Inaugural Global Nature Positive Summit more financial greenwash than tackling decline in nature and biodiversity

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.

Minister outlines major update to Australian environmental laws and the EPBC Act by end of 2023

Photo: Tanya Plibesek speech

Australia: Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek announces formal response to the Independent Review of Australia’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

 

"At the heart of our reform is a conceptual shift. When we reform our environmental laws, we will take them from being nature negative, where we just manage an overall decline in our environment, to nature positive, where we protect our land and leave it in a better state than we found it." said Plibersek at a Queensland Conservation Council event. 

Major Reforms include: 

• introduction of National Environmental Standards, 
• new system of regional planning, 
• overhaul of environmental offsets, and 
• establishment of an independent Environment Protection Agency. 

New National Environmental Standards will apply to Regional Forestry Agreements, which were previously exempt from EPBC Act regulation. This means threatened species and ecosystems will come back under Federal government regulation.

Climate will be a consideration, but no climate trigger for the amended legislation: 

"proponents of large projects be required to publish their lifetime, domestic carbon dioxide emissions. Proponents will also be required to disclose what they will do to manage or offset their emissions, in line with Australia’s climate targets."

Coal Seam Gas Field proposal for Pilliga Scrub withdrawn by Santos

The Adelaide headquarted Mining and energy company Santos has withdrawn proposals for development of the Pilliga gas field near Narrabri in north western New South Wales.

Santos took over Eastern Star Gas' assets in the Pilliga Forest in 2011 with the intention of developing 550 duel coal seam gas wells and associated infrastructure. They were vigorously opposed by the local community and activist groups including the Wilderness Society. Conservationists have welcomed the withdrawal but are aware that further proposals may be submitted in future.

The development proposals were withdrawn after a private meeting between Santos and the Federal Government last Friday. All proposed development including the gas field, power plant and major gas pipeline applications, have now been withdrawn.

Victorian Environment and Climate going backwards under Premier Ted Baillieu

Victorian Environment groups gathered to protest the Environment and climate actions of the Baillieu Victorian State Government on Sunday November 13, 2011 on the steps of State Parliament. To highlight the direction the Government is taking Victoria's environment, the protesters marched backwards to the Treasury Gardens.

Related: Flickr Photos from Friends of the Earth | Takver

Background: Coalition’s 2km wind farm veto sets a risky precedent | Retreating on climate policy - Victorian Government stops discussions on Hazelwood closure | Victorian Government needs to come clean on plan to achieve 20 percent emissions cut by 2020

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.

Environmental Scorecards: Climate action missing in action from Major Party policy

The major parties have sidelined action on climate this election, delaying any policy on setting a carbon price and only taking small steps to encourage conversion to renewable energy or carbon emissions reduction. The Climate Institute, Australian Conservation Foundation, and the Wilderness Society have all heavily criticised both Government and Coalition parties while endorsing the supportive climate and environmental policies of the Greens.

While Prime Minister Julia Gillard 'believes' in anthropogenic climate change, her government's main climate policy is a proposed 150 person citizen assembly to build a community consensus on climate action and continuing renewable energy programs already started. The Government continues to reiterate that the introduction of an emissions trading scheme will not be reassessed until the end of 2012. Climate activists have criticised Julia Gillard over current ALP climate change policy.

Election Scorecards on Environment and Climate change policy

There has been a lot of policy hot air from the major parties, but on environmental and climate change policies the major parties really stink. Only the Greens rise above the murky effluent according to three election scorecard ratings by the Australian Conservation Foundation, the Climate Institute, and the Australian Youth Climate Coalition. These scorecards will not surprise most readers of a climate for change, but they do provide an attempt to objectively assess the parties on environmental policy.

The Australian Conservation Foundation has rated Labor, Liberal and National, and Greens parties on four environmental criteria: Reduce Pollution, Clean Energy, Sustainable Cities, and Healthy Environment. The Greens have scored very well on all fours issues while the Labor party only achieves greater than 50% ranking on one, and the Liberals and Nationals scored dismally on all four.

"Australians want our leaders to make clean energy cheaper and help us save energy." said ACF Executive Director, Don Henry in a media statement.

"ACF welcomes the commitments by the Greens for increased investment in urban light rail systems and to investigate the feasibility of high speed rail to connect our largest cities. We urge the major parties to follow this lead by committing to re-balance the national transport budget - with two thirds being invested in cleaner, faster and affordable public transport systems - by the end of the next term of government.

According to the ACF's election scorecard the Greens achieved 81 points out of 100 while Labor and the Coalition were lagging behind on 33 and 15 respectively.

"Australians want our leaders to reduce pollution and protect our environment and at the moment, the Greens are leading on ACF's scorecard with Labor doing poorly, and the Coalition very poorly." said Don Henry.

Ranking the parties just on climate policy, then try the Climate Institute Pollute O Meter which rates the three major political groups. This ranking shows the Greens streets ahead on Climate Policy than both Labor and Liberal National Parties, although still not going far enough.

"By not committing to, or directly opposing, limits and price-tags on pollution both major parties lack credibility and locks Australia's economy onto a balloon ride to ever polluting skies." said John Connor, CEO of the Climate Institute in a media statement.

"There's plenty of room for improvement from both major parties in the remaining weeks. We need a limit and a price tag on pollution and credible commitments for pollution reduction, but there are still opportunities in land use, energy saving and cleaner energy policies," concluded Mr Connor.

