‘For my grandchildren’: War veteran among 26 charged in coal protests #auspol #qldpol #nswpol #ClimateChange #AirPollution #StopAdani #EndCoal

92 year old Kokoda veteran & Susie Gold 72 grandmother chained to railway in Newcastle yesterday.

NSW Police have charged 26 people, including a 92-year-old World War II veteran, following protests at the Newcastle coal port on Saturday.

Just after 7am, police were called to the Tighes Hill Rail Corridor with reports two people were on the tracks.

Bill Ryan, a 92-year-old war veteran, and 72-year-old Susie Gold, had chained themselves to the railway in an attempt to stop coal trains from reaching Newcastle’s Kooragang Coal Port.

They were the first of dozens to be arrested and charged with numerous offences, including hinder working of mining equipment, cause obstruction to railway locomotive or rolling stock, enter inclosed lands interfere conduct of business, and armed with intent to commit indictable offence.

They were joined by more than 50 activists throughout the day, at various locations near or at Kooragang Coal Port, as part of a multi-pronged operation to halt coal movements in Newcastle.

“I will be gone by the time climate change is in full swing, but I am taking action for my grandchildren, great grandchildren and all future generations,” Mr Ryan said in a statement.

“Our state and federal governments are swarming with lobbyists … we are completely at the mercy of the fossil fuel industry.”

Police arrested two more protesters, a 62-year-old woman and a 32-year-old woman, at Teal Street near Port Waratah Coal Services, which is the company responsible for receiving, stockpiling, blending and local coal for export in Newcastle.

They were also charged with numerous offences, including armed with intent to commit indictable offence and hinder working of mining equipment.

A further 17 people who scaled machinery were arrested and charged at the port on Kooragang Island, including a 23-year-old man who was suspended from a conveyor belt.

Five additional people on the island were issued with Field Court Attendance Notices for offences including trespass, and interfere with mining equipment.

All have been granted conditional bail to appear at Newcastle Local Court on October 4.

Superintendent Brett Greentree said some of the protesters ignored police warnings.

“While police respect the right of individuals and groups to protest, we have a responsibility to the community and local businesses to ensure they can go about their normal activities without being impacted or put at risk,” he said.

Press link for more: SMH

Police and Politicians ignore the risk of climate change and air pollution to the global population from burning fossil fuels.

The reckoning is coming! #auspol #qldpol #nswpol #ClimateChange #ClimateEmergency #ClimateCrisis #StopAdani #EndCoal #Treason Crime against humanity!

In 2016, founder of 350.org, Bill McKibben1, in The New Republic, has stated that World War 3 is under way, and we are losing.

John Rumney, John Pratt & Bill McKibben in Port Douglas recently

He believes we are under attack from climate change and our only hope is to mobilise as we did in fighting World War 2.

He likened the war to one on many fronts with ‘behind the lines’ outbreaks of fires, floods, disease and coral bleaching2.

It has been clear for decades that global warming is happening and human activity is to blame.

Back in 1990, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)3 produced its First Assessment Report, and in the executive summary of that report, they stated that under business-as-usual, estimated temperature rise from pre-industrial levels (taken as 1765) to the year 2030 would be between 1.3°C and 2.8°C, with a best estimate of 2.0°C.

This corresponds to a predicted rise from 1990 of 0.7-1.5 °C, with a best estimate of 1.1°C.

To the year 2070 the temperature rise from pre-industrial levels wais estimated to be 1.6-3.5°C, with a best estimate of 2.4°C4.

So where are we now?

Over the first nine months of 2015, the Earth hit 1.0°C above the pre-industrial level5. It is currently at 1.1°C abovethose levels and is likely, at least temporarily, to reach the 1.5°C within the next five years.

This 1.5°C threshold was set at the Paris Accord as an ambitious target6.

That target now looks a forlorn hope.

An increase in global average temperature of 2.0°C could cause a cascade of positive feedbacks that may lead us to a ‘Hothouse Earth’7.

The term ‘fifth column’ was first used by the Spanish Nationalist general Emilio Mola in describing his supporters within the city of Madrid when it was besieged by his four columns of troops.

The term was used often in World War II, especially by the nations who initially suffered defeat at the hands of the Nazis: France, UK, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Norway and the Netherlands.

It was even mentioned in the US with regard to Japanese Americans after the attack on Pearl Harbour in late 1941, and led to their disgraceful mass internment during the war8.

There were Nazi sympathisers in the UK, and they thought they were providing information to Nazi Germany, whereas their supposed conduit to Germany was in fact an MI5 mole.

None of the information was passed to Germany, but in return these fifth columnists were provided with fake Nazi medals for their efforts.

