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Conflict of interest: Australia stoops to new low at UN climate talks

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Friday May 12, 2017: Australia’s support for fossil fuel companies’ participation in UN discussions on climate is a new low, says Greenpeace Australia Pacific CEO, David Ritter, citing a clear conflict of interest.

Government representatives from the nearly 200 countries who are signed on to the Paris Agreement have gathered for high level talks in Bonn, Germany, this week at the United Nations Climate Change Conference.

While countries like China and India have been calling for tighter rules on business groups, at a meeting on Tuesday, the Australian representative vigorously defended the right of fossil fuel companies, including ExxonMobil and Shell—two of the world’s biggest polluters—to participate in the negotiations.

Fossil fuel lobbyists have long had backdoor access to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) treaty and climate policy talks, effectively delaying, weakening and blocking progress for two decades. But unlike many other UN entities, no conflict of interest rules currently exist in the UNFCCC process.

“It is outrageous and disgusting to imagine representatives of the Australian government would defend such a flagrant conflict of interest. But it shows the kind of hold that fossil fuel companies have had on Australian politics for too long,” said Greenpeace Australia Pacific CEO, David Ritter.

“The national interest and the interests of the Australian people are not the same thing as the destructive vested interests of multinational fossil fuel companies.

“The Australian government should be calling for the same standards of propriety and fairness that we would ask of our own public service in Australia. Principles behind conflict of interest rules are well-known and universal and we should be striving to uphold them.

“It’s particularly egregious after having a reputation for going slow in international climate negotiations, that the Australian representatives would stoop to the new level of actively promoting the ongoing participation of vested interests determined to hold up progress,” Mr Ritter said.

A new report by Corporate Accountability International on the role of lobbyists at the UNFCCC, “Inside Job: Big Polluters’ lobbyists on the inside at the UNFCCC” was released in the lead up to the talks last week, on 1 May 2017. The reports examines six of the more than 270 business industry NGOs currently admitted to the climate talks, including the Business Council of Australia: https://www.stopcorporateabuse.org/insidejob

For interviews, contact:

Rachael Vincent, Media Campaigner Greenpeace Australia Pacific
Tel 02 9263 0354 Mob 0413 993 316


Julie Bishop’s PR stunt a travesty of science: the Reef is in serious danger

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Tuesday, 16 May 2017: The foreign minister Julie Bishop’s snorkelling junket for 75 foreign ambassadors off Cairns yesterday [1] was a transparent PR stunt to persuade UN nations that the Reef is fine ahead of a possible World Heritage ‘in danger’ listing at the 41st session of the World Heritage Committee on 2-12 July in Krakow this year.

The reality is that current efforts fall far short of what is required to protect our most treasured natural wonder.

“A short snorkel in an undamaged area of the Reef does nothing to show the true picture of the lack of effort by Government to - as Julie Bishop says - “conserve, preserve and manage the Reef,”” said Greenpeace Campaigner, Alix Foster Vander Elst.

“In fact, it masks the sad reality. Government inaction has already seen two thirds of the coral hit by back-to-back mass bleaching events.”

Ms Bishop has enlisted the support of optimistic marine biologists to tell the media that bleached coral can recover and rejuvenate “without any mass die-off.”

“But the sad fact is that while coral can recover from bleaching, the conditions need to be right … and conditions are not right. The longer it is stressed, the less likely coral is to recover,” said Ms Alix Foster Vander Elst

Recent reports by Terry Hughes, director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, show that record-breaking water temperatures have caused bleaching to over 1500km of coral over the last two summers, leaving only the southern third of the Reef unscathed. And it is widely acknowledged that already some 67% of corals have already died in the reef's worst-hit northern section.

The Reef is under very serious threat. But perhaps worst of all, the Government is actively contributing to exacerbating the greatest threat to the Reef: climate change.

“Just last week, the Foreign Minister’s own department sent an Australian diplomat to UN climate talks in Bonn, Germany, where he shamelessly argued for the inclusion of the fossil fuel lobby - including two of the world’s biggest carbon polluters - in international climate negotiations,” said Ms Foster Vander Elst

“And the Government has continuously expressed its support for the proposed massive Carmichael mine in the Galilee valley, including a proposal to lend nearly $1bn of taxpayers’ money to the project, which will ship millions of tonnes of coal out through the Reef and directly impact its health by contributing to climate change,” Ms Foster Vander Elst said.

Bishop’s assertion that we are “leading the world in coral reef preservation and conservation” would be laughable if it weren’t so wrong. Australia’s Reef 2050 plan - which involves a $2bn commitment to improving the health of the reef over the next decade - falls lamentably short of what’s required.

Julie Bishop should direct our government to take her own advice and take realistic steps to “lift the local pressures on the reef”, and commit to a “concerted global effort” to prevent escalating climate change.

“The government should stop putting money into coal mines, commit to the Paris Agreement, take immediate action to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels and invest in renewable energy which is booming internationally,” Ms Foster Vander Elst said.  

For interviews, contact:

Rachael Vincent, Media Campaigner Greenpeace Australia Pacific
Tel 02 9263 0354 Mob 0413 993 316

Editor’s notes:

For a truer picture of the state of the Great Barrier Reef, we recommend a look at these photos and videos, including drone footage of bleached coral off Port Douglas, only 60km north of Cairns, here: http://media.greenpeace.org/shoot/27MZIFJJD68E1

Footnotes: 

1. As reported by the Courier Mail today [here]

2. “Two-thirds of the corals in the northern part of the Great Barrier Reef have died in the reef’s worst-ever bleaching event, according to our latest underwater surveys,” : 'How much coral has died in the Great Barrier Reef’s worst bleaching event?', 29 November 2016, The Conversation [here]

More than 100 authors sign Greenpeace’s pledge for free speech and forest protection

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New York, 31 May 2017 -- More than 100 authors from around the world including Nobel Prize writer John Maxwell Coetzee (Disgrace); comedian Stephen Fry (More Fool Me); Man Booker Prize winners Margaret Atwood (The Handmaid’s Tale) and Yann Martel (Life of Pi); and thought leaders Rebecca Solnit (Men Explain Things to Me) and Naomi Klein (The Shock Doctrine) signed a pledge [1] with Greenpeace to support free speech and stand up for forests.

