The Sustainable Hour: Recent Episodes
Anthony Gleeson, Colin Mockett, Mik Aidt
Our guest in The Sustainable Hour no. 601 is Rhys Forsyth, managing director of Code Nation.
Our guest on The Sustainable Hour no. 600 is climate activist Johann Hoschtialek from Grenada.
Our guest in The Sustainable Hour no. 598 is Nadia Scheffer, a blue economy entrepreneur.
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour on 17 June 2026 are veterinarian Gundula Rhoades and organic farmer Jesper Andersen.
Our guest in The Sustainable Hour no. 594 is Michael Poland, Campaign Director of the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative
Our guest in The Sustainable Hour no. 593 is Bruce Lindsay from Environmental Justice Australia.
In this 592nd episode of The Sustainable Hour, we speak with Lex Lynch, CEO of Footy for Climate.
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 591 are David Mould from Geelong Duck Rescue and Hayley Sestokas from Environment Victoria.
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 589 are Professor Joseph Camilleri and Jane Morton.
Our guest in The Sustainable Hour no. 588 is Sam Smith, sustainability manager of advisory services for Development Victoria.
The Sustainable Hour on 22 April 2026 marks Earth Day with an open microphone event and special guests.
Our guest in The Sustainable Hour on 8 April 2026 is Mhairi Fraser from the newly opened Goulburn Solar Farm.
Our guests are Jacqui Dunn and Lauren Ball from the One Planet Festival, and Tonie Field from the Degrowth Festival.
Our guest in The Sustainable Hour no. 581 is Jenny Weber, campaigns director at the Bob Brown Foundation.
Guest in our International Women’s Day special is climate lecturer Lucy Richardson. Hosted by Lauren Dillon and Jodie Hill.
Our guest in The Sustainable Hour no. 579 is Nicole Shortis, Controller of VICSES Bellarine.
The fourth episode of the Force of Life series features social innovator and systems thinker Andrew Gaines
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 576 are permaculture teacher Jessica Perini and refugee leaders Eric Hakizimana in Uganda and Ruth Akinyi in Kenya.
Our guest is environmentalist and poet Georgina Woods, Head of Research and Investigations at Lock the Gate Alliance.
Third episode of the Force of Life podcast series features the Danish architect and systems thinker Kasper Benjamin Reimer Bjørkskov,
Our guest in The Sustainable Hour no. 573 is community builder Kate Shelton, founder of Peacemeals.
Our guest in The Sustainable Hour no. 570 is former fossil fuel executive turned climate truth-teller, Ian Dunlop.
In this second episode of The Force of Life podcast series, writer, philosopher, and sociologist Barbara Lepani explains what she calls 'enlivenment'.
Our guest in The Sustainable Hour no. 569 is Dr Philippa England, a clean-energy trailblazer from Queensland.
Our guest in The Sustainable Hour no. 567 is Neil Plummer, who discusses Australia’s new national climate risk assessment
Interview with Danish author Tor Nørretranders - exploring what it means to act in service to life on Earth.
Our guest in The Sustainable Hour no. 566 is Ramandeep Sibia from Punjabis for Climate and Warm Data Lab.
Our guest in The Sustainable Hour no. 522 is Gregory Andrews, who just completed an unassisted ride across Australia on his e-bike.
Guest in The Sustainable Hour no. 521 is Susi Millton, manager of TreeProject, which has planted over 50,000 new trees with 1,500 volunteers in 2024.
Our guest in The Sustainable Hour no. 520 is Monica Winston, founder of Transition Streets Geelong, which has four events coming up in Geelong region
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 519 are Kirsty Bishop-Fox, co-founder and president of Zero Waste Victoria, carbon consultant and tidy-up advocate Heidi Fog, and plant-based cooking expert Anita Rickey.
Our guests today are Jamie Jeffries and Sarah Molner from Independent and Peaceful Australia Network, IPAN.
In its 517th episode, The Sustainable Hour explores the Danish approach to the climate crisis and the importance of collective action and a shared vision.
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 516 are Amin Abbas, a diaspora Palestinian, and Elyse Cunningham from Friends of the Earth Melbourne.
This special episode of The Sustainable Hour features three interviews from The Business Revolution podcast
Our guest in The Sustainable Hour no. 515 is Pimer Peace Monica, founder of an organisation that empowers marginalised girls in Uganda.
Our guest in The Sustainable Hour no. 514 is energy analyst Tim Buckley talking about the transition to renewable energy.
Our guest in The Sustainable Hour no. 513 is John Cook, a Senior Research Fellow with the Melbourne Centre for Behaviour Change at the University of Melbourne.
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 512 are Monica Winson from Transition Streets Geelong and Annie Delaney and Mary-Faeth Chenery from WINC
Our guest in The Sustainable Hour no. 511 is Mark Carter, co-founder of Flight Free Australia.
The Sustainable Hour no. 510 | Transcript | Podcast notes Farmers are joining the dots working with worms and nature Our guest in The Sustainable Hour no. 510 on 3 July 2024 is Jason Nicholls from Worm Solutions in Albury, New
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 509 are Zane Alcorn from Rising Tide and Liz Wade from Degrowth Network Australia.
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 508 are Celia Leverton from Regen Agriculture Network Tasmania, and John Seed - a long time rainforest activist and deep ecology advocate.
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour on 12 June 2024 are Violet CoCo and Brad Homewood from Extinction Rebellion Victoria.
Our guests in this week's episode are Tasmanian permaculturist Neysan Pertl from The Soil Guru, and climate activists Kanchana and Pasini from Sri Lanka.
Our guest in The Sustainable Hour no. 505 is an anonymous agroecology activist from India. We also hear two activists speaking at oil companies' AGMs.
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 504 are Tim Schmidt, president of the Australian Hemp Council, and sustainable fashion designer Simi Diskin.
The Sustainable Hour no. 503 | Transcript | Podcast notes The conversation in The Sustainable Hour no. 503 focuses on climate justice, the impact of the fossil fuel industry, and the need for stronger environmental laws. It calls out the government’s
Our guests on The Sustainable Hour number 502 are green grandma and author Linda Mary Wagner and sociologist Terry Leahy.
In this radio interview Mik Aidt discusses the need for independent representation in politics, specifically in relation to climate action
Guest in The Sustainable Hour no. 501 is David Dudley, founder of Tidy Up Townsville. We also listen to insights from Bill McKibben and Layne Beachley AO.
The Sustainable Hour celebrates our 500th episode by raising the Earth flag and planting a tree. Our guests are carbon consultant Heidi Fog and author Michael Sheldrick.
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 499 are former corporate lawyer Robert Hinkley and filmmaker Michael Shaw. We also play two excerpts of talks by professor and author Jem Bendell.
Guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 498 are Matt Bray from Environmental Film Festival Australia and Hugh The Waste Wizard.
Guest in The Sustainable Hour no. 497 is Mike Whittle - an 85-year-old singer-songwriter. We also introduce the new podcast 'The Business Revolution'.
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 496 are Robert Patterson from Letition.org, who is organising a community climate meeting at Geelong West Town Hall on 9 May 2024, and Jeanne Nel from CoolGeelong.
Guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 495 are RMIT researcher Dr Sarah Treby and comms director Aroe Ajourni from Climate Action Malaysia, KAMY.
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no 494 are Ty Christopher from Energy Futures Network, Laura Grufas from Parents for Climate, Jacqui Dunn from One Planet Festival, and Josh Kirkman from Surfers for Climate
Two days before International Women's Day on 8 March, the hosts of The Sustainable Women's Hour 2024 are Vicki Perrett and Kate Lockhart. Guests in the Hour are Jeanne Nel, Dr Ly Doan and Veema Mooniapah.
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 492 are Steven Hail and Gabi Bond from Modern Monetary Laboratory and Mark Tilly from Carbon Pulse.
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no 491 are Alopi Latukefu and Corinne Fagueret from the Edmund Rice Centre.
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 490 are Louise Denver, comms lead for Subak Australia, and Tim Hollo, author and executive director at the Green Institute.
Guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 489 are festival director Luke Taylor and co-operative founder Antony McMullen.
In The Regenerative Hour no 31, we talk with the author of 'Toxic Legacy' about what glyphosate does to the health of the soil and to the health of humans.
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 488 are Juliet and Jones from Chihuahua for Climate Action along with their owner, John Englart, and the English singer-songwriter and climate activist Louise Harris.
We play some of the best climate songs we aired in The Sustainable Hour during 2023, and select our annual 'Anthem of the Climate Revolution'.
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 487 are forest activist Dr Colette Marmsen and energy advisor Tim Forcey.
Together with our guest in The Sustainable Hour no. 486, Dr Cullan Joyce from University of Melbourne, we listen to the speech which King Charles delivered at COP28.
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 485 are Rachel Hay, Research & Projects Officer at Australia reMADE, and Lisa Deppeler from OCEAN.
Our guest in The Sustainable Hour no. 484 is Chloe Davison, co-founder of Glaze Sustainability, a Brisbane-based consultancy firm that "helps businesses thrive in the new low-emissions economy of circularity."
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 483 are Matt and Brigid Kelly from Low Footprint Lamb. We also hear from a climate hunger striker and a climate school striker.
An 'open source' fiction story about courage, community and change. Plus ChatGPT's analysis of it.
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour on 8 November 2023 are Shaun Deverson from Lighthouse Futures and climate school strikers Joey Thompson and Myles Wilkinson.
Interview with Guy Lane, who founded 'Vita Religion' around the belief that nature is sacred.
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 481 are Chris Wilson, Executive Director of Subak Australia, and Dr Janine Felson, lead negotiator for the small island states at COP.
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 480 are Paul Sinclair from the Australian Conservation Foundation, Kristin Vaughan from Virescent Ventures, and Dutch graphic designer Tijs Bonekamp.
Dutch graphic designer Tijs Bonekamp explains why he believes a flag for the Earth could become a very powerful way to connect people who share the same goal: to protect life on planet Earth.
The Climate Rescue Accord is a new common policy framework to set a course to restore a safe climate.
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 479 are mindfulness meditation teacher Suzie Brown, and Jaimie Jeffries and Julie Hart from the Independent & Peaceful Australia Network.
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no 478 are Guyson Baker from Respect Country and Senior Strategic Advisor to the City of Greater Geelong, Julie Saylor-Briggs.
In The Regenerative Hour no 30, we talk with the author of 'The Food Solution', joining the dots of the health of the soil to the health of humans.
In The Sustainable Hour no. 477 we focus on the Melbourne Town Hall emergency meeting #SteppingUpTogether which was held on 9 September 2023.
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 476 are Cameron Steele and Lachie Chomley from the North West Alliance. We also listen to speeches by school striker Charlotte Gollace and author Mark Diesendorf.
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 475 are Geelong Councillor Sarah Hathway, Lisa Depeller from OCEAN, and Belinda Haydon and Helen Lester from Beyond Gas Network
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 474 are Dr Louise Woodward, a paedetrician from Darwin in the Northern Territory, and podcast producer Mike DiGirolamo from the environmental science and conservation news provider Mongabay.
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 473 are placemaker Gilbert Rochecouste from Village Well and clinical psychologist Louise Shepherd who works for a teal independent Member of Parliament.
Interview with author Mark Diesendorf about his new book, ‘The Path to a Sustainable Civilisation’.
Our guest in The Sustainable Hour no. 472 is Julie Lyford, who is chair of Womens' Environmental Leadership Australia, WELA, and of Groundswell Gloucester.
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 471 are climate activist and communicator Phil Evans and professor Leanne Wiseman from Australian Repair Network.
Guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 470 are #Getoffgas campaigner Freja Leonard, climate activist Joana Partyka, and Dr Kate Booth and Tristan Sykes from Just Collapse.
“The real struggle over the next decade will not be for notoriety or power or wealth or pleasure but for something much more precious: Whether we will maintain the respect of our children.”~ Rupert Read The Sustainable Hour no. 469 |
Our guest in The Sustainable Hour no. 468 is Fiona Sutton Wilson, CEO of the Australian arm of Earthwatch Institute, a global environmental NGO.
Our guest in The Sustainable Hour no. 467 is Russell Collins from Himalayan Rocket Man Design.
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 466 are climate-schoolstriker Joey Thompson and native Australian grains expert Jacob Birch. We also bring a segment by youth reporter Ben Pocock.
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 465 are Dr Elodie Camprasse from Spider Crab Watch and biodiesel producer Peter Chomley.
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour on 'Show Your Stripes Day' are Millie Rooney from Australia Remade and Matt Bray from Art Disrupt.
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 463 are Letition-maker Robert Patterson from A Different Approach Community and British comedian Steve Hili.
Our guest in The Sustainable Hour no. 462 is eco-military theorist Dr Liz Boulton, who centers climate and environmental issues as a primary security threat for Australia.
Our guest in The Sustainable Hour no. 461 on 31 May 2023 is climate scientist Professor Emeritus David Karoly who tells us where we are at with the climate - and what we need to do.
Guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 460 are: Scott Howison from Joule Chamber in Queensland and farmer Phil Gardiner, who runs a petition against gas companies.
Guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 459 are Paul Oosting from Acacia Money and Tammi Jonas from the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 458 are Mother's Rebellion organiser Cat Macleod, 'Carbon Colonialism' author Laurie Parsons and director at A Human Agency Katriina Tahka.
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 457 are author, broadcaster and sustainability educator Geoff Ebbes and Karen and Danny Ellis from Mend It, Australia.
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 456 are Mike Bodsworth, who is deputy mayor of Surf Coast Shire, and Blair Palese, managing director of Climate & Capital Media.
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 455 are Tejopala Rawls from the Australian Religious Response to Climate Change, and Vonne Yang from slow fashion start-up InRo.
'The Code' is a new idea to fight climate change and eliminate other corporate abuses of the public interest. Interview with corporate lawyer Robert Hinkley.
Our guest in The Sustainable Hour no. 454 is Rob McBride who for a decade has fought for the protection of a river system against greed and corruption.
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 453 2023 are Dr Mary Debrett, from BREAZE in Ballarat, and Tamzin Rebel, founder of Farming Revolution.
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 452 are musician Shane Howard and climate coach Alan Taylor.
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 451 are Edwina Floch, founder of The Environmental Music Prize, and Cherie Seeto, co-founder of Sanglen Urban Oasis.
International Women’s Day Special Theme for 2023: #EmbraceEquity The Sustainable Hour no. 450 | Podcast notes Hosts of The Sustainable Hour on 8 March, the annual International Women’s Day, are Rosemary Nugent and Vicki Perrett, and their guests are Kate Lochart
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 449 are Sonia Randhawa from Coalition of Everyone and John Shone and Alex Fearnside from FoodVillage.
Cultivating innovation and creativity: Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 448 are Sebastian Berto from Fast Fashun and Jamileh Hargreaves from Moral Fairground.
The Sustainable Hour no. 447 | Podcast notes
*Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 447 on 15 February 2023 are journalist Callum Foote from Michael West Media, ethnochoreologist Jacqui Dreessens from Wild Moves International Geelong, and emerging climate oracle Ms ChatGeePeeTee from OpenAI.*
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“If you were to ask me which industry is most responsible for the destruction of life on Earth, I would say the media.”
~ George Monbiot, British author – on page 369 in ‘The Climate Book’
Callum Foote writes for Michael West Media, delivering investigative stories about fossil fuels, fracking, carbon accounting and land clearing. In our chat with him, we learn about the role that their company plays in the media industry here. They were set up to dig deeper into stories – to investigate areas of concern, like corruption in politics, the environment, among other important issues. They carry their independent label with pride, staunchly dedicated to the public interest and investigations into big business and government abuse of power. A real foil to the control that the Murdoch media empire has on our main stream media. They are able to do this because they don’t have any advertisements. They are funded 100 per cent by contributions from their readers.
Callum’s latest work was published today. It was described in Michael West’s newsletter as “a scoop on fossil fuel influence in another government agency”. According to Callum’s research, a recent report from CSIRO detailing carbon credits required to offset fracking in the Beetaloo Basin is based on faulty assumptions to suit the gas industry.
Another recent story from Callum, about an escalating war between the war between the fossil fuel company Santos and New South Wales’ farmers, is titled: NSW Government offers little resistance to Santos fracking on the Liverpool Plains. This was a follow-up on his two Santos stories, Santos edges in on fracking the Liverpool Plains despite repeated denials and Pipeline Rumble: farmers the final line of defence in Narrabri fight over Santos gas fracking, which were published in January 2023.
In 2022, among other environmental issues, Callum examined the dodgy and contradictory reporting frameworks in Australia around carbon offsets and published the story: Out for the count: Carbon Offsets’ are not actually carbon offsets.
Currently, Callum is having a good look into why Australia continues to have one of the highest rates of land clearing in the developed world.
→ To find out more about this important media outlet, go to: www.michaelwest.com.au, and you can follow Callum on Twitter.
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Jacqui Dreessens is dedicated to using the arts to get messages across about the incredible gifts that nature provides for us. She lives on the Surf Coast where she provides experiences for others to do the same, organising poetry workshops where she guided people through the strategies of putting pen to paper – or digit to digital – to explore connections to the mangroves at Lake Connewarre. Jacqui describes herself as an eco- and ethnochoreologist, and in her talk with The Sustainable Hour she concentrates on describing what a transformative experience that mangroves have been for her. Recently she oversaw an exhibition in Geelong where dancers, artists, poets, musicians and filmmakers all showed what these magic forests mean to them.
→ To find out more about Jacqui’s work, go to www.mangrovesfromthewater.com
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Mik Aidt starts our program today by wondering why the mainstream media refuse to acknowledge the true cause of the extreme weather calamities being experienced all over our planet. The latest term is “crazy weather”, but they still aren’t acknowledging the connection these destructive weather events have with our burning of fossil fuels. They’ll report on the number of deaths, and they’ll report it is getting worse and worse, but never a single word about that we are causing this ‘craziness’ with our cars, our gas stoves, our airplane- and cruise ship-trips, the way we do farming, and so on.
Mik suggests another way: Always, at the bottom of each article about extreme weather, at the end of each article and tv-report, there could be a statement: “Extreme weather events have become more frequent and more destructive because of our burning of petrol, gas, oil and coal.”
A similar initiative could be done with stickers on the pumps at petrol stations, billboards advertising for gas products, and so on. Mik continues by reporting on the obscene amounts of money that just three major oil companies made last year as he again asks us to consider how useful such amounts of wealth would be in transitioning us to 100 per cent clean, renewable energy.
At the same time, we have the United Nations Secretary-General telling the oil companies straight that their days are numbered in a recent speech. Antonio Guterres is doing all he can to lead the world out of this ‘climate craziness’. However the burning question is: why isn’t he being listened to?
For those who would like to listen to or watch the UN Chief’s entire speech, go to un.org.
. . .
Mik also raises the concept of artificial intelligence, AI, and its potential value as a tool to get us to where we need to be on climate. He believes it to be something that looks like it could become a new powerful ally in communicating the truth about climate to the broader public.
The chatbots speak directly to us without the filtering and prioritising of media people making the wrong choices for us. The more people use chatbots to get their information – and the young people are already busy doing this – suddenly it matters less that we can’t rely on the old mainstream news, because – at least as it is at the moment – the chatbots get it. They understand the science and they are able to tell us what it is we need to do to solve the problems with the climate breakdown.
We’ll be going into more detail on this in future shows, and will keep investigating and testing the chatbots, but for now, here’s just an example of what the chatbot ChatGPT came up with in response to a question Mik asked it:
Mik: “Our governments and elected leaders ignore the escalating climate crisis. So what are we to do about that? How do we get them to prioritise the three most urgent problems humanity is facing?”
ChatGPT: “Getting governments and elected leaders to prioritize the issues facing humanity can be a challenging task, but there are several steps that individuals and communities can take to raise awareness and drive action:
Raise Awareness: Educate yourself and others about the issues and their implications, and use your voice to bring attention to them. Share information and engage in conversations with friends, family, and community members about why these issues are important and what can be done to address them.
Get Involved in Activism and Advocacy: Participate in advocacy campaigns, attend protests, and support organizations that are working to address the issues you care about. This can help raise awareness, build momentum, and bring about change.
Vote and Encourage Others to Vote: Use your right to vote to support candidates who prioritize the issues that matter to you. Encourage others to do the same and participate in local, state, and national elections.
Support Businesses and Organizations That Align with Your Values: Choose to support businesses and organizations that prioritize sustainability, equality, and social responsibility. Use your purchasing power to support companies that are working to address these issues.
Engage with Your Elected Representatives: Contact your elected representatives and let them know that you care about these issues and want them to prioritize them. Attend town hall meetings, write letters, and participate in public forums to make your voice heard.
Ultimately, changing the priorities of governments and elected leaders requires sustained effort and persistence, but by working together and using our collective voice, we can create the change we want to see in the world.”
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We round off the hour with advice from Missy Higgins in her classic climate song ‘The Difference’, which we never seem to get tired of, and some sage advice from the climate oracles Greta Thunberg and Ms ChatGPT.
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Colin Mockett‘s Global Outlook begins at the United Nations in New York, where the world’s top diplomat, and unofficial patron for this programme, UN Secretary-General António Guterres last week delivered his annual report on the world’s priorities. It was a kind of ‘State of the Planet’ address, delivered by the lead spokesman for the world. And he put climate change at the top of the list, above wars, earthquakes and famines. Not only was he astonishingly frank and outspoken, he had the multinational fossil fuel companies firmly in his sights. He told them plain language to either help fight climate change or go out of business.
On the subject of global warming and the environment, he said ‘We need disruption to end the destruction.’
“We must end the merciless, relentless, senseless war on nature … That war is putting our world at immediate risk of hurtling past the 1.5°C degree temperature increase limit and now still moving towards a deadly 2.8 degrees.”
He pointed out that the fossil fuel industry had enjoyed record returns, in large part because of the war in Ukraine, and said, “I have a special message for fossil-fuel producers and their enablers who are scrambling to expand production and raking in monster profits: If you cannot set a credible course for net-zero, with 2025 and 2030 targets covering all your operations, you should not be in business. Your core product is our core problem. We need a renewables revolution, not a self-destructive fossil fuel resurgence.”
A sign that it’s not just at the United Nations that things are getting serious, from Europe came the news that Sweden’s 27-year-old climate minister said she would quit if her country fails to achieve its aims of net-zero by 2045. Romina Pourmokhtari was quoted as “If we see that, for example, I’m not able, as the minister of climate and environment, to create the change that I want to see, I would leave the government and my party would leave the government.”
Romina became Sweden’s youngest-ever cabinet minister when her party joined the new coalition government in October. Made up of the Moderates, the Christian Democrats and the Liberals (of which she’s a member), the coalition also takes support from the Sweden Democrats, a far-right party that contains climate-change deniers. It’s hard to imagine a more unlikely alliance.
Then to India, where the crisis engulfing the Adani Group intensified this week when hundreds of members of India’s opposition parties took to the streets to press for a probe into the close friendship between billionaire Gautam Adani and India’s prime minister Modi. Since January 24th US stock-market report named Adani’s company as the world’s largest corporate cheat, its shares have been in free-fall. The group has lost an estimated $110 billion. Both houses of India’s parliament were adjourned for three consecutive days, Adani Enterprises was forced to abandon a $2.5 billion share sale and Adani lost his crown as Asia’s richest person. Adani announced that he would issue a statement and report last week but postponed it until this week. We’ll all be waiting.
The news about Forest Green Rovers improved a little last weekend when the team drew 1-1 away at Morecombe, but it’s still not good, so I’ll leave you with some good news from Brazil:
There, a new study published in the scientific journal PNAS Nexus showed that handing the nation’s Atlantic rainforest back to indigenous tribes made a significant difference in the rate of decline. Some of the forests are slowly beginning to heal. The study looked at 129 territories in the region, 77 of which were won by indigenous groups in court battles since 1985. The study’s figures show that those areas not handed back average 0.73 per cent annual decline, while the average for those now under indigenous management only declined by an average of 0.05 per cent. Measured in area – the forest is declining at 54.6 acres a year under State management, but only 3 acres per year under indigenous control. That has to be good news for climate activists and environmentalists everywhere. And that’s our global roundup for the week.
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Once again, big questions come out of today’s episode. Rest assured that we’ll keep asking them and keep challenging the toxic fossil fuel industry and the sleepwalking media to accept responsibility for their major contributions to the climate crisis we face.
You can trust that The Sustainable Hour will keep doing all that we can to address the lack of climate truth in our media, committed – just like we know many of you are – to be the difference.
“I was born and bred here on the Surf Coast and had never had anything to do with mangroves. What had happened in the 1960s and 1970s, Friends of Barwon Heads and Ocean Grove got together and started this mangrove regeneration project. The result of that was this beautiful mangrove forest that has really taken root. So for me to go there on a kayak and experience that for the first time, there was an element of grief because I had missed this as a child, but then extreme joy that I can now experience it.”
~ Jacqui Dreessens, eco- and ethnochoreologist
→ Subscribe to The Sustainable Hour podcast via iTunes or Stitcher
We need a renewables revolution, not a self-destructive fossil fuel resurgence.
