NSW to block offshore gas drilling in victory for oceans
Thursday, 16 February 2023
The NSW government’s move to legislate a ban on offshore gas drilling will help protect oceans and marine life in NSW waters from destructive drilling, seismic blasting, and toxic gas spills.
With the Vanuatu Prime Minister in town endorsing Australia’s bid to co-host COP31, Prime Minister Albanese reaffirmed Australia’s support for Vanuatu’s climate change advisory opinion set to be voted on at the UN General Assembly in the coming weeks.
And parliamentary debate on Labor’s proposed overhaul of the Safeguard Mechanism is heating up as new analysis estimates up to three-quarters of emissions cuts by 2030 would be made through onsite cuts by polluters, with carbon offsets playing a lesser role.
Perrottet government to outlaw offshore gas drilling
The promise of laws to permanently block offshore gas drilling along the NSW coast is being hailed as a win for the environment.
Australia to build Vanuatu's national security centre
In a joint statement released after a meeting in Canberra, Vanuatu Prime Minister Alatoi Ishmael Kalsakau endorsed Australia's bid to host the climate forum COP31 in 2026 in partnership with Pacific nations
Temperatures set to soar above 50C in parts of Western Australia
Dangerous conditions have been forecast in Western Australia this weekend with near-record temperatures set to skyrocket above 50C, prompting a bushfire warning from officials.
Calculations in a CSIRO report about the prospect of offsetting massive emissions from developing the Beetaloo Basin have been labelled "wildly unrealistic" by the former head of the Clean Energy Regulator's offsets integrity committee.
Albanese government rounds on Greens ‘sabotage’ of emissions reduction plan
After the Greens signalled they would use the looming parliamentary negotiation to pursue a ban on new coal and gas, Labor frontbenchers warned against sabotaging emissions reduction efforts.
Supermarket giants Woolworths and Coles changing up plastic bag policies in Queensland and ACT
Woolworths is doing away with its 15-cent plastic shopping bags in Queensland and the ACT, while Coles is introducing compostable produce bags in Canberra.