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The Sustainable Hour no. 523 | Transcript | Podcast notes
Our guest in The Sustainable Hour no. 523 is Dr Sanja Van Huet, vice president of ACF Community Geelong, who is concerned about Viva Energy’s plans to build a large gas import hub near the city.
We all shake our heads in disbelief this week. As we face up to a climate crisis, we find out that Viva Energy has once again ignored the warnings about the necessity to not start any more fossil fuel projects. Sanja tells us about Viva Energy’s proposal to build a new gas hub – about why that is not a good idea, and about what we as local residents can do to help stop this plan.
Methane gas is a polluting fuel that damages our climate. It is responsible for 17 per cent of all Victoria’s greenhouse gas emissions, and Victoria burns far more than other states. Furthermore, what Viva Energy appears to completely ignore, is the data which reveals that going off gas – switching from gas to electric – can lead to a 75 per cent reduction in Victorian households’ energy bills.
Viva Energy’s proposed gas terminal would add 600,000 tonnes of CO2 per year, locking us into decades of fossil fuel reliance. Locking in high gas use for decades to come is inconsistent with the Victorian Government’s climate targets.
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In 2022, Viva Energy submitted an Environmental Effects Statement as part of their original proposal to the Victorian Government for a permit to construct a floating gas terminal in Corio Bay.
There were numerous flaws and lack of due diligence in their original submission, all of which were highlighted by both concerned and independent experts during a hearing with the Victorian Government Inquiry and Advisory Committee. This committee helps the relevant Victorian Ministers to understand the project outcomes and effects.
A huge public outcry opposing the proposal also ensued involving local and Geelong residents, businesses and organisations.
The original proposal was turned down by the Government Committee. Viva Energy was instructed in March 2023 to address a long list of factors and omissions in their first report. Their subsequent supplementary Environment Effects Statement has recently been resubmitted for approval.
While Viva Energy has addressed some of the original concerns, there are still significant omissions and gaps in the required information.
Dr Sanja van Huet reviewed the marine environment section of the supplementary Environment Effects Statement and noted that the Viva supplementary Statement extensively quoted a report – commissioned by Viva Energy – from a Melbourne company named CEE. This report is referred to in the supplementary EES as Technical Report A Marine Environment.
CEE consistently uses external information and data throughout the report to support their own resampled findings. However, none of the external information is cited in the body of the report and so it is not possible to double check the exact source and the validity of the external information.
Additionally, the extensive reference list is very poorly presented, and this makes it very difficult to find and verify any of the external content used in Technical Report A.
Finally, Technical Report A states that previously dredged sediment (containing ‘slightly’ elevated amounts of metals – their words) has not been shown to cause adverse effects where it has been dumped at Point Wilson. For the proposed project, 490,000 additional tonnes of ‘slightly’ metals-elevated sediment is estimated to be dumped at Point Wilson.
As the Point Wilson site is under ADF jurisdiction, any scientific monitoring reports for the Point Wilson site would only be available under the Freedom of Information Act. Due to the time constraints imposed by the conditions of the Inquiry Committee – this is not feasible. As such, the external information in Technical Report A is again not able to be verified.
→ If you want to know more about why Viva Energy’s gas project is a danger to our community, read this article by Environment Victoria.
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Here is what Sanja suggests people who are concerned about Viva Energy’s gas hub proposal can do:
→ Oppose the Viva Energy proposal: Reject the supplementary environmental effects statement. Do you want to help? Submissions to oppose the VIVA proposed gas terminal are due by 24 October 2024. Register for the online submission writing webinar.
→ Attend the free event to directly engage with the Federal Member for Corio and Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles on 31 October 2024. We need hundreds of Greater Geelong residents and local leaders to come together to advocate for meaningful change in our community. Tell your friends and family. If not you? Who? Pre booking is required for security checks.
“It’s such a furphy what they’re saying because they’re going to need specialised people to not only construct the terminal, but to run the terminal. And so the local people have not got the expertise to be able to be employed in that sort of area. they will be importing people, not just from Melbourne, but from overseas to be part of that construction. So any possible short term employment. Employment for local people is just a furphy.”
~ Dr Sanja Van Huet, Vice President of ACF Community Geelong
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Other content and links mentioned in this Sustainable Hour:
Hobart City’s real zero strategy
Ketan Joshi: ‘The most fossil-exporting government in Australia’s history’
Stop the Incinerators pledge for candidates
→ Check to see if your candidates have signed the incinerator pledge
→ Send Letition letter to political leaders about Incinerators: Letition.org
Johan Rockström, Swedish climate scientist, opens the Hour with a short statement.
Antonio Guterres: Speech at UN General Assembly 2024 (2 minute excerpt)
Code Rouge in Belgium: ‘The time to act is now’
Greta Thunberg & 11 hunger strikers in Denmark
Marc Maron: ‘Climate heroes’
Graham Forbes, leader of Greenpeace’s Global Plastics campaign
Songs: Formidable Vegetable: ‘Plastic’ and Michael Franti: ‘Brighter Day’
→ More details in the transcript
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Fossil fuels, when combusted, are the major cause of the rapidly worsening climate crisis we face. Climate scientists have been screaming their heads off about this for decades now. However, like all the other companies in the fossil fuel industry, Viva Energy isn’t used to being told no. As long as there is money to be made, they have no intention of listening to what any scientists are telling us. And our elected leaders whose job it is to make laws that keep us safe have fallen asleep at the wheel – or… been bought to protect those profits rather than us, the people, and the fragile ecosystems on our planet.
Resubmitting their proposal for a floating gas hub in Geelong’s Corio Bay – far closer to residential areas than any other similar project anywhere in the world – and after all the protests and submissions from the community, displays an incredible level of disrespect, entitlement and arrogance.
The stone age didn’t end because people ran out of stones, but because they discovered something that was better than stones. Similarly, time has run out for gas, even if there is still plenty of it in the ground, because we have to stop burning gas for the sake of a liveable planet.
The science is clear about this. There are no each way bets on climate. You can’t dabble in renewables while continuing to ply toxic products like so-called “liquid natural(sic) gas”.
