A timely guest post from Jesse Crane-Seeber. Jesse grew up in the woods of Ithaca, New York where he graduated from a democratically run public alternative high school. After a BA in “Resisting Hegemony” (a major of his own design) at Ithaca College, he earned a Ph.D. in International Relations at American University. His dissertation ‘Making War’ analyzed the occupation of Iraq in terms of how U.S. soldiers’ negotiated and made sense of their surroundings, their missions, and the people they tried to help and/or harm. His research involved participant observation, living with military families, analyzing official documents, and sifting through hundreds of hours of soldier-uploaded video content. He teaches at North Carolina State University, and is currently finishing Fifty Shades of Militarism, a study of the fetishization of all things military in the contemporary United States. The views in the post are those of Jesse Crane-Seeber…
This is truly mind boggling, Stuart. Thank you for another eye opening film review.
“Meanwhile, the US continues to increase military bases and direct troop deployment in Africa and the corporate media largely refuses to report on it.”
I guess, hardly anyone would get to know about it, even though there are ways to look it up in some alternative media. I would like things like this to be known by more people and especially by people of influence who maybe could make more of an effort to work towards change in a peaceful way. I am going to reblog your review, Stuart.
Why is it, that the UN can do hardly anything of significance when it comes to preventing exploitation? I know, because it is a toothless tiger, But why? Is it because corporations rule the world. It is so very frustrating that beautiful words are not going to change anything soon enough. I just hope, that in the long run maybe more people are going to have a chance for a peaceful life
Crisis in the Congo is a heart breaking documentary about the invisible US proxy war in the Democratic Republic of Congo. For the last 20 years, the US (and Britain) have been arming and training Rwandan and Ugandan-backed rebels who are plundering DRC’s rich mineral resources (gold, diamonds, cobalt, coltan, copper and tin) for the benefit of the electronic and aerospace industry.
The US has a long ugly history in the Congo, one of the most mineral-rich countries* in the world. After the CIA assassinated Patrice Lamumba, DRC’s first democratically elected president, the US installed the brutal dictator Mobutu Sese Seko. When the cold war ended, the US abandoned their support for Mobutu and sponsored a joint Rwandan/Kenyan invasion to remove him from power.
DRC’s 20+ year civil war has resulted in the death of over…
Fighting and dying – In Santa Helena Honduras, a US-backed corporate giant seeks to displace local farmers for a giant dam and hydroelectric project. This illegal eviction stems directly from the 2009 US-backed coup, in which Obama and Hillary Clinton supported the overthrow of the democratically elected Honduran president
And so it goes on and on
The multinationals have all the power. Why?
Land of Corn is a documentary by Peace Brigades International about four environmental and land rights activists fighting to protect the commons in Oaxca Mexico, Santa Helena Honduras, Choco Columbia and La Primavera Guatemala. In each case, activists are fighting collusion between US-backed corrupt governments and international corporations to end their communal land rights and destroy their livelihood.
In Oaxca, a multinational corporation seeks to illegally evict residents to construct a giant wind farm.
In Santa Helena Honduras, a US-backed corporate giant seeks to displace local farmers for a giant dam and hydroelectric project. This illegal eviction stems directly from the 2009 US-backed coup, in which Obama and Hillary Clinton supported the overthrow of the democratically elected Honduran president.
In Primavera Guatemala, a multinational seeks to clear cut a rain forest residents’ ancestors have fought for generations to preserve.
It is Monday night in Australia and we just watched the Four Corners’ program how these financial records expose secrets. Will governments all over the world show some willingness now to change the laws? I wonder
By the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and Four Corners’ Elise Worthington
“An unprecedented leak of more than 11 million documents has revealed the hidden financial dealings of some of the world’s wealthiest people, as well as 12 current and former world leaders and 128 more politicians and public officials around the world. . . . “
Firm worked with more than 14,000 ‘middlemen’ on clients’ behalf
An ICIJ analysis of the leaked files found that more than 500 banks, their subsidiaries and branches had worked with Mossack Fonseca since the early 1970s to help clients manage offshore companies. . . .
John Cassidy says in The New Yorker on 31st of March 2016:
“If Donald Trump were a normal political candidate, he would be in serious trouble at the moment. Over the past few days, he has said and done things that have raised more doubts about his temperament, judgment, and command of policy issues. Some of the Republicans trying to prevent him from becoming the Party’s Presidential nominee believe that they’re finally making progress. Are they right?”
