Global temperature targets will be missed within decades unless carbon emissions reversed
New projections by researchers from the Universities of Southampton and Liverpool, and the Australian National University in Canberra, could be the catalyst the world has sought to determine how best to meet its obligations to reduce carbon emissions
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-01/uos-gtt012218.php
Today’s Celebration
Handwriting Day https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/handwriting-day/
Measure Your Feet Day https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/measure-your-feet-day/
More about Jan 23 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_23
Climate Change
Climate Engineering, Once Started, Would Have Severe Impacts If Stopped
Facing a climate crisis, we may someday spray sulfur dioxide into the upper atmosphere to form a cloud that cools the Earth, but suddenly stopping the spraying would have a severe global impact on animals and plants, according to the first study on the potential biological impacts of geoengineering, or climate intervention.
http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/53721
Global temperature targets will be missed within decades unless carbon emissions reversed
New projections by researchers from the Universities of Southampton and Liverpool, and the Australian National University in Canberra, could be the catalyst the world has sought to determine how best to meet its obligations to reduce carbon emissions
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-01/uos-gtt012218.php
Climate change and snowmelt — turn up the heat, but what about humidity?
It’s said on sticky summer days: “It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity.” That holds true in the winter too, and could hold the key to the future of snowpack and water resources in the American West.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-01/uou-cca011718.php
National
Do big cats really prowl the Australian bush?
Stories of big cats prowling the Australian bush are generations old. But why do many Australians think they’ve seen them, and what does it say about our relationship with the bush?
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-22/do-big-cats-really-prowl-the-australian-bush/9330686
Big coal seeks taxpayer handouts for carbon storage
The coal industry has urged Australian taxpayers to invest more into carbon storage, despite the fact a decade of investment has so far failed.
http://www.afr.com/business/mining/big-coal-seeks-taxpayer-handouts-for-carbon-storage-20180122-h0m9xr
Who needs Snowy 2.0? Australia to hit RET early after record investment
http://www.theage.com.au/business/the-economy/who-needs-snowy-20-australia-to-hit-ret-early-after-record-investment-20180122-p4yyq8.html
Small electric cars ‘pollute less’
Josh Frydenberg has rejected findings that electric vehicles have a bigger carbon footprint than conventional cars.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/climate/frydenberg-says-small-electric-cars-pollute-less/news-story/3437b5f83f08cd9484190e6a55db79f9
Frydenberg: Demoting science, ignoring data but singing own praises on climate
Peter Boyer
Josh Frydenberg protests that the Turnbull Government is on track to achieve climate goals. Unfortunately, that’s not the same as cutting emissions.
https://independentaustralia.net/environment/environment-display/frydenberg-demoting-science-ignoring-data-but-singing-own-praises-on-climate,11123
When generators jack up prices 100-fold, and regulators do nothing
Giles Parkinson
AER report finds generators jacked up energy prices 100-fold, even when there was more than enough capacity. But don’t expect regulators to do anything about it
http://reneweconomy.com.au/when-generators-jack-up-prices-100-fold-and-regulators-do-nothing-61231/
Victoria
Wild horses could be dragged away from Bogong High Plains
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/wild-horses-could-be-dragged-away-from-bogong-high-plains-20180122-p4yyqe.html
Old coal power wilts in heat
Victoria’s ageing coal-fired power plants had 14 equipment failures in six weeks.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/ageing-coalfired-power-plants-cant-take-the-heat/news-story/05f133768c669c2aee9b208f3d36bb45
Desalination plant builders sue German manufacturing giant Siemens
The builders of Victorias desalination plant are suing German company Siemens over a major equipment blowout that occurred when workers first tried to produce water from it.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/desalination-plant-builders-sue-german-manufacturing-giant-siemens/news-story/d92039b34830d613788f0d6e2d4831ad?nk=bfeb7075ba02bd11d0304586ef16c753-1516653432
New South Wales
Firefighters continue to battle Royal National Park bushfire
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/weather/firefighters-continue-to-battle-royal-national-park-bushfire-20180121-h0lxcq.html
ACT
Canberra is on its way to be the cycling capital of Australia
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/acts-first-bike-barometer-proves-canberra-is-on-its-way-to-be-the-cycling-capital-of-australia-20180122-h0m5ey.html
9000 Tuggeranong residents have green bins as collections start
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/another-9000-canberrans-have-green-bins-as-collections-start-in-tuggeranong-this-week-20180122-h0m5ec.html
Why Canberra’s plastic bag ban could be better
Victoria Lee
This could be unpopular, but I know there are others lurking in the shadows thinking the same thing.
