Nancy Jane armstrong

AI and CCS: The Perfect Mismatch The attention to AI’s exploding power needs are being exploited to try to extend the life of fossil fuels dressed up with a CCS disguise. Fossil companies pitch gas and coal plants with CCS as the “affordable” and “reliable” solution to AI’s electricity hunger — despite the reality that CCS, largely fails to work, adds costs, delays, and risks without ever solving the emissions problem. The implication that fossil fuels in general are essential for an “affordable” and “reliable” energy system is a well-worn and false narrative spread by oil, gas, and coal companies. This strategy isn’t about meeting AI’s power needs; it’s about ensuring fossil infrastructure remains relevant to extend the lifetime of fossil fuels and delay the implementation of alternatives. CCS falsely lets oil and gas giants appear green, delay the renewable transition, and continue polluting — all while collecting massive government handouts. Meanwhile, real solutions already exist. Solar and wind power are regarded as very reliable, not least because sunrise and sunset, as well as weather patterns, are highly predictable. Additionally, advancements in flexibility and storage technologies help manage variability in renewable generation. Renewables stand out as both the lowest-cost and quickest-to-deploy power generation. Renewable power has been the cheapest form of power for the last 10 years, while the cost of new gas-fired power has hit a 10-year high. Even in the US, where gas prices are only a quarter of prevailing gas prices in Europe and Asia, unsubsidized new solar plants are within touching distance. Carbon capture systems, even with very generous subsidies, inevitably add substantial costs on top of other fossil power costs. Renewables are the truly affordable and reliable energy of the 21st century — not fossil fuels wrapped in carbon-capture fantasy.

A very good @ciel.org blog post here on how CCS and AI were absolutely made for each other

www.ciel.org/ai-ccs-green...

This government seems to be in a permanent state of 'lapsed judgement' #auspol The government lies. Their housing policy is a farce

Greg Jericho writes fact, article below ↓

"25 years of boosting demand has destroyed housing affordability"

While providing (rightly) seven #Iranian women footballers asylum and joining an illegal war, the Labor Government today is passing a Trump like entry ban to block Iranians from entering Australia for the next 6 months. Despicable and morally bankrupt in its hypocrisy and lack of decency and values.

Australian governments subsidising fossil fuel use by more than $30,000 a minute, analysis finds Australia Institute data finds state and federal subsidies for coal, gas and oil products increased 10% in past year, growing at a faster pace than funding to NDIS

Remember this next time anyone in the govt says they can’t afford to raise the rate.

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

A list of state laws in Australia targeting protests and free speech State governments have played a key part in stripping Australians’ democratic rights at the behest of powerful interest groups

From the river to the beach, Australia won't have free speech

www.deepcutnews.com/p/a-list-of-...

Does the Australian government govern & regulate non-taxpayers who get their gas for free Chevron, Exxon, Santos, Woodside and Conoco in the public interest? OR do the latter govern and regulate the Australian government (and thus people) in the private profit interests of their (offshore) owners?

Two robodebt officials engaged in serious corrupt conduct, Nacc finds, but Scott Morrison cleared Anti-corruption watchdog makes adverse findings against two former public servants but clears four other individuals

Robodebt was the worst failure of public administration in Australian history. It raised est. $1.73 bn of illegitimate debts from over 430,000 vulnerable Australians and plunged thousands of families into distress and grief. And still no real consequences.

www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

To restore democracy and create a fairer, safer, greener world, we need massive taxes on the ultra-rich. As in the 1940s. People get confused about this. The main purpose of such taxes is *not* to raise revenue. The point is to stop the few dominating the many. It's an essential democratic measure.

Two robodebt officials engaged in serious corrupt conduct, Nacc finds, but Scott Morrison cleared Anti-corruption watchdog makes adverse findings against two former public servants but clears four other individuals

Surprise, surprise.

The NACC (whose boss didn’t want to investigate this) has found that the politicians who ordered RoboDebt be created will bear no accountability for their creation.

🤷‍♂️🙄

#AusPol

www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Richard Marles refuses to say whether he’s had advice that the US-Israel attack on Iran is legal.

“That’s a matter for the Attorney-General”, he blathers.

We are governed by clowns.
Mendacious, secretive, dangerous clowns, who have given up our sovereignty to the Mango Mussolini. #auspol #abc730

Disappointed I was the only MP to vote against 2nd reading of Govt-Oppn bill that will give the Minister power to stop entire classes of temp visa holders arriving in Aus. A discriminatory policy letting the Govt decide which imperilled ppl are worth saving. #auspol #politas

Richard Marles lets down every Australian by gaslighting us about Trump and Netanyahu's war.