This pledge follows two multimillion dollar lawsuits filed by Resolute Forest Products, a Canadian company, to silence Greenpeace’s criticism of its controversial logging in the boreal forest. The lawsuits could set a dangerous precedent for free speech if they succeed in silencing public comment on corporate behaviour.

“The endings of The Handmaid's Tale, 1984 and Brave New World are written. Ours is not. This is a chance to stand up for freedom of speech, the freedom to advocate for change, and the freedom to question authority, and to strengthen their protection under law. As a society, we need a positive outcome to this story,” said Margaret Atwood, author of The Handmaid’s Tale, which recently became Hulu’s record breaking television series and depicts a dystopian future where all but the most powerful women are forbidden to write and are denied access to books.

Authors signing the pledge committed to defend “freedom of speech as a pillar of democratic and peaceful societies, the right of individuals to organize and protest without intimidation, [and] those who peacefully protect the world’s forests.”

“Speaking as a serial blasphemer, I take freedom of speech very seriously,” said author and actor Stephen Fry, “It’s not just about the satisfaction you get from speaking your mind, it’s also about telling uncomfortable truths that need to be heard, and Greenpeace has been incredibly successful at exposing what the powers that be want to keep secret. But this case goes beyond Greenpeace to threaten every whistle-blower and watchdog with information that the rich and powerful want suppressed. I’m worried, and I think you should be too.”

On 16 May, Greenpeace published a report [2] that showed major international publishers are purchasing paper from Resolute. [3] Greenpeace is inviting these global publishers to join this call to protect freedom of speech and work with Resolute to become more sustainable.

Other notable authors who signed the pledge include Man Booker Prize winners Julian Barnes (The Sense of an Ending) and Ian McEwan (Atonement), Pulitzer Prize winner Anthony Doerr (All The Light We Cannot See) MacArthur Award winner Deborah Eisenberg (Twilight of the Superheroes), Lev Grossman (The Magicians), Peter Wohlleben (The Hidden Life of Trees), Lauren Groff (Fates and Furies), William Shatner (Up Till Now), Alec Baldwin (Nevertheless), Jane Fonda (My Life So Far) and many more.

“Publishers and authors are natural allies in our fight to protect free speech. Our campaign celebrates the power of words and the incredible work that authors and publishers do every day to ensure critical thinking and the spread of ideas in our society. Now, we’re asking publishers to disavow this heavy-handed attempt by a paper company to silence dissent,” said Greenpeace USA Senior Forest Campaigner Amy Moas.

Greenpeace will be at Book Expo this week in New York, connecting with publishers and readers, and displaying an art installation called Treewhispers by artist Pamela Paulsrud, an ongoing international collaboration awakening our heartfelt connection to trees.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

 [1] Click here to see the full text of the authors’ pledge and the list of signatories, or copy the following URL to your browser: http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/authors-pledge   

[2] Click here to access the full “Clearcutting Free Speech: How Resolute Forest Products is going to extremes to silence critics of its controversial logging practices” report, or copy the following URL to your browser: http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/clearcutting-free-speech

[3] In its report, Greenpeace is asking Resolute Forest Products to:

  • Adopt Free, Prior and Informed Consent as the basis for engaging with Indigenous Peoples to ensure forest planning is driven by Indigenous knowledge and governance.

  • Suspend logging in and sourcing from High Conservation Value Forests including Intact Forest Landscapes and Woodland Caribou habitat until science-based conservation planning takes place.

  • Publicly support large-scale, protected areas based on this science and Indigenous knowledge.

  • Recommit to the FSC system and regain lost certificates.

  • Work with environmental organizations, unions and communities to address legitimate economic concerns and ensure jobs are sustained.

[4] Click here to learn more about Resolute’s massive legal attack against Greenpeace, or copy the following URL to your browser: http://www.greenpeace.org/resolutelawsuits/

Contacts:

Rodrigo Estrada, Greenpeace USA, rodrigo.estrada@greenpeace.org, phone: +1 202 344 9292 (in New York)

Molly Dorozenski, Greenpeace USA, molly.dorozenski@greenpeace.org, phone: +1 917 864 3724 (in New York)

Rachael Vincent, Greenpeace Australia Pacific, rachael.vincent@greenpeace.org, phone: +61 413 993 316 (in Sydney)

Greenpeace International Press Desk, pressdesk.int@greenpeace.orgphone: +31 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)

The world will resist Trump’s attempt to derail climate action

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Friday June 2, 2017: Greenpeace Australia Pacific has condemned US President Donald Trump’s withdrawal of the US from the Paris Agreement and affirmed that the rest of the world will continue to make progress on ambitious climate action.

There are 194 other countries who are party to the pact, which will still account for 87 per cent of global carbon emissions.

“President Trump has betrayed the trust of nearly 200 nations with this reprehensible and destructive decision, but the fact is the rest of the world has already resolved to act on climate,” Greenpeace Climate and Energy Campaigner, Nikola Casule, said.

“Real global leaders are taking urgent action on climate change. Other major parties to the historic Paris Agreement — including China, the EU and India — have signalled they remain firmly committed to the deal. At the very least, we expect that the rest of the nearly 200 nations will be stepping up and holding the US government to account.

“Australia must stand with them. Because global climate action is not a legal or political debate, it is a moral obligation to protect our planet and people.

“We have a responsibility to act.

“We also have a special duty to stand with our Pacific and Asian neighbours who are at the forefront of climate change and already experiencing its impacts. The disproportionate burden on these low-polluting countries is a manifest injustice.” 