In 2022, The Sustainable Hour team submitted this submission to the gas hub Commission of Inquiry. We will be doing all we possibly can do to rally with the Geelong and district communities to get this proposal shut down. This campaign will be buoyed by the recent success of the united collaboration of concerned groups and individuals which caused the proponents of destructive seismic blasting in huge expanses of oceans off Victoria and Tasmania to pull out.
We’ll be back next week with more truth-telling and inspirational stories. Until then, be the difference. Be committed!
“Things didn’t have to be this way. If politicians had listened to scientists decades ago, and worked to gradually rein in fossil fuel pollution, the ocean wouldn’t be so boiling hot—and Hurricane Milton wouldn’t have had the fuel to balloon into such a monster storm. The U.S. Government has clearly understood the science of climate change since NASA Scientist Jim Hansen’s congressional testimony in 1988, saying that the human fingerprint on global warming had been detected. That was 36 years ago. The fossil fuel industry knew it even sooner. As early as the late 1970’s, oil companies predicted exactly what would happen if greenhouse gas pollution continued unchecked. But not only did they bury the science, they spent billions to spread denial in advertisements, and to influence elected officials to do the same.”
~ Kathy Baughman McLeod, a former Florida state commissioner of energy and climate, and worked in Florida for more than 25 years. She’s currently the CEO of Climate Resilience for All.
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We at The Sustainable Hour would like to pay our respect to the traditional custodians of the land on which we
are broadcasting, the Wathaurong People, and pay our respect to their elders, past, present and future.
The traditional owners lived in harmony with the land. They nurtured it and thrived in often harsh conditions for millennia before they were invaded. Their land was then stolen from them – it wasn’t ceded. It is becoming more and more obvious that, if we are to survive the climate emergency we are facing, we have much to learn from their land management practices.
Our battle for climate justice won’t be won until our First Nations brothers and sisters have their true justice. When we talk about the future, it means extending our respect to those children not yet born, the generations of the future – remembering the old saying that, “We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors. We borrow it from our children.”
The decisions currently being made around Australia to ignore the climate emergency are being made by those who won’t be around by the time the worst effects hit home. How disrespectful and unfair is that?
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Vote Climate questionnaire for Victorian council candidates
Read your council candidates’ climate and democracy questionnaire responses here
The following Geelong candidates responded:
• Emma Sinclair, Charlemont
• Sian Milton-McGurk, Charlemont (The Greens)
• Andy Richards, Deakin
• Derek Wallace, Deakin
• Theresa Slater, You Yangs (The Greens)
• Emilie Flynn, Kardinia (The Greens)
• Aleta Moriarty, Barrabool Hills
• Sarah Hathway, Corio (Socialist Alliance)
Surf Coast Energy Group’s survey: Local Candidate Survey responses
Real Deal Geelong has surveyed candidates running for Council in the City of Greater Geelong and collated the results to help you in making a decision about who you will vote for this year. The questions they asked candidates are broadly related to the Real Deal Geelong policy solutions the group has been advocating for. Click on this link to access the information: Ward replies from Geelong Council candidates.
The ‘Geelong One Fire Reconciliation Group’ has also surveyed the candidates and the results of this can be found in this document Geelong One Fire Reconciliation Group.
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Viva’s gas plan is back – join webinar to take action
Sal Fisher from ACF Geelong wrote:
Viva Energy’s Geelong gas terminal proposal is back, and we’ve got one month to respond to their revised plans.
Now here’s the good news – we’ve teamed up with experts and local community groups to bring you a webinar on Tuesday 15 October covering key aspects of their proposal and what you can do to help.
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How did we get to this point? It’s been a while since we contacted you about Viva Energy’s plan, so here’s some background. A couple of years ago, Viva put forward a proposal to build a huge floating gas terminal in Corio Bay, which would import enormous amounts of gas into Victoria – the equivalent of up to 600,000 tonnes of climate pollution.
Thousands of Victorians spoke up against the project, including many of you, as part of the Geelong Renewables Not Gas Alliance. Together with local schools, residents groups, fishing and boating enthusiasts and other environment organisations, we held rallies, lobbied MPs and made 2000 submissions outlining serious concerns with the proposal.
In March 2023, the Victorian Planning Minister announced that Viva Energy’s environment statement for the project had serious deficiencies – sending them back to the drawing board to redo crucial studies on marine ecology, noise impacts, air pollution and cultural heritage.
The community breathed a sigh of relief and many of us hoped Viva would drop the project. Instead, they’ve come back for a second round.
That means yet another Environment Effects Statement with submissions and hearings. It means we’re being forced to check Viva’s homework again. But it’s also a chance to show Viva – and the rest of the gas industry – that local communities, backed by people around the state, will be there to uncover every short-cut and fight fiercely for our climate and precious local places.
If you spoke out against Viva’s gas terminal plan the first time round, please raise your voice again now. Join the webinar on Tuesday 15 October, listen to the experts and community members, and then make another submission.
VIVA GAS TERMINAL, AGAIN! WORKSHOP TO WRITE SUBMISSIONS
WHEN: Tuesday 15 October, 7.30pm-8:30pm. RSVP here >>https://events.humanitix.com/webinar-viva-gas-terminal-again
WHERE: The workshops will be held on video conferencing platform Zoom. Register using the links above to receive the details.
WHAT TO PREPARE: We’ll leave time in the session to start drafting your submission, so use a computer with word processing software if you have it.
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Right now Victorians are dealing with cost of living pressures on top of an escalating climate crisis, and Viva’s plan to import gas will be terrible for both.
An LNG import terminal would push gas bills even higher and expose us to future price shocks from the international gas market. And it risks locking in a polluting, dirty fuel for decades to come – right when we need to speed up the transition to renewable energy.
Half of Victoria’s gas consumption happens in homes via inefficient gas appliances that are hurting hip pockets and harming the health of our children. We need to step up efforts to repower Victorian homes with renewable electricity and leave gas in the past where it belongs.
Here are two actions you can take to speak out against Viva Energy’s new gas plan:
- Register to attend the webinar on Tuesday 15 October. RSVP here:
events.humanitix.com/webinar-viva-gas-terminal-again - Visit https://www.geelongrenewablesnotgas.org for more information.
