Experts “gobsmacked” by QLD government’s plans to ditch coal power

Topping off a truly stunning week in energy news after AGL announced all its coal-burning power stations will be closed by 2035, experts were “gobsmacked” by the Queensland Government’s announcement that the state would do the same. Could we be at the tipping point away from coal-burning electricity our climate so desperately needs? Professor Bruce Mountain thinks we could be.

A new CSIRO study that scientists are calling ”sad and distressing” has found that climate-driven heatwaves will drive massive numbers of bird deaths in Australia.

In international news, the ruptures on the Nord Stream gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea have led to what is likely the biggest single release of climate-damaging methane ever recorded, according to the United Nations Environment Program, in a sage reminder of why Woodside’s plans to mine gas in the pristine waters of WA is a terrible idea. 

Australia's great energy transition reaches a 'tipping point' as clock winds forward for coal
The decision by AGL to close its Loy Yang A coal-fired power station by 2035 amongst other seismic shifts that took place in recent days has prompted experts to call this a tipping point for coal-generated electricity in Australia.

Winds of ‘radical change’: Queensland breaks up with coal in stunning week in energy
Annastacia Palaszczuk promised to ditch coal by 2035, leaving experts ‘gobsmacked’ given the state’s deep association with the fossil fuel

‘Sad and distressing’: massive numbers of bird deaths in Australian heatwaves reveal a profound loss is looming
Heatwaves linked to climate change have already led to mass deaths of birds and other wildlife around the world, so scientists at CSIRO set up a new study finding birds at their study sites died at a rate three times greater during a very hot summer compared to a mild summer.

Nord Stream leaks likely single largest methane release ever: UN
The ruptures on the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline system under the Baltic Sea have led to what is likely the biggest single release of climate-damaging methane ever recorded, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has said.

King Charles abandons plans to attend Cop27 ‘following Liz Truss’s advice’
The monarch, a veteran campaigner on environmental issues, had been invited to the 27th UN climate change conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, next month. But the UK’s prime minister is understood to have raised objections during a meeting with the King at Buckingham Palace last month, according to the Sunday Times.

Tracking Australia’s progress on the climate crisis and the consequences of global heating
The team at The Guardian dive into the data to tell the story in detail, covering historic and estimated future emissions, how Australia compares with other countries, how much greenhouse gas the country exports, and how much longer Australia has left to get to zero emissions and meet the landmark Paris agreement targets.

Amid rising seas, island nations push for legal protection
When and if an island nation fully submerges due to rising seas, what happens to the nationalities of its citizens? This and other related questions are being considered by island nations advocating for changes to international law as climate change threatens their existence.

Coal industry making record profits as coal use grows despite environmental concerns
Australia is selling $100 billion worth of coal a year, with thermal coal out of Newcastle continuing to break all price records in a perfect storm for those investing in the industry.

On a remote Australian island, a small patch of reef is as good as scientists have ever seen it
While this small patch of the reef may be recovering, the outlook for the Great Barrier Reef, an intricate living mesh that runs for 2300 kilometres along the Queensland coast and stretches across 350,000 square kilometres, remains grim.

First Peoples Forum’s plea to be heard at UN Climate Change conference
Indigenous Far Northerners’ plea for inclusion in climate change decisions will now be heard at a United Nations conference later this year, with recommendations from the forum relayed at a WWF event at COP 27.