Publications

Friends of the Earth Adelaide > Publications

Ross Garnaut talk: Australia: Energy Superpower of the Low-Carbon World

June 17, 2015

  Professor Ross Garnaut
Australia has the potential to be even more important in global energy
in a low carbon world. Amongst the world’s developed countries, Australia has by far the greatest per capita potential for low-cost production of energy from most of the promising renewable sources: solar, wind, deep geothermal, wave and tidal.
Professor Ross Garnaut

You can read the text of his lecture. The University will post the recording of the session Tuesday the 30th.

Australians get a second chance at internationally low energy costs with the world’s transition to a low-carbon economy. Managed well, the transition to a low-carbon economy will restore and enhance old Australian strengths, this time built on sustainable foundations.  These strengths will be especially important in South Australia.

The Adelaide University 2015 Luxton Memorial Lecture was delivered by the distinguished academic and economist, Professor Ross Garnaut AO. Professor Garnaut is a Professorial Research Fellow in Economics at the University of Melbourne (since 2008). He was the senior economic policy official in Papua New Guinea’s Department of Finance in the years straddling Independence in 1975, principal economic adviser to Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke 1983-1985, and Australian Ambassador to China 1985-1988.

He is the author of a number of influential reports to Government, including Australia and the Northeast Asian Ascendancy (Australian Government Publishing 1989), The Garnaut Climate Change Review (Cambridge University Press 2008) and The Garnaut Review 2011: Australia and the Global Response to Climate Change (Cambridge University Press 2011).

RSVP https://mecheng.adelaide.edu.au/news/luxton-memorial-lecture/

Clean Futures, Climate, Old_Notes, Sustainability

, ,

Activists call on BHP Billiton to Abandon Borneo Coal Mines

May 29, 2015

Submitted by Cam Walker on Tue, 26/05/2015 – 12:57

Melbourne, 26 May 2015. Activists today attempted to unfurl a giant banner in BHP Billiton headquarters containing the names of over 9,000 people who are calling for the company to abandon its plans to build a series of coal mines in some of the last remaining stands of primary rainforest in Indonesian Borneo. The banner – measuring 12 square metres – was to be hung in the foyer of BHP Billiton’s head offices in Melbourne, but was quickly confiscated by BHP Billiton security (image of banner available below). A protest is also planned for BHP Billiton’s London offices tonight, Australian time, and the petition will be formally presented to company management.

The petition calls the series of mines – known as the IndoMet project – a “disaster in the making” and asks BHP Billiton (BHPB) to “withdraw from IndoMet immediately and seek permanent protection for the area.”

Old_Notes

The world is waking up to the $5.3 trillion cost of fossil fuels

May 29, 2015

A report from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) released on Monday, estimated that global fossil fuel use is subsidised to the tune of US$5.3 trillion a year (6.5% of global GDP).

The striking finding of the IMF, echoing previous work by economists such as Nicholas Muller, Robert Mendelsohn, and William Nordhaus for the United States, is that the third category of costs, smog and particulates, is easily the largest. Within this category, the biggest cost is due to particulate emissions from coal.

Professor John Quiggin, School of Economics at The University of Queensland notes that:

It follows that, even disregarding impact of climate change, the costs of burning fossil fuels outweigh the benefits in many cases. So, a reduction in fossil fuel use, and particularly in coal use makes economic sense.

He suggests rhis will drive China and India to abandon coal.

More details in his article from The Conversation.

 

Old_Notes

Trade deals threatened pesticide ban in Europe

May 29, 2015

EU moves to regulate hormone-damaging chemicals linked to cancer and male infertility were shelved following pressure from US trade officials over the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) free trade deal, newly released documents show.

Draft EU criteria could have banned 31 pesticides containing endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). But these were dumped amid fears of a trade backlash stoked by an aggressive US lobby push, access to information documents obtained by Pesticides Action Network (PAN) Europe show.

The report in a recent Guardian shows our concern over trade deals such as the TPP are well justified.

Old_Notes

SA network wants solar homes to pay $100/year more for grid

May 29, 2015

SA Power Networks (SAPN), which operates the poles and wires that deliver electricity to homes and businesses throughout the state, and is owned by ASX-listed Spark Infrastructure, says all consumers will receive price reductions in the coming year on their network costs.

But while most households will receive a discount of $188 a year on their network costs, and “vulnerable” homes a saving of $388 a year, the 175,000 solar households in the state will only receive a discount of $88 a year.

SAPN justifies this by saying that solar households still need as much power from the network at peak times as other users, even if they use less electricity from the grid during the day when the sun shines.

Attempts to penalize solar households have been already rebuffed in QLD and WA; it would be a shame if SA allowed this discrimination.

Nigel Morris of Slar Business systems outlines why this is misdirected in an article in the Climate Spectator.

Solar Citizens have initiated a petition to stop the discrimination against solar panel owners.

Solar Citizens is an independent community based organisation bringing together millions of solar owners and supporters to protect and grow solar in Australia.Since starting in May 2013, Solar Citizens has grown to over 60,000 supporters around the country, representing the more that 5 million solar owners in Australia and the millions more who wish to go solar.

Climate, Old_Notes