shopping without a fridge. You can’t rest and recover without a bed.

“Yesterday morning, after getting the Bill late Monday night, I started working with the NSW Tenants Union to draft amendments that would address this massive oversight, these amendments were introduced by the Greens and subsequently passed into law.

“The amendments give the power to the relevant ministers in NSW to create regulations to put a moratorium on evictions, prevent people having their lease terminated and make other changes to what current powers landlords and owners have over tenants.

“If this amendment hadn't been made, they would have had to draft legislation, wait until parliament resumed (next scheduled date in September), then have the legislation debated & passed.

“While these amendments give delegated power to the relevant minister to act, they still need to do that. The National Cabinet including the NSW Premier is meeting tonight, and tenancy is on the agenda. They can and should decide tonight to provide security and relief for renters that can be implemented immediately.

“These are extraordinary times, and these are extraordinary powers, powers that can be used for good - right now - to protect residential and commercial tenants from evictions.

“By passing these NSW Greens amendments to protect renters, the Parliament has put the ball in the Liberals court: they have the capacity to stop families being kicked out of their homes in the middle of this crisis,” Ms Leong said.

Student organised climate action in Coffs Harbour, NSW, November 29

Folk gathered outside the office of the local National Party MP.

Year 4 student reads his speech

Australia Bushfires Renew Anger Over Climate Change: The Youth Times

Unprecedented bushfires in eastern Australia have turbocharged demands the country's conservative government do more to tackle climate change, and have rekindled an ideological fight over the science behind the blazes.

The huge fires have touched communities up and down the east coast, killing four people and affecting millions of Australians threatening homes and blanketing major cities in hazardous smoke.

For many, the scale and intensity of the conflagrations, weeks before the Australian summer, have brought the dangers of climate change home.

"The whole east coast is on fire," said Julie Jones, who almost lost her house in the Blue Mountains. "I think it's climate change."

A group of ex-fire chiefs on Thursday warned climate change is "supercharging" the bushfire problem and they challenged Prime Minister Scott Morrison over his failure to confront the issue.

"I am fundamentally concerned about the impact and the damage coming from climate change," former fire chief Lee Johnson said.

"The word 'unprecedented' has been used a lot, but it's correct."

For days Morrison has refused to address the link between climate and bushfires, arguing the focus should be on victims despite being heckled about climate change while touring fire-ravaged areas.

Photo Credit : AFP / Laurence CHU

Morrison has made no secret of his support for the country's lucrative mining industry, which accounts for more than 70 percent of exports and was worth a record Aus$264 billion ($180 billion) in the last financial year.

He once carried a lump of coal onto the floor of the Australian parliament and recently proposed banning environmental boycotts of businesses.

His government insists Australia will meet its Paris climate agreement target of reducing emissions by 26-28 percent on 2005 levels by 2030.

But the approval of vast coal mines like the controversial Adani project which will ship most of its product overseas to be burned make global targets of keeping warming below 1.5 Celsius more difficult.

'Woke greenies'

Until now that has been good politics for the Liberal leader. His party unexpectedly won re-election in May, in part by framing the climate debate as a choice between jobs and higher energy costs in places like coal-rich Queensland.
Morrison's allies have also deployed the issue as a potent wedge issue to divide the electorate.

Photo Credit : AFP / Jonathan WALTER

When the Australian Greens attacked the government response to the bushfires this week, Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack went on the offensive.
"We don't need the ravings of some pure, enlightened and woke capital cities greenies at this time, when (people) are trying to save their homes," he said.

But the scale of the bushfire crisis has made it more difficult for Morrison to dismiss his political foes as out-of-touch lefty city slickers.

And after several exhausting days of spearheading crisis response, commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said Wednesday the New South Wales Rural Fire Service acknowledged the new reality.

"We are mindful that the science is suggesting that fire seasons are starting earlier, and extending longer," he said.

Politicians who refuse to discuss climate change have been heckled as they tour areas destroyed by fire Photo Credit : AFP / WILLIAM WEST

The government's own Bureau of Meteorology has acknowledged human-caused climate change is "influencing the frequency and severity of dangerous bushfire conditions".

Scientists say the link between climate change and bush fires is complex, but undeniable.

Wind movements around Antarctica and sea surface temperatures in the Indian Ocean can also help determine fire-friendly conditions in Australia.

But warming provides key ingredients for fires to thrive: high temperatures, low humidity, strong winds and drought.

"Bushfires are not directly attributable to climate change," said Janet Stanley of the University of Melbourne. "However, the fast-warming climate is making bushfires more frequent and intense."

