Post of the Day
The Morrison Government: An extraordinary health hazard
Doctors for the Environment
Climate change denial is the denial of many public health casualties.
Today’s Celebration
Catalan National Day – Spain
Liberation Day (Kosrae, Pohnpei) – Micronesia
Quaid-e-Azam / Jinnah’s Death Anniversary – Pakistan
Patriot Day – United States of America
New Year’s Day – Rastafarian
Make Your Bed Day – https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/make-your-bed-day/
More about Sep 11 – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11
Climate Change
‘Limited’ progress at Bangkok climate talks
Executive secretary says ‘progress was made, but nothing was finalised’. Nations will meet again in Poland in December
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/sep/10/limited-progress-at-bangkok-climate-talks
U.N. Chief warns of a dangerous tipping point on climate change
Calling climate change the defining issue of our time, António Guterres said “the time has come for our leaders to show they care about the people whose fate they hold in their hands.”
Rice farming up to twice as bad for climate change as previously thought, study reveals
Levels of overlooked greenhouse gas are up to 45 times higher in fields that are only flooded intermittently.
Coastal erosion in the Arctic intensifies global warming
The loss of arctic permafrost deposits by coastal erosion could amplify climate warming via the greenhouse effect
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/09/180910081538.htm
The most honest book about climate change yet
William T. Vollmann’s latest opus is brilliant, but it offers no comfort to its readers.
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/10/william-vollmann-carbon-ideologies/568309/
Climate fund puts heat on Paris [$]
Graham Lloyd
The Paris climate change agreement has started to unravel as developing countries seek greater freedoms.
Kavanaugh’s views on EPA’s climate authority are dangerous and wrong
Dana Nuccitelli
Kavanaugh thinks Congress should address climate change. That’s true, but it doesn’t lessen EPA’s authority
Climate change is speeding up. Our response needs to be even faster
Christiana Figueres
This article is brought to you thanks to the strategic cooperation of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum.
National
Labor may pursue Turnbull’s energy plan
After declaring the government’s energy plan is “dead”, Scott Morrison is expected to officially dump it when he meets his partyroom colleagues on Tuesday.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/pm-tipped-read-energy-plans-last-rites-173134251–spt.html
Virgin Australia bans plastics from flights [$]
Virgin Australia has banned plastics from all flights and lounges in the latest move in the war against waste.
Asian demand boosts coal exports [$]
Australian thermal coal export earnings and volumes are at record rates on the back of strong Asian power station demand.
No need to leave Paris: Morrison [$]
Scott Morrison says there’s no need to leave Paris Agreement as Australia will meet its 26pc emissions reduction target.
Government may intervene on gas
East coast domestic gas markets are likely to remain tight next year and spark political intervention, EnergyQuest says.
There’s a certain Trump-like quality to Australia’s discourse on emissions reductions
Stephen Long
When it comes to our emissions targets, it’s not so much a case of alternative facts, as a case of ignore the facts or pretend they don’t exist
If the NBN and Snowy Hydro 2.0 were value for money, would we know?
Rosalind Dixon and Richard Holden
We are getting closer to being able to apply private sector rigour to the examination of public sector projects with social benefits.
https://theconversation.com/if-the-nbn-and-snowy-hydro-2-0-were-value-for-money-would-we-know-102908
At its current rate, Australia is on track for 50% renewable electricity in 2025
Ken Baldwin et al
The Australian renewable energy industry will install more than 10 gigawatts of new solar and wind power during 2018 and 2019. If that rate is maintained, Australia would reach 50% renewables in 2025.
The Morrison Government: An extraordinary health hazard
Doctors for the Environment
Climate change denial is the denial of many public health casualties.
The green elephant in the Snowy Mountains
Viv Forbes
To call it ‘hydro-electric’ is a fraud – it will not store one extra litre of water and will be a net consumer of electric power. It is a giant electric storage battery to be recharged using grid power.
http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=19937
Victoria
Six new solar, wind farms to be built in Victoria
New solar and wind farms will be built near Warrnambool, Geelong, Mildura, Echuca, Mortlake and Shepparton, generating enough energy to power 640,000 homes as part of the Victorian Government renewable energy target.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-10/new-solar-wind-farms-to-be-built-in-victoria/10223550
Eight dead platypuses found in fishing trap in Melbourne river
Three teenage girls kayaking down Werribee River, in Melbourne’s west, were horrified to discover the eight dead platypuses trapped in a net.
Coal mine under farmers’ scrutiny over vast surface water harvest
Rules governing water use are being questioned following hundreds of millions of litres being harvested by Whitehaven Coal’s Maules Creek mine.
Labor offers a $4838 battery bonanza for homes with solar panels
Half-price batteries promised as 3000 households a week flock to subsidised solar.
Putting the rail loop on the map: Results in on your favourite design
A plan to build an underground suburban rail loop linking every major line in Melbourne has inspired the city’s cartographers to try to map the proposed network.
Greens councillors favour cyclists over accessible tram ‘super stops’ in Melbourne’s north
Greens councillors have thwarted plans to build more accessible tram stops in Melbourne’s inner-north in their push for a dedicated cycling lane.
Energy prices jump since Morrison coup, as “fair dinkum” coal trips again, and again
Wholesale electricity prices have jumped since the Liberal Party leadership spills.
How mansions make our outer suburbs less liveable [$]
Living in a huge three-bedroom house with a large backyard and movie room in outer Melbourne gives you a better quality of life than residing in a high-density property in Fitzroy, right? Wrong, according to this study.
Melbourne at the centre of Google’s new green city tool
Google has picked Melbourne to trial a new climate change monitoring tool that combines Google Earth data and emission levels to let cities develop plans to fight global warming.