Three days ago was Easter Sunday. I published a bit of a diary about this Easter Sunday. Since that Sunday I also reblogged quite a few articles, articles from The Conversation and one post by another blogger. These reblogs show what I find interesting to read about.
The following is just what I published during the last few days:
Tom Keneally, 80, is an acclaimed writer. His daughter, Meg, 49, a former journalist, works in corporate affairs and as a scuba diving instructor. The Soldier’s Curse is the first of a series of novels they are writing together.
Mar 30th, 7:51 pm Tom and Meg Keneally
Mar 30th, 10:10 am From: The Conversation 29/03/2016 Newsletter
Mar 30th, 9:49 am Is Australia the world leader when it comes to household solar PV per capita?
Mar 30th, 9:21 am Will global warming make you fat?
Mar 29th, 7:02 am 💖Of Romantic Tendencies and Dismal Outcomes.💔
Mar 29th, What’s great about Goethe?
BY ADAM KIRSCH
Mar 28th,
This is why Finland has the best schools
Tom Keneally, 80, is an acclaimed writer. His daughter, Meg, 49, a former journalist, works in corporate affairs and as a scuba diving instructor. The Soldier’s Curse is the first of a series of novels they are writing together.
Harriet Harden-Davies receives scholarships through the Australian Postgraduate Award and the University of Wollongong Global Challenges Program.
Genevieve Quirk receives the Australian Postgraduate Scholarship and the Global Challenges Scholarship.
Robin Warner does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond the academic appointment above.
We believe in the free flow of information. We use a Creative Commons Attribution NoDerivatives licence, so you can republish our articles for free, online or in print.
United Nations negotiations begin today in New York on the elements of an international agreement to govern the conservation and sustainable use of the high seas.
Every country will have a seat at these inaugural negotiations on conservation beyond their borders. More than half of the world’s ocean lies outside national jurisdictions, and this vast wilderness is the legal equivalent of the Wild West.
Nations and corporations look beyond national boundaries for deep-sea minerals, new drug compounds and, of course, for fish to catch. Tensions can arise when these commercial interests overlap with one another, or with conservation efforts.
The new laws about to be agreed, under the existing UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, will aim to improve the current fragmented and industry-based governance of the high seas. Universal, coherent and sustainable regulations will be crucial to protect wildlife in the waters beyond national jurisdiction.
More than 50% of the global ocean lies in areas beyond national jurisdiction (light blue). The ‘high seas’ and international seabed area lie beyond the exclusive economic zone (dark blue) and extended continental shelf (not shown).Pauly D. and Zeller D. (Editors), 2015. Sea Around Us Concepts, Design and Data (seaaroundus.org).
On the high seas, conserving wildlife will have a host of knock-on benefits, from climate stability to sustained productivity of fisheries and other ecosystems.
The exquisite diversity of marine life in the remote oceans fills some with wonder and inspires others with its potential. Discoveries such as Casper the “ghost octopus” show that we are finding new things all the time.
Beyond the simple fact of new and interesting species, the ocean’s wildlife also delivers essential global ecosystem services and the promise of new resources, like the breast cancer treatment inspired by the deep-sea sponge Halichondria okadai.
Our knowledge of the genetic library of deep-sea organisms is growing every day, with new discoveries of biodiversity, like Casper the octopus. Source: NOAA Okeanos Explorer, February 2016.
The need for new laws
With so much value in the oceans, this new global agreement is urgently needed to safeguard marine biodiversity in areas that are currently under-protected. These threats include climate change, ocean acidification, plastic pollution, noise, existing offshore mining and new activities such as marine geoengineering. The cumulative effect of these threats calls for caution in industrialising the deep.
In an area where no country has jurisdiction, will adversarial international power relations apply, or will countries be able to work together to protect the global commons?
Here are the key questions and challenges for negotiators to consider as they develop these historic laws:
Protected areas and no-fishing zones
Area-based management includes tools like marine protected areas and spatial restrictions on fishing. A key challenge for negotiators will be balancing existing rights to navigate, fish and research with competing uses and the responsibility to protect the marine environment.