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Real Deal Geelong Alliance Action Forum
Sal Fisher from Real Deal for Geelong wrote:
A really important upcoming event, we need your help to shape Geelong’s future!
Hundreds of Greater Geelong residents, local leaders, and members of the Real Deal Geelong Alliance are coming together to advocate for meaningful change in our community. This powerful event will focus on key issues that impact us all: Secure Housing, Meaningful Work and the Cost of Living as we undergo Climate Change.
In a rare opportunity, we’ll share our stories, present well-researched policy solutions, and directly engage with the Federal Member for Corio and Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles.
Together, we will seek real commitments to address these pressing concerns such as a significant investment in household energy upgrades so ALL households to make their homes energy efficient and running on electricity, regardless of income.
Why is this important? As Greater Geelong undergoes a climate and energy transition, these issues are only becoming more urgent. This forum is your chance to stand in solidarity with your neighbours and civil society groups—faith organisations, unions, and community bodies—to make our voices heard.
Details:
Date: Thursday October 31
Time: 5.45pm for 6pm start, 7.30pm finish
Where: North Shore Football Club, Windsor Park, 39 Rose Avenue, Norlane.
Registration Deadline: By 12 pm Tuesday, October 29. Please note, registrants names will be shared with security prior to the event as part of normal security protocols for the Deputy Prime Minister.
Photo ID Required at the door for security purposes: Don’t forget to bring your ID !
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This is more than a meeting—this is a movement. Register today to help drive action for a fairer, stronger Geelong. This free Forum is expected to fill quickly, so please register immediately to ensure your attendance.
Register now: Real Deal Geelong Alliance Action Forum | Humanitix
Learn more: www.arealdeal.org/geelong
Can you help us spread the word?
Please follow and share our event from our Real Deal for Geelong Facebook page – we are constantly sharing the good work happening across our Alliance there.
~ Sal Fisher,
Real Deal for Geelong
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“These days, every headline is filled with the impacts of climate disasters. In the U.S., at least half the rain from Hurricane Helene was supercharged by climate change. As the waters recede, we’re only beginning to grasp the full extent of the damage—just as Milton, another record-breaking hurricane, threatens Florida. Over the last four weeks, there have been floods all across Asia including in Thailand last week, Nepal the week before, and India, China, and Vietnam before that.
Meanwhile in Europe last month, climate change doubled the odds of the flooding driven by the heaviest rainfall ever recorded. Why? It’s simple: warmer air holds more water vapor so the warmer it gets, the greater the risk of heavy downpours and massive floods.”
~ Katharine Hayhoe
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Transcript of The Sustainable Hour no. 523
[00:00:00] Johan Rockström: The window is rapidly closing, but there is still some light in the window.
[00:00:16] Jingle: The Sustainable Hour. For a green, clean, sustainable Geelong. The Sustainable Hour.
[00:00:23] Tony Gleeson: Welcome to The Sustainable Hour podcast. We’d like to acknowledge that we’re broadcasting from the land of the Wadawurrung people. We pay tribute to their Elders past, present, and those that earn that great honour in the future.
We’re broadcasting from stolen land that was never ceded – always was, and always will be First Nations land. We acknowledge that there is so much ancient wisdom that they’ve honed from nurturing their land and their communities for millennia before their land was stolen. We try each week to emphasise that point as regards solutions as we face up to the climate crisis.
[00:01:11] Mik Aidt: And one city that really stands strong when it comes to solutions in the green transition is Hobart, which last week launched one of the strongest responses to this climate crisis that we’re in in Australia, setting a goal of zero emissions across Hobart by 2040. And when they say ‘zero emissions’, they’re not talking about ‘net zero’. They’re talking about the real zero. Which is a lot harder to get to.
And how are they going to do it? They put out a report, or a strategy, which is showing how it’s possible and how they can become leaders in this space of tackling the climate crisis that we’re in. And I think that’s inspirational.
And it’s certainly very inspirational now that we as citizens have a choice in selecting who we want to be in charge of our city. There’s an election starting – as you’ve probably heard about if you’re listening to The Pulse today or if you are generally reading the newspapers and so on: The local government election is starting.
People are getting these ballot papers in their mail and we now have a couple of weeks where we can vote. And there’s 11 different wards in Geelong, we’ve been split up and there’s a few candidates in your local area that you can vote on. The interesting part here is, which ones of them are taking this climate crisis seriously?
And that’s certainly a question we would like to have the answer on here in the Sustainable Hour and to be able to give to you, the listeners of the Sustainable Hour. And there is one way of finding out because there is a questionnaire that’s been sent to around 50 candidates – a questionnaire about climate.
So far only eight candidates out of the 50 have replied. However, those eight all spoke in strong words about their commitment to tackling the climate crisis and moving ahead. Council in Geelong did declare a climate emergency couple of years ago. These eight candidates who have declared they are going to be serious about the climate.
I think it’s worth just reading their names so you know if you live for instance in Charlemont, it’s Emma Sinclair and Sian Milton-McGurk. Sian is running for the Greens, and they have both filled out this survey.
In Deakin, Ward, it’s Andy Richards and Derek Wallace.
In the You Yangs, it’s Theresa Slater. She’s also running for the greens. And so is Emilie Flynn in the Kardinia ward. And she’s probably the strongest candidate that I have seen so far in terms of her sustainability and climate action credits.
In the Barabool Hills ward, it’s Aleta Moriarty and in Corio, it’s Sarah Hathway, who is well known – she’s already been in Council for a while. She’s running also for the Socialist Alliance.
So these are the candidates, so far, who have replied positively on the questionnaire, about whether or not they’re going to tackle the questions about climate, and not only climate, but also climate and democracy, because there is some questions in the questionnaire about Citizens Assemblies. That’s an interesting part of it.
We will put links out in our notes so you can see and read these different answers that they have come with and hopefully in the week coming more candidates will fill out this survey. They’re probably all very busy at this time. Fill out the survey so that sustainability interested voters have a chance in figuring out whether or not they are on board with the green transition.
It’s time for some global news. And for that we have Colin Mockett OAM, who is scanning everything that’s coming in and making a bit of a summary for us. We’re always interested in hearing what’s been happening around the world. Colin, what do you have for us today?