These people were traitors driven by Nazi ideology and the MI5 staff were appalled at the bloodlust shown by some of them, as they were ‘thrilled’ by German air-raids which killed people including women and children9.

During the cold war there were numerous instances of ideologues spying for the Soviet Union.

Some of the most well known included Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, Klaus Fuchs, and the Cambridge Five (Donald Maclean, Guy Burgess, Kim Philby, Anthony Blunt and John Cairncross).

However, there were a few who did it solely for financial gain.

These included such people as Aldrich Ames who, while going through a financially disastrous divorce, walked into the Soviet embassy in Washington, D.C., and offered to trade secrets for money. Over the next nine years, he was paid about $US2.7 million in return for leaving classified documents at prearranged dead drops. He disclosed the identities of almost every agent working for the Americans within the Soviet Union, at least 10 of whom were subsequently executed. As the then CIA director said “they died because this warped murdering traitor wanted a bigger house and a Jaguar”. Ames was convicted of espionage and is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole10.

All of these ‘traitors’ from the cold war were charged with espionage because treason is essentially a wartime phenomenon.

All treason case law in Australia and the UK resulted from activities during the Boer War and the two world wars.

The law against treason in Australia, generally refers to: causing harm to the sovereign; levying war or preparing to do so against Australia; assisting enemies at war with Australia; or instigating foreigners to attack Australia11.

If this struggle against global warming can be likened to a World War 3, then what are we to call the people who actually work against our ability to combat global warming?

Are they fifth columnists?

Are they traitors?

The answer is unfortunately no, because we are not involved in a shooting war.

However, they are acting against Australia’s best interests in accepting political donations and spruiking what their donors tell them.

These donors are climate change deniers, and these people and organisations have lied about the fact of global warming for decades.

We are indeed involved in a war, but it is not primarily against the changing climate, but against those who try to prevent us from doing anything about it.

It is they who are condemning millions to die from the effects of climate change, and condemning our descendants to inherit a much poorer and more dangerous planet.

That is their crime and because of its scale, it is far worse than treason.

However, to deal with this, in Australian law, all we seem to have is section 22 of the Crimes Act 1958 which states that “a person who, without lawful excuse, recklessly engages in conduct that places or may place another person in danger of death is guilty of an indictable offence”.

The maximum penalty for this crime is 10 years imprisonment12.

To prosecute people like Gina Rinehart and organisations like the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) under this is probably a forlorn hope.

However, civil law may be brought to bear on these people and their purchased politicians, as it could be construed that their actions have led to a dramatic loss of livelihood for people such as farmers and tourism operators on the Great Barrier Reef, among others.

The young know that their futures are being sold out to the highest bidder for no reason except self-enrichment.

We of the older generation who understand science and the venality of the political class also know that is happening.

The reckoning is coming and if Murdoch, Rinehart and the IPA have their way and it is not done electorally or through legal processes, it is likely to be done violently.

I have children and I am prepared to do whatever I can to try to secure their future and the future of their children on a planet that is as at least as habitable as it is now.

If all this fails, then the least we can do is to make sure that all the politicians’ children know that their parents’ major concerns were: keeping up the flow of money to their party’s coffers from fossil fuel companies and their wealthy owners; being re-elected at all costs; avoiding scrutiny by keeping most of these donations secret; avoiding scrutiny of their donors by royal commissions; avoiding scrutiny of themselves by an anti-corruption body; and that all the possible futures that their children may have were a distant and last concern to their fathers.

Postscript: When I posted a link to this essay on Twitter, a Mark Boscawen replied with a series of tweets explaining the erection of the following: An obelisk at, say, Penrith in western Sydney. On one side is a list of those in politics who actively worked against climate action (e.g. Tony Abbott, Barnaby Joyce etc.). On the second face would be a list of those in the media who spoke out against climate action (e.g. Alan Jones, Ray Hadley, Chris Smith, Andrew Bolt). On the third side a list of those in business who funded the lobbyists and PR campaigns; and those who accepted the money (e.g. Gina Rinehart, John Roskam etc.). On the fourth side would be the others, those who put greed above humanity (e.g. Donald Trump, Rupert Murdoch). This is so that their actions are known so that any attempt to rewrite history will be futile.

I would add to this that if these people are so sure that climate change is in error or a conspiracy then they should be proud to have their names up there.

If they are not so keen to have their names inscribed, then this will show their real motivations.

It will also make clear to their descendants where they stood.

