Follow the Money // Climate & Energy
The Australia Institute’s Follow the Money podcast explains Australia’s big economic issues in plain English. We bust myths, dissect politics, interpret econobabble and help you sound really smart at your next dinner party, with host Ebony Bennett.
October 2022
It’s a No-Brainer!
Gas companies in Australia made up to $40 billion in windfall profits in the last year due to the war in Ukraine, and global price spikes. There are growing calls for a windfall profits tax to claw back some of these war profits, to fund essential services in Australia. This was recorded on Tuesday 18th
Regional Climate Diplomacy Forum 2022 [Webinar]
Pacific Island nations are on the front line of climate change, and as Australia celebrates the passage of the 43% climate bill, Pacific leaders want to know that the new Australian Government’s improved rhetoric on climate is matched by policy integrity when it comes to new gas and coal projects and exports. Join Their Excellencies
September 2022
Safeguarding the ability to increase emissions
Labor’s climate bill cleared the Senate last week. It’s a pretty modest bill, and doesn’t include any measures to actually reduce emissions in the private sector. That’s where the Safeguard Mechanism comes in – which is a voluntary scheme that affects the nation’s biggest industrial emitters, and is the Government’s main policy it will use
August 2022
A Dumping Ground for Inefficient Cars
New research by the Australia Institute shows that $5.9 billion in fuel costs would have been saved and emissions equivalent to a year’s worth of domestic flights would have been avoided, if robust fuel efficiency standards were adopted in 2015. This was recorded on Wednesday 17th August 2022 and things may have changed since recording.
The First Fortnight of the 47th Parliament
We are nearly at the end of the first sitting fortnight of the 47th Parliament, and it has been a packed agenda. This week we’re unpacking quick recap of how much things have changed in this new Parliament, and what changes are likely on the horizon. This was recorded live on Wednesday 3rd August 2022
July 2022
Follow the Money LIVE!
For this special live episode of Follow the Money, the panel will be discussing: A New Agenda for a New Parliament: Climate Action, International Affairs & Integrity – Yes Please! bringing together diverse knowledge on all fronts of climate & energy, international & security affairs, and integrity issues. This was recorded on Wednesday 13th July
June 2022
A Gas-Led Catastrophe
Last week, the Australian Energy Market Operator (or AEMO) suspended the National electricity spot market after it became ‘impossible to operate’ amid projected energy shortfalls. On today’s episode, we’re unpacking how we got here, and how to fix it. This was recorded on 21st June 2022 and things may have changed since recording. The Australia
Phasing out Fossil Fuels with Adam Bandt [webinar]
Australia cannot solve the climate crisis while we keep opening new gas fields and coal mines. In this episode we’re listening back to our webinar with Greens Leader Adam Bandt MP for a discussion about how Australia can rapidly transition to a clean energy economy and move beyond fossil fuels. This was recorded on Thursday
May 2022
What just happened? Unpacking the transformative 2022 federal election
The 2022 federal election was transformative. The Coalition’s vote collapsed across the country. There is a new Labor government, led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, that will likely gain a majority in its own right, but that will govern with a hugely expanded crossbench. One of the biggest stories of the night was the shift
An Australian COP29
Australia has never hosted a United Nations climate conference (COP) and the recent proposal from the Labor Party to bid for the 2024 COP in partnership with the Pacific could shift Australia’s reputation from climate laggard to regional leader. Hosting a COP would also have a number of economic, diplomatic and security co-benefits. This was
March 2022
Are fossil fuel subsidies ending or accelerating?
Australia has committed to reach net zero emissions by 2050. The United Nations Secretary General has said that it’s time to end fossil fuel subsidies, so are fossil fuel subsidies in Australia ending or accelerating? The Australia Institute has crunched the numbers. This episode was recorded on Tuesday 29 March 2022, prior to the federal
Dodgy carbon credits and dirty hydrogen
Instead of rushing to end fossil fuels, there is going to be a gold rush for carbon offsets, dirty hydrogen and carbon capture and storage (CCS), all designed—not to stop climate change, but—to actually drive up the consumption of coal, oil and gas. This episode was recorded on Tuesday 22 March 2022 and things may
Who pays for the cost of climate change?
Climate change is making natural disasters like fires, floods, heatwaves and drought more frequent and more extreme. In today’s episode we discuss a levy on fossil fuels to help pay for the damage.
