Saturday 27 November 2021

Climate Misinformation at COP26

Santos-paid Australian pavilion at COP26 (source)

Remember that? Considering its sheer shamelessness that may have been in a category of its own, but in other ways it may have been small potatoes.

You see, according to Global Witness, lobbyists on behalf of over 100 fossil fuels companies together outnumbered even the biggest official national delegations:

(source)

On Twitter, fossil fuel companies’ climate misinformation is subtle – here’s what I’m seeing during COP26

Young activists used ‘blah, blah, blah’ as their refrain for criticizing governments’ and industries’ slow actions on climate change. AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali
Jill Hopke, DePaul University

Tuesday 23 November 2021

Sorry, Guys, but Your Drought is Our Rain (Updated).


Our world is interconnected.

(source)

It’s official, the Bureau of Meteorology has declared a La Niña event. It’s the second La Niña in a row, which is relatively unusual. Perhaps because of that it’s expected to be less intense and less prolonged than is common with such events (it’s expected to last until next January, but it could last the whole summer).

Okay, but what is La Niña and why does it matter?

Saturday 20 November 2021

Coal and India.

 
An idealised, naive appreciation of poor nations, I believe, has become prevalent or at least very common among rich-nations’ modern socialists. It’s part of a broader phenomenon, thus it would be too long to explain how we’ve got to this point, but suffice it to say here that such infatuation is largely based on moral and ethical judgements and in a falling out of love with the domestic working class of rich nations.

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On Thursday November 4th, just four days into COP26, Leigh Sales, the ABC’s 7.30 presenter, interviewed Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org.

Among other things, Sales asked: “India makes the point that it’s a developing nation and so it needs extra time to level the playing field and catch up. Is that a reasonable argument?”

It proved to be a prescient question, for less than two weeks later, hours before the draft resolution was due to be declared approved, India’s Minister for the Environment and lead climate negotiator Bhupender Yadav argued his last-minute proposal to further amend the draft (phasing down instead of phasing out):

“How can anyone expect that developing countries can make promises about phasing out coal and fossil fuel subsidies? Developing countries have still to deal with their development agendas and poverty eradication.”
I think McKibben’s answer to Sales’ question indicates why Yadav’s motion was self-defeating and suggests why so much of modern socialist thought is painfully wrongheaded:
“It would be a reasonable argument, except for two things. One, physics is uninterested in it, and it is going to cause havoc for India and everybody else if the planet keeps warming, probably more havoc for India than most places.”
The full transcript

Are you kidding, India? Your last-minute Glasgow intervention won’t relieve pressure to ditch coal

AP
Bill Hare, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research

Wednesday 17 November 2021

Good COP? Bad COP?

Was COP26 a success, a failure, or something in between?

Notwithstanding old American bloviating academics intent on giving a positive spin to COP26 on behalf of the US President, assessments seem to vary over the bad side of the spectrum. 

(source)
 An attempt to present the achievements:

(source)

But one should consider more elaborate assessments. Without further ado:

The ultimate guide to why the COP26 summit ended in failure and disappointment (despite a few bright spots)

AP
Robert Hales, Griffith University and Brendan Mackey, Griffith University

Monday 15 November 2021

Australia’s Backstabbing Diplomacy (3)

 

[A]

Scotty from Marketing, Prime Minister of Australia, attended COP26. Federal Minister for Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor was with him. After a few days, both departed. However, they left behind James Isbister, a high-ranking and presumably well-paid bureaucrat (apparently a disabled one, unable to speak, too) as the Commonwealth’s representative. Or, at least, that’s how Isbister describes himself: “Australia's Ambassador for the Environment, Mr Jamie Isbister - promoting Australia's interests on international environment issues. DFAT Mental Health Champion”.

(source)

The Australian delegation attended the negotiations with the same rights and responsibilities of all other delegations. Once the draft of what became the so-called Glasgow Agreement was approved, the Australian delegation signed it.

Saturday 13 November 2021

COP26: The Curtain Falls (2X Updated).

“The difference between 1.5 and 2 degrees is a death
sentence for us.” If all the pledges are fulfilled,
the world is heading to 2.4ºC. (source)

One doesn’t need to be environmentally conscious or a proud Commie worker – like yours truly – to empathise with the Maldivian Environment Minister Aminath Shauna.

As COP26 was drawing to a close early this Sunday morning (AEDT), Shauna said:

Thursday 4 November 2021

Scotty from Santos’ Marketing. (Updated)


The Australian pavilion at Glasgow:

(source)

Santos may need to capture lots of CO2, too.

(source)
 

Judging by Chevron’s Gorgon facility in Western Australia, Santos is facing a hard job.

(source)

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Monday 1 November 2021

Schadenfreude. (Updated)



 

So, it happens … again.

Hours after Scotty from Marketing came out explaining how his infallible personal charm had mended diplomatic relations with France (“I said g’day, I said g’day”), Emmanuel Macron said in front of the cameras, for all to hear and see, that he knows Scotty lied to him.