"The mountain of irrefutable evidence linking global warming to bushfires makes the federal government's failure to act or even talk about the problem extremely hard to explain," she said.

Away from the political bickering, a growing number of Australians appear to agree.

A 2019 survey by think tank The Australia Institute found 81 percent of people are concerned climate change will cause more droughts and flooding, while 64 percent want the government to set a target of net-zero emissions by 2050.

Claire Pontin, a deputy mayor in badly-hit northern New South Wales, told the ABC it was "always" the right time to discuss climate change.

"It's not going to go away if we bury our heads in the sand."

From The Youth Times

Berejiklian back down: NSW Government capitulates to coal lobby: Lock the Gate Alliance

"A NSW Government proposal to prevent the Independent Planning Commission from considering downstream climate emissions when assessing mining projects is a terrible mistake that will be remembered by future generations, according to Lock the Gate Alliance. 

It is being reported the government will move to restrict the IPC from considering the effects of "scope 3" greenhouse gas pollution when considering coal mining projects, with new laws to be introduced to parliament this week.

Scope 3 emissions are the greenhouse emissions produced when coal is burned at its final destination. 

Lock the Gate NSW spokesperson Georgina Woods said the legislation would be remembered by future generations as a shameless capitulation to the coal lobby that would harm communities in NSW.

“The government is capitulating to mining industry pressure and winding back laws to address the most important strategic, economic and environmental challenge of our century," she said.

“This is a regressive and fatal mistake that will be remembered for generations.

"New South Wales is right now experiencing a severe and unprecedented bushfire season and one of the worst droughts on record due to climate change. There is so little time left to prevent the problem escalating beyond our control. 

“The public expects all responsible agencies to use the powers available to them to act to avoid harm to our communities and our environment. 

"This is absolutely the wrong move at the wrong time for the Berejiklian Government. A petty political act of vandalism against the urgent needs of their constituents, particularly those on the frontline of global heating in rural Australia.

"Instead of pretending we have no stake in global action on climate change, we need a plan that recognises that the Hunter region will need to adjust to declining coal use worldwide and to prepare our communities for the severe weather extremes that are bearing down on us."

Published: October 22, 2019  

See also:

Does climate change make it immoral to have kids? : The Guardian

 

#criminales climáticos de la cárcel

#criminalesclimáticosdelacárcel

#jailclimatecriminals

#gaolclimatecriminals

ACT Greens call for static pill testing site as NSW Coroner recommendations released

Responding to a draft recommendation of the NSW coroner that pill testing be provided at music festivals, the ACT Greens have today called for a static pill testing trial to be established in the ACT.
"I am not surprised to hear of the coroner's draft recommendation relating to pill-testing. The Greens know that pill-testing is a successful harm minimisation activity, and a key step to save lives in festival environments," Greens spokesperson for Drug Law Reform Shane Rattenbury said today.
"The NSW coroner is an independent judicial body that has today, after exploring the evidence in relation to  the deaths of six young people at music festivals between December 2017 and January 2019, come to the same conclusion of other medical bodies - that pill-testing reduces harm from drug use.

The terrible truth of climate change: The Monthly

"As I collated this information for my presentation, it became clear to me that Cyclone Tracy is a warning. Without major action, we will see tropical cyclones drifting into areas on the southern edge of current cyclone zones, into places such as south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales, where infrastructure is not ready to cope with cyclonic conditions.

These areas currently house more than 3.6 million people; we simply aren’t prepared for what is upon us.

There is a very rational reason why Australian schoolkids are now taking to the streets – the immensity of what is at stake is truly staggering. Staying silent about this planetary emergency no longer feels like an option for me either. Given how disconnected policy is from scientific reality in this country, an urgent and pragmatic national conversation is now essential. Other-
wise, living on a destabilised planet is the terrible truth that we will all face."

"We still have time to try and avert the scale of the disaster, but we must respond as we would in an emergency. The question is, can we muster the best of our humanity in time?"

Read the complete The Monthly article 

See also:

Honest Government Ad | We're F**ked: YouTube

Video - Kalang: protecting this NSW forest

Conservation of our existing forests is essential to combat climate catastrophe. Whether the tree is in The Amazon or in NSW it is essential as carbon storage.




This short documentary depicts the beauty and unique ecosystem of the Kalang area and the forests of north-eastern New South Wales, while exposing the unsustainability of past and future logging operations and the destruction of endangered wildlife habitats.

What can you do to help protect this amazing biodiverse region and its inhabitants? - Support the proposed Great Koala National Park: http://www.koalapark.org.au - Sign the petition to protect this ancient native forest and its headwaters from logging on Change.org: https://www.change.org/p/premier-of-n...

- Spread the word and share this video !

