UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) COP16 meets from October 20 - 27 in Cali, Columbia. This is a Live article actively updated during October.
Participants will review the state of implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, including through alignment with national biodiversity strategies and action plans as well as resource mobilization. At the previous summit, COP15, which was held in Montreal in December 2022, countries agreed to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). The GBF is a set of four goals to 2050 and 23 targets to 2030 with the overarching mission of reversing the decline of biodiversity around the world by 2030. (Read the goals and targets here: The Montreal Moment for Biodiversity: Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework adopted)
Australia submitted its 6th national report to the CBD in 2020, and is due this year to submit a new national report.
Australia committed two years ago in 2022 at the landmark Convention on Biodiversity COP15 meeting in Montreal to hold an inaugural Global Nature Positive Summit. This occurred in Sydney 8-10 October.
Unlike the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework adopted at Biodiversity COP15, the Nature Positive Summit proved to have substantial greenwash from the Australian and NSW state Governments, as they continue to approve and subsidise new coal and gas or logging of native forests.
The Federal Labor Government had been elected in May 2022 with a commitment to take strong climate action and to revamp and overhaul Australia's ineffective national environment laws.
A report on State of the Australian Environment had its publication delayed by the previous Coalition Government. This report showed most ecosystems are declining or in a dire state which needs to be addressed, and is already impacting human society and economics. This expert report summaried at The Conversation, argued that:
Australia’s environment is generally deteriorating
Climate change threatens every ecosystem
The importance of Indigenous knowledge and management to deliver on-ground change
Environmental management isn’t well coordinated
Environmental decline and destruction is harming our well-being
Since Labor came to power in May 2022 we have seen some changes made such as a Water Trigger and Nature Repair Market, further changes to establish an Environment Protection Agency and Data Information Agency at a standstill in the Senate with the Government unwilling to compromise with the Greens and crossbench. Most substantive changes to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act have now been pushed out to beyond the next election. A fundamental fail by this Labor Government.
The Coalition has refused to bargain on a bipartisan basis and has signaled its support for business as usual regarding land clearing, forestry and mining. They too refused to act on the Samuel Review to upgrade ther EPBC Act. Ambition to address biodiversity crisis and species extinction is failing from both major parties.
The Nature Positive Summit seems to be more talkfest as Government policy ambition fails to address the nature negative policies already in place and driving biodiversity loss. The conference was held a week after three new thermal coal mine projects approved by the Federal Government that will result in up to 1.5 billion tonnes of lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions.
The Labor NSW government can't stand high either as Forests NSW is about to log native forests 400km north of Sydney in the Bulga State Forest, which includes habitat for ther endangered Greater Glider. The Federal Government Regional Forestry Agreements with the states exclude application of the present ineffective national environment laws to protect endangered species.
The UN climate conference, the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP28) is ocurring in Baku in the Azerbaijan from Monday November 11 to Friday November 22, 2024 (but may also go into overtime).
This is my digital diary of Australia at COP29 in Baku. I will be following whats going on at in Baku online. Follow with me. I'll be updating this blog post regularly up to the end of November 2024.
President-Designate for COP 29 is Mukhtar Babayev, Azerbaijan's Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources. Azerbaijan is a repressive state with a poor human rights record according to Human Rights Watch in leadup to a meeting in Bonn in June.
Australia will likely be represented at the ministerial level by Climate and Energy Minister Chris Bowen. See Tracking Australian Ministers and Australian pledges at COP29. Australia is lobbying to hold COP31 in 2026, and an announcement of host is likely in Baku. The city of Belem in Brazil is holding COP30 in 2025.
I'll be including detail from IISD Earth Negotiating Bulletin for each day. I might pluck details from the full report, especially relevant to Australia, and will post the 'In the Corridors" section which provides a concise 'vibe' summary on the negotiations. I might include details from other sources as needed.
19 October 2024 - Risk of Collapse of Ocean Circulation (AMOC) underestimated: Continued greenhouse gas emissions could trigger a regional cooling around the North Atlantic (Icelandic Met Office) An Open Letter by Climate Scientists, including 3 Australian climate scientists, was presented to the Nordic Council of Ministers warning of AMOC collapse "risk has so far been greatly underestimated. Such an ocean circulation change would have devastating and irreversible impacts especially for Nordic countries, but also for other parts of the world." Global impacts may include "a shift in tropical rainfall belts, reduced oceanic carbon dioxide uptake (and thus faster atmospheric increase) as well as major additional sea-level rise particularly along the American Atlantic coast, and an upheaval of marine ecosystems and fisheries"
18 October 2024 Australia at Biological Diversity COP16 in Columbia 18-27 October (Live Climate Citizen Page) See also Inaugural Global Nature Positive Summit more financial greenwash than tackling decline in nature and biodiversity (Climate Citizen)
17 October 2024 - New report on how Japan is fuelling gas expansion.Faces of Impact: JBIC and Japan’s LNG Financing Harms Communities and the Planet. Discusses communities in several countries. For Australia it discusses Scarborough Gas, Burrup Hub and the Browse gas project, and NT Middlearm hub. "A recent memorandum of understanding between JBIC and the Northern Territory Government of Australia suggests JBIC is considering financing the Northern Territory Government’s proposed gas export and petrochemical facility at Middle Arm in Darwin Harbour." (Fossil Free Japan)
17 October 2024 - New comprehensive report on growing global water crisis which will leave half of world food production at risk in next 25 years (Guardian) "The growth in consumption and changes in land use and pollution globally are impacting the quantity and quality of freshwater resources locally. Climate change, deforestation, and loss of biodiversity are mutually reinforcing drivers of shifts that are causing imbalances in the water systems, and changing rainfall patterns— the source of all freshwater."
