Benalla Sustainable Future Group
  • Home
  • ABOUT
    • ABOUT BSFG
    • Advocacy, Education and Lobbying >
      • ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCACY
      • Education
      • Lobbying and Media
    • INTERESTS >
      • Bio-diversity
      • Food and Agriculture >
        • Food & Agriculture
        • Food Co-op
        • Benalla Local Food Network
        • Permaculture and Sustainable Gardening
      • Renewable Energy >
        • Renewable Energy
        • Calculate Your Carbon Footprint
        • Renewable Energy Benalla
        • Benalla Community Energy Project (BCEP)
      • Sustainable Building >
        • Sustainable Building
        • Green Rebuild Toolkit
        • BSFG's Guide to Sustainable Housing
      • TRANSPORT/TRAVEL >
        • Bicycle Action Group
        • Cycling in Benalla
      • Waste/Plastic >
        • Plastic Wise Benalla
        • Single Use Plastics
        • Microfibre shedding
        • Plastic Wise News
    • FUNDING
  • ACTION GROUPS
    • Strategic Objectives
    • Connecting and engaging the community
    • Greening and cooling our Urban Spaces
    • Ecological Sustainable Design and Development*
    • Widespread adoption of sustainable farming systems
    • Waste Wise Benalla
    • BSFG Review - Goals Raw Data
  • Food Co-op
  • REB
  • NEWS
    • News
    • Newsletters >
      • BSFG Newsletter
      • Benalla Permaculture - Feb 2023
    • Hot Topics and Kitchen Table Conversations
    • Light Ideas
    • Gallery
  • JOIN
    • Become a Member
    • Online Membership Form
    • Membership Form
  • Diary
    • BSFG & Food Coop Calendar
    • Environmental Action Days and Events
  • Links
    • BSFG Favourites
    • Catch Up videos
    • Benalla Central Community Garden
    • Benalla Permaculture
    • Bendigo Sustainability Group
    • Climate Ready Hume Newsletter >
      • Late June 2022
      • March 2022
    • Ecoportal
    • Gecko Clan Landcare
    • North East Region Sustainability Alliance (NERSA)
    • Totally Renewable Yackandandah
    • Wangaratta Land Care and Sustainability
  • Contact

'A message to a friend in the UK re COP 26' - Ian Herbert

10/11/2021

0 Comments

 
My friend Ray lives in the UK and he was asking me whether our great leader would come to COP 26 or whether coal might have an unpleasant whiff about it (his words).  Here is my reply:

All the states have more ambitious plans than the Federal Government. Indeed, the Federal Government has NO PLAN. Only now, on the eve of COP 26, are they trying to scratch something together. That's after eight years in power.

What we will see in a matter of days is a statement about net zero by 2050 with little real action. It will not say anything about retiring coal powered electricity. It will not say anything about moving away from gas or limiting exploration. It will talk about green hydrogen because one of our rich iron ore magnates believes in CC and is investing billions to set up green hydrogen plants, despite the Feds. Solar will continue to grow, despite the Feds. Wind will continue to grow including now offshore, despite the Feds. The only positive investment the Feds are behind is a large pumped hydro plant being added to the Snowy Hydro scheme. That was instigated by the previous PM Malcolm Turnbull before he was voted out by his LNP party. They should be putting funds into transmission lines but they sit on their hands.

The other thing you will hear about is sequestration - carbon capture and storage. This is a complete furphy.

First off it could only capture a percentage of emissions from coal-fired power stations and the target is zero. Secondly it adds cost. Thirdly if you look at potential storage sites the amount available and the geographic places adds up to very little. The only place it has been used successfully is to force more oil out of oil wells - adding to CC. But your average punter doesn't know this and they are taken in by the PM's spin. Of course all the fossil fuel people, urging him on and asking for hand-outs, know it but they won't say.

Some States are doing better than others. South Australia is well ahead. Other States including Vic are going well but like a bet each way. They haven't yet turned down gas exploration requests. Fugitive emissions from gas are not properly accounted for and the methane graph is scary.