[00:05:22] COLIN MOCKETT’S GLOBAL ROUNDUP:
Hello, Mik. Like every other week, we have a mix of good and bad news. And just for a change, I’m going to start with the good.
It was well publicised that last week Britain closed the last of its coal-fired power plants; meaning the nation that started the whole system with its Industrial Revolution in the 19th Century is the first worldwide to abandon burning coal to create power. That was followed by news that running hours for gas-fired power plants in the UK are at their lowest since at least 2017
Across the channel in Europe, Germany announced that its power grid battery capacity is up by 29 per cent so far in 2024 and its onshore wind auction sets record with nearly 3 GW in bids. That’s against a background that a German court has ordered the national government to implement immediate CO2 cuts measures across the nation’s land-use sector.
In China, emissions are set to fall in 2024 after record growth in clean energy, plus the nation, which has the world’s largest car market, announced that EVs are now 51 per cent of all new cars sold.
And Canada’s carbon emissions have dropped for first time since the pandemic. It’s down 8 per cent compared to nation’s 2005 baseline.
So that’s the good news. Now for a clutch of bad items. First, the death toll from Hurricane Helene in the Inited States has gone past 200 with thousands still missing. I don’t think that we realised just how big Helene was. We reported last week that it was the biggest on record, but to add a bit of perspective, the hurricane front was more than 1,000 kilometres wide when it swept through six states. That’s a distance way bigger than Melbourne to Adelaide or Sydney. It would be closer to the distance from Melbourne to the Gold Coast. The cost of Helene’s damage has yet to be counted, but it will be in the hundreds of Billions.
It puts other climate-related disasters in the shade, but they are still there. Bangladesh, the world’s poorest nation, suffered flash flooding in September and it’s yet to recover. The nation’s death toll now stands at 71, including 19 children, with more than 4.7 million people impacted across 11 districts.
In Central Europe an ongoing series of floods caused by record rainfall generated by Storm Boris has left a whole raft of countries still under water. The flooding began in Austria and the Czech Republic, then spread to Poland, Romania and Slovakia, and then onwards to Germany, Hungary and Italy.
As of last week, flooding across central and eastern Europe and into Italy contributed to the displacement of more than 2 million people. Analysis from the World Weather Attribution said that in today’s climate, which is 1.3°C above pre-industrial levels, a rainfall event of the magnitude that hit mid-Europe would be expected to occur about once every 100 to 300 years. But adding in the effect of human-induced climate change shows roughly a doubling in likelihood and a 7 per cent increase in intensity, although they note these are conservative results.
And this leads to a couple of items from Australia. I’m counting both as good news, though the first appeared in the mainstream media as bad.
It was reported that Australia’s coal and natural gas shippers are bracing for a significant hit to their revenue in the next two years as sliding demand and prices for fossil fuel exports threaten to wipe out nearly $30 billion of combined earnings.
Coal and liquefied natural gas, two of the nation’s biggest commodities, were the key drivers of record export revenue from the mining and energy sectors in 2022 and 2023 as the end of COVID-19 shutdowns reignited energy demand and the war in Ukraine choked global supplies. However, the decline in earnings now expected from the two fossil fuels by 2025-26 could be severe, the federal government said in its latest quarterly export forecasts, released last week. Perhaps now they’ll take notice that the world is changing fast and our nation needs to change along with it.
Now, as Mik said at the beginning, one place that does intend to be ahead of the pack is Hobart, where the city’s Lord Mayor, Anna Reynolds, announced drastic environmental measures that Mik spoke about. And she made a point of saying that their decision is to talk about moving to zero, not net zero.
“We’ve launched one of the strongest responses to climate change in the country,” she said. “With a goal of zero emissions across Hobart by 2040. We’ve made a conscious decision to talk about moving to ZERO, not NET ZERO, because that’s what our climate scientists say needs to happen and we want to lead. Our new strategy is the result of more than a year of research, collaboration and design with climate experts, leaders, and the wider community including Tasmania’s first citizens assembly on climate change. Climate change has arrived and every tonne of pollution we cut now, will save lives in the future. We all need to scale up our efforts, whoever we are – whether as a Council, a national government, a company or as a citizen.”
She invited everyone to view her council’s strategies online. So we’ll put that in front of all of our potential counsellors. You can find it here. Or you can just try googling “Hobart climate strategies”. They’re there for everybody to see. The way forward for the future. And that’s my global roundup for the week.
[00:11:58] Jingle: Listen to our Sustainable Hour – for the future.
[00:12:01] Tony Gleeson: Lots of good news there, Colin, which is terrific. And, still in the background, reports of unprecedented, extreme weather events.
Another one referred to last week was the European Union, their tax imposition countries to quantify the emissions that, came out of the products that they’re trying to import. I think that’s going to shake a few people up in Canberra, politicians and bureaucrats, knowing that’s going to happen. That’s another pressure added to the government to get with the program and do what’s necessary, essentially, what the science is screaming out to us.
[00:12:44] Colin Mockett: Oh, one I should have added, Tony. Forest Green Rovers, the world’s only environmental sports club, won twice during the week and they’re now sitting second in their division.
[00:12:56] Tony Gleeson: All’s well in the world when that’s happening. Almost. Thanks, Colin. Always good to hear how they go. On with the show! Our guest today is Sanja van Huet. Sanja is vice president of the ACF community group in Geelong. The saga of the Viva proposed floating gas hub has risen again. Sanja, maybe you can tell us a little bit about that – about the history, and then what’s needed at the moment from people.
[00:13:29] Sanja Van Huet: Thank you, Tony, and hi to Colin and Mik as well. Thank you for having me on your show. I had to have a giggle about: It always boils down to sport, doesn’t it? There you go. Has to be football clubs.
I’m assuming that a lot of your listeners know the history of, the action. The ACF Community Geelong with Geelong Sustainability and Environment Victoria and institutions like Geelong Grammar. We’re very heavily, involved in a government inquiry, on the Viva environmental effects statement.
That, had been submitted to the state government for approval for the project to happen. The terminal will be a huge, pier in the middle of Corio Bay, where a floating gas terminal will be permanently anchored, and a ship will come in on a regular basis to refuel that tanker, with, very cold gas that will then be gasified from a frozen state and then it will be able to be utilised by people who are using gas. that’s the premise behind it. The environmental effects statement from Viva had so many holes in it.
