Richie Merzian: One of the world’s biggest emitters is trying to fly under the radar // Greta Thunberg says school strikes have achieved nothing

By Dilip -
Australia is the third biggest fossil fuel exporter, has high emissions and plans to use a loophole to meet its pledges. Don’t let them stay in the background.When it comes to climate change, Australia really struggles. With high emissions, even higher fossil fuel exports, harsh climate impacts (like the current unprecedented bush fires) and weak climate action. Australia’s response is to just keep on digging (literally – which is why it remains the world’s largest coal exporter). To understand this disconnect you have go deeper into the land down under.  

 From disbelief to dread: the dismal new routine of life in Sydney's smoke haze
(This is worth reading: please do so, to get an idea of what environmental catastrophe feels like)

Australia is the 14th largest emitter of greenhouse gases out of the 196 parties to the Paris Agreement. But apparently being in the top 10% doesn’t mean much to Australia’s prime minister Scott Morrison, who claims Australia is ‘just’ 1.3% of global emissions. Its astounding that the 182 other parties (including smaller emitters like Cop President Chile, or host Spain, or incoming Cop president the United Kingdom) even try. Australia emits more than 40 countries with larger populations, so naturally at a per capita level it is right at the top....
https://www.climatechangenews.com/2019/12/06/one-worlds-biggest-emitters-trying-fly-radar-cop25/

Greta Thunberg says school strikes have achieved nothing
The global wave of school strikes for the climate over the past year has “achieved nothing” because greenhouse gas emissions have continued to rise, Greta Thunberg has told activists at UN climate talks in Madrid. Thousands of young people were expected to gather at the UN climate conference and in the streets of the Spanish capital on Friday to protest against the lack of progress in tackling the climate emergency, as officials from more than 190 countries wrangled over the niceties of wording in documents related to the Paris accord.

In the four years since the landmark agreement was signed, greenhouse gas emissions have risen by 4% and the talks this year are not expected to produce new commitments on carbon from the world’s biggest emitters. Thunberg, whose solo protest in Sweden in 2017 has since snowballed into a global movement, spoke at a press conference before a march through the centre of Madrid. She said that although schoolchildren had been striking around the world, this “has not translated into action” from governments....
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/dec/06/greta-thunberg-says-school-strikes-have-achieved-nothing


From Siberia to Australia: the age of fire is the bleakest warning yet
'Everything is not fine’: Nobel economist calls on globe to end obsession with GDP

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