The fuel crisis and Australians’ love affair with petrol guzzling monster cars

Now that the government is spruiking BIG car owners to "unloading excess weight" and do their 'little bit' because of dwindling reserves, we are looking back on last year 's headlines to unravel how we got here.:

" Australians are obsessed with SUVs and huge utes, but experts say they are making our roads deadlier
theguardian.com/australia-news…

* Big cars are increasing Australia’s emission and fuel bills – but what are the alternatives for families?
theguardian.com/australia-news…

* ‘You have unmet needs’: the psychology behind Australia’s love affair with big cars
theguardian.com/australia-news…

* Road hogs: what is Australia’s love of big cars costing us all?
theguardian.com/global/2025/ma…

* The cars eating Australia: should we be trying to reverse our attraction to SUVs and utes?
theguardian.com/australia-news…

** The Government launches $20 million fuel saving campaign: "Every little bit helps" Along with asking the public to consider using their car less, the ads promote tips to improve vehicle fuel efficiency, such as "driving smoothly" and "unloading excess weight". >>
abc.net.au/news/2026-04-11/gov…

Image: Australia loves huge SUVs and trucks. First Dog on the Moon
theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

#FossilFuel #fuel #petrol #cars #vehicles #SUVs #CarDependency #PetrolDependency #EnergySecurity #consumption #climate #pollution #RaodTrauma #BigCars #BigCarparks #FuelGuzzlers #FuelSaving #TaxPerks #NegativeExternalities #RoadFatalities #RoadDeaths #speed #pedestrians #MobilityDesign #governance #Australia #love #big #ExcessWeight #roads

World held hostage by reliance on fossil fuels,
Christiana Figueres warns – and climate health impacts are ‘mother of all injustices’

* "While the timing of the announcement – amid the US-Israel war on Iran – is coincidental, Figueres said the fuel crisis was “dramatic proof” of the global dependence on fossil fuels that is driving geopolitical instability and the health impacts the commission will examine."

“Companies should understand for their business continuation, they should reduce emissions. Governments should understand that in order for them to stabilise their economy, and protect their people, they should reduce emissions...I just think that enlightened self-interest based on scientific facts – which is what the commission is going to put forward – is a much more effective route to emission reductions than a legally binding agreement from which anybody can withdraw.”
theguardian.com/society/ng-int…

* Sea-level rise is a health crisis and we must hold polluters accountable >>
theguardian.com/commentisfree/…
#FossilFuel #climate #war #harm #oil #petrol #SeaLevelRise #coast #Pacific #inequality #ClimateCrisis #PolyCrisis #MobilityDesign #cars #accountability #liability

How the house and car nexus is destroying biodiversity

"Australian houses are among the largest in the world, averaging 236 square metres of living space"

"Local urban greening outcomes are subjugated to state government housing priorities."

"Driveway area has increased on average by 57% from 29m2 to 46m2."

"Front garden area has reduced on average by 46% from 102m2 to 55m2."

"Redevelopment has reduced canopy cover by 62% at the lot scale."

"Middle-ring suburban Sydney is experiencing a quiet yet profound transformation. As redevelopment accelerates, larger houses with expansive footprints and additional driveways are steadily replacing traditional front yards and gardens. This study examines 370 properties across Northern and Greater Western Sydney to quantify these changes. In areas where older, low-density homes have been replaced by newer, larger detached dwellings, the average front garden area has declined by 46%, while driveways and other impervious surfaces have increased by 57%. Most notably, front yard canopy cover has fallen by 62%. These patterns are not due to a lack of policy, but to a planning system in which local controls have become discretionary under ongoing state-level legislative reforms. Broader social trends toward larger homes and greater car ownership further reinforce this shift. The cumulative effect is leading to a substantial loss of private green space, contributing to higher urban heat, reduced biodiversity, and diminished connections with nature. Urban planning reform is urgently needed to embed minimum standards..."

Death of the front yards: How the house and car is replacing residential gardens >>
sciencedirect.com/science/arti…

#cars #roads #housing #driveways #sprawl #expansion #MumAndDadDeveloper #UHI #UrbanHeat #gardens #backyard #GreenSpace #UrbanGreening #wildlife #biodiversity #trees #children #SmallLandclearing #UrbanPlanning #FossilFuel #dependency #failure #regulation #suburbia #Australia #culture

Image: Housing cars

Turning gardens into roads - Supersized driveways are shrinking suburban front yards

"...In 30 years time we’ll suddenly wake up and go ‘Where have all our front gardens gone?’..You end up with this hard infrastructure – houses and driveways – that have this incremental dominance of the landscape."