​So, in summary, anything done so far is DESPITE this government's policies. They have in fact HINDERED progress. We have a Federal Minister for emissions reduction who actively campaigns on behalf of coal and gas. The PM's own department head is straight from the fossil fuel industry and they have stacked all the advisory bodies. But now they are being exposed for what they are and even the general voters are now more aware. 70% plus of Australians say we should do more to act on CC.

Going back to your email, you asked about batteries. They are now being added to the larger solar farms here to time shift the output. I don't think the price will fall too quickly because of the parallel demand for EVs. There is the possibility for different types of batteries for large scale installations e.g. flow batteries. A breakthrough is sorely needed. Some States here are pushing ahead with their own pumped hydro schemes and I think that's the solution.

Let's see if my predictions re the Feds plan are correct. I then went on to explain the local term ‘furphy’, ​though, in retrospect, I could have used some stronger language.
So how did it all pan out?

My prediction was correct but I claim no great predictive skills. Were there any surprises? Absolutely not. It’s all business as usual, including the spin.

​As Scott Morrison was about to fly off to Europe Barnaby Joyce took great pleasure in announcing that he was instrumental in ensuring methane reduction was not part of the plan. Scott Morrison immediately fronted the media to insist that he never had any intention of agreeing to any reduction.

What a sad state of affairs. Here, on the eve of COP 26, we have Australia’s PM and Deputy PM publicly arguing over who has done the best job at rejecting one important element of climate action.

I wrote about methane and fugitive emissions in the last BSFG newsletter. The recent rise in levels is totally scary. This will only be exacerbated if ‘clean hydrogen’, as mentioned in this latest plan, includes hydrogen derived from fossil fuels - and it does in Angus Taylor’s rhetoric. Victorian Federal MP Darren Chester also mentioned it as being available from brown coal in the Latrobe Valley - and he is one of the Nationals who is supposedly a supporter of strong climate action! Ahh, pity help us.

All we really need is a Federal government which simply asks the States, “How can we help?” and States who truly are committed.
Picture
Ian Herbert
Ian Herbert

This post was originally published in the BSFG Newsletter #31, 10 November 2021.
0 Comments

    Hot Topics and Kitchen Table Conversations 

    A page for big picture conversations, suggested courses of action for Benalla and exploration of complex issues.    Send in articles, or use the page as a resource for conversations with others.


    Kitchen Table Conversations

    Download Kitchen Table Conversation Kit  
    Climate Change Conversation - Guide
    'How to talk to someone who dosn't believe in climate change' - Search results 

    Categories

    All
    Anxiety
    Benalla Rural City Council
    Bill McKibben
    Charles Jones
    Circular Economy
    Climate Anxiety
    Climate Change
    Climate Emergency
    COP 26
    Creative Economy
    Damon Gameau
    Degrowth
    'Doughnut Economics'
    Hidden Wonders Of Soil
    Ian Herbert
    It's Time To Kick Gas!
    Jason Hickel
    Kate Raworth
    Less Is More
    Limits To Growth
    Local Heroes
    'Make The Switch'
    'Net Zero Emissions'
    Peter Holmes
    Peter Maddock
    Recommended Reading
    Recycling Solar Panels
    Renewables Industrial Complex
    Sustainability
    'Where Are Our Leaders?'

    Archives

    November 2022
    August 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    August 2020

    RSS Feed

Picture
Picture
Picture
News Blog
​Gallery
Newsletter
Light Ideas
​Hot Topics
Mailing List
Membership Form

Action Groups
​Benalla Food Cooperative
​Connected, Engaged Community
Ecological Sustainable Design and Development
​Greening  and cooling our urban areas 
​
​
​Renewable Energy Benalla
Sustainable Farming Practices
Waste Wise Benalla

​Donate to Support BSFG
​Benalla Sustainable Future Group acknowledges the traditional owners of the land on which we live, work and meet, the Taungerang and Bpangerang people
​of North East Victoria, and pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging.