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tony abbott
Breaking from Abbott and Fossil Fuel Titan, Australian Coal Port Votes to Divest
Despite coal's grip on the local economy, Labor councilor Declan Clausen, who brought the motion before the city council, said after the vote that the "writing is on the wall, coal is not going to be a leader long into the future." Instead, he suggested that the city should be look to diversify its economy, including investments into renewable technologies, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.
"With a lack of leadership from state and federal government, it falls to local government to act," Clausen told 350.org Australia.
Roughly 80 percent of the City of Newcastle Council's $270 million investment portfolio is held in Australia's "big four banks," which all lend to new and existing fossil fuel projects. Statements from bank representatives indicated they have no intention of changing their current investment strategy.
The move was swiftly supported by both environmental groups and Newcastle residents, whose daily lives are impacted by the omnipresent coal industry.
"With the largest coal port on the planet at our doorstep, for too long our families have endured the damages created by investing in dirty energy," said Newcastle nurse Cathy Burgess. "Our reality is tainted with loud and dangerous coal trains and coal ships. Our homes and landscapes face a constant showering of harmful coal dust. For these reason and for so many more, I support the Council's decision to divest from the dirty fossil fuel industry."
According to the city's annual report, during 2012-2013, exports of coal from the port exceeded 142.6 million tons, at an estimated value of A$15.25 billion.
Dr. John Mackenzie, a coordinator with the local environmental justice group, the Hunter Community Environment Centre, said the move "sets the precedent that our local leaders are embracing a vision that breaks the cycle of coal dependency that has too long gripped the Newcastle community."
And in a press statement, Isaac Astill, a fossil fuel divestment campaigner with 350.org Australia, said: "We applaud the Newcastle City Council in its decision to divest from fossil fuels that are as bad for a balance sheet as they are for our air, water, and climate."
"As Tony Abbott forges backwards, hand-in-hand with the coal industry," Astill continued, "it is refreshing to see real leadership from local communities and Councils on one of the most defining issues of our time."
Australia's Weak COP21 Climate Goal Sends 'Shudder Through the Pacific'
The goal will be submitted to the United Nations ahead of the Conference of the Parties 21 (COP21) climate talks in Paris, as is the requirement of all 195 member states. A final target will be agreed to once an international accord is reached.
The target set by Abbott--who will not attend the talks in person--falls well below the goal recommended by Australia's government body of independent experts, the Climate Change Authority, which concluded last month that the country must cut emissions from 40 to 60 percent below 2000 levels by 2030 in order to do its part to prevent the earth from heating over two degrees Celsius.
Furthermore, as the London-headquartered group Climate Action points out, "The selection of 2005 instead of 2000 as the benchmark year of emissions has faced stern criticism with 2005 being recognized as a year of particularly high levels of GHG emissions."
Climate campaigners were not surprised, given Abbott's track record of adopting policies that favor the country's large coal industry, including his opposition to a proposed carbon tax last year. However, they did express alarm about the dangerous repercussions for people and the planet.
Tony de Brum, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, said Tuesday that Australia's "weak" target will "send a serious shudder through the Pacific and raise concern amongst its closest allies."
"This seems to be another example of Australian exceptional ism when it comes to tackling the biggest economic, environmental, and security challenge of the 21st Century," de Brum added. "If the rest of the world followed Australia's lead, the Great Barrier Reef would disappear. So would my country, and the other vulnerable atoll nations on Australia's doorstep."
The Sydney-based think tank Climate Institute denounced the target as "bad for the climate," adding: "If other countries took the same approach as the government announced today, the world would warm by 3-4degC."
Kelly O'Shanassy, head of the ACF, said in a statement released Tuesday that "It's a defeatist target that shows no faith in the ability of Australians to adapt, innovate and make the transition to a clean economy."
"This target is lower than the upper end of Australia's existing target of 5-25 per cent by 2020, but it adds a decade and leaves the next generation to pick up the tab," O'Shanassy continued. "Unfortunately the government seems determined to do the bidding of the big polluters and keep our economy handcuffed to last century's energy sources--coal and gas."
With Help From Rupert Murdoch, Rightwing Leader Takes Reins of Australian Gov't
Rupert Murdoch-backed leader of Australia's conservative 'Liberal Party' Tony Abbott was ushered in as new prime minister Saturday, signaling a further lurch to the right for the country and rejection of the Labor Party, which has sat at the helm of the Australian government for the last 6 years.
Abbott, a staunch monarchist and former boxer and priest-in-training, has come under fierce criticism for making degrading and prejudiced statements about women and Australian aboriginal and indigenous communities. He ran his campaign on promises to impose austerity, decrease Australia's national debt, crack down on immigrants and asylum seekers, and erode already-flimsy policies aimed at curbing global warming.
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