Australia blocks coal mine to protect Great Barrier Reef
BBC, 08 Feb 2023
For the first time in history, Australia has blocked the creation of a coal mine under environmental laws. The government on Thursday rejected a proposal for a new mine about 10km (6.2 miles) from the Great Barrier Reef. Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said the project posed an unacceptable risk to the World Heritage area, which is already highly vulnerable. The mine’s owner, the controversial Australian billionaire Clive Palmer, has not yet responded to the rejection.
Why foreign direct investment is needed to fulfil the climate justice agenda
World Economic Forum, 08 Feb 2023
The climate justice agenda is extensive. One of its priorities is helping countries that have contributed least to climate change but suffer most from it. Progress on this issue was the headline achievement at the UN Climate COP27 last November, where developed countries agreed to launch a loss-and-damage fund for the most vulnerable nations. Looking ahead, the climate justice agenda must include stepped-up collaboration to fund greener development in emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs).
Fossil fuel companies won’t save us from climate change. We need governments to step up
The Guardian, 08 Feb 2023
We have an early contender for the least surprising newsflash of the year: fossil fuel companies will not, of their own volition, save us from climate breakdown. The oil and gas multinational BP revealed on Tuesday that it set a record annual profit last year, reaching a staggering US$27.7bn thanks to Vladimir Putin’s murderous ego pushing global fossil fuel prices into the stratosphere. It more than doubled its 2021 profit. The company that once rebranded itself as “Beyond Petroleum” celebrated this news by announcing it would scale back its climate change plans.
Can a museum embody environmental justice?
The Guardian, 08 Feb 2023
Founded in 1960, Storm King’s contemporary sculpture collection graces 500 acres of rolling meadows and forestland in New York’s Hudson Valley Where else can you witness a multi-ton modernist masterpiece like Alexander Liberman’s Olympic Iliad – 41 cherry red tubes stacked on to one another, 45ft high and 60ft long – against green meadows and forests? The museum’s visitation increased sharply during the height of the pandemic, as exploring outdoor art offered a welcome break from fraught indoor contact.
Millions face threat of flooding from glacial lakes
BBC, 07 Feb 2023
Up to 15 million people face risk of catastrophic flooding from glacial lakes which could burst their natural dams at any moment, a new study finds. The study led by Newcastle University is the first global attempt to map potential hotspots for such floods. As the climate warms, glaciers retreat and meltwater collects, forming lakes. The impact of global warming on glacial lake floods is yet to be defined, but it has increased both the volume and number of glacial lakes worldwide.