16 October 2024 - Review of geo-engineering risks: The Risks of Geoengineering: Accelerating Biodiversity Loss and Compounding Planetary Crises (October 2024) Briefing note released ahead of Biodiversity COP16 and Climate COP29 (CIEL)
15 October 2024 - WA Environmental Protection Authority has been stripped of power to assess greenhouse emissions and set reduction targets by the WA Labor Government. An Extraordinary, regressive development in Western Australia, one of the world’s largest exporters of liquefied natural gas. (WA Today | ABC News)
15 October 2024 - Oposition leader Peter Dutton pledges Coalition to fund more gas and gas power plants using the Capacity Investment scheme that is funding renewables. (SMH) Coalition’s energy policy includes abandoning Australia’s target to slash emissions by 43% by 2030 and commits to building up to seven nuclear power stations to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
14 October 2024 - Trees and land absorbed almost no CO2 in 2023. Is nature’s carbon sink failing? Decline in global carbon sink uptake of emissions for both land and oceans. The sudden collapse of carbon sinks was not factored into climate models – and could rapidly accelerate global heating (Guardian) "In Australia, huge soil carbon losses from extreme heat and drought in the vast interior – known as rangelands – are likely to push its climate target out of reach if emissions continue to rise, a study this year found."
13 October 2024 - Carbon Pollution from Australian cremations set to double. Michael Robertson, chief executive of Adelaide Cemeteries, said if Australia mandated low-emissions cremators like those used in Europe, an additional 6000 tonnes of carbon and other particulates could be diverted from the atmosphere every year by 2050. (The Age)
12 October 2024 - Australia facing one of the hottest summers on record, according to BOM prediction (ABC News) due to exceptional heat in our surrounding oceans. It suggests more rain than average, warmer days than average. Look out for hotter nights in particular. (BOM: Climate outlook for November to February) More immediatley... Dome of sweltering NT heat set to spread across vast swathes of Australia (Guardian) Hot wet summers becoming the norm (SMH)
12 October 2024 - Rooftop solar causing more Minimum System Load events in Australian NEM grid (a good problem to have) (Guardian) Clean Energy Council says subsidising household batteries provides a solution to bring down their cost. (Clean Energy Council) Another option is cutailment.
12 October 2024 - USA - Impact of Hurricane Helene and Milton. Scientists say Climate Change Made Hurricane Milton Stronger, With Heavier Rain (Inside Climate News) Milton’s rainfall was made 20-30% more intense by Climate Change, the intensity of rain made 2X more likely. The storm made 10% more intense and storms of a similar intensity now have a 40% greater likelihood of occurring according to a rapid attribution study (World Weather Attribution). Climate change behind almost half cost of Milton and Helene damage in Florida (Imperial College) Grist estimated the damage costs of Hurricane Helene may be $US200 billion, largely not covered by insurance. (Grist) Milton could cost insurers alone up to $US100 billion. (SMH) The Guardian view on Hurricane Milton and other disasters: extreme politics is worsening extreme weather (Guardian) Straining resources with competing climate disasters (Guardian)
11 October 2024 - Victoria. Golden Plans wind farm switched on. It is so far the largest wind farm in the Southern Hemisphere, and the biggest onshore wind farm in the world. (The Age) 40 local landholders, 52 turbines. Another 163 turbines due by the end of 2026. When complete, its 215 turbines will produce more than 4000 GWh of energy each year – enough for 765,000 homes and 9 per cent of Victoria’s energy requirements. Payments to landholders will provide drought-proof income, plus local community fund and payments to the local Council.
11 October 2024 - Glencore withdraws massive HVO Hunter coal mine expansion with 1.2 billion tonnes of lifecycle emissions from Federal approvals process (Australia Institute | Lock the Gate)
11 October 2024 - new research questions integrity of Australian carbon offsets scheme. ‘It’s almost beyond belief’: Findings blast Australia’s biggest carbon offset scheme (The Age) Major administrative failings in Australia’s carbon credit scheme. “The Clean Energy Regulator’s administration of Australia’s carbon credit scheme has let us all down terribly,” Professor Butler said. “They’ve used hundreds of millions of dollars of public money to build a house of cards that is enabling climate inaction and will render the Safeguard Mechanism, ineffective. The failure of this scheme will only become more obvious as time goes on.”(UNSW)
10 October 2024 - Global wildlife populations have plunged by an average of 73% in 50 years, a new scientific assessment by WWF UK has found, as humans continue to push ecosystems to the brink of collapse. (Guardian)
8 October 2024 - Latest science assessment says World is in deep peril with the Climate Crisis. "We are on the brink of an irreversible climate disaster. This is a global emergency beyond any doubt. Much of the very fabric of life on Earth is imperiled. We are stepping into a critical and unpredictable new phase of the climate crisis." William J Ripple, Christopher Wolf, Jillian W Gregg, Johan Rockström, Michael E Mann, Naomi Oreskes, Timothy M Lenton, Stefan Rahmstorf, Thomas M Newsome, Chi Xu, Jens-Christian Svenning, Cássio Cardoso Pereira, Beverly E Law, Thomas W Crowther, The 2024 state of the climate report: Perilous times on planet Earth, BioScience, 2024;, biae087, https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biae087 Summary at (The Conversation)
8 October 2024 - Environment Minister announces ‘Huge environmental win’: Australia to protect 52% of its oceans, more than any other country, Plibersek says. Sub-Antarctic marine park expansion welcomed but scientists say some areas important to penguins and seals missed out on sanctuary-level protection (Guardian), and under the Biodiversity convention definition only about 25% is now adequately protected according to Dr Ian Cresswell.(Guardian) Meanwhile 400km from the Nature Positive Summit The NSW Forestry Corporation has started logging in Bulga state forest, inland from Port Macquarie,in habitat of threatened species including endangered koalas and the endangered greater glider. (Guardian)
