Post of the Day
Climate change: How women are building a sustainable future
Women are more vulnerable to climate disasters–and better at investing to prevent them.
http://fortune.com/2018/09/12/climate-change-sustainability-women-leaders/
Today’s Celebration
Finding of the True Cross – Greece
San Jacinto Day – Nicaragua
R U OK? Day – http://www.ruokday.com/
Hug Your Boss Day – https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/hug-your-boss-day/
More about Sep 14 – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_14
Climate Change
Heat-related deaths likely to increase significantly as global temperatures rise, warn researchers
The world needs to keep global temperatures in check by meeting the goals set out in the Paris Agreement, or more people could die because of extreme temperatures, say authors of a new study in the letters section of Springer’s journal Climatic Change.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-09/s-hdl091018.php
Earth could enter permanent ‘hothouse‘ state, scientists warn
If polar ice continues to melt, forests are slashed and greenhouse gases rise to new highs — as they currently do each year — the Earth will pass a tipping point.
https://zeelandpress.com/earth-could-enter-permanent-hothouse-state-scientists-warn/
Climate change: How women are building a sustainable future
Women are more vulnerable to climate disasters–and better at investing to prevent them.
http://fortune.com/2018/09/12/climate-change-sustainability-women-leaders/
Climate-induced soil changes may cause more erosion and flash flooding
The Earth beneath our feet isn’t usually the first thing that comes to mind when people think about the impacts of climate change. However, a study by a UC Riverside-led team of researchers predicts a climate-induced reduction in large soil pores, which may intensify the water cycle and contribute to more flash flooding and soil erosion by the end of the 21st century.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-09/uoc–csc091218.php
Agroforestry is a cheap, scalable way to combat climate change
Erik Hoffner
Agroforests are a cheap, scalable way to clean the air.
National
No consensus in the Nationals on water rights as drought bites harder
A call to use environmental water to help drought-affected farmers has been rekindled by Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack, but his own colleagues are ruling out the idea.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-13/nats-causing-confusion-on-water-rights/10244518
Lowest cost for solar panels in Aus: study
Declining costs and advances in technology mean solar and wind are now viewed as solutions to strengthening grid resilience and reliability, a new report says.
Climate targets ‘not the question’
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg insists the energy debate needs to shift from climate targets to power bills.
Australia on track to miss Paris climate targets as emissions hit record highs
NDEVR Environmental data suggests Australia will miss targets by 1bn tonnes of carbon dioxide under current trajectory
National energy policy ‘not rocket science’, energy chief says
The setting of a national energy policy is not rocket science and the federal failure is forcing states to go it alone, causing headaches for business, says a leading energy chief executive.
Foreign fears over China pipeline bid overblown, say energy experts
They say fears are unwarranted as gas transmission is not as large a security risk as telecommunications and electricity.
Industry calls for NEG resurrection to end ‘cycle of hope and despair’
Senior Labor sources say the party is seriously contemplating adopting the controversial policy that triggered the end of Malcolm Turnbull’s political career
‘Deja vu of failed experiment’ [$]
Daniel Andrews appears blind to the failures of the Rann and Weatherill governments, SA’s Energy Minister says.
Sharing your meter data might help cut your power bill, but it needs secure regulation
Sangeetha Chandrashekeran et al
Smart meters promise lower bills, but could also reduce your privacy.
Strength in numbers for Australia [$]
Frank Lowy
We should be talking about immigration targets, not caps, if we wish to prosper.
Victoria
What the prescribed burn window closing means as we go into peak fire season
With only 30 per cent of prescribed, or controlled, burns carried out in Victoria, and a dry spring forecast, how are fire preparations looking?
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-13/is-the-prescribed-burn-window-closing-in-australia/10236048
Fears Vic renewables will drive up prices
Trevor St Baker fears the Victorian Renewable Energy Target’s maiden crop of six new wind and solar farms will put more pressure on the power network.
https://www.afr.com/news/coal-baron-trevor-st-baker-fears-vret-will-drive-prices-up-20180912-h159y6
Wind farm report a blow to future of the industry [$]
Graham Lloyd
A class-action lawsuit is being planned against a local council, the Victorian government and a wind farm operator after an independent review accepted resident complaints that noise from a Gippsland wind farm was causing them harm.
New South Wales
Sydney light rail project won’t break even, NSW Cabinet told in 2012
A “cabinet in confidence” document prepared for the NSW Government in 2012 forecast the Sydney CBD light rail project would leave taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars out of pocket, with none of the routes able to break-even.
Mystery fish appearance raises questions on climate change
The discovery of a rare, protected fish in deep water off the NSW south coast is raising questions about whether it has been pushed to greater depths by climate change.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-14/blue-devil-fish-discovery-in-deep-water-sparks-debate/10242354
ACT
ACT becomes first in Australia to join UN’s Powering Past Coal Alliance
The ACT government has become the first jurisdiction in Australia to join the UN’s Powering Past Coal Alliance aimed at rapidly phasing out the fossil fuel.
Should illegal developments be approved retrospectively?
Developers who build first and ask for permission later should be slugged an extra fee to stop others exploiting the loophole in the development application process, an ACT parliamentary inquiry has heard.
Queensland
Fears of secrecy as Qld Government set to ban information requests on mining rehabilitation fund
The Queensland Government is set to grant a blanket exclusion from right to information requests on a new multi-million-dollar mining and gas rehabilitation fund — going against the advice of the information watchdog.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-14/mining-rehabilitation-laws-qld-blocks-rti-requests/10230432
Kitty litter paper trial offers employment for people with a disability
A trial project — turning waste paper into kitty litter — creates employment opportunities for north Queenslanders with a disability.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-14/kitty-litter-project-offers-employment/10237216
Turnbull will be asked to give evidence at $444m Great Barrier Reef grant inquiry
Former PM’s decision to resign from parliament means he could be compelled to appear if he refuses invitation
Adani ditches plan to build rail line for Carmichael coalmine
Mining company says it will connect to existing network so it can ‘fast-track project delivery’
Adani ‘close’ to securing deal [$]
Adani is touting the imminent construction of its controversial Carmichael mega-mine in Queensland’s Galilee coal basin.
