The small group who gathered on (2 Nov) at my first Occupy Sydney GA (General Assembly) at Town Hall, maybe 50 people, was dwarfed by the attendance at the Noam Chomsky screening inside, let alone the crush of commuters and shoppers.
Myths about the benevolence of Anglo-American foreign policy were utterly exploded last Friday night in Melbourne, as Chomsky thundered out his latest critique of the changing contours of global order.
A radically new Australian design called the Eco Whisper Turbine has been developed with increased efficiency and reduced noise in mind. Rated at a 20kW capacity, the turbine is 23 metres high with 30 blades extending out from a 6.5 metre radius from the hub.
The IPA’s Tim Wilson was allowed to dominate on a Q&A panel including the Green’s Adam Bandt, shaming the Humanities & Social Sciences department of Melbourne relative to the intellectual standards properly required of the Tertiary sector.
The debate over water reform has received less scrutiny of late with the drought broken in much of the country and national attention turning to matters such as the carbon tax debate, the bankrupted Malaysian refugee solution and of course the coverage of the footy finals.
Throughout the entire region the environment continues to face growing pressures. It comes from a growing range of converging issues like urban expansion; destruction of native forests; rapidly expanding populations; growing inequality and poverty; water, soil and air pollution; and the international inaction on climate change.
In recent weeks the premiers of three states have started to sound like mini-Tony Abbotts. On issues like industrial relations, the environment and health we've seen a convergence of rhetoric that sounds remarkably like that coming from the federal Opposition Leader.
A key report released yesterday by the Australian Government’s Climate Commission has served a grim warning to coastal regions of Western Australia about the effects of climate change.
The current famine in southern Somalia should have come as no surprise. Aid agencies have been warning of the consequences of the worst drought to hit East Africa in thirty years. Republished from The Conversation.
Despite being two years away from an official federal election, the government’s knife edge majority has seen us move to an apparent permanent election footing. However while hard hat-wearing, baby kissing politicians are becoming more visible on our news screens, quality policy discussions on vital infrastructure issues appear to have taken a permanent back...
In recent times we have seen the debauch of the welfare state, the expansion of cartels, extortionate rent-taking from the financial sector, and the wholesale capture of regulators, the executive and most of parliament by an unholy marriage of corporate interests and secret police doublethink.
The Australian environment movement along with the union movement organised some of the biggest rallies Australia has seen in some time last weekend.
For those who arrived on the last train from the Herald Sun building, there's something wrong with society today.
Alex Schlotzer spent the weekend at the Climate Action Summit as someone committed to seeing political action taken on climate change. More specifically he was there in his voluntary role as coordinator of the Brimbank Climate Action Network (BrimbankCAN). This is his account of the weekend.
There is, however, another feasible nuclear fuel that has been studied in prototype reactors but never used commercially: uranium-233 (U233), which is derived from naturally occurring thorium.
A report from Roy Morgan Research recently pointed out that Australian society has become more individualistic and “less available”.
As part of theangle.org's "Independent Voices" series for the NSW election, we bring you a question and answer session with Janet Mays, Independent Candidate for the Blue Mountains. Passionate about the community, preserving the environment and healthcare, Janet is well-known as the founder of Blue Mountains HEAL (Hospital Equity & Access Lobby).
The recent announcement from the Multi-Party Climate Change Committee on a carbon price and mechanism, is avital step forward.
Queenslanders have already lost homes and livelihoods to floodwaters, now they could be faced with huge impacts to biodiversity in beautiful Moreton Bay.
This time last year Copenhagen was being hailed as the last great chance for the Earth and that an agreement on a replacement for the Kyoto Protocol was imminent.
The NSW Government's decision to end its support for the Hunter's unpopular Tillegra dam has been described as a major victory for the community by the NSW Greens.
As a child, in the 70s, I remember reading about the labour-saving devices that would make drudgery a historical curiosity. Whether in Omni magazine, or Sunday newspaper liftouts, robots and mechanisation promised that we all could join the chattering classes, with time available for political awareness and participation.
The second part of a series on the Victorian election. This article originally appeared in Tristran's blog Left Focus.
A major study has found the Asian region, along with that of the Middle East and North Africa, as being most at risk from water stress. The study found key Asian economies of China, India as also being vulnerable to water shortages.