7 October 2024 - Australian Government spends around 50 times more on subsidising activities that harm the environment than it spends on helping biodiversity each year argues the Biodiversity Council. The assessment found that around 4% of the federal budget goes to subsidising activities that are likely to have a medium to high adverse impact on biodiversity; a total of $26.3 billion per year. (Biodiversity Council)
7 October 224 - Japan backs fossil fuels in Southeast Asian “zero emission” initiative. Japan’s Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) supported 56 projects using fossil fuel technologies in Southeast Asia — including LNG and carbon capture (Climate Change News) Zero emissions or fossil fuels? Tracking Japan’s AZEC projects. Results show AZEC is supporting prolonged fossil fuel use (Zero Carbon Analytics)
7 October 2024 - Australian Security Leaders Climate Group calls for overhaul of federal government's climate threat preparedness strategy (ABC News) Read the Australia Security Leaders Climate Group National Climate Security Summit Communiqué: Addressing the threat of climate change to Australia’s security landscape (ASLCG)
6 October 2024 - Australia claims progress in climate action, while fossil fuel expansion for export continues under Labor claims Energy analyst Ketan Joshi - The blurred self image of progressive climate villains. It includes some analysis of the effectiveness of the Safeguard Mechanism: "there hasn’t been any change in total emissions since the time it became active in July 2023" (KetanJoshi)
4 October 2024 - Exported gas produces far worse emissions than coal, major study finds. Research challenges idea that sending liquefied natural gas around the world is cleaner alternative to burning coal (Guardian) "Overall, the greenhouse gas footprint for LNG as a fuel source is 33% greater than that for coal when analyzed using GWP20 (160 g CO2-equivalent/MJ vs. 120 g CO2-equivalent/MJ). Even considered on the time frame of 100 years after emission (GWP100), which severely understates the climatic damage of methane, the LNG footprint equals or exceeds that of coal." (Energy, Science and Engineering Journal) Debunked: All those speeches rolled out over the last decade, especially by Labor politicians, justifying gas expansion as a lower emissions 'transition fuel'.
4 Octoberr 2024 - Gap in Albanese government’s new fuel efficiency rules means ‘biggest, dirtiest polluters’ exempt. New vehicle efficiency standards (NVES) will not apply to at least four large vehicles, source says (Guardian)
4 October 2024 - Ex-carbon offsetting boss charged in New York with multimillion-dollar fraud (Guardian) Wonder if the same could happen in Australia? Given integrity issues and supervision of Carbon Offsets? See The Age 16 Sep 2024, ‘Extreme risk’: Carbon watchdog mismanaged conflicts, ‘intimidated’ scientists
3 October 2024 - Australia sees a rise in "greenhushing," where carbon-neutral firms underreport their sustainability efforts. This silence stems from fears of scrutiny and low consumer interest. (Groundreport.In)
3 October 2024 - Gas power in future grid will be “tiny” and its cost exorbitant, IEEFA report finds (RenewEconomy). IEEFA claims while the capacity of gas generating capacity increases, its use in the generation mix actually falls significantly. Future role of gas in the NEM is likely overstated (IEEFA)
2 October 2024 - Two cancer doctors highlight Beetaloo gas fracking and Middlearm petrochemical hub could generate a 'cancer alley' in the Northern Territory in a letter to the Medical Journal of Australia. "Australia risks creating its own “sacrifice zone”, harming the health of its people and contributing irrevocably to the climate crisis." (MJA)
2 October 2024 - WA Labor government accused of shelving climate laws as emissions continue to rise (Guardian) "WA is the only Australian state without a 2030 emissions reduction target. National data says climate pollution in the five eastern states fell by at least 27% between 2005 and 2022 while rising 8% in WA, largely due to the state’s expanding liquified natural gas (LNG) export industry"
1 October 2024 - Tuvalu climate minister declares Australia’s coalmine decision ‘immoral’, akin to drowning Pacific neighbours (Guardian) “I have made my view on new coal projects very clear at last month’s Pacific Islands Forum: fossil fuels are killing us, all of us. It is therefore immoral and unacceptable to any country to open new fossil fuel projects, as Australia has recently done with the three coalmine expansion projects it has just approved,” Talia told Guardian Australia.
1 October 2024 - Azerbaijan is using Cop29 to ‘peacewash’ its global image (The Conversation) See also Climate Action Tracker 25 September assessment rating Azerbaijan as Critically Insufficient. "Azerbaijan appears to have abandoned its 2030 emissions target, moving backward instead of forward on climate action. Its renewable energy targets remain weak. Azerbaijan’s economy is dependent on fossil fuel production and the government plans to increase fossil gas extraction by more than 30% over the coming decade. Emissions from exported fossil fuels are twice as high as domestic emissions. (Climate Action Tracker)
1 October 2024 - Highest Annual Growth of Renewables Jobs in 2023, Reaching 16.2 Million (IRENA) The levelised cost of electricity produced from most forms of renewable power continued to fall year-on-year in 2023, with solar PV leading the cost reductions, followed by offshore wind according to a new report on renewable generation costs (IRENA)
Australian Foreign Minister Senator Penny Wong is in New York for the United Nations General Assembly. She represented Australia on the Palestine/Gaza/Israel debates, but also on climate action in various forums including Australia's National Statement to the General Assembly.