‘Adaptation saves lives, delay means death’
As residents of Lismore tried to escape massive floods on their roofs, the IPCC delivered its latest report on climate impacts as well as adaptation and the news is not good. It warns that Australia faces significant “cascading and compounding” risks due to climate change, including damage from bushfires, floods, drought and sea-level rise. But
February 2022
The Big Switch with Saul Griffith [webinar]
Australia’s electric future as the most prosperous, entirely renewable, economy in the world
Australia could be a sustainable Electric Vehicle Manufacturing Powerhouse
Rebuilding Vehicle Manufacturing in Australia
January 2022
Summer Series – Climate Change and the Pacific with the Hon Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa Prime Minister of Samoa [webinar]
Our summer podcast series brings you some of the best conversations from our webinars in 2021. This episode you’ll hear from the Prime Minister of Samoa, the Hon. Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa on climate change and the Pacific, as part of the Australia Institute’s Regional Climate Diplomacy Forum, with youth climate activist and UNICEF Pacific Ambassador
December 2021
Summer Series – Coal, Climate Change and Conservatives with Malcolm Turnbull [webinar]
Our summer series brings you some of the best conversations from our webinars in 2021. This episode we’re bringing you a conversation about coal, climate change and conservatives and why NSW needs a moratorium on new coal mines with former Prime Minister of Australia, Malcolm Turnbull, who was in conversation with the Australia Institute’s chief
Summer Series – Rewiring Australia with Saul Griffith and Lily D’Ambrosio MP [webinar]
Our summer podcast series brings you some of the best conversations from our webinars in 2021. This episode you’ll hear from Saul Griffith, clean tech entrepreneur and founder and Chief Scientist of Otherlab, in conversation with VIC Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change and Minister for Solar Homes, Lily D’Ambrosio about how Australians can
Summer Series – State of the Climate with Chris Bowen [webinar]
Our summer podcast series brings you some of the best conversations from our webinars in 2021. This episode we bring a discussion with Shadow Minister for Climate and Energy Chris Bowen, about how the globe’s climate emergency is Australia’s jobs opportunity. He was in conversaton with Richie Merzian, climate & energy program director at the
Is your Super Fund invested in nuclear weapons?
New research reveals most major Australian superannuation funds have holdings in nuclear weapons companies
November 2021
Glasgow Wrap-up and what comes next for Australian climate policy
A wrap up of the Glasgow COP26 climate summit and what it means for Australia
‘The worst bit of modelling I’ve ever seen’ — Unpacking the Federal Government’s Net Zero Modelling
The Federal Government’s net zero modelling is little more than an exercise in magical thinking
Glasgow Part 2 and Australia’s fossil fuel fraud
For the first time ever at a UN Climate Conference, fossil fuels are being tackled head-on at Glasgow COP26. But Australia has plans to massively expand gas and coal projects. If Australia succeeds, the climate loses.
Will Australia wreck Glasgow?
The Glasgow climate summit is all about lifting ambitions over the next decade, but Australia brought a lazy 2030 target and is planning to massively expand gas and coal projects – helping to wreck ambition at Glasgow.
October 2021
Climate of the Nation 2021
Climate of the Nation 2021 shows concern about climate change is at record highs and a majority of Australians support phasing out fossil fuels and electrifying appliances in their homes.
Junk Carbon Credits
Today’s episode examines carbon offsets, in other words, the credits companies can buy to offset their emissions. The Australia Institute, together with the Australian Conservation Foundation did a bit of digging into Australia’s offsets system and found some alarming things. Recorded live on 5 October 2021 The Australia Institute // @theausinstitute Host: Ebony Bennett, Deputy
September 2021
AUKUS and the nuclear submarine debacle
Exploring the economic, political and strategic implications of Australia dumping a $90 billion French submarine program to secure a deal with the US and UK for nuclear-powered submarines.
Fracked: Gas in the Northern Territory
Extracting gas from the Northern Territory through hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) is one of the largest potential sources of carbon pollution in the world. In this episode we explore the climate cost of a potential policy backflip on opening up the NT to fracking, as well as the community opposition and the economics of it all.
August 2021
Reset with Professor Ross Garnaut
Recorded live on 24 February 2021 as part of the Australia Institute webinar series. Professor Ross Garnaut is an economist and author of new book Reset – which explores the opportunity Australia has to reset its economy in the wake of the pandemic. Warning: there is a bit of feedback on the audio for the
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