In this the first of a two-part series, theangle.org publishes a summary of Greens policies in the upcoming Victorian state election. This article was originally published at Left Focus.
By Rich Bowden: The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) has announced VicSuper as the winner of its annual Sustainability Reporting Awards, held in Sydney yesterday. The event recognises “…excellence in environmental, social and sustainability financial reporting,” according to a ACCA statement released to coincide with the awards. It said that nominated companies are judged, “…on...
The Victorian state election is proving to be another series of negative attacks being largely directed by the lacklustre efforts from the major parties.
Theangle.org's Rich Bowden spoke to Bruce Robinson, Convenor for ASPO-Australia (Australian Association for the Study of Peak Oil) about the threat of oil shortages to the country, the measures that need to be taken to offset such a crisis and the hopes for renewable energy.
An OECD report has said Indonesia must reform its government spending to better achieve important Millennium Development Goals such as improvements in sanitation and water supply.
Given the nature of agriculture in this country and the effects of rising populations both here and globally, I contend it is time to re-examine the virtues of a stable productive yeoman farming sector.
Proposed LNG development and dredging around Gladstone, in Queensland, would be disastrous for the region's marine life, including putting at risk of extinction Australia’s only native dolphin – the rare snubfin dolphin.
The Philippines-based Manila Water Corp's purchase of Australian water company United Utilities Australia (UUA) will result in closer co-operation in water management and more sharing of knowledge between the two nations, according to Australian Ambassador Rod Smith.
By Rich Bowden: The Australian government-owned science organisation CSIRO has described the future of solar technology in the country as having a “global impact” after announcing the installation of 450 solar mirrors, or heliostats. CSIRO will begin the rollout for Australia’s largest solar-thermal tower system at the CSIRO National Solar Energy Centre in Newcastle,...
A study has found population increase to be four times more important than the effects of climate change on water availability.
By Rich Bowden: The Pacific nation of Fiji’s water crisis continues this week with the water supply of a small island reaching critical levels, according to local reports. The Fiji Times has reported that over 100 families on Druadrua Island, off Vanua Levu, the second largest island of the country, have been identified by...
October 17 to 23 is National Water Week in Australia, a week dedicated to raising awareness of the country's most precious resource
The banning of the toxic chemical endosulfan has been welcomed by the Greens though action on the pesticide should have occurred much earlier, according to Greens NSW MP John Kaye.
Scientists in California have reported a significant increase in freshwater flow into the world’s oceans per year claiming it to be a result of more extreme and frequent storms caused by the shift in the world’s weather patterns.
Fijian authorities are blaming the El Nino weather pattern for the water crisis that has emerged in the country's Western Division.
By Damian Baker: As part of our new focus on development and human rights issues, theangle.org is reposting old articles printed on the site which still have a high degree of revelance. We start with co-founder Damian Baker’s trip to Papua New Guinea in November 2009 where he encountered the lives of the people...
Aid agency Oxfam Australia yesterday welcomed Australian foreign minister Kevin Rudd's proposal to give 0.15 per cent of Australia’s gross national income to least developed countries, saying the move would benefit "the poorest of the poor."
Kevin Rennie, writing in Global Voices, finds the distraction of the footy finals season and the negotiations over the first federal hung parliament in Australia in seventy years as the reason the mainstream media in the country has delivered scant attention to the real reasons behind the UN Millennium Development Goals Summit in New...
World Water Week attendees in Stockholm, Sweden have heard that increased urbanisation is hampering global attempts to reach overall UN goals on increasing the number of people with access to safe drinking water.
BHP Billiton chief Marius Kloppers has called on the Gillard Government to introduce a tax on carbon ahead of international agreements to protect Australia's economic interests.
Indonesian companies tend to avoid directing their corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds to water and sanitation projects, preferring instead to provide finance for more short term programs, a recent Indonesian conference has heard.
Newly installed Minister for Climate Change, Greg Combet, has said one of his main priorities will be to work towards a price on carbon.
While water recycling and desalination have both been touted as showing the way forward on water reuse, and helping to offset a “peak water” scenario, experts have noted significant drawbacks to both, including the amount of energy needed to power wastewater recycling and desalination plants.