Climate action was part of her speech of Australia's National Statrement to the General Assembly, including advocacy to hold COP31 in 2026, while back in Australia Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek approved three thermal coal projects on 24 September 2024 in a move criticised as ‘the opposite of climate action’ (Guardian) Merri-bek outrage over coal mines decision- coal approval last straw. (CAMerribek) Rising Tide blocks Newcastle coal train (ABC News)
I came across this TED talk by accident, produced mid August 2024.
"We're nearly halfway through the 2020s, dubbed the most decisive decade for action on climate change. Where exactly do things stand? Climate impact scholar Johan Rockström offers the most up-to-date scientific assessment of the state of the planet and explains what must be done to preserve Earth's resilience to human pressure."
This 20 minute video really is worth watching to inform you to step up climate action.
Australia experiencing a late winter season heatwave breaking temperature recotds.
Australia is in the grip of a late winter season heatwave with temperature records falling across most states. Southern States are experiencing storm fronts with strong winds some times in excess of 100km/hr.
Australia: late Winter #heatwave temperature records broken for Queensland, New South Wales, Northern Territory and South Australia. In Qld, Birdsville’s running maximum temperature at 3:30pm AEST on Friday was 39.6°C. This is roughly 15°C above average for this time of year and Qld’s highest winter temperature on record. (Weatherzone)
Sydney Airport has broken its winter record of 31.1°C this Friday, reaching 31.6°C at 2:48pm. In August 2024 to date, Sydney's running average maximum has been 21°C, some 3.1 above the long-term average. (Weatherzone)
In Queensland, Rental advocates warn heat-related deaths will increase if Queensland regulations aren't tightened. The ABC News report summarises that:
Parts of Queensland are predicted to see a record-breaking 36-degree end to winter.
Advocates want efficiency regulations to protect renters and public housing tenants.
The state government says their reforms have made renting fairer and lifted housing standards.
The Pacific Islands Forum is underway in Tonga. The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres made a speech to the opening of the forum.
He highlighted in his speech (see below) the need for a just transition for the phaseout of fossil fuels and called for all members of the G20 to step up and lead, by phasing out the production and consumption of fossil fuels and stopping their expansion immediately.
While Australia was not explicitly named, we are the only member state of the Forum involved in fossil fuel expansion and export.
"When governments sign new oil and gas licenses, they are signing away our future." said Guterres.
He also called for national climate plans – Nationally Determined Contributions – to be submitted by next year, aligning with the 1.5-degree upper limit of global heating.
Guterres also launched two new reports from Tonga highlighting the acceleration of sea level rise and the impacts already occurring on low lying Pacific Nations.
There is a new report on Cruise ship emissions. Cruise ships are getting larger and more numerous. This is a problem for the environment, according to Transport NGO Transport and Environment.
They argue that the cruise ship sector:
The world’s biggest cruise ships are now twice as big as they were in 2000
At the current rate of growth, the biggest cruise ships in 2050 could become almost eight times bigger than the Titanic and carry nearly 11,000 passengers
Twentyfold increase in the number of cruise ships from only 21 in 1970 to 515 today
Cruise ship CO2 emissions were already nearly 20% higher in 2022 than in 2019 before the pandemic
Cruise ships are currently exempt from fuel duties as well as most corporate and consumer taxes. A €50 tax on a typical cruise journey ticket would bring in €1.6 billion globally, €410 million of which would be raised in Europe.
The European Copernicus Agency early this week identified that Sunday, Monday and Tuesday set new global daily average temperature records. This Thursday UN Secretary General highlighted Extreme Heat with a call to action, including an end to new fossil fuel extraction. He highlighted a new International Labor Organisation report on extreme heat safety and health for workers.
22 July 2024 was confirmed as warmest day globally in recent history. July 23 and July 21 also broke the record set in July 2023.
Yet Australia is still approving new coal and gas projects, allowing offshore #Fossilfuel exploration exacerbating the #ClimateCrisis. We need a #ClimateTrigger in National Environment laws
Sunday Monday and Tuesday this week all exceeded Global Daily Average Temperature Record set in July 2023. Welcome to the Anthropocene.
The Coalition’s pledge to build seven nuclear reactors, if elected, would represent a huge shift in energy policy for Australia. It also poses serious questions about whether this nation can meet its international climate obligations.
If Australia is to honour the Paris Agreement to limit global average temperature rise to 1.5˚C by mid-century, it can emit about 3 billion tonnes, or gigatonnes, of carbon dioxide (CO₂) over the next 25 years. This remaining allowance is what’s known as our “carbon budget”.
My colleagues and I recently outlined the technological options for Australia to remain within its carbon budget. We did this using a tool we developed over many years, the “One Earth Climate Model”. It’s a detailed study of pathways for various countries to meet the 1.5˚C goal.
So what happens if we feed the Coalition’s nuclear strategy into the model? As I outline below, even if the reactors are built, the negative impact on Australia’s carbon emissions would be huge. Over the next decade, the renewables transition would stall and coal and gas emissions would rise – possibly leading to a 40% blowout in Australia’s carbon budget.
Blistering speech by United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres on World Evironment Day urging leaders take the right decisions taking urgent climate action, particularly over the next eighteen months, with concerning temperature trends and increasing climate damage impacts
Antonio Guterres highlighted that
The European Commission’s Copernicus Climate Change Service officially reported May 2024 as the hottest May in recorded history.
This marks twelve straight months of the hottest months ever.
The World Meteorological Organisation reports today that there is an eighty per cent chance the global annual average temperature will exceed the 1.5 degree limit in at least one of the next five years.
In 2015, the chance of such a breach was near zero.
There’s a fifty-fifty chance that the average temperature for the entire next five-year period will be 1.5 degrees higher than pre-industrial times.
