Labor Expanding gas extraction in Victoria against the climate science
The Labor State Government has been pro-active with some climate action and the energy transition in Victoria, but on gas the Government still subscribes to the view that gas production needs to be expanded, that gas is a transition fuel.
This is despite key several scientific and energy assessments that argue that no more new fossil fuel projects should be embarked upon.
(more…)Wills voters overwhelmingly want climate action as does the rest of Australia
A new poll of 15,000 Australians conducted by YouGov for the Australian Conservation Foundation has found that a substantial majority of Australians want governments to take climate action and set ambitiuos interim climate targets, and stop funding coal and gas.
Citizens in Moreland as part of this poll showed a much greater concern than the national average on all the question polled.
| Conclusions. Compare results Wills and National average | Wills | National Average |
| Voters believe greater climate action will help nature and wildlife survive extreme weather. | 84% | 79% |
| Voters do not believe that new coal or gas power stations should be a priority for the federal government. | 78% | 71% |
| Voters believe the federal government need to be doing more to address climate change. | 79% | 67% |
| Voters say Labor and Coalition plans for climate action will influence their vote. | 76% | 67% |
Moreland Olympian highlights climate action
Local Moreland Olympian Rhydian Cowley was interviewed by Ticker News recently. He highlighted the importance of athletes in their brief time in the public spotlight to advocate for climate action to keep our planet habitable in response to the climate crisis.
Rhydian Cowley is a champion Australian race walker. He competed in the 2016 Olympics for Australia and will be soon attending the Tokyo Olympics as part of the Australian Olympic Team. He will be participating in the 50km race walk event, one of the longest, most gruelling of Olympic events.
Rhydian is also a Sports Environmental Alliance ambassador which seeks to empower sport to do more in reducing sports carbon footprint, and is also a member of the Ecoathletes international organisation.
Rhydian Cowley articulates that much of the value of individual actions is the grassroots moment it builds for bigger climate action in government and organisational policy-making, and how it can scale when many people take action.
Submission: Moreland Council Budget 2021/22
On Wednesday 2 June Moreland Council had it’s formal submission feedback session to Councillors over zoom on the Draft Council Budget in 2021/22. The Climate Action Moreland submission was six and a half pages in length. Convenor John Englart briefly summarised the submission for Councillors.
Our submission called for increased expenditure to address the climate emergency, and addressed issues across the following areas:
- Infrastructure to improve uptake of Sustainable Transport
- Street trees, in particular the maintenance and protection of trees
- Permeable and low carbon surfaces
- Leisure Centres (in particular Fawkner Leisure Centre redevelopment)
- Open Space
- Comment on other strategic initiatives in the budget, including how to Phaseout gas in council facilities
June 5, 2021 at 9:04 am morelandclimategroup Leave a comment
Petition: Zero emissions by 2030 target for Moreland Council
The City of Moreland declared a climate emergency in September 2018. It has a current zero community emissions 2040 target. Climate Action Moreland and Neighbours United for Climate Action has a petition to Moreland Council to reduce this zero emissions target to 2030. This is consistent with recent science in addressing the urgency of global warming.
Sign the petition at: https://www.petitions.net/moreland_council_adopt_a_zero_carbon_moreland_target_by_2030
June 2, 2021 at 1:53 am morelandclimategroup Leave a comment
Campaigners prevent Synthetic Pitch for Hosken Reserve
At Moreland Council meeting on 12 May 2021 a compromise motion was put forward which dumped the proposal for a synthetic soccer pitch for Hosken Reserve.
This is a substantial win against synthetic turf for Hosken Reserve. This issue was won by determined local residents. We are proud that our Climate Action Moreland submission highlighted real issues such as life-cycle carbon footprint and urban heat island impact with synthetic turf, and assisted arguments put forward by residents against the original proposal.
The Conversations Caravan Engagement report (Except of Hosken Reserve item and Engagement Report PDF) basically highlighted and validated the concerns of residents, particularly the inappropriateness of an expanding sports hub in the middle of a residential area.
(more…)Moreland Council endorses Fossil Fuel Treaty
At the Council meeting on Wednesday night (12 May 2021) Moreland Councillors voted to endorse the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, being the first city, shire or municipal government to do so in Australia.
John Englart for Climate Action Moreland said “Well done to Cr Pulford and Bolton for moving and seconding the motion and for those Moreland Councillors for taking leading action in voting for Moreland Council to join this international campaign that is gaining moment.”
(more…)Federal budget embeds fossil fuel expenditure on gas and CCS escalating climate crisis
Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg delivered the 2021 Federal budget with lots of suger announcements on increased aged care spending, increased child care funding, women’s physical safety & economic security, NDIS, mental health, road infrastructure, and vaccine rollout.
But on addressing the climate and environment crisis, funding gas expansion continues and environment and conservation funding declines. This reinforces that the Federal government budget is for the short term, an election budget, failing to enact long term solutions for the climate crisis and the biodiversity crisis in Australia.
It wilfully ignores the intergenerational cost on our kids and future generations climate change impacts will incurr.
During the budget speech Josh Frydenberg said:
“In this budget, we are investing a further $1.6 billion to fund priority technologies, including clean hydrogen and energy storage…. This budget provides over $480 million in new funding for the environment, including $100 million to protect our oceans.” he also said the government is “on a pathway” to net zero “as soon as we possibly can”, which he says the government would like achieved preferably by 2050.”
Latika Bourke, Net zero ‘preferably’ by 2050, says Frydenberg, The Age
From a climate perpective the budget is deeply disappointing, as it fails to capitalise on Australia’s natural renewable energy advantages, or set Australia up as an emerging renewable energy powerhouse. It panders to vested interests in the fossil fuels industry. While it talked of wanting to reduce emissions and create jobs at the same time, it missed big, obvious, common sense opportunities to do so.
(more…)New Victorian interim climate targets welcome but underwhelming
Today the Victorian Government announced the interim emissions reduction climate targets for 2025 and 2030. This announcement has been delayed for over a year due to the pandemic.
The targets announced are to reduce emissions by 28-33 per cent by 2025 and 45-50 per cent by 2030.
Awesome you say? 50 percent reduction by 2030, similar to what President Biden announced at the Biden Climate Summit on April 22. Not so fast.
The Independent Expert Panel recommended Victoria set greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets of:
- 32-39% below 2005 levels in 2025 and
- 45-60% below 2005 levels in 2030.
Even this was not consistent with keeping global warming to 1.5 degrees, and the numerous risks enumerated in the IPCC Special Report on Global warming of 1.5C1.
The Combet Review identified emission cuts of at least 43% by 2025 and 67% by 2030 to have any chance of limiting warming to 1. 5°C, yet justified lower targets, even though there is scientific research3 that indicates there are several dangerous tipping points that should require substantial risk minimisation in setting ambitious targets. Read our submission from July 2019.
(more…)Synthetic Turf and the Tragedy of the Commons in Moreland
Climate Action Moreland has done a literature review to highlight the general environmental, social and health issues with synthetic turf, and specific issues around a proposal to convert unfenced grass sporting fields at Hosken Reserve in Coburg North to a fenced synthetic soccer pitch. This is the text of our submission to the Moreland Council engagement consultants employed for public consultation to inform the Hosken Reserve Refresh project for Moreland Council.
We have also reported on our blog separately on synthetic turf carbon footprint and total life cycle greenhouse gas emissions, and on the impact synthetic turf will likely have on the urban heat island effect on local residents.
Conversion of natural grass to Synthetic turf at Hosken Reserve should be considered as a catalyst issue for opposing increasing synthetic turf generally in our municipality. We are also very concerned with increasing State Government funding of school oval conversions increasing heat stress risk for children and heating the local microclimate affecting both children and local residents, against expert advice. (See Madden, et al, 2018 (Cool Schools), Pfautsch et al, Sept 2020 (School Microclimates))
We acknowledge the work done by local Merlynston residents on this issue to Help Keep Hosken a place for Community in defence of their grassed open space which they have been quite willing to share the use of with Sporting Clubs as Commons space.
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