NSW Greens MP Dr John Kaye has warned that probable domination of the state's Upper House by conservatives at the next election will do nothing to fix the state's problems.
While the concept of peak water as an overarching term for the increased shortage of water supplies in Asia remains contentious, it has served to focus attention on the increasing water crisis facing many countries
Greens' candidate for the seat of Macquarie Carmel McCallum talks to theangle's Rich Bowden about her chances of victory in the western Sydney/Blue Mountains seat, the issues that most concern voters and her opinion of the strength of the asylum seeker issue.
An integrated water management system, though essential to protect developing nations facing climate change, is but one part of a wider “climate proofing” system, a report released by the UK-based sustainable development NGO Forum for the Future has said.
Lee Rhiannon, former NSW Upper House member, and now Federal Senate candidate for NSW speaks with theangle.org's Rich Bowden on accountability for corporate donations to political parties, how the Greens' policies look to take advantage of a green economy and outlines what she sees as voter frustration over the Government's inability to stand up...
While water activists and environmentalists have hailed the recent decision by the UN General Assembly to grant access to safe water and adequate sanitation as a human right, Australia and New Zealand followed the United States, Canada and the UK in abstaining from the vote.
By “On The Ground in Melbourne” There has been a marked difference in the pace of the campaigns being waged by the Greens’ Adam Bandt and Labor’s Cath Bowtell here in the marginal seat of Melbourne. While both have increased their activity in the lead up to polling day, the Greens’ campaign is moving...
An opinion poll carried out by Auspoll on behalf of the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) and WWF-Australia has found overwhelming support for more government spending on the environment, according to a WWF media release.
Despite the proliferation of turgid slogans, the 2010 campaign is shaping up as the direct opposite to that of 2007.
By Rich Bowden: As part of our Election 2010 coverage of the country’s marginal seats, we talk to Suzie Wright, Greens candidate for the seat of Lindsay in outer western Sydney. Suzie tells us of the issues facing voters, the importance of Greens’ preferences and her take on the alleged “dog whistle” tactics employed...
The announcement yesterday by Opposition Leader Tony Abbott that a Coalition Government would end the current protection policy of Australia's waters highlights a lack of leadership over marine parks, according to environment group WWF-Australia.
Key environmental groups have greeted Prime Minister Julia Gillard announcement of a "citizen's assembly" on climate change a cool response.
An American water distributor company believes it can resolve many of the world's water shortages by shipping water from where it is plentiful, to destinations in Asia and the Middle East via an Indian distribution point.
A Galaxy poll conducted for WWF-Australia has shown support for an emissions trading scheme continue to grow in the Queensland marginal seats of Brisbane, Bowman, Petrie and Ryan.
The release of a list containing more than 80 of Australia's most dangerous pesticides, many of which are banned overseas, has raised questions of the effectiveness of Australia's regulatory system.
The Philippines-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) $US100 million loan to China’s Wuhan Province to help finance the Wuhan Urban Environmental Improvement Project is expected to act as a template for the country and the region, bank officials have said.
ADB Assistant Chief Economist Juzhong Zhuang, editor of a new book on inequality and inclusive growth in Asia, says rising growth rates in Asia have masked rising inequality, leading to two faces of Asia - one shining and the other suffering.
A conference focusing on countries' adaptability to climate change has been described as a "turning point" for climate change science.
The Australian Government has signalled its intention to assist the development of its near neighbours' water infrastructure funding a multi-million dollar program to improve people's access to an adequate water supply and sanitation facilities.
It's been some time since we've seen Labor in government and last week's removal of Kevin Rudd as leader revealed their inexperience and obsessions with opinion polls.
While we were away the Prime Minister apparently went into self-destruct mode. The Emissions Trading Scheme was scuttled. The budget was judged as lack-lustre but politically safe.
WWF Australia has called on the country's pesticide regulator to follow the lead of the United States and ban the controversial toxic pesticide endosulfan.
Despite a number of high profile attempts to cap the US's now-worst-environmental disaster, the oil well in the Gulf of Mexico continues to spew oil at an alarming rate.
Asian and Pacific countries are amongst the beneficiaries as Australia's Parliamentary Secretary for International Development Assistance, Mr Bob McMullan, announced earlier in the month his government would provide grants for 44 clean drinking water and sanitation projects throughout the world.
