Post of the Day
Defusing the ‘demographic timebomb’: the world’s population challenges in 13 charts
Population trends have always shaped the world, sparking terrible conflicts but also huge progress.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/defusing-demographic-timebomb-worlds-population-challenges-13/
Today’s Celebration
Armed Forces Day – Chile
Independence Day – St. Kitts & Nevis
Moscow Day – Russia
St. Januarius Day – Italy
Yom Kippur – Judaism
Talk Like a Pirate Day – http://www.talklikeapirate.com/
More about Sep 19 – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_19
Climate Change
Cash, carbon, crude: How to make oil fields bury emissions
A new analysis looks at what it would take for oil companies to start pumping millions of tons of carbon dioxide into their wells to boost crude production — and what it would mean for the climate.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-09/ssoe-ccc091818.php
A key to climate stabilization could be buried deep in the mud, FSU researchers suggest
While scientists fear that rising temperatures could unleash a ‘bomb’ of carbon from Earth’s soil carbon reservoirs, a new FSU study suggests these reservoirs might actually be more stable than predicted.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-09/fsu-akt091818.php
Climate activists say women are key to solving the climate crisis
When will everyone else get the memo?
Why NZ’s emissions trading scheme should have an auction reserve price
Suzi Kerr
With consultation underway to improve the New Zealand emissions trading scheme, experts argue that a reserve price on emissions units could help rebuild confidence in low-emission investment.
National
Energy minister’s electorate backs higher emissions reduction target, poll shows
ReachTel poll of Angus Taylor’s voters finds 42.3% want Australia to cut emissions more deeply
Australia’s rank on global development index hurt by climate change inaction
Australia ranks 14 after New Zealand, with Scandinavian countries in top three spots
Angus Taylor confirms government ‘won’t be replacing’ renewable energy target
Energy Minister Angus Taylor has confirmed the Morrison government will not replace the renewable energy target after it peaks in 2020, officially creating a policy vacuum that opponents say will stifle clean energy investment and lead to higher prices.
ALP states open to revived NEG
The Labor states have flagged their intention to work with a future Shorten government if it revives elements of the NEG.
‘Mind-boggling’: Party balloons found floating 250km out to sea
Scientists on a research voyage off Australia’s east coast are shocked to discover party balloons hundreds of kilometres from shore, which could have a devastating impact on the environment.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-19/balloons-found-out-to-sea-threatening-marine-life/10265058
Eulogy for a seastar, Australia’s first recorded marine extinction
Tim O’Hara
It’s quite hard to tell when a sea creature is extinct – there’s always hope it will turn up somewhere.
https://theconversation.com/eulogy-for-a-seastar-australias-first-recorded-marine-extinction-103225
The one, conclusive reason why Australia won’t go nuclear
Nicholas Stuart
Tell anyone who wants an Aussie bomb they’re dreaming. It won’t happen.
Cyclists aren’t the problem. Aggressive and entitled car drivers are
Peter Chambers & Tom Andrews
Australians are happy to support and excuse deadly violence by drivers because of the dominant motoring culture.
Business as usual? The Sustainable Development Goals apply to Australian cities too
Wendy Steele and Lauren Rickards
Australia is a long way from achieving responsible consumption and production – SDG 12 – and China exposed the reliance on shifting the problem elsewhere when it stopped accepting waste for recycling.
73% of Australians wrong according to climate denying COALition
Simon Black
Does the Coalition really think it is on the right track by ignoring 73% of the Australian public on climate change?
What we need to do to prepare for bushfire season [$]
John Richardson
Australia is hotting up. And we are facing one of the worst ever starts to the bushfire season.
New South Wales
NSW Government was warned light rail would be poor value and overcrowded
Australia’s peak infrastructure body rejected a $500 million funding request for the Sydney light rail, saying the project would increase congestion and did not stack up economically, according to documents seen by the ABC and Fairfax Media.
High coal prices to stay: miner [$]
New Hope managing director Shane Stephan says the miner could boost coal output by more than 50 per cent in coming years.
ACT
Aerial shooting of brumbies an option for ACT government
The government says it fears NSW laws protecting brumbies will result in more feral horses crossing the border.
Queensland
Public funds to kill crown-of-thorns funnelled through companies linked to tourism operators
More than $20 million of taxpayers’ money allocated to protect the Great Barrier Reef has been funnelled through a series of companies linked to two tourism operators, one of whom is on the Government board making those funding decisions.
Great Barrier Reef Foundation to spend $7.3m of its federal funding on admin this financial year
The foundation that had six staff when it was handed $440 million in federal funding in June for Great Barrier Reef protection has since spent $800,000 on operational costs, a Senate inquiry is told.
Malcolm Turnbull ‘took charge’ of $443m reef meeting [$]
Malcolm Turnbull “took charge” of a meeting with Great Barrier Reef Foundation chairman John Schubert and former environment minister Josh Frydenberg, offering the charity a $443.3 million grant without a tender process.
