Getup! to challenge the climate sceptic hosts dominating Talk Back Radio

Getup! is launching proceedings against climate sceptic talk back radio hosts following on from the ABC Mediawatch program on the lack of balance in the climate debate as presented by talk back radio hosts in Australia.

Jonathon Holmes of Mediawatch takes on the lack of balance in the climate change debate on Australian talk back radio dominated by climate sceptic hosts such as Greg Cary and Gary Hardgrave on 4BC, Alan Jones and Chris Smith on 2GB, Jason Morrison, David Oldfield and Michael Smith on 2UE, and Howard Sattler on 6PR.Watch the program broadcast on March 21 and read the transcript at the ABC Mediawatch: Balancing a Hot Debate including extra related material.

Moths help Australia turn out the lights for Earth Hour

To advertise earth hour in Australia Leo Burnett created this one minute ad spot for earth hour, 8.30pm Saturday March 26.

On a more serious note, Julia Guillard also did a video for Earth Hour (see end of page).

Malcolm Turnbull on the Coalition's Climate Change Policy

John Clarke and Bryan Dawe talk carbon tax. Some satirical humour on the carbon tax on the Seven thirty report last night with a dig at Malcolm Turnbull having to support the Coalition Climate policy he opposes and knows is wrong to preserve shadow cabinet solidarity.

Are you Con Fused? Maybe you should ask Malcolm Turbull, former Opposition leader and now shadow cabinet minister, about the merits of the opposition's stance on reducing carbon pollution.

Arctic Sea Ice extent winter maximum continues sea ice decline

Arctic sea ice extent has just passed it's maximum - estimated to be March 7 this year. Only this year it has tied with 2006-2007 as the lowest on record according to satellite records that began in 1979.

The seven lowest maximum Arctic sea ice extents measured by satellites all have occurred in the last seven years, according to Colorado University-Boulder Research Scientist Walt Meier from the National Snow and Ice Data Center. "I'm not surprised by the new data because we've seen a downward trend in winter sea ice extent for some time now." he said.

Action for Climate change petition delivered as conservatives rally against Carbon Tax

Canberra was the focus of action today over climate change and the Government's proposed carbon tax, with an action for climate change petition presented, youth climate activists in town to meet politicians, and the No Tax on Carbon rally attended by climate deniers and conservatives and actively promoted on shock-jock talk back radio.

Ged Kearney from the ACTU and Kellie Caught from the WWF-Australia delivered a petition with 12,500 names supporting action on climate change to Greg Combet, Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, at Parliament house in the morning.

Climate Deniers Rally against carbon tax in Canberra

People opposed to a carbon tax rallied at noon in Canberra, Melbourne and Brisbane. The protest in Canberra was organised by the Consumers and Taxpayers Assoc Inc. and 2GB broadcaster Chris Smith.

Majority want to tax polluters: Galaxy poll

A new poll undertaken by Galaxy Research and released by the Greens found that the majority of Australians support "taxing the big polluters" rather than to "pay money to polluters to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions."

The question was framed to compare the Government's proposed carbon price with the opposition parties "direct action" policy that would subsidise polluters to reduce carbon emissions.

Thousands gather in Melbourne to support Pricing Pollution

Getup!, AYCC and other organisations held a rally on Saturday morning 12 March 2011, in support of the Gillard Government's announcement for pricing carbon from July 1st 2012, The rally was held outside the Prime Ministerial offices in Treasury Place and was organised in response to a rally by climate deniers and those opposed to a carbon price outside Julia Gillard's Altona electoral office.

I didn't arrive till about halfway through the rally and Treasury place was packed to the rafters by then. See a few of my photos on Flickr.

Paving paradise - Coomoora Reserve falls to the bulldozers for Dingley arterial road

Coomoora Woodland Flora and Fauna Reserve was a small oasis of biodiversity in an urban environment. Located in the City of Greater Dandenong in outer Melbourne, it was listed by the National Trust for it's local and regional environmental and heritage significance and provided an environmental refuge for remnant native bushland and wildlife. It was a place of tranquillity where people could reconnect with the natural environment, where school groups could study biology and ecology. But it's listing by the National Trust could not prevent it's destruction by Vicroads and the State Government to make way for the Dingley Arterial.

Community owned wind farms tackling climate change

Photo: Concrete Pour for turbine 1 at Leonard's Hill © Hepburn Wind

While Governments and business have been slow to progress action on climate change some communities are putting their money into action by financing and establishing community owned and operated utility scale wind farms. Hepburn Wind is arguably the first Australian community owned wind farm located at Leonards Hill, near the town of Daylesford in central Victoria. When completed this year its two wind turbines, each producing 2 megawatts power for the grid, will supply enough for 2,300 homes, most of the demand generated in the Daylesford and Hepburn Springs area.

Residents consider community owned wind farm for the New England region

In Armidale Town Hall seventy residents gathered on 1st March to consider the merits of a community-owned wind farm for the New England region. The New England region has good wind resources and good access to transmission lines.

Over 90% of NSW electricity is produced from coal, and the development of wind farms is seen as an important contribution to meeting the Federal Government 's Renewable Energy Target which requires that 20 per cent of Australia's electricity be produced from renewable energy sources by 2020.

Queensland's Coal addiction - talk by Guy Pearse

While browsing youtube I came across this presentation - Queensland's Continuing Carbon Addiction - by Dr Guy Pearse, a research fellow at the Global Change Institute of the University of Queensland, delivered on October 28, 2010.

Legal challenge against new Xstrata coal mine at Wandoan

Late last week Friends of the Earth Brisbane lodged an objection in the Queensland Land Court against development of a massive open cut coal mine proposed by Xstrata Coal for west of Wandoan in South West Queensland, citing the contribution this mine will make to severe weather events through greenhouse gas emissions contributing to climate change.

Carbon pollution subsidies outstrip climate change funding

New analysis done by the Australian Conservation Foundation shows that while funding and subsidies for solar power and climate change related programs has increased by $500 million per year, subsidies and concessions for fossil fuel carbon pollution related activies soared by $1.5 billion per year, 3 times as much.