Sources

1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_McKibben

2 https://newrepublic.com/article/135684/declare-war-climate-change-mobilize-wwii

3 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intergovernmental_Panel_on_Climate_Change

4 https://www.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/far/wg_I/ipcc_far_wg_I_chapter_06.pdf

5 http://climateanalytics.org/briefings/global-warming-reaches-1c-above-preindustrial-warmest-in-more-than-11000-years.html

6 https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/jan/31/met-office-warns-of-global-temperature-rise-exceeding-15c-limit

7 http://www.blotreport.com/environment/the-danger-of-feedback/

8 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth_column

9 https://www.ft.com/content/d718f2f2-9fc3-11e3-b6c7-00144feab7de

• https://www.history.com/news/6-traitorous-cold-war-spies

• http://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/MonashULawRw/2000/6.pdf

• http://www.findlaw.com.au/articles/4871/reckless-conduct-endangering-life.aspx

Press Link For More: BLOT REPORT

#ClimateChange poses #RISK across industries. #asi2018 @aistbuzz #ClimateRisk #Superannuation #auspol #qldpol @del_irani #Divest

Climate change poses risks across industries, governments and countries.

Pension plans – with their large, global investments – are not immune to these risks.

As a long-term investors, our role at is to look decades into the future to identify challenges and opportunities that could affect our members’ retirement security.

To ensure plan sustainability, we must better understand the risks climate change poses.

The transition to a carbon-neutral economy will be increasingly disruptive and we need to be ready to adapt.

Waiting for governments and regulators to act will take too long.

The impacts of climate change are already being felt.

That is why investors need to build climate risk into their investments, starting now.

We recently issued our Climate Change Action Plan.

Among other things, the action plan commits us to: determineour exposure to industries, geographies and companies that are most exposed; engage with companies on improved performance on ESG factors; and demand better disclosure of the information investors need to properly price climate change-related risk.

We have already made some progress in our climate-change journey.

With our 2017 Funded Status Report, OPTrust became one of the first pension plans to report according to the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures.

We have also issued a white paper calling for a standardised climate change disclosure framework.

Through a G7 initiative and groups such as Climate Action 100+, Canadian investors are working with others around the world to develop common standards and encourage corporations to curb greenhouse-gas emissions.

As a global pension citizen, we believe we must use our voice to influence organisations to better manage climate risk.

Currently, 7.6 per cent of the OPTrust portfolio is invested in renewable energy and green real estate.

This is our direct investment in the transition to a lower-carbon economy, and these are our guiding principles:

Change happens through influence.

Fossil-fuel industries are going to be with us for the foreseeable future.

We use our ownership position to promote better practices among our investee companies, which has a far greater impact than divestment.

We have engaged 235 companies on climate-related issues, leading to improved climate risk reporting, climate-aware boards and emissions reduction.

Measurement matters.

We are focused on developing and using measures and tools that accurately support pricing climate change-related risk.

Market forces can promote sustainability.

Our job is to prioritise sustainability by balancing sufficient investment returns with appropriate amounts of risk.

We don’t believe regulation will happen soon enough.

Market forces will be the more effective means of keeping us adaptable so we can thrive in a changing climate.

Innovation has a role to play.

Successful investing requires an emphasis on assessing and understanding a constantly changing environment.

We understand the importance of having an innovation mindset and recognise that new technologies will be key in better understanding climate change risks and opportunities.

The increasingly rapid pace of change is foundational to how we think about climate change.

Work continues

OPTrust is prepared to face these challenges.

Our approach will evolve over time and the same must happen at other companies for them to adapt to the evolving landscape. Companies must be agile to manage climate risk.

Canada is a global leader in so many respects.

We can be even more so by working collaboratively with other global investors to improve understanding of climate-change impacts.

One example is to bring together climate scientists and investors for thoughtful debate, to assess and analyse how climate risk exposure affects investment portfolios.

We want our plan members and the broader community to know that addressing climate change constitutes good business and contributes to value creation and plan sustainability.

Hugh O’Reilly is president and chief executive of OPTrust. He will be speaking at the Fiduciary Investors Symposium at Stanford University, September 30-October 2, in a session covering innovation and technology in pension fund portfolios. The discussion will be chaired by Ashby Monk, executive and research director, Stanford Global Projects Center. More information is available here. Note: the event is open only to asset owners.

Press link for more: Top 1000 Funds

#Pacific leaders to turn up heat on #climatechange #auspol #qldpol #nswpol #RiseForClimate #StopAdani #EndCoal Standby our neighbours.

he 18-member Pacific Islands Forum includes countries such as Kiribati, which are only metres above sea level and risk being swamped by rising oceans

Climate change will dominate discussions when the leaders of vulnerable Pacific nations hold their annual meeting in the Samoan capital Apia this week, with global warming threatening their existence, officials say.

