Federal Government attacks on environmental groups

robyn August 20, 2015

The Federal government is now attacking environmental groups on two fronts.

1. One inquiry well under way is the following attempt to remove tax free donation status of environmental charities like Friends of the Earth.

“The House of Representatives Standing Committee on the Environment will inquire into and report on the administration and transparency of the Register of Environmental Organisations (the Register) and its effectiveness in supporting communities to take practical action to improve the environment.” More information here.

Friends of the Earth Australia has made a submission and hearings are being held around the country. The Adelaide hearing is scheduled for September 1st – location to be announced. The hearing will be open to the public and we intend to have a representative monitor the Adelaide event. Friends of the Earth are appearing before the inquiry in Melbourne on September 21st – location to be announced.

2. “The Abbott government has revealed plans to repeal a section of Australia’s environment laws that allows green groups to challenge approvals for mining projects and other large developments in the courts. Federal Attorney-General George Brandis said the government would seek to repeal section 487 (2) of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act and “return to the common law”, after it was used successfully by the Mackay Conservation Group to overturn the federal environment minister’s approval of the Carmichael mega-coal mine in Queensland’s Galilee Basin.” Renew Economy: The six big lies in Tony Abbott’s attack on the environment

The Six Big Lies in Tony Abbott’s attack on the environment:

Lie 1. It’s the economy versus the environment

Lie 2. The parade of projects

Lie 3. Coal jobs at risk

Lie 4. Activists destroying the industry

Lie 5. The cost of emissions reductions

Lie 6. The sheer hypocrisy of it all

A good article at the Guardian article: George Brandis says vigilante green groups are destroying thousands of mining jobs

You are invited to sign the PETITION to Attorney George Brandis asking him to:

Stop Abbott government destroying Australia’s environmental laws.

Clean Futures, Climate, Divestment, Environmental Law, FoE, Mining, Nuclear, Old_Notes, Sustainability

climate change, community, divestment, friends of the earth, Mining, Sustainability

100% Renewable Energy for SA – in just 15 years! Wed August 19th

robyn August 18, 2015

100% Renewable Energy for SA – in just 15 years!

Wed August 19th 6:30pm

Kings Head Hotel, King William St Adelaide

SA is the standout state – today getting 40% of its electricity from renewable sources – at least 3 times more than any other mainland state in Australia. Great!

Did you know we could hit 100% renewable electricity? And in just 15 years?

This is one of the findings of the Conservation SA commissioned report by energy expert Dr Mark Diesendorf of the University of NSW.

It will not only clean up our environment to do our share to halt climate change, it will continue to bring down our state’s electricity costs.

Come and hear:

1. Julia Winefield of Conservation SA speak on the report together with

2. Margaret Hender of CORENA and

3. Nicki Ison of Community Power Agency

who will all indicate how we can fast track renewable energy projects in our own communities, plus what we each of us can do to ensure Dr Diesendorf’s report becomes a reality.

Order free tickets via Eventbrite

See you there!

Check out the 100% Renewables SA Facebook page

Clean Futures, Climate, Renewables, Sustainability

Adelaide, climate change, education, Sustainability

Ask Jamie Oliver to be a Bee/GMO-Free Advocate Lunch Sat Oct 31st

robyn August 18, 2015

March Against Monsanto Adelaide and Fair Food Adelaide presents

“Ask Jamie Oliver to be a Bee/GMO-Free Advocate Lunch”

12pm Saturday 31st October

Jamie’s Adelaide Restaurant

2 King William St Adelaide

Celebrating Fair Food Week – Lunch at Jamie Oliver’s restaurant to plan and sign a letter asking him to be an Advocate for Bees and a GMO-free world. We will tick off a list how much of our food depends upon bees to send to him. We will ask staff questions about GMOS and their menu, we have been told by Jamie’s HQ they don’t use GMOs but do they really know?

Menu here: http://www.jamieoliver.com/italian/australia/restaurants/adelaide/menu/

Facebook event page to RSVP – limited spaces

Contact robyn.wood@foe.org.au for more information

FoE, Food, Old_Notes

*events*, Adelaide, community, community_food, fair food adelaide, Food, food sovereignty, friends of the earth, Sustainability

FOE Australia tracks the Nuclear Royal Commission

robyn August 18, 2015

In addition to our local Anti-Nuclear/Pro-Renewables campaign, you can keep an eye on Friends of the Earth Australia’s website for updates – thanks to our national Nuclear Campaigner Dr Jim Green.

http://www.foe.org.au/royal-commission

If you’d like to be on our local campaigner Nectaria Calan’spersonal nuclear email list please contact adelaide.office@foe.org.au

Climate, FoE, Mining, Nuclear, Old_Notes, Renewables, Sustainability, Weapons proliferation

anti-nuclear, climate change, friends of the earth, Mining, Sustainability

Nuclear Outlook Bleak

roman August 15, 2015

An interesting review of the World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2015 (WNISR 2015) in the current Bulletin of Atomic Scientists

Nuclear heavyweights. In both France and Japan, two of the three countries with the largest installed nuclear capacity (the United States is number one), the nuclear industry is in deep trouble. Although Japan still has 40 reactors that are counted as installed capacity, none of them operated in 2014. It was the first time in 50 years that Japan was without nuclear electricity for an entire calendar year. And no lights went out. As of today, it appears likely that two reactors, at most, will restart in Japan this year.

In France, long the world’s role model for how to successfully develop nuclear energy, the National Assembly passed an energy bill that defines a target to reduce nuclear’s share of the electricity mix from three-quarters to half by 2025. The French state-controlled energy group Areva—the self-proclaimed global leader in nuclear energy—went technically bankrupt after reporting massive losses for four years in a row. Credit-rating agencies have downgraded Areva’s long-term debt to “junk,” and the company’s share price plunged to a record low earlier this month, a level 90 percent below its record high in 2007.

Old_Notes