Will there be sufficient political will from supportive states (the European Union; the 134 members of the G77; and Mexico, Australia and New Zealand) to make the laws strong enough? Or will commercial interests drive the negotiations?
Environmental impact assessments
Activities in the deep sea have the potential to cause grave damage to wildlife diversity. We still have much to learn about the impacts of such activities on marine ecosystems. How will these impacts be assessed and acted upon in the global wild west?
To sustain the integrity of ocean ecosystems and our food security, firm limits need to be put on human activities. The new laws need to require industries to prove that their activities have no significant adverse impacts.
Marine genetic resources
The genetic libraries of deep-sea organisms and the complex chemicals they produce could hold cures for diseases or inspire biotech breakthroughs. Research and innovation will be crucial if we are to benefit fully from marine genetic resources. But access to the remote deep sea is currently limited to a few countries with the requisite money and resources.
For industry, legal certainty is vital to investment. There is a legal gap relating to how the benefits of discoveries and commercial applications from biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction can be shared. Delegations are divided on how to share the benefits but even the most reluctant states (the United States, Canada and Russia) have agreed to negotiate on alternatives to unilateral use and benefit.
Sharing expertise
Rich countries have a huge head start over poor ones in making best use of the oceans. So it will be important to strengthen developing nations’ capacity in marine science and technology, legal and technical expertise, monitoring and surveillance, and enforcement of regulations. This will require building on existing networks and international scientific bodies such as the UN’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission.
Industrialising the deep poses threats to fragile deep-sea ecosystems.Les Watling/NOAA
This is uncharted territory. By the end of negotiations in 2017 there must be alignment between the competing interests of nations and of non-state actors such as corporations. States must also decide who, how and what governance authority or arrangements will implement the new laws that will hold people accountable for their actions on the high seas, without undermining existing laws and frameworks.
This week’s summit in New York represents the first step in a unique opportunity to deliver a legacy that sustains the critical ecosystems of the open oceans – something that is vital for all of us.
Yes. Australia does likely have the highest proportion of households with PV systems on their roof of any country in the world.
” . . . . nearly 15% of Australian households have solar panels on their roofs. That’s the highest number of solar panels on people’s roofs per capita anywhere in the world.” – Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg, speaking on Q&A on March 22, 2106.
But to be clear, Australia does not have the most PV rooftop capacity installed per person. By that we mean there are a number of other countries that currently generate a higher proportion of their total electricity from PV than Australia.
Those countries may also have larger commercial and industrial PV systems (often tens to hundreds of kilowatts in size) or utility PV plants (which can be a megawatt – 1,000 kilowatts – to tens of megawatts in size).
A solar power plant under construction in Germany.PATRICK PLEUL EPA/PATRICK PLEUL
Note, however, that not all countries with high PV penetrations are included in the IEA report. Greece, for example, gets around the same proportion of its electricity from solar PV as Germany.
There are also a number of small island developing states with a high percentage of households with stand-alone solar home systems. For example, around 17% of households in Kiribati have a solar home system (based on 2013 data).
However, this isn’t really comparable with Australia because these PV systems in Kiribati are so tiny they can only power lighting and small appliances. Also, Kiribati’s population is only just over 100,000 peopleand many people on remote islands have no access to an electricity grid.
In 2014, Germany had more than nine times the installed PV capacity of Australia, yet around the same number of household PV systems spread over more than three times the population.
Italy had more than four times the PV capacity of Australia, yet less than half the number of household PV systems. Japan had around 15% more residential PV systems, but more than five times the population of Australia. Belgium has a population around half that of Australia, but only around one fifth the number of PV systems. Greece has less than a tenth of Australia’s PV capacity of small (<10kW) PV systems.
Therefore, all of these countries have a significantly lower proportion of households with PV systems than Australia. They do better than Australia when it comes to total energy produced from solar; they do worse than Australia when it comes to household rooftop solar only.
So Frydenberg was right to say Australia has the highest proportion of households with PV systems on their roof in the world (well, that is if we don’t consider tiny countries like Kiribati).
Why is household rooftop solar so popular in Australia?
Australia’s unique PV market focus on households has come about through a combination of factors:
Policy support from federal and state governments has historically focused particularly on PV systems less than 10kW, including the Solar Credit Multiplier available over 2009-2012 through the former Labor government’s revised Renewable Energy Target. There were also the various state-based feed-in tariffs over the same time period, which were generally restricted to small PV systems.