Adani wants Queensland’s water and the Government doesn’t need an impact statement
Mining giant Adani plans to draw billions of litres of water from a river in drought-stricken Queensland and the Federal Government decides the project does not need an environmental impact statement, something advocates say is “appalling and dangerous”.
Adani admits it failed to report land clearing to Queensland government
Mining company Adani has cleared six hectares of vegetation at its Carmichael Mine in central Queensland but discovered it has not reported this, until Tuesday.
Day Shorten hoped would never come [$]
Controversial miner Adani is about to make an announcement that Government MPs say will mean Bill Shorten won’t be able to show his face in central Queensland.
Jack Ryan makes way for jackhammers in new library
The library service will allow people to rent out power and hand tools, camping gear and sporting equipment to promote sustainability in the Brisbane community.
South Australia
Last-ditch bid to stop controversial gas project fails
An 11th-hour bid to try to stop a controversial coal gasification project in South Australia’s mid-north fails, with traditional owners describing the court decision as “a kick in the guts”.
SA jobs promised as solar thermal project boosts local manufacturing
Global solar thermal company SolarReserve is working on a deal with local manufacturer Heliostat SA to build more than 12,800 tracking mirrors for its 150MW Aurora project near Port Augusta.
Retailers shell out for meter delay farce [$]
The state’s big three electricity retailers will have to pay up immediately if they fail to meet smart meter installation deadlines, under a new State Government deal.
Port Augusta’s $650 million solar plant funds delayed, but will be operational by 2021 [$]
Port Augusta’s $650 million solar plant won’t switch on until 2021 because of delays in securing funding for the much-vaunted project.
Tasmania
‘Barely a scallop’: fears oil and gas exploration will destroy fisheries
The seafood industry in Tasmania and Victoria is worried about seismic testing and point to research backing their concerns
‘Do not dump warship in Bay of Fires’ [$]
Environmental groups are urging the Tasmanian Government to rescind a Federal Government offer to scuttle a decommissioned warship off the East Coast of Tasmania.
Western Australia
WA poet wields words in fight to save black cockatoo roost
John Kinsella has used his art to call for protection of a wetland regarded as the most biodiverse site remaining in Perth.
Sustainability
Gates warns of ‘turning point’ for Africa as population booms
The billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates has delivered a stark warning on population growth in Africa, saying if left unchecked it could unravel decades of progress and fuel instability across the globe.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/gates-warns-turning-point-africa-population-booms/
Defusing the ‘demographic timebomb’: the world’s population challenges in 13 charts
Population trends have always shaped the world, sparking terrible conflicts but also huge progress.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/defusing-demographic-timebomb-worlds-population-challenges-13/
Increased the performance and lifetime of lithium batteries in renewable energy facilities
Variations in power generation using renewable sources lead to control problems in the electricity grid. The technology of lithium batteries is a candidate offering great potential in solving these problems.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-09/ef-itp091818.php
Dumping, cause for disease outbreaks in Africa, expert says
Only four per cent of the total waste generated and dumped into Africa is recycled.
http://www.kenyanews.go.ke/dumping-cause-for-disease-outbreaks-in-africa-expert-says/
Palm oil is everywhere in India—and public health experts are concerned
How the cheap, unhealthy oil became the high-fructose corn syrup of the developing world.
Glyphosate resistance in junglerice confirmed
There has been a lot of publicity in recent years about growers battling glyphosate-resistant pigweed in soybean and cotton crops. But pigweed isn’t the only weed resistant to glyphosate. New research shows certain populations of junglerice (Echinochloa colona) are now among a growing number of weeds resistant to the herbicide.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/09/180918110830.htm
How slick water and black shale in fracking combine to produce radioactive waste
Research papers explain the transfer of radium during hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/09/180918154831.htm
Green space near home during childhood linked to fewer respiratory problems in adulthood
Children who have access to green spaces close to their homes have fewer respiratory problems, such as asthma and wheezing, in adulthood, according to new research presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress. In contrast, children who are exposed to air pollution are more likely to experience respiratory problems as young adults.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-09/elf-gsn091418.php
Nature Conservation
Seven endangered species that could (almost) fit in a single train carriage
Some species are so close to extinction, that every remaining member can fit on a New York subway carriage (if they squeeze). https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2018/sep/17/endangered-species-on-a-train
Global trade in exotic pets threatens endangered parrots through the spread of a virus
Beak and feather disease virus (BFDV) in wild parrot populations has been detected in eight new countries, raising concerns for threatened species. This highlights the need for greater awareness of the risks of the spread of infectious disease associated with the international trade in live parrots.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/09/180918110902.htm
New study shows Florida Keys’ corals are growing but have become more porous
The rate of coral skeletal growth in the Florida Keys has remained relatively stable over time, but the skeletal density of the region’s corals is declining, possibly due to ocean acidification.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-09/uonc-nss091818.php
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