AGL gets new board of directors

AGL’s annual general meeting has seen a positive change in the company’s leadership for the sake of renewable energy, with billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes’ four independent director candidates all being appointed to the AGL board.

Australian and Chinese leaders, Anthony Albanese and Xi Jinping have met at G20 in Bali and were able to discuss repairing the relationship between the two countries. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese urged the Chinese president to end the threat of conflict over Taiwan and to drop sanctions on Australian exports worth $20 billion a year.

The United Nations have released a new report on corporate greenwashing at COP27 this week. The report has criticised corporations using “net-zero” goals as a mask to cover up their investment in fossil fuel projects. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said loopholes in rules around corporate emissions reporting are “wide enough to drive a diesel truck through”.

AGL votes for new board of directors
While the current board urged shareholders only to vote for one of the new members, Mark Twiddle, the new board includes him and also Kerry Schott, Christine Holman and John Pollaers. Mr Cannon-Brookes' used his large influence in AGL to help see this new board come to fruition.

Anthony Albanese and Xi Jinping meet at G20
After years of tension, the Australian Prime Minister and Chinese President have met in person in Bali at this year’s G20 summit. Albanese said he used the meeting to express Australia’s concerns on trade, Taiwan, human rights violations in Xinjiang, climate change and the detention of Australian journalist Cheng Lei and Australian author Yang Hengjun in China.

The UN slams greenwashing in new report
In a new report released this week at COP27 in Egypt, the United Nations have said organisations cannot claim to be net-zero while supporting fossil fuel projects. The report calls for new rules to ensure emissions pledges were credible and transparent. On greenwashing, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres said “It is rank deception. This toxic cover-up could push our world over the climate cliff. The sham must end.”

Australia joins global efforts to stop plastic pollution
Australia has joined the High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution, along with Norway, Rwanda, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Canada. The High Ambition Coalition intends to end plastic pollution by 2040 through restraining consumption and production of plastic, and enabling more effective plastic recycling.

New research shows climate change will affect La Niña events
A new research report by Nature Communications has found that by 2030 climate change will affect the El Niño-Southern Oscillation cycle across the Pacific. For Australia, this means we can expect more severe weather including droughts and heavy rainfall and flooding.

Australia joins offshore wind alliance at COP27
As COP27 enters its second week, Australia joined the Global Offshore Wind Alliance (GOWA) in an attempt to become a renewable energy superpower. Now, how about joining the Powering Past Coal Alliance or the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance too while we are at it?

Tuvalu faces the prospect of migrating to the meta-verse
With the small island nation expected to be completely underwater in a few decades, the country is considering becoming the first digitised country to preserve their culture and history. “The tragedy of this outcome cannot be overstated. But because the world has not acted, we must. Tuvalu could be the first country in the world to exist solely in cyberspace – but if global warming continues unchecked, it won’t be the last.” - Said Simon Kofe, Tuvalu’s Minister of Justice, Communication & Foreign Affairs in his COP27 speech.