The 18-member Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) includes countries such as Kiribati and Tuvalu, which are only metres above sea level and risk being swamped by rising oceans.

Others, such as Vanuatu and Fiji, have been battered in recent years by devastating cyclones that have become more extreme as global warming affects weather patterns.

Tuvalu Prime Minister Enele Sopoaga said there was no subject more important to the people of the Pacific.

“This is an issue about our existence… climate change threatens our very identities,” he said.

PIF secretary general Meg Taylor said the summit, which opens Tuesday, was an opportunity for small island nations to speak as one voice.

“We can do more together than we can alone, I think this will be at the heart of the discussions,” she said.

Taylor said the unified approach had already proved successful when Pacific nations successfully pushed for strong aspirational goals at the UN climate talks in Paris in 2015.

“That was led by the champions of the Pacific… (we) were able to persuade the world that this was so very important,” she said.

The Pacific’s next chance to prick the world’s conscience and demand further action on climate is at UN talks being held in Bonn in November.

Fiji, as one of the island nations on the frontline of climate change, has been invited to chair the talks, making this week’s PIF an important forum for Pacific leaders to discuss strategy.

Fijian Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama earlier this year offered permanent refuge to the peoples of Tuvalu and Kiribati.

But Sopoaga said the bigger issues of global warming and sea-level rise needed to be addressed and relocation was not the answer.

“It’s not as simple as that because you have to be concerned of your protection and sovereignty rights, human rights and therefore you have to be very careful and you have to prioritise this issue,” he said.

Conservation International’s Sue Taei said leaders arriving for the Samoa meeting needed to examine how to pay for climate change mitigation.

Samoa’s Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi said the “Blue Pacific” theme of this year’s summit put specific focus on placing the region at the centre of international policy making.

“Embracing this as a unique opportunity in the history of the region, the Blue Pacific provides a new narrative for Pacific regionalism and how the Forum engages with the world,” he said.

The PIF links Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

Explore further: Paris climate talks our last chance, Pacific leaders say

Press link for more: Phys.org

The mothers of all battles: how the fight against #climatechange is being led by moms #auspol #qldpol #nswpol #StopAdani #EndCoal #RiseForClimate

The mothers of all battles: how the fight against climate change is being led by moms across America

Kelsey Wirth03 September 2018

Credit: @MothersOutFront

The news on the climate grows bleaker every day.

In the United States (and Australia) , the current administrations not only deny human-caused climate change, they actively works to roll back any progress made on environmental standards or climate change policy implemented in the past few decades.

Five short years ago, I founded Mothers Out Front with a handful of other mothers in the Boston area.

We came together out of a deep fear of what the future held for our children in the face of climate change and a shared determination to do something about it.

Today, we are a strong and growing movement of more than 19,000 mothers and other allies, with teams in nine states.

It is clear that we must step up to fill the leadership void left by elected officials at the highest levels of our government—and that the opportunity to effect change lies at the state and local levels.

In Australia mothers are also worried about their children’s future.

We believe mothers have the power to overcome the greatest challenge of our time.

Our growing record of campaign wins demonstrate the strength we have when we work together.

As mothers join this critical work, their common refrain is that “for the first time I feel hopeful in the face of climate change.”

Knitting Nannas

We break down the enormity of our changing climate into simple steps.

We make it possible for any mother to take action.

We coach and encourage.

We lead.

We get things done.

In city halls and statehouses, we are seen and heard. When we speak, we amplify a different voice.

We call on our elected officials to create policy that ends our dependence on dirty fossil fuels and focuses on clean, renewable sources of energy.

We hold leaders accountable to their commitments.

Example: Last fall, Mothers Out Front and our allies pushed to bring community choice energy to Boston.

Mayor Marty Walsh called the withdrawal from the Paris Accord “irresponsible” and committed with other “climate mayors” to “stay in.” A perfect next step to achieving these goals would be 200,000 households and small businesses with access to clean energy for their electricity.

The Boston City Council passed the measure unanimously and the mayor signed it into law. Along with our allies, we savoured the victory and looked forward to implementation. It never came. Our “climate mayor” hasn’t taken the next steps to enact CCE in Boston. Today, we continue our push to bring it and other bold climate measures to the city. We will not stop until real action is taken to move us towards clean, renewable energy.

This summer we turn our focus to holding all those leaders who vowed to “stay in” accountable to their promise. In advance of the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco, mothers will take action to remind their governors, mayors and legislators of their commitment to a livable climate for all children.

Together, mothers are powerful, and we won’t give up. The lives of our children are at stake.