“The message is: President Trump, you may be willing to turn your back on climate destruction and our planet’s future, but we are not. Americans — and Australians — want to honour the Paris Agreement, cut emissions and see more action to transition to a clean energy future.

“The popular will on climate action is overwhelming, and the clean energy revolution is unstoppable. The renewable energy industry is booming, and people all over the globe are becoming part of the clean energy future. Common sense energy progress will continue with or without Donald Trump.

“Trump’s isolationist stance at this critical moment in history is morally reprehensible, and his attempt to derail global progress on climate change will fail. The Paris Agreement will stand strong, and the transition to clean energy will continue.”

For interviews contact:

Rachael Vincent, Greenpeace Australia Pacific Media Campaigner
0413 993 316 / rachael.vincent@greenpeace.org

Simon Black, Greenpeace Australia Pacific Senior Media Campaigner

0418 219 086 / simon.black@greenpeace.org

 

Greenpeace suspends 70 square metre banner calling on Commonwealth Bank to stop funding coal

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Sydney, May 5, 2017: Greenpeace Australia Pacific activists have suspended a seventy square meter banner to send a message to the Commonwealth Bank that they must withdraw their financial support of coal.

The banner and its message ‘CommBank: Dump Coal! Invest in our Future’ faces directly into the CBA headquarters at 201 Sussex St, above one of Sydney’s busiest motorways, where the bank’s senior executives and CEO, Ian Narev, work.

Activists are also handing out pamphlets and engaging with CommBank staff and members of the public to let them know about the bank’s continuing support of fossil fuel projects including the Adani coal mine.

“Despite publicly committing to action on climate change, the Commonwealth Bank loaned a massive$3.886 billion to fossil fuel projects in 2016 - the most of any of the big four banks[1],” Greenpeace Climate and Energy Campaigner Dr Nikola Čašule said.

“Greenpeace is calling on CommBank CEO, Ian Narev, and the members of the CommBank board to make good on their commitment to the environment and to follow the lead set by fellow big four bank Westpac by ruling out any involvement in new coal projects or the expansion of existing projects.”

Last week Westpac committed to not finance projects in any new thermal coal basins.

“In recent months we have seen yet another mass coral bleaching event threaten the destruction of large areas of the Great Barrier Reef due to the effects of global warming,” Čašule said.

“Commonwealth Bank can take the lead to prevent tragedies such as these and help reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.”

Surveys conducted by Greenpeace found that an overwhelming 73 per cent of Commbank customers wanted their bank to not invest in companies or projects that harm the environment.

“CommBank CEO, Ian Narev, has reassured the Australian people that he was listening when they told him actions speak louder than words. Yet last year his bank lent more money to fossil fuels than any other Australian bank and continues to facilitate the construction of the Adani Carmichael mega-mine in Queensland,” Čašule said.

“Greenpeace is calling on Mr Narev to live up to his promise to support a transition to a low carbon economy not only in words but with action. The Commonwealth Bank needs to pledge to end its funding of new coal projects and commit to a credible plan to reduce its exposure to fossil fuels to zero.”

The action is part of an ongoing campaign by Greenpeace Australia Pacific around coal financing in Australia.

What: 70-square metre banner reading ‘CommBank: Dump Coal! Invest in our Future’ facing directly into the CBA headquarters
Where: Pedestrian bridge connecting CBD to Darling Harbour, 201 Sussex Street
When: From 6am

For interviews contact:
Simon Black, Senior Media Campaigner
Tel: 0418 219 086
Email: simon.black@greenpeace.org

Carmichael mine no ‘day-to-day’ transaction for Commonwealth Bank

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Monday May 8, 2017: Attempts by the Commonwealth Bank to write off their facilitation of Adani's Carmichael mega-mine as simply a “day-to-day” transaction are a cop out, Greenpeace Australia Pacific says.

CommBank was last week revealed to have continued a financial relationship with Adani Infrastructure in a transactional capacity despite publically ceasing their advisory role in 2015.

“Recent statements by CommBank are a deceptive attempt to reframe their continued facilitation of the Carmichael mega-mine as business as usual,” Greenpeace Australia Pacific campaigner Nikola Casule said.

“There is nothing ‘day-to-day’ about being the transactional bank for a $1.6 million payment to secure a water license for the largest, and most controversial, coal mine project in Australia today.”

“Their attempt to slip it past as just another money transfer is an insult to the thousands of their own customers who have sent their complaints about this issue directly to the bank and the millions of Australians who want the Great Barrier Reef protected from this disastrous coal mine.”

The Commonwealth Bank last week responded to a Greenpeace media release and reports about their relationship to the Adani mine in Queensland saying that their role had been “misrepresented and misinterpreted”.

“Ordinary transactional banking accounts [are] used by thousands of Australian businesses and consumers,” a statement on CommBank’s website reads[1].

“Transaction accounts allow people and organisations to make payments using their own money. They are vital for Australian businesses and consumers to handle their day-to-day affairs.

“A transaction account does not equate to business lending or project finance.“

Casule said the bank needed to wake up to the nature of their involvement with Adani’s Carmichael mine and move away from the toxic project and fossil fuel projects in general.

“Despite their attempts to wriggle away from the truth, CommBank have directly facilitated the construction of the Carmichael mine,” he said.

“They have proved that they are still Adani’s bank in Australia and they have contradicted their public commitment to take action to limit global warming to no more than two degrees.

“We again call on the Commonwealth Bank to make an immediate commitment to no longer financing new coal projects, including the proposed Carmichael coal mine.

“If they are really serious about creating a better future for Australia, as their advertising claims, now is the time to prove it.”

Notes for editors:

[1] https://www.commbank.com.au/guidance/newsroom/myth-busting-transaction-accounts-201705.html

For interviews contact:
Simon Black, Senior Media Campaigner
Tel: 0418 219 086
Email: simon.black@greenpeace.org

 

‘Royalties holiday’ a slap in the face to the Queensland community

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Thursday, 18 May 2017: The Queensland Government’s plan to offer the Carmichael coal mine a cash handout in the form of a "royalties holiday" is a disgrace and shows that they have turned their back on the community.