My message to fossil fuel producers and their enablers. pic.twitter.com/mDIr1iB620
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) February 11, 2023
“I have a special message for fossil fuel producers and their enablers scrambling to expand production and raking in monster profits:
If you cannot set a credible course for net-zero, with 2025 and 2030 targets covering all your operations, you should not be in business.
Your core product is our core problem.
We need a renewables revolution, not a self-destructive fossil fuel resurgence. (…)
We must end the merciless, relentless, and senseless war on nature.
It is putting our world at immediate risk of hurtling past the 1.5-degree temperature increase limit and now still moving towards a deadly 2.8 degrees.
Meanwhile, humanity is taking a sledgehammer to our world’s rich biodiversity — with brutal and even irreversible consequences for people and planet.
Our ocean is choked by pollution, plastics and chemicals.
And vampiric overconsumption is draining the lifeblood of our planet — water.
2023 is a year of reckoning. It must be a year of game-changing climate action.
We need disruption to end the destruction.
No more baby steps.
No more excuses.
No more greenwashing.
No more bottomless greed of the fossil fuel industry and its enablers. (…)
Stop subsidizing fossil fuels and pivot investments to renewables.”
Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General
→ UN.org – 6 February 2023:
‘Act decisively before it is too late’, Guterres warns countries, laying out his priorities for 2023
“As the right to development goes together with the right to a clean, healthy, sustainable environment, “we must end the merciless, relentless, senseless war on nature,” said Mr. Guterres, repeating a message that has become a mantra for his tenure.”
“The U.N. Secretary-General is saying that the central problem with climate change is the fossil-fuel industry’s product, that the industry is immorally undermining climate action, and that, if it continues, it should be shut down. This is certainly the truth, but it too often goes unspoken. If Guterres’s courageous directness is unusual, it’s also hugely important.”
~ Bill McKibben, American author
Rising seas threaten ‘mass exodus on a biblical scale’, UN chief warns https://t.co/9xAX0EJh88
— Climate Mum (@MumClimate) February 14, 2023
Other than saying stuff like this does Tony have any power to actually do something? That's just an honest question here. I mean if he is the head of the UN what does that mean? Don't our leaders just ignore him? #ClimateEmergency pic.twitter.com/fgHW8frCwS
— Sophie Gabrielle (@CodeRedEarth) February 14, 2023
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Guardian Australia (@guardianaustralia)
New Zealand’s climate change minister James Shaw did what the media is strangely unable to do: making the connection between extreme weather events and our unregulated carbon emissions when he made a furious speech rebuking the NZ parliament for lost decades of “bickering” over the climate crisis.
Cyclone Gabrielle has devastated the country. North Island has seen widespread flooding and enormous destruction, with thousands forced to leave their homes, and leaving 225,000 people without power.
Devastating extreme weather, super-charged by #climate breakdown caused by global heating.
Coming to visit YOU and your loved ones in 2023 and beyond.https://t.co/YpplN2k74x
— Bill McGuire (@ProfBillMcGuire) February 14, 2023
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We at The Sustainable Hour would like to pay our respect to the traditional custodians of the land on which we
are broadcasting, the Wathaurong People, and pay our respect to their elders, past, present and future.
The traditional owners lived in harmony with the land. They nurtured it and thrived in often harsh conditions for millenia before they were invaded. Their land was then stolen from them – it wasn’t ceeded. It is becoming more and more obvious that, if we are to survive the climate emergency we are facing, we have much to learn from their land management practices.
Our battle for climate justice won’t be won until our First Nations brothers and sisters have their true justice. When we talk about the future, it means extending our respect to those children not yet born, the generations of the future – remembering the old saying that, “We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors. We borrow it from our children.”
The decisions currently being made around Australia to ignore the climate emergency are being made by those who won’t be around by the time the worst effects hit home. How disrespectful and unfair is that?
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Callum Foote interviewed in The Sustainable Hour no. 447
Beetaloo fracking company Tamboran Resources gave $62,000 to Labor and $25,000 to the Liberals and a staggering $100,000 to the Nationals#donationsday #auspol
— Callum Foote (@CallumDRFoote) January 31, 2023
| → Michael West Media – 15 February 2023:“Brazenly co-opted”: experts confront CSIRO for gas industry infiltration, greenwashing fossil fuels“The CSIRO’s recent report detailing carbon credits required to offset fracking in the Beetaloo Basin is based on faulty assumptions to suit the gas industry.”→ Michael West Media – 14 February 2023:NSW Government offers little resistance to Santos fracking on the Liverpool Plains“Treasurer Matt Kean’s Hunter gas pipeline approval has set “a tragically low bar” for landholder rights, says National Farmers’ Federation’s Fiona Simson, as the war between Santos and NSW farmers escalates.” |
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Landmark legal case against land clearing in the NTNewsletter from Environmental Justice Australia:
“We’ve just launched an important legal case in the Northern Territory to challenge land clearing for cotton on some of the world’s last remaining intact savanna – right here in our backyard.
The Northern Territory’s woodland savanna is a critically important ecosystem, cared for by Traditional Owners for millennia, and home to countless threatened animals and plants.
Big cotton is eager to get a foothold in the NT and plans to bulldoze thousands of hectares of fragile savanna for cotton production. If they go ahead, this will threaten local wildlife, impact rivers, and add to greenhouse gas emissions.
That’s why we’re representing Environment Centre NT to challenge the Pastoral Land Board’s decision to allow a multinational corporation to clear over 900 hectares of woodland for cotton.
Land clearing permits have skyrocketed in the NT by around 300% in just the last few years. Much of this is without proper assessment for environmental impacts – meaning big corporations can bulldoze vast areas of land without properly assessing the risk of ecological harm.
ECNT’s case could change this – and set a game-changing precedent. If successful, it would require companies who want to clear land for cotton to submit their plans for more rigorous assessment and notify Traditional Owners.
This is just the beginning. Come along to the webinar on Tuesday 14 February to hear more about our argument and find out the key details of the case.
Until then, you can read more about the case in our newsletter.
Thanks for standing with us,”
Laura Dreyfus, Lawyer
Environmental Justice Australia
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“It is only through political activism and engagement that you can bring about real and lasting change.”
~ ChatGPT
Using artificial intelligence in climate activismWe end The Sustainble Hour today with a little speech which Gwyneth Jones had asked ChatGPT for:
“Well folks, it’s been a wild ride so far. Climate change, corrupt politicians, economic struggles, and let’s not forget the occasional nuclear threat. It’s enough to make you want to just curl up in a ball and hide from the world.
But let’s take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Despite all the chaos and turmoil, there is still so much good in the world. People are coming together to fight for a better future, to protect the planet, and to help each other.
And let’s not forget about the little moments of joy that make life worth living. The warmth of a hug from a loved one, the laughter of children playing, and the beauty of a sunset.
So, yes, the world can be a difficult place at times. But it’s important to remember that we have the power to make a difference, to bring light to the darkness, and to create a brighter future for ourselves and generations to come.
So let’s not give up hope, let’s keep fighting for what is right, and let’s work together to create a world that is worthy of our love and respect.
Because, at the end of the day, hope is the fuel that drives us forward and helps us overcome even the greatest of obstacles.”
→ Medium – 11 February 2023:
Using artificial intelligence in climate activism“I asked Chat GPT to be sarcastic and talk about the state of the world with me…”
“Let’s keep fighting for what is right.”
~ ChatGPT
. . .
ChatGPT on media’s role in the climate emergency“George Monbiot writes in ‘The Climate Book’ on page 369: “If you were to ask me which industry is most responsible for the destruction of life on Earth, I would say the media.” Is he right – or is he wrong? Would you say the public service broadcasters have an obligation to inform the population about the connection between their consumption of fossil fuels and the more and more frequent occurance of destructive weather events?“
ChatGPT: “As an AI language model, I don’t have personal opinions, but I can provide you with some information on the topic.
It is a controversial statement to say that the media is the most responsible for the destruction of life on Earth, as there are many other industries that have a significant impact on the environment, including but not limited to, the fossil fuel, agriculture, and manufacturing industries. However, it is true that the media has a crucial role to play in shaping public opinion and raising awareness about environmental issues, including the connection between consumption of fossil fuels and the occurrence of destructive weather events.
Public service broadcasters, as well as other media outlets, have a responsibility to provide accurate and balanced information to the public, so that they can make informed decisions. This includes reporting on the environmental impact of our actions, such as the connection between fossil fuel consumption and the increase in frequency of extreme weather events.
In conclusion, while the media is not the sole industry responsible for the destruction of life on Earth, it is still a crucial part of the solution and has a duty to inform the public on important environmental issues such as this one.”
. . .
Me: “Which are the three most important changes humans must implement in order to avoid societal collapse? And how urgent is it?“
ChatGPT: “It’s difficult to determine the exact three most important changes that humanity must implement to avoid societal collapse, as this is a complex and multifaceted issue that depends on many factors. However, some changes that are often discussed as being important for the long-term sustainability of society include:
Addressing Climate Change: Climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing humanity and has the potential to cause widespread societal collapse if left unaddressed. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions, transitioning to renewable energy sources, and improving the resilience of communities to the impacts of climate change are all crucial steps in addressing this issue.
Promoting Sustainability: Ensuring that humanity’s use of natural resources is sustainable and does not deplete them for future generations is another important step. This involves reducing waste, improving resource efficiency, and promoting sustainable agriculture, forestry, and fisheries.
Fostering Equality and Inclusion: A society in which there is widespread inequality and exclusion is unlikely to be stable in the long-term. Addressing economic, social, and political inequality and promoting inclusiveness and diversity are therefore important for the sustainability of society.
In terms of urgency, it is crucial for humanity to take action on these issues as soon as possible. Climate change, for example, is already causing significant impacts on communities and ecosystems, and the longer we delay action, the more difficult and expensive it will be to address. Additionally, the sustainability of natural resources is becoming increasingly important as populations grow and demand for resources increases. Finally, inequality and exclusion can lead to social unrest and instability, so it is important to address these issues proactively.”
. . .
Me: “I would like to encourage young people to get politically active. They refuse because they say politics is for “bad people” who lack good morals. They can’t see any hope of changing that. So instead, they would rather go protesting in the streets. Can you write a speech I can read to them to convince them why it is a better idea to get politically active?“
ChatGPT: “Sure, here’s a sample speech:
“Ladies and Gentlemen,
I understand that many of you feel disillusioned with politics and that it is sometimes seen as a domain of “bad people.” But I want to encourage you to reconsider this view and to become politically active.
As young people, you have a unique opportunity to bring new ideas, perspectives, and energy to the political process. You have the power to make a positive difference in your communities and the world. By engaging in the political process, you can help shape the policies and decisions that will affect your future.
It’s true that there are some individuals in politics who lack good moral and ethical principles, but this doesn’t mean that the entire system is corrupt or that change is impossible. On the contrary, by getting involved in politics, you can work to make the system more transparent and accountable, and to promote the values and principles that you believe in.
In addition, I understand that you may be frustrated by the slow pace of change and the lack of progress on certain issues. But I want to remind you that real and lasting change often takes time and effort. By becoming politically active, you can help to speed up the process and increase the chances of success.
And while protesting can be an important way to bring attention to certain issues, it is only through political activism and engagement that you can bring about real and lasting change. By participating in the political process, you can help to create the conditions that will allow your voice to be heard and your concerns to be addressed.
So, I encourage you to become politically active. Get involved in campaigns, vote, join a political party or community organization, or run for office yourself. By doing so, you can help to create a better future for yourselves and for generations to come.
Thank you.” “
—
Me: “If we define “good people” as people with high moral and ethical principles, such as honesty, kindness, and fairness, and “bad people” as people who lack these, and as such are dishonest, unkind and unfair, how could a conversation between a good person and a bad person play out at a garden party, where the two persons are discussing whether or not to implement a carbon tax?“
ChatGPT: “Here’s a possible scenario:
Good person: Hi, it’s nice to meet you. What do you think about the idea of implementing a carbon tax to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change?
Bad person: I don’t see the point. It would just make life more expensive for people and hurt the economy.
Good person: I understand your concern, but don’t you think it’s important to think about the long-term effects of climate change on our planet and future generations?
Bad person: Frankly, I’m more focused on my own financial interests. And I don’t believe in this climate change nonsense anyway.
Good person: Well, regardless of your personal beliefs, the scientific consensus is that climate change is real and caused by human activity. And implementing a carbon tax could be a way to incentivize companies to reduce their carbon footprint and transition to more sustainable practices.
Bad person: I’m not interested in all that. I just want to make money and live a comfortable life. Besides, I have a lot of friends in the energy industry who would be negatively impacted by a carbon tax.
Good person: I see. But don’t you think it’s our responsibility to consider the impact of our actions on the environment and future generations? And wouldn’t it be better for everyone in the long run if we all work together to find sustainable solutions to this problem?
Bad person: Sorry, but I just don’t have the same priorities as you. To me, it’s all about personal gain.
In this scenario, it’s clear that the good person has a strong sense of ethical responsibility to address the issue of climate change, while the bad person is primarily motivated by personal financial interests. However, the good person tries to approach the conversation in a respectful and non-judgmental manner, highlighting the importance of considering the long-term consequences of our actions.”
. . .
Ask ChatGPT for help
ChatGPT can help boost climate activists’ confidence in writing better comments and replies under newspaper articles to fight back on the trolls and the blooming climate denial in social media.
For instance, when a climate denier – on a comment to an article on The New Daily’s website about climate and extreme weather – posted the comment: “Evidently a greenie who wants to make Australia a third world country,” ChatGPT suggested to respond to it with a satirical remark: “Well, I do love the idea of living in a third world country… minus the poverty, disease, and lack of access to clean water, of course. But hey, at least we’ll have sunny weather year-round, right?”
Give it a go, start your own chat with ChatGPT here: chat.openai.com
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→ Crikey – 6 February 2023:
Adani crashes and burns, accused of ‘biggest con in corporate history’“Is the meteoric decimation of the fossil fuel titan a gift to our environment, or does it unwind Adani’s much-needed climate action? Whether climate warriors should cheer or take a pause is a little more complicated.”
→ The Sydney Morning Herald – 1 February 2023:
An apology to my grandkids for not fighting in the war of our times
“Do politicians think we will all be dead before the next generation fully realises the hell we’ve left them?” By Ross Gittins, SMH Economics Editor
→ DW – 10 February 2023:
Shell, BP boost profit, sink investment in renewable energy“While the big five oil companies registered record profits on the back of the energy crisis, relatively little will be reinvested in renewables as climate goals are slashed.”
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BREAKING: JUST STOP OIL SUPPORTERS DELIVER ULTIMATUM TO PM.
Hannah Hunt and Phoebe Plummer delivered a letter to 10 Downing Street today, warning that the government must halt licencing any new fossil fuels by 10th April, or face escalating disruption. #ValentinesDay pic.twitter.com/GMUbISj8yi
— Just Stop Oil (@JustStop_Oil) February 14, 2023
BREAKING
Today, blockades of Private Jets are ongoing around the world with scientists & activists from Extinction Rebellion & Stay Grounded.We denounce outrageous levels of climate injustice. It's time to: #BanPrivateJets#TaxFrequentFlyers#MakePollutersPay pic.twitter.com/68AE8gX2MR
— Extinction Rebellion Canterbury (@XRCanterbury) February 14, 2023
21 JAN 2023 | Adelaide, Australia: Extinction Rebellion activists chuck paint at and glue themselves to the offices of Santos, the energy giant sponsoring a major cycling race in the city despite regularly poisoning the region with oil spills. It also plans to raze local forests for gas wells.State intimidation boosts Dutch blockade26 – 28 JANUARY 2023 | The Hague, Netherlands
Rebels blockade the A12 highway and their new supporters look on from above.
Every year, the Dutch government spends €17.5 billion on fossil fuel subsidies (three times more than what it allocates for climate policy). The Netherlands will be largely underwater if global emissions continue on their current path, so last summer rebels started blockading the A12 highway, which passes the national parliament, to try and force their government to stop the suicidal subsidies.
Two days before its fifth and most recent A12 blockade, six rebels were arrested in their homes on suspicion of sedition or incitement. Without warning or explanation, they were taken to different police stations, had their phones confiscated, were held in custody for 10 hours, and banned from the A12 for three months.
If the state intended to scare the rebels and tarnish XR, it badly backfired. The arrests prompted an outpouring of support from the public, and condemnation from dozens of prominent NGOs like Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth.
Rebels show appreciation for the love and solidarity from the crowds above.
Even better, the solidarity carried over to the blockade itself. Thousands of people gathered in and around the A12, making it one of XR Netherlands’ largest ever blockades. While more than 1000 rebels sang songs and decorated the walls of the highway, an additional 2000 non-XR supporters stood in solidarity above them.
After half an hour, the police started to carry the rebels away. It took several hours to clear the road, and more than 700 arrests. All rebels were released the same day.
XR Netherlands has already announced it will keep coming back to the A12 until the government ends its fossil fuel subsidies. The next blockade is scheduled for March 11th and promises to be the biggest yet.
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This #WorldWetlandsDay, it’s time for wetland restoration. We’re proud to be working with partners across industry, gov and the community to restore wetlands and the benefits they provide. #GenerationRestoration #ForWetlands #bluecarbon pic.twitter.com/RvnGXyxdza
— Blue Carbon Lab (@BlueCarbonLab) February 2, 2023
To have a chance of minimizing further irreparable damage, we have to choose: either we safeguard living conditions for all future generations, or we let a few very fortunate people maintain their constant, destructive search to maximize immediate profits.https://t.co/fjlYtZC6gA
— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) February 13, 2023
AusPol
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Larissa Waters (@larissawaters)
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Larissa Waters (@larissawaters)
Great to see independent @WilkieMP introduce his Cleaning Up Political Donations Bill, which would ban big donations and improve transparency. We can get dirty fossil fuel money out of politics. #auspol pic.twitter.com/RJP5X1Lasu
— Australian Conservation Foundation (@AusConservation) February 14, 2023
Thanks to political bungling from the Morrison Govt, PEP 11 is now back before the Albanese Govt. I’m calling on the Prime Minister to #StopPEP11 once and for all by supporting my Bill. View speech here: https://t.co/lHaz0hCuUi#auspol #PEPoff pic.twitter.com/1aNcYqpiHQ
— Zali Steggall MP (@zalisteggall) February 13, 2023
Overhaul the fuel tax credit scheme can save the federal budget $4 billion a year! We need to review the fuel tax credit and accelerate transition to electric transport. #EVs #auspol https://t.co/EcmDYCk8tX
— Zali Steggall MP (@zalisteggall) February 5, 2023
Climate emergency
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Climate Reality (@climatereality)
History
This electric car was built in 1912 and got a #solar power upgrade in 1960. It isn't for lack of solutions that we haven't solved this crisis.
No more delays. No more excuses. #ActOnClimate#ClimateEmergency #Climate #energy #renewableenergy #renewables #GreenNewDeal pic.twitter.com/AlUdAEavfA
— Mike Hudema (@MikeHudema) February 13, 2023
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Events we have talked about in The Sustainable HourEvents in VictoriaThe following is a collation of Victorian climate change events, activities, seminars, exhibitions, meetings and protests. Most are free, many ask for RSVP (which lets the organising group know how many to expect), some ask for donations to cover expenses, and a few require registration and fees. This calendar is provided as a free service by volunteers of the Victorian Climate Action Network. Information is as accurate as possible, but changes may occur.
Petitions→ List of running petitions where we encourage you to add your name
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Live-streaming on WednesdaysThe Sustainable Hour is streamed live on the Internet and broadcasted on FM airwaves in the Geelong region every Wednesday from 11am to 12pm (Melbourne time).
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Listen to all of The Sustainable Hour radio shows as well as special Regenerative Hours and Climate Revolution episodes in full length:
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Our guests in #TheSustainableHour no. 447 are journalist @CallumDRFoote, ethnochoreologist Jacqui Dreessens and climate oracle Ms ChatGeePeeTee.#ClimateJournalism #ClimateCriminals #ReportersForFuture #Mangroves #AI #AIandclimate #ChatGPTandclimate https://t.co/aEnxd3WXmP
— The Sustainable Hour (@SustainableHour) February 15, 2023
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The Sustainable Hour no. 446 | Podcast notes
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 446 are forest defenders Amy Calton from Wombat Action Group and Alana Mountain from the Victorian Forest Alliance and Friends of the Earth.
. . .
Amy Calton is spokesperson for the Wombat Action Group, which has been outspoken about the so-called “salvage logging” that VicForests have been carrying out in their beloved Wombat Forest. Their concerns centre about the way VicForests are operating in their area. Salvage logging is supposed to involve them in just taking the trees that have been blown over or are leaning, but VicForests are using this excuse to virtually clear fell this special place.
→ To find out more about their concerns and the issue, go to www.facebook.com/wombatactiongroup
Alana Mountain is from the Victorian Forest Alliance and she is Friends of the Earth Melbourne’s Forest Campaigns Lead. She gives a wider perspective on current Victorian forestry issues. Needless to say, VicForests cops more heavy criticism because of the way they “manage” our forests. We are left in no doubt that we can’t wait till 2030 to stop native logging.
→ More info can be found here: www.melbournefoe.org.au/end_logging_now
Both Alana and Amy mention mature trees’ ability to draw down carbon. Leaving our forests standing is yet another solution to the climate emergency we face. A recent report was done on this.
→ It can be found here: www.victorianforestalliance.org.au/carbon_report
. . .
We start today’s show as we often do with a clip from our planetary chief Antonio Guterres. This one is from when he opened the UN Climate Summit in Egypt last November, where he said: “We are in the fight for our lives, and we are losing. Greenhouse gas emissions keep growing, global temperatures keep rising, and our planet is fast approaching tipping points that will make climate chaos irreversible. We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot still on the accelerator.” He finished his speech with these final words: “One thing is certain: those that give up are sure to lose. So let’s fight together – and let’s win”. (Transcript | Video)
. . .
We follow up with a tribute to Will Steffen who was arguably Australia’s foremost climate scientist. He died last week after a long struggle with cancer. What follows below is our tribute to Will. It includes a collection of key quotes and speeches he gave.
. . .
The songs we play are first Ariana Grande‘s ‘Just Look Up’ and then Rhiannon Giddens, Bhi Bhiman and Leyla McCalla‘s ‘Factory Girl’. As we have done many times before, we round off with Missy Higgins‘ climate anthem ‘The Difference’ and a quote from Greta Thunberg about “never being too small to making a difference.” The signature music for The Sustainable Hour was produced by Mik Aidt, Pernilla Aidt and Torsten Myhre Jensen.
. . .
Colin Mockett‘s Global Outlook this week begins in the United States where a team of clever and patient investigators, after decades of digging, has announced that it has conclusive proof that America’s largest oil company – and probably the world’s largest, too… – ExxonMobil knew 30 years ago that burning fossil fuels was the principal cause of global warming. Their scientists reported this to the board, which suppressed them and started a campaign of denial that remains today.
The report paper, published last week in the journal Science, analysed all known climate predictions produced or reported by scientists at ExxonMobil and its predecessors from 1977-2003, and found that they were at least as accurate as those by independent experts, and they reached the same conclusions. Exxon merged with Mobil in 1999, so prior to that, there were two independent sets of scientists. Like those independent models, most of Exxon’s and Mobil’s scientists proved to be accurate.
Geoffrey Supran, the paper’s lead author, said: “They didn’t just vaguely know something about global warming decades ago, they literally knew as much as independent academic scientists did. We now have this airtight, unimpeachable evidence that Exxon accurately predicted global warming years before it turned around and publicly attacked climate science.”
What happens next is depressingly predictable. With bottomless reserves of money, the company will challenge this new report in the courts and continue its official denials for as long as it continues to make money. And that’s well into the foreseeable future it seems unless the courts start to look on them as the criminals they are.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom’s government unveiled a new five-year delivery plan aimed at restoring nature and improving the environmental quality of the nations’ air, waters and land. Titled the Environmental Improvement Plan 2023, it arrived with the government claiming it ‘provides a comprehensive delivery plan for the government’s approach to halting and then reversing the decline in nature’.
It claims that inside the next five years the UK government will:
- Create and restore at least 500,000 hectares of new wildlife habitats
- Deliver a clean and plentiful supply of water into the future
- Challenge councils to improve air quality quickly by tackling key hotspots
- Boost green growth and create new jobs – from foresters and farmers to roles in green finance and research and development
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “Protecting our natural environment is fundamental to the health, economy and prosperity of our country.”
One of the world’s biggest companies, Microsoft, announced a new partnership with the leading manufacturer of solar panels, QCells, with the aim of building a supply chain for new renewable electricity capacity.
The scheme is projected to require at least 2.5 gigawatts of solar panels and related services — equivalent to powering over 400,000 homes. QCells will work with Microsoft to develop solar projects as well as provide panels and engineering, procurement and construction services to selected solar projects Microsoft has contracted for through power purchase agreements.’