One of them was the safety aspect that we had a virtual time bomb. If you think natural gas is very flammable, it’s explosive. And there’s a huge danger of an explosive device almost in the middle of Corio Bay, 500 meters away from residential properties. So this is a, we’re talking about unprecedented this would be because every other floating gas terminal is at least two to three kilometres away from any sort of structures or population centres.
So this is an unprecedented thing. also in terms of cultural heritage. Cultural heritage was almost ignored in the original environmental effects statement. And there was certainly a, raft of factors that were ignored in terms of environmental impact. Now I’m not an expert in all environmental concerns or in safety, but I did have a look at, and submitted, submissions, regarding environmental effects.
I’m a geologist by training and I looked at the marine environment in particular. about a month ago, the, fever term fever energy resubmitted a revised supplementary environmental effects statement where they actually addressed a lot of the issues. I’m going to say cultural heritage and safety were not addressed in any significant way.
I can’t talk to them because I don’t understand or I’m not able to talk to that because that’s not my area of expertise. But the marine environment is something that I did look at and I went through the 240 page resubmitted. environmental effects statement.
I noted that the environmental effects statement, the supplementary one, heavily quoted a technical report A by a company named, CEE, which is a Melbourne company. CEE also did the environmental effects statement for the AGL proposal that was proposed for Western Port Bay, which got, kiboshed by the state government after a huge public backlash.
Looking at the CEE technical report Aeon in marine environment. Yes, they addressed every single issue. They redid, according to themselves, they redid all of the factors. None of it was peer reviewed as a publication, which is fine because It takes a long time to be peer reviewed.
One of the factors I found really interesting is they quoted a lot of external publications. But they didn’t cite any of them. Now, I’m an academic. What does that mean? That means that they would say, swans are not affected by this, chemical. But then they wouldn’t say where that actual information came from.
So I have no way of double checking the facts because the language is also very important in this, technical report, the persuasive language seems to be supported by technical information and factual information, I have no way of checking the factual information on this.
Because they haven’t quoted where they’ve gotten their information from. As an academic, I’m horrified. if any of my, students submitted something like that, they would have gotten a fail. In terms of professionalism, I also find that absolutely abhorrent because it means that on a professional level, nobody can double check.
So I thought, okay, I’ll see what their reference list is like. So I went through the reference list on the technical report A. Yes, significantly of a huge amount of references, but so poorly referenced. Some of them start with the first name of the person. Some of them start with the last name of the person.
Some of them start with the title of the paper. Out of over 100 references, I cannot make sense of what is what. So I can’t even verify some of the technical information that is actually externally quoted. To me, that rings warning bells because it means we can’t verify information that is being taken verbatim as granted in terms of being able to verify and answer, the submission, I can’t particularly pull out things to argue about when I went back to the Viva submission, they’ve basically cut and pasted verbatim out of the technical Report A by CEE and then put it into their report.
There is no way for me to argue specifics because I can’t double check. I don’t know if anybody else finds that horrific, but not knowing about, any other parts of the report, to me, that is quite a horrific thing. what are your thoughts, on that? I’m assuming you’re non academic.
[00:19:53] Mik Aidt: My big question to you, Sanja, and also to Viva Energy, is: who in their right mind, in 2024, when we hear about all the deaths and destruction around the world caused by fossil fuels that’s causing climate change, who would then be investing in building new infrastructure that is going to sell more of this stuff? Gas is a fossil fuel. So I don’t understand, where’s the business case and is there any way, Sanja, that you can see what will be the business case in this? Are they even going to profit or is it just going to be a big white elephant?
[00:20:27] Sanja Van Huet: I think a lot of this is actually, shareholder led. Viva Energy, and the gas industry in general is heavily supplemented through, retirement funds and superannuation funds.
And they need to provide something in the annual report that shows they’re doing things. In terms of profitability, I don’t think it will be profitable. I also want to earmark if you can remind me, I want to talk about white elephants as well.
Shareholders hold the responsibility for the companies they invest in and superannuation funds as well. If they start complaining that these people are actually, instead of… and I’m going to tangent a little bit, Viva Energy trying to promote themselves as future environmental power or energy sources.
But at the moment, what they’re doing is they’re actually saying they’re going to contribute to gas, which is methane, a fossil fuel, which is going to be, in, increasing our problems in terms of climate damage. So yeah, I don’t think it’s a profit making exercise. Mik, I think it’s a public relations exercise, and a lot of what they’re doing is public relations and shareholder driven
I’d like to tangent into. White elephants. We’ve got a massive construction proposed for Corio Bay. And in the original EES, and again, I’m not going to talk about the supplementary one because this is an area I haven’t read in there. I’m concentrating on the marine environment. We’ve got something that they originally said would be then reused for other purposes once its use was no longer needed.
I’m thinking about the Esso oil rigs from Bass Strait they’re 50 years old, now defunct, and they need to be removed from the marine environment. Esso’s proposal is to cut them off at the base drag them to an area of corner inlet and let them sit there and degrade. They are full of asbestos. They are full of chemicals. They are full of all sorts of harmful products. And as I have been told, they have to rehabilitate the site.
What is Viva going to do? With a giant terminal, gas terminal that they’ve said, Oh, we will repurpose into what? And I’m worried about the white elephant part of it. Another thing I’m concerned about in the environmental report is that they proposed that there was going to be 490,000 tonnes of sediment removed as the dredging to provide a significant berth for this large, floating gas terminal.
And most of the dredging that comes out of Corio Bay goes to the Point Wilson site, which is under the Australian Defence Force.
Viva acknowledge there is ‘metals poisoning’, that’s their term, ‘metals poisoning’ at a slight level. they’ve used the word slight, but I haven’t been able to find percentages.
They’ve given me lots of graphs and everything, but not percentages. ‘Slight metals poisoning’ in all of the sediment is being dredged in Corio Bay and then shipped to the Point Wilson site. they’ve also said that the Point Wilson site has not shown, in terms of, sea life, any adverse effects to previously dumped material.
