Australia commits to signing Global Methane Pledge

Australia committed today to sign on to the Global Methane Pledge to cut methane emissions by 30 percent by 2030 based on 2020 levels. Australia will join 122 other countries in signing the pledge. Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen released a statement this afternoon of this commitment and putting in place measures to support the farming sector to reduce methane. No mention of addressing under-reporting of methane emissions and addressing mining fugitive emissions was more nebulous.

Signing the pledge was supported by many environmental groups and the National Farmers Federation.

Victoria sets 75-80% emissions reduction target for 2035, Net zero by 2045, New Renewables Targets VRET of 65% by 2030, 95% by 2035.

The Victorian Labor Premier, Dan Andrews, and Climate Change Minister Lily D'Ambrosio, have announced the State's 2035 emissions reduction target, new renewable energy targets and re-establishment of a  government Owned electricity supplier for the market.. 

The new 2035 emissions reduction target is set at 75-80% reductions on 2005 levels, and net zero by 2045. It places Victoria as globally ambitious in climate targets.

Victoria new renewable energy targets are 95% renewables by 2035, 65% by 2030.

The Victorian state government will undertake to build 4.5 gigawatts of publicly owned renewables and the reestablishment of a publicly owned electric commission. 

The government has estimated its energy plan will create 60,000 jobs by 2035. 

Flemington Racecourse Floowall an example of urban climate maladaptation

Victorian Racing Club were allowed by the Bracks Labor Government to build a stone flood wall at Flemington Racecourse in 2006 over the objections of local residents and three local Councils. 

This racing track is built on the floodplain and should provide mitigation from floodwaters. 

Instead those floodwaters from the Maribynong river inundated local residential areas on Friday flooding about 245 homes, and damaging many vehicles. 

Prevention of floodwaters spreading across the Flemington racetrack likely exacerbated flood impacts on residential areas that were flooded.

Who will pay for the damage to residential property? The citizens affected, their insurance companies (if they have flood insurance) and it will contribute to all our insurance premiums.

All to prioritise the gambling industry above citizens. And the Melbourne Cup.

Nitrogen Fertilizer Urea production Locking in Fossil Fuels greenhouse gas emissions for industrial Food production

A new international report identifies Fossil Fuel fertilisers as an important growth area for coal and gas sectors  as part of the petrochemical industry. Plastics and Nitrogen fertilisers are both products of fossil fuels that continue to lock us in to systemic fossil fuel consumption. 

Fossil fertilisers create greenhouse gas emissions at every stage of production to their use in industrial agriculture. They lock our food system productivity into continued greenhouse gas emissions.

Coal or Gas are major sources for nitrogen fertiliser, turning methane into Ammonia through steam reformation, and then into Urea and water. 

Here in Victoria the recently published Victorian Greenhouse Gas emissions report to 2020 highlighted the increased Urea use, while this detail was buried very deeply in the report and few have commented on the massive expansion of Urea use in Victorian agriculture over the last thirty years. (See lead graph for Victoria Urea application.)

"The total area of crop cultivation almost doubled, from 1.8 to 3.5 million hectares between 1990 and 2020, while the application of fertilisers increased from just under 50,000 to 328,000 tonnes of nitrogen (an increase of 561%) over this period. This also contributed to a significant increase in urea application emissions which grew nearly seven-fold between 1990 and 2020 (Figure 40), with particularly strong growth in the last decade (DCCEEW 2022a)." said the Victoria report.