Yesterday the Australian Government released a pamphlet celebrating its first anniversary. Buried within its spin-filled list of “achievements” is “protecting our local environment” (apparently via planting a few trees). In reality, Tony Abbott’s Liberal/National Coalition government has waged a nonstop war on climate change and environment policies. For the record, I’ve compiled a comprehensive list …
Category Archive: Clean Energy Future
Aug 11 2014
Time to move on from the carbon tax
On 17 July, Australia’s carbon tax was repealed. I was originally going to write about all the political theatre and drama associated with the repeal, but in the final analysis it didn’t really matter that much. At the end of the day, the carbon tax is dead. Tony Abbott’s Liberal government finally succeeded in killing …
Jul 03 2014
Palmer’s $0 carbon price will achieve zero
We Australians are more confused than ever about climate policy, according to a new poll – and who can blame us? Clive Palmer’s latest announcement has confused everyone, but don’t be fooled: Palmer’s policies, like those of the major parties, won’t achieve much. Ever since his election last September, Liberal Prime Minister Tony Abbott has …
Apr 04 2014
Why the WA re-election matters
Western Australia will go back to the polls tomorrow for a rerun of last year’s Senate election (due to the count having been bungled in that state). The re-election will be critical in deciding the makeup of the new Senate from July this year, and is a key opportunity for the Greens. To pass legislation …
Feb 21 2014
We need to politicize climate change
We’ve all heard the laments: the public has gone cold on climate action because the issue has become so “politicized”. Someone has to say it: we need to politicize climate change. What does it mean to “politicize” something? It means to put it on the political agenda, propel it into the headlines, make it a …
Jan 25 2014
How Labor lost the climate debate
These two videos go a long way toward explaining why the Australian Labor Party won the 2007 election and lost in 2013. They show how Labor changed the way it framed climate change. In 2007 they correctly identified it as the most important issue of our time: By 2012 (when Labor were already in an …
Nov 13 2013
Why “Typhoon Tony” Abbott should read Harry Potter
Today, on the first day of Australia’s 44th Parliament, new Prime Minister Tony Abbott introduced legislation to repeal the carbon tax. Meanwhile at the COP19 climate talks in Warsaw, snubbed by Australian ministers, Filipino delegate Yeb Sano made an emotional plea for action: It was barely 11 months ago in Doha when my delegation made …
Sep 25 2013
Roundup of petitions to Abbott government
Australia’s new Liberal/National Coalition government, led by Tony Abbott, is claiming a mandate for its promises to tear down the Australian climate policy regime. If you don’t support this program of demolition, then tell him about it! Consider signing the following petitions: Tell Australia not to scrap carbon tax. Tony Abbott and the Coalition: Reconsider …
Sep 06 2013
Let’s make this Australia’s climate election
Over the bleached bones and jumbled residues of numerous civilizations are written the pathetic words: ‘Too late.’ – Martin Luther King Jr. As Australia, the world’s largest coal exporter, goes to the polls, the window of opportunity for humanity to act on climate change is closing fast. Anthropogenic global warming is the largest and most …
Precarious Climate
- The Paris Agreement was a sham anyway
- Australian election: say no to the polluting major parties
- Will Turnbull act on climate?
- Are we approaching peak stupidity?
- Is Turnbull a green Liberal?
- 2014 the warmest year as global heating speeds up
- The Trans-Pacific Partnership: the dirtiest trade deal you’ve never heard of
- Tony Abbott’s intergenerational theft
- 2014: the year that was
- Australia continues climate obstructionism in Lima