Category Archives: PLEA Network

PLEA Network
19 June 2015, Renew Economy, Queensland pushes through massive rises in fixed electricity charges. A victory for McMansions? Fixed charges to households surge, while small business may pay two-thirds of their bill on fixed charges, as government owned utilities move against solar and energy efficiency. The Queensland government managed to get some sympathetic coverage on the ABC and in the local mainstream media – and even some specialist websites who should know better – about the supposed “fall” in electricity bills in the upcoming year. But what they did not mention – presumably because it wasn’t in the Queensland Competition Authority press release – was a huge jump in fixed charges that will penalise households and small business, and reduce the incentive to install rooftop solar.

Fixed charges for households will jump more than 20 per cent to $1.07 a day, meaning that with GST, households will pay a minimum $428 a year on fixed charges, no matter how little electricity they consume. The consumption rate has been cut to 22c/kWh but this means nothing for households that consume around 7kWh a day – pensioners and single person households for instance, and others who pay attention to energy efficiency. Their annual bill will now be more than $1,050 – which equates to a rate of 42c/kWh, probably the highest in the world. And their ability to offset that with solar is greatly reduced because so much of the cost is unavoidable. But small businesses – butchers, restaurants, takeaway food installations, or anyone using refrigeration and cooking – face an even greater proportion of fixed charges under the new scheme. Read More here

PLEA Network

15 June 2015, Skeptical Science, The latest global temperature data are breaking records: Just today, NASA released its global temperature data for the month of May 2015. It was a scorching 0.71°C (1.3°F) above the long-term average. It is also the hottest first five months of any year ever recorded. As we look at climate patterns over the next year or so, it is likely that this year will set a new all-time record. In fact, as of now, 2015 is a whopping 0.1°C (0.17°F) hotter than last year, which itself was the hottest year on record.

Below, NASA’s annual temperatures are shown. Each year’s results are shown as black dots. Some years are warmer, some are cooler and we never want to put too much emphasis on any single year’s temperature. I have added a star to show where 2015 is so far this year, simply off the chart. The last 12 months are at record levels as well. So far June has been very hot as well, likely to end up warmer than May. Read More here

PLEA Network

r ageing populations could help slow greenhouse emissions: finally -something good about being a Baby Boomer! In many parts of the world, and particularly in developed countries, populations are getting older. Of the baby boomers (born between 1945 and 1965), the oldest are now well into their sixties, and in their lifetimes fertility rates have fallen while life expectancies have climbed…  Population ageing will put significant pressure on the fiscal policies of governments around the world. Healthcare and pension systems are expected to bear the brunt, while ageing populations will shrink the labour force, putting downward pressure on economic productivity. But what if there’s an upside for the environment? My recent research has found that, in rich countries at least, ageing populations might help to drive down greenhouse gas emissions. Read More here

PLEA Network

4 June 2015, Climate Action Tracker, Bonn: The combined climate plans for the G7 and EU have made a small step towards the right track to hold warming to 2?C, but there is still a substantial emissions gap, the Climate Action Tracker said today. Ahead of the upcoming G7 meeting in Germany, the Climate Action Tracker – an analysis carried out by four research organisations – has looked at the combined INDCs of all G7 governments and the EU, who are responsible, in aggregate, for around 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions and 40% of global GDP.

  • Current policies in the G7+EU are projected to stabilise emissions through to 2030 at close to present levels, and do not yet show a decline in emissions, which is needed to move towards below 2°C and 1.5°C emission pathways. 
  • The projected combined effect of G7+EU INDCs for 2025, and 2030, if implemented, would bring the group 20-30% of the way to 2°C-consistent emissions in this period.
  • The G7+EU 2020 pledges only bring emissions 5% of the way towards emissions levels consistent with 2 and 1.5°C in that year.
  • While the remaining gaps still represent important mitigation challenges (roughly 6.5, 7.6 and 7.8 GtCO2e/year in 2020, 2025 and 2030 respectively or 21%, 24% and 25% of 1990 emissions levels excl. forestry), there is a clear, but as yet insufficient, improvement in ambition. Read More here