If we are to survive global warming, we have to shut down the coal industry ASAP

William P. Hall on January 19, 2022

The right government local action using local knowledge can provide local opportunities that are more attractive than continuing the lethal coal industry pushing us toward extinction

3 local solutions to replace coal jobs and ensure a just transition for mining communities

Liam Phelan and Kimberley Crofts (17/01/2022) in The Conversation

As the world shifts to renewable energy, helping the communities that have depended on fossil fuels for jobs is becoming ever more pressing.

The 2015 Paris Agreement notes the imperative of a “just transition” for affected workforces, with “the creation of decent work and quality jobs” to replace those lost.

Trade unionists have been arguing this point for at least several decades. The first use of the phrase “just transition” attributed to the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada, which called for a “Just Transition Program” for workers in the logging industry in 1996.

Yet for all the talk since, action remains scarce.

Three clear priorities for policy makers, however, have emerged from Australia’s Hunter Valley region, where coal mines employ about 14,000 workers directly and thousands more indirectly. These are:

  • the need for a local coordinating authority
  • funding for a “flagship” job-creation project, and
  • more resources for technical and vocational education.

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Views expressed in this post are those of its author(s), not necessarily all Vote Climate One members.

Renewable Energy hits the mark

Rob Bakes on January 17, 2022

South Australia sourced an average of just over 100 per cent of the electricity it needed from renewable power for 6½ days leading up to December 29 last year – a record for the state and perhaps for comparable energy grids around the world.

https://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/south-australia-breaks-record-running-for-a-week-on-renewable-energy-20220116-p59omi.html

Views expressed in this post are those of its author(s), not necessarily all Vote Climate One members.

Running homes and cars on electricity alone would save households $5,443 a year, report finds

Vote Climate One Team on October 29, 2021

A new Australian thinktank says ditching domestic gas and petrol use would slash national greenhouse emissions by a third

Converting all home appliances and cars to run on electricity could eliminate a third of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions while saving households $40bn a year by 2028, according to a new report.

Article by Royce Kurmelovs from The Guardian, Published 5 Oct 2021 Read here

Views expressed in this post are those of its author(s), not necessarily all Vote Climate One members.