Urged financial institutions to stop bankrolling fossil fuel destruction and start investing in a global renewables revolution; To present public, credible and detailed plans to transition [funding] from fossil fuels to clean energy with clear targets for 2025 and 2030;
Called for advertising and PR companies to "stop acting as enablers to planetary destruction. Stop taking on new fossil fuel clients, from today, and set out plans to drop your existing ones. Fossil fuels are not only poisoning our planet – they’re toxic for your brand."
Highlighted that "the Godfathers of climate chaos – the fossil fuel industry – rake in record profits and feast off trillions in taxpayer-funded subsidies.
Called for an effective price on carbon and tax the windfall profits of fossil fuel companies.
He proposed: "We do have a choice: Creating tipping points for climate progress – or careening to tipping points for climate disaster."
He advised that "We are playing Russian roulette with our planet. We need an exit ramp off the highway to climate hell. And the truth is… we have control of the wheel. The 1.5 degree limit is still just about possible."
An Australian scientist proposes freight and container ships optimise their routes based upon satellite data and a AI algorithm based upon the mapping of ocean currents and ocean eddies.
This could save a freight route between Sydney and Wellington in New Zealand about 17 percent fuel use, with minimal deviation and change in delivery time. It could achieve these savings by tracking the flow of a large anticlockwise eddy in the Tasman Sea.
Projecting this globally: global shipping industry could potentially cut its total fuel usage by 10 per cent with his route optimisation algorithm, Estimated savings are projected to be nearly US$50 billion and 237 million tonnes of CO2 emissions every year.
Shane Keating is an oceanographer and associate professor of applied mathematics at UNSW Sydney. He has developed an application and is offering it through his just-launched UNSW spin-off company named Ocean Intelligence.
“It’s essentially Google Maps for the sea, which offers the most efficient route in real time based on the behaviour of ocean eddies,” Keating said in this article in the Saturday Paper.
The following email to one of my superannuation funds, Telstra Super, was partly generated from the latest Market Forces Climate Wreckers Report. It is easy to generate a letter with specific information to your Super Fund. I added substantially more contextual information to my email. But a short personal note with reasons on the necessity for divesting for our future can also have an impact.
Every Super member has an opportunity to change how their superannuation is invested, divesting away from fossil fuels to clean energy solutions.
To TelstraSuper,
Time to End all investments in the world’s worst fossil fuel expanders
I’m contacting you to demand that you end the fossil fuel expansion plans of companies you invest my retirement savings in, and publicly divest from them if this fails.
I have particular concerns that your engagement with Woodside and Santos to adopt a change in business, has failed. These companies are almost entirely dedicated to Fossil fuel production and expansion. Your continued investment of member superannuation money in these companies under the rubric that you can engage and get them to adopt net zero emissions by 2050 is fatally flawed and is not in keeping with your fiduciary duty to act for members long term behalf.
In announcing Australia’s support for fossil gas all the way to 2050 and beyond, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has pushed his government’s commitment to net zero even further out of reach.
When we published our analysis in December on Climate Action Tracker, a global assessment of government climate action, we warned Australia was unlikely to achieve its net zero target, and rated its efforts as “poor.”
That’s because Australia’s long-term emissions reduction plan – released under the Morrison Coalition government and not yet revised by the Albanese Labor government – resorts to unrealistic technological fixes and emissions offsets.
Photo Credit: Ottawa march for a Plastics Treaty coutesy FoEI via X
The United Nations Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for a Global Plastics Treaty is holding its fourth meeting in Ottawa, Canada from 23–29 April 2024 to prepare a treaty by the end of 2024. Global Plastics pollution is an escalating Crisis that interlinks with the Biodiversity Crisis and Climate Crisis. The Health and environmental impacts of plastics, microplastics and nanoplastics are of increasing concern as more research is done. (See Background Science).
The process for a Global Plastics Treaty was started in March 2022 at the resumed fifth session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-5.2). See my reports of INC1, INC2, INC3.
A Zero Draft of the treaty has been prepared with elements of both common rules for all parties, and a nationally driven policy framework, and many procedural issues still to sort out. Australia is a member of the High Ambition Coalitionto End Plastics Pollution, which put out this joint Ministerial statement before INC4.
INC4 wrapped up with some progess made, decision on intercessional work covering several issues but excluding polymer production and reducing production, and kicking the big decisions on plastics regulation down the road. The failure of the High Ambition Coalition to speak up and push more strongly for more ambition by including more in intercessional work at the last plenary is a lost opportunity that may knobble ambition in the treaty that results.
The next negotiation meeting - INC5 - is due in November in Busan, South Korea.
Comments on the final day and hours of negotiations:
Negotiations wrapped up at 3.17 am local time in Ottawa with the call from the dais: “Plastics may last forever, but this INC should not!”.
Miko Aliño (@mikoalino) commented on X: "The bridge getting to an ambitious #PlasticsTreaty became much more challenging after #INC4 delegates chose to exclude production reduction measures from intersessional work – a compromise that ignores the full plastics life cycle, contrary to the UNEA Resolution 5/14 mandate."
Earth Negotiations Bulletin (@IISD_ENB) commented on X: "Despite a growth of brackets and new text when #INC4 was meant to streamline, there were some signs of #PlasticTreaty progress, such as agreeing to set a legal drafting group to ensure the text of the new instrument on #plasticpollution is legally sound."
Greenpeace Canada summarised the outcome in a statement highlighting the failure in the High Ambition Coalition (that includes Canada, Australia) to push more strongly for "inclusion of any reference to plastic production or polymers in intersessional work, despite strong support by various countries, scientists and civil society groups. While Canada supported in principle a proposal from Rwanda to add a reduction of production in the intersessional work, the country and various other high ambition coalition governments did not push for it in the final plenary, resulting in a compromised outcome."
