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

 

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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,

 

 

New study: changes in climate since 2000 have cut Australian farm profits 22%: The Conversation

ABARES/Shutterstock

The current drought across much of eastern Australia has demonstrated the dramatic effects climate variability can have on farm businesses and households. 

The drought has also renewed longstanding discussions around the emerging effects of climate change on agriculture, and how governments can best help farmers to manage drought risk.

A new study released this morning by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences offers fresh insight on these issues by quantifying the impacts of recent climate variability on the profits of Australian broadacre farms. 

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Read more: Droughts, extreme weather and empowered consumers mean tough choices for farmers

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The results show that changes in temperature and rainfall over the past 20 years have had a negative effect on average farm profits while also increasing risk. 

The findings demonstrate the importance of adaptation, innovation and adjustment to the agriculture sector, and the need for policy responses which promote – and don’t unnecessarily inhibit – such progress.

Measuring the effects of climate on farms

Measuring the effects of climate on farms is difficult given the many other factors that also influence farm performance, including commodity prices. 

Further, the effects of rainfall and temperature on farm production and profit can be complex and highly location and farm specific.
To address this complexity, ABARES has developed a model based on more than 30 years of historical farm and climate data—farmpredict — which can identify effects of climate variability, input and output prices, and other factors on different types of farms.

Cropping farms most exposed

The model finds that cropping farms generally face greater climate risk than beef farms, but also generate higher average returns.
Cropping farm revenue and profits are lower in dry years, with large reductions in crop yields and only small savings in input costs. 

Read the complete article on The Conversation

We can’t keep eating as we are – why isn’t the IPCC shouting this from the rooftops? The Guardian

by George Monbiot

"It’s a tragic missed opportunity. The new report on land by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) shies away from the big issues and fails to properly represent the science. As a result, it gives us few clues about how we might survive the century. Has it been nobbled? Was the fear of taking on the farming industry – alongside the oil and coal companies whose paid shills have attacked it so fiercely – too much to bear? At the moment, I have no idea. But what the panel has produced is pathetic. 

 

The problem is that it concentrates on just one of the two ways of counting the carbon costs of farming. The first way – the IPCC’s approach – could be described as farming’s current account. How much greenhouse gas does driving tractors, spreading fertiliser and raising livestock produce every year? According to the panel’s report, the answer is around 23% of the planet-heating gases we currently produce. But this fails miserably to capture the overall impact of food production.

The second accounting method is more important. This could be described as the capital account: how does farming compare to the natural ecosystems that would otherwise have occupied the land? A paper published in Nature last year, but not mentioned by the IPCC, sought to count this cost. Please read these figures carefully. They could change your life."

Go to The Guardian article

'Climate-change refugees' quit mainland farming in search of greener pastures in Tasmania: ABC News

See ABC story

"This week, farmers in parts of western Queensland saw their stock drown and die from exposure in disastrous flood conditions which Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said will likely claim the lives of hundreds of thousands of cattle.

The floods come after an extended period of drought, when many paddocks across the region were reduced to dust.
But for some farmers, these hellish conditions are a distant dream.

Rob and Sally McCreath quit mainland Australia to farm in Tasmania in 2016, where they foresaw an easier life.
They call themselves "climate-change refugees"."

Read the ABC News Story

In A.C., farmers talk climate change Feb 8, 2018

Farmers talk Climate Change

The predicted effects of a warming planet on Garden State farmers are grim: crop failures, plant diseases and an influx of pests.

The topic was front and center at Harrah's Resort Atlantic City earlier this week, where hundreds of growers from the state's billion-dollar farming industry gathered for New Jersey's 104th State Agricultural Convention.

"There were people for years that denied there was climate change ... Now I think there's more acceptance because they can see it on their farms and fields," said Douglas Fisher, secretary of the Department of Agriculture.

Read the Science Nature article 

#farmers  #farming  # New Jersey  #food production  # Agriculture  #farms  #Atlantic City

Rolling Stone: What’s Another Way to Say ‘We’re F-cked’? One of the leading climate scientists of our time is warning of the horrifying possibility of 15-to-20 feet of sea-level rise

Ways to convince people to take climate action and avoid total climate catastrophe

Climate Action Angel at rally in Coffs Harbour NSW

I was wrong. This is environmentalism’s biggest problem.

The IPCC Report has come and gone and it seems that it has now largely disappeared from the news cycle. It is likely that, in the coming years, the pace of carbon cuts will quicken, and there is a chance that the 1.5°C will be met. Convincing people to get on board, though, is much more difficult. Here’s the key problem, and a potential solution.

 Read Medium article

#climateaction #climatecatastrophe #1.5degrees, #meat, #climatedeniers, #agriculture, #farmers, #fisherfolk

The Guardian: Climate change already a health emergency, say experts

"Deadly heatwaves and spread of diseases affect people’s health today – report.

People’s health is being damaged today by climate change through effects ranging from deadly heatwaves in Europe to rising dengue fever in the tropics, according to a report.

Billions of hours of farmwork has been lost during high temperatures and global warming has damaged the ability to grow crops, it said."

Read The Guardian article 

Related:

Australia shamed – again – on climate, as UNEP report calls for urgent action

The Guardian: Avoiding meat and dairy is ‘single biggest way’ to reduce your impact on Earth

Beef Cattle

Avoiding meat and dairy products is the single biggest way to reduce your environmental impact on the planet, according to the scientists behind the most comprehensive analysis to date of the damage farming does to the planet.

The new research shows that without meat and dairy consumption, global farmland use could be reduced by more than 75% – an area equivalent to the US, China, European Union and Australia combined – and still feed the world. Loss of wild areas to agriculture is the leading cause of the current mass extinction of wildlife.

Read The Guardian article 

See also

Giving up beef will reduce carbon footprint more than cars, says expert

Farmers in Queensland are calling for a future beyond coal in Queensland.

Info Farmers for Climate Action

Published on Oct 30, 2018

Burning coal causes climate change, which makes droughts worse. We must get this message out to ensure farmers will be able to continue producing fresh, healthy food for Australia into the future. 

If you have any questions about the ad campaign or about donating, please email us at info@farmersforclimateaction.org.au. If you’d prefer to send a cheque, the best address is: “Farmers for Climate Action, Progress Central coworking space, Level 3, 673 Bourke St, Melbourne 3000”.

FCA News Report: New report highlights climate change challenge, calls for government plan for the bush

More than 3000 farmers are calling for a national plan for regional Australia and climate change, following the release of a report outside Parliament House in Canberra today.

The Rural Futures Report*, released by Farmers for Climate Action and The Next Economy, sets out a vision for a vibrant and sustainable regional Australia.  It comes out of extensive discussions with experts, farmers and rural Australians.

Read the original FCA article


16 October 2018.