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/opinion/why-canberras-plastic-bag-ban-could-be-better-20180111-h0gogh.html
Queensland
Great Barrier Reef gets funding boost as PM tells ‘doomsayers’ to be optimistic
The Federal Government unveils plans to tackle the destructive crown-of-thorns starfish, announcing a $60 million plan to protect the Great Barrier Reef.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-22/great-barrier-reef-funding-to-fight-crown-of-thorns-starfish/9348102
$60 million ‘rescue plan’ for reef too little: critics
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/wasteful-stunt-turnbull-government-accused-of-doing-too-little-to-save-reef-20180122-h0mamy.html
Bob Katter says there is an ‘unpleasant odour’ to Adani-linked airport
Townsville and Rockhampton councils to spend $34m on airport hundreds of kilometres from either city
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/jan/23/bob-katter-says-there-is-unpleasant-odour-to-adani-linked-airport-carmichael-coalmine
South Australia
SA roo ‘plague’ bounding out of control
South Australian farmers demand better control incentives as kangaroo numbers boom.
http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/south-australian-farmers-demand-better-control-incentives-as-kangaroo-numbers-boom/news-story/22396d84b94826d609e6de0b67eb3851
Gupta plans EV plant in Australia, powered by solar and storage
UK billionaire Sanjeev Gupta wants to use Holden facilities to build electric vehicles in Australia, underpinned by the 1GW of solar and storage planned for South Australia. Conservatives are horrified.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/gupta-plans-ev-plant-australia-powered-solar-storage-94177/
RAA and UniSA experts say Adelaide is ideal for building electric cars
Adelaide is the ideal location to develop an electric car industry in Australia but any proposal needs state and federal government support to get off …
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/raa-and-unisa-experts-say-adelaide-is-ideal-for-building-electric-cars-but-needs-subsidies/news-story/bae81a07cc41b1a422a6b3d65be43804
Whyalla Steelworks owner Sanjeev Gupta plans two iron ore mines
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/whyalla-steelworks-owner-sanjeev-gupta-plans-two-iron-ore-mines/news-story/dbefef85315cca91ac19eb40335f6e5e
Rooftop solar plays key role in reducing, deferring peak in heatwave
Giles Parkinson
Rooftop solar was providing more capacity in South Australia than the old Northern coal generator at the height of Thursday’s peak. Solar pushed the peak grid demand into early evening.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/rooftop-solar-plays-key-role-in-reducing-deferring-peak-in-heatwave-33766/
Tasmania
Tasmanian wildlife gets its first dedicated medical service
Injured and sick wildlife can now be treated at a dedicated veterinary service at the Bonorong Wildlife Centre, without having to rub up against predators like cats and dogs.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-22/tas-bonorong-gets-its-own-wildlife-hospital/9349072
Petition to ban the sale of enclosed traps gains momentum in Tasmania
More than 42,000 people have signed a petition calling for the state government to ban the sale of an enclosed net trap.
http://www.examiner.com.au/story/5181446/petition-to-ban-the-sale-of-enclosed-traps-gains-momentum/?cs=95
Work on $280 million North-West wind farm expected to be completed by end of 2022
http://www.themercury.com.au/news/tasmania/work-on-280-million-northwest-wind-farm-expected-to-be-completed-by-end-of-2022/news-story/bcad95abdf0167e7f255df8f6816b9d4
Western Australia
Eco-friendly Perth geothermal beachside pool a ‘game-changer’
A $26-million geothermal pool using the naturally warm temperature of an aquifer to provide heating opens next to the beach in Perth, the first in the state to be given a six-star green rating for the efficiency of its design.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-22/scarborough-opens-beachside-pool-in-new-coastal-development/9348514
Sustainability
Study: Long-term health risks of Monsanto’s Roundup revealed
New research suggests Monsanto’s Roundup weedkiller may alter the human microbiome, leaving us vulnerable to disease.
