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Editorial/opinion… Welcome back to The Point ESG News Site. We hope you’ve enjoyed the festive season as much as we have.
By Jacquelene Pearson
A highlight for me was witnessing the terrifying beauty of the Darling River floodplain while driving between Wilcannia and Broken Hill on December 28. The corporate media had been reporting that the the peak of the floods was moving towards to mouth of the Murray River in South Australia so I was not expecting to find an inland sea on either side of the Barrier Highway but we drove over a crest and there it was.
Cars were stopping on either side of the two-way ‘highway’ to take in and photograph this once-in-a-lifetime spectacle. I silently speculated about how often this century river communities will end up experiencing one-in-one-hundred year floods as unabated carbon emissions continue to cause the planet to unnaturally heat.
The local news informed us that the town of Menindee was bracing for another major Darling flood peak and inundation – the threat to property and lives was far from over. Flooding, thanks to three consecutive La Nina seasons fed by the ENSO (defined by the Bureau of Meteorology as the El Nino Southern Oscillation and the major determinant of Australia’s yearly weather patterns) has been a major theme for 2022 and recovery is likely to dominate this calendar year.
As we prepare to publish this article, flood continues to impact communities in NSW, Victoria, South Australia, WA and the NT. The Bureau of Meteorology is now forecasting a change from La Nina to El Nino. Will record-breaking floods make way for drought and fire?
Irrespective of the short-term weather patterns, the planet continues to warm and the impacts of climate change will continue to be a topic of high interest for The Point this year.
Global warming must also be considered in relation to biodiversity and species loss. Via my role at the Central Coast Community Environment Network (CEN) I have played a very small part in the formation of the Barrington to Hawkesbury Climate Corridors Alliance. It is an initiative that demonstrates how the ongoing clearing of habitat for logging, housing and infrastructure will result in the loss of species from the Barrington Tops to the Hawkesbury River during the decades ahead.
The predictions are dire and ram home the need to stop further clearing of native vegetation. Neither of the major parties in NSW want global warming and species loss to be issues in the campaign for the March election, which may very well turn out to be to their detriment. The Point is determined to hold them to account on their environmental records and intentions.
The Point is looking forward to delivering you the latest unbiased environmental news on global warming, pollution, plastic, habitat and species loss throughout 2023. We will also keep suggesting positive things you can do to improve the situation.
Human rights
The “S” in ESG stands for social justice and The Point will continue to dig into the contentious issues this year including the referendum to give First Nations a Voice to Parliament, housing and homelessness, poverty and domestic and family violence. Again our editorial ethos is to present the facts and make suggestions about how you can encourage our leaders from local, state and federal government to make real and lasting changes for the most vulnerable in our communities. Which brings us to the ‘G’.
Democracy
Just as the citizens of Brazil thought they had elected a more progressive government than the ousted Bolsonaro regime, they woke up to news of insurrection in their nation’s congress in Brazilia this morning. One local journalist remarked that the ‘terrorists’ had the same backing as those who invaded the US Capitol two years ago, including from the right-wing agitator and former Trump adviser, Steve Bannon.
Representative democracy clearly continues to be under threat and we will keep providing you with independent coverage of the governance (that’s the ‘G’ in ESG) that you consider to be important.
Tell us what you think
The year 2022 was a foundational year for The Point ESG News Site and we thank everyone who visited the website, subscribed to our newsletter, shared our facebook posts and told their friends about our content.
As far as we know we are the only news site in Australia dedicated to reporting on environment, social justice and human rights and threats to democracy and the rule of law, and we plan to grow as ESG becomes more important, so 2023 will be about growth and consolidation for The Point.
That means we need your help. What ESG issues are you most interested in? Do you have a red hot story in your local area that no-one is currently covering? We want to deliver the ESG news you are most interested in so please tell us what you think.
Thanks again for your support. If you haven’t already subscribed to our weekly newsletter, please do so and like us on facebook. We look forward to hearing from you and continuing to keep you fully informed about ESG news. Happy New Year!