Kelsey Wirth is the Co-Founder and Chair of Mothers Out Front

Press link for more: The Elders

Cronulla #climatechange protest rally on global action day, #RiseforClimate #auspol #qldpol #nswpol #StopAdani #EndCoal

Cronulla climate change protest rally on global action day, Rise for Climate

Eva KolimarSeptember 4 2018 – 9:00AM

Organisers of a climate change protest rally hope a gathering at Cronulla Park will put pressure on the government.

The September 8 rally from 12.30pm, ‘Snap Climate Rally: Kick Coal Out of Politics!’, is one of dozens in Australia that demand leadership on climate action.

It coincides with global day of climate action, Rise For Climate.

Groups including 350.org, Get Up, Greenpeace, AYCC, Stop Adani, Solar Citizens, and Nature Conservation of NSW are organising the event.

350.org spokeswoman Lou Fraser says the community will stand up for a clean future.

“Climate change is already here and hurting people in our communities, bringing more bushfires and droughts, and bleaching the Great Barrier Reef.

“The community is streets ahead of this government on global warming.

“Australians want renewables to be our main source of energy and we will keep at it…to move our country beyond coal to a sun-powered future.”

Fairfax Media reports that Pacific leaders are urging Mr Morrison to deepen Australia’s cuts to greenhouse gas emissions and cement its commitment to the Paris agreement on climate change.

Press link for more: The Leader

Governments ‘not on track’ to cap temperatures at below 2 degrees: U.N. #auspol #qldpol #nswpol #ClimateChange #Drought #Heatwave #StopAdani #EndCoal #Divest @aistbuzz Criminal Negligence #RiseForClimate

Governments ‘not on track’ to cap temperatures at below 2 degrees: U.N.

Amy Sawitta Lefevre

BANGKOK, (Reuters) – Governments are not on track to meet a goal of the 2015 Paris agreement of capping temperatures well below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) before the end of the century, a United Nations official said on Sunday ahead of climate-change talks in Bangkok this week.

FILE PHOTO – Participants are seen in silhouette as they look at a screen showing a world map with climate anomalies during the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21) at Le Bourget, near Paris, France, December 8, 2015. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe

Patricia Espinosa, head of the Executive Secretary of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which steers the climate talks, said both the public and private sector need to act with urgency to avoid “catastrophic effects”.

Patricia Espinosa

The Paris climate agreement, adopted by almost 200 nations in 2015, set a goal of limiting warming to “well below” a rise of 2 degrees C above pre-industrial times while “pursuing efforts” for the tougher goal of 1.5 degrees C.

“1.5 is the goal that is needed for many islands and many countries that are particularly vulnerable to avoid catastrophic effects.

In many cases it means the survival of those countries.

With the pledges we have on the table now we are not on track to achieve those goals,” Espinosa told Reuters in a telephone interview on Sunday in Bangkok.

Australia’s New Prime Minister Scott Morrison loves coal. Even though Australia’s Carbon emissions soar since former Prime Minister Tony Abbott axed the carbon Tax

A Europe-wide heat wave this summer and bush fires in Australia, among other things, should give new impetus to the talks, said Espinosa.

“It really does make the evidence clear that climate change is having an impact on the daily lives of people,” Espinosa said.

“I do believe that this will create a bigger sense of urgency.”

The Bangkok talks come ahead of a December meeting in Katowice, Poland, where government ministers will meet to agree rules for the 2015 Paris climate accord.

That accord set a sweeping goal of ending the fossil fuel era this century, but the text was vague on details.

Espinosa said she hopes that a draft text for negotiation on the “rule book” of the 2015 agreement will emerge at the end of the week-long Bangkok talks.

“These draft texts that we hope can emerge from these talks here in Bangkok are something that we need to build on from the talks in Paris 2015. This is a process that has been ongoing for some time. One of the reasons why this is so complex is because we are talking about … many different areas. One of those areas that countries need to take action on is to reduce their emissions,” she said.

A promise by rich nations to provide developing nations with $100 billion a year to tackle climate change is only one part of the huge transformation needed, she added.

“There is a clear view that the $100 billion is only one part of the broad transformation of our societies that we are talking about… There is also a need to mobilize private financing,” said Espinosa.

Reporting by Amy Sawitta Lefevre; Editing by Christopher Cushing

Press link for more: Reuters

Ride of the crusading knights of the Liberal Party Right. #auspol #qldpol #nswpol #ClimateChange #StopAdani #EndCoal

You really have to hand it to the geniuses behind last week’s failed coup.

In one spectacularly botched operation they managed to destroy at least four leaders and any hope the coalition had of scraping back into office.