Leaked details [1] of the proposal this morning revealed Adani, the operator of the mine, would initially pay just $2 million a year in royalties when the $21 billion project was up and running.

This concession would mean they would sidestep paying anywhere up to $320 million in royalties to the Queensland community.

“This morning’s revelation that the Queensland Premier has sold out her own constituents is a disgrace,” Greenpeace campaigner Nikola Casule said.

“This arrangement is only the latest in a series of insults delivered by a government that seems to be putting the interests of big polluting fossil fuel companies before the community.

“It wasn’t enough simply to facilitate the waste of $1 billion of federal taxpayers money on the rail line for this project and to grant unlimited water access in one of the country’s most drought stricken areas.

“Now Premier Palaszczuk is taking hundreds of millions of dollars away from Queensland taxpayers and handing it over to a billionaire mining company at a time when we need to take urgent action on climate change to protect natural treasures like the Great Barrier Reef.

“During the election Palaszczuk promised there would be no taxpayer money funnelled into this project. This royalty holiday is a broken promise to the people who elected her and to the communities that rely on her to champion their interests.”

Greenpeace are calling on the Queensland government to immediately withdraw any plans which stop coal mines paying their fair share of royalties to the Australian public and to commit to keeping public money out of fossil fuels by opposing any funds for the Carmichael project via the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility.

“This is money that could be used to fund any number of community projects from schools to hospitals to providing assistance to our farmers or aid to the victims of natural disasters like Cyclone Debbie,” Casule said.

“There are countless people and organisations more deserving of the money that should go to the people of Queensland than a billionaire mining company.”

It is reported the royalty rate will then increase after several years.

NOTES FOR EDITORS:
[1] http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-18/queensland-government-gives-adani-royalties-holiday/8536560

For interviews contact:
Simon Black
Greenpeace Senior Media Campaigner
0418 219 086 / simon.black@greenpeace.org

Defying gravity to change thinking on global warming

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26 May 2017: Ogilvy & Mather and Greenpeace Australia Pacific have joined forces to create an astonishing interactive display that appears to reverse gravity as a way to provoke new thinking about global warming and climate change.

New video released today shows crowds interacting with the standing exhibit, which was installed in central Sydney’s Pitt Street Mall in April.

The exhibit houses a three dimensional model iceberg with a polar bear perched on top and an invitation to interact.

Closer inspection reveals the iceberg is melting. Drops of water are steadily eroding the polar bear’s home. When someone interacts with the display with their mobile phone, immediately the descending drops begin to slow down, until they are completely suspended in thin air, even reversing to flow back up into the iceberg. The effect becomes stronger as more people get involved.

“One of the challenges of climate change is that people find it difficult to see the effect their efforts have on such a huge, global problem,” Greenpeace campaigner Nic Seton said.

“With this installation, we hope to illustrate that a collective effort can indeed make a real difference. It is only by rallying together that we will be able to slow down, stop, and even begin to reverse the damage that has been done to our environment.”

 “As a passer-by gets involved, the melting starts to slow down.  And as more and more people get involved, their efforts make a visible difference in the fight against climate change.”

Greenpeace worked with Ogilvy & Mather Singapore to conceptualise and build the reverse climate change interactive display.

Join the collective action by signing the petition at: http://greenpeace.org/reverse

Video & high-res images for the media are available at: http://media.greenpeace.org/shoot/27MZIFJJPY8GQ&SO=Id

For more information or interviews contact:
Rachael Vincent, Media Campaigner 0413 993 316 | rachael.vincent@greenpeace.org


Conflict of interest: Australia stoops to new low at UN climate talks

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Friday May 12, 2017: Australia’s support for fossil fuel companies’ participation in UN discussions on climate is a new low, says Greenpeace Australia Pacific CEO, David Ritter, citing a clear conflict of interest.

Government representatives from the nearly 200 countries who are signed on to the Paris Agreement have gathered for high level talks in Bonn, Germany, this week at the United Nations Climate Change Conference.

While countries like China and India have been calling for tighter rules on business groups, at a meeting on Tuesday, the Australian representative vigorously defended the right of fossil fuel companies, including ExxonMobil and Shell—two of the world’s biggest polluters—to participate in the negotiations.

Fossil fuel lobbyists have long had backdoor access to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) treaty and climate policy talks, effectively delaying, weakening and blocking progress for two decades. But unlike many other UN entities, no conflict of interest rules currently exist in the UNFCCC process.

“It is outrageous and disgusting to imagine representatives of the Australian government would defend such a flagrant conflict of interest. But it shows the kind of hold that fossil fuel companies have had on Australian politics for too long,” said Greenpeace Australia Pacific CEO, David Ritter.

“The national interest and the interests of the Australian people are not the same thing as the destructive vested interests of multinational fossil fuel companies.

“The Australian government should be calling for the same standards of propriety and fairness that we would ask of our own public service in Australia. Principles behind conflict of interest rules are well-known and universal and we should be striving to uphold them.

“It’s particularly egregious after having a reputation for going slow in international climate negotiations, that the Australian representatives would stoop to the new level of actively promoting the ongoing participation of vested interests determined to hold up progress,” Mr Ritter said.

A new report by Corporate Accountability International on the role of lobbyists at the UNFCCC, “Inside Job: Big Polluters’ lobbyists on the inside at the UNFCCC” was released in the lead up to the talks last week, on 1 May 2017. The reports examines six of the more than 270 business industry NGOs currently admitted to the climate talks, including the Business Council of Australia: https://www.stopcorporateabuse.org/insidejob

For interviews, contact:

Rachael Vincent, Media Campaigner Greenpeace Australia Pacific
Tel 02 9263 0354 Mob 0413 993 316

Julie Bishop’s PR stunt a travesty of science: the Reef is in serious danger

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Tuesday, 16 May 2017: The foreign minister Julie Bishop’s snorkelling junket for 75 foreign ambassadors off Cairns yesterday [1] was a transparent PR stunt to persuade UN nations that the Reef is fine ahead of a possible World Heritage ‘in danger’ listing at the 41st session of the World Heritage Committee on 2-12 July in Krakow this year.

