Post of the Day
Stop biodiversity loss or we could face our own extinction, warns UN
The world has two years to secure a deal for nature to halt a ‘silent killer’ as dangerous as climate change, says biodiversity chief
Today’s Celebration
Citizenship Day – Northern Marianas
Community Service Day – Dominica
Constitution Day – Tonga
Flag Day – Palau, Panama
National Day – Micronesia
National Unity Day – Italy
Unity Day – Russia
St. Charles Day – Andorra
Bandi Chhor Divas – Sikhism
Climate Change
US court gives climate trial the all clear
The US Supreme Court has rejected the Trump administration’s bid to block a trial to examine if climate change policies have been ignored.
Ozone hole modest despite optimum conditions for ozone depletion
The ozone hole that forms in the upper atmosphere over Antarctica each September was slightly above average size in 2018, NOAA and NASA scientists reported today.
National
Coalition to spring unexpected tax hike on offshore gas industry
Government will raise an extra $6bn in revenue with surprise change to petroleum resource rent tax
Photographing drought from the inside looking out
Much of the coverage of life in drought-affected communities is from the perspective of outside people. Given a camera, how do people living through a drought tell their stories?
Why are Australia’s petrol prices so high? – video explainer
Petrol prices have risen 20% in the past year, moving the issue to the top of the political agenda. But why? About half the cost is down to the international oil price but taxes make up 35% and politicians of both sides have not hesitated to manipulate the rate for advantage.
Former UN climate chief says world doesn’t need Australia’s ‘toxic’ coal
Former UN climate chief Christiana Figueres has blasted BHP for its commitment to continue mining coal.
Instead of ‘fair dinkum’ power, how about some ‘fair dinkum’ action?
Katharine Murphy
Labor was lashed for doing something about carbon emissions; the Coalition is being lambasted for doing nothing
Kevin’s costly climate change kindness [$]
Tim Blair
Nobody wants to take the blame for Australia’s ridiculously high electricity charges. Nobody, that is, except for former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
Victoria
The great Brown hope: Bob sails in to boost Greens state election campaign
In a small park, nestled among streets where the median property price is more than $4 million and the driveways are full of gleaming European marques, Bob Brown is rallying the troops.
Beverage giant Asahi ‘sucking us dry’ [$]
Residents of a Victorian town forced to survive on tank water say they’re battling to stop Asahi Group from sucking the community dry — but the beverage giant claims the tiny town benefits from the best rainfall in the state.
Victorian state election: Where the battle is really on
Tim Colebatch
Antony Green is a cautious bloke. He might wait until 7.17pm on election night before calling the result of this election. I’m impatient. On the evidence before us, Labor will be returned, probably with an increased majority.
New South Wales
‘Getting close’: El Nino event seen as not far off as Sydney sizzles
The hot start to November may be a taste of the summer to come with meteorologists watching a Pacific Ocean that is being primed for an El Nino event.
Sydney to see small power bill relief ahead but country NSW still feels pressure
Power bills for Sydney households are set to drop but it’s a different story for country NSW residents following the energy regulator’s decision on the revenues poles and wires companies can collect.
‘States should have a say on migration’: Berejiklian population policy expert
The Premier’s decision to put population concerns at the forefront of her government’s agenda as it faces a challenging re-election bid has been both welcomed and scorned as political opportunism by migration and planning experts.
Migration not in Berejiklian’s remit
SMH editorial
Proper planning is the way to solve Sydney’s overcrowding.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/migration-not-in-berejiklian-s-remit-20181102-p50dpc.html
ACT
Firefighters confident of controlling bushfire given good weather
While the fire continues to burn, firefighters do not expect a risk to homes from the Pierces Creek bushfire.
Queensland
PM to announce water plan for Townsville
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is set to announce $195 million in funding to secure Townsville’s water needs for the next 20 years, the Sunday Mail reports.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/pm-announce-water-plan-townsville-180426960–spt.html
Leo earns royal rebuke over Reef [$]
Hollywood superstar Leonardo DiCaprio has earned himself a royal rebuke for his infamous comments on the health of the Great Barrier Reef.
South Australia
Major oil spill off Australia’s coast would dwarf Deepwater Horizon disaster, documents show
Plans reveal the potential dangers involved in drilling for oil in the wild, isolated seas off the South Australian coast – a move Resources Minister Matt Canavan says is a “national priority”.
Farmers vs miners: The battle for Yorke Peninsula [$]
Farmers on Yorke Peninsula are calling for new laws to stop mining companies gaining access to their land, but the miners are digging in for a fight.
Tasmania
Rain and falling temperatures hit Tasmania but fire concerns continue
In Hobart, temperatures drop, rain and cloud move across the city, and snow falls on the mountain while firefighters prepare for blazes on the east coast.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-03/tasmania-weather-turning-cold-and-nasty/10462746
Western Australia
WA’s lithium boom won’t mean locally made batteries
A new reports suggests it will be tough for WA to compete in the global battery manufacturing market but there was still plenty to be excited about.
Sustainability
Shortening the rare-earth supply chain via recycling
A Japanese research team led by Kanazawa University used chelator chemistry to recycle rare earths (REs) from spent fluorescent lamps.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-11/ku-str110118.php
Nature Conservation
This crab could save your life – if humans don’t wipe it out first
The Horseshoe crab outlived the dinosaurs but is no match for medicine’s hunger for its blood
Stop biodiversity loss or we could face our own extinction, warns UN
The world has two years to secure a deal for nature to halt a ‘silent killer’ as dangerous as climate change, says biodiversity chief
Seed banking not an option for over a third of threatened species
In paper published today in Nature Plants, researchers at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, detail for the first time the scale of threatened species that are unable to be conserved in seed banks. The paper reveals that when looking at threatened species, 36 percent of ‘critically endangered’ species produce recalcitrant seeds. This means they can’t tolerate the drying process and therefore cannot be frozen, the key process they need to go through to be safely ‘banked.’
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-11/rbgk-sbn103118.php
‘The most intellectual creature to ever walk Earth is destroying its only home’
Jane Goodall
Introducing the Guardian’s new series The Age of Extinction, the renowned primatologist describes the dramatic vanishing of wildlife she has witnessed in her lifetime – and how we can all play a vital role in halting its destruction
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