Is ‘green living’ a luxury of the rich?
Is environmentalism a luxury of the latte-sipping rich? Are working-class people unconcerned with ‘big issues’ like climate change and sustainable energy? We asked people on both sides of the debate to weigh in.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-15/is-environmentalism-only-for-the-wealthy/9653306
Today’s Celebration
Army Day – Bosnia-Herzegovina
Cambodian New Year – Cambodia
Declaration of Melaka as a Historic State – Malaysia
Income Tax Day (also Accountant’s Day) – United States of America
Kim Il-sun’s Birthday – North Korea
National Contest of Paso Horses – Lima – Peru
Recollection of the Deceased – Georgia
Rubber Eraser Day – United States of America
Songkran Days (Thai New Year) – Thailand
Youth Day – Palau
Pi Mai (Laos New Year) – Laos
Youth Homelessness Matters Day (YHMD) http://www.youthhomelessnessmatters.info/
MS Melbourne Cycle http://www.msmelbournecycle.org.au/
Microvolunteering Day https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/microvolunteering-day/
Take A Wild Guess Day https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/take-a-wild-guess-day/
That Sucks! Day https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/that-sucks-day/
World Creativity & Innovation Week http://www.creativityday.org/
More about Apr 15 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_15
Climate Change
Another Thing That Climate Change Takes From Us: Our beaches
We may have to give up a chill place to sip from coconuts, but it’s worth it.
http://www.ehn.org/another-thing-that-climate-change-takes-from-us-our-beaches-2559955516.html
National
Why ‘transition’ is the coal industry’s hardest word
A proposal for a new coal tax this week was the latest idea in the debate about whether the coal industry needs to transition. But what is a coal transition and why is it so bitterly contested?
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-14/coal-industry-in-transition/9644812
Energy is the road to the Coalition’s redemption [$]
Peta Credlin
However they do it, the Coalition must come together. But unity alone will not save them unless there’s serious policy change, writes Peta Credlin.
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/rendezview/energy-is-the-road-to-the-coalitions-redemption/news-story/8cad8ba0d8a1b99acf89d32075cc483a
Victoria
Strong winds bring down trees and damage homes in Victoria
Chill sweeps through Melbourne and the state, ending a run of unusually warm autumn weather
https://www.theguardian.com/weather/2018/apr/14/strong-winds-bring-down-trees-and-damage-homes-in-victoria
New Alps trail to be bigger drawcard [$]
Victorian hikers are set to get a new multi-day hike in the high country under a planned Falls to Hotham Alpine Crossing overhaul, which will add an extra 20km of walking trail.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/new-57km-alps-trail-proposed-for-victorian-high-country/news-story/cd9ca2ec5ce9a4b702905d39ed6d9681
New South Wales
Out-of-control bushfire still threatening homes in Sydney as inferno changes direction
Firefighters have been working frantically to protect properties in Sydney’s south-west, where an out-of-control blaze has burnt through the Holsworthy army base and left a 500-hectare trail of destruction.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-14/bushfire-in-south-west-sydney-prompts-emergency-alert/9659310
Raging bushfire may have been deliberately lit: Police
A fire which has been raging in Sydney’s southwest, causing hundreds of people to evacuate their homes, may have been deliberately lit, NSW police say.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/nsw/a/39865038/raging-bushfire-in-sydney-may-have-been-deliberately-lit-police/
Cyclists and research show safe passing rules ignored by many
Only 70 NSW motorists have been fined for driving too close to cyclists in the two years since the safe-passing rules were introduced in March 2016, NSW Police said. But about 10,000 drivers are charged with dangerous or negligent driving each year, and many of the fines applied to those driving too close to cyclists, police said.