Adani on track for a Christmas presence [$]
Mining giant Adani has unveiled a new plan to have its controversial Carmichael mega coalmine under construction by Christmas.
Adani’s coal phantom rises again [$]
Matthew Stevens
There is a touch of The Phantom about Gautam Adani’s Carmichael coal project. Like the masked man from comic-land, this is the mine they cannot kill.
https://www.afr.com/business/adanis-coal-phantom-rises-again-20180913-h15cd8
South Australia
Big name brought in to review GM crop ban [$]
Economics emeritus professor Kym Anderson will undertake an independent review on South Australia’s genetically modified crop ban, which is in place until 2025.
Sustainability
Is BPA-Free Plastic Safe? Get the Facts.
Alternatives to the now infamous compound keep popping up. But researchers aren’t convinced they’re any better for us.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2018/09/news-BPA-free-plastic-safety-chemicals-health/
Water is not the most common source of lead poisoning
Parents can take simple steps to reduce their children’s risk of exposure to lead.
With new sensors, Google’s Street View cars will measure air pollution worldwide
The distinctive, high-tech cars that Google LLC uses to collect data for Street View will soon take much more than just photographs.
Millions of kids at risk of nutritional deficiencies
Rising levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) from farming practices, are starting to affect the food supply, notable staples such as rice and wheat.
https://raisevegan.com/millions-of-kids-at-risk-of-nutritional-deficiencies/
Top green group to spend an unprecedented $60 million on 2018 races
The League of Conservation Voters and other groups are donating to Democrats they believe will counter Trump’s environmental policies.
This is the end of the world
A visit to Chernobyl made almost by chance has shaped the work of photographer Merilyn Fairskye
We need more flexible housing for 21st-century lives
Kirsty Volz
People living with the change and uncertainty of this century need flexible and adaptable housing. Here we look at a couple of examples of what’s possible.
https://theconversation.com/we-need-more-flexible-housing-for-21st-century-lives-102636
Why driverless vehicles should not be given unchecked access to our cities
Dominic Stead et al
To maximise the benefits and limit the costs, the use of autonomous vehicles should be pooled and their access to the city restricted.
Why are we stripping our life support systems?
David Shearman
In a world of increasingly complex issues, survival cannot be left to political opinion — it has to be guided by our best scientific and technological minds.
Nature Conservation
End of Colombia Conflict May Bring New Threats to Ecosystems
The end of a 52-year internal conflict could spell trouble for the second most biodiverse country in the world.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/09/180912081244.htm
Coral Bleaching Increases Disease Risk in Threatened Species
Bleaching events caused by rising water temperatures could increase mortality among a coral species already threatened by disease
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/09/180911132043.htm
Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge opens to public
The 17-year conversion of the Cold War-era Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant into a federal wildlife refuge hits a milestone this weekend with the opening to the public of trails for hiking, biking, horseback riding and cross-country skiing.
https://www.denverpost.com/2018/09/12/rocky-flats-wildlife-refuge-opens-saturday/
Plastic pollution: Scientists identify two more potential ‘garbage patch’ zones in world’s oceans
Study attempts to locate remaining 99% of plastic unaccounted for by conventional surveys.
Global Coastal Wetlands Need to Move Inland in Fight Against Climate Change
Up to 30 per cent of coastal wetlands could be lost globally by the year 2100 with a dramatic effect on global warming and coastal flooding, if action is not taken to protect them
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/09/180912133601.htm
How many pieces of plastic does it take to kill a turtle?
Scientists draw a link between the amount of plastic a sea turtle consumes and its likelihood of death, with an estimated half of all sea turtles having plastic in their gut.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-14/eating-14-pieces-of-plastic-enough-to-kill-turtles/10243618
Whales given protection from noise and fishing nets
The IWC has adopted resolutions recognising the crucial role of whales in ecosystems and mitigating threats of noise pollution and getting entangled in ghost gear.
IWC vote backs aboriginal whale hunts – with new quotas
The International Whaling Commission on Wednesday cast a rare strong vote in favor of whale hunting – but strictly for small subsistence hunts undertaken by some communities, mostly in the Arctic.
https://www.afp.com/en/news/205/iwc-vote-backs-aboriginal-whale-hunts-new-quotas-doc-19215y2
Plan for whale sanctuary in South Atlantic defeated
There is an ongoing clash between countries that think whales can be hunted sustainably and others that want more conservation measures.
Forests and indigenous rights land $459M commitment
A group of 17 philanthropic foundations has committed nearly half a billion dollars in support of land-based solutions to climate change and the recognition of indigenous peoples’ and traditional communities’ collective land rights and resource management.
https://news.mongabay.com/2018/09/forests-and-indigenous-rights-land-459m-commitment/
Why keep Africa’s dryland forests alive?
Small holder farmers from 6,000 Malian households have restored 320 hectares of land through a combination of on-farm natural tree regeneration, water harvesting, moisture retention technologies, improved soil filtration, and enhanced soil humus.
https://news.mongabay.com/2018/09/why-keep-africas-dryland-forests-alive/
Now for something completely different …
Is it legal to take junk that’s been left on the kerb?
Your neighbour has just put an old leather lounge out on the kerb for council clean-up. It would go perfectly in your living room, and you’ve seen people pick up furniture from the street before — but are you legally allowed to take it?
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-14/kerbside-collection-and-hard-waste-tips/10039128
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