The reality is that current efforts fall far short of what is required to protect our most treasured natural wonder.

“A short snorkel in an undamaged area of the Reef does nothing to show the true picture of the lack of effort by Government to - as Julie Bishop says - “conserve, preserve and manage the Reef,”” said Greenpeace Campaigner, Alix Foster Vander Elst.

“In fact, it masks the sad reality. Government inaction has already seen two thirds of the coral hit by back-to-back mass bleaching events.”

Ms Bishop has enlisted the support of optimistic marine biologists to tell the media that bleached coral can recover and rejuvenate “without any mass die-off.”

“But the sad fact is that while coral can recover from bleaching, the conditions need to be right … and conditions are not right. The longer it is stressed, the less likely coral is to recover,” said Ms Alix Foster Vander Elst

Recent reports by Terry Hughes, director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, show that record-breaking water temperatures have caused bleaching to over 1500km of coral over the last two summers, leaving only the southern third of the Reef unscathed. And it is widely acknowledged that already some 67% of corals have already died in the reef's worst-hit northern section.

The Reef is under very serious threat. But perhaps worst of all, the Government is actively contributing to exacerbating the greatest threat to the Reef: climate change.

“Just last week, the Foreign Minister’s own department sent an Australian diplomat to UN climate talks in Bonn, Germany, where he shamelessly argued for the inclusion of the fossil fuel lobby - including two of the world’s biggest carbon polluters - in international climate negotiations,” said Ms Foster Vander Elst

“And the Government has continuously expressed its support for the proposed massive Carmichael mine in the Galilee valley, including a proposal to lend nearly $1bn of taxpayers’ money to the project, which will ship millions of tonnes of coal out through the Reef and directly impact its health by contributing to climate change,” Ms Foster Vander Elst said.

Bishop’s assertion that we are “leading the world in coral reef preservation and conservation” would be laughable if it weren’t so wrong. Australia’s Reef 2050 plan - which involves a $2bn commitment to improving the health of the reef over the next decade - falls lamentably short of what’s required.

Julie Bishop should direct our government to take her own advice and take realistic steps to “lift the local pressures on the reef”, and commit to a “concerted global effort” to prevent escalating climate change.

“The government should stop putting money into coal mines, commit to the Paris Agreement, take immediate action to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels and invest in renewable energy which is booming internationally,” Ms Foster Vander Elst said.  

For interviews, contact:

Rachael Vincent, Media Campaigner Greenpeace Australia Pacific
Tel 02 9263 0354 Mob 0413 993 316

Editor’s notes:

For a truer picture of the state of the Great Barrier Reef, we recommend a look at these photos and videos, including drone footage of bleached coral off Port Douglas, only 60km north of Cairns, here: http://media.greenpeace.org/shoot/27MZIFJJD68E1

Footnotes: 

1. As reported by the Courier Mail today [here]

2. “Two-thirds of the corals in the northern part of the Great Barrier Reef have died in the reef’s worst-ever bleaching event, according to our latest underwater surveys,” : 'How much coral has died in the Great Barrier Reef’s worst bleaching event?', 29 November 2016, The Conversation [here]

Adani’s Carmichael mine would be a disaster for communities and a death sentence for the Great Barrier Reef

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June 6, 2017: Greenpeace Australia Pacific has condemned today’s announcement by the Adani board about the Carmichael mine as an “empty PR stunt” for a toxic project which is unable to go ahead without billions of dollars in public money.

The mining giant’s chairman today gave his final investment approval for the multi-billion dollar Carmichael mine in central Queensland's Galilee Basin.

The company are yet to confirm financing or if a billion dollar loan from the Northern Australian Infrastructure Facility to fund the rail line between the proposed mine and the Abbot Point coal terminal has been granted.

“This mine will be a disaster for the climate, the Great Barrier Reef and frontline communities in Queensland and around the world,” Greenpeace Climate and Energy Campaigner, Nikola Casule, said.

“This toxic mega-mine is deeply unpopular with the Australian people and is not viable without massive handouts of public money through subsidies or loans from the NAIF and Queensland government.

“Any public assistance to the mine is a betrayal of the Australian public and the things they hold dear, like a healthy Reef and support for public services that lose out when billions of dollars are given to Adani instead of to schools and hospitals.

“Greenpeace are calling for state and federal governments to rule out any public funds being granted to this environmentally destructive and economically disastrous project once and for all.

“The people of Australia have overwhelmingly rejected this toxic project. The age of coal is dead and we need real leadership to ensure a just transition away from fossil fuels for the Australian community.”

For interviews contact:
Simon Black
Greenpeace Senior Media Campaigner
0418 219 086 / simon.black@greenpeace.org

Australia standing in the way of cleaner steel, Greenpeace report shows

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Thursday, 8 June 2017: Australia has played a key role in enabling the global steel industry to become more, not less, emission intensive, a new Greenpeace report has shown.

Released today, the Steeling the Future report shows that Australia deliberately "sought and won its position as the world’s pre-eminent facilitator of the dirtiest steelmaking process" with nearly half of all coal exports now used to make steel.

“The coal industry are fond of pretending that you cannot have steel without coal,” Greenpeace Climate and Energy Campaigner, Nikola Casule, said.

“This report demonstrates that not only is that simply not true but coal is, in fact, standing in the way of cleaner steelmaking techniques.”

The report found that Australian metallurgical coal exports produce nearly half a billion tonnes of CO2 offshore - 88 per cent as much greenhouse pollution as we produce domestically.

“This cannot continue if we want to try to protect national icons like the Great Barrier Reef and make good on our promise as part of the Paris climate accords to curb global warming for future generations,” Casule said.