Creating liveable cities in Australia: a scorecard and priority recommendations for Melbourne
Centre for Urban Research (RMIT)
This report, measuring Melbourne’s liveability progress, calls for a redistribution of employment across the city to reduce commute times, ease traffic congestion and encourage more physical activity.
Is Melbourne’s promised loop rail line justified by jobs growth in suburban centres?
Alan Davies
There’s very little reason to think the Andrews government’s promised suburban loop rail line will catalyse jobs growth in suburban centres on a scale that even remotely justifies the cost.
New South Wales
Anger brewing over proposed Hawkesbury Shelf fishing bans
The fishing industry and enthusiasts are warning a NSW Government’s plan to designate the Hawkesbury Shelf marine area a marine park could destroy their livelihoods and lifestyles.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-10/hawkesbury-shelf-proposed-marine-park-sparks-anger/10221680
Jemalong Solar PV farm sold to Genex Power
Norton Rose Fulbright and energy advisory firm Energy Estate have jointly advised on the sale of the Jemalong Solar PV farm in Forbes, NSW.
https://www.lawyersweekly.com.au/biglaw/24003-jemalong-solar-pv-farm-sold-to-genex-power
Independent climate campaigner ends Liberals’ 61-year hold of Wagga Wagga
As farmers protest lack of climate action in Canberra, a seat held by the Liberal Party since 1957 has been won by a climate activist, pro-renewables independent. What’s gives?
Queensland
Health impacts key focus of new Queensland climate change strategy
Killer heatwaves, more disease outbreaks and higher risks to children are highlighted in a Queensland Government climate change plan released today, which says the medical profession can play a major role in driving change.
South Australia
State Govt refuses to detail subsidies to German battery giant
The Marshall Government is refusing to disclose details of its “set-up support” for German battery giant sonnen to establish a new factory on the old Holden site, citing commercial confidentiality.
Farmers’ tiny tool to rid weeds [$]
A tiny European moth is proving to be a powerful biological weapon in eradicating the noxious horehound weed from properties east of Gawler.
‘Time for healing’ — Injunction halts gas mining [$]
The future of a contentious gas extraction project in Leigh Creek hangs in the balance, as an Aboriginal association fights for an injunction to stop it going ahead.
Northern Territory
NT airports to get three new solar farms and battery storage, courtesy of Canavan’s NAIF
A NAIF loan of $150m will help add more than 50MW of solar PV and one battery storage system to airports in the Northern Territory.
Western Australia
The tiny WA town that hosts one of the world’s biggest wildflower shows
More than 500 wildflower cuttings will be on display at the Ravensthorpe Wildflower Show this week, showcasing WA’s diverse and unusual endemic flora species.
Giant $1b desalination plant eyed for Perth’s north
A giant desalination plant in Perth’s northern suburbs is in the mix to be the city’s next major drinking water source, with the Water Corporation set to undertake preparatory works.
Sustainability
Plastic waste set to beat price as UK shoppers’ top concern – study
In the next decade, reduced packaging and increased recyclability will become the main issues for consumers, research shows
European solar farms sprout up without subsidies [$]
Governments are cutting incentives as prices drop, and renewables are competitive with fossil fuels in more places.
‘Giant Pac-Man’ prepares to eat into the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
The world’s first bid to retrieve thousands of tonnes of plastic floating in giant ocean gyres has begun with the launch of a huge floating barrier.
Environmentally friendly farming practices widely used
Nearly one-third of the world’s farms have adopted more environmentally friendly practices while continuing to be productive, according to a global assessment by 17 scientists in five countries.
http://www.dailysunnews.com/news/2018/sep/10/environmentally-friendly-farming-practices-widely-/
Vegetarian diets use half as much water
The world’s freshwater is in short supply thanks in part to a ballooning global population that uses thousands of liters of water everyday to produce food
The 10 largest cities in the world
Asia is home to six of the 10 most populous areas in the world.
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/slideshows/the-10-largest-cities-in-the-world?onepage
California ups its clean energy game: Gov. Brown signs 100% zero-carbon electricity bill
It’s a bold move in a state that’s already seeing the devastation that comes with climate change, including heat waves, droughts, wildfires and sea level rise.
Vast wind and solar farms would bring more rain to Africa
Scientists want to power the world with solar and wind energy, a feat they say is possible with large-scale wind and solar farms.
Is hands-free electric vehicle DC fast-charging a thing?
Not quite yet, but there are a number of people – and companies – working on it and testing prototypes.
https://reneweconomy.com.au/is-hands-free-electric-vehicle-dc-fast-charging-a-thing-61529/
Post-Fukushima coal boom, Japan pumped $92bn into coal and nuclear
The country’s major banks have rolled out new policies limiting coal project financing, but a new report shows that Japanese financial institutions are still driving coal development domestically and…
https://www.eco-business.com/news/post-fukushima-coal-boom-japan-pumped-92bn-into-coal-and-nuclear/
Nature Conservation
Wildlife group details growing illicit animal trade on Facebook
A wildlife trafficking watchdog organization found over 1,500 listings on Facebook selling animals in Thailand, in violation of the social media platform’s rules.
Climate change will drastically alter Yellowstone in coming decades
A hotter, drier climate in Yellowstone means extreme weather events and the frequency and severity of fires could become more common.
Blue macaw parrot extinct in wild, study concludes
The blue macaw parrot known as a Spix’s macaw has gone extinct in the wild, according to a new study from BirdLife International.
The United Nations is considering banning high-seas fishing
Recent research suggests a ban would have minimal effect on global food security, but some scientists think the case isn’t so clear cut.
https://www.hakaimagazine.com/news/the-united-nations-is-considering-banning-high-seas-fishing/
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