"Tree canopy coverage was reduced by 62% as older houses were demolished and rebuilt."

"In contrast, the footprint of driveways and other artificial surfaces increased by 57% to 46 square metres."

"...Greater car ownership and households increasingly having multiple vehicles had also contributed to the loss of private green space.The loss of private green space contributes to higher urban heat, reduced biodiversity, and fewer connections with nature..." >>
theguardian.com/australia-news…

Driveway 'accidents' >>
abc.net.au/news/search?query=d…

15-minute city
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/15-minut…

#cars #roads #housing #driveways #UHI #UrbanHeat #gardens #backyard #GreenSpace #wildlife #biodiversity #trees #children #SmallLandclearing #UrbanPlanning #FossilFuel #dependency #failure #suburbia #Australia #culture

Image: NSW 'garden' and private toddler playground in suburbia

Mobility design based on a fossil fuel infrastructure

"Fuel costs from Iran war forcing Australians to cancel domestic road travel, flights, cruises."

"We can't risk getting stranded in the bush with no fuel. If you can't move your car, you can't buy food, you can't survive."

"Experts call for a rethink on tourism's dependence on fossil fuels." >>
abc.net.au/news/2026-03-18/ira…

Over-reliance on (fossil fuel) tourism
"The tourism industry is extremely vulnerable to economic, social, and political changes in either the generating or host countries. Diversification in an economy is a sign of health. If a country, or region within a country, becomes dependent for its economic survival on one industry and that industry fails then the social consequences can be devastating. Overdependence on one or two industries is also often accompanied by underdevelopment within other sectors of the economy such as education, health, and the manufacturing and agricultural industries." >>
geographyfieldwork.com/Tourism…
#FossilFuel #dependency #transport #cars #overdependence #tourism #war #stuck #stranded #paralysis #EconomicVulnerability

Toxic air pollution here and there

After weeks of spraying pesticides, then burning the logged plantations, the smoke lingered in a smoulderscape that left soot on all objects and ln lungs. Now the rain washes the cocktail of herbicides together with the ultrafine particle smoke into the surrounding soil and waterways. Negative externalities caused by the NSW government's Forestry Corporation. >>
mastodon.au/@Bellingen/1161798…

The large-scale deconstruction of oil wells elsewhere
Pulverising oil wells into our atmosphere

"Reports are emerging of black rain falling over parts of Iran in the hours after US-Israeli airstrikes on oil depots on the weekend, with some outlets describing it as “acid rain”. Iranian residents have reported headaches, difficulty breathing, and oil-contaminated rain settling on buildings and cars."

"This rain would include acids but also likely a host of other pollutants that are harmful to humans and the environment in the short and long term.This black rain indicates toxic pollutants such as hydrocarbons, ultrafine particles known as PM2.5, and carcinogenic compounds called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have made their way into the rain. When ultrafine particles (PM2.5) are inhaled, they can get into your bloodstream. This has been linked to a range of health impacts including cancers, neurological conditions (such as cognitive impairment), and various cardiovascular conditions." >>
theconversation.com/what-is-th…
#pollution #AirPollution #FossilFuel #combustion #BlackRain #chemicals #toxins #water #EcologicalDisaster #FCNSW #war #atmosphere #climate #governance

BellingenNSW

2026-03-06 02:32:20

Smoulderscape

Still suffocating in smoke pollution
from the 'agricultural activity' of
post-harvest burning by the cellulose 'plantations'
of the NSW government's Forestry Corporation.

Déjà vu
* " “Rome Plows,” massive bulldozers with an armor-fortified cutting blade, could clear 1,000 acres a day. Enormous concussive bombs, known as “daisy cutters”, flattened forests and set off shock waves killing everything within a 3,000-foot (900-meter) radius, down to earthworms in the soil. " >>
theconversation.com/50-years-l…

* Ecocide and the history of herbicidal warfare in the Vietnam War >>
anzacportal.dva.gov.au/wars-an…

#Pollution #Smoke #pollution #HealthHazards #FCNSW #forestry #harm #Bellingenshire #Gleniffer #BellingenLogging #NSW #COPD #AirQuality #breathing #soot #PineCreekStateForest #TuckersNobSF #PostHarvestBurning #agriculture #PileBurning #NSW #EPA #AirQuality #CleanAir #SacrificeZone #extractivism #LoggingIndustry #NegativeExternalities #governance #care #StructuralViolence

50 years later, Vietnam’s environment still bears the scars of war – and signals a dark future for Gaza and Ukraine

Harmful dioxins in Agent Orange, used to strip forests of their leaves, still linger in soil. Restoration work has been slow, and upheaval at USAID may slow it more.