Graham Forbes, Greenpeace Head of Delegation to the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations and Global Plastics Campaign Lead at Greenpeace USA, said:
“The world is burning and member states are wasting time and opportunity. We saw some progress, aided by the continued efforts of states such as Rwanda, Peru, and the signatories of the Bridge to Busan declaration in pushing to reduce plastic production. However, compromises were made on the outcome which disregarded plastic production cuts further distancing us from reaching a treaty that science requires and justice demands. People are being harmed by plastic production every day, but states are listening more closely to petrochemical lobbyists than health scientists. Any child can see that we cannot solve the plastic crisis unless we stop making so much plastic. The entire world is watching, and if countries, particularly in the so-called ‘High Ambition Coalition’, don’t act between now and INC5 in Busan, the treaty they are likely to get is one that could have been written by ExxonMobil and their acolytes.
“We are heading towards disaster and with time running out – we need a Global Plastics Treaty that cuts plastic production and ends single-use plastic. There is no time to waste on approaches that will not solve the problem.”
Break Free from Plastics in a statement - INC-4 negotiating countries fail to respond to the magnitude of the plastics crisis - also highlighted the non-inclusion of plastics production in intercessional work as a lost opportunity making the achievement of an ambitious treaty more difficult:
"Today’s decision to exclude upstream measures from the intersessional work means it will be more daunting to include extraction or production reduction measures under the ambit of the draft plastics treaty. This compromise diminishes the ambition of this process as it ignores the central role of plastics production in fueling the climate, biodiversity and pollution crises. This is not only an utter disappointment, but also a missed opportunity to tackle the root causes comprehensively."
Indian based NGO Centre for Financial Accountability (@cfa_ind) did a thread summary of outcomes on X:
"The fourth meeting of the INC for a global agreement to end plastic pollution concluded on April 29 after a plenary full of huddles and the regrettable decision to not include discussions on primary plastic polymers in the intersessional work. "
"Countries decided to move forward with intersessional work on the financial mechanism, as well as on plastic products, chemicals of concern in plastic products, product design, reusability, and recyclability."
"Member States agreed to include observers’ participation during this work. They also decided to create a legal drafting group that will conduct a legal review of the text and provide recommendations to the plenary. "
"The exclusion of upstream measures from intersessional work, however, weakens the plastics treaty's scope. Ignoring plastics production's impact on climate, biodiversity, and pollution crises undermines comprehensive solutions."
"This compromise diminishes ambition and highlights the need for holistic solutions. It's not just disappointing; it's a severe setback in our efforts to combat the plastic pollution crisis."
WWF said in a statement while progress had been made, most of the big decisions that determine how ambitious the treaty will be are still to be made:
“Countries have made important progress in Canada with constructive discussions on what the treaty will actually do, but the big decisions still remain: will we get the strong treaty with common global rules that most of the world is calling for, or will we end up with a voluntary watered-down agreement led by least common denominator values?
"Negotiators need to recognise that plastic pollution is an accelerating global crisis that cannot be solved with fragmented national approaches. Governments must now employ all possible means to step up progress between the meetings on measures that will have the biggest impact on addressing plastic pollution across plastic’s full lifecycle, in particular, global bans on high-risk products and chemicals, global product design requirements and a robust financial package to secure a just transition,” said Eirik Lindebjerg, Global Plastics Policy Lead, WWF International.
During the closing plenary, INC Chair Luis Vayas Valdivieso (Ecuador) proposed, and delegates agreed to establish a legal drafting group to ensure legal clarity in the text of the future agreement. The Committee also established two intersessional expert groups to:
develop an analysis of potential sources and means that could be mobilized, for implementation of the objectives of the instrument, including options for the establishment of a financial mechanism, alignment of financial flows, and catalyzing finance; and
identify and analyze criteria and non-criteria based approaches with regards to plastic pollution and chemicals of concern in plastic products and product design, focusing on recyclability and reusability of plastic products and their uses and applications.
During the course of the day, delegates had considered and modified the streamlined parts of the Revised Draft Text (PDF), on issues related to just transition, the preamble, objective, scope, and the principles that will govern the new agreement, as well as the technical issues to be addressed in the future instrument.
Global Alliance Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) Global South media conference (Starts 11 mins in):
Europe proposes to adjourn INC4 and hold an INC4.2 to further work
Delphine Levi Alvares (@delphinelevialv) comments on X At 2.16 am, "EU proposes to adjourn rather than close #INC4 and hold an INC4.2 to continue the work. GCC countries are obviously saying no. The group of 'like-minded countries' is brought up again and still has not disclosed who is part of it... Are they ashamed of working together?"
Earth Negotiations Bulletin (@IISD_ENB) on X: "Delegates at #INC4 discuss a European Union, proposal calling for additional time for negotiations before INC-5, calling to adjourn INC-4 and resume the work to identify common areas and landing spots before November 2024. "
Rwanda and Peru propose 40% by 2040 plastics production reduction target
Rwanda and Peru submitted a conference room paper calling for a compilation report of scientific and technical information on sustainable levels of consumption and production of primary plastic polymers, and an open-ended working group to consider options for primary plastic polymers including the implication of no option.
"The science tells us that current and projected levels of plastic consumption and production are unsustainable and far exceed our waste management and recycling capacities. Moreover, these levels of production are also inconsistent with the goal of ending plastic pollution and limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees." said a Rwanda statement on intercessional work.
A motion submitted by Rwanda and Peru sets out a global reduction target, ambitiously termed a “north star”, to cut the production of primary plastic polymers across the world by 40% by 2040, from a 2025 baseline.