He's a powerful and dangerous politician - and we'll all be safer when he no longer makes decisions for us #auspol #qt

Humanity heating planet faster than ever before, study finds Researchers identify sharp rise to about 0.35C every decade, after excluding natural fluctuations such as El Niño

Climate breakdown is occurring more rapidly with the heating rate almost doubling, according to research that excludes the effect of natural factors behind the latest scorching temperatures.
#climatecrisis #auspol www.theguardian.com/environment/...

The NACC has been an utter waste of public money. Its sole achievement so far is to further persuade everyone that consequence-free corruption and bastardry are fixed features of government in this country.

Australian media isn’t covering this but what’s happening in Cuba is dreadful. Trump signed an executive order cutting off Cuba’s last oil supply. Ten million people are paying with their lives. Sewage systems are failing, food is rationed, it’s getting worse.

The latest from the brilliant Fiona Katauskas.

There are only two types of people who love war. Those who don’t have to fight in them and those who profit from them. And they are very often the same people.

Zali Steggall tears into racist political group Advance for platforming ‘far right, white supremacist’ views
“What’s more frightening is a former PM Tony Abbott openly supporting & being at that conference in support…& current Liberal senators.”🔥 #auspol

‘We’ll run out of food this week’: how attacks on Iran leave Gaza under siege Israel has closed all crossings into Gaza, threatening to plunge 2 million people into a new hunger crisis * US-Israel war on Iran – live updates Israel closed all crossings into Gaza indefinitely when it attacked Iran, imposing a siege that has already pushed up food prices and threatens to plunge 2 million people into a new hunger crisis. After more than two years of war, and with Israeli forces in control of about 60% of the territory, almost all Gaza’s food must be brought in. Continue reading...

‘We’ll run out of food this week’: how attacks on Iran leave Gaza under siege

Note that the man antisemitism envoy Segal picked for her uni review is linked to Atlas Network partner the Centre for Independent Studies (with his brother Peter at the IPA).

How much is the broadly AJA project integrated into 🇦🇺 Atlas partner ops?

www.cis.org.au/person/greg-...

#Auspol

Indigenous Australians share the racist messages they receive online: ‘No one’s feeling safe’ Australia has announced an inquiry into racism and hate directed at First Nations people, as Lidia Thorpe says racism has ‘never been this bad’

“speaking out against injustice, genocide and violence is a duty” - Senator Lidia Thorpe.

www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Indigenous Australians share the racist messages they receive online: ‘No one’s feeling safe’ Australia has announced an inquiry into racism and hate directed at First Nations people, as Lidia Thorpe says racism has ‘never been this bad’

#auspol #racism 🤬

Indigenous Australians share the racist messages they receive online: ‘No one’s feeling safe’

trump, tech companies sign voluntary pledge to protect consumers from rising elec costs headline trump holding signed bill

a series of charts showing compaines failing on their climate goals

who among you is brave enough to take a guess what happened the last time tech companies made a voluntary pledge to protect the public from the harmful impacts of data centre over-development

Just a random reminder that over 50 members of Congress collectively own millions of dollars in defense contractor stocks.

They stand to personally profit from wars that enrich these contractors.

Make no mistake, this is legalized corruption.

Watch how they vote this week.

Also poisonous is the mantra of school "choice". It implies that the choice would *always* be to go private and so devalues public ed. A well-funded, well-supported state school system is never one of the "choices" on offer.

Public ed is good for social cohesion. Public funding for religious private schools divides us.
It's extremely depressing how our system & pol leaders encourage a belief that sending your kids to private, esp "Christian" schools gives them a better future. We need pride & investment in public ed

“Welcome once again to Moscow on the Torrens...Unis, the Arts, and the media were once respected as sites where controversial ideas could be tested. That's no longer a given. We are witnessing relentless campaigning by sectional groups & their influence over politicians ..."
— Louise Adler

Extraordinary from the Liberal Party's 2025 election review: not all shadow ministers are "equipped" to develop policy.

Their main job is to "cultivate relationships" with interest groups, who are "keen to assist in policy development".

Private donors are keen to assist too.

Australia’s shameless support for the US attack on Iran makes us gullible, duplicitous, or both | Allan Behm For Anthony Albanese – as well as Mark Carney and Keir Starmer – to go along with Trump and Netanyahu’s cynical ploy negates any sense of moral authority we possess – a catastrophe for the rules-based...

"Australia’s shameless support for the US attack on Iran makes us gullible, duplicitous, or both" by Allan Behm
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

I know they want you visiting the website to see the image, but this one from @fionakatauskas.bsky.social is too good not to isolate.