Microsoft is supporting Qcells’ solar products to bring more renewable energy to the grid. Qcells is the only company in the U.S. that will have a complete solar supply chain and provide one-stop clean energy solutions.
Microsoft president Brad Smith said: “Building a resilient solar energy supply chain is essential to advancing a global green energy economy. Microsoft’s partnership with Qcells will help make this vision a reality by bringing innovation and investment to rural Georgia. As one of the world’s largest purchasers of renewable energy, this work will help bring more solar energy to the grid, faster.”
It’s all wonderful, isn’t it, until you look up who owns QCells – it’s the Hanwa group, one of South Korea’s top eight companies and a leading energy and petrochemical company.
Finally, our pet vegan zero carbon-football team Forest Green Rovers lost 2–0 at home to Peterboro at the weekend, leaving them 4 points adrift at the bottom of the ladder. But the club’s women’s team, FGR Women First, played Sherbourne Town Ladies – early morning our time – and won 2–0, putting them back on top of their division.
. . .
We hope that you, our listeners, have taken something with you that you can use in the coming days. It doesn’t stop here. We look forward to being on your airwaves next week with two more solution-seekers to inspire you to become active participants in the climate revolution.
“It is the closest thing to us and it actually baffles me that people don’t feel that sense of curiosity towards the environment because that’s our creator, that’s where we came from. How can we not want to follow that animalistic, that intuitive connection? It’s ultimately our birthright to connect to the Earth. It’s also about making sure that we know how to be good custodians of the land.”
~ Alana Mountain, Friends of the Earth Melbourne Forest Campaigns and Victorian Forest Alliance
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We at The Sustainable Hour would like to pay our respect to the traditional custodians of the land on which we
are broadcasting, the Wathaurong People, and pay our respect to their elders, past, present and future.
The traditional owners lived in harmony with the land. They nurtured it and thrived in often harsh conditions for millenia before they were invaded. Their land was then stolen from them – it wasn’t ceeded. It is becoming more and more obvious that, if we are to survive the climate emergency we are facing, we have much to learn from their land management practices.
Our battle for climate justice won’t be won until our First Nations brothers and sisters have their true justice. When we talk about the future, it means extending our respect to those children not yet born, the generations of the future – remembering the old saying that, “We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors. We borrow it from our children.”
The decisions currently being made around Australia to ignore the climate emergency are being made by those who won’t be around by the time the worst effects hit home. How disrespectful and unfair is that?
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View this post on Instagram A post shared by Friends of the Earth Melbourne (@foemelbourne)
The closure of Australia’s last white paper mill could end native forest logging in Victoria https://t.co/n5PMxoJ02o
— Friends of Bats and Habitat Gippsland (@FriendsBats) February 5, 2023
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An invitation from the Victorian Forest Collective:
Forest walk in March 2023“Victoria’s highest mountain, Bogong (Warkwoolowler in the Waywurru and Dhudhuroa languages) is protected in the Alpine National Park. It sits high above the town of Mount Beauty and is a drawcard for hikers, skiers and backcountry snowboarders. It is an alpine wonderland of wildflowers in summer and deep snow in winter.
However, surrounding areas continue to be logged. And now a series of logging coupes are proposed along the Australian Alps Walking Track (AAWT) between Mt Bogong and Mt Wills. Additionally, a coupe is planned in the headwaters of the Mitta Mitta River, close to the AAWT.
If this concerns you, please join us for a walk to Mt Wills on Saturday March 18. It is about a 90 minute walk up a good 4WD track to reach the summit. We will take a photo of the group on the summit with Mt Bogong as our backdrop as part of our campaign to build awareness about this new threat to mountain forests.
We will then lead interested people to visit some of the forests along the AAWT that are listed to be logged.”
→ See more details on this here:
www.melbournefoe.org.au/walk_to_mt_wills
. . .
An aerial photo clearly puts the lie to the VicForests claim that this is just salvage logging.Demand an end to loggingAdd your name to Friends of the Earth Melbourne’s letter to the new Victorian Environment Minister, calling on her to urgently protect native forests by ending all logging on public lands in the state.
Logging of native forest drives increased risk of devastating wildfire. With a new environment minister in Victoria, there is a good opportunity for the government to bring forward it’s planned end to native forest logging.
→ You can support this call here:
www.melbournefoe.org.au/end_logging_now
. . .
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Walking SA (@walkingsa_au)
Forest protests not just in Victoria:
→ ABC News – 6 February 2023:
Protesters lock onto sawmill gates as simultaneous logging protests ramp up across NSW“A person has been arrested and forestry operations halted as protesters today launched simultaneous protests against native timber logging in northern NSW.”
Protesters lock onto sawmill gates as simultaneous logging protests begin in NSW https://t.co/DqtnWyw9qM
— ABC News (@abcnews) February 6, 2023
Andrew George in tree sit, stopping logging:
"Taxpayer funded annihilation of public forests must stop. This is an absolute obscenity in our world of climate disruption. Floods, fires and storms are devastating communities across the country and the world" pic.twitter.com/UXKeMGxFmW
— VioletCoCo (@VioletCoCo5) February 5, 2023
Blokes in hi-vis vests are saw mill workers… desperate to remove locked on activist… doing very badly what #PoliceRecue are tasked to do.
Who is liable if Ella's neck is injured?
Who is liable when koalas succumb to #extinction? @PennySharpemlc #NSWVotes #SaveBulgaForest https://t.co/KGerH8RGbO— Meredith Stanton (@CloudsCreek) February 6, 2023
Ah, Victoria. #savethetrees #stopnativelogging pic.twitter.com/RMBPhHq5gU
— Nina Killham (@ninakillham) February 5, 2023
Last week communities from across Vic rallied in Naarm @ Parliament to call for protection of forests from logging. Last night's news could mean an end to wood-chipping of native forests.
Now is the moment to #EndNativeForestLogging for good @DanielAndrewsMP @IngridStitt pic.twitter.com/008MQVefIU
— Victorian Forest Alliance (@alliance_forest) February 15, 2023
GunaiKurnaiCountry: Nunniong. We are surveying some of the most incredible long unburnt old mountain forests and they’re all scheduled for logging. pic.twitter.com/3LaERQ4Vtj
— Friends of Bats and Habitat Gippsland (@FriendsBats) February 13, 2023
Greenwashing native forest destruction, as our iconic endangered wildlife cling to survival in recovering, fire impacted NSW public forest habitats.
"Logging wastes"… yes, the #logging of intact forest ecosystems is a criminal waste of life! #SaveBulgaForest #SaveKoalas https://t.co/d6F2PTWhPY
— Australian Forests and Climate Alliance (@AFCA_Forests) February 5, 2023
The closure of Australia’s last white paper mill could end native forest logging in Victoria https://t.co/n5PMxoJ02o
— Friends of Bats and Habitat Gippsland (@FriendsBats) February 5, 2023
This is how VicForests present themselves on their website vicforests.com.au: “Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do at VicForests”…
200 experts dissected the Black Summer bushfires in unprecedented detail. Here are 6 lessons to heed https://t.co/GgzzpAvwlX via @ConversationEDU
'Managing crises such as fires is not enough on its own. Our natural systems must be made more resilient.'— Australian Forests and Climate Alliance (@AFCA_Forests) February 7, 2023
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
“My worst fear is that we may reach a ‘point of no return’ where we commit our children to a future of hell on Earth.”
Will Steffen, Australian climate scientist, 2020
Will Steffen was an Earth System scientist. He was a Councillor on the publicly-funded Climate Council of Australia that delivers independent expert information about climate change. He was also an Emeritus Professor at the Australian National University (ANU); Canberra, a Senior Fellow at the Stockholm Resilience Centre, Sweden; and a member of the Anthropocene Working Group. From 1998 to mid-2004, Steffen was Executive Director of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme, based in Stockholm. His research interests spanned a broad range within Earth System science, with an emphasis on sustainability and climate change.
Will Steffen: Number one, from today, from now: No new fossil fuel developments of any kind. Coal, oil or gas. Just stop the expansion of the industry. Same thing as stopping the expansion of the virus: we have to try to contain it. Same with the fossil fuel industry. By 2030 we should have achieved a 50% reduction in our greenhouse gas emissions. Here in Australia we can go a long way toward that by getting to 100% renewable energy. It is absolutely technologically feasible, it is economically achievable and is going to give a lot of positives. Side benefits in terms of employment, distribution of energy systems, more resilient energy systems, et cetera. And by 2040 we need to reach net zero emissions. 2050 is too late. If you want to meet the Paris targets, it has to be 2040. So that’s a very simple, but I think a very powerful guideline for what we could do to “flatten the curve” on climate change.
Mik Aidt: Climate scientist Will Steffen – a real authority on climate here in Australia – is no longer with us. He was a strong supporter of the Climate Emergency Declaration campaign that we started back in 2016, and he has given so many talks and presentations and many of them are kept, you can still watch them on YouTube – like this one – and many many others.
Anthony Gleeson: He is certainly going to be sorely missed. He wasn’t scared at all to speak truth to power. His work was to find the truth, and he had no hesitation in saying it. He was also one of the few climate scientists that was prepared to go into battle for ordinary Australians who had been arrested, or had to face charges in court: He was prepared to be called in as an expert witness. He did that on a number of occasions. And that was even last year, when he was fighting cancer. So his contributions just cannot be overestimated. He is going to be sorely missed.
~ Transcript from The Sustainable Hour no. 446
→ ABC News:
‘One of Australia’s most influential and respected climate scientists’ Will Steffen dies aged 75
. . .
Will Steffen’s letter to Joe Duggan“As the climate system continues to spiral towards a potentially uncontrollable state, I am struck with an increasing sense of both anger and apprehension. I’m angry because the lack of effective action on climate change, despite the wealth not of only scientific information but also of solutions to reduce emissions, has now created a climate emergency. The students are right. Their future is now being threatening by the greed of the wealthy fossil fuel elite, the lies of the Murdoch press, and the weakness of our political leaders. These people have no right to destroy my daughter’s future and that of her generation.
I’m apprehensive because the more we learn about climate change, the riskier it looks. Even at a 1 degree C rise in global temperature, extreme weather events are becoming more violent and dangerous than models have predicted. Over the last 5 years, our knowledge of tipping points in the Earth System has advanced rapidly, with many already showing signs of instability. Worse yet, they can interact like a row of dominoes to set off a tipping cascade, driving the Earth to hotter and more unstable conditions. That is my worst fear – that we may reach a ‘point of no return’ where we commit our children to a future of hell on Earth.”
~ Will Steffen
16 February 2020
. . .
“There are ample reasons to suspect that climate change could result in a global catastrophe. It is time for the scientific community to grapple with the challenge of better understanding catastrophic climate change.”
~ From abstract of report by Will Steffen, Johan Rockström, Hans Joachim Schellnhuber and more: ‘Climate Endgame: Exploring catastrophic climate change scenarios’, 2022“One of the report’s authors, executive director of the Australian National University Climate Change Institute Will Steffen, cited the example of allied nations transforming their economies in five years to defeat the Axis power in World War II. “The point is, it’s going to be a tough decade, no doubt about it,” he said. “There’ll be some disruption soon, but it’ll be an exciting decade and it’ll set us up for a much brighter future after 2030.”
To reach such targets Professor Steffen said the government would need to immediately halt the expansion of coal and gas and plan to support affected communities as fossil fuels were phased out. Secondly, Australia would have to reach almost 100 per cent renewables in its energy system by 2030.”
→ Sydney Morning Herald – 15 April 2021:
Facing the climate ‘endgame’ in a world bound for 1.5 degrees warming
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
UN Chief: “Let’s fight together”
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
“More heatwaves and extreme rains, stronger tropical storms, more drought and fires – it feels sad to see how our scientific predictions are coming true, and still the world’s response to the unfolding climate crisis is woefully inadequate. Some leaders even remain in full-out denial of reality.”
~ Stefan Rahmstorf
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Wildfires wreak havoc in Chile
Tens of thousands of hectares destroyed
This is climate change
24 people dead and countless number of animals https://t.co/V0hQr9ByvW pic.twitter.com/sS6oNWpDrN— GO GREEN (@ECOWARRIORSS) February 6, 2023
No matter what they say, every single major fossil fuel company is fully reliant on humanity following a path of catastrophic climate failure – where emissions fall as slow as possible, and they continue to supply the cause of disasters and heatwaves. https://t.co/1VenkZAzxF pic.twitter.com/GtoYx198Y3
— Ketan Joshi (@KetanJ0) February 6, 2023
If someone wants you to be angry about climate activists & trade unionists & immigrants but not angry about a tax dodging planet devouring corporation making a record £32,000,000,000 annual profit, then they are not on your side.
— Climate Dad (@ClimateDad77) February 3, 2023
This isn't a cost of living crisis. This is an excess profit crisis.
Our climate, energy and economic crisis is caused by the extreme greed of the richest 1%.https://t.co/edtLL3RY7D
— Scientist Rebellion (@ScientistRebel1) February 2, 2023
Sorry to say we just hit 418.3 parts per million atmospheric CO2 yesterday. In some ways, this is slow moving mass suicide. On second thought, maybe it is not so slow. pic.twitter.com/ZjTnmGsKBK
— Dr. William J. Ripple (@WilliamJRipple) February 2, 2023
pic.twitter.com/MtvEyTQUbc
— COP_Extinction Rebellion (@COP_XR) February 6, 2023
Just a little list of a few energy companies who made larger payments to political parties ahead of the 2022 federal election than they paid in income tax in 2020-21 (the latest ATO data we have). pic.twitter.com/2Od77y6Kqx
— Michael Mazengarb (@MichaelM_ACT) February 6, 2023
Another day, another government considering approving a massive coal mine expansion. The NSW Perrottet Government can't claim to be serious about tackling climate change if it keeps approving new coal mines. @Dom_Perrottet @Matt_KeanMP #MoveBeyondCoal #coal #nonewcoal #NSWpol pic.twitter.com/oPWIrYZsaO
— MoveBeyondCoal (@MoveBeyondCoal) February 1, 2023
The NSW Lib-Nat gov has overseen the biggest expansion of coal mining in the state’s history
It has approved 26 coal and gas projects since 2015, and is showing no sign of changing course
These projects are completely neutralising domestic emissions reduction efforts pic.twitter.com/uwS2NkBNK5
— Byron Fay (@ByronFay1) January 31, 2023
Wow. @tanya_plibersek's department just extended a coal mine approval to 2063.
2063!!! pic.twitter.com/2U2WuTWxpw
— Roderick Campbell (@R_o_d_C) January 30, 2023
A govt department developing Australia's climate policies has a 'regular catch up' with a carbon offset industry lobby group whose members include Woodside, AGL, Shell, Ampol, Origin, BP, AngloAmerican, Inpex and Australia's biggest carbon offset developers. #climate #auspol pic.twitter.com/0cJWuskPTy
— Polly Hemming (@pollyjhemming) February 6, 2023
“More Fossil Fuel bosses popping the champagne corks while trashing the planet and screwing the poor.”
Professor Bill McGuire
BREAKING: Shell has just announced record breaking annual profits of more than £32 BILLION.
So we paid their HQ a visit to deliver a message: STOP DRILLING, START PAYING.#MakeShellPay pic.twitter.com/e4WsVNFIHf
— Greenpeace UK (@GreenpeaceUK) February 2, 2023
ICYMI: “That Shell is investing in new oil and gas is absolutely criminal.” – Usnea, Greenpeace US activist.
Join Usnea by signing this petition to #EndFossilCrimes https://t.co/sdokuM38Hv#ClimateJustice #MakeShellPay pic.twitter.com/FlRHhNxfVj
— Greenpeace (@Greenpeace) February 6, 2023
Climate change: Uni degree will train future disruptors https://t.co/LlP44BePXE
— Climate Mum (@MumClimate) February 6, 2023
How many must die before we stop burning fossil fuels#ClimateBrawl #ClimateCrisis #ClimateEmergency
— Gerald Kutney – a friend of #ClimateBrawl (@GeraldKutney) February 4, 2023
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Depleting the ocean of marine life
76% average decline in freshwater fish populations from 1970 to 2016 – including a staggering average decline of 93% in Europe.https://t.co/G2jeMx3vHR pic.twitter.com/9tOeTqmzkg
— GO GREEN (@ECOWARRIORSS) January 31, 2023
Do u know that because of human activity
273 species becoming extinct every single day
10,000 and 100,000 species are becoming extinct each year.
That rapid loss of species is between 1,000 and 10,000 times higher than the natural extinction ratehttps://t.co/LiKxmzvKyb pic.twitter.com/gfOqIOTAXb
— GO GREEN (@ECOWARRIORSS) January 31, 2023
(Image credit: Julien Nicolas, Ohio State University)
West Antarctica is melting fast
Huge Thwaites ice shelf is already riddled with cracks
If the West Antarctic Ice Sheet melted entirely, it would raise global average sea levels by 16 feet (5 meters), https://t.co/DX3X64pRwa pic.twitter.com/0mlS4ezKyQ— GO GREEN (@ECOWARRIORSS) February 2, 2023
Media
https://twitter.com/MrMatthewTodd/status/1620347648778866690Food
Meat-based diets use 75% more land than plant-based diets.
Today, humans and the animals we keep for food account for 96% of all mammalsIf the world adopted a plant-based diet we would reduce global agricultural land use from 4 to 1 billion hectares https://t.co/003qvx77st pic.twitter.com/NITKVtFAgA
— GO GREEN (@ECOWARRIORSS) January 31, 2023
Transport
Looks dumb, right?
This is how we design cities.
HT @urbanthoughts11#CarDependency pic.twitter.com/jlaiHZGPwL
— Brent Toderian (@BrentToderian) January 31, 2023
In Australia, one of these is illegal because it’s considered bad for your health. pic.twitter.com/NwwMdNtz1I
— Gordon Knight (@GordonlKnight) February 5, 2023
Remember, Paris wasn’t “always this way.”
It wasn’t even this way in late 2019 when I was there last.
Just a few years ago, all of #Paris was choking in car traffic.
This is new. This is leadership.
Cities are a result of choices.
Video @Khayat_Fouadpic.twitter.com/ZdNhAmqwzE
— Brent Toderian (@BrentToderian) February 5, 2023
Calls for a revolution
Spaceship Earth is on a major collision course with both thermal intolerance through >GHGs and ecological overshoot through overconsumption. Somehow the controls need to be wrestled away from the current drivers.
— Peter Dynes (@PGDynes) February 1, 2023
Either we kill the fossil fuel economy or it kills us!
"Energy giant plans to ‘dial back’ green investment and commit to maximising profits"https://t.co/1bBcLuxEpN
— Dr. Aaron Thierry (@ThierryAaron) February 2, 2023
- Roger has created a series of podcasts called "Designing the Revolution", recorded over the phone from his cell in Wandsworth Prison.
This is his mini–Magnum Opus. https://t.co/JmvcPe0DXO
— Roger Hallam (@RogerHallamCS21) January 16, 2023
Solutions
I clean up trash every day to show others how daily individual action can make a huge difference.
Yes, on a global scale, it can feel like nothing. However, both of my regular parks are now cleaner than they have been in decades.
One person. One bucket. That's all it took.
— Edgar McGregor (@edgarrmcgregor) February 6, 2023
Too many of us know climate change is a serious issue but do very little about it.
The scale of this crisis can make us feel insignificant.
But individual action fuels systematic change. They are two sides of the same coin.
If we all get involved, we can solve this thing. pic.twitter.com/YD2xrdNdhI
— Edgar McGregor (@edgarrmcgregor) February 6, 2023
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Events we have talked about in The Sustainable HourEvents in VictoriaThe following is a collation of Victorian climate change events, activities, seminars, exhibitions, meetings and protests. Most are free, many ask for RSVP (which lets the organising group know how many to expect), some ask for donations to cover expenses, and a few require registration and fees. This calendar is provided as a free service by volunteers of the Victorian Climate Action Network. Information is as accurate as possible, but changes may occur.
Petitions→ List of running petitions where we encourage you to add your name
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Live-streaming on WednesdaysThe Sustainable Hour is streamed live on the Internet and broadcasted on FM airwaves in the Geelong region every Wednesday from 11am to 12pm (Melbourne time).
» To listen to the program on your computer or phone, click here – or go to www.947thepulse.com where you then click on ‘Listen Live’ on the right.
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Protecting our forests protects our climate | Our guests in #TheSustainableHour no. 446 are forest defenders Amy Calton from #WombatActionGroup and Alana Mountain from the #VictorianForestAlliance.#StopLogging #Forestry #VicForests #Nature @FoEAustrali https://t.co/KUu7Zi3Yiq
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The Sustainable Hour no. 445 | Podcast notes
To help us find our footing and direction as we enter a new year of climate activism and as the destruction of our biosphere continues, while nature fights back with devastating weather events causing damages that cost our communities an estimated 120 billion dollars last year alone, our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 445 on 1 February 2023 are climate activist Violet CoCo and director of the National Sustainable Living Festival Luke Taylor.
[14:30] Violet CoCo is a high profile environmental protector who supports Extinction Rebellion and Stop Fossil Fuel Subsidies. She famously burnt a pram at Parliament House in Canberra and was sentenced to 15 months in prison for blocking one lane of the Harbour Bridge in Sydney for 25 minutes. Currently she is out on appeal of that sentence. She refuses to be silent in spite of the oppressive treatment she has received from police in New South Wales. We hear why she does what she does. Is Violet a ‘radical extremist’ for wanting us to have a liveable planet? First hear her out, and then decide.
We also talked with Violet in June 2022.
If anyone would like to join Violet on the weekly online forums she runs on Monday’s at 1pm you can link up with her through the Facebook page Violet CoCo The Activist – and to find out more about Stop Fossil Fuel Subsidies, go to: www.stopffs.org.
“We have the choice to face the repression, to face climate breakdown now, and be powerful communities in protest against this. And it isn’t just about me standing up, it’s about everyone standing up together. I don’t want to be a ‘Greta’, sorry – I give it back. I just want to be one person in amongst ten thousand people standing on the road demanding action on climate. And when we do that, when we collect that people-power, we are going to see real change.”
~ Violet CoCo, climate activist
. . .
[35:07] Luke Taylor is the founder and director of what is now the National Sustainable Hour Festival. This started out 24 years ago as a Victoria-only series of events during the month of February. As the name suggests, right from the start, no matter what format it took, the festival focused on educating people about how they can live with less impact on our planet. This year’s SLF program can be found here: www.slf.org.au
Luke also refers to the work that Breakthrough is doing this year. Breakthrough National Centre for Climate Restoration is another aspect of the work he’s involved in. During 2023, the centre will publish a series of studies focusing on climate risk assessments of different geographic areas such as the Great Barrier Reef, rivers, forests, etc. All this work was started off by Philip Sutton who tragically died last year. The climate movement owes much to Philip and his tireless work for a safer climate. Check out the centre’s previous reports on www.breakthroughonline.org.au
“The work that still needs to be done within the climate movement is for us to unite more around some specifics, because while it is vague to mainstream community about what it is that we are actually asking for then we reallly won’t get anywhere. Protest is always successful when the demands are clear, and at the moment I don’t think our demands are clear enough for people. There is a lot of goodwill in the community about the fact that climate change is real, and we are getting somewhere on the level of urgency, but in terms of the degree of what we need to do to be able to respond to the problem, I think we have got a long way to go as a movement in solidifying what those demands really are.”
~ Luke Taylor, director, National Sustainable Living Festival
. . .
[00:00] We start today with a brief clip of UN Chief Antonio Guterres. It’s taken from an outstanding speech he made at the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. His full speech can be found here.
[01:26] Mik Aidt then contemplates why we aren’t able to find the necessary funds to meaningfully address the climate crisis when we were able to do so for the Covid pandemic. He rails against the vested interests, namely the fossil fuel industries who are the main blockers here.
Meanwhile life on the planet is devastated because of our carbon supersaturated atmosphere. Mik quotes extreme weather statistics that don’t bode well for our future, and we listen to former American Vice-President Al Gore as he gives a sharp comment about our use of the atmosphere as an open sewer at one of the forums in Davos.
Mik introduces yet another horrible consequence in the impact that all this is having on people’s mental health. This was prompted by a recent mental health study done by the Climate Council, a national study of the impact of climate-fuelled disasters on the mental health of Australians. It can be found on their website.
Before we hear Colin Mockett‘s global outlook this week, Mik congratulates him on the Order of Australia medal he received last week. He received it for services to the arts, but he was quick to add ‘services to the environment’ as well. Colin is much loved in Geelong and district. More information can be found here:
Actor, writer receives OAM for services to arts
. . .
[07:10] Our first Global Roundup for the year begins with an analysis released by the World Meteorological Organisation which shows that the past eight years have been the warmest on record, despite the cooling effect of three consecutive La Nina weather patterns. This is behind a series of disasters across the world in 2022.
