The US state of California is suing five major fossil fuel companies over their contribution to the climate crisis.
They are BP, ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell and ConocoPhillips.
While there are those who hold the view that anthropogenic climate change is not a contributor to the Earth’s climate becoming more unstable (the climate is always changing argument), surely those people would like to see less pollution, more efficiency, and less reliance on fossil fuel corporations for their energy?
California governor, Gavin Newsom (Democratic) tweeted on September 17, ‘These companies knew about the catastrophic consequences of fossil fuels’.
‘They covered it up. Suppressed scientific data. Spent millions to cast doubts on climate science. Time for them to pay’.
He also told a press gathering ‘The climate change crisis is a fossil fuel crisis’, and called upon other states and nations to join the court case.
Meanwhile in Stralia, federal Environment Minister, Tanya Plibersek (Labor), is being taken to court, accused of failing to protect the Great Barrier Reef and Australia’s other living treasures from climate harm caused by coal mining.
According to www.thenewdaily.com.au, ‘Environment Council of Central Queensland is pursuing Plibersek after she refused its request to reconsider the full scope of climate impacts from two coal mining projects at Narrabri and in the Hunter Valley in NSW’.
According to think tank, australiainstitute.org.au, ‘There are 116 new fossil fuel projects on the federal government’s annual Resource & Energy Major Project list, two more than at the end of 2021. If all proceed as estimated, they will add 4.8 billion tonnes of emissions to the atmosphere by 2030’ (from March 21, 2023).
Urgent climate summit
To add to this absurdity, in New York this week, the UN Secretary-General is hosting an ‘urgent Climate Ambition Summit’, which Labor Foreign Minister, Penny Wong, will attend.
According to parlinfo.aph.gov.au, on September 12, Greens MP Elizabeth Watson-Brown asked Chris Bowen, Minister for Climate Change and Energy, ‘Will you or someone from the government attend the summit, and how will you explain your approval of coal and gas projects?’
Bowen replied that Minister Wong would attend, while also spruiking that Australia is finally ‘back at the table of climate leaders’.
No explanation of new coal and gas projects approvals was made.
It doesn’t appear that federal Labor take anthropogenic climate change seriously. If they don’t believe in it, then why not at least strive for less pollution, more efficiency, and less reliance on fossil fuel corporations?
Is it the political donations?
Hans Lovejoy, editor
News tips are welcome: [email protected]
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
