Essay by Eric Worrall
Stronger laws against false climate claims appear to have silenced former corporate green enthusiasts.
Radio silence replaces greenwashing claims
By Anna Patty
Updated April 3, 2023 — 4.14pmfirst published at 5.00amAustralian companies are walking back their public commitments to climate action as part of a growing global trend known as “green hushing”.
With Australian regulators now cracking down on alleged greenwashing, companies have been put on notice that they face an increased risk of legal action for false claims.
The biggest superannuation fund in the country, AustralianSuper, removed its climate report from its website on March 22. The copy on the website where the report used to sit now says: “We are currently updating our climate change report. A new version will be available soon.”
A “net zero by 2050” fact sheet, which included a commitment to active ownership to drive climate action, was removed from AustralianSuper’s website in March.
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Read more: https://www.smh.com.au/business/consumer-affairs/radio-silence-replaces-greenwashing-claims-20230320-p5ctl8.html
I’m surprised companies are being so allegedly duplicitous. I mean, everyone knows green technology and production processes are the cheapest option, so why exaggerate your climate claims? /sarc
It would be nice to think companies might finally grow a spine and push back against the green blight, but then they’d have to face the embarrassment of trying to explain their previous positions and claims.
Meanwhile back in the real world, as the West tracks towards shutting down all domestic energy intensive manufacturing, and much of its mining industry, in 2022 China built two coal plants per WEEK, a marked acceleration on previous years.
China’s production capacity significantly exceeds the production capacity of the United States, yet China is building even more capacity, one the eve of what promises to be a severe economic downturn. Almost like China is getting ready for something.
Recently China started accepting imports of Aussie coal again, especially metallurgical coal, you know, the kind of high quality Aussie coal required to manufacture vast tonnages of high grade steel.
But how does this reconcile with China’s economic problems? China’s economy is in a woeful state, and their government is struggling with enormous debts.
I wonder what they need all that steel for?
Update (EW): Slight cosmetic change to the wording of the “China’s production capacity…” paragraph.
War.
They are stockpiling necessary resources for when imports are no longer available. Recycling can only do so much for production of ships.
WWIII with a quick start in Taiwan. But they have to hurry while Zi Biden is still in office.
We need to turn the screws on our governments. We have been lied to and cheated long enough. China is no one to screw with. Our leadership is truly disgraceful, we should have our asses kicked for putting up with it.
The crunch for China will be when they reach peak coal internally through exhausting economic reserves. China now only has 35 years of proven coal reserves at the current rate of mining – maybe 50 years with more resources proven. They will need to plan well ahead to determine where they will get coal from as their reserves are depleted. Africa is open for business to supply China with coal. As is Russia, which has reserves for another 40 years.
Australia now has higher coal reserves than China. So has to be under consideration as well.
Energy is shaping up as the factor that will underpin global conflict in the 21st century. Coal remains the primary driver of economic development. Western countries are deluding themselves that coal is not required by relying on China for manufacturing.
Steel and oil were big factors in WW2. Not much has changed other than the atomic bomb.
BHP is another one. Their current TV ad campaign is demonstrably BS.
I’m surprised companies aren’t taking advantage of the situation in other ways. Something like, “purchase our cat litter and we will save the Great Barrier Reef.” If challenged, the cat litter company could run a computer model predicting this outcome.
As for China’s reason for increasing capacity? The world still needs stuff and the world is unwilling to manufacture its own stuff. That model has already proven to be effective. Why bother invading Taiwan when the rest of the world will hand you Africa if you’re willing to wait a bit? They’re even getting started on South America.
War is too short term. China thinks in decades. They are stockpiling all that coal so they can sell it back to the rest of the world after all other coal mines are shut down due to climate stupidity.
Quote:“I wonder what they need all that steel for?
Aw that’s easy:They’re gonna build a sizeable fleet of quarrying machines and use them to yank some gigatonnes of Basalt rock out of the ground, off of mountain tops, extinct volcanoes and places where basalt and other dark coloured rocks might be found.
They’ll use a bit more steel crunch the stuff up and more to make some machines (tractors basically) so as to scatter the crunched-up rock into the gaping man-made hole that is: Gobi Desert
Said gaping hole will then demonstrate/create some Real Gobi Global Greening.
While simultaneously fixing…
the actual climate,(wave bye-bye to dust storms, tornadoes, heatwaves, cold-waves, flash floods and wildfires)say hello to something decent and worthwhile to eat………thereby fix the minds, bodies, sciences & politics of the critters that made the hole in the first place ##The repercussions will be felt globally.
Ask Henry 8th, he did orchestrate the exact opposite after all and we see what happened there: Mini Ice Age
It is very kind and generous of Australia to send them the coal and iron ore to do that, one would have thought Australia would have filled its own hole in first – it is nearly 3 million square miles in extent after all
How did they miss it – maybe they need glasses
(No: Not the sort of glasses that hold ‘Amber Nectar’ – that’s the sh1t that causes blindness. Wilful and actual)
## No-one can really blame them, they were literally ‘out of their minds’ because of starvation. They didn’t know what they were doing and as a consequence, Did All The Wrong Things to try save themselves.
Funny how history repeats innit
Australia’s coal (and iron ore) exports to China are used for steel for their military. First Taiwan, then Australia, then the world.
Where’s old billionaire mate Twiggy??. He’s not green washing, is he? He truly believes in the church of climate..
Teal whisperers graft Twiggy Forrest’s green offshoot onto image machine — THE AGE
By – Noel Towell and Kishor Napier-RamanMarch 16, 2023 — 5.00am
Forget Climate 200 – the real brains behind the successful “teal” campaigns at last year’s federal election were the ex-GetUp and Labor figures who populate the comms shop Populares.
The agency planned structure, strategy and messaging for Allegra Spender in Wentworth, Kylea Tink in North Sydney and Sophie Scamps in Mackellar. It also handled digital advertising for climate and integrity crusader Monique Ryan in Kooyong.
Now the agency’s brains trust (well, some of them) has popped up on the federal lobbyists’ register. And you’ll never guess who they’re shilling for.
Populares registered on March 9 with two listed clients: Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest’s “green energy” offshoot Fortescue Future Industries, and food delivery outfit DoorDash, which is no doubt feeling the pinch of the recent tech-wreck.
Populares also helped independent media outlet Crikey monetise threats of legal action from News Corp co-chair Lachlan Murdoch, according to court documents revealed in that defamation case. Populares has three lobbyists registered – Ed Coper, whose impressive client list includes Malala Yousafzai and Greta Thunberg – plus former Labor staffer Anthony Reed, and ex-Sydney Morning Herald scribe Heath Aston.
Quinn’s First Law, writ large.
So stronger laws against claiming weather events are the result of Climate Change should work too, right ?