An environmental group who discovered evidence of logging in a Gippsland rainforest has been threatened with prosecution. Goongerah Environment Centre (GECO) raised the alarm last month when they discovered trees had been ripped out in a protected area, in the Errinundra National Park But the State Government found there was insufficient evidence that VicForests had …
Members of an environment group who revealed evidence of rainforest clearing in East Gippsland, in south-east Victoria, have been threatened with prosecution. After being tipped off by the Goongerah Environment Centre (GECO), the Department of Environment found VicForests had needlessly destroyed rainforest canopy on the Errinundra Plateau. The state forestry compliance officer has now threatened …
A wide-reaching trade agreement between the United States and several Asian nations could have catastrophic repercussions for climate change, including giving corporations the power to sue governments that try to limit polluting industries, environmental groups say. In order to avoid dangerous climate change, scientists estimate that 80 percent of the world’s fossil fuels need to …
Environmentalist and campaigner Frances Pike explains why Australian native forests are currently facing their greatest threat and how you can make a difference. The so-called native forest “waste” that is the sticking point in current Renewable Energy Target negotiations is not sawdust, tree stumps or branches. If the industry gets its way it will be …
The Abbott governments plan to define the burning of native forest logs in electricity generators as a ‘renewable energy’ under the planned RET scheme is under sustained attack from environment groups. “The ALP leader, Bill Shorten is also refusing to make a clear commitment that would ensure native forests will not be power station fodder …
It’s crazy! When the RET is supposed to be bringing emissions down, the Abbott government is prepared to increase them by burning the land’s greatest carbon stores – our forests – in electricity furnaces. This would have higher emissions than coal (per unit of energy produced – see illustration). It would take 200 years to …
Our governments should take note: some US Senators are wanting a moratorium on use of bioenergy as renewable energy under their Clean Power Plan. They believe that by claiming biomass power plants that burn forest ‘waste’ emit zero emissions, it could undermine the ability of the Plan to reduce emissions from the power sector. Massachusetts has …
The Federal Government and Opposition have reached agreement on a revised Renewable Energy Target (RET), but remain at odds over the energy sources to be included. The major parties have agreed to cut the target to 33,000 gigawatt hours (GWh), but Labor is objecting to the Government’s push to include native wood burning. The Government …
THE clean energy sector is warning against investment-risking “messy” negotiations, after the government and Labor agreed in part to a pared-back renewable energy target. AFTER months of political stalemate, the two parties struck a deal on Friday to slash the target from 41,000GWh to 33,000 but bipartisanship on the entire package remains in doubt. The …
The federal Labor opposition will go to the next election proposing a more ambitious renewable energy target that would enable the large-scale solar industry to gain a share of the subsidised industry. Opposition environment spokesman Mark Butler confirmed the intention on Friday after Labor and the government agreed to end more than a year of uncertainty and support a revised renewable energy target …