WMO Secretary-General Professor Petteri Taalas said extreme weather last year claimed far too many lives and livelihoods, and undermined health, food, energy and water security and infrastructure. Large areas of Pakistan were flooded, with major economic losses and human casualties. Record-breaking heat waves have been observed in China, Europe, North and South America. But that wasn’t the worst. The long-lasting drought in the Horn of Africa threatens a humanitarian catastrophe that will likely climax in 2023, he warned.
Then, to continue the bad news, during the media’s ‘silly season’ – around Christmas and New Year, when not much happens because parliaments are not generally sitting – the United Arab Emirates, which won the rights to host the United Nations Global Climate Summit COP28, quietly announced the man who will preside over the summit meetings in November in Dubai: It’s Sultan Ahmed Al Jebar, who is the States’ minister for industry and also heads the Abu Dhabi National Oil company. We can now sit back and judge the reactions of countries, environmentalists and nations for what has to be the most blatant appointment of a fox in charge of a henhouse in modern history.
Colin then zooms us to the United Kingdom where that nation’s Extinction Rebellion group announced that it would take a break from disruptive protests in order to attract more people to its campaign for stronger action on climate change. The Australian branch said that it wouldn’t be following suit – but it will now be possible to compare the amount of support each branch gathers during 2023.
Meanwhile in Australia, a billionaire game of chicken is playing out between tech mogul Mike Cannon-Brookes and iron ore baron Andrew Forrest over the future of their $30 billion marquee solar project in which both are equal sized shareholders. The Sun Cable project would build the world’s biggest solar farm in the Northern Territory close to Tennant Creek, connected to the world’s biggest battery then via the world’s longest undersea cable to Singapore 4,200 kilometres away, where it would provide a large chunk of their energy. The company is at present in receivership, with both billionaires looking for ways to restart it and run it on their own terms. This is bound to go on for years yet, and we’ll keep you up to date on The Sustainable Hour.
Speaking of going bust, there was news this week from Adani, whose giant Queensland Carmichael coal mine is easily Australia’s most controversial resources project. Now its owner, Guam Adani, is reeling from a stock market report that accuses the mining giant of worldwide accounting fraud, stock manipulation and money laundering over the course of decades through a web of international companies including its Australian operations. Gautam Adani is a self-made billionaire, India’s richest man and the fourth wealthiest man in the world behind Bernard Arnault, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos.
The 100-page Adani report detailing what the authors declare is the ‘greatest con in corporate history’. Immediately after its release, the company’s shares dropped an icy 20 per cent and continued to slide. Again, this is likely to go on for months, so we’ll keep you up to date.
What we most likely won’t be reporting so much this year is the world’s only vegan climate-neutral sports team, Forest Green Rovers, which entered the Christmas period in the bottom three of their English Division One. They lost two games during the break and now sit stone cold bottom of the ladder. We’ll let you know when the good news begins to roll again.
. . .
So ends Week 1 of The Sustainable Hour for 2023. We’ll be back each week right through till December, aiming to inform and inspire by having guests on who are active participants in getting us where we need to be on climate.
In doing this, we hope that each and every one of our listeners finds something of use to them. Luke Taylor referred to the importance of a united climate movement in this country. We’ll be doing all that we can to aid this in the weeks and months to come.
“This is all happening because we have been lied to. (…) There will not be any nearby planet coming to our rescue. We are completely on our own. Make no mistake – no one else is going to do it for us. This is up to us, here and now. You and me.”
~ Greta Thunberg, Swedish climate activist, in ‘The Climate Book’ on page 2 and 43.
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“We continue to feed our fossil fuel addiction, emissions continue to rise, and our collective negligence radically alters human and natural systems. Yet alternatives like renewable energy remain a minuscule percentage of total energy generation, and world leaders continue to promote economic growth as a viable response to climate change. We have a choice – collective action or collective suicide. It’s in our hands.”
~ Antonio Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General
We at The Sustainable Hour would like to pay our respect to the traditional custodians of the land on which we
are broadcasting, the Wathaurong People, and pay our respect to their elders, past, present and future.
The traditional owners lived in harmony with the land. They nurtured it and thrived in often harsh conditions for millenia before they were invaded. Their land was then stolen from them – it wasn’t ceeded. It is becoming more and more obvious that, if we are to survive the climate emergency we are facing, we have much to learn from their land management practices.
Our battle for climate justice won’t be won until our First Nations brothers and sisters have their true justice. When we talk about the future, it means extending our respect to those children not yet born, the generations of the future – remembering the old saying that, “We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors. We borrow it from our children.”
The decisions currently being made around Australia to ignore the climate emergency are being made by those who won’t be around by the time the worst effects hit home. How disrespectful and unfair is that?
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Join @CliveCHamilton to explore how to protect our right to protest & reflect on what dissent in our democracy could look like with a rise in disruption from climate and environmental emergencies. Join Clive at The Capitol on Sat 11 Feb. Register via https://t.co/cbNk9T2LQ5 pic.twitter.com/BlhsBWlkc8
— National Sustainable Living Festival (@NSLFestivalAus) January 24, 2023
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Yes after jail time #VioletCoco is out on bail but still faces 15 months for blocking one lane of traffic on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, not to make a movie though, just to save the planet. Join us to fight for action on the #climatecrisis https://t.co/l6SF4LCRUM https://t.co/en6PBd5eVh pic.twitter.com/jZ2cCbJq59
— Stop Fossil Fuel Subsidies/Fireproof Australia (@stopffsubsidies) January 22, 2023
Money talks“Today’s data once again shows that money talks, with more than $241 million pocketed by the major parties in the last financial year.
Coal and gas projects, energy companies, mineral and resource councils all feature heavily. And in no small coincidence, in last year’s budget, the government handed out $42.7 billion of fossil fuel subsidies, turbocharging the climate crisis.
Labor is taking money from the coal and gas corporations causing the climate crisis and then proposing laws that allow new coal and gas projects to go ahead.”
~ Larissa Waters, The Greens
→ Crikey – 1 February 2023:
‘Legalised bribery’: Australia’s dirtiest corporations donate millions to Labor, Coalition and Palmer’s party, data reveals
“Clive Palmer’s company Mineralogy blew political donation records when it reported more than $110m given to the UAP before the 2022 election.”
→ Sydney Criminal Lawyers – 21 April 2022:
Climate Revolution Now: An Interview With Scientist Rebellion’s Karin Xuereb“Sydney Criminal Lawyers spoke to Scientist Rebellion’s Karin Xuereb about why recent extreme weather events have foiled the Coalition’s attempt to hide the climate crisis, what’s driven scientists to take to the streets, and how she considers the prospect of having prisons full of climate defenders.”
JUST STOP OIL SUPPORTER CHARGED WITH CONTEMPT FOR SPEAKING CLIMATE TRUTH
Yesterday, Stephanie Aylett, 28, stood in court for contempt of court after talking about her motivations for taking action with Insulate Britain — the climate emergency and fuel poverty in the UK. pic.twitter.com/wbDtLKhaUa
— Just Stop Oil (@JustStop_Oil) January 31, 2023
“I’m not worried about going to jail,” she says. “I’m worried about my grandchildren and my great-grandchildren. What kind of a world are they going to get?” #savetheplanet
https://t.co/DfE2NDRDXF— Nina Killham (@ninakillham) February 1, 2023
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Asking the Chatbot how we will do it
“Making systemic changes can be a difficult and complex process, but it is not impossible. It requires a combination of different strategies and tactics, as well as a strong and united movement of people committed to creating change.”
ChatGPT
ChatGPT: “Making systemic changes can be a difficult and complex process, but it is not impossible. It requires a combination of different strategies and tactics, as well as a strong and united movement of people who are committed to creating change. Some ways to start making systemic changes include:
- Building a powerful and diverse coalition of individuals and organizations that share a common goal of creating change.
- Educating and raising awareness about the issues at hand and the impact they have on individuals and communities.
- Developing a clear and compelling message that resonates with people and that can inspire them to take action.
- Building strategic alliances with key stakeholders, including policymakers, business leaders, and other influential people who can help bring about change.
- Developing and implementing effective policies and legislation that address the root causes of the issues, rather than just treating symptoms.
- Holding those in power accountable for their actions and demanding that they take responsibility for creating change.
- Supporting and investing in grassroots and community-led initiatives that are working to create change at the local level.
It’s important to remember that systemic change takes time and it is not an easy process, but it is possible and it is important to continue to push for it. The power of individuals, communities, and grassroots movements working together in solidarity can bring about change, even against powerful and wealthy opponents.”
Gwyneth Jones: “It’s hard to believe that we can make a difference sometimes, when so much seems to be going wrong in the world.”
ChatGPT: “It can be difficult to believe that individual action can lead to systemic change, especially when powerful individuals and institutions seem to be resistant to change. However, history has shown that social and political movements, led by ordinary people, can bring about significant change. It is important to remember that progress is a gradual process, and that small actions and changes in mindset can add up to make a big difference.
It can also be helpful to focus on building community and solidarity with others who share similar values and goals, as collective action can be more powerful than individual action. Additionally, it’s also important to consider the role of intersectionality and to support marginalized communities, as they are often disproportionately affected by systemic issues and have been historically excluded from decision making tables. This can help to create more inclusive and equitable solutions.”
→ Medium, Age of Awareness – 30 January 2023:
I talked to Chat GPT about Deep Adaptation, Decolonisation, Capitalism and Systemic Change
“Seems the AI chat-bot “gets it”…” By Gwyneth Jones
View at Medium.com
Where we are at in AustraliaEmissions reduction targets and net zero commitments state by state
– updated on 25 January 2023
TAS: net zero by 2030
ACT: 50-60% by 2025, 65-75% by 2030, 90 to 95% by 2040 (below 1990 levels), net zero by 2045
NSW: 50% by 2030, 70% by 2035 (below 2005 levels), net zero by 2050 (2035 target announced Dec 2022)
SA: 50% by 2030 (below 2005 levels), net zero by 2050
VIC: 50% by 2030, 75% to 80% by 2035 (below 2005 levels), net zero by 2045 (gov website yet to be updated)
QLD: 30% by 2030 (below 2005 levels), net zero by 2050
WA: no interim targets, net zero by 2050
NT: no interim targets, net zero by 2050
AUS: 43% by 2030 (below 2005 levels)
Renewable energy goals and targets
– updated 25 January 2023
TAS: already 100%, 150% by 2030, 200% target by 2040
ACT: already 100%, transition away from gas by 2045
SA: 100% by 2030
VIC: 65% by 2030, 95% by 2035 (still to be legislated, announced Oct 2022)
QLD: 60% by 2030, 70% by 2032 and 80% by 2035
NT: 50% by 2030
WA: no specific target
NSW: no specific target
Good news we take with us into 2023
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Forecasters warn of ‘big storm and rain event’ set to hit
“Potentially arriving next week, the deteriorating weather could bring about an east coast low, one of Australia’s most powerful and dangerous storm systems. Maroota, about 50km northwest of Sydney, has copped 41mm of rain in half an hour. The system should move north over the coming week, saturating much of the east coast.”
→ The Guardian – 29 January 2023:
‘Everything’s gone’: eerie silence on Enid Street provides a glimpse into Australia’s climate future“Flood buybacks in Goodna, west of Brisbane, have emptied homes and disrupted lives. Now the bulldozers are moving in.”
"New Zealand roiled by flash floods, landslides for third day." The terrible effects of climate change referred to by Kevin Trenberth (see my previous tweet). https://t.co/q3rf473AYf
— Climatehope (@Climatehope2) January 30, 2023
→ 9News – 29 January 2023:
Auckland floods: Train derails amid wet weather chaos
“A freight train has derailed as deadly wet weather continues to wreak havoc across New Zealand.”
Luxury NZ houses teetering on edge of cliff
“Residents in Auckland, New Zealand are facing the danger of their homes falling off cliff edges due to heavy rains causing severe floods, which have already claimed 4 lives and marked 30 properties uninhabitable and 141 at-risk. Coastal areas, including the affluent suburb of Parnell, are especially affected with several properties marked at-risk due to landslips. A volunteer from the Museum of Transport and Technology was among the fatalities.”
. . .
→ ABC News – 27 October 2022:
Climate change: World ‘hurtling’ towards Paris target overshoot, UN emissions report warns“Current emissions pledges have us on track to hit as much as 2.8C of warming this century.”
“When it comes to climate impacts, the frontline of the finance industry is insurance. Last year’s payout from damages caused by extreme-weather events totaled $120 billion—about the same as the economic output of Kenya. And that’s a 50% increase over the previous decade’s average.”
~ Akshat Rathi, Senior Reporter for Climate at Bloomberg News
. . .
Two thirds of Australia hit by disasters in 2022In Australia in the last year alone, disasters have been declared in an extraordinary 316 out of 537 local council areas. That’s 60 per cent of the country facing floods, fires, cyclones, or storms, according to Minister for Emergency Management Murray Watt.
Major impact on Australians’ mental healthA Beyond Blue survey of 2,000 Australians found that in the last three years, 80 per cent of people said they had experienced at least one heatwave, flooding, bushfire, drought, cyclone or a destructive storm. And more than half of those say their mental health has been impacted by it. A fifth said it had had a major impact on their mental health. The study is published on Climate Council’s website.
RMIT report about climate impacts at workThe researchers surveyed 1,165 workers, predominantly located in Victoria, and found that a staggering 75 per cent of workers say climate change already impacts their physical health, especially outdoor workers who are exposed to increasing heat waves, and 43 per cent reported mental health impacts.
→ RMIT – September 2022:
Climate Impacts at Work
“Supporting a climate ready workforce.”
. . .
“I’m not seeing enough courage.”
~ Gail Whiteman, Arctic Basecamp
The disconnect between conversations at the boardroom level and the concerns, demands, and hopes of younger generations is widening.
To address this, Reuters Editor-at-Large Axel Threlfall has teamed up with climate scientist and founder at the Arctic Basecamp, Professor Gail Whiteman, to launch a brand-new Reuters IMPACT series, ‘Arctic Warning’.
Arctic Warning speaks to a breadth of leaders, from business and politics to activists and changemakers. It is a platform for open discourse, designed to provide a better, broader, more balanced understanding of climate change and how best to address it.
→ Watch the latest Arctic Warning episodes on events.reutersevents.com
“Abu Dhabi plans to increase its production of crude oil from 4 million barrels a day up to 5 million even while the UAE promises to be carbon neutral by 2050 – a target that remains difficult to assess and one that the Emirates still hasn’t fully explained how it will reach.”
The Guardian
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative (@fossilfueltreaty)
Another day, another government considering approving a massive coal mine expansion. The NSW Perrottet Government can't claim to be serious about tackling climate change if it keeps approving new coal mines. @Dom_Perrottet @Matt_KeanMP #MoveBeyondCoal #coal #nonewcoal #NSWpol pic.twitter.com/oPWIrYZsaO
— MoveBeyondCoal (@MoveBeyondCoal) February 1, 2023
. . .
“As a scientist I’m proud of just how much incredibly rich, detailed and varied evidence we have of the unravelling of life on Earth. And utterly dumfounded by how little anyone seems to care.”
~ Dr Charlie Gardner
As a scientist I'm proud of just how much incredibly rich, detailed and varied evidence we have of the unravelling of life on Earth
And utterly dumfounded by how little anyone seems to care
— Dr Charlie Gardner (@CharlieJGardner) December 22, 2022
→ Shareable – 27 January 2023:
Towards cooperative commonwealth: Transition in a perilous century“Changing the priorities, policies, and rules to preserve the commonwealth of all beings of the earth rather than the private wealth of the few is possible, but it is not guaranteed.”
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
| The Frontline: Climate change marks a new era for therapyNewsletter from Atmos on 31 January 2023 | | Photograph by Katherine Wolkoff / Trunk ArchiveHow climate change is forcing therapists to mend their fieldIn 2021, I started dedicating real time to unpacking all my feelings around climate apocalypse, emotional heartbreak, and childhood trauma. What else is a person to do during therapy? Though climate change wasn’t the primary reason I sought help, it didn’t take me long to realize how my job was exacerbating my stress. It became clear to me, with the help of my therapist, that these negative emotions can bleed into other realms of my life, potentially injuring my relationships.I share this all to say: therapy is dope. And if you care about climate change, you probably need a therapist, too. There are finally some professionals in the field who want to help therapists be better at helping patients suffering from emotions like climate grief or climate anxiety—and they also want to ensure the people who need these services the most have access. Welcome to The Frontline, where we stan therapy. I’m Yessenia Funes, climate director of Atmos. Today’s story is from journalist Mélissa Godin. She explores the history of the Climate Psychology Alliance and how it’s trying to reimagine the field of mental health. One key way to alleviate your eco-distress? Community. Funny enough, that’s what my therapist has prescribed. I’ve featured a piece of the story below, but you can read the full article here.Typhoons were normal in climate justice activist Tori Tsui’s childhood. Growing up in a fishing town in Hong Kong, Tsui was no stranger to tropical storms that would rip through her city and community. Climate change consumed her thoughts from a young age. “I remember so many sleepless nights,” said Tsui, author of an upcoming book on eco-anxiety titled It’s Not Just You. “It was a very visceral, very physical feeling that led to a lot of turbulence in my early years.”Tsui struggled to find help. When she finally did, mental health professionals failed to grasp what was making her unwell. “So much of what I was labeled was stripped of any political understanding,” she said. As Tsui grew older, she realized her feelings had a name: eco-distress. Eco-distress is a term mental health professionals use to describe the wide range of emotions people feel about the climate crisis—from grief to anxiety to rage. It can be brought on after living through a traumatic climate disaster but can also emerge when an individual becomes overwhelmed by the existential threat of climate change. Nowadays, that threat has become undeniable. Just look at the recent floods in California or the warm winter in New York. How can a person not feel overwhelmed?“Eco-anxiety may just be the surface-level analysis of what is ultimately a fractured relationship between people and planet.”TORI TSUICLIMATE JUSTICE ACTIVISTLast year, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) acknowledged for the first time that climate change is impacting people’s mental health. The IPCC validated what more than two-thirds of American adults had already reported in 2020. Research published earlier this month also found that survivors of California’s deadliest wildfire—the Camp Fire of 2018—were left with severe trauma that caused their brains to suffer cognitive deficits and altered activity—impacts that inhibit a person’s memory and information processing. Yet mental health services across the world are struggling to keep up. This is the gap the Climate Psychology Alliance (CPA) is trying to fill. Founded in the U.K., the CPA provides training to therapists, psychiatrists, and social workers to help them identify and address the emotional impacts of climate change on their patients. It aims to equip mental health professionals with climate-aware practices so that fewer people’s eco-distress goes undiagnosed and unaddressed. In fact, the CPA is trying to rethink the discipline of psychology entirely. Historically, the field has insisted that politics should be left out of the consulting room. The CPA calls on practitioners to do the opposite. The group asserts that social, economic, political, and environmental events inevitably shape our psychology. That the onslaught of extreme weather events and depressing climate forecasts affects how we feel when we get out of bed in the morning. That eco-distress is often a natural response to unnatural circumstances. At its core, the alliance believes that the personal is political. And that healing individual eco-distress requires inviting politics into the consulting room. Read the rest of the story here.Yessenia FunesClimate Director, Atmos |
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Healthy Futures (@healthyfuturesau)
“The human change dimension is so often a missing piece of the jigsaw in responding to our climate crisis. This practical guide fills many of the gaps, with tools that can help us become better allies to each other in supporting the personal and systemic shifts needed in our time.”
~ Chris Johnstone, co-author of Active Hope
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"We learned last week that certain fossil fuel producers were fully aware in the '70s that their core product was baking our planet…Some in Big Oil peddled the big lie."
UN Secretary General @antonioguterres cites our new study at @Davos @wef #wef23. 1/n pic.twitter.com/HtDtgHaVsK
— Geoffrey Supran (@GeoffreySupran) January 18, 2023
“No one is coming to save us. Mass civil disobedience is essential to force a political response.
The time for excuses is over. The struggle to overthrow our life-denying system has begun.” –@GeorgeMonbiot#ExtinctionRebellion #schoolstrike4climate
https://t.co/UDaCut9FBE— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) April 15, 2019
A culture and a system that finds it ok to deforest the entire planet for the sake of increased profits has to go. pic.twitter.com/I0xeC4AJfj
— Peter Dynes (@PGDynes) January 27, 2023
"All of my belongings are destroyed. There is no shelter for us, so we have been sleeping on the roadside."
"More than 600 people lost their lives and another 1.5 million people were forced to flee their homes."https://t.co/dAxOa3cnCt
— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) January 30, 2023
View this post on Instagram A post shared by StopAdani (@stopadanimovement)
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Project Planet (@projectplanetaus)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CmwLZ-ONT8p/https://www.instagram.com/p/CmtSASioxge/
Booking some cheap flights in the January sales? Then this, from @meganjherbert is definitely for you. pic.twitter.com/OBkFehOfUw
— John Gibbons (@think_or_swim) January 23, 2023
There is no hope in the political sphere.
As @GretaThunberg states
"Politicians will not come to the rescue of the planet." #ClimateEmergency pic.twitter.com/g1vUZojK2i— Sophie Gabrielle (@CodeRedEarth) January 29, 2023
SILVERSTONE SIX ON TRIAL TOMORROW
On 3 July, Dave, Emily, Alasdair, Bethany, Louis and Josh stormed the Silverstone circuit and disrupted the British Grand Prix
They are due to stand trial in Court 4 of Northampton Crown Court at 10am tomorrow.pic.twitter.com/RGBKU0Zwlf
— Just Stop Oil (@JustStop_Oil) January 23, 2023
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Greenpeace UK (@greenpeaceuk)
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cmv53vYtDU9/
Colombia has announced a halt on all new oil & gas exploration.
This is a crucial first step on the path away from oil & gas and very welcome move.
The fact that the UK is still encouraging new exploration is indefensible for a so called “climate leader”
— #StopRosebank (@StopCambo) January 23, 2023
That separated, protected lane ABSOLUTELY fights #ClimateChange.
And air pollution. And inequality. And preventable diseases. And public health cost increases. And cost of living increases. And tax increases. And it supports economic devt & allows more trips in a lot less space. pic.twitter.com/WC2goY3T6K
— Brent Toderian (@BrentToderian) January 23, 2023
The #Mobility Pyramid, we cannot share it often enough. pic.twitter.com/KNtisgcrsW
— Henk Swarttouw (@copenhenken) January 23, 2023
One day you’ll need to explaining to your kids, friends and family that you where there – violently defining the fossil industry – in the middle of a climate crisis. Shame on you!#LuetzerathLebt #keepitinground pic.twitter.com/7Xr4QwNY5X
— lina burnelius (@LBurnelius) January 14, 2023
The long-awaited return of Adelaide’s Tour Down Under could be met with chaos with climate protestors threatening to cause disruption. The sports minister has slammed Extinction Rebellion protest plans as galling. https://t.co/8ftPfGh39Y @haydennelson #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/aiF1QNd7jn
— 7NEWS Adelaide (@7NewsAdelaide) January 11, 2023
In 2021, the Dutch court ordered @Shell to adjust its corporate policy and stop causing climate change.
But now, Shell is appealing the verdict.
Help us beat Shell again.
Share this video and donate https://t.co/R8gtjIcBZg#MessageForShell #AWordWithWael #BeatShell pic.twitter.com/Ouhbeo5lYy— Milieudefensie (@milieudefensie) January 18, 2023
I find this video from the Spring Rebellion bicycle swarm just magical. Climate activism can be beautiful way of collectively reimagining the future.
On Saturday we're holding a swarm in protest against Adelaide City Councils' #DriversMonth initiative.https://t.co/drqdICtp2K pic.twitter.com/P9B1XuI0CE
— Extinction Rebellion South Australia (@XRSouthAus) November 10, 2020
yes, please do enlighten me. email me at smalldickenergy@getalife.com https://t.co/V8geeVvEvg
— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) December 28, 2022
this may well be the greatest tweet of all time
— George Conway (@gtconway3d) December 29, 2022
Millions of #Tree huggers needed. Are you a tree hugger? #SaveThePlanetGroup pic.twitter.com/kjUWND2UKD
— Ynys (@energyisle) December 27, 2022
“The role of the super-rich in super-charging climate change is rarely discussed. This has to change. These billionaire investors at the top of the corporate pyramid have huge responsibility for driving climate breakdown."#ClimateEmergency pic.twitter.com/Bw41gFPsPv
— Sophie Gabrielle (@CodeRedEarth) December 24, 2022
Everything you Need to Know about Tipping Points in the Permafrost Carbon Feedback Systemhttps://t.co/1ewl4AKCEl#climate #ClimateActionNow #ClimateEmergency #ClimateJustice #climateTech #Arcticweek #Arctic pic.twitter.com/W2EMMHSaOZ
— Paul Beckwith (@PaulHBeckwith) January 5, 2023
BP runs a lot of ads about its commitment to clean energy.
But the company just released their 2023 capital investment plans.
They plan to invest the majority of it on fossil fuel projects.
— Michael Thomas (@curious_founder) December 27, 2022
8m people around the die each yr as a result of breathing in air containing particles from burning fossil fuels.