https://independentaustralia.net/life/life-display/studies-indicate-long-term-health-risks-of-monsantos-roundup,11125
How bacteria can turn your old phone into a tiny goldmine
Your old mobile phone could hold value long after you throw it in the bin with a team of Australian researchers working to unlock the gold inside.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-22/how-your-old-phone-is-a-tiny-gold-mine/9330994
India defends solar panel makers from Chinese rivals
Some of India’s biggest builders of solar farms are battling proposals by regulators to impose an emergency tax on imported solar cells.
http://www.afr.com/news/politics/world/india-defends-solar-panel-makers-from-chinese-rivals-20180122-h0m53n
Search restarts for area willing to host highly radioactive UK waste
The British government is expected this week to begin a nationwide search for a community willing to host an underground nuclear waste dump to store highly radioactive material for thousands of years.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jan/21/search-area-willing-host-highly-radioactive-waste-uk-geology
Small hydroelectric dams increase globally with little research, regulations
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-01/uow-shd012218.php
A new approach to rechargeable batteries
New metal-mesh membrane could solve longstanding problpems and lead to inexensive power storage
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-01/miot-ana012218.php
Swansea University research helps break ground to clean up land
Researchers at Swansea University’s Complex Flow Lab have been exploring the intricate shapes that emerge when air is injected into soil. Published in Physical Review Applied, these findings could one day be used to speed up the decontamination of industrial brownfield sites?which the United Kingdom currently has over 400,000 hectares of.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-01/su-sur012218.php
Pathway opens to minimize waste in solar energy capture
Discovery could push solar efficiency beyond 30 percent
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-01/acoe-pot011818.php
Making fuel cells for a fraction of the cost
Material developed at UC Riverside creates fuel cell catalysts at a hundredth of the cost
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-01/uoc–mfc011918.php
Apocalypse not now but the fate of civilization is in our hands
If societal collapse is coming, we have the means to prevent it. Let’s not mess it up like we did with climate change.
https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23731613-300-apocalypse-not-now-but-the-fate-of-civilisation-is-in-our-hands/
Switching to electric cars is key to fixing America’s ‘critically insufficient’ climate policies
Dana Nuccitelli
Nearly 60% of US carbon pollution comes from power and transportation, and power is already decarbonizing fast
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2018/jan/22/switching-to-electric-cars-is-key-to-fixing-americas-critically-insufficient-climate-policies
Nature Conservation
Climate change linked to more flowery tropical forests, FSU study shows
New research from a Florida State University scientist has revealed a surprising relationship between surging atmospheric carbon dioxide and flower blooms in a remote tropical forest.
http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/53722
Marine vegetation can mitigate ocean acidification, UCI study finds
Conservation of shoreline plants and seaweeds could, in turn, help preserve shellfish habitats
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-01/uoc–mvc012218.php
Study may improve strategies for reducing nutrient runoff into Mississippi River
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-01/uoic-smi012218.php
How climate change weakens coral ‘immune systems’
Stress upsets the natural bacterial balance that keeps them healthy
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-01/osu-hcc012218.php
Vaccines not protecting farmed fish from disease
The vaccines used by commercial fish farmers are not protecting fish from disease, according to a new study.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-01/uow-vnp011918.php
Seabed mining could destroy ecosystems
Mining on the ocean floor could do irreversible damage to deep-sea ecosystems, says a new study of seabed mining proposals around the world.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-01/uoe-smc012218.php
Now for something completely different …
Australia Day: if you keep picking, it will never get better
Bob Ryan
On Australia Day what Australians want most is a holiday. They care less about the actual date.
http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=1952
Maelor Himbury