Even by the extraordinary standards of the past decade of Australian politics, that is quite something.

These fools are politics’ answer to the gang who couldn’t shoot straight.

Malcolm Turnbull was the coalition’s best chance of winning the next election.

They killed his career.

Scott Morrison Australia’s new Prime Minister

For some reason, the insurgents, as Turnbull called them, believed Peter Dutton could do better.

I’m not sure what planet they’ve come from to think that, but they’ve now put his career to the sword, too.

My view is Dutton will lose his seat at the next election and be turfed from politics altogether. I’ll go into why in a minute.

But not satisfied with just knocking off two leaders, they’ve also managed to ensure a third — Scott Morrison — has next to no hope of leading them to victory when the general election comes around.

Abbott and Dutton

The coalition will be lucky if it doesn’t lose by more than 10 seats, given the boiling disgust their actions have ignited among average voters.

And then there’s Julie Bishop.

The message she delivered in her characteristically dignified news conference on Tuesday would seem to suggest she’s had her one shot at being leader.

When I asked her whether she thought the Liberal Party would ever bring itself to elect a popular female leader, her answer was elliptical.

“Well, when we find one I’m sure they will,” she said.

Of course, she knows they have found one.

She’s been right in front of their face for years.

It’s her.

All the polls have told us so. And the parliamentary party refused to back her in.

Bishop would have very little interest in running for Opposition leader after the next election.

Selfie with Andrew Hastie & Julie Bishop Prepoll Mandurah W.A. last election.

When you’ve been a minister for as long as she has under prime ministers Howard, Abbott and Turnbull, representing government at the highest level around the world, the prospect of several years of hard slog with a decimated team on the Opposition benches has very little to recommend it.

But it doesn’t really stop there.

The first-class fiasco of last week has probably also wiped out the careers of two or three future leadership contenders as well.

It pretty much sealed Christian Porter’s fate.

He has little hope now of holding Pearce after this debacle. And, it would seem, he has little hope of shifting to Bishop’s safe seat of Curtin as a Plan B.

This week was the time for Bishop to telegraph that handover if it were to be on the cards.

She didn’t.

And Craig Laundy, who also has leadership abilities, sounds like he’s had a gutful. It’s not even clear whether he’ll stand at the next election, let alone have a crack at leading any time after.

So, there are six careers ruined and we could probably find more.

That is some achievement. And for what?

No one has even tried to explain why they embarked on this orgy of self-destruction.

But I’ve got an idea.

I reckon it all goes back to the inglorious night of the “Black Hand” at the Star City Casino’s Cherry Bar in Sydney in June last year.

“Black Hand” is the name George Brandis gave to the informal group of party moderates who regularly meet on the sidelines of official Liberal events to discuss factional issues.

You might remember the controversy sparked by a recording of leading moderate Christopher Pyne from that night boasting over cocktails about how the moderates were now in control of the party and pushing ahead with their progressive agenda.

The emergence of the tape set off a firestorm in the Right. Conservatives saw Pyne’s alcohol-fuelled bravado as a rallying cry to war.

And so began an existential battle within the Liberal Party in which the crusading knights of the Right, led by Tony Abbott, set off to wrest back control of the party by any means at their disposal.

It developed into an ideological crusade and the events of last week, as illogical as they may seem to most voters, were to be the final confrontation.

The objective was to supplant Turnbull, the king of the moderates, with Dutton, who would become the shining new knight of the conservative cause.

As it turned out, the plan was about as sharp as a bowl of porridge.

And Dutton looks cooked.

He holds his Queensland seat of Dickson by just 2 per cent.

My mail says he will face a full frontal attack from GetUp! to boot him out at the next election.

GetUp! is planning to flood the electorate with direct mailing, robocalls and foot soldiers hammering him hard on trust, disloyalty, his harsh treatment of refugees and the questions arising from his personal intervention in the au pair cases.

The activist group ran an aggressive ground campaign against Dutton’s candidate, “Big Trev” Rutherglen, in the by-election in the neighbouring seat of Longman and smashed him. That, I’m told, was just a warm-up for the main event aimed at ending Dutton’s political career once and for all.

Unlike the Queensland LNP, GetUp! is cashed up, well-staffed and strategically sharp.

What an unmitigated disaster.

The only winner out of all of this? Tony Abbott. He has exacted his vengeance on Turnbull and set the Liberal Party on a path to destruction that will leave in its wake a bleak dystopian hellscape from which he sees himself as the only saviour.

Arise Tony 2.0.

I kid you not.

Monty Python could not have scripted this more absurdly.