Cigarettes were forced to show health warnings.
Why aren’t #Shell#Exxon#BP forced to show warnings at the pumps? pic.twitter.com/OWeC7KD3LY
— Ynys (@energyisle) December 27, 2022
Every human on Earth has the power to heal & regenerate her. Ignore Climate Deniers & Doomists, focus on your little stretch of the beach & improve it. All of us AGW activists combined, working our individual tasks; we WILL turn the tide on #GlobalWarmingLJC#EarthKeepersUnite pic.twitter.com/bGry66w5e6
— Linda J. Crane (@EarthKeeper22) January 23, 2023
A few days after @antonioguterres denounced the continued expansion of fossil fuel production, Colombia announces it will no longer grant new oil and gas exploration licenses
This is a 1st and necessary step towards a post-fossil economy. Onwards!https://t.co/PWDcbSak4U
— Romain Ioualalen (@Rlalen) January 22, 2023
The city of Pontevedra is car-free for almost 20 years.
The results
Clean Air
Zero Traffic fatalities
SilenceAnd the mayor has been re-elected 4x since.pic.twitter.com/vdBOuQzeiG
— Daniel Moser – dmoser@mastodon.social (@_dmoser) January 23, 2023
.
Simple ways to help tackle #ClimateChange
via @banburynewshttps://t.co/zETWToXoFk1 Change what you eat
2 Change how you travel
3 Change your #energy use
4 #Recycle and reuse#food #ClimateAction #renewables #ActOnClimate #tips #vegan #home
— My Zero Carbon #ClimateAction (@MyZeroCarbon) January 24, 2023
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Events we have talked about in The Sustainable HourEvents in VictoriaThe following is a collation of Victorian climate change events, activities, seminars, exhibitions, meetings and protests. Most are free, many ask for RSVP (which lets the organising group know how many to expect), some ask for donations to cover expenses, and a few require registration and fees. This calendar is provided as a free service by volunteers of the Victorian Climate Action Network. Information is as accurate as possible, but changes may occur.
Petitions→ List of running petitions where we encourage you to add your name
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Live-streaming on WednesdaysThe Sustainable Hour is streamed live on the Internet and broadcasted on FM airwaves in the Geelong region every Wednesday from 11am to 12pm (Melbourne time).
» To listen to the program on your computer or phone, click here – or go to www.947thepulse.com where you then click on ‘Listen Live’ on the right.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Podcast archiveOver 470 hours of sustainable podcasts.
Listen to all of The Sustainable Hour radio shows as well as special Regenerative Hours and Climate Revolution episodes in full length:
→ Archive on climatesafety.info – with additional links
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Momentum for a unified climate movement | To help us find our footing and direction as we enter a new year of climate activism, our guests in #TheSustainableHour no 445 are climate activist @VioletCoCo5 and director of @NSLFestivalAus Luke Taylor.https://t.co/4o8uvi4hDR pic.twitter.com/DcaW1Fx8fH
— The Sustainable Hour (@SustainableHour) February 1, 2023
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29TH EPISODE OF THE REGENERATIVE HOUR: Can we turn the 2020s into ‘The Regenerative Decade’? In this series of interviews about what that would imply, we talk ecology, deep adaptation, grief, compassion, passion, connecting with nature, resilience, revitalisation, restoration, and revolution | Podcast notes
In our summer series of programs for 2023, we are back with a Regenerative Hour about rehydrating the Australian landscape, regenerative and natural sequence farming, soil health and ecosystem restoration. These are longer interviews where we investigate important issues in more detail.
Our roving reporter Rusty visits three ecological agriculture people, who are working with the soil and with what Rusty terms Ecological Landscape Management and with principles of Permaculture and Natural Sequence Farming – addressing the water cycles and getting the climate back in order, removing carbon from the atmosphere and putting it into the ground with Regenerative Agriculture.
Our three soil health experts in the Hour are farmer and healthy soil advocate Glenn Morris, soil tester and consultant Kim Deanes, and beef farmer Adam Turner.
“We need to address the foundations. We are breaking the foundations nowadays. We are destroying the soil, the biology, the humus, native grasses – everything that created a constant water cycle. And from what I can see we are still not dealing with the basis of getting our climate back in order, getting the water cycle going. Farmers are in the box seat to doing a lot of things about these things, pulling carbon out of the atmosphere and tying it back up in the soil.”
~ Glenn Morris, farmer and healthy soil advocate
. . .
Glenn MorrisAfter 20 years of research and experience, Glenn Morris has established that carbon sequestration – a process in which CO2 is removed from the atmosphere and stored in the soil carbon pool – is not only essential for restoring a stable climate, but also for regenerating landscape health and future water supplies. It brings a practical way to improve farm land.
Glenn has completed a Masters in Sustainable Agriculture from the University of Sydney. He believes that as land stewards, farmers need to champion the way landscapes are connected to the carbon cycle, and is passionate about farmers producing practical solutions for restoring a stable climate in the agriculture sector.
During the interview, as Glenn explains his approach, Rusty and Glenn sit under a box tree on the mountain.
. . .
Kim DeansKim Deans is a regenerative agriculture coach, an educator and a facilitator. Since 2004, together with her partner Angus, she has been working to grow soil on their farm that was once a tin mine.
Just a few years ago they were in drought, and in February 2019, the property was blackened by fire. However, they were not deterred, and during 2020 they saw how after the rain returned, the grasses and pastures also returned. They saw rewards from their farm management practices even after the property had been ravaged by fire.
The property remained destocked in the recovery process, and as a result, soil was capable of rehydrating and remaining stable so it did not blow away in dust storms once minimal ground cover had been re-established.
In the interview, Kim shows her passion for the soil. She believes a healthy soil gives us healthy food. It is also proof that what has been labelled RegenAg will provide the opportunity for the regeneration of grasses.
Both Kim and Angus are optimistic about the future. They see a positive from the fire in that it gave them the opportunity to redesign fencing type, configuration and the size of paddocks. The restocking has begun, and 2023 will demonstrate how these practices best work on arid pastoral country as Kim has the opportunity to work on stations in western New South Wales.
The process of growing healthy soil and restoring ecological function has been a rewarding one that continues to grow and evolve, with Kim now working in regenerative agriculture as a coach and educator with Integrity Soils.
Kim’s expertise in ecological agriculture, whole farm planning, systems thinking and business management has evolved through training and personal experiences in regenerative agriculture, holistic management, permaculture, farm business management and self-development. She loves working with land-stewards on all scales to transform their lives, businesses and landscapes.
Kim also provides group facilitation and training programs with The Rural Woman online community. Observing nature and learning to work with natural principles rather than against them is the foundation of her life’s work.
→ See more on www.biodynamiclife.com
. . .
Adam and the Turner familyYoung family embraces regenerative agriculture as the future for their farm and product
Adam Turner and his family have just recently embarked on the Regen Ag management transformation. The Turners wish to ensure that they stay true to the product and remain customer focused. Adam talks about how he intends to make property improvements. This alongside a business model to supply direct to butchers and provodores. It is a slow progress as they are young and need to still have off farm income.
Adam Turner and Rusty did the interview while sitting at the kitchen table on Adam’s property, Springhill, near Gresford in New South Wales, on the banks of the Paterson River in the Hunter Valley.
. . .
How to achieve climate safety by rebuilding our landscape with its ancient blueprint: In The Regenerative Hour no 27, we talk with three champions of regenerative farming, land management and conservation farming practices.
→ The Land – 14 April 2021:
Introduction to Holistic Management and regenerative agriculture
“Holistic Management is about changing the way we make decisions to build resilience in our landscape and our communities.”
Addressing the foundations of soil and water: In The Regenerative Hour no 29, we talk with three champions of soil health, land management and carbon drawdown.#Soil #SoilHealth #JoinTheRegeneration #RegenAg #RegenerativeAgriculture #Drawdown https://t.co/H08HBcRWwt
— The Sustainable Hour (@SustainableHour) January 24, 2023
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“Participation – that’s what’s gonna save the human race.”
~ Pete Seeger, American singer
→ See more Regenerative Hours from The Sustainable Hour team
The Sustainable Hour no. 444 | Podcast notes
For a productive and happy 2023 as we push – and sing and dance – for the transformation towards a zero-carbon lifestyle and climate safety:
We play some of the best climate songs we aired in The Sustainable Hour during 2022, along with a couple of good old ‘enviro-classics’ and a completely fresh one. Presented by Anthony Gleeson, Colin Mockett and Mik Aidt.
Why singing and dancing is important and can play a very special role was explained well by an Aboriginal elder, when she spoke at the Wullumbin Festival in 2004, saying: “Normally, we follow roads that are already there. But that’s the wrong way. When you walk, you have to send the landscape – and the road – out of yourself. In order to help this form, we carry on the ritual singing and dancing.”
No roads have been built yet to where we need to go as a society. Meanwhile a frightening landscape of climate destruction and collapse is building up in the horison. And as the American architect and inventor Buckminster Fuller suggested: “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”
In 2023, thought-leaders and activists in the climate movement need to begin sending a new landscape – and an entirely new road – out of themselves. In order to help this form, we are reminded of the significant role that music always plays in any transformation or revolution.
If you think there was a song we forgot to play, please put it in the comments field below so we can play it in The Sustainable Hour during 2023.
With this, we wish you a happy and joyous New Year.
“Unite in a national effort to save from destruction all that makes life itself worth living.”
~ MacKenzie King, former Canadian Prime Minister“We need a revolution. Revolutionary thinking. Revolutionary action.”
~ Ban ki-Moon, General-Secretary of the United Nations, in 2011
→ Subscribe to The Sustainable Hour podcast via iTunes or Stitcher
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“Normally, we follow roads that are already there. But that’s the wrong way. When you walk, you have to send the landscape – and the road – out of yourself. In order to help this form, we carry on the ritual singing and dancing.”
~ Aboriginal elder, speaking at the Wullumbin Festival in 2004
We at The Sustainable Hour would like to pay our respect to the traditional custodians of the land on which we
are broadcasting, the Wathaurong People, and pay our respect to their elders, past, present and future.
The traditional owners lived in harmony with the land. They nurtured it and thrived in often harsh conditions for millenia before they were invaded. Their land was then stolen from them – it wasn’t ceeded. It is becoming more and more obvious that, if we are to survive the climate emergency we are facing, we have much to learn from their land management practices.
Our battle for climate justice won’t be won until our First Nations brothers and sisters have their true justice. When we talk about the future, it means extending our respect to those children not yet born, the generations of the future – remembering the old saying that, “We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors. We borrow it from our children.”
The decisions currently being made around Australia to ignore the climate emergency are being made by those who won’t be around by the time the worst effects hit home. How disrespectful and unfair is that?
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→ The Sustainable Hour’s Youtube-playlist currently contains 212 climate and sustainability-related songs
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PlaylistThe didgeridoo music after the program jingle is Doug Maxwell’s ‘Running Through The Forest’.
The 13 songs we play are all available on Youtube. Here is the list:
Hopscotch: ‘Climate Change Song’
Paul McCartney: ‘Despite Repeated Warnings’
Joni Mitchell: ‘Big Yellow Taxi’
Counting Crows featuring Vanessa Carlton: ‘Big Yellow Taxi’
Michael Franti & Spearhead: ‘Good to Be Alive Today’ (Acoustic Remix)
Sam Garrett & Mollie Mendoza: ’Mama’
Kacey Musgraves: ’Oh, What a World 2.0’ (Earth Day Edition)
Rat Boy: ‘Victim of a system’
Billie Eilish: ‘All Good Girls Go To Hell’
Peter Garrett’s rant at Woodside during a Perth concert
Midnight Oil: ’Beds are Burning’
Anneli Kamfer: ‘Eve of Destruction’
Formidable Vegetable & Spoonbill: ‘Climate Movement’
Lil Dicky: ’Earth’ (clean version)
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Songs for the climate revolution of 2022
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Sustainable vibes
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→ More Sustainable Hours with musicians and about music
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Good news we take with us into 2023
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pic.twitter.com/ALOhRRfVLt
— Climate Watcher (@pmagn) December 27, 2022
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Petitions→ List of running petitions where we encourage you to add your name
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Live-streaming on WednesdaysThe Sustainable Hour is streamed live on the Internet and broadcasted on FM airwaves in the Geelong region every Wednesday from 11am to 12pm (Melbourne time).
» To listen to the program on your computer or phone, click here – or go to www.947thepulse.com where you then click on ‘Listen Live’ on the right.
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Podcast archiveOver 470 hours of sustainable podcasts.
Listen to all of The Sustainable Hour radio shows as well as special Regenerative Hours and Climate Revolution episodes in full length:
→ Archive on climatesafety.info – with additional links
→ Archive on itunes.apple.com – phone friendly archive
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Songs for the #climaterevolution of 2023 | For a productive and happy 2023 as we push – and sing and dance – for the transformation towards a zero-carbon lifestyle and #climatesafety.#ClimateMusic #AllForClimate #ClimateAndArts #ClimateAndMusic https://t.co/YNxhTui44U
— The Sustainable Hour (@SustainableHour) December 28, 2022
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→ Podcasts and posts on this website about the climate emergency and the climate revolution
→ Find the latest news on BBC about climate change
The Sustainable Hour no. 443 | Podcast notes
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour on 21 December 2022 are Liz Wade, who is a Good Grief facilitator, and Iain McIntyre from the Commons Social Change Library.
“What we really want is belonging and connection and care and to be together and be with nature and things like that. When we’re not able to have those things, we seek solace through mindless television watching and eating junk food and buying new things or a bigger house and competing with others around us, when what we really need to come back to is ‘what do I need in my heart?’ – these basic needs of belonging and connection and care.”
~ Elizabeth Wade, Good Grief facilitator
Liz Wade describes her work broadly as healing work for people and planet, while doing work in the areas of personal and group work, social and environmental justice activism, local community volunteering and last but definitely not least parenting two small children.
How we do this work is very important to Liz. She centres her work around the idea of cultivating a culture of collective care, and practises living lightly with love as she goes, always to the best of her ever growing skills and knowledge, with lots of listening and learning along the way.
For those who want to find out more about Liz’s work, you can find it here: Good Grief website
Liz’ personal blog: ~ Living Lightly With Love ~
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Iain McIntyre is a historian, writer and community radio producer who lives in Naarm (Melbourne). He has been involved in various environmental, housing and social justice campaigns since the late 1980s. For the last two years he has been part of building up the invaluable resource that is The Commons Social Change Library.
The Commons Library is a public library for the benefit of the Australian public, informing and equipping people to influence public policy and engage in political structures. The library collects, curates and distributes key lessons and resources of progressive movements around Australia and across the globe.
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As usual recently, we start today’s program with what is probably the starkest climate emergency warning of them all so far from the head of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres: “Collective action or collective suicide – it’s in our hands.”
Mik Aidt then presents a number of recent tv news clips all with the same warning about the extreme weather events that we’ll continue to experience in our country especially: 7News Australia, 9News Australia and ABC News – reporting on the new BOM and CSIRO Climate Report 2022.
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The music today is first Nat Barsh‘s ‘Hope’, then Formidable Vegetable Sound System‘s ‘Earth People Fair’ and the song rounding the hour and the year off is Missy Higgins‘ ‘The Difference’ along with a statement from Greta Thunberg.
We also play a clip from the podcast ‘How to talk about the end of the world’ where the American futurist author Alex Steffen talks about reasons for optimism.
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Colin Mockett‘s Global Outlook this week is all about the year-end report from the International Energy Agency (IEA). It’s highly positive, saying that two negatives can make a positive. And it’s so constructive that Colin quotes it wholesale – it’s taking over the whole Global Outlook this week.
The two negatives are the global energy crisis and the Ukraine war. The IEA report says that they are currently driving a sharp acceleration in installations of renewable power, with total capacity growth worldwide set to almost double in the next five years.
Its figures show that renewables will overtake coal as the largest source of electricity generation inside this period and if that momentum continues it could keep alive the possibility of limiting global warming to 1.5°C.
The report notes that energy security concerns caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has motivated countries worldwide – not just in Europe – to increasingly turn to renewables such as solar and wind to reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels, whose prices have spiked dramatically.
Global renewable power capacity is now expected to grow by 2400 gigawatts over the 2022-2027 period. That’s an amount equal to the entire power capacity of China today.
This expected increase is massive – 30 per cent higher than that was forecast just a year ago, and it highlights how quickly governments have thrown additional policy weight behind renewables.
As IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said at the report’s launch: “Renewables were already expanding quickly, but the global energy crisis has kicked them into an extraordinary new phase of even faster growth as countries seek to capitalise on their energy security benefits. This is a clear example of how the current energy crisis can be a historic turning point towards a cleaner and more secure energy system. Renewables’ continued acceleration is critical to help keep the door open to limiting global warming to 1.5°C.”
The report found that the war in Ukraine is behind a huge shift to renewables in Europe where governments and businesses are scrambling to rapidly replace Russian gas with alternatives. The amount of renewable power capacity added in Europe in the 2022-27 period is forecast to be twice as high as in the previous, that’s current, five-year period.
It’s driven by a combination of energy security concerns and climate ambitions. And it’s forecast to accelerate as EU member states fast-track a number of policies already in the pipeline, by streamlining and reducing permit timelines, improving designs and improving incentive schemes to support rooftop solar.
Beyond Europe, the report found that the acceleration of renewable power growth in the next five years is driven by China, the US and India, which are all implementing policies more quickly than previously planned to combat the energy crisis.
In China, its 14th and most recent Five-Year Plan is expected to account for almost half of new global renewable power capacity additions over the 2022-2027 period.
Meanwhile, President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act has provided support and long-term viability for the expansion of renewables in the US.
The report sees signs of diversification in global PV supply chains, with new policies in the United States and India expected to boost investment in solar manufacturing by as much as $25 billion over the 2022-2027 period.
While China remains the dominant player, and its capacity is likely to increase, its share in global manufacturing capacity is predicted to drop from 90 per cent today to 75 per cent by 2027, thanks to the expansion of the US and India’s input.
The report also predicted that global biofuel demand is expected to expand by 22 per cent over the forecast period.
The United States, Canada, Brazil, Indonesia and India make up 80 per cent of the expected global expansion in biofuel use, with all five countries having comprehensive policies to support growth.
The report also lays out an accelerated case in which renewable power capacity would grow a further 25 per cent on top of the main forecast.
In advanced economies, this faster growth would require various challenges to be tackled and a more rapid penetration of renewable electricity in the heating and transport sectors.
In emerging and developing economies, it would mean addressing policy and regulatory uncertainties, weak grid infrastructure and a lack of access to affordable financing that are all hampering new projects. But altogether, the outlook is extremely positive.
Not so the news of our carbon-neutral English football team, Forest Green Rovers which lost 4-0 to Derby County at the weekend.
But, as Colin says, the news in this final global report for the year is nearly all positive.
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We at The Sustainable Hour wish all our listeners the very best for The Festive Season – may it be a joyful low emissions period for you all. We’ll deliver our annual ‘musical year-roundup hour next week, and then be back on 1 February with our regular programming for the new year.
Rest assured that we’ll continue to talk with people who are making a difference in their own ways. We’ll continue to provide active hope and direction to everyone who is concerned about the climate crisis we face, but aren’t quite sure how they can turn this concern into action.
Please feel free to suggest people or projects that you come across that fit this criteria and we’ll do our best to get them on.
A huge debt of gratitude must go to our regular listeners who provide important feedback and suggestions and in the process make it all worthwhile for all of us.
Rest up, everyone – recharge those batteries so we return to cultivate a culture of collective care while helping the fossil fuel addicts with accepting that their time is up.
“We are approaching a precipice. And I would strongly suggest that those of us who have not yet been greenwashed out of our senses stand our ground. Do not let them drag us another inch closer to the edge. Not one inch. Right here, right now, is where we draw the line. This is where we stand our ground.”
~ Greta Thunberg, Swedish climate activist, on page 305 in ‘The Climate Book’
→ Subscribe to The Sustainable Hour podcast via iTunes or Stitcher
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We at The Sustainable Hour would like to pay our respect to the traditional custodians of the land on which we
are broadcasting, the Wathaurong People, and pay our respect to their elders, past, present and future.
The traditional owners lived in harmony with the land. They nurtured it and thrived in often harsh conditions for millenia before they were invaded. Their land was then stolen from them – it wasn’t ceeded. It is becoming more and more obvious that, if we are to survive the climate emergency we are facing, we have much to learn from their land management practices.
Our battle for climate justice won’t be won until our First Nations brothers and sisters have their true justice. When we talk about the future, it means extending our respect to those children not yet born, the generations of the future – remembering the old saying that, “We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors. We borrow it from our children.”
The decisions currently being made around Australia to ignore the climate emergency are being made by those who won’t be around by the time the worst effects hit home. How disrespectful and unfair is that?
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Individual behavior change is critical to prevent 2°C degrees of warming. It's just as important as top-down, political reform, writes Lily Dempster, founder and CEO of the @onesmallstep__ app.#ClimateStrategy #ClimateActionNow https://t.co/a5nE8FKEeg
— The Sustainable Hour (@SustainableHour) December 19, 2022
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7News Australia: CSIRO Climate Report 2022
9News Australia: Bleak warning that weather and climate extremes are accelerating
ABC News: BOM and CSIRO report shows climate is warming, making natural disasters more frequent
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Our word of the day is solastalgia. It’s a term coined to describe the psychological distress caused by environmental changes. This emotion is gripping California as communities on the frontlines of climate change grieve what they’ve lost. https://t.co/1gs7wRdH92
— Coda Story (@CodaStory) December 15, 2022
"How much more of our planet— & of the global carbon budget—should one person be allowed to consume than another? In an era of ecological breakdown, it is irrational to continue devoting resources & energy to supporting an overconsuming class." – @jasonhickel https://t.co/IUEbOCVvkP
— Rebecca Woodward (@rwclimate) December 18, 2022
Energy costs estimated by CSIRO in @smh this morning — show so clearly what our direction of travel must be #CheapRenewables #energytransformation #GetItDone pic.twitter.com/rwncrdE3dS
— Lucy Turnbull AO (@LucyTurnbull_AO) December 17, 2022
How long ago would we have had electric vehicles if the Angus Taylor’s of the world didn’t exist? #auspol #ev #climatechange pic.twitter.com/9BCRIQJZlg
— Benny D (@mediawatcher83) December 18, 2022
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Greenpeace International (@greenpeace)
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Events we have talked about in The Sustainable HourEvents in VictoriaThe following is a collation of Victorian climate change events, activities, seminars, exhibitions, meetings and protests. Most are free, many ask for RSVP (which lets the organising group know how many to expect), some ask for donations to cover expenses, and a few require registration and fees. This calendar is provided as a free service by volunteers of the Victorian Climate Action Network. Information is as accurate as possible, but changes may occur.
Petitions→ List of running petitions where we encourage you to add your name
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Live-streaming on WednesdaysThe Sustainable Hour is streamed live on the Internet and broadcasted on FM airwaves in the Geelong region every Wednesday from 11am to 12pm (Melbourne time).
» To listen to the program on your computer or phone, click here – or go to www.947thepulse.com where you then click on ‘Listen Live’ on the right.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Podcast archiveOver 450 hours of sustainable podcasts.
Listen to all of The Sustainable Hour radio shows as well as special Regenerative Hours and Climate Revolution episodes in full length:
→ Archive on climatesafety.info – with additional links
→ Archive on itunes.apple.com – phone friendly archive
Receive our podcast newsletter in your mailboxWe send a newsletter out approximately six times a year. Email address and surname is mandatory – all other fields are optional. You can unsubscribe at any time.
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Cultivating a culture of collective care | Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 443 are Liz Wade, who is a Good Grief facilitator, and Iain McIntyre from the Commons Social Change Library.@GoodGriefNetwk @ChangeCommons #Allforclimate #ClimateGrief https://t.co/lGtDLJAjng
— The Sustainable Hour (@SustainableHour) December 21, 2022
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→ Find the latest news on BBC about climate change
The Sustainable Hour no. 442 | Podcast notes
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 442 on 14 December 2022 are PhD Candidate Kirsty Jackson, who studies childrens’ connection with nature, and Kim Mallee, who has started selling ‘solar plots’ in Australia’s first ‘solar garden’ to people who live in rentals or apartments.
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Kirsty Jackson is a PhD Candidate at the University of Queensland in Brisbane. After graduating with a Bachelor of Education (Primary, Honours) at the university, she was then accepted to study a PhD in Environmental Education. With a strong interest in sustainability and children’s emotional connections with the more-than-human world – nature – Kirsty started to critically examine the ways in which children experience environmental education excursions at an environmental education centre in Brisbane.
Currently, educators and policy-makers are divided on how to help children and young people cope in the Anthropocene – the Age of Climate and Ecological Emergency. One approach is to shelter and protect children from these challenging or ‘controversial’ world issues. This romanticised response supports the traditional view of childhood as being limited to playful innocence. An alternative approach is to engage children as knowledgeable agents who can make a difference.