^{The Conversation}

Air Pollution from Palm Oil: A Human Rights Issue

Forest-fire haze drifting from Indonesia to neighbouring countries every dry season has eluded efforts to curb it.

Land clearing by burning is prohibited in Indonesia and Malaysia. However, penalising foreign companies for palm oil and timber deforestation has been hampered by cronyism and corruption.

Under-explored legal avenues may provide new solutions to the decades-old problem.

Everybody in the world deserves to breath in #cleanair. #Palmoil air #pollution is a global problem. Domestic and international laws could combat it together and provide solutions. #TheAirWeShare Story via @360info_global #Boycottpalmoil @palmoildetect palmoildetectives.com/2024/03/…

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Penalising foreign companies for #palmoil and #timber #deforestation in #Indonesia and #Malaysia has been hampered by #cronyism and #corruption at the highest levels of government. Story: @360info_global #TheAirWeShare #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife palmoildetectives.com/2024/03/…

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Written by Cecep Aminudin, a PhD candidate in environmental law at Padjadjaran University, Indonesia. Originally published as ‘Laying down the law on air pollution’ by 360info.org and republished under Creative Commons License.

Forest and land fires in Indonesia have attracted global attention since the great fires in 1982–83 and 1997–98. Large haze events occurred again in 2007, 2012 and 2015, causing international alarm and cross-border pollution throughout Southeast Asia. Smoke from these sorts of fires is the biggest source of air pollution in Indonesia after transportation and energy emissions.

Companies – mostly oil-palm producers – have usedfire as a tool to clear forests and peatland areas for agriculture, even though Indonesia and Malaysia are well aware of the need to strictly enforce bans on the practice.

• Indonesian and Malaysian laws since the 1997 haze event have not prevented local burning.
• And penalising foreign companies for their actions in Indonesia and Malaysia has been hampered by cronyism and corruption, lack of awareness and education, weaknesses in the institutional framework and lack of political will.
• Also, the penalties are too low to deter further pollution.
• In recent years Indonesia’s environment ministry has brought more land- and forest-fire cases to court. Civil laws holding businesses accountable for the fires they cause have had some effect, according to a ministry report.

The ministry filed 21 cases between January 2015 and September 2020, and of these 10 were successful and 11 are still pending. Businesses have been ordered to pay compensation and restoration costs totalling almost US$1.38 billion.

These outcomes are related to the application of the precautionary principle in decision-making by Indonesian civil courts, as is common in environmental cases that involve scientific evidence.

According to this principle, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used to make a decision regarding environmental protection. Indonesian courts applied the precautionary principle in the determining liable party and judging evidence even when there was scientific uncertainty.

Providing sufficient evidence in forest- and land-fire cases is often very difficult

Scientific evidence in the form of studies and expert opinion plays a crucial role in proving illegal fires have occurred, who started them, and how much environmental damage and loss they have caused.

Laboratory test reports can also be used as evidence in civil environmental-justice cases. Entirely at the judge’s discretion, these reports can be treated as expert testimony. Their relevance, which includes validity and reliability, and support from other expert testimonies, is a critical point in a judge’s decision to admit them as compelling legal evidence.

External regulation could complement and support the legal framework in each Southeast Asian country to ensure the activities of transnational companies meet environmental standards and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) notion of cooperation.

Holding palm oil companies to account for air pollution under international law

A legitimate legislative framework could impose and enforce international environmental standards recognised under human rights obligations. In this way, palm oil plantation companies could be held accountable under international law for the pollution they cause elsewhere.

The victims of transboundary pollution and other environmental destruction are the people whose health will suffer, either in the short or the long term. Many countries have also suffered economic loss from direct damage and loss of economic activity.

Holding polluters accountable will not just uphold domestic laws but also demonstrate political willingness to recognise air pollution as a human rights issue.

Cecep Aminudin is a PhD candidate in environmental law at Padjadjaran University, Bandung, Indonesia. He is the Chairman of ECOTAS, a research institute on sustainability. Apart from pursuing his doctoral degree, Aminudin conducts research, delivers training and consults on environmental law. He declares no conflict of interest in relation to this article and does not receive special funds in any form.

Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

Written by Cecep Aminudin, a PhD candidate in environmental law at Padjadjaran University, Indonesia. Originally published as ‘Laying down the law on air pollution’ by 360info.org and republished under Creative Commons License.