Again, when I went into the report, No cited evidence. And when I went into Point Wilson and tried to Google Point Wilson reports, because it’s under the Australian Defence Force, it’s all under security. I would have to apply for a Freedom of Information Act report to get the reports I need, but I can’t look up which reports I need. It’s all under security. And, if anyone’s ever tried to get freedom from information, you know it takes months and months. The submissions are closing on the 19th of October. It’s a catch 22 in terms of verification of the information in the Environmental Effects Statement, the supplementary one.
[00:24:41] Colin Mockett: Viva’s project has been sold through a series of, full page adverts in the local press with very soft, they’ve tried making it sound like they’re doing something environmental and wonderful about cutting our, gas prices, our energy prices and things like that. I used to be a journalist and one of the things that I noticed is that Viva is now employing journalists to write those papers.
I’m not surprised they’re not academic documents. I can tell you the name of the main journalist they’re using because I used to work with him. His name is David Cairns and after this broadcast I will give you his email address and you can check the things that you want to check directly with him.
The other thing is that when, the facility was built, it built by Shell as a, an oil refinery. As such, they built a bund around it, and that bund means earthworks, which in the case of there being an explosion, will direct the explosion upwards. The explosion will go out from Corio Bay and then go up, once it hits the bun.
The earth works. There is no bun on the sea side, and what they are describing as a floating gas terminal is essentially a Japanese tanker gas carrier. It’s a ship. It’s not a permanent thing at all. The permanent structures are the, refining, structures on the shore. But if, for example, in the worst case scenario, if that moored Japanese ship filled with gas were to explode, there is nothing to direct the explosion upwards.
It will go across just plain water to Geelong city center. Which is less than a couple of kilometres away. Just about every other facility of this kind worldwide is away from built up areas. They haven’t got one which has got built up areas nearby, albeit on the other side of a bund, or certainly not one that is just a couple of kilometres away with open water in between.
And of course the other thing is the methane. It’s essentially methane, what they’re calling liquid natural gas. methane is far worse than coal as a CO2 greenhouse gas.
[00:27:24] Sanja Van Huet: You mentioned that, full page ads that Viva are using, and they’re very soft.
And they also are touting an increase in employment in the Geelong area. And of course, the demographic around Corio and Norlane, areas that have high unemployment. It’s such a furphy what they’re saying because they’re going to need specialised people to not only construct the terminal, but to run the terminal.
And so the local people have not got the expertise to be able to be employed in that sort of area. they will be importing people, not just from Melbourne, but from overseas to be part of that construction. So any possible short-term employment for local people is just a furphy.
Being said that there will be more employment, but they need to make a recommendation and actually approve that they will have a certain percentage of people employed from the current population in Geelong.
[00:28:24] Colin Mockett: I just wanted to add, that we did invite Dave Cairns to come on The Sustainable Hour and he, consulted with his bosses and then declined. But he did say that we could go to one of his briefings, provided we didn’t quote from it or record it.
It shows you just how, tightly controlled, the Viva news is. I wanted to make the point that we did invite Viva onto The Sustainable Hour. They turned us down.
[00:28:59] Tony Gleeson: What sort of documentation are we looking at? You mentioned one part was 200 pages. What’s the total documentation that they put in pages, or roughly?
[00:29:12] Sanja Van Huet: I’m afraid I couldn’t tell you that, Tony, because I concentrated on the marine environment aspects which is the area I was into.
The marine environment has a number of technical reports produced by CEE, for the other, problems with the original, there are different technical reports that are addressing all of those issues, but I’m not across how big they are. Certainly the 240 for the marine environment.
Can I also just say, Colin, you were talking about the Viva community open days to be able to talk about what their proposal is about. The ACF people went to the one, I think it was in Norlane, they had six people through the day. They’re not very well advertised. a lot of what’s there is just glossy posters and people saying how wonderful it is, but there’s very little, information about other aspects.
It’s very much an advertising spiel. Those open days don’t invite any commentary. During the original campaign, there were public events and they stopped doing them because of the public actually asking really hard questions that they couldn’t answer or poorly answered they have stopped doing those large public events where there is commentary, simply because they just can’t cope with the questions that come up, the technical questions, the important questions.
[00:30:51] Tony Gleeson: Let’s look now at what people can do about this. I imagine that concern, that the unprecedented amount of submissions that went in last time None of those concerns would be less now. So how can we, how can the public voice their opposition to this?
[00:31:11] Sanja Van Huet: There’s a couple of things we can do. First of all of the previous submissions are now moot. They’re no longer accessible or admissible, so a whole heap of new submissions need to be done. For the 15th of October, there’s a submission writing Zoom run by Environment Victoria, Geelong Sustainability, and ACF as a group.
There is a wonderful submission writing where if you don’t know what to write or how to write, This is the thing to do – that’s on Humanitix. Submissions are due on the 24th of October to the state government.
There’s another event on the 31st of October. ACF and the Real Deal have organised a public event with our federal member for Corio and Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles in Norlane. Now, you need to register previously because there is a safety check – you need to have your identification validated, because of the problems with security.
But it’s our opportunity as Geelong residents, as Geelong citizens, as environmental and people concerned with the environment and the safety aspects, that we just go to this event en masse because it’s not enough to voice your concern on radio via letter. Going in person is a bigger statement because that means that the Honorable Richard Marles will see a sea of people who are really concerned with what’s happening in the Geelong community.
And as our local member, he will see that concern. And it may impact him to act in a more concise manner. that link I sent to you if you can put that out. That’s for the 31st of October, but registrations for tickets need to be submitted several days before because of security concerns.
I always say you cannot leave other people to do the work even though you feel responsible, if you really feel against this proposal, which is in all sorts of ways wrong, you’ve gotta be there in person. You’ve gotta just make the effort to be there just this once to help. Otherwise, if it goes through: What did you do to help?
Oh, the other thing is for the Richard Marles event, there is an all abilities bus available to get you to the event and home. So if you can’t get there because of public transport problems or because of, problems in terms of accessibility, we can get you there and we can get you home.
[00:33:50] Colin Mockett: We should note here that October the 31st is Halloween, the festival of the dead. That’s the reason that I won’t be there, fellas, but I’m hoping that you can make it in my stead. I’m conducting a tour, on the 31st of October.