Related:

Leaked IPCC report warns of the future of oceans in climate change: Global Landscapes Forum

Students Strike for Climate Action in Regional NSW

Students in Bellingen, NSW

"School strikes were held across Australia today, 15 March 2019, but it was the students, not the teachers, leading the charge. The strikes were held to demand more meaningful climate action from the government; something the organising students believe to be truly lacking." Student Edge

Bellingen Students

Bellingen student strike for climate action

Bellingen Student Strike for Climate Action in park

Adults supporting student strike for climate action

Grey Power supporting the student strike

Be careful who you vote for in the NSW state election

Climate change strikes across Australia see student protesters defy calls to stay in school: ABC NEWS

#climateaction #climatechange #climatecatastrophe #youth #students #globalheating

Students Marching in Coffs Harbour

March preparations in Kempsey

GAME-CHANGING LEGAL DECISION ON COAL in Australia

*JUST IN: GAME-CHANGING LEGAL DECISION ON COAL*

As we sat awaiting the verdict, the tension was palpable.

But then - euphoria swept across the courtroom.

In an Australian first, the NSW Land and Environment Court this morning rejected the Rocky Hill coal mine near Gloucester, on social and climate change grounds.

Gum trees and the fight against global warming: SMH

Old Gum Tree, Tarkeeth Forest, NSW

"Just as the world grapples with the effects of climate change – fiercer and more frequent bushfires, droughts, floods and freak storms – Australia is doing its darndest to cut down more trees. Forests are disappearing so fast in NSW and Queensland that WWF International has put Australia on its list of global deforestation hot spots – the only one in the developed world – while koala populations continue to be decimated through habitat loss.

Climatologists say one of the easiest and cheapest ways to reduce carbon emissions is to preserve forests; deforestation accounts for 18 per cent of global emissions, far surpassing vehicles and aircraft combined, according to the Climate Council."

Read the SMH article

#Australia  #carbon emissions  #forests  #deforestation hotspot  #global emissions  #global heating

NSW is most coal dependent Australian state

"We have such a long way to go! 

Doctors for the Environment Australia

Our government needs to listen to the wise voice of humanity, take the brakes off, move out of the Fossil Fuel Age and into a Healthy Planet, Healthy People future. They need to be yelling out "Bring it on" when it comes to Renewables, and they need to demand the new generation of Environmental Laws. Who dares wins!

Email Premier Berejiklian and Opposition Leader Michael Daley and
get them to get serious on clean energy and climate change @ https://www.nature.org.au/…/nsw-politicians-its-time-for-a…/

Take the Pledge to Protect our children and our future health from Climate Change @ https://notimeforgames.dea.org.au"

 #NSW #Morrison-McCormackgovernment #coalmining #coal, #health #climateaction

GREENS WELCOME INVESTMENT IN NSW ENERGY TRANSMISSION INFRASTRUCTURE AS OPPORTUNITY FOR SUPPORTING NEW RENEWABLES

A fortnight after the Greens released their plan for eight renewable energy zones and upgrades to transmission projects in NSW, the State Government has today released its NSW Transmission Infrastructure Strategy.

The Greens have welcomed the four priority transmission projects identified in the strategy, including upgrades to the interconnectors with Queensland and Victoria, and a new interconnector with South Australia to enable renewable energy projects to connect to the grid and increase the resilience of the power network.

IEEFA predicted coal demand will be revised down again

THE NSW Minerals Council’s forecast of a bright future for Australian coal exports is based on shaky foundations, including a restricted interpretation of International Energy Agency predictions, said energy analysts criticised as “anti-coal” by Minerals Council chief executive Stephen Galilee.

TINY SPEND ON 'EMERGING ENERGY' WON'T FIX NSW GOVT'S LACK OF CREDIBLE ENERGY AND EMISSIONS REDUCTION

The NSW Government has today launched an Emerging Energy Fund that promises $55 million for gas and renewable energy, a figure the Greens have slammed as totally inadequate and  lacking the ambition needed to transition NSW towards 100% renewable energy.
The $55 million is totally insufficient when you consider the NSW Government:
*         Received $37 billion from privatising the state's electricity assets since their election;
*         Received $4.1 billion for the transfer of Snowy Hydro to the federal government;
*         Underspent the NSW Climate Change Fund by $252 million between $2014-17;

Greens Slam NSW for Voting Against Developing a Climate Plan at COAG

NSW Energy Minister Don Harwin has voted against an ACT Government motion at the COAG Energy Council for a national emissions reduction scheme for the electricity sector, despite State Parliament debating numerous motions criticising the government for its lack of energy policy and emissions reduction strategy this week.