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/cycling/cyclists-and-research-show-safe-passing-rules-ignored-by-many-20180410-p4z8se.html
Queensland
Desalination plant floated to ease water worries
Water chiefs will look at building a controversial desalination plant north of Brisbane as a booming population and changing weather patterns put pressure on future drinking supplies.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/queensland-government/seqwater-to-investigate-sunshine-coast-desalination-plant-to-combat-water-shortages/news-story/f6c9c4e44c2c58824f02ce9291e78e58
South Australia
Great light to protect from great whites[$]
Strong lights could be the key to convincing great white sharks that surfers aren’t food, after an Australian study yielded remarkable results.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/scientists-light-bulb-moment-leds-latest-tool-in-preventing-shark-attack/news-story/9153380d5fc660a7cad4f5b88d544b95
Power restored to thousands of homes as cold snap hits [$]
Power has been restored to thousands of homes south of Adelaide as the first cold snap of the year moves across the state, bringing more woolly weather.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/the-bureau-of-meteorology-has-issued-a-weather-warning-for-most-of-sa-as-damaging-winds-expected-to-sweep-across-state-during-first-cold-snap-of-the-year/news-story/0702c993a8988fd19aca0e483e6bfa60
Northern Territory
Fracking divisive as land rights [$]
The fracking debate is one of the most divisive issues ever in the Northern Territory, comparable only to land rights debates and discussions about statehood, a leading political commentator has said
http://www.ntnews.com.au/news/northern-territory/fracking-debate-as-divisive-as-land-rights-ken-parish-says/news-story/fb5e404e4d74ad18b0fe8e5eb4b12716
The battle for Beetaloo: The basin at the heart of the fracking debate
Love it or hate it, a decision on fracking in the Northern Territory appears imminent. So what do we know about the region experts believe will be ground-zero for onshore gas?
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-15/beetaloo-basin-at-the-heart-of-the-nt-fracking-gas-debate/9652390
Western Australia
Gorgon gas expansion welcomed but Chevron urged to employ locals
Chevron announces it will proceed with stage two of its multi-billion-dollar Gorgon gas project off WA, which is expected to create hundreds of jobs, as unions urge the company to employ local workers.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-14/chevron-announces-5-billion-gorgon-gas-expansion-off-wa/9658804
Work suspended on WA’s seven-year plan to combat urban sprawl
The government has decided to suspend work on a major and controversial planning blueprint, the Perth and Peel Green Growth Plan for 3.5 million, which has been in the making for seven years.
http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/work-suspended-on-wa-s-seven-year-plan-to-combat-urban-sprawl-20180413-p4z9jv.html
Sustainability
Is ‘green living’ a luxury of the rich?
Is environmentalism a luxury of the latte-sipping rich? Are working-class people unconcerned with ‘big issues’ like climate change and sustainable energy? We asked people on both sides of the debate to weigh in.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-15/is-environmentalism-only-for-the-wealthy/9653306
India leads increasing antibiotic consumption
India’s total use of antibiotics more than doubled from 2000 to 2015.
https://cen.acs.org/pharmaceuticals/antibiotics/India-leads-increasing-antibiotic-consumption/96/i16
Psst! A whispering gallery for light boosts solar cells
Trapping light with an optical version of a whispering gallery, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a nanoscale coating for solar cells that enables them to absorb about 20 percent more sunlight than uncoated devices.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-04/nios-paw041318.php
Research shows how genetics can contribute for advances in 2G ethanol production
The study focused three fungi species which produce enzymes with application in biomass degradation; scientists in Brazil reveal how these substances are regulated and how they can interact synergically.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-04/fda-rsh041218.php
Algae-forestry, bioenergy mix could help make CO2 vanish from thin air
An unconventional mélange of algae, eucalyptus and bioenergy with carbon capture and storage appears to be a quirky ecological recipe. But, scientists from Cornell University, Duke University, and the University of Hawaii at Hilo have an idea that could use that recipe to help power and provide food protein to large regions of the world — and simultaneously remove carbon dioxide from Earth’s atmosphere.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-04/cu-abm041218.php
If “soil is part of our soul”, we should be pay it more attention
Johanna Baker-Dowdell
To me it was once “dirt” where I played marbles with my brother or planted gerberas, but my current roles as gardener’s wife and agricultural reporter mean I now appreciate soil for the vital role it actually plays in the health of this planet’s life.
https://www.examiner.com.au/story/5340346/soil-the-essential-element-feeding-our-souls/?cs=97
Nature Conservation
The Trump administration has officially clipped the wings of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act
A 100-year-old law to protect birds can no longer be used to hold companies accountable for most bird deaths.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/
Crowded Urban Areas Have Fewer Songbirds Per Person
People in crowded urban areas — especially poor areas — see fewer songbirds such as tits and finches, and more potential ‘nuisance’ birds, such as pigeons, magpies and gulls, new research …
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180413093836.htm
Maelor Himbury