While Climate Change has largely been downgraded as a priority for the major parties, with lacklustre policies that don't reflect the action that scientists say is needed, the Australian Youth Climate Coalition are campaigning hard for greater action. In a series of weekend POWER SHIFT summits in Adelaide, Geelong and Canberra in the lead up to the federal election, the AYCC is motivating young voters to be heard on this issue. The AYCC have also produced a scorecard on climate change which strongly favours the Greens ahead of the Labor Party and the Coalition a poor third.

Listen to Anna Gillam from The Wire from Community radio speaking to Adelaide organisers Joel Dignam and Heather Bruer: Election 2010: Young People demand action on climate change (MP3).

The AYCC have powershift events coming up in Canberra 7-8 August and in Geelong 14-15 August.

Climate activists protest Julia Gillard over ALP climate change policy

ALP policy on climate change action has been strongly criticised by environment and climate action groups with protests at Julia Gillard's climate change policy launch in Brisbane, and protests at Julia Gillard's Werribee electoral office and her Melbourne Treasury Place office.

Related: Climate activists lock on at Gillard's office to protest pathetic ALP policy | Photos at Treasury Place protest


Bradley Smith from Friends of the Earth confronted Julia Gillard at the climate policy launch at the University of Queensland in Brisbane. After being physically tackled and lead aware by Federal police Bradley told reporters that to take real action on climate hange the Prime Minister has to address the coal industry "but the coal miners have got her tongue" he said.

"We gave Labor a mandate to take climate action 3 years ago. What she announced today is just another delay tactic. She is essentially turning back the clock to before we ratified Kyoto, to before the Garnaut review. This backwards step will come at an enormous cost, and we cannot let that happen without protest." Bradley said in a media statement.

"40,000 coal seam gas wells in Queensland's darling downs, 11 new coal fired power stations, and huge expansions of coal rail and ports, that's Julia Gillard's real climate policy, and it's condemning our future." he said.

"Scientists have been telling us we need to take action on climate change for a long time. The government have had a mandate to take strong action on climate change for the last three years. That's what the election was about three years ago, and we've seen no action. So I feel the need to do whatever I can because it's not just about me, it's about the whole planet." Bradley told triple j radio Hack program.

In Melbourne, two actions ocurred. Two activists 'locked-on' to a door in Julia Gillard's Weribee electoral office, while climate activists from Environment Victoria and other climate action groups gathered outside the Prime Minister's Melbourne office. Environment Victoria campaigns director Mark Wakeham said in a media statement "The promise that new coal-fired power stations will have to be 'carbon capture ready' is greenwash, particularly given that the commitment does not apply to the 15 existing proposals to build new coal-fired power stations,"

"In effect, today's announcement gives the green light for 15 new coal-fired power stations nationally, including the HRL proposal in Victoria. It allows power stations like Hazelwood to keep polluting. And it signals a complete lack of leadership on climate change from a Gillard Government. "Promises that future proposals for coal-fired power stations would have to be carbon capture ready are meaningless. I'm Tattslotto-winning ready, but it's probably not going to happen" Mark Wakeham said.

Mr Wakeham also condemned the creation of a community panel as another cynical delaying tactic. "We don't appoint citizens juries to decide whether or not to send troops into conflict or to design our tax scheme. This is just another delaying tactic. The ALP designed a similar process with the Garnaut Review last election. The review spent 12 months studying the issues, and then the Labor Party largely ignored its findings. Now they are proposing to spend another year on another process which will have zero impact on our levels of greenhouse pollution."

"At the last election voters showed their support for climate action, and poll after poll consistently shows the majority of Australians want to see action to rapidly reduce our greenhouse pollution, not more delays" concluded Mr Wakeham.

The Climate Institute's CEO John Connor said the ALP's climate policy provided small steps forwad but the policy falls far short for a credible plan to tackle climate change and carbon emissions pollution.

"A credible plan needs to have a limit and price tag on pollution, needs to make polluters take responsibility for pollution and have investments and incentives to make clean energy cheaper. A credible plan needs to demonstrate how parties can achieve their international commitments to achieve up to 25 % reductions off 2000 levels of pollution by 2020." John Connor said.

"Today's announcement has welcome repeated support of the need for a limit and price on pollution but gives no guarantees for either. There is some encouragement for businesses taking responsibility for their pollution and some extra funding to make clean energy cheaper but we still rate the Government policy at 1 star out of five. Preliminary analysis of the pollution reduction potential of the policy announcements under our Pollute-o-meter sees very little change pre-2020 with current Government policies still witnessing increased pollution levels by 2020."

In comparison, the Climate Institute ranks the Coalition parties climate policy at just half a star out of five and will also see pollution increasing out to 2020. You can access the Climate Institute's Pollute-o-meter to assess the major parties on climate change action.

"We welcome the investment in clean energy and smart grids which is a good down payment but short of what is needed to make strides forward in making clean energy cheaper." concluded John Connor.

On Friday the Greens released a plan for 100% renewable energy for Australia. Under the plan Infrastructure Australia would be tasked with: mapping the renewable energy resource areas of Australia; bringing all levels of government, local communities and renewable energy developers together in consultation; and creating renewable energy development zones based on the mapped areas, with streamlined approval processes and funding connection of the zones to the electricity grid.

Sources

• Media Release Environment Victoria - July 23, 2010 - Gillard moving backwards on climate
• Media Release Climate Institute - July 23, 2010 - Small steps forward but far short of credible plan
• Media Release Friends of the Earth - July 23, 2010 - Gillard's climate announcement: moving backwards
• Media Release The Greens - July 23, 2010 - Planning for 100% renewable energy
• Image courtesy Environment Victoria on Flickr - Gillard Climate Change Protest