The Australian Government has announced that it will release $47.3 million to the CSIRO to fund renewable energy solutions for a radio observatory.
The findings of a key report of the effect of climate change on vulnerable has been challenged at climate change talks in Germany.
The Australian Greens have given their support to a legal action brought by traditional landowners around Muckaty Station in the Northern Territory over the siting of a proposed radioactive waste dump, saying the federal Government had acted incorrectly in its attempts to resolve the matter.
The latest Newspoll published by The Australian has seen further improvement in the Greens primary vote at the expense of the major parties.
The sixth annual poll by the Sydney-based think tank the Lowy Institute has surveyed Australian's on foreign policy, giving the Government a mediocre score and uncovering some shock findings on China.
Paul Bateson, of the Blue Mountains-based sustainability consultants EcoSTEPS, recently took time out from a tourism-focused sustainability meeting in Samoa to present the country's prime minister with a Socceroos shirt.
The Australian Greens have called for better water monitoring methods to be implemented in the wake of allegations that contamination of creek systems has occurred near the Ranger Uranium Mine in the Northern Territory.
Environmental group the Conservation Council of WA has criticised the State Government for its lack of support for the environment in its second state budget.
A consortium led by Japanese company the Mitsubishi Corporation has successfully acquired Australian water company United Utilities Australia Pty Ltd (UUA) for $A225 million, making it the first Japanese public-private partnership of its kind for the purchase of an overseas utility.
The expected war over the Government's proposed resources tax took a new turn with the release of the Australian Workers Union's It’s time to put something back video.
The next few weeks will be ablaze with commentary and analysis of the federal Government's 2010 budget, detailing the winners and losers of Treasurer Wayne Swan's third budget.
By Sue Pennicuik and Bob Hale: ‘Fair Share’ was the theme of the second Asia Pacific Greens Network Congress (APGN), hosted by the Green Party Taiwan and Taiwan Friends of the Global Greens, that we attended on the weekend of 30 April – 2 May. It was a huge effort for the small group...
The next Victorian election is looming on the horizon and it seems a struggling Victorian Labor Government is stuck between a rock and a hard place with the electorate.
The Australian Greens have said Treasurer Wayne Swan's third budget shows the Rudd Government has turned its back on key environmental reforms, including a tax on carbon.
A new report issued by specialist insurance group Lloyds, along with environmental organisation WWF, has warned global businesses of the consequences of corporate inaction in fighting the growing global water scarcity crisis.
Australia ranks in the top ten of the world's worst environmental performers, according to a new study.
Developing economies in the Australasian/Pacific region will be affected if a push from the world's richest nations to raise water prices is successful.
A UN-sponsored report has listed nine recommendations for world Governments and NGOs to reach Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on sanitation.
The Australian Greens have said they will pursue tax recommendations made by Treasury head Ken Henry in a comprehensive review released in Canberra on Sunday.
The decision by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd earlier this week to shelve plans for an emissions trading scheme has drawn ire from environmental groups who say it will harm the nation's economy.
Developing countries, including those in the Asia Pacific region, require increased funding and community cooperation to ensure schools have access to clean water and adequate sanitation facilities, according to a new UNICEF report.
The Australian Government's decision to end restrictions on uranium to Russia will damage its credibility as a country dedicated to ending nuclear proliferation, the Australian Greens have said.
Marine sanctuaries should be considered an "important tool" in marine resource management and used as part of an integrated approach to marine planning and implementation, a Western Australian Department of the Environment report has stated.
A report released today by a public policy think tank, has criticised the Federal Government's proposed ETS scheme, describing it as a waste of taxpayers' money.
There has been no quest in my life greater than that for knowledge. The drive to learn, to understand the worlds of man and nature, is a need – deep and visceral.
Environmental NGO WWF has called on Federal Agriculture Minister Tony Burke and State ministers to fix the country's national pesticides authority when they meet at a conference in Darwin tomorrow.
Federal Tasmanian Greens Senator and Tasmanian Greens MLA Nick McKim discuss the historic appointment of two Greens in the Bartlett Labor Government in Tasmania. Courtesy: Australian Greens.
Tasmanian Greens leader Nick McKim has turned down an offer from Premier David Bartlett to serve in his Labor ministry.