Studies in this area have mainly focussed on changing unsustainable behaviours, developing students’ environmental knowledge, and encouraging children’s involvement in community initiatives. What is absent from environmental education literature is how emotional and lived experiences in ‘nature’ can directly influence children’s environmental advocacy.
As part of her PhD, Kirsty is interested in how children’s emotional experiences during environmental education excursions shape the way they relate to and, in turn, advocate for ‘nature’. What arises for children during these environmental education excursions are feelings of care, love and ‘enchantment’ with nature, which then prompt them to act in ways that demonstrate their advocacy. The motivation behind this study comes back to the idea that ‘we cannot care for what we do not love’.
You can find out more about Kirsty’s work here. Kirsty asked us to include her email address if anyone wants to contact her about her important research work. It is: kirsty.jackson@uq.net.au
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Kim Mallee is a project manager at Community Power Agency whose mission is to ensure that our transition to a renewable energy future is not only fast, but also fair. Since 2020, she has been project managing the Haystacks Solar Garden project, which is Australia’s first large-scale solar garden – a new way of owning solar in this country: You can now own solar panels even though you don’t own a sunny roof. Renters and people living in apartments need to look no further – the first 3,000 solar garden plots are now available on haystacks.solargarden.org.au
. . .
We start today with a clip from the head of the United Nations Antonio Guterres. In just 6 seconds, he manages to explain the stark choice we have.
We then hear a twitter-clip from England: Tom, a 62 year old climate activist, who came to London to show solidarity to the climate activists there who have been imprisoned for taking non-violent direct action in order to stop building new oil and gas projects.
Mik Aidt tells us that over 150 people have been imprisoned in the United Kingdom for taking a stand against new oil and gas this year, including 51 people remanded on a single day in September, and 24 who are currently in prison.
Mik refers to Australian climate activist Violet Coco who we mentioned last week had been jailed in Sydney. This has caused an incredible uprising of commentary in media from all over the world – the issue is covered well in this Facebook reel. Just before listening to the reel, we also briefly hear NSW premier Dominic Perrottet describing the eight-month jail sentence given to Violet as ‘pleasing to see’.
Later in the show Tony Gleeson refers to what he considers to be a historic media release that was issued earlier this week. At the time 180 groups had signed up to support it. The number of groups has since grown to 230. The big environmental non-government organisations who have been reluctant to speak out publicly on climate prior to this, signed on. So did many grassroots community groups. However the big difference this time was that many other groups, e.g. social justice, human rights, First Nations, prison reform and others signed up. Historic because so many of these groups have not worked with each other before of their perceived differences. This time they united against Violet’s imprisonment for non-violent direct action to draw attention to the climate crisis we face. Having the right to protest is a cornerstone of democracy and activists shouldn’t be jailed for undertaking it. The media release condemns the trend from some of our state governments to stifle dissent by imposing draconian measures on climate activists.
Today Violet was released on bail with 10 conditions placed on her, but after spending a week at Silverwater jail in Sydney, she is free till her appeal hearing in April.
. . .
Mik follows this up with reference to the incredible amount of money that three well known fossil fuel companies have announced they are going to spend billions of dollars on new gas and oil projects. This is hard to believe as they are completely ignoring the science that is screaming out that all fossil fuels must stay in the ground if we want a liveable planet. Yes the stakes are high, but for the fossil fuel companies, it’s just about money. For the tens of thousands of climate activists all over the planet, it’s much more important than that.
Speaking about connecting to nature, we hear an excerpt from Eckhart Tolle. In it he gives us some suggestions for going into the new year. The entire video can be seen below.
. . .
Colin Mockett‘s Global Outlook this week begins in Europe where a new political agreement was reached last week between the European Parliament and the European Economic Council on the regulation of deforestation-free supply chains. Once adopted, the new law will ensure that goods placed on the EU market will no longer contribute to deforestation and forest degradation anywhere in the world. Since the EU is a major consumer, this step will help stop a significant share of global deforestation and forest degradation, which in turn will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss. The EU’s Commissioner for Environment said that the move was sending a strong signal to the rest of the world that it is determined to address global deforestation that contributes massively to the climate crisis.
In the United States, in the wake of President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, the individual states are now taking stronger action to reduce carbon emissions. They are reportedly taking a more holistic policy approach rather than piecemeal policy actions. The act gave financial incentives, so that instead of just setting some goals and calling it a day, new state laws are more likely to set attainable goals and then monitor progress. States are also accelerating their timetables for when the laws need to be showing results. The Rhode Island law, for instance, signed this week by Gov. Dan McKee, says that 100 percent of the state’s electricity use needs to be offset by the production of electricity from renewable sources by 2033. So, the electricity sector won’t be emissions-free, but any use of fossil fuels needs to be matched by production of renewable energy, some of which can be exported to other states. The timetable is short enough that the state needs to take major actions right away, which is different to the previous case, where the state just set targets to take effect in mid-century.
For their part, Washington State has adopted new rules to require all-electric heating and water heating in new commercial and multifamily buildings, the first state to take this step to cut emissions from buildings. We can expect more announcements like this from the US in the New Year.
But the big news in the U.S. is that the shift to electric vehicles has gone into overdrive: The market share for electric vehicles is rising rapidly, and at the same time that automakers and battery manufacturers are investing tens of billions of dollars in new factories preparing for a near future when EVs are a mainstream product, U.S. electric vehicle sales rose 76 per cent in the first quarter of this year, which doubled its share of the market to 5.2 per cent, up from 2.5 per cent according to the car sales bible Kelley Blue Book. That’s against a backdrop of overall sales of new cars in the U.S. were down 15.7 per cent for the quarter, as carmakers dealt with shortages of computer chips and other supplies, leading to slowdowns in production. The changes on the road and in companies’ planning are being supported by government incentives for switching to EVs as part of Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act.
Those strong first-quarter EV results came before the most anticipated EV debut of the year, the Ford F-150 Lightning pickup, which began mass production on Tuesday. At the launch, Ford President and CEO Jim Farley said, “Whenever the world needed us, we met the moment with American ingenuity and American muscle. And right now, the world needs zero-emissions vehicles, and more importantly it needs us to bring them to the many, not just the few.”
And a note of caution on a week when most news is positive, worldwide the wind energy industry is facing difficulties due to the soaring demand for wind turbines. Turbine manufacturers Vestas Wind Systems A/S, General Electric, Siemens and Renewable Energy SA said they are facing financial pressure on several fronts. The companies are dealing with rising costs of raw materials, shortages of key microchips and pressure from buyers to cut prices.
Finally our carbon-neutral sports team Forest Green Rovers beat Cheltenham 1-0 at the weekend, climbing one place on the ladder, while the team’s Women First didn’t play – but they’re still top of their women’s premier league.
. . .
That’s it from us for another week. We are so pleased that Violet has regained her freedom, at least sort-of. Over the next 12 months, 20 other ordinary Aussies, who have decided to stand up for our climate, are going to face court to answer charges coming out of the newly minted New South Wales anti-protest laws. We’ll be following these with great interest and will continue to ask, as the UN Chief Guterres did: just who are the real climate criminals?
We have one more show for 2022, that’s next week. That will be the end of our regular programs till we return at the end of January 2023. Until next we hope we have given you reasons and ways to join the climate revolution.
For a safer, more just, inclusive, peaceful and healthy world.
Colin, Mik & Tony
The Sustainable Hour
“We have set up a co-operative. What we have is an offer – an information and disclosure statement – which is like the co-operative version of a prospectus, essentially. That outlines all the terms and conditions of purchasing a plot in the solar garden. So a plot price is $4,200, and the project initiative will run for 10 years. The structure we have created is because we are absolutely passionate that we want the first large scale solar garden in Australia to work, to be safe and to provide returns for the members’ bills.”
~ Kim Mallee, Project Manages Haystacks Solar Farms
→ Subscribe to The Sustainable Hour podcast via iTunes or Stitcher
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MILLIONS RAISE VOICE FOR JAILED CLIMATE ACTIVISTS & ANTI-PROTEST LAWS
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We at The Sustainable Hour would like to pay our respect to the traditional custodians of the land on which we
are broadcasting, the Wathaurong People, and pay our respect to their elders, past, present and future.
The traditional owners lived in harmony with the land. They nurtured it and thrived in often harsh conditions for millenia before they were invaded. Their land was then stolen from them – it wasn’t ceeded. It is becoming more and more obvious that, if we are to survive the climate emergency we are facing, we have much to learn from their land management practices.
Our battle for climate justice won’t be won until our First Nations brothers and sisters have their true justice. When we talk about the future, it means extending our respect to those children not yet born, the generations of the future – remembering the old saying that, “We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors. We borrow it from our children.”
The decisions currently being made around Australia to ignore the climate emergency are being made by those who won’t be around by the time the worst effects hit home. How disrespectful and unfair is that?
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1-minute video: What is a Solar Garden
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- Nature needs half
- Could we set aside half the Earth for nature? (The Guardian)
- UN Secretary-General calls for bold action to end biodiversity crisis (UN)
- Nature crisis: Humans ‘threaten 1m species with extinction’ (BBC)
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Stockholm Resilience Centre (@sthlmresilience)
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“The EU has decided on a ground-breaking new law that will stop products causing forest destruction from being sold in European shops. Protecting the world’s remaining forests is vital to avoid catastrophic climate change and this law is one of the biggest steps in the fight against deforestation yet.”
Client Earth
We made it
After more than 2⃣ years we made it
The EU #deforestation law is now a reality!
A law that will protect forests around the world
A law that can change the lives of millions of people
This is the power of campaigning, of standing #Together4Forests! pic.twitter.com/FnsZzxz7xS
— WWF EU (@WWFEU) December 6, 2022
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“I remember hearing Greta Thunberg saying, ‘I want you to act as if our house is on fire’ – and it is. I thought really deeply about that and what it meant to me, to act as if it was an emergency. I spent a long time on petitions, on one-day marches, gatherings on the lawn of parliament. I’ve got young kids in my family [and] seeing the fear in them at what is happening to our environment, with fires and floods, and understanding that it is going to get worse unless we take immediate action, it made me feel inspired to be part of the change to that story.”
~ Deanna Violet Coco, in her first interview since being released from prison with The Guardian’s Michael McGowanHear it from Tom, 62, from Nottingham: pic.twitter.com/MMbmBeDum8
— Just Stop Oil (@JustStop_Oil) December 10, 2022
I’ve just landed in Sydney to join my colleague as we prepare to represent Violet on her Bail Application tomorrow. I’ve told Violet of the incredible support from all over & that is what has been keeping her strong in jail #FreeVioletCoCo #FreedomOfSpeech #Democracy #nswpol pic.twitter.com/mSazVMnOBg
— Eddie Lloyd (@worldzonfire) December 12, 2022
FreeVioletCoco #Violet could be any of us who has been to a protest.
She dared to act like it's a #ClimateEmergency
She can’t see the likes/retweets
But she does get mail #SendACardToViolet
Costs you $1.10 and a few minutes.
Small price for human rights.
Thread has deets— Susie Russell (@bulga99) December 11, 2022
A reminder from @JustStop_Oil that Britain is now a part of the club of nations around the world imprisoning environmental defenders for actions that involve neither violence nor the threat of violence pic.twitter.com/gGUn0Qq7TW
— Netpol (@netpol) December 10, 2022
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Anyone who thinks there can be an “orderly” transition in a world that tops 2C hasn’t thought it through properly. A 2C world will unleash political chaos and geographical instability like humanity has never witnessed. We must strive to mitigate to limit the warming.
— Peter Dynes (@PGDynes) December 11, 2022
Read these words. While the idiots in our media blathered on about football and Harry and Meghan, this was barely reported. YOUR FAMILIES FUTURES ARE AT RISK. The appalling media is leading us towards a cliff edge blindfolded https://t.co/LT4MVlPUrT pic.twitter.com/9XMP8yxtOZ
— Matthew Todd (@MrMatthewTodd) December 11, 2022
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Greenpeace International (@greenpeace)
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Events we have talked about in The Sustainable HourEvents in VictoriaThe following is a collation of Victorian climate change events, activities, seminars, exhibitions, meetings and protests. Most are free, many ask for RSVP (which lets the organising group know how many to expect), some ask for donations to cover expenses, and a few require registration and fees. This calendar is provided as a free service by volunteers of the Victorian Climate Action Network. Information is as accurate as possible, but changes may occur.
Petitions→ List of running petitions where we encourage you to add your name
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Live-streaming on WednesdaysThe Sustainable Hour is streamed live on the Internet and broadcasted on FM airwaves in the Geelong region every Wednesday from 11am to 12pm (Melbourne time).
→ To listen to the program on your computer or phone, click here – or go to www.947thepulse.com where you then click on ‘Listen Live’ on the right.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Podcast archiveOver 450 hours of sustainable podcasts.
Listen to all of The Sustainable Hour radio shows as well as special Regenerative Hours and Climate Revolution episodes in full length:
→ Archive on climatesafety.info – with additional links
→ Archive on itunes.apple.com – phone friendly archive
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Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 442 are PhD Candidate Kirsty Jackson, who studies childrens' connection with nature, and Kim Mallee, who has started selling 'solar plots' in Australia's first #solargarden#ClimateSolutions #ClimateAndChildren https://t.co/nFWDHtYwIy
— The Sustainable Hour (@SustainableHour) December 14, 2022
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→ Podcasts and posts on this website about the climate emergency and the climate revolution
→ Find the latest news on BBC about climate change
The Sustainable Hour no. 431 | Podcast notes
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 441 are Charles van Dongen from the battery company Zenaji and Tim Adams from the ‘true zero carbon’-focused architectural firm F2 Design.
. . .
Charles van Dongen from Zenaji talks about the pro’s and con’s of his company’s lithium titanate batteries. It is refreshing to hear a company being completely honest with their products. Charles starts off by telling us the disadvantages of Zenaji’s batteries. He then proceeds to outline what they are best suited for. To find out more about Zenaji’s batteries, go to www.zenaji.com
. . .
Tim Adams has been working in the building design space for 45 years. He founded F2 Design in 2000, where he provides high performance house design and sustainability consulting. He is the past president of Design Matters National, previously Building Designers’ Association of Victoria. He was the initiator of the association’s 10 Star Challenge in 2011 and became the award winner of that program in 2012, confirming that it was possible to design houses that do not need any heating or cooling.
Recently, F2 Design received the Achievement Award of the 2022 Design Matters National True Zero Carbon Challenge for demonstrating a ‘true zero carbon’ result. F2 Design used the St Leonards House which was part of Sustainable House Day Geelong 2022 as the design for the entry. This research activity is the sort of progress that the entire housing industry needs to embrace to get us where we need to be to start to have a chance at addressing the climate emergency.
The St. Leonards House design was the only entry based on a built example – all the other 16 entries were unbuilt concept plans. Delivering a True Zero Carbon result meant considering all embodied energy of materials and equipment, transport of materials and workers, and all operational energy by 2050. For the St Leonards House to receive the Achievement Award confirmed that houses following the principles employed by F2 Design in collaboration with clients can assist in addressing the goals of a true zero carbon future.
To find more about Tim’s and F2 Design’s work, go to www.f2design.com.au
. . .
We start off today’s podcast with a clip from UN head Antonio Guterres. Today his words are particularly apt because he asks just who are the “dangerous radicals”. This leads into a recording which climate activist Violet CoCo made before she was found guilty and imprisoned for 15 months in a Sydney court last Friday as she had disrupted traffic on a busy road for 25 minutes. In the video Violet explains why she has resorted to non-violent direct action to call attention to the climate emergency. We are left wondering just who are the real climate criminals? Has Violet received justice here?
To get a sense of the interest in and support for Violet from a wide range of sources, check the tweets below on this page. Violet has been on our show before, and The Sustainable Hour joins the rapidly growing chorus of support for Violet and lack of support for the way she has been treated by the so-called NSW Justice system. The right to peaceful protest is supposed to be a cornerstone of a democratic society. International human rights groups have aligned with environment and social justice groups to speak out strongly about her imprisonment. She’ll be applying for bail early next week, something we’ll be reporting on. A crowdfunder has been set up for her legal expenses as she fights for justice.
Mik Aidt proceeds to talk about a recent Channel Ten news report about the number of deaths attributed directly to breathing in coal dust each year in Australia.
He then mentions a landmark judgement against a Clive Palmer coal mine in the Galilee Basin in Queensland because “it will harm future generations”. This came after a First Nations challenge of the project.
. . .
We play a “surprisingly honest” satire mock ad about the oil company Chevron, which American filmmaker Adam McKay posted on Twitter in September. It has since been viewed 5.6 million times. [We apologise that we forget to give our listeners a language warning before playing it.]
. . .
Colin Mockett‘s Global Outlook this week begins in the United Kingdom where the aviation engine giant Rolls-Royce says it has successfully run an aircraft engine using green hydrogen, a first for the aviation industry, It’s in the early test phase, but promising enough to prompt the company to release a prediction that they could reach net zero in aviation by 2050.
Then to the European Union which will be introducing legislation early in the new year that is aimed at drastically reducing packaging throughout their continent. They’re starting with plastics and they’re looking to reduce the numbers of different plastics in use to only those that can be efficiently recycled. They’re also looking to standardise the system of labelling what is recyclable and what’s not, bringing in fines for companies that don’t comply.
To America where the Los Angeles Times reiterated that the ‘loss and damage’ fund agreed at COP27 is likely to produce much greater cuts to CO2 emissions. They warned that the fund would become what they described as ‘a money pit’ if the world doesn’t move sharply to limit temperature rise to the 1.5 degree Celsius goal all nations signed for at the 2015 Paris Agreement. That figure was largely resigned to the bin just three months ago, but the ‘loss and damage’ fund has changed all that. Countries will now be paying out big money if they don’t cut back.
This view was endorsed by the head of the International Energy Agency, Fatih Birol, who told the Guardian: “It is factually incorrect, and politically it is very wrong to write off the 1.5 degree warming target,” he said. “The fact is that the chances of 1.5C are narrowing, but it is still achievable.” And he warned that, quote, “if the effort to achieve 1.5°C fails, fossil fuel companies will be the beneficiaries.”
And those battlelines are becoming clearer. The Guardian article reported that oil and gas companies are planning scores of what they call “carbon bomb” projects around the world. It identified new fossil fuel projects in 48 African nations — and named the financial institutions backing them.
Which brings us to Australia and the news that, since taking office, Resources Minister Madeleine King has approved 10 new sites for offshore oil and gas exploration, and expressed the federal government’s support for the Scarborough gas project in Western Australia. On ABC TV’s 7:30 last week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also confirmed support for the Narrabri Gas Project in New South Wales. This ignores warnings from The International Energy Agency, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the secretary-general of the United Nations which are all of one voice that the world cannot afford any new coal, oil or gas projects if we’re to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees.
On the plus side, there’s a legal intervention currently before Environment minister Tanya Plibersek, and a new landmark ruling in the Queensland Land Court, which may make it harder for the government to continue brushing off these warnings. The president of the Land Court, Justice Fleur Kingham, late last week rejected an application by Waratah Coal, owned by Clive Palmer, to open what would be Australia’s largest thermal coal mine in the Galilee Basin. She noted that burning the coal would generate 1.58 gigatonnes of emissions, thus making a “material contribution” to the world’s remaining carbon budget and “limit[ing] the options to achieve the long-term goal of the Paris Agreement”. Final approval for the mine rests with Queensland’s Resources and Environment ministers. Waratah Coal’s argument was that, because the coal from the mine would be exported to countries overseas, “the emissions in generating electricity will be the responsibility of those countries” and were therefore not relevant to the case.
“Granting permission to mine the coal,” Justice Kingham stated, “cannot be logically separated from the coal being used to generate electricity. Wherever the coal is burnt the emissions will contribute to environmental harm.”
There are a string of court cases lined up in Australia with Woodside Energy looking to open up more oil and gas projects in Western Australia which should test the resolve of our government to resist the financial pressure of fossil fuel lobbyists.
A much cleaner thing to report is the progress of our carbon-neutral sporting club, Forest Green Rovers in the UK, which played Cheltenham at the weekend, and won 2-1 while the Women’s First were at home to Bristol Rovers Women and lost 0-5. Ironically, they’re still top of the women’s Premier League by 2 points.
. . .
That’s it for episode 441 of The Sustainable Hour. If you are able to support Violet Coco in any way, please do so. We’ll be updating her journey for justice next week. We continually try to give ideas on how all of us can undertake the transformation to the post carbon world the science is demanding. Ways that aren’t difficult, and that aren’t going to cost us the earth literally. Ways to join the climate revolution.
We’ll return next week to do the same. Till then, Be The Difference.
“Throughout Australia there are different responses needed depending on where you are. In our area, down in Southern Victoria, orientation is king – absorbing the winter sun into the building is critical and then keeping the windows shaded in summer, making sure that the sun doesn’t get into the house. They are two simple understandings. The sun travels through the same path in the sky every year.”
~ Tim Adams, founder of the architecture company F2Design, designer of houses that don’t need any heating or cooling
→ Subscribe to The Sustainable Hour podcast via iTunes or Stitcher
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We at The Sustainable Hour would like to pay our respect to the traditional custodians of the land on which we
are broadcasting, the Wathaurong People, and pay our respect to their elders, past, present and future.
The traditional owners lived in harmony with the land. They nurtured it and thrived in often harsh conditions for millenia before they were invaded. Their land was then stolen from them – it wasn’t ceeded. It is becoming more and more obvious that, if we are to survive the climate emergency we are facing, we have much to learn from their land management practices.
Our battle for climate justice won’t be won until our First Nations brothers and sisters have their true justice. When we talk about the future, it means extending our respect to those children not yet born, the generations of the future – remembering the old saying that, “We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors. We borrow it from our children.”
The decisions currently being made around Australia to ignore the climate emergency are being made by those who won’t be around by the time the worst effects hit home. How disrespectful and unfair is that?
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“It’s outrageous the state wastes its resources seeking jail time and housing peaceful protesters in custody at the expense of taxpayers.”
~ Josh Pallas, President of NSW Council for Civil Liberties“Yes she blocked traffic, but she blocked one lane of five with a firefighter. It doesn’t matter if you disagree with the tactics. This young person was defending her future. Protest is a vital part of democratic society for everyday people to engage with their political system.”
~ Shannan Langford Salisbury, a friend of Coco“A 32-year-old climate activist is about to be imprisoned for 456 days for stopping traffic for 25 minutes. In that 25 minutes the Government handed $553,475 to fossil fuel corporations.”
~ David ShoebridgeAustralia – I am alarmed at #NSW court's prison term against #ClimateProtester 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗮 𝗖𝗼𝗰𝗼 and refusal to grant bail until a March 2023 appeal hearing. Peaceful protesters should never be criminalised or imprisoned. https://t.co/uvxN0f7Inl
— UN Special Rapporteur Freedom of Association (@cvoule) December 2, 2022
15 month jail sentence for Australian climate activist Violet Coco making global news. pic.twitter.com/wvE524qRm2
— Daniel Bleakley (@DanielBleakley) December 5, 2022
A 32 year old climate activist is about to be imprisoned for 456 days for stopping traffic for 25 minutes.
In that 25 minutes the Govt handed $553 475 to fossil fuel corporations.
— David Shoebridge (@DavidShoebridge) December 5, 2022
Authorities in #Australia are disproportionately punishing climate activists in violation of their basic rights to peaceful protest
Violet Coco has been sentenced to 15 months in prison
Her crime? A peaceful protest that lasted 25 minutes#FreeVioletCoco @hrw pic.twitter.com/5qhyCWs2fk
— Sophie McNeill (@Sophiemcneill) December 5, 2022
How about jailing the people responsible for blocking this road? pic.twitter.com/TASH2G3ASE
— Daniel Bleakley (@DanielBleakley) December 5, 2022
When I was young I saw an injustice. I locked onto a bulldozer and stopped the destruction of an old forest. It is now protected by law. I then became a lawyer, I then became an MP! I didn’t go to jail. I believe in democracy I am part of our democracy – so is Violet! #nswpol pic.twitter.com/Rmh6siFYv5
— Sue Higginson (@SueHigginson_) December 6, 2022
We look to China and Iran with disbelief at how protestors are treated abroad. But democracy is fragile and ours is not immune. We must protect our ability to disagree, to voice dissent publicly and, if needed, to protest peacefully.https://t.co/weJI7elcAE
— David Pocock (@DavidPocock) December 5, 2022
Disgraceful, fascistic & ignorant beyond belief. ‘NSW premier describes jailing of climate activist Deanna ‘Violet’ Coco as ‘pleasing to see’ https://t.co/OVdeJ3SfuI
— Peter Garrett (@pgarrett) December 5, 2022
Unbelievable @Dom_Perrottet finds it “pleasing” a peaceful climate activist was given 8 months prison time
The nerve to claim it’s people like Violet putting “our way of life at risk.” If that’s who you want to jail Premier, you’ll have to start arresting fossil fuel executives https://t.co/FAeIRZQISL
— Sophie McNeill (@Sophiemcneill) December 5, 2022
→ The New Daily – 5 December 2022:
Premier ‘pleased’ with jail term for bridge protester“NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has welcomed the stiff jail term for a climate protester who blocked a lane on the Sydney Harbour Bridge.”