Press link for more: The West

The Climate Fight’s Next Turning Point | UNFCCC #RiseForClimate #auspol #qldpol #nswpol #ClimateChange #StopAdani #EndCoal

This opinion piece was first posted August 28, 2018 on Project Syndicate.

It is by UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa and Anne Hidalgo, the Mayor of Paris and Chair of C40 Cities.

Scientists agree that global carbon dioxide emissions must reach a turning point in 2020 if we are to achieve carbon neutrality (emissions low enough to be safely absorbed by forests, soils, and other natural systems) by mid-century. But while nearly 50 countries have or may have reached their emissions peaks, progress must be accelerated.

PARIS – Next month, the Global Climate Action Summit – one of the largest international gatherings on climate change the world has seen – will be held in San Francisco.

The event, whose theme is “Take Ambition to the Next Level,” aims to serve as a launchpad for accelerated action that will enable the world to meet the goals set by the 2015 Paris climate agreement.

It is a golden opportunity to make progress in the effort to combat global warming, but it can be seized only with the involvement of all stakeholders.

With the Paris climate agreement, the international community agreed to limit the rise in average global temperature to 2° Celsius – and ideally 1.5°C – above pre-industrial levels.

To that end, national governments were tasked with developing their own climate-action plans, called Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

But national governments cannot do it alone.

Everyone – including those at all levels of government, as well as business leaders, investors, and civil society – must contribute.

This calls for a new form of inclusive multilateralism – one that can also be applied to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, which complement the Paris agreement’s commitments.

It is a tall order, but there is plenty of reason for optimism.

There is unprecedented global momentum to build a low-carbon, climate-secure future, characterized by a dynamic green economy, a thriving society, and a healthy environment.

Globally, renewable power accounted for 70% of net additions to power-generating capacity in 2017, according to the Renewables 2018 Global Status Report.

Moreover, as part of the Under2 Coalition, over 200 states, regions, and local authorities have committed to cut their greenhouse-gas emissions by at least 80% below 1990 levels by 2050.

Urban centers are also proving their capacity for climate innovation and leadership. New York City has mandated the retrofitting of 14,500 of the city’s most polluting buildings.

Shenzhen has become the first city in the world with a fully electric bus fleet.

Shenzhen in China has 16,359 electric buses, more than America’s biggest cities’s conventional bus fleet — Quartz

Curitiba, Brazil, has introduced a new model of urban food production. And Oslo has created a climate budget to guide financial decision-making.

At the business level, more than 700 companies with a total market capitalization of over $16 trillion have made far-reaching climate commitments, according to the We Mean Business Coalition. And 289 investors, holding nearly $30 trillion in assets, have signed on to Climate 100+, a five-year initiative to engage with the world’s largest corporate greenhouse-gas emitters to improve governance on climate change, curb emissions, and strengthen climate-related financial disclosures.

As a result, global green bond issuance could reach $300 billion this year.

Yet we are far from being in the clear.

Scientists agree that global carbon dioxide emissions must reach a turning point in 2020 if we are to achieve carbon neutrality (with emissions low enough to be safely absorbed by forests, soils, and other natural systems) by mid-century.

So far, nearly 50 countries have or may have reached their emissions peaks, and more may soon join their ranks.

This is progress, but it is not enough.

In fact, greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are still accumulating at a rate that will soon take us well above the 1.5°C threshold, beyond which some of the worst effects of climate change cannot be staved off.

Extreme weather already is becoming more common, as exemplified by record-high temperatures worldwide this year.

On current trends, average global temperatures could well rise by 3°C, imperiling vital natural systems like coral reefs, rainforests, and the polar regions.

All relevant stakeholders need to strengthen their climate commitments. To kick-start that process, the Global Climate Action Summit and its partners have issued a wide array of new challenges, including zero-waste goals in cities, a target of 500 companies adopting science-based targets, and initiatives to accelerate uptake of zero-emission vehicles.

Such efforts would not just protect our environment; they would also boost our economies. A recent report by the New Climate Economy suggests that, in transportation alone, a low-carbon transition would create 23 million jobs worldwide annually.

Perhaps more important, a show of climate-action ambition from leaders across sectors would likely inspire national governments to increase their own NDCs ahead of this December’s United Nations Climate Change Conference in Poland, where governments will finalize the implementation guidelines of the Paris agreement.

Acting alone can be difficult. Acting in concert can inspire and enable all participants to do more. And if we are to leave a healthy planet to future generations, more is what we need.