“Coal is a dirty and outdated method of producing power and a dirty and outdated method of making steel.”

The report urges the Australian government to learn from the lessons of thermal coal and to make a planned transition away from metallurgical coal.

“Coal communities across Australia have already been left in the lurch by the Federal Government’s failure to anticipate or accept the decline of thermal coal,” Casule said.

“We cannot afford to make the same mistake with communities who currently rely on the metallurgical coal industry.

“The government must immediately plan and implement a just transition away from all forms of coal and shift to cleaner steel production.

“We have the opportunity for Australia to become a leader in clean steel production while also ensuring that it makes a meaningful contribution to global efforts to combat climate change.”

Notes for editors:
“Steeling the Future” can be accessed at the below link: http://www.greenpeace.org/australia/en/what-we-do/climate/resources/reports/Steeling-the-Future/

For more information contact:
Simon Black
Greenpeace Senior Media Campaigner
0418 219 086 / simon.black@greenpeace.org

Statoil’s plans to drill in the Bight represent catastrophic risk and should be rejected

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Plans announced today by Norwegian oil company, Statoil, to conduct exploratory drilling in the Great Australian Bight will face intense opposition from the Australian community because of the extreme risk deepwater drilling represents to a uniquely valuable marine wilderness.

Statoil’s appalling safety record alone is enough reason for the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) to reject a future Environment Plan.

Statoil’s latest proposal comes amid new concerns voiced by Norway’s oil regulator over the company’s safety record. [1].

"Statoil has come under scrutiny for a worsening safety record, including a doubling of the volume of oil spills from their Norwegian wells last year and fourteen major safety incidents in the past eighteen months,” said Greenpeace Campaigner, Jonathan Moylan.

“NOPSEMA should not approve drilling in such a sensitive area by a company with such a track record.

“The Great Australian Bight has some of the most extreme weather conditions on the planet. Extreme deepwater drilling under such conditions is too risky. Any spill would be catastrophic, as stochastic modelling done previously by BP has shown: the devastating impacts would reach from Perth in WA to Eden on the NSW south coast.

“Statoil should brace for strong opposition to its plans from the South Australian community, including from tourism and fishing communities who rely on a pristine Bight.

“The livelihoods of communities that would be affected by a catastrophic oil spill should not be trumped by the special interests of the oil industry,” said Mr Moylan.

The Great Australian Bight is one of the most precious, pristine wilderness areas in the world.

“The Bight is a whale nursery for the Southern Right Whale, home to the Australian sea lion and 85% of species found in the Bight exist nowhere else on earth,” said Mr Moylan.

“Statoil’s intention to open up more risky drilling operations at the ends of the earth stands in marked contrast to their espoused recognition of the global energy transformation that is already underway.” [2]

An unprecedented legal challenge in Norway, led by Greenpeace and Natuur og Ungdom, is challenging Statoil’s northernmost Arctic oil licenses ever granted in the Barents Sea on climate grounds.

Notes for editors:
[1] Statoil: Safety incidents surge as new Arctic drilling drive begins at http://energydesk.greenpeace.org/2017/05/11/statoil-arctic-barents-safety-incidents/
[2] Immediate action needed to transform the global energy system https://www.statoil.com/en/news/energy-perspectives2017-immediate-action-needed.html

For interviews contact:
Rachael Vincent, Media Campaigner
rachael.vincent@greenpeace.org 0413 993 316

Greenpeace suspends 70 square metre banner calling on Commonwealth Bank to stop funding coal

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Sydney, May 5, 2017: Greenpeace Australia Pacific activists have suspended a seventy square meter banner to send a message to the Commonwealth Bank that they must withdraw their financial support of coal.

The banner and its message ‘CommBank: Dump Coal! Invest in our Future’ faces directly into the CBA headquarters at 201 Sussex St, above one of Sydney’s busiest motorways, where the bank’s senior executives and CEO, Ian Narev, work.

Activists are also handing out pamphlets and engaging with CommBank staff and members of the public to let them know about the bank’s continuing support of fossil fuel projects including the Adani coal mine.

“Despite publicly committing to action on climate change, the Commonwealth Bank loaned a massive$3.886 billion to fossil fuel projects in 2016 - the most of any of the big four banks[1],” Greenpeace Climate and Energy Campaigner Dr Nikola Čašule said.

“Greenpeace is calling on CommBank CEO, Ian Narev, and the members of the CommBank board to make good on their commitment to the environment and to follow the lead set by fellow big four bank Westpac by ruling out any involvement in new coal projects or the expansion of existing projects.”

Last week Westpac committed to not finance projects in any new thermal coal basins.

“In recent months we have seen yet another mass coral bleaching event threaten the destruction of large areas of the Great Barrier Reef due to the effects of global warming,” Čašule said.

“Commonwealth Bank can take the lead to prevent tragedies such as these and help reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.”

Surveys conducted by Greenpeace found that an overwhelming 73 per cent of Commbank customers wanted their bank to not invest in companies or projects that harm the environment.

“CommBank CEO, Ian Narev, has reassured the Australian people that he was listening when they told him actions speak louder than words. Yet last year his bank lent more money to fossil fuels than any other Australian bank and continues to facilitate the construction of the Adani Carmichael mega-mine in Queensland,” Čašule said.

“Greenpeace is calling on Mr Narev to live up to his promise to support a transition to a low carbon economy not only in words but with action. The Commonwealth Bank needs to pledge to end its funding of new coal projects and commit to a credible plan to reduce its exposure to fossil fuels to zero.”

The action is part of an ongoing campaign by Greenpeace Australia Pacific around coal financing in Australia.

