Guest Post: Carbon emissions will reach 37 billion tonnes in 2018, a record high

Pep Canadell, CSIRO; Corinne Le Quéré, University of East Anglia; Glen Peters, Center for International Climate and Environment Research - Oslo; Robbie Andrew, Center for International Climate and Environment Research - Oslo, and Rob Jackson, Stanford University

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from fossil fuels and industry are projected to rise more than 2% (range 1.8% to 3.7%) in 2018, taking global fossil CO₂ emissions to a new record high of 37.1 billion tonnes.

The strong growth is the second consecutive year of increasing emissions since the 2014-16 period when emissions stabilised, further slowing progress towards the goals of the Paris Agreement that require a peak in greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible. Strong growth in emissions from the use of coal, oil and natural gas suggests CO₂ emissions are likely to increase further in 2019.

Saudia Arabia and the Arab Group, and Brazil win Fossil Awards at COP24

and on the second Fossil of the day ceremony of the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP24 meeting in Katowice, Poland....

No surprise here to find our old blocking friend Saudi Arabia reappearing, and on behalf of the Arab group, no less, for trying to kill ambition and prevent more transparency.

And a late runner has entered the competition. Oh Brazil, how could you? It seems the new President has plans for the Amazon rainforest that involve deforrestation and will also drive massive impacts on indigenous people of the Amazon. Seriously not good for climate or people.

Gender equality and Australia's official delegation to COP24

Carbon Brief has done an analysis of the size of official delegations at the United Nations Climate Conference, COP24, meeting in Poland, and also the gender breakdown of each delegation.

Australia has an official delegation of 30 consisting of 18 female and 12 male delegates.

Our delegation has a far better gender balance than our House of Representatives with 29.5 per cent female representation or our Liberal Party in Government with just 20.3 per cent female representation.

School kids occupy Australian parliament foyer demanding 100% renewables, #stopAdani

Students involved in the National School Strike for Climate Actionjoined First Nations leaders from Seedmob, youth leaders from AYCC and climate experts to hold a peaceful occupation of approximately 100 people in the foyer of Federal Parliament House in Canberra on Wednesday 5 December.

This follows a climate strike involving over 15,000 students and supporters on Friday 30 November in all capital cites and some 20 regional cities and towns.

The students are demanding:

• 1. Stop the Adani coal mine
• 2. No new coal or gas
• 3. 100% renewable energy by 2030

and requesting:

• 1. Host a climate change forum for school students in your electorate before the Federal Election
• 2. Take a photo with us and a StopAdani sign to demonstrate your opposition to the mine and support for our future.

Host country Poland wins first #FossiloftheDay at UN climate change conference COP24

The decision has been made for the first Fossil of the Day of COP24, meeting in Katowice in Poland.

Was it for Australia and Environment Minister Melissa Price with her denial of the IPCC 1.5C climate report message on coal and social transformation needed?

Was it for Saudi Arabia for blocking negotiations?

Was it for the US Trump Administration and the continued dismantling of Federal emissions reduction regulations?

No....it is for the host country of this year's UN climate change conference being held in the middle of Silesia - coal country. A conference heavily sponsored by state owned coal companies.

"Today’s Fossil of the day goes to Poland for trying to protect their one true love – coal – and not its people and environment, as well as for downplaying the urgency of climate action that we need to stay alive - a negotiated decision to strengthen NDCs in line with the IPCC Special Report on Global Warming to 1.5C." says the Climate Action network.

Greta Thunberg addresses UN secretary general António Guterres at COP24 on climate change

Greta Thunberg, the 15 year old Swedish student who started a climate strike outside the Swedish parliament, and initiated a global movement of students and kids for climate action, is at the United Nations climate change conference in Katowice, Poland, COP24, and addressed the UN Secretary General António Guterres.

She did not mince her words, but spoke directly to what is needed, what will happen.

Here is the full transcript:

David Attenborough - World facing existential risk with climate change

COP24, Katowice, Poland, 3rd December 2018: Transcript of speech by David Attenborough

Your excellencies, ladies and gentlemen.

‘We the peoples of the United Nations’. These are the opening words of the UN Charter. A charter that puts people at the centre. A pledge to give every person in the world a voice on its future. A promise to help protect the weakest and the strongest from war, famine and other man-made disasters.

Right now, we are facing a man-made disaster of global scale. Our greatest threat in thousands of years. Climate Change.

If we don’t take action the collapse of our civilisations and the extinction of much of the natural world is on the horizon.

Funeral for Our Future - Time to #stopAdani

Funeral for Our Future - a Service conducted by Stop Adani Melbourne and friends, officiated by Uniting Church Minister Rev Alex Sangster.

Included a Processional march by Riff Raff Marching Band, Songs lead by the Climate Choir, Eulogy for the Reef by Alan Cuthbertson from Stop Adani Melbourne, Eulogy for Nature by Joseph Birckhead and Audrey Cooke, Euology for Children's Future by teenager Marco Bellemo, Call to Action by Rev Alex Sangster and Marco Bellemo.

Queensland's Catastrophic bushfire, extreme heatwave and climate change

Queensland: Catastrophic fire conditions, a week long extreme heatwave with record breaking temperatures, mass bushfire evacuations at Gracemere near Rochhampton, State and Commonwealth disaster response plans triggered.

But no mention of climate change intensifying heat and bushfires.

Guest Post: Frank Jotzo on Labor's new energy policy using the #NEG and the need to do so much more

Labor's policy can smooth the energy transition, but much more will be needed to tackle emissions

Frank Jotzo, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University

The Labor party’s energy policy platform, released last week, is politically clever and would likely be effective. It includes plans to underwrite renewable energy and storage, and other elements that would help the energy transition along. Its approach to the transition away from coal-fired power is likely to need more work, and it will need to be accompanied by good policy in other sectors of the economy where greenhouse emissions are still climbing.

The politics is quite simple for Labor: support the transition to renewable electricity which is already underway and which a large majority of Australians support, and minimise the risk that its proposed policy instruments will come under effective attack in the lead-up to the 2019 election.