[00:34:06] Mik Aidt: I fully agree with you, Sanja, that it’s important to show up in person, and that’s a very powerful way for the communities to show its emotions as well. However, is it the right person we’re talking to? Richard Marles is not directly responsible for this decision about approving or not approving, this gas terminal. I would say it’s probably a minister in the Victorian government, isn’t it?
[00:34:31] Sanja Van Huet: The approvals are through the Victorian government, but Richard Marles is part of our federal government and a lot of what the, the energy proposal. is related to is our EBBC laws. So if we can get a firmer EPBC law, established, because they needed to be revised and they haven’t been.
They’ve been watered down in effect. Richard Marles has a stronger ability to influence the strengthening of the EPBC laws, which of course then the state governments have to react to that. So I reckon we’re going to go top down. Let’s just go top down instead of bottom up. We don’t have time in this situation. Let’s use the heavy guns to see if we can influence.
[00:35:19] Colin Mockett: It’s amazing that we’ve been through all this before a couple of years ago. And all they’ve really done is gone quiet for some 18 months or so and then come up with a revised version with nothing new just saying the same old stuff and they’re saying it against the time when part of the world news was that our exports of gas are dropping because other nations are getting off of gas.
It’s only crazy Australia that wants to continue with it. And that’s basically because our federal government, including Richard Marles, is in the pocket of the fossil fuel industry.
[00:35:58] Sanja Van Huet: It’s interesting that, a very similar proposal was kiboshed by the state government for Western Port Bay. I read, in the Guardian, that because of China’s uptake of EVs and their conversion to solar in the last two or three years, they’ve contributed to lowering the increase. Now it’s still increasing world increase of gas greenhouse gases and of things like that are still happening.
But because of China’s decrease in their emissions, that increase has actually decreased because of China’s sounds very odd, but they’re in crisis. Decreased because of China’s decrease of, emissions, so it can be done.
[00:36:42] Mik Aidt: And it must be done.
[00:36:45] Scott Morrison: This is coal. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be scared.
[00:36:49] Senetor Sheldon Whitehouse: At the heart of this conflict is a battle between truth and science and power and lies.
[00:37:01] Ketan Joshi: Australia’s government is worried. They’re traveling in a few weeks to a global climate meeting. To lobby to host of a forthcoming global climate meeting in the year 2026 called COP 31. And they’ve also just approved three massive new coal mines, which kind of puts a dent in their claim to be a climate leader.
There are a bunch of countries in the world who are what I’m going to call progressive climate villains, because they dig up and export a large amount of fossil fuels or other emissions intensive things, and they also go to these global climate meetings and claim, “Look at us, we’re doing a really great job”.
After approving these three new coal mines, Australia’s environment minister’s social media team started posting pictures of her freeing bees in the wilderness and claiming to have saved entire regions of Australia. And they also posted a claim that under the Albanese government, they have approved far fewer coal mines and far more renewable energy than the previous liberal party government.
This is misleading because you don’t know what the quantities are. I checked and it turns out Australia’s current government, has actually exported more fossil fuels in terms of CO2 burnt than any other previous government in their same first two years.
We can immediately see that the claims of the environment minister are not correct. They’re wrong, because Australia has not just continued its fossil fuel exports under the Albanese government, it has actually started increasing from the time they began government to now. And forecasts suggest that is going to continue.
Of course this makes sense because the Albanese government, while they don’t sit there turning little dials that tell you how much export is happening, they do have a set of subsidies and planning laws that are in favour of new coal and gas projects Fossil gas has been particularly bad for the Albanese government.
They have exported in their first two years about three times as much fossil gas as the previous Liberal Party government did in their same first two years. There’s also this claim that Australia is on the verge of becoming a renewable energy superpower, the average reductions in the power sector under the Albanese government have been about 0.9 megatons every quarter. The average emissions from fossil fuels exported every quarter is about 275, so for every one unit of reductions in Australia’s power sector from renewables, There’s about 300 times more climate damage done in the countries that receive Australia’s fossil fuels. Australia, Canada, Norway, the U.S. They’re all in this coalition of guilty countries who want to claim that they’re doing a really good job on climate, but the reality is that they can afford to phase out fossil fuels. They’re rich. They don’t actually rely on fossil fuel income all that much. Compare this to a country like Colombia, which is much more dependent on fossil fuels, not just the revenue, but they’re not as rich a country as Australia and Norway.
And they are phasing out fossil fuels. They’ve just announced them to stop to all new oil and gas projects. And they’re going to be releasing a very expensive plan to phase out fossil fuel production And they’re going to need funding and help to do it. It is so bad that countries like Australia and where I live, Norway, can afford to do this, but choose not to out of pure greed and malice. It’s really bad. And they’re probably going to the next COP meeting in a few weeks claiming to be climate leaders when really they’re actively trying to make things worse and opening up these fossil fuel projects.
They are assuming that these projects will only be successful on the total catastrophic. physically destructive failure of the Paris Climate Agreement. They are planning for the worst case scenario, no matter what they claim at these climate meetings,
This is cynical, it’s really bad, and we absolutely shouldn’t be letting countries in this coalition of progressive climate villains get away with it.
[00:41:22] Mik Aidt: Ketan Joshi reporting there on LinkedIn. He’s a climate communicator and a researcher who lives in Oslo in Norway.
[00:41:30] Antonio Guterres: Excellencies. The third driver of our unsustainable world is uncertainty. The ground is shifting under our feet, anxiety levels are off the charts, and young people in particular are counting on us and seeking solutions.
Uncertainty is compounded by two existential threats, the climate crisis and the rapid advance of technology, in particular artificial intelligence. we are in a climate meltdown. Extreme temperatures, raising fires. Droughts and epic floods are not natural disasters. They are human disasters, increasingly fueled by fossil fuels. No country is spared.
But the poorest and most vulnerable are hardest hit. Climate hazards are blowing a hole through the budgets of many African countries. costing up to 5 per cent of GDP every year. And this is just the start. We are on course to careen past the global limit of a 1.5° degree temperature rise. But as the problem gets worse, solutions are getting better.