What: 70-square metre banner reading ‘CommBank: Dump Coal! Invest in our Future’ facing directly into the CBA headquarters
Where: Pedestrian bridge connecting CBD to Darling Harbour, 201 Sussex Street
When: From 6am

For interviews contact:
Simon Black, Senior Media Campaigner
Tel: 0418 219 086
Email: simon.black@greenpeace.org

Carmichael mine no ‘day-to-day’ transaction for Commonwealth Bank

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Monday May 8, 2017: Attempts by the Commonwealth Bank to write off their facilitation of Adani's Carmichael mega-mine as simply a “day-to-day” transaction are a cop out, Greenpeace Australia Pacific says.

CommBank was last week revealed to have continued a financial relationship with Adani Infrastructure in a transactional capacity despite publically ceasing their advisory role in 2015.

“Recent statements by CommBank are a deceptive attempt to reframe their continued facilitation of the Carmichael mega-mine as business as usual,” Greenpeace Australia Pacific campaigner Nikola Casule said.

“There is nothing ‘day-to-day’ about being the transactional bank for a $1.6 million payment to secure a water license for the largest, and most controversial, coal mine project in Australia today.”

“Their attempt to slip it past as just another money transfer is an insult to the thousands of their own customers who have sent their complaints about this issue directly to the bank and the millions of Australians who want the Great Barrier Reef protected from this disastrous coal mine.”

The Commonwealth Bank last week responded to a Greenpeace media release and reports about their relationship to the Adani mine in Queensland saying that their role had been “misrepresented and misinterpreted”.

“Ordinary transactional banking accounts [are] used by thousands of Australian businesses and consumers,” a statement on CommBank’s website reads[1].

“Transaction accounts allow people and organisations to make payments using their own money. They are vital for Australian businesses and consumers to handle their day-to-day affairs.

“A transaction account does not equate to business lending or project finance.“

Casule said the bank needed to wake up to the nature of their involvement with Adani’s Carmichael mine and move away from the toxic project and fossil fuel projects in general.

“Despite their attempts to wriggle away from the truth, CommBank have directly facilitated the construction of the Carmichael mine,” he said.

“They have proved that they are still Adani’s bank in Australia and they have contradicted their public commitment to take action to limit global warming to no more than two degrees.

“We again call on the Commonwealth Bank to make an immediate commitment to no longer financing new coal projects, including the proposed Carmichael coal mine.

“If they are really serious about creating a better future for Australia, as their advertising claims, now is the time to prove it.”

Notes for editors:

[1] https://www.commbank.com.au/guidance/newsroom/myth-busting-transaction-accounts-201705.html

For interviews contact:
Simon Black, Senior Media Campaigner
Tel: 0418 219 086
Email: simon.black@greenpeace.org

 


‘Royalties holiday’ a slap in the face to the Queensland community

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Thursday, 18 May 2017: The Queensland Government’s plan to offer the Carmichael coal mine a cash handout in the form of a "royalties holiday" is a disgrace and shows that they have turned their back on the community.

Leaked details [1] of the proposal this morning revealed Adani, the operator of the mine, would initially pay just $2 million a year in royalties when the $21 billion project was up and running.

This concession would mean they would sidestep paying anywhere up to $320 million in royalties to the Queensland community.

“This morning’s revelation that the Queensland Premier has sold out her own constituents is a disgrace,” Greenpeace campaigner Nikola Casule said.

“This arrangement is only the latest in a series of insults delivered by a government that seems to be putting the interests of big polluting fossil fuel companies before the community.

“It wasn’t enough simply to facilitate the waste of $1 billion of federal taxpayers money on the rail line for this project and to grant unlimited water access in one of the country’s most drought stricken areas.

“Now Premier Palaszczuk is taking hundreds of millions of dollars away from Queensland taxpayers and handing it over to a billionaire mining company at a time when we need to take urgent action on climate change to protect natural treasures like the Great Barrier Reef.

“During the election Palaszczuk promised there would be no taxpayer money funnelled into this project. This royalty holiday is a broken promise to the people who elected her and to the communities that rely on her to champion their interests.”

Greenpeace are calling on the Queensland government to immediately withdraw any plans which stop coal mines paying their fair share of royalties to the Australian public and to commit to keeping public money out of fossil fuels by opposing any funds for the Carmichael project via the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility.

“This is money that could be used to fund any number of community projects from schools to hospitals to providing assistance to our farmers or aid to the victims of natural disasters like Cyclone Debbie,” Casule said.

“There are countless people and organisations more deserving of the money that should go to the people of Queensland than a billionaire mining company.”

It is reported the royalty rate will then increase after several years.

NOTES FOR EDITORS:
[1] http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-18/queensland-government-gives-adani-royalties-holiday/8536560

For interviews contact:
Simon Black
Greenpeace Senior Media Campaigner
0418 219 086 / simon.black@greenpeace.org

Defying gravity to change thinking on global warming

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26 May 2017: Ogilvy & Mather and Greenpeace Australia Pacific have joined forces to create an astonishing interactive display that appears to reverse gravity as a way to provoke new thinking about global warming and climate change.

New video released today shows crowds interacting with the standing exhibit, which was installed in central Sydney’s Pitt Street Mall in April.

The exhibit houses a three dimensional model iceberg with a polar bear perched on top and an invitation to interact.

Closer inspection reveals the iceberg is melting. Drops of water are steadily eroding the polar bear’s home. When someone interacts with the display with their mobile phone, immediately the descending drops begin to slow down, until they are completely suspended in thin air, even reversing to flow back up into the iceberg. The effect becomes stronger as more people get involved.

“One of the challenges of climate change is that people find it difficult to see the effect their efforts have on such a huge, global problem,” Greenpeace campaigner Nic Seton said.

“With this installation, we hope to illustrate that a collective effort can indeed make a real difference. It is only by rallying together that we will be able to slow down, stop, and even begin to reverse the damage that has been done to our environment.”

 “As a passer-by gets involved, the melting starts to slow down.  And as more and more people get involved, their efforts make a visible difference in the fight against climate change.”

Greenpeace worked with Ogilvy & Mather Singapore to conceptualise and build the reverse climate change interactive display.