It says: “The effectiveness of both supply and demand-side measures will be assessed, in whole or in part, on their success in reducing the production of primary plastic polymers to sustainable levels.” (Guardian)
The motion was supported by 29 countries including Australia, Denmark, Nigeria, Portugal, the Netherlands and Nigeria, who signed a declaration, “the Bridge to Busan”, calling on all delegates to ensure plastic production was addressed.
Delegates arriving for the penultimate day of official negotiating time for INC-4 hunkered down, with some Subgroups spending considerable time validating streamlined texts, while others proceeded with line-by-line negotiations. Discussions had become heated in one group late Saturday evening, with some delegations noting that their considerations did not appear in the streamlined text. “Any discussions on polymers goes beyond the mandate of the INC,” charged one delegation, noting that they had made strong calls to delete that part of the text, and were concerned that it was still reflected in the Co-Facilitators’ streamlined text. In response, another delegate stated that “we must be able to discuss polymers in order to consider the full lifecycle of plastic.”
As delegates worked through the text, it was sometimes difficult to see the shape the future instrument will eventually take. “There are so many no-text options, the final document may just be one page,” joked one delegate. Others were encouraged by the proposals for intersessional work, although how to fit all the potential issues to consider into the six months before INC-5 will be challenging.
The heavy sighs among participants were palpable in the hallways and contact group rooms as many realized the sheer amount of work they will need to get through before the end of 2024. What will the output of INC-4 be? How useful will it be for their deliberations at INC-5? Will a foundation of convergence on key concerns among delegations be possible to advance an agenda leading to a robust ILBI on plastic pollution? While the somber mood spoke volumes, the path towards candid textual negotiations offered a glimmer of hope.
As the energy waned in the halls of the Shaw Center in Ottawa, delegates slogged through the Revised Zero Draft to make headway on narrowing down the options, thereby streamlining the text.
Spending a considerable amount of time during the day addressing issues of finance, the testy discussion about breaking the traditional approach to financing, that developed countries should pay, has reared its head over the past few days. If all countries are responsible for plastic pollution in the environment, all countries pay to clean it up, correct? And what about historical responsibility? Should we compel the plastics industry to pay for plastic waste generated further down the plastics value chain? Delegations grappled with these questions, as one delegate reminded others that to effectively implement the new treaty, every cent, from every source, will count.
In the corridors, and behind closed doors, many participants were involved in fevered conversations about the status of the Draft and the nature and magnitude of intersessional work ahead. “They’ve spent so much time streamlining the text that we really may not get to the heart of the textual negotiations at this meeting,” lamented one worried observer. One participant said that “at this stage, we don’t know if we are taking one step forward and two steps back, or two steps forward and one step back.” On intersessional work, one delegate was overheard saying, “this cannot be a repeat of Nairobi… the earlier we hear what is planned, the sooner we can agree.” One seasoned delegate, commenting on the sheer volume of work remaining, wondered if INC-4 would benefit from “one additional day of negotiations.” A plenary scheduled for Sunday may give additional guidance.
On a Friday that felt like a Wednesday, delegates continued streamlining the Revised Draft Text. Many were excited to discuss the issue related to fishing gear in a joint Subgroup, with some being reminded that the issue of marine litter was what kickstarted the global discussions on marine plastic which grew into these negotiations towards a plastic pollution treaty. A seasoned delegate expressed optimism that “consensus was likely achievable,” hoping that an “easy win” could infuse the rest of the process with much needed energy. But what initially appeared to be a low-hanging fruit proved to be rather more complex, with developing countries wondering who would pay for the artisanal fishing industries to obtain alternative, biodegradable fishing gear.
In the morning, some were surprised to see the daily program showing three contact groups meeting in parallel. The schedule remained fluid, with some delegates arriving in the right rooms at the wrong time, and others missing out on short sessions altogether. “My delegation cannot be in three different places at the same time, didn’t we agree we wouldn’t do that?” complained one delegate.
Meanwhile, rumors were circulating about the possibility of a resumed INC-4 (INC-4.2) that could be convened prior to INC-5. In hushed conversations, some delegations shared that convening a “jamboree” would not be as effective as holding structured intersessional talks, targeted at the most contentious issues that remain on the agenda. Unfortunately, the late-night plenary did not shed more light on the status of intersessional work.
What is abundantly clear is that delegates will have their hands full for the rest of the meeting, with three meetings running in parallel to get through another reading of the text.
26 April - Plenary Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlQDSTkbwwo Debate on whether to proceed with 3 sub-groups running in parallel to speed work in the limited time at INC4. Australia spoke in favour of this. Many small countries have small delegations and would be unable to attend 3 groups in parallel. Chair decides to proceed with two meetings in parallel.with a third stream when exceptional circumstances dictate.
26 April 2024 - Canada's First Nation declares emergency due to excessive chemicals emission (Yahoo News)
26 April 2024, Greenpeace ramps up pressure on UN delegates to cut plastic production, by delivering a “Global Plastics Factory” outside the Shaw Centre (Greenpeace)
26 April 2024, Plastics Offsetting project by Danone in Bali called into question
A plastic offsetting project backed by the food and drink giant Danone has been suspended, following allegations that a recycling facility was built illegally close to a Balinese community and without proper consultation, an Unearthed investigation has found. Danone’s project was set up as an attempt by the French multinational to offset its enormous plastic footprint in Indonesia, and part of its promise to recover more plastic than it uses in the country by 2025. (Greenpeace Unearthed)
At the National Press Club of Australia Iron Ore magnate Dr Andrew Forrest AO proposed three simple policies for Australia to become become a green energy superpower:
Implement a Climate Trigger for new projects; a “Best for Australia” test which explicitly considers climate impacts when approving new major projects.
Replacing fossil fuel subsidies with an equally powerful green energy subsidy well before 2030.