Renewal prices are plummeting, rollout is accelerating, and lives are being transformed by affordable, accessible, clean energy. Renewables don’t just generate power, they generate jobs, wealth, energy security, and they pass out of poverty for millions. A future without fossil fuel is certain. A fair and fast transition is not. That is in your hands.
[00:43:34] Zero Waste Australia: The Victorian government is trying desperately to burn council waste, including the plastic. They have already approved five large scale industrial plants. These plants produce more emissions than coal, poison the local air and land and lock councils into contracts that reduce recycling. Now they are planning to put a large waste burning facility near Lara.
We can stop this. We need local councils to commit to never sending their waste to these incinerators and instead invest in better collection and source separation facilities. Zero Waste Australia is asking candidates to pledge never to support burning their council’s waste.
Please email or call all the candidates in your council ward until they sign the pledge. They have received the link to the pledge in an email. Also, if you can go to Letition.org and generate a “no incinerators in Victoria” Letition letter, which you can direct to state ministers or your local member. That’s on: letition.org
[00:44:43] Mik Aidt: So far, there are 12 candidates in the Geelong council election who have signed this stop the incinerators pledge that they talked about here. You can check if your candidates have signed the pledge on a Google document, which is being updated all the time, and we will put the link out to those documents and everything that we talk about in The Sustainable Hour, by the way, on the website www.climatesafety.info.
The 12 candidates who have signed the Stop the Incinerators pledge, including Stop the plans about building an incinerator near Lara, are in the Corio ward: Maddie Slater and Sarah Hathway. In the You Yang ward, it’s Theresa Slater. And in Hamlyn Heights ward, it’s Angela Carr and Joey Nicita. In Kardinia ward, it’s Emilie Flynn and Stephen Murphy. In the Charlemont ward, it’s Sian Milton-McGurk. In Cheetham, it’s Jess Harper, and in the Deakin ward, it’s Jack Ralph, Sue Cox, and Andy Richards.
These are the 12 candidates so far who have signed the Stop the Incinerators pledge. That’s 51 candidates altogether, so there’s still 39 councillors who have not signed this pledge, who have not been willing or had time to sign the Stop the Incinerators pledge.
. . .
SONG
[00:46:17] Charlie Mgee – Formidable Vegetable: ‘Plastic’
There’s this stuff that’s everywhere I can see it right here and over there
It comes from deep below the ground
And we spend a lot of time just spreading it around I’m talking about plastic, it’s not fantastic Because it never ever goes away
Don’t wanna use it, we’ve got to lose it
Otherwise, it’ll be here to stay.
I had this friend who got a snack That came all wrapped up in a plastic sack
I said, dude, just nude your food And if it comes in plastic, take it back
Because plastic, it’s not fantastic, And it’s always gonna cost more cash.
Don’t wanna use it, we’ve got to lose it, Because it always ends up in the trash.
What do you do instead? Instead of wrappin up your food in plastic
You can refuse and say: Pretty, pretty, please don’t bag it
Get a water bottle made of metal, take it, make it a habit.
We don’t wanna end up on a desert planet swimming in plastic.
Because plastic, it ain’t fantastic. And we’ve got a load of better ways. Don’t wanna use it, we’ve got to lose it. Come on, let’s make today a no plastic day
. . .
[00:48:08] Mik Aidt: If you tune into The Sustainable Hour in a week from now, then we will give you an update whether more candidates by then have committed to this stop the incinerators pledge and also whether there’s more candidates that have filled the survey that I talked about in the beginning of this hour, the Vote Climate survey – because why? Because it’s important that we know and that we hear from the candidates how they stand on these matters such as burning plastic waste or how the Council is going to act on the climate emergency.
That’s all we could fit in this Sustainable Hour. Sanja, thank you so much. All we can say at the end is, as we always do: Be the difference! What would you say, Sanja? Be… what?
[00:49:10] Sanja Van Huet: I’d say: Be committed!
[00:49:11] Colin Mockett: I’d say: Be like Hobart!
[00:49:14] Mik Aidt: And be part of the green transition!
. . .
SONG
[00:49:16] Michael Franti: ‘Brighter Day’
Don’t give up when bruised, don’t give up.
Just keep on fighting, don’t give up, you just keep on fighting.
Keep on fighting. Don’t give up. You just keep on fighting.
Even when your eyes are crying, don’t give up. You just keep on fighting.
Don’t give up. You just keep on fighting. For a brighter day.
[00:51:42] Code Rouge:
Oh, they are going to block again.
What do you mean?
Code Rouge has another action. They will block the fossil fuel industry. Will you join them?
Do you really think this will change something?
But you think scrolling on your phone will change something, pumpkin?
I guess not.
Someone has to fight for your future. Everybody can do something. I was part of their kitchen team last year. Speaking of kitchen, cookies are ready. Let’s go. Think about it. The time to act is now.
[00:52:23] Greta Thunberg and 11 hungerstrikers in Denmark:
For four days, 11 young Danish activists have been doing a hunger strike. “We’re protesting the Danish animal agricultural system, which is the most polluting sector in the country. Yet the government and lobbyists keep protecting it from reducing its emissions. We have to radically transform our animal food production on a global scale. And right now, ‘Den Grønne Trepart’ is being pushed through that will tie it to an irreversible death spiral collapse within decades.
[00:52:57] Marc Maron: The reason we’re not more upset about the world ending environmentally is I think, all of us in our hearts really know that we did everything we could, think about it. We brought our own bags to the supermarket. Yeah, that’s about it. Like we brought the bags.
[00:53:21] Graham Forbes: My name is Graham Forbes, leading Greenpeace’s global plastics campaign. Plastic pollution is one of the most urgent environmental challenges of our time. Plastic is toxic, emitting greenhouse gas emissions for its entire life cycle, real solutions are within reach. The United People’s Nations has called on countries to agree on a solution, a global plastics treaty. This November, world leaders will gather in Korea for the most important round of negotiations. I will be leading our Greenpeace delegation to high level UN meetings, making sure governments know that all eyes are watching, that’s why we are coming to Asia with our iconic Rainbow Warrior ship, and we need your support to build momentum together. The future is in our hands. Let’s make it count.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Events we have talked about in The Sustainable Hour
Events in Victoria
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