ENDS

A 2019 World Health Organisation (WHO) report into the palm oil industry finds extensive greenwashing of human rights abuses, deforestation, air pollution and human health impacts

Read report

Big brands using “sustainable” RSPO palm oil yet still causing deforestation (there are many others)

Nestlé

Nestlé is destroying rainforests, releasing mega-tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere, and killing hundreds of endangered species. Once these animals are gone – they are gone for good. See Nestlé’s full list of…
Read more
by Palm Oil DetectivesFebruary 9, 2021March 2, 2025

Colgate-Palmolive

Despite global retail giant Colgate-Palmolive forming a coalition with other brands in 2020, virtue-signalling that they will stop all deforestation, they continue to do this – destroying rainforest and releasing mega-tonnes of carbon…
Read more
by Palm Oil DetectivesFebruary 9, 2021March 2, 2025

Mondelēz

Mondelez destroys rainforests, sending animals extinct and release mega-tonnes of carbon into air for so-called “sustainable” palm oil. Boycott them!
Read more
by Palm Oil DetectivesFebruary 9, 2021February 28, 2026

Unilever

In 2020, global retail giant Unilever unveiled a deforestation-free supply chain promise. By 2023 they would be deforestation free. This has been and gone and they are still causing deforestation. This brand has…
Read more
by Palm Oil DetectivesFebruary 9, 2021March 2, 2025

Danone

Savvy consumers have been pressuring French Dairy multinational Danone for decades to cease using deforestation palm oil. Yet they actually haven’t stopped this. From their website: ‘Danone is committed to eliminating deforestation from…
Read more
by Palm Oil DetectivesMarch 6, 2021March 2, 2025

PepsiCo

Despite decades of promises to end deforestation for palm oil PepsiCo (owner of crisp brands Frito-Lay, Cheetos and Doritos along with hundreds of other snack food brands) have continued sourcing palm oil that…
Read more
by Palm Oil DetectivesJune 9, 2022March 2, 2025

Procter & Gamble

Despite decades of promises to end deforestation for palm oil Procter & Gamble or (P&G as they are also known) have continued sourcing palm oil that causes ecocide, indigenous landgrabbing, and the habitat…
Read more
by Palm Oil DetectivesJune 3, 2022March 2, 2025

Kelloggs/Kellanova

In late 2023, Kelloggs became Kellanova for their US arm. Savvy consumers have been pressuring Kelloggs for decades to cease using deforestation palm oil. Yet they actually haven’t stopped this. From their website:…
Read more
by Palm Oil DetectivesFebruary 9, 2021March 2, 2025

Johnson & Johnson

Global mega-brand Johnson & Johnson have issued a position statement on palm oil in 2020. ‘At Johnson & Johnson, we are committed to doing our part to address the unsustainable rate of global…
Read more
by Palm Oil DetectivesFebruary 9, 2021July 13, 2025

PZ Cussons

PZ Cussons is a British-owned global retail giant. They own well-known supermarket brands in personal care, cleaning, household goods and toiletries categories, such as Imperial Leather, Morning Fresh, Carex, Radiant laundry powder and…
Read more
by Palm Oil DetectivesMarch 10, 2021March 2, 2025

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2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.

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Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

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The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

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How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

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3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

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4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.

5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here

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#360infoOrg #airPollution #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #carbonemissions #cleanair #corruption #cronyism #deforestation #fire #fossilFuels #fossilfuel #fossilfuels #greenwashing #humanHealth #Indonesia #Malaysia #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #pollution #SouthEastAsia #TheAirWeShare #timber

To enrich a few while harming the rest of us

"Rollback of government’s ability to limit climate-heating pollution from vehicles will make families ‘sicker and less safe’..Trump’s EPA repeals landmark climate finding in gift to ‘billionaire polluters’."

"Repealing the Endangerment Finding takes Orwellian governance to new heights and invites enormous damage to people and property around the world."

"The final rule removes the government’s ability to impose requirements to track, report and limit climate-heating pollution from cars and trucks. Transportation is the largest source of climate pollution in the US."

“If this reckless decision survives legal challenges, it will lead to more deadly wildfires, more extreme heat deaths, more climate-driven floods and droughts, and greater threats to communities nationwide – all while the EPA dismisses the overwhelming science that has protected public health for decades.'
>>
theguardian.com/us-news/2026/f…
#FossilFuel #FossilFuelLobby #cars #cars #cars #trucks #pollution #harm #PublicHealth #endangerment #heatwaves #Bushfires #floods #droughts #climate