View this post on Instagram A post shared by StopAdani (@stopadanimovement)
In Hobart #Solidarity with others around Aust supporting Violet. #FreeViolet Repeal LNP and Labor’s draconian anti protest laws. #auspol @antonioguterres pic.twitter.com/WE6W1BOj9Q
— Christine Milne AO (@ChristineMilne) December 6, 2022
NSW Premier's wife able to vote because – Emmeline Pankhurst: The Suffragette Who Used Militant Tactics To Win Women The Vote – 'Deeds, not words' @tamsinroses @Dom_Perrottet pic.twitter.com/nAxppEI8Bn
— Michael Mobbs (@m_mobbs) December 5, 2022
“This was a calculated action to disrupt traffic in Sydney" https://t.co/4VUwypEaOE
— The Shovel (@TheShovel) December 6, 2022
Geoff Ebbs · TheCage221207 – Violet CocoThe Guardian and Greenpeace’s The Canopy newsletter reported:Emails obtained by daily newspaper the Guardian show how NSW premier Dominic Perrottet’s advisers, along with several other ministers, sought to fast-track a bill targeting climate protests after media furore. It’s the bill that led to climate activist Violet Coco being jailed for 15 months. The documents reveal how the governor, Margaret Beazley, agreed to return to her office about 11pm after a function in April to sign off on the laws after a senior public servant complained he was “copping it from absolutely every direction”. But the sentencing of Coco on Friday to a minimum of eight months’ jail for a protest on Sydney’s Harbour Bridge in April has sparked a renewed push for the laws to be repealed. Both the government and opposition dismissed criticisms on Monday, with Perrottet saying the jail sentence was “pleasing to see”.
Jane Morton wrote:“The draconian sentencing of Violet Coco has become news around the world. We need to do all we can to make these draconian laws (and the climate emergency more generally) an issue in the NSW election in March.
The first thing we can all do is to like, comment and share social media coverage. Hash tag #FreeVioletCoco.
Also really important to donate to, and share the fundraiser for her legal expenses.
And it would be great if lots of climate activists wrote letters to Violet in prison to help keep her spirits up.”
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“Together we can win the battle against coal and gas.
Let’s get it done.”
~ Environmental Defenders OfficeEDO wrote in their newsletter of 6 December 2022:
“Powerful legal intervention is needed more than ever to challenge the most harmful coal and gas projects currently in the approvals pipeline across the country. We have the legal expertise to take big polluters to court, and win. But as a non-profit environmental legal centre, we can’t do it without your support.
Make your first donation to EDO today and help provide urgent, on-the-ground legal support to communities fighting major coal and gas projects.”
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Environment Victoria: “Destructive gas projects are spreading like weeds”Victoria’s coastline is being bombarded with destructive, polluting gas projects.
Jono La Nauze, CEO, Environment Victoria, wrote in a newsletter on 6 December 2022:“There are 21 gas expansion projects proposed along Victoria’s coast. The giant gas companies that own these projects want to drill or import more fossil gas right when Victoria needs to cut pollution from gas – with catastrophic consequences. But next year, the Andrews’ government ‘Gas Substitution Roadmap’ will be up for its first review – and this is one huge reason why the Environment Victoria team needs your help now.”
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→ France24 – 7 December 2022:
Climate activists hurl paint at La Scala entrance in Milan“Environmental activists hurled paint at the entrance of Milan’s prestigious La Scala opera house on Wednesday, part of a series of recent protests across Europe to focus attention on climate change.”
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From the twitterstream
A superb explanation by @GeorgeMonbiot of why non-violent direct action is not only an essential component of a healthy democracy, but why our future depends on it. pic.twitter.com/84nHJgsABl
— Simon Oldridge (@SiOldridge) December 5, 2022
Today 7 of my friends were found guilty of acting to save the planet. They used exactly the same tactics as the Suffragettes, and now face prison. You might be demonising climate activists now, but you’ll be thanking us in the future. You’ll be wishing you acted with us. pic.twitter.com/GOwMnvEUq0
— Ams (@amelia_halls) December 5, 2022
Like this tweet if you'd rather your government stopped new oil and gas, instead of:
Spying on your children
Imprisoning non-violent protestors
Blocking renewable energyReported today by @damiengayle / @guardian.#ClimateCrisis #ToryCostOfGreedCrisis #ClimateChange pic.twitter.com/fUPjxqae9F
— Just Stop Oil (@JustStop_Oil) December 5, 2022
"Barclays have invested £122 Billion in fossil fuels since the Paris Agreement" – plan genocide and the state protects you
28 people are currently in prison for taking nonviolent action to defend themselves and all our futures – how many more? https://t.co/XgClVxKmJ3
— Just Stop Oil (@JustStop_Oil) December 5, 2022
Who are the real criminals?
7 women found guilty of criminal damage for cracking windows at @barclays to protest the bank’s links to fossil fuels.
They face long prison sentences. Climate criminals are free to continue their destruction. @XRebellionUK pic.twitter.com/N7YeaVAGNg— Natasha Walter (@Natasha_Walter) December 5, 2022
Support #Barclays7
Fuck @Barclays
Fuck #fossilfuels
Fuck @suellabraverman
Barclays are climate criminals. The #Barclays are heroes.
Share this thread
Resist & rebel pic.twitter.com/6CCXzalirg— Extinction Rebellion UK (@XRebellionUK) December 5, 2022
→ The Guardian – 22 November 2022:
Make ecocide an international crime and other legal ideas to help save the planet
Steven Donziger: A list of the five most promising legal steps we can take to help fight climate change
McKinsey: “The 1.5º Pathway is getting out of sight, given the short time frame that remains to keep emissions within the carbon budget”→ The Age – 27 November 2022:
‘Frightening new era’: Flash flooding to grow under climate change“Flash flooding is emerging as a growing natural disaster threat for Australia as the recent State of the Climate report warns Australia’s weather is becoming more chaotic and heavy rainfall bursts will continue to intensify, driven by rising temperatures. The report, authored by CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology, found climate change would cause “an increase in the risk of natural disasters from extreme weather”.”
"If we go much over 2C we will quickly get to 4C anyway because of the tipping points and feedbacks, which would spell the end of human civilization."
Hans Joachim Schellnhuber #TellTheTruth #ClimateEmergency https://t.co/v0FhRTH97S pic.twitter.com/FFQdVEvqXg— Sophie Gabrielle (@CodeRedEarth) December 4, 2022
I have never seen anything like this before. A 6.41°C anomaly across the Arctic. Sea-ice barely increasing. Rain on Alaska's North coast. It's just crazy.
I know it's just short-term weather for now, but at some point this could become a big problem. pic.twitter.com/4OeZt92AGE
— Prof. Eliot Jacobson (@EliotJacobson) December 4, 2022
The fossil-fuel industry is on track to export an all-time record value, approaching $200 billion, of LNG, coking and thermal coal in 2022.#ClimateCrisis #auspol https://t.co/TntLx88OTj
— David Tomkins (@davidtomkins) December 6, 2022
Molong farmer Rob Lee, who has endured drought and floods in recent years, writes: "The cost of not acting on climate change 16 years ago … is now very apparent in the central west of NSW, where I farm."https://t.co/MqbZ84EMwo
— Climate Council (@climatecouncil) December 5, 2022
From supercharged storms, to wildfires, to heatwaves, to droughts the climate crisis is all around us.
How many more 'historics' before we address the problem? #ActOnClimate#ClimateEmergency #climate #energy #hurricaneian #GreenNewDeal
pic.twitter.com/mIeU8mVidd
— Mike Hudema (@MikeHudema) December 5, 2022
As the collapse of the natural world becomes more apparent we are going to have a global democratic crisis. The infantile media, billionaire owned press and broken political system will be rightly blamed and the public will have to face the fact they are responsible too.
— Matthew Todd (@MrMatthewTodd) December 6, 2022
DON'T LOOK UP, but if this rings true to you, check out our new "The Scientist's Warning" film at https://t.co/gcG1dLjTDb (35 min. documentary) pic.twitter.com/TK588V69ty
— Dr. William J. Ripple (@WilliamJRipple) December 6, 2022
There is already more emissions coming from permafrost areas than total emissions from developed countries, such as Germany and Japan. These emissions targets are pointless when these figures are excluded. We need to mitigate thermal energy immediately.
— Peter Dynes (@PGDynes) December 5, 2022
a record month for renewables in the national electricity market — 42.3% of all generation!
average generation:
• renewables: 9.7 GW
• coal: 12.1 GW
• gas: 0.7 GWmaybe only a year before we have a month where RE exceeds coal?
source: @OpenNem pic.twitter.com/LPhpRrG2QV
— simon holmes à court (@simonahac) December 1, 2022
In historic 12-0 vote, Los Angeles immediately bans any new oil & gas extraction; and phases out all existing oil drilling in LA within 20 years – in city which suffered from decades of environmental harm from what was once a booming oil industryhttps://t.co/XXlggvrAvt #climate pic.twitter.com/B82x4KrnBY
— Assaad Razzouk (@AssaadRazzouk) December 6, 2022
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Don't take any chances with Lithium ION
Tesla battery fire again in USA.https://t.co/WGEPoW1Ba5Zenaji LTO batteries don't catch fire ! pic.twitter.com/j8sZQW0E0o
— PangaeaProductions (@PangaeaProduct2) September 26, 2022
2018:
Does the ‘house with no bills’ sound too good to be true? According to Tim Adams from F2 Design, it can become a reality. He should know, he built one. Hear how to slash living expenses from Tim at our free design talk this Thursday. Register now. https://t.co/isYMHRznTk pic.twitter.com/SZAwVdc1VQ
— City of Boroondara (@Boroondara) October 30, 2018
2015:
Tim Adams of F2 Design presenting on driving client expectations towards off-grid houses http://t.co/ArC0MkWzTc pic.twitter.com/vMsb3HJRf0
— Association for Sustainability in Business (@SustainAssoc) June 16, 2015
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Events we have talked about in The Sustainable HourEvents in VictoriaThe following is a collation of Victorian climate change events, activities, seminars, exhibitions, meetings and protests. Most are free, many ask for RSVP (which lets the organising group know how many to expect), some ask for donations to cover expenses, and a few require registration and fees. This calendar is provided as a free service by volunteers of the Victorian Climate Action Network. Information is as accurate as possible, but changes may occur.
Petitions→ List of running petitions where we encourage you to add your name
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Live-streaming on WednesdaysThe Sustainable Hour is streamed live on the Internet and broadcasted on FM airwaves in the Geelong region every Wednesday from 11am to 12pm (Melbourne time).
» To listen to the program on your computer or phone, click here – or go to www.947thepulse.com where you then click on ‘Listen Live’ on the right.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Podcast archiveOver 450 hours of sustainable podcasts.
Listen to all of The Sustainable Hour radio shows as well as special Regenerative Hours and Climate Revolution episodes in full length:
→ Archive on climatesafety.info – with additional links
→ Archive on itunes.apple.com – phone friendly archive
Receive our podcast newsletter in your mailboxWe send a newsletter out approximately six times a year. Email address and surname is mandatory – all other fields are optional. You can unsubscribe at any time.
First name
Last name *
Organisation/position
Phone
Website
Email address *
Leave this field empty if you're human: Find and follow The Sustainable Hour in social mediaFacebook: www.facebook.com/TheSustainableHour
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Guests in #TheSustainableHour no. 441 are Charles van Dongen from the battery company Zenaji and Tim Adams from the #TrueZeroCarbon-focused architectural firm F2 Design.#ClimateSolutions #ZeroCarbonLiving #LowCarbonLiving #SustainableHousing https://t.co/H7I015BQOq
— The Sustainable Hour (@SustainableHour) December 7, 2022
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The Sustainable Hour no. 440 | Podcast notes
Guest in The Sustainable Hour on 30 November 2022 is Peter Biram, a professional landscape artist who is very concerned about the climate crisis and uses his art to show this. He tells us about an upcoming Environmental Expressionism exhibition he is having at the Frankston Arts Centre which will be launched on Thursday 8 December 2022. The interesting thing about this is that Peter will be accompanied on the night by renowned climate scientist David Karoly who will introduce Peter’s work.
The exhibition explores the theme of land ownership and usage within an environmental framework. Here, Peter is particularly interested in climate change and indigenous and non-indigenous fire management.
Peter believes that art can be used as a conduit to more fruitful discussion and growing awareness of environmental concerns without leading to the confrontation that so often results from such discussions. He is a firm believer that nothing good comes from such confrontations as people try to shout each other down, refusing to budge from their firmly held beliefs. He also gives his views on the spate of recent actions around the world where masterpieces have been glued onto, had objects thrown at or poured over their perspex protective coverings by climate activists in an attempt to use art to highlight their concerns about the climate crisis we face.
To find out more about Peter’s upcoming exhibition and his work in general, go to www.peterbiram.com.au
Art work by Peter Biram. . .
We start today with a clip from Daniel Andrew‘s victory speech after his Victorian Labor party were returned to government on Saturday night 26 November.
Mik Aidt then follows up with his thoughts on the victory and the optimism that the re-establishment of the State Electricity Commission (SEC) brings. He tempers this with comments about the disappointment that came out of the global climate summit COP27 in Egypt. He also gives the ABC, in particular The Drum program, some kudos for the attention they have been giving to climate matters recently as he plays a clip from a recent segment about the health impacts of using gas for heating and cooking.
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We listen to a clip from one of the earliest interviews with Greta Thunberg as she started her schoolstrike outside the Swedish parliament house as a 15-year-old. The full interview done in 2018 can be found here.
The interview was conducted by friend of our show, Janine Okeefe, who at the moment is in Melbourne visiting family. She visited Geelong last week. While here, she spoke to Mik who recorded their chat. In this Janine speaks very candidly about what she strongly feels are her maternal responsibilities to engage in civil disobedience, such is her concern about the lack of real action on climate. We learn that at the moment she has the prospect of four years jail hanging over head as a result of charges arising from her acts of civil disobedience.
After Janine, we hear from Midnight Oil’s front man and former federal minister for the environment Peter Garrett, who recently stopped during a concert in Perth and blasted local gas company Woodside for their greed which is endangering all living things. A clip of this can be found here.
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Colin Mockett‘s Global Outlook this week begins with the aftermath of COP27 in Egypt, where the agreement that established a funding mechanism to compensate developing countries for loss and damage caused by global warming is being hailed as the biggest breakthrough in global climate policy since the 2015 Paris Agreement. And that’s really interesting because it wasn’t even on the agenda when the talks started. But it took up the entire conference as it addressed the fundamental inequality of climate change. That is that developed countries are responsible for most greenhouse gas emissions while less developed countries are taking the biggest hits from climate change and don’t have the resources to recover from them. And it was only when the world’s biggest emitter, the US, buckled under pressure to support the fund, that cleared the way for the world to finally work together to end the COP-blockage. The inside thinking is that now there’s big money involved, future COP talks will begin in earnest.
An immediate silver lining was that Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Indonesia all agreed to a new conservation pact encompassing about 80 percent of the world’s rainforests. Another group of 150 countries made promises to cut their emissions of methane, which traps much more heat than CO2. And now the pre-talking has already begun for the next COP meeting in the United Arab Emirates this time next year.
At that COP for the first time all the money and power won’t be in the hands of fossil fuel industries and those countries suffering climate-related disasters finally have reason to hope. At least that’s the COP-observers’ reasoning. We shall see.
Meanwhile in America, it was announced at the weekend that coal’s share of the United States’ electricity mix has fallen from around half in 2005 to 22 percent. This is because the nation has turned to cheaper natural gas and, increasingly, renewable energy.
The exception is West Virginia, which is coal-rich and still generates 91 percent of its power from coal. That state is experiencing skyrocketing power bills, the critics say. Some households have seen their electricity rates rise 180 percent, five times the US average. But West Virginia regulators and coal supporters maintain, despite evidence to the contrary, that coal power is the most affordable source of energy. They argue the true villain in the rising prices story isn’t coal, but the climate change agenda. That’s the effect of fossil fuel’s greenwashing.
Staying in the United States, this week a new report lists the country’s worst climate polluters, which were led by West Virginia’s coal-fired electricity generators.
Colin goes on to list a number of their worst emitting fossil fuel plants as well as their metrics in terms of emissions from millions of cars.
An interesting one was the Petal Gas Storage Compressor Station in Mississippi which vented 2,517 tons of methane from leaky compressors at its underground natural gas storage facility in 2021. That’s a relatively small amount, but bear in mind that it’s not producing anything, just storing gas. Like the project that Viva wants to build in Geelong.
After all that depressing information, comes what at first seems like good news from Australia. From April 2023, all products made by Mars Wrigley in Australia will be wrapped in paper and not plastic as previously. They’re selling this as environmental, saying that the wrappers can now be put into yellow recycling bins. But the truth is that the company only took the move after the collapse of REDcycle, the company that took soft plastics collected by supermarkets. That company recycled soft plastics into the sheeting that Mars used as wrappers, and Mars could have saved REDcycle by just paying more for the recycled product. Switching to paper was a financial decision, and it will cost trees while all that soft plastic will continue to go into landfill.
Finally, news of our carbon-neutral sporting club, Forest Green Rovers in the United Kingdom, which beat Alvenchurch 2-1 in the FA Cup at the weekend while the women’s team beat Bristol Rovers Women 2-0.
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That’s it for The Sustainable Hour #440. We hope we have given you not just something to think about, but something to inspire you to join us in the climate revolution if you aren’t already there.
Keep those suggestions coming in for guests who you’d like to see on the show. Like the climate movement, we’ll be better together. Any suggestions/comments/questions to us at tsh@climatesafety.info.
“As a society, we’ve lost the art of discussion. We’ve got tribes. If you are in my tribe, I will listen to you. If you are in my tribe, I will take in all the information that supports my argument, and reject anything that negates my argument. In the world of academia, when you do research, you take in everyone’s view, and you take in all forms of arguments in order to – for want of a better term – to seek the truth. And in art, what we want to do as artists is seek the truth. But more importantly we want to keep the narrative open.”
~ Peter Biram, artist who is collaborating with a renowned Australian climate scientist for his latest exhibition**“My current body of work is exploring the theme of ‘land ownership’ and ‘usage’ within an environmental framework. Furthermore, exploring the notion of human impact, on the natural environment, juxtaposing indigenous and non-indigenous influences regarding the effects of environmental issues, relating to the Australian landscape and landscape painting.
I am using visual art to convey or express the conceptual content of the environment, or in particular, relevant issues concerning the environment regarding the natural world. This being the conceptual basis for the work, some of the issues include concerns such as the balance in the natural world, de-forestation, sustainability, and conservation. The basis for the work is to provide, create and enhance a greater understanding and awareness through the arts.”
*~ Peter Biram*, artist
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We at The Sustainable Hour would like to pay our respect to the traditional custodians of the land on which we
are broadcasting, the Wathaurong People, and pay our respect to their elders, past, present and future.
The traditional owners lived in harmony with the land. They nurtured it and thrived in often harsh conditions for millenia before they were invaded. Their land was then stolen from them – it wasn’t ceeded. It is becoming more and more obvious that, if we are to survive the climate emergency we are facing, we have much to learn from their land management practices.
Our battle for climate justice won’t be won until our First Nations brothers and sisters have their true justice. When we talk about the future, it means extending our respect to those children not yet born, the generations of the future – remembering the old saying that, “We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors. We borrow it from our children.”
The decisions currently being made around Australia to ignore the climate emergency are being made by those who won’t be around by the time the worst effects hit home. How disrespectful and unfair is that?
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Activists consider slashing paintings as the Suffragettes did“What is a proportionate response to the knowledge that the government is knowingly planning to cut short your life by decades? That by encouraging new oil and gas they have condemned you to a future of fighting for a few miserable scraps of food to feed your starving children – assuming you feel brave enough to have children? How do young people even begin to process that gut-wrenching conclusion?”
“Drilling for new oil and gas is legal and actively encouraged by the government, despite the widespread knowledge that it will cause harm to billions – where is the morality in that?”
“The word betrayal does not cover the reality of what is going on. All our traditions, all our values, all that we claim to stand for is being destroyed.”
“So yes, if no action is taken to end new oil and gas, ordinary people might actively consider slashing paintings as the Suffragettes did and yes, if the government does not address our demand for no new oil, we will consider escalating our actions. It’s what the Suffragettes did, it’s what the Civil Rights movements did, it’s what everyone does when the inalienable right to life and a livelihood are violated.”
~ Excerpts from a Just Stop Oil blog post on 30 November 2022: ‘Are Just Stop Oil supporters actively considering slashing paintings or escalating their actions?’
Will Regan describes to the police officer who is about to arrest him why he’s sitting in the middle of a busy highway and refuses to get up. On 28 November 2022, Will was sentenced by a Montgomery County MD judge to 60 days in jail for stopping traffic on the DC Beltway.
“Acting in nonviolent civil resistance to save the planet is the only way I can truly be able to look myself in the mirror at the end of the day. Every day we are confronted with distractions that allow us to forget the devastating impact we are having on the future of life on this planet. The only appropriate action at this time is to bring the truth front and center. The time to do this was 20-30 years ago … but we are here now. That’s what’s important.”
Will Regan, Declare Emergency supporter
→ ABC News – 3 December 2022:
Climate change protester who blocked Sydney Harbour Bridge sentenced to months in jail
“31-year-old climate change protester Deanna Maree Coco, also known as Violet Coco, who blocked part of the Sydney Harbour Bridge earlier this year, has been sentenced to a minimum of eight months in prison.”
Australia – I am alarmed at #NSW court's prison term against #ClimateProtester 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗮 𝗖𝗼𝗰𝗼 and refusal to grant bail until a March 2023 appeal hearing. Peaceful protesters should never be criminalised or imprisoned. https://t.co/uvxN0f7Inl
— UN Special Rapporteur Freedom of Association (@cvoule) December 2, 2022
The Australian Prime Minister, Attorney General, and Minister for the Environment have expressed their support today for peaceful protesters who seek to protect our planet from fossil fuel polluters.
NOT.
The silence is deafening.https://t.co/lRfsHrEYcZ
— Terry Hughes (@ProfTerryHughes) December 3, 2022
This has flawed me. A protestor thrown into jail for a year for blocking traffic. Horrific for Violet. Devastating for democracy. There is nothing liberal about a Liberal party that makes this happen. And if Labor stand by they are just as bad. https://t.co/Fn89sHvd2S
— Jono La Nauze (@JonathanLaNauze) December 2, 2022
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UCD student ends climate hunger strike after eight days as demands met https://t.co/5QDTskkTTZ
— Eoin Galavan (@galavpsychology) December 2, 2022
→ Irish Examiner – 2 December 2022:
UCD student ends climate hunger strike after eight days as demands met“A Dublin university student has ended his hunger strike over climate inaction after eight days, following an agreement on his demands. Ronan Browne, who is part of a climate activist group Mobilise Peace, called for all students and staff at his university to participate in increasingly frequent protests until their demands were met.”
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“People say: “There’s a fight on our hands — a fight for our children’s future! How can you be so irresponsible?” As a martial artist, ex-doorman and someone who’s been in a few violent confrontations I can tell you with certainty that if there is a fight, it’s not the angry, anxious person who wins. It’s the person who is very, very calm. (…) We can’t all join a five-day protest and we’re not all ready to sit in a circle and talk about our feelings but that’s not what’s being asked of us. The invitation is to start building the new society from inside each of us.”
~ Max St John, ex-business leader, international leadership consultant, trainer and facilitator
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View this post on Instagram A post shared by The All We Can Save Project (@allwecansave)
Your 'moment of doom' for Nov. 27, 2022 ~ A refreshingly honest read.
"Climate change is out of control, period. We can't refreeze Antarctica, the Arctic, the Himalayas, the Alps, the Rockies, the Andes, or the permafrost…I am oh so tired."https://t.co/PwSiOpkJVL
— Prof. Eliot Jacobson (@EliotJacobson) November 27, 2022
Flooding in eastern Australia is hurting the quality of the wheat harvest in one of the world’s biggest exporters, worsening a global shortage of the high-grade variety used to make bread and noodles https://t.co/tikhfQSqaU
— Bloomberg Economics (@economics) November 26, 2022
I love it! pic.twitter.com/34RiEE8d5n
— John Peter Steley (@JohnSteley) November 26, 2022
"If we win, there will be a verdict that says the Swedish state is required to do its share of the global measures needed for the world to meet the 1.5° target." @gretathunberg https://t.co/g5rWRR9GDv
— Common Dreams (@commondreams) November 25, 2022
Don’t let big corporate energy stuff the new SEC – switch to the provider that supports public ownership.
