No new coal or gas and more transparency

"We are hurtling towards disaster, eyes wide open […] It’s time to wake up and step up […] leave oil, coal and gas in the ground where they belong." António Guterres

"The science says we do need to rush. It is now over 30 years since the Australian government first accepted that climate change was real, was primarily caused by fossil fuels, and was an enormous risk to Australia, but centrists like Albanese are still telling us that it’s not yet time to stop building new gas or coal mines."
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https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-the-dangers-of-centrism-in-a-time-of-crisis-262961

Lagging federal lobbying rules leave door open for corruption and undue influence

"Opaque federal regulations give powerful interests like gambling, defence and fossil fuel sectors outsized influence over policy making. The lack of transparency and accountability risks corrupting the political decision-making process and reduces trust in our democracy."
https://transparency.org.au/lagging-federal-lobbying-rules-leave-door-open-for-corruption-and-undue-influence/
#FossilFuels #Australia #coal #denial #FossilFuelSubsidies #transparency #trust #accountability #corruption #LobbyIndustry #regulation

"Billions are given to #oil and gas corporations each year, including loans, #tax breaks and more. Exactly how many billions is a matter of debate." If we want a livable future, any #FossilFuelSubsidies is too much IMHO. https://thenarwhal.ca/oil-and-gas-subsidies-canada/

"Every year, #Canada’s federal government gives billions in direct subsidies, tax breaks and government-backed financial support to the fossil fuel industry. By making it cheaper to extract #fossilfuels, these subsidies transfer public money to some of the richest companies in the world, contribute to #climatechange, and divert funds from programs that would benefit the public – like #healthcare." https://environmentaldefence.ca/the-running-list-of-federal-fossil-fuel-subsidies-in-canada-in-2023/

From a massive success in the Netherlands last October, the protests against #FossilFuelSubsidies look to encompass Europe and create even bigger change.

https://theecologist.org/2024/apr/11/roadblock-changing-europe

"IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said that countries need to shift some $7 trillion in direct and indirect annual subsidies for fossil fuels to help finance the fight against #ClimateChange.

Georgieva told the World Economic Forum that the total #FossilFuelSubsidies include $1.3 trillion in direct government subsidies as well as indirect subsidies that include failure to price carbon emissions, adding that this price needs to be set at $85 per ton by 2030."

https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/imf-chief-says-countries-should-shift-fossil-fuel-subsidies-fight-climate-change-2024-01-17

The 2023 state of the climate report: Entering uncharted territory: "Time is up."

“Life on our planet is clearly under siege...The statistical trends show deeply alarming patterns of climate-related variables and disasters. We also found little progress to report as far as humanity combating climate change.”

"Fossil fuel subsidies roughly doubled between 2021 and 2022 globally, from $US531 billion to just over $US1 trillion.

This year Canadian wildfires have pumped more than 1 gigaton of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, greater than Canada’s total 2021 greenhouse emissions.

In 2023, there have already been 38 days with global average temperatures more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

The highest average Earth surface temperature ever recorded was in July, and there’s reason to believe it was the highest surface temperature the planet has seen in the last 100,000 years."

“Our goal is to communicate climate facts and make policy recommendations...It is a moral duty of scientists and our institutions to alert humanity of any potential existential threat and to show leadership in taking action.”
https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/uncharted-territory-climate-scientists-sound-alarm-over-earths-vital-signs

"We are entering an unfamiliar domain regarding our climate crisis, a situation no one has ever witnessed firsthand in the history of humanity."
https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/biosci/biad080