Posts tagged ‘Gas’
Protest at Peter Khalil ignoring constituents on climate policy
At short notice climate activists set up a protest outside Peter Khalil’s office on Sydney Road on Thursday March 16.
Climate Groups in Merri-bek have accused The Wills Labor MP of failing to consult, engage and listen to local groups and constituents on climate policy, particularly the formulation of the current Safeguard mechanism and use of carbon offsets, along with no proposal by the Labor Federal Government to stop the 113 new coal and gas projects in the development pipeline.
Peter Khalil promised after the last election in May 2022 to establish a climate and environment citizen advisory group for his electorate. We are yet to see any progress on this, despite several interactions asking about progress.
The IPCC 6th assessment reports, the International Energy Agency, and the UN Secretary General have all called for all new coal and gas projects to be stopped. Scientists have highlighted that emissions from present fossil fuels in production are likely to already push us beyond the 1.5C temperature target as laid down in the Paris Agreement in 2015.
The current proposed Safeguard Mechanism that applies to the 215 major polluters, allows for companies to buy 100 percent of carbon credits instead of doing actual point of source emissions reduction. It allows Fossil fuel producers under the scheme to buy offset credits rather than reduce emissions.
(more…)Scientist open letter for no new coal and gas delivered to Wills MP Peter Khalil
On 10 March Climate Action Merribek Convenor John Englart delivered an open letter from scientists and climate experts to Peter Khalil’s office on Sydney Road Coburg.
118 scientists and climate experts have now signed this open letter. Climate Action Merribek signed in support via email on 23 February 2023. Some 50 Civil Society organisations have also signed in support of this open letter.
Peter Khalil has failed to consult, engage and listen to constutents and groups working in the climate space in his electorate of Wills over the proposed Safeguard mechanism. He has long promised to initiate an advisory committee on climate and environment which has failed to come to pass.
(more…)Moreland Council to Phaseout Gas in Fawkner Leisure Centre
Moreland Council will put forward as part of the community consultation on redevelopment of the Fawkner Leisure Centre the phaseout of Fossil gas, as well as keeping the 50 metre outside pool, which was the subject of a strong community campaign.
The redevelopment is proposed to be done in 2 stages. the present plan includes conversion of the gas boiler heat pump to electric heat pump technology. This is estimated to cost $2.6 million.
The Council Officer report makes clear that the redevelopment is the time to do this phaseout of gas as part of the Zero Carbon Moreland framework to reduce emissions to address the climate emergency.
(more…)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…)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…)Gas leak closes down Sydney Road shops in Coburg: we need transition off gas
Coburg Gas leak
A large gas leak in Coburg has closed down Sydney Road between Bell street and Harding street, threatening the strip shopping area including Victoria Street Mall.
The hazardous gas leak at 424 Sydney Rd, Coburg, has prompted an emergency warning at 12.20pm on Sunday 15 November. Gas fumes spread towards Victoria St Mall. All Gas services in the area have been impacted.
Let’s get this straight: Gas is a fossil fuel. Gas leaks can be dangerous (explosive potential). Breathing Gas can affect our health. There are fugitive emissions leaks throughout the distribution system.
We need to transition residential and business customers off gas both for short term safety and health, and long term climate safety. There are good alternatives to gas for heating, cooking and most industrial uses.
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Supporting September 25 Global climate strike while in pandemic lockdown
Climate strike protest in Moreland during Pandemic lockdown
How to support the Global climate strike on Friday September 25 here in Moreland?
We are still in stage 4 pandemic lockdown in Melbourne, only able to leave home for 4 valid reasons, including exercise within a 5 kilometre radius of our home.
School Strike 4 Climate highlighted that 600+ Climate events taking place around Australia on September 25 in the biggest-ever national action against gas.
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Brunswick MP opposes Victorian Labor Government vote to lift gas ban
Dr Tim Read and Dr Samantha Ratanam – Don’t mention the Climate Emergency
We saw the real vandals in Victorian state parliament on June 3, 2020 in worsening the climate crisis – members of the Labor Party, Liberal Party and Nationals who all voted to lift the moratorium on onshore gas exploration and extraction. They all justified their actions saying gas is a transition fuel, but due to the underestimation of fugiture emissions and methane’s much greater global warming potential over 20 year time frame, it is far worse than coal. The Labor Party have no plans to transition residential, commercial or industrial customers away from gas.
“At some point opening up fossil fuel reserves so we can pump more carbon into the atmosphere will start to look like vandalism, and I believe we have reached that point now.” said Dr Tim Read, the Greens MP for Brunswick.
” And if it feels like vandalism now, what will it feel like in a decade when global heating is worse, when we have seen more climate change here and around the world and the damage it has caused?”
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Will Bill Shorten step up ’emergency’ climate action or is it just more gas?
Mark Butler and Peter Khalil
Bob Hawke’s death on the eve of the climate election will likely boost Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and the Labor Party success. Labor must not squander the opportunity to address the climate crisis by taking climate emergency action or engage in expanding fossil fuel coal and gas extraction.
At Blacktown today, in the same hall that Gough Whitlam launched Labor’s 1972 campaign, Bill Shorten stated that a Labor government would “take this emergency seriously”. It needs to be not empty words. The time for developing new coal or gas is over. It’s time to Stop Adani. It’s time to go 100 percent renewables by 2030.
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Vale Bob Hawke, Former Prime Minister and MP for Wills, an early champion of climate action
Bob Hawke. Photo by Eva Rinaldi (CC BY-SA 2.0)
There will be many highlighting his role as a union leader and Secretary of the ACTU, as Prime Minister in restructuring the Australian Economy, but he was also important for environmental action through the term of his Prime Ministership. This started with his pre-election commitment to stop the construction of the Franklin Dam, for the Franklin River to flow free.
It also included initial moves in assessing the problem of Australian greenhouse gas emissions and setting targets on climate action.
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Climate Action Merribek: people in Brunswick, Coburg, Fawkner and Glenroy wanting action on climate change 