See the opinion on Project Syndicate here

How to organise a #RiseForClimate event. #StopAdani #EndCoal #FLAC #ClimateChange now #ClimateCrisis

How to organise a Rise for Climate event in 2 weeks or less

Maybe you just found out about Rise for Climate, or you’ve been thinking about organising an event, but haven’t made a start yet. There’s now less than 2 weeks until the day – can you make it happen?

Maybe you just found out about Rise for Climate, or you’ve been thinking about organising an event, but haven’t made a start yet. There’s now less than 2 weeks until Rise for Climate – can you make it happen?

Yes you can! Your efforts do and can make a difference – with extreme weather and climate impacts taking a huge toll on millions of people around the world, it’s time for all of us to rise for climate action.

Whether you want to see your local leaders turning your town, city, church or university to renewable energy and divesting funds from fossil fuel companies; or your local council banning fossil fuel projects; or perhaps this is the first time you are organising an event calling for action on climate change and so want to start with something small, 1 – 2 weeks is enough time to organise a Rise for Climate action. Hop to it!

If you haven’t already, check the Rise for Climate map to see if other events are happening near you (You could join them! Or make sure you’re not clashing with them.)

Here’s 4 tips of how to approach your rapid event organising, followed by a list of the key steps and resources to get you up and started right away.

1. At this point, small is beautiful

A Rise for Climate event can be done with as few as 5 friends or work mates. If you think you can turn out more, go for it! But at this point it’s probably too late to be organising a rally or large gathering of people.

But by registering your event on the Rise for Climate event map, others will also be able to find you, and get in touch to join your event.

2. Keep it simple and go deep

One of the ways to make impact is to lean into your cultural and social heritage.

“The most effective quick, small actions I’ve seen draw on an aspect of personal identity that made them meaningful. Like when 15 Latino teens wore Quinceañera dresses on the steps of the Texas Capitol building to protest an immigration law. It didn’t take a lot of people, but it took heart and smarts. It was powerful because it challenged stereotypes and showed us the beauty and strength of these young women who would be targeted by the law. Their action made headlines around the world.” – 350.org’s Mobilisation Strategist Bridget Burrows

https://youtu.be/wjBG89NmAXk

It’s not just cultural identity that you can draw upon – for example, it might be that your identity is being a woman, concerned about how climate change will affect your community. You might be a grandparent – a classic example is the Knitting Nannas who take their knitting to protests.

Or perhaps you have an existing relationship with an unusual or interesting ally that you could ask to join for your event?

Over to you, but remember to always be respectful and don’t claim culture that isn’t yours to claim.

Dhaka, Bangladesh

The Grafton Knitting Nannas Against Gas & Greed in action.

3.Choose a recognisable or symbolic location for your action

Whether it be a building, the ocean, a desert, or a public park, by choosing a recognisable or symbolic location you can draw on the power of association, show that diverse and iconic places are onboard with climate action, and bring interest to your action and photos of it. Some locations are sacred to local peoples, so be sure that any location you choose will be culturally appropriate.

There is a rich history of taking 350 photos at iconic locations – here are some examples:

The Great Barrier Reef, Cairns Australia

Yosemite, USA

Cappadocia, Turkey

4. Identify your demand

It’s up to you to decide on what the appropriate demand of your local leaders is – it could be in the form of a petition, or  letter, or it could be a message you make visually. Here’s the overall Rise for Climate Demand to help guide you:

The bar for real climate leadership is simple: public, actionable commitments to a fast and fair transition to a fossil free world, powered by 100% renewable energy for all.

We can’t keep powering our lives with dirty fuels from the last century. It’s time to repower our communities with clean, renewable energy from the sun, earth, wind and water.

We need every local government and institution to commit to building 100% renewable energy and stopping new dirty energy projects in their community. Anything less than that is out of line with what science and justice demand.

5. Use the Rise for Climate visuals

From Bogota, Colombia to Suva, Fiji to Paris, France we’re expecting thousands of people, hundreds of events, and more than 63 countries to Rise for Climate Action on September 8th. While many of us speak different languages, we will be speaking a common language with the symbols that unite us —

The symbol of an orange X represents what we need to put a stop to: fossil fuel infrastructure and climate impacts. A yellow Sun represents the solutions we need: solar power, wind power, resilience to climate change, people power.

Read more about the symbols of Rise for Climate here.

Ready? Your first steps:

1 Write out a short plan for your event. The Rise Safety & Risk Toolkit provides useful guidance for making a plan using What, When, Where, How & Who.

2 Register your event – click here.

3 Invite people to join you in organising the action, and assign roles between you. These are some important resources that can support your team:

1 Reporting on your event with social media, photos and video here.

2 Media & communications toolkit

4 All the best!

Press link for more: Rise for Climate