— CoPower (@Co_Power_) November 26, 2022
Good climate news this week
1 150 nations to cut methane 30% by 2030
2 Australian court blocks new huge coal mine
3 London extends ultra low emissions zone
4 EU approves €380m for 168 new climate projects
5 Australian gas power plants to shut down 10 years earlier than scheduled https://t.co/DTgClxDbkN— Assaad Razzouk (@AssaadRazzouk) November 27, 2022
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Events we have talked about in The Sustainable HourEvents in VictoriaThe following is a collation of Victorian climate change events, activities, seminars, exhibitions, meetings and protests. Most are free, many ask for RSVP (which lets the organising group know how many to expect), some ask for donations to cover expenses, and a few require registration and fees. This calendar is provided as a free service by volunteers of the Victorian Climate Action Network. Information is as accurate as possible, but changes may occur.
Petitions→ List of running petitions where we encourage you to add your name
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Live-streaming on WednesdaysThe Sustainable Hour is streamed live on the Internet and broadcasted on FM airwaves in the Geelong region every Wednesday from 11am to 12pm (Melbourne time).
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Podcast archiveOver 450 hours of sustainable podcasts.
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Organising a real deal for Geelong: Guests in #TheSustainableHour no. 430 are Sal Fisher, local #Geelong organiser for A Real Deal, and Amanda Tattersall, #aRealDeal lead from Sydney University.
Podcast and notes:https://t.co/5HQgNJbyx7#CommunityMobilisation @AmandaTatts pic.twitter.com/RWi6TSFPBl
— The Sustainable Hour (@SustainableHour) September 21, 2022
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Our guest in The Sustainable Hour no. 439, three days before the Victorian State Election, is 'Australia's first climate refugee' Rod Simpson.
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 438 are Olly Hornung from the new Catalyst Community Centre in Melbourne, and Abdul Farouk from Kenya, a conservationist building beehive fences to protect elephants.
Guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 437 are No More Gas campaigner Freja Leonard, and Mark Carter from Flight Free Australia.
Greta Thunberg spoke at the Royal Festival Hall in London at ‘The Climate Event’ on 31 October 2022 – an event which was organised by Southbank Centre in partnership with Penguin. This video is available on Youtube until the end
FindYourRole: The peaceful perseverers | Guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 436 are Caroline Danaher and Maree Maria from Fridays for Future Geelong, Kay Wennagel who is facilitating an electric vehicle bulk buy, and peace activist Nick Deane.
Our guest in The Sustainable Hour on 26 october 2022 is Damien Williams, president of Zero Kingston 2030.
Scripture and prayers from different traditions were read at the Christ Church Anglican Church in Geelong in the early, rainful morning of 13 October 2022
Guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 434 are Father Peter Martin and Thea Ormerod from the Australian Religious Response to Climate Change.
Guests in The Sustainable Hour on 12 October 2022 are Tim Hollo, author of the new book 'Living Democracy', and Dr Kate Auty, community organiser in Eurora.
Guests in The Sustainable Hour on 5 October 2022 are Yaraan Couzens Bundle, who campaigns against the gas industry's seismic blasting in the ocean, and Esteban Servat and Louise Wagner, both from Debt for Climate.
The Sustainable Hour no. 431 on 28 September with Belinda Noble from Comms Declare and Karina Donkers and Bev Merrett from Sustainable House Day Geelong.
Guests in The Sustainable Hour on 21 September 2022 are Geelong-based climate activist Sal Fisher and Amanda Tattersall from University of Sydney.
Guest in The Sustainable Hour on 14 September 2022 is Bev Middleton, founder of Soil Week Australia, to highlight the importance of healthy soils.
Guests in The Sustainable Hour on 7 September 2022 are Kirsty Bishop-Fox, founder of Zero Waste Festival, and Laura Grufas, national community organiser in Australian Parents for Climate Action
Guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 427 are climate activist and sociologist Jenn Sinclair, psycho-therapist Andrew Gaines and writer, musician and activist Morgan Heenan.
The Sustainable Hour no. 426 | Podcast notes In this week’s Sustainable Hour on 24 August 2022, we welcome Mik Aidt back from his two weeks in Denmark for a family reunion. Today the tables are turned on him as he
Our guest in The Sustainable Hour on 17 August 2022 is Tevin Witharana, a young freelance film maker from Sri Lanka who speaks of the positives that have emerged from being forced to slow down.
Our guest in The Sustainable Hour on 10 August 2022 is 'No More Gas' campaigner Freja Leonard from Friends of The Earth Naarm/Melbourne.
The Sustainable Hour no. 423 | Podcast notes Guests in The Sustainable Hour on 3 August are Amy Calton from Wombat Action Group, Gayle Osborne from Wombat Forestcare and Kate Hardy from Australian Conservation Foundation. We listen to former Anglican Bishop
Guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 422 on 27 July 2022 are Rochelle Rich and Dawn O'Neill. We also play clips from the American president and the UN General-Secretary.
The Sustainable Hour no. 421 with Adrian Whitehead and Bryony Edwards from Climate Rescue - and Dr. Elizabeth Boulton from Destination Safe Earth
Our guest in The Sustainable Hour on 13 July 2022 is Alex, a Blockade Australia activist. We also listen to Sal Fisher's and Lauren Dillon's presentations to the Commission of Enquiry into Viva Energy's gashub.
The Sustainable Hour no 419 with Dr Robyn Gulliver, director for the Commons Social Change Library, and carbon consultant Heidi Fog.
Guest in The Sustainable Hour no. 418 is ecologist and scientist Harald Ehmann. Heidi Fog delivers the sixth episode of her carbon-cutting 'Sustainable Endpoint' series.
The Sustainable Hour no. 417 with Steven Hail and Gabrielle Bond about an exciting new eco-economics course at Torrens University in Adelaide, and a tribute to climate strategist Philip Sutton who died suddenly last week.
The Sustainable Hour on 15 June 2022 with 31-year-old climate activist and "conscientious objector" Violet CoCo, and curator and mangroves artist Zahidah Zeytoun Millie.
The Sustainable Hour no. 415 with Annie Bond, Ian Fox, Cathy Cox and Gabi Bond from Extinction Rebellion South Australia and Scientist Rebellion.
The Sustainable Hour no. 414 with Jenny Hurley, a member of Geelong Climate Choir, and Matt Bray and Andrew Rovenko from ArtDisrupt who are currently running an art exhibition in Melbourne.
The Sustainable Hour no 413 with Rebecca Evered, sustainability manager at Cleanaway, Jasmine Speers from AusRegen and carbon consultant Heidi Fog.
Guest in The Sustainable Hour no 412 is psychologist and climate activist Jane Morton with advice on how we can use our preferential voting system to give climate-concerned candidates the best chance of overall success.
Our guest in The Sustainable Hour no 411 on 11 May 2022 is Bellingen-based Uniting Church minister and Landcare co-ordinator Jason John.
Our guest in The Sustainable Hour on 4 May 2022 is Newcastle surgeon Dr Robert Eisenberg who started www.voteearthnow.com which provides a 'How to vote' guide for climate concerned voters.
The Sustainable Hour no. 409 with Edible Forest founder Louise Ward and head gardener Jaimie Sweetman, followed by Ken Dickens from Western Composting Technologies.
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 408 are Lauren Dillon, Mia Hunter and Montana Morgan from Clonard College in Geelong.
The Sustainable Hour no. 407 with Deb Leonard, independent candidate for Monash, Adam Tyson from Voices for Monash, and Danny Noonan from Fireproof Australia.
Guest in The Tunnel on 6 April is Robert Patterson from Geelong Renewables Not Gas. We hear excerpt of speeches from UN Chief Antonio Guterres, Labor leader Anthony Albanese and Geelong climate activist Lauren Dillon.
The Sustainable Hour no. 405 with Extinction Rebellion spokesperson Jane Morton and MidCoast Council mayor Claire Pontin, along with statements from Greens MP Cate Faehrmann and climatestriker Lauren Dillon.
Two climate-related events took place in Geelong - we encourage you to see or listen to the recordings of them.
Deakin University PhD student Natalie Purves is searching for two schools who will take part in her climate action study, Rusty calls in from Australia's coal capital Newcastle, and Heidi Fog delivers her second 'Sustainable Endpoint' episode.
The Sustainable Hour no 403 with Electric Dream Machine, EV Show & Shine event, Electric Vehicle Festival and ‘The Sustainable Endpoint’.
The Sustainable Hour's Women's Day special on 8 March 2022 - with Monica Winston and Suzette Jackson, Dr Belinda Moloney, youth climate activist Hailey Tan and author Elizabeth Bechard.
In a turbulent week, our guests are: Doctor Jenny Huang from Geelong and Healthy Futures - and Ugandan Extinction Rebellion activists Elijah and Josh.
The Sustainable Hour no 400 with Luke Taylor, director of the National Sustainable Living Festival, and Elena Gonzalez Egea and Kyle Topfer from the group Scientist Rebellion.
The Sustainable Hour no 399 with Elly Tucker, Joe Barnes-Hill and David Maher from AusRegen and Olympic walker Rhydian Cowley.
In The Sustainable Hour no 398 visual artist and doctor Julie Shiels presents her new book 'The Grandmasters #Shtfckery' and professor Yin Paradies talks about up-coming events at the Moora Moora intentional community.
Guests in The Sustainable Hour no 397 are: Jasper Pittard and Tom Campbell from AFL Players for Climate Action and Belinda Baggs and Linley Hurrell from Surfers for Climate
We play some of the best new climate songs we aired in The Sustainable Hour during 2021, along with three good old 'enviro-classics' and a couple of completely fresh ones.
Guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 395 on 29 December 2021 is agricultural economist Jim Crosthwaite and a group of four and five year olds from Kardinia International College Preschool together with their teachers.
In The Sustainable Hour no. 394 on 22 December 2021 we host The Consensus Institute's pair in Cindy Eiritz and Mark Spain.
Guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 393 on 15 December 2021 are podcaster and comedian Dan Ilic and professor Stephen Bygrave, while our co-host Tony is getting arrested.
Our guest in The Sustainable Hour no 392 on 8 December 2021 is Alan Taylor, a climate coach for the international health care company BUPA.
The Sustainable Hour no. 391 on 1 December 2021 with Bruce Shillingworth from Lore Enforcement, and Gabrielle Bond and Steven Hail from Modern Money Lab.
A councillor dancing in response to a decision made at an ordinary Council meeting is a rare sight to say the least. However, there was good reason for the extraordinary reaction as it happened in Geelong on 23 November 2021
Our guests in The Sustainable Hour no 390 are Pat Simons and Wendy Farmer from Friends of the Earth Melbourne's Yes2Renewables campaign.
The Sustainable Hour no 389 with soil champion Bev Middleton, Blocade Australia activists Marco and Rilka, and coal miner Grant Howard.
The Sustainable Hour no 388 with John Pead from Extinction Rebellion Victoria, Mayor of Hobsons Bay Jonathon Marsden and resident and mum Deborah Frankel
Guests in The Sustainable Hour no 387 are Simon Holmes á Court from Climate 200 and professor Will Steffen from the Australian National University.
The Sustainable Hour no 386 with Hannah Moloney from Good Life Permaculture, author of ‘The Good Life How To Grow A Better World’, and Peter Vadiveloo from GECAN
Guests in The Sustainable Hour no 385 are Dr Nick Rose, Executive Director of Sustain, and Karina Donkers, Co-ordinator of Green Light's Small Business Energy Saver Program.
Guests in The Sustainable Hour no 384 on 13 October are John Gemmill from Clean Ocean Foundation and Alan Taylor from Bupa. We also play a speech by Finnish mayor Minna Arve.
The Sustainable Hour on 6 October 2021 is all about "Sustainable House Day" coming up in Geelong
In The Sustainable Hour no 382, Sal Fisher and Garth Norman from Geelong Renewables Not Gas explain why a proposed gas import terminal will put residents at risk
Guests in The Sustainabe Hour no 381 on 22 September 2021 are Dr John Merory and Robert Patterson, two climate activists and grandparents devoting all their time on activism.
The Sustainable Hour no 380 with Rosie Brodie from the Australian Youth Climate Coalition and regenerative farmer Les Harrison.
Guests in The Sustainable Hour no. 379 on 8 September 2021 are Leigh Ewbank from Friends of the Earth Melbourne and Zola Lawry, founder of The Sunflower Project.
The Sustainable Hour no 378 with #VoteEarthNow founder Rob Eisenberg and Bright Spark eco-driver teacher Greg Lacey.
Guests in The Sustainable Hour no 377 on 25 August 2021 are Zali Steggall MP and Robert Patterson from A Different Community Approach, ADAC, for a talk about climate bills and election strategy.
In The Sustainable Hour no 376 our guests are Geelong Sustainability President Vicki Perrett and Vice-President Jennifer Jarrard talking about why they have started a petition against a "waste to energy" project in Lara
Guests in The Sustainable Hour no 375 on 11 AUgust 2021 are research psychologist Kylie Harris and retired physics teacher Keith Burrows for a talk about the new climate reality we are confronted with.
Guests in The Sustainable Hour 374 are Philip Huggins, president of the National Council of Churches Australia, and three Lara residents campaigning against a proposed waste-to-energy plant.
Guests in The Sustainable Hour no 373 are Tesla-driving Daniel Bleakley and Dr Blanche Verlie, author of the new book 'Learning To Live With Climate Change'.
This is the first of a series of episodes about finding your role in the climate revolution.
Guest in The Sustainable Hour no 372 is Shaun Murray, national co-ordinator of the DontNABourFuture campaign, joined by our editor Jackie Matthews.
Guest in The Sustainable Hour no 371 are Simon Kalinowski, CEO, Mandalay Technologies, and Noreen Nicholson, who is special events co-ordinator for Geelong Sustainability pushing for a community bulk-buy of electric vehicles.
An hour with Simon Kerr from Music for a Warming World and Jeannie Marsh from Melbourne's Climate Choir and Musician's Climate Crisis Network.
Guest in The Sustainable Hour no 369 is Lisa Wriley, who runs a crowdfunder to produce the first 500 Earthcare games. It ends on 11 July 2021.
The Sustainable Hour no 368 is about the International Day of Action Against Fossil Fuels
The Sustainable Hour no 367: Redesigning the way climate movements mobilise - with Theo Kitchener and Dr Ruchina Talukdar.
The Sustainable Hour no 366 with ChangeMaker Isabella Morand and game-developers Natalia Shafa and Edmund Weir.
The Sustainable Hour no 365 with mindfulness coach Lise Saugeres and environmental journalist and filmmaker Crusty.
The Sustainable Hour no 364 on 26 May 2021 with Mark Wakeham from the Australian Council of Trade Unions. Also featuring: Ben Pocock, Rusty and Sal Fisher.
With Anthea Falkiner, 49, and Mary Christie, 19, both Extinction Rebellion activists, and Dr Adrian Panow who is Director of Energy at Deakin University
With Deb Punton from Greensong Ecopsychology, 14-year-old climate activist Aruba Faruque from Bangladesh and Janine Duffy from Koala Clancy Foundation.
Kitty Walker, Tuesday Browell and Carol Carney are guests in The Sustainable Hour no 361 - three community mobilisers getting good results by getting the people behind them.
Guests in The Sustainable Hour no 360 on 28 April 2021 are Adrian Whitehead from the Climate Emergency Action Alliance, and Glenn Todd and Hayley Sestokis, founders of Action Skills.
Guest in The Sustainable Hour no 359 is professor Yin Paradies, who teaches race relations and indigenous studies at Deakin University.
THE REGENERATIVE HOUR no 28: With Kate McIntyre, Moorooduc Estate, Dr Gundi Rhoades, Veterinarians for Climate Action, and Tony Marsh, Winooka Park vineyard.
Guests in The Sustainable Hour no 358 are the Victorian Trades Hall just transition officer Colin Long and Smart Energy Council board member Simon Holmes à Court.
The Sustainable Hour no 357 with news from Suzie Brown, Australian Parents for Climate Action, Akira Ellis, Extinction Rebellion Youth, and Sal Fisher, Geelong Sustainability.
Guests in The Sustainable Hour no 356 are Margie Abbott, Sally Neaves and Sharon Natoli. We also have a report on holiday waste by 12-year-old Ben Pocock.
The Sustainable Hour no 355 - in the name of love, rage and and climate activism. Interviews with and speeches by members of the Extinction Rebellion and Fridays for Future movements.
The Sustainable Hour no 354 with singer-song writer Peter Vadiveloo, Ecosystems Restoration Camp organiser Elly Tucker, and Canadian author John Lefebvre.
In the second episode we talk with Nathan Havay about how business can play a leading role in reversing carbon emissions to Climate Take Back.
In The Sustainable Hour no 353 we are shaking the tree together with comedian Mandy Nolan and electric car sharer Jess Butler
Guests in the 352nd Sustainable Hour are environmental law honours student Sonya McKay, Simon Copland from Green Agenda, Rod Mitchell from Citizens Climate Lobby Australia, and more.
Our two guests in The Sustainable Hour no 351 are the City of Greater Geelong councillors Mayor Stephanie Asher and Dr Belinda Moloney.
Guests in The Sustainable Hour no 350: Lucy Manne, Dr Giselle Wilkinson and Mark Spencer
We need nothing less than a Climate Revolution, and that revolution begins in your head. Enter our new podcast series, The Climate Revolution.
Guests in the 349th Sustainable Hour are: Bryony Edwards, Dr Jim Crosthwaite, Sal Fisher, Kim Deans, and Carly Dober.
Guests in The Tunnel of the 348th Sustainable Hour are: Director of the National Sustainable Living Festival Luke Taylor and Swedish sustainability consultant Mats Larsson.
In The Regenerative Hour no 27, we talk with three champions of regenerative farming, land management and carbon drawdown.
Our two guests in The Tunnel on 30 December 2020 are Briony O'Shea, chair of CORENA, and Margaret Hender, co-founder of Cedamia and founder of CORENA.
In The Sustainable Hour no 346 on 23 December 2020, we depart from our usual format, as all of our guests come from the one overseas country: Malaysia.
“I call on all leaders worldwide to declare a state of climate emergency in their countries until carbon neutrality is reached,” the Secretary-General told a global climate summit. This is the focus of The Sustainable Hour no 345.
"Fix the voltage to 230, reduce emissions with 3 million tonnes of CO2 per year and save money," suggests electrical engineer Ty Christopher, Strategic Adviser at Ecojoule, in this podcast interview.
Guests in The Sustainable Hour no 344 are David Spratt, Sal Fisher and Elly Tucker for talks about Climate Reality Check 2020, Gas Free Geelong and Ecosystem Restoration Camps.
In The Sustainable Hour on 2 December 2020, our special guest is elite surfer Adrian (Ace) Buchan.
Guests in The Sustainable Hour no 342 are Anisa Rogers from Blockade IMARC, Carina Mammone from Tomorrow Movement and Saimon Boyle from Urban Farm and House.
Our guests in the Tunnel on 18 November 2020 are two extraordinary climate leaders who are paving the way
Sonia KcKay, Margaret Fleck and Lynn Benn prepare us for the National Day of Action against new fossil fuels and former A League player Chris Harold speaks out about his climate concerns.
The Sustainable Hour no 339 with Janine Duffy, president of the Koala Clancy Foundation, Belinda Baggs, founder of Surfers for Climate, and Craig Foster, the face of soccer for many years on SBS News.
Jan Morgan and Graeme Garrett, authors of 'On the Edge', teach a practice of attention, responding to the call of the world with an open heart. The energy for change and new ways of being in the world then comes to birth, they say.
We take an encouraging step on the Stairway to Hiatus in The Tunnel this week. Together with our three guests we discover how to live - and live well - in the climate emergency. Welcome to our first 'Sustainable Disaster Hour'!
In The Sustainable Hour no 337 on 21 October 2020 we have two people closely associated with the making of the award-winning film ‘In My Blood It Runs‘: Traditional elder William Tilmouth and the film’s director Maya Newell.
Geelong Council candidates Tom O’Connor and Stephanie Asher together with Carl Obst, director of IDEEA Group, give their views on what will take the municipality forward.
On 7 October 2020 our focus in The Sustainable Hour no 335 is on three candidates who have put themselves up to represent the citizens of Greater Geelong in the upcoming local government election.
On 30 September 2020 The Sustainable Hour hosts a panel of 'Put Climate First' candidates for Geelong and one from the Surf Coast Shire for the local government elections that are rapidly approaching via our postboxes.
The Sustainable Hour no 333 about Sustainable House Day, a 'Put Climate First' election campaign, The Change Agency and the school strike for climate on Friday.
The Sustainable Hour no 322 with Sarah Jones and Jamie Marloo Thomas, co-founders of Wayapa Wuurrk, election candidate Belinda Moloney and youth correspondent Ben Pocock
The Sustainable Hour no 331 We have three guests in our Hiatus Tunnel on 9 September 2020: Social researcher and climate activist Rebecca Huntley is the author of the recently released book ‘How to Talk About Climate Change in a
The Sustainable Hour no 330 with Edwina Robinson from Climate Factory, Deano Goodbrew from Goodbrew Kombucha and Dan Bleakley from Access Disrupt.
The Sustainable Hour no 329 with dr David King, Mark Carter, Alex Mungell, Vicki Adams and Tom O'Connor
Guest in The Tunnel on 19 August 2020 - The Sustainable Hour no 328 - is Michelle Maloney, co-founder of the New Economy Network Australia.
Guests in The Tunnel on 12 August 2020 are local government election candidate Monica Winston, climate activist Caroline Danaher, community survey initiator Sanja Van Huet and Councillor Trent McCarthy from Darebin City Council.
Our guests in The Tunnel on 5 August 2020, as we get organised for the Hiatus, are law student Katta O'Donnell and online human rights blogger Sarah Josephine Liberty.
This is The Sustainable Hour's moment. Guests in (the extended) show no 325 are Suzie Brown, Donnie Maclurlan, Peter Vadiveloo and Elizabeth Mellor
Professor Andrew Blakers' presentation about how Australia gets to 100% renewables and storage.
In The Tunnel on 22 July 2020 we meet three artists, who use their art to make a difference and push their ideas somewhere new.
The Sustainable Business Hour podcast with clippings from The Tunnel - about #ClimateEmergency, #MillionJobsPlan, #GreenRecovery and Big Oil's move towards #ZeroCarbon
The Sustainable Hour no 323 Four guests in The Tunnel on 15 July 2020. What a packed program today! From time to time over the last 10 weeks, Jackie Matthews has been excitedly telling us how good the ‘Nature Stewards’ course that
Today I did something I've never done before. I did an angry podcast, and put myself in front of the microphone most of the way. My mood was triggered by a couple things.
Geelong Councillor Eddy Kontelj is guest in The Sustainable Hour no 322, talking about the municipality's Plastic Free July and 100% renewables initiatives
An hour in the Sustainable Tunnel with Anglican minister Peter Martin, Geelong Sustainability president Vicki Perrett and Claire Ziegler.
The 24th Regenerative Hour features excerpts from a zoom-presentation by climate emergency candidate Bryony Edwards from CACE and professor Will Steffen from Australia National University and the Climate Council, along with excerpts from Greta Thunberg's 'Summer Talk 2020'
In the 23rd Regenerative Hour, Mik meets the 23-year-old artist, musician and environmental consultant Quinn Earth Child at his home in the suburb Norlane in northern Geelong.
Deepening democracy: Our guests in ‘The Tunnel’ today are Anna Langford from Friends of the Earth Melbourne and Sonia Randhawa from the Sortition Foundation and Coalition of Everyone.
Guest in our 22nd Regenerative Hour is Tom O'Connor, a former Geelong councillor, swimming coach and an active local community organiser, who lives in Drysdale on the Bellarine Peninsula. He will run for the Geelong Council election in August 2020.
Guests in The Sustainable Hour no 319 on 17 June 2020 are Belinda Noble and Lidia Thorpe.
A Sustainable Hour about bushfire horrors, resilience, Returner Cups, 'We can do better' principles that connect us - and what the Earth can teach us
Welcome listeners and readers. The Sustainable Hour team of Mik, Jackie, Colin & Tony welcome you to show no 317. The first of our three guests on 3 June 2020 is Anika Molesworth who helps run her parents’ station near Broken
Can we turn the 2020s into ‘The Regenerative Decade’? In this series of interviews about what that would imply, we talk ecology, deep adaptation, grief, compassion and passion, connecting with nature, resilience, revitalisation, restoration, revolution… – the bigger picture, in
The team on The Sustainable Hour have compiled a playlist of songs that are not only catchy and something you can clap your hands to but also all have an underlying message.
Guests in The Sustainable Hour no 315 are Geelong Councillor Ron Nelson, chair of Council’s Waste & Resource Recovery committee, and Clare Land, author of the recently released book, ‘Decolonising Solidarity'
Our guest in The Sustainable Hour no 314 on 20 May is David Holmgren, co-founder of the permaculture movement, and author of 'RetroSuburbia', a guide to life in a post-carbon world.
"I will not stand idly by while the very trees that are integral to our survival are ripped out of the earth and increasing our fire risk,” says Nic Fox, Isolating for Nature