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David Ritter

1 Nov, 17 tweets, 6 min read

Scott Morrison keeps saying technology will provide the answers to climate change. We already have that technology - it is called wind, solar and batteries.
And what has Scott Morrison done?
Blocked renewables at every turn. A thread:

To start - renewable energy from wind and solar is now the cheapest power available, while coal and gas continue to rise in price and grow increasingly unreliable.
bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

This has been confirmed by Australia’s energy market operator, who said “renewable generation, complemented by firming capacity, remains the least-cost option to replace ageing coal-fired generation”
theguardian.com/australia-news…

Time and again, Australia has been singled out for its unique natural predisposition to becoming a renewable energy superpower.
rossgarnaut.com.au/australian-eco…

And we know Australia’s export market could boom. Green exports are a $333 billion opportunity - that’s three times the value of existing fossil fuel exports.
bze.org.au/research_relea…

We also know that Australia has the opportunity to create 395,000 clean export jobs.
d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/bca/pages/6621…

We have a range of projects in planning that could unlock a new future as a global leader in clean, green projects rather than destructive, polluting fossil fuels:
theguardian.com/environment/20…

It is very clear - renewables, backed by batteries, are now cheap, proven and reliable. Instead of embracing them - Morrison’s government is avoiding investing in them, so failing to provide regulatory certainty.

For years, as the world has transitioned around us, the Australian federal government has worked to actively block state progress in renewables investment.
9news.com.au/national/fed-g…

Australia has been notably slow off the mark to shift to offshore wind, a huge opportunity for jobs growth and exports:
theguardian.com/australia-news…

In June, the federal government blocked one of Australia’s flagship green energy export projects - the Asian Renewable Energy Hub.
afr.com/companies/ener…

In contrast, in September alone, Australia’s federal government approved three new coal mines.
theguardian.com/australia-news…

And Angus Taylor has continued his crusade to ensure carbon credits are awarded to Carbon Capture and Storage projects (which there is no evidence yet can actually capture, or store, any carbon), instead of proper green projects.
theguardian.com/environment/20…

A range of experts and scientists have done the work, showing how we can replace fossil fuels with renewables and batteries by 2035. This equates to 75% emissions cut by 2030, and net zero by 2035.
climateworksaustralia.org/news/stimulati…

And business is doing its best to just get on with it. Coles, Woolworths, Bunnings and Aldi - Australia’s four most trusted brands - have all committed to using only renewable electricity by 2025 or sooner:
smh.com.au/environment/su…

There is no justifiable reason for delay. We have everything we need - except a federal government willing to act.
It’s time to leave behind destructive fossil fuels and instead shift to become the clean energy superpower Australia is ready to be. #auspol

Also - take it from the tech experts, not just from me.
We need policy not different technology. #auspol #COP26
afr.com/technology/cli…

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More from @David_Ritter

David Ritter

@David_Ritter

3 Nov

@GreenpeaceAP

BREAKING: new @GreenpeaceAP investigation reveals the Australian government has been using bullying tactics to water down outcomes in Pacific climate negotiations, while also greenwashing aid to the Pacific. #COP26 #auspol hubs.ly/H0-wXWc0

The investigation, based on interviews with dozens of present and former Pacific leaders as well as Australian diplomats and academics, gives an insight into the strong-arm tactics used by Australia’s leaders behind closed doors to buy silence on climate.

The investigation also unpacks how Australia’s aid to the Pacific has been greenwashed, with some of the largest and most expensive ‘climate adaptation’ projects having no link to climate change or developing climate resilience #COP26
theguardian.com/world/2021/nov…

Read 8 tweets

David Ritter

@David_Ritter

2 Nov

@ScottMorrisonMP

If Australia is serious about a commitment to halt and reverse global #deforestation at #COP26 some things are going to have to change.
The truth is, @ScottMorrisonMP and his predecessors have been running what is basically an undeclared war on nature.
This must end.
A thread:

In February 2018, according to the government's own data, “less than 40% of Australia’s nationally listed threatened species have recovery plans… and for the 10% of listed threatened species that require plans, supporting documentation was unfinished.”
theguardian.com/environment/20…

In 2018, the Darling River fish kills threw Australia’s environmental mismanagement into sharp relief:
smh.com.au/environment/su…

Read 24 tweets

David Ritter

@David_Ritter

1 Nov

Over the past few days, we’ve seen the frustration Macron and many international leaders have felt towards Scott Morrison at #COP26 .
But it doesn't have to be this way.
Australia has another global legacy that we must remember, because things can be different.
Here’s a thread:

Just after WWII in 1948, Australian Doc Evatt was elected President of the United Nations General Assembly, and oversaw the vote to accept the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
humanrights.gov.au/our-work/educa…

Having (very belatedly) abandoned the White Australia Policy, from the early 1970s Australian leaders condemned Apartheid in South Africa, and played a key role in international sanctions:
abc.net.au/news/2013-12-0…

Read 10 tweets

David Ritter

@David_Ritter

31 Oct

@ScottMorrisonMP

It looks like @ScottMorrisonMP damaged progress in key climate talks in Rome over night...
This is not what the vast majority of the Australian people want.
The Australian people want real climate action and to do our fair share.
Here's a thread:

In September, Australia’s biggest climate poll found that 67 per cent of voters believed the government should be doing more to address climate change: smh.com.au/environment/cl…

The same poll also found majority support for more climate action in every single parliamentary seat of Australia’s 151 House of Representatives, including the electorate represented by Scott Morrison.

Read 11 tweets

David Ritter

@David_Ritter

29 Oct

@ScottMorrisonMP

The real motive behind @ScottMorrisonMP’s net zero “plan” was to take political heat off him, in Australia and internationally.
So, how'd it go?
TL;DR: badly.
So far, it turns out the “Plan” is not only useless for reducing emissions but has been a self-own.
Here’s a thread:

@mb_dahlstrom

As reported by @mb_dahlstrom last night “Australia’s international reputation is being shredded according to new data which shows the country’s climate-change policies are striking a raw nerve”.
au.news.yahoo.com/graph-shows-au…

The data shows that there has been a widespread negative response to Morrison’s “plan” across both conventional and social media.
“Hot mess”, “failure” and “pigs” have been among the trending terms:
au.news.yahoo.com/graph-shows-au…

Read 25 tweets

David Ritter

@David_Ritter

26 Oct

@ScottMorrisonMP

Hi again @ScottMorrisonMP.
Another presser, this time accompanied by a “plan” - and yet, another pile of things you’re wrong about.
I guess it’s time to bust the Morrison Myths on net zero. Here’s a thread:

You have made it clear you have no plans to phase out coal, oil and gas. Unfortunately, this is the exact thing the IEA has clearly stated all advanced economies must do (stopping coal by 2030) and ceasing any new coal, oil and gas projects this year.
iea.org/reports/net-ze…

Coal, oil and gas are the top drivers of emissions, so the biggest cause of climate change - when exports and what is burned at home are combined, Australia is the world’s fifth-worst polluter. What we do absolutely matters. theguardian.com/environment/20…

Read 19 tweets

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