A large proportion of Australian housing comprises stand-alone dwellings with relatively large roof spaces suitable for PV systems.
Most of Australia has an excellent climate for PV systems with plenty of sunshine.
Australian households have to pay very high residential electricity prices compared to many other countries. PV systems can be a very cost effective way to reduce household electricity bills.
Australia’s relatively high rates of owner-occupier home ownership allows the benefits of the PV system investment to be captured by the home owner, who also pays the electricity bills.
What does the future hold?
One final note: Australia may be at risk of losing the top ranking when it comes to household solar PV systems.
Household PV does raise a number of technical challenges for these businesses, and their revenue under current electricity tariffs.
Verdict
Josh Frydenberg was correct. Australia almost certainly has the highest proportion of households with PV systems on their roof of any country in the world (again, not including tiny nations like Kiribati). His assertion that nearly 15% of Australian households have solar panels on their roofs was, indeed, perhaps a slight underestimate.
However, there are a number of other countries that currently generate a higher proportion of their overall electricity from PV than Australia.
Unlike these other PV markets, the great majority of PV systems in Australia are small-scale installations on household rooftops. If Australian governments are keen to see Australia retain its world leading position, greater policy, retail market and regulatory efforts will be required. – Anna Bruce and Iain MacGill
Review
This is a sound analysis. The author has provided evidence that clearly demonstrates that over 15% of Australian households have photovoltaic solar power, and that, excepting tiny island nations, that this is the highest percentage in the world.
The author’s conclusion that there are also other countries with a much higher capacity (in terms of power per person) and higher fraction of their electricity from photovoltaics is also accurate and justified.
The high proportion of households with PV power on their roofs is due to our high electricity prices and sunny climate, making PV especially attractive to consumers in Australia.
As the author notes, the market where Australia is currently missing out is large–scalesolar.
As photovoltaic power prices continue to fall, solar farms will become more and more economically attractive, especially in regional areas. Nevertheless, the countries that are leading the way in large-scale solar – China, the US and the UK – all have supportive policy frameworks. – Kylie Catchpole
Solar panels forming part of a photovoltaic plant in Nyngan NSW.AAP Image/Australian Renewable Energy Agency
Have you ever seen a “fact” worth checking? The Conversation’s FactCheck asks academic experts to test claims and see how true they are. We then ask a second academic to review an anonymous copy of the article. You can request a check at checkit@theconversation.edu.au. Please include the statement you would like us to check, the date it was made, and a link if possible.
Professor and Chair of Population Health, Western Sydney University
Disclosure statement
Hilary Bambrick has previously received funding from the NHMRC, CSIRO, and UNDP, and has consulted on climate impacts and health adaptation for the Victorian and NSW state governments and works alongside various international NGOs. She sits on The Climate Institute’s strategic council (http://www.climateinstitute.org.au/) and The Australia Institute’s research committee (http://www.tai.org.au/). She tries to heed Michael Pollan’s sage advice to ‘Eat food, not too much, mostly plants’. She whips up a wicked vegetable laksa.
Jaci Brown does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond the academic appointment above.
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With climate records being broken on a monthly basis, it’s not much of a stretch to imagine our relatively easy access to fresh produce becoming a thing of the past.
Already one of the fattest nations on the planet, Australia’s national diet is far from perfect. The healthy living pyramid is more an aspiration than a reflection of reality.
A timely guest post from Jesse Crane-Seeber. Jesse grew up in the woods of Ithaca, New York where he graduated from a democratically run public alternative high school. After a BA in “Resisting Hegemony” (a major of his own design) at Ithaca College, he earned a Ph.D. in International Relations at American University. His dissertation ‘Making War’ analyzed the occupation of Iraq in terms of how U.S. soldiers’ negotiated and made sense of their surroundings, their missions, and the people they tried to help and/or harm. His research involved participant observation, living with military families, analyzing official documents, and sifting through hundreds of hours of soldier-uploaded video content. He teaches at North Carolina State University, and is currently finishing Fifty Shades of Militarism, a study of the fetishization of all things military in the contemporary United States. The views in the post are those of Jesse Crane-Seeber…
AuntyUta 