Join the collective action by signing the petition at: http://greenpeace.org/reverse

Video & high-res images for the media are available at: http://media.greenpeace.org/shoot/27MZIFJJPY8GQ&SO=Id

For more information or interviews contact:
Rachael Vincent, Media Campaigner 0413 993 316 | rachael.vincent@greenpeace.org

JOINT RELEASE: Call to cease plastic bag plague – new poll

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With over one billion plastic bags littered in the last 10 years, it’s time for a ban, key environment groups said today, as Australia’s environment ministers prepare to meet on the issue.

They also released a new poll showing 65% of residents in NSW, VIC and WA supported a ban; with 79% support in states with existing bans (see below).

“The environmental and community verdict is in – it’s time for state governments to take action. The growing alarm about plastic pollution of the ocean is creating added urgency which can’t be ignored,” said Jeff Angel, Director of the Boomerang Alliance of 47 groups.

Greenpeace Senior Media Campaigner, Simon Black, said: "Australians use tens of millions of plastic bags each day". 

"An estimated 50 million of the littered bags end up in our waterways and oceans each year. There is now an estimated 1.7 million tonnes of plastic contaminating our waterways.” 

"Much of it in the form of invisible microplastics which cannot be seen but kill marine life and contaminating our food."

Ian Kiernan, AO, Chairman of CleanUp Australia said: “We’re seeing more and more businesses and local communities ditching the plastic bag. There are plenty of alternatives. Governments should take their guide from this and enact state laws.”

Omnipoll 25 May - 5 June 2017

Support or not the ban in "STATE" of single use plastic bags given out at supermarket and store checkouts. 

Column %Total of all statesNSWVICWAStates with existing bans
Yes/support6763676879
No/do not support2022201915
Unsure/can't say131514136
NET100100100100100
Column n1116353308302153
Column141996124561981520
      
      

 

 

Further information:

Jeff Angel, Boomerang Alliance - 0418 273 773

Simon Black, Greenpeace, 0418 219 086

Government can't afford to turn blind eye to climate change

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Tuesday May 9, 2017: The Turnbull government has continued to ignore climate change and the need to fund renewable energy at a time when the country is demanding leadership on the most serious threat of our age, Greenpeace Australia Pacific says.

Released tonight by Federal Treasurer, Scott Morrison, the 2017 Budget has no credible measures to battle global warming and fails to address the serious issue of corporate tax avoidance by the country’s largest polluters.

“At a time when companies like Chevron have been revealed to pay zero tax this government continues to put the interests of the fossil fuel industry ahead of the Australian people,” Greenpeace campaigner Nikola Casule said.

“It’s time for our leaders to look to the future and invest in renewable energy solutions instead of propping up yesterday’s industries in risky and polluting fossil fuel ventures.

“Despite the age of coal coming to a close Turnbull ministers continue to talk up Adani’s Carmichael mega-mine.

“If we’re to address climate change and stop disasters like the recent mass coral bleaching event on the Great Barrier Reef we need to stop burning the coal we have now. Not dig up more.

“While the government cuts $2.8 billion from universities and continue to drastically reduce foreign aid it is still considering giving $1 billion to the Carmichael coal mine - a disastrous project that threatens the Great Barrier Reef.”

For interviews contact:
Simon Black
Greenpeace Senior Media Campaigner
0418 219 086 / simon.black@greenpeace.org

Greenpeace suspends 70 square metre banner calling on Commonwealth Bank to stop funding coal

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Sydney, May 5, 2017: Greenpeace Australia Pacific activists have suspended a seventy square meter banner to send a message to the Commonwealth Bank that they must withdraw their financial support of coal.

The banner and its message ‘CommBank: Dump Coal! Invest in our Future’ faces directly into the CBA headquarters at 201 Sussex St, above one of Sydney’s busiest motorways, where the bank’s senior executives and CEO, Ian Narev, work.

Activists are also handing out pamphlets and engaging with CommBank staff and members of the public to let them know about the bank’s continuing support of fossil fuel projects including the Adani coal mine.

“Despite publicly committing to action on climate change, the Commonwealth Bank loaned a massive$3.886 billion to fossil fuel projects in 2016 - the most of any of the big four banks[1],” Greenpeace Climate and Energy Campaigner Dr Nikola Čašule said.

“Greenpeace is calling on CommBank CEO, Ian Narev, and the members of the CommBank board to make good on their commitment to the environment and to follow the lead set by fellow big four bank Westpac by ruling out any involvement in new coal projects or the expansion of existing projects.”

Last week Westpac committed to not finance projects in any new thermal coal basins.

“In recent months we have seen yet another mass coral bleaching event threaten the destruction of large areas of the Great Barrier Reef due to the effects of global warming,” Čašule said.

“Commonwealth Bank can take the lead to prevent tragedies such as these and help reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.”

Surveys conducted by Greenpeace found that an overwhelming 73 per cent of Commbank customers wanted their bank to not invest in companies or projects that harm the environment.

“CommBank CEO, Ian Narev, has reassured the Australian people that he was listening when they told him actions speak louder than words. Yet last year his bank lent more money to fossil fuels than any other Australian bank and continues to facilitate the construction of the Adani Carmichael mega-mine in Queensland,” Čašule said.

“Greenpeace is calling on Mr Narev to live up to his promise to support a transition to a low carbon economy not only in words but with action. The Commonwealth Bank needs to pledge to end its funding of new coal projects and commit to a credible plan to reduce its exposure to fossil fuels to zero.”

The action is part of an ongoing campaign by Greenpeace Australia Pacific around coal financing in Australia.

What: 70-square metre banner reading ‘CommBank: Dump Coal! Invest in our Future’ facing directly into the CBA headquarters
Where: Pedestrian bridge connecting CBD to Darling Harbour, 201 Sussex Street
When: From 6am

For interviews contact:
Simon Black, Senior Media Campaigner
Tel: 0418 219 086
Email: simon.black@greenpeace.org

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