A Carbon Solutions Levy that would apply to 100 odd major fossil fuel projects in Australia and fossil fuel importing.
“Not changing is not an option, because green energy is lowest cost energy in any Australian home,” Dr Forrest said.
He called for the politicians that represent the Bush to stop taking an ideological line over climate solutions and "to stop dividing us with the false hope that we can cling to fossil fuels forever". He also labelled the Coalition’s push for nuclear energy “bulldust” and a “new lie” that would delay the clean energy transition and harm regional Australia.
The 60th Session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) met in Istanbul, Turkiye from 16–19 January 2024 (IPCC-60). This session started the planning for the seventh assessment cycle which will run over the next 5-6 years. More than 300 delegates from 120 governments met to determine the work cycle of what reports to produce.
Outcomes include reports from the three Working Groups, plus a Synthesis Report as in previous assessment cycles. Special reports will include: Special Report on Climate Change and Cities, Methodology Report on Short-lived Climate Forcers, Methodology Report on Carbon Dioxide Removal Technologies, Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage. All three are important foundations for climate policy decision making.
Some climate scientists had previously called for a special report on catastrophic climate change, a blind spot in peer reviewed research and thus in the IPCC assessments. No mention made of this in reports of the IPCC meeting.
Looking at 2023 renewables achieved a 38.4 percent average share of the electricity grid in Australia. This puts Australia just about on track to meet the 82 per cent renewables by 2030 target.
Keep in mind Utility scale solar is still ramping up. New onshore wind farms are in the development pipeline. Offshore wind will only start coming into the system around 2030 but will rapidly ramp up in subsequent years.
The IEA has also released a new report on the acceleration of renewasbles, which puts the target of tripling renewables globally by 2030 within reach if governments implement key policy measures.
Andrew Forrest's Squadron Energy’s has turned the shovel on the 414 MW 69 turbine Uungula Wind Farm near Wellington in NSW on Thursday, within the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone and has an approved connection to the existing transmission grid. Squadron Energy has a commitment to delivering 14GW of green electricity, powering the equivalent of six million homes. There is a further 6GW in Squadron’s development pipeline to follow.
Last year, 2023, at 1.48C anomaly averaged over the whole year, came within a whisker of being 1.5C above pre-industrial temperatures. The Eurpean Copernicus Climate Change Service has released its latest analysis for the year past. Have no doubt we have a climate emergency. This year, 2024, is likely to build upon the land and ocean warming, particularly with an El Nino in play, to produce an even hotter year, with more extreme weather events.
Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service said "2023 was an exceptional year with climate records tumbling like dominoes. Not only is 2023 the warmest year on record, it is also the first year with all days over 1°C warmer than the pre-industrial period. Temperatures during 2023 likely exceed those of any period in at least the last 100,000 years.”
Meanwhile, Fossil Fuel producers like Australia, Norway, US, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Russia, China UAE, Azerbijan are expanding production to cook the planet and all of us, when the science based assessments clearly say we have too much fossil fuels already in production.
Premier Jacinta Allan has acknowledged that climate change is a factor in extreme rain and flood events, and that more needs to be done in planning to mitigate extreme weather and flood events as part of climate adaptation, along with reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The Bureau of Meteorology has identified the first nine days of 2024 were Victoria’s wettest since records began in 1900, with an average of 62mm falling across the state since 1 January. The area-average of 62mm of rain from 1 January to 9 January beat the previous opening nine-day record of 50mm set in 1970. Using an area average for daily rainfall to 9am 8 January, the Bureau of Meteorology estimated 5.4% of Victoria was at Highest on record for rainfall for that day, with several site specific all time rainfall records surpassed.
Interviewed by Richard Willingham on ABC Melbourne, Premier Jacinta Allan said;
"There is clearly a change in our climate. Growing up in this part of the world, these summer storm events, it is troubling that it is becoming more common and the ferocity of these events. It does speak to the fact we need to recognise that the climate is changing. It does go to those broader measures we need to take as a government, as a community, as a society for action to transition to renewable energy, transition to how we can take stronger climate action."
"Separate to that, what also needs to be considered obviously as we plan for new houses, new communities, or how we build projects, these weather events and the impact of these weather events do need to be factored in. Indeed, legislation that went through the Victorian Parliament last year, our climate legislation, did require that the impact of the climate be factored into the planning initiatives at the earliest Opportunity."
".... What used to be a 1 in 100 year event for communities like Rochester have had 3 big flooding events in 10-11 years. The impact of climate does need to be considered in terms of future planning and decisions."
Shipping emissions is one of those niche areas, part of Transport emissions, that needs to be tackled. There is both a huge freight and logistics component, a smaller passenger component and the tourism component of cruise ships.
Most of the interview is focussed on the Freight component. About 3 percent of global emissions are due to shipping. This is about equivalent to the emissions of Germany.
The shipping sector is large, complex, with many different vessels, many actors.
About a third of all goods transported by ship are fossil fuels: coal, oil and gas. So the implementation of the Paris Agreement should see a reduction in transport of fossil fuels.
Other major areas are the transport of consumer goods in container vessels, and bulk carriers such as carrying iron ore or minerals or food and grains.
New research has investigated abrupt swings in extreme weather in the Northern Hemisphere. This is being driven by Arctic amplified warming and slowing of the Northern Hemisphere Jet stream.
Changes to the Jet Stream is one of the areas that Dr Jennifer Francis has been focussed on. Francis is Senior Climate Scientist with the Woods Hole Institute in the US. Her recent research has been in weather whiplash, abrupt changes in extreme weather as it applies to North America and Europe.
This interview below is with Nick Breeze and she says for 2024 expect surprises, more broken weather records, and extreme weather will get even worse.
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