Well no, it is not simple, and only a simpleton would claim it is. The evidence regarding our meeting the target, Angus, says we won’t.
Post of the Day
Is the wind turbine really a ‘new apex predator’?
The presence of wind turbines can reduce the number of birds and lizards in an area, a new study has found. Should we start tearing the farms down?
Today’s Celebration
Constitution Day (Pohnpei) – Micronesia
Cretan National Day – Greece
Mitrovdan (Orthodox) – Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia
Queen’s Birthday – Nepal
St. Michael’s Day – Bulgaria
Birthday of Guru Nanak Dev Ji – Sikhism
Climate Change
Greenland’s melting ice sheets: The beautiful but harrowing changes seen from above
Climate change is causing Greenland’s ice sheet to melt at a dramatic rate, and photographer Tom Hegen took to the sky to document these beautiful but devastating changes.
Financial giants can have a pivotal role for climate stability
Banks, pension funds and other institutional investors have a key role to play in efforts to avoid dangerous climate change.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-11/src-fgc110618.php
National
Atlassian billionaire wants Australia to reinstate carbon price
Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes says “Australia could be a renewable energy super power” as he pushes to influence government policy with his new green energy campaign.
Sale of gas assets to China not in national interest, Treasurer says
A multi-billion-dollar Chinese-backed takeover of more than half of Australia’s gas pipeline network looks likely to be blocked by the Morrison Government.
Angus Taylor fails to get price cut commitment from energy retailers
Offer of comparison rate for consumers falls short of call for lower prices by 1 January
Minister rules out emissions target policy
The federal energy minister says policy is unnecessary for Australia to reach its emissions targets, despite the latest figures showing a national increase.
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/minister-rules-out-emissions-target-policy
Power ‘loyalty tax’ to go: Taylor [$]
Energy Minister Angus Taylor says customers will be better off through the progressive reduction of ‘standing offers’.
Taylor must create power supply [$]
Judith Sloan
Angus Taylor is the minister for reducing electricity prices but there is very little he can achieve in the short term.
Victoria
Labor dials up its renewable energy target to 50 per cent by 2030
Half of Victoria’s energy could come from renewable sources such as wind, solar and hydro power within 12 years, if the Andrews government is re-elected.
Pedestrians win, cars lose as permanent bollards installed at Flinders St station
Another lane of car traffic will be removed at the intersection of Swanston and Flinders streets, as works begin on permanent security bollards in front of Flinders Street Station.
Gardeners given a potting mix care warning after legionnaires’ spike
Spring gardeners have been warned about the potential deadly risk associated with using everyday potting mixes.
Why you could be forced to pay for fast rail [$]
Commuters and ratepayers may be asked to subsidise the multi-billion-dollar cost of fast rail from Geelong to Melbourne under an idea floated in a council-commissioned strategy for the project.
New South Wales
Food contamination warning issued to residents near NSW air base
The Department of Defence warns intake of fish, eggs and red meat around one of its NSW bases should be limited because of a contamination issue involving the firefighting chemical PFAS.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-07/pfas-contamination-warning-near-richmond-raaf-base/10473326
Farmers and environmentalists divided over Bylong Valley coal mine
Hundreds of people, including dozens of protestors, turn out to a meeting in Mudgee to have their say on the Kepco mine, which is expected to generate more than 6.5 million tonnes of coal per year.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-07/bylong-valley-coal-mine-divides-locals/10472766
‘Inexplicable’: Power plants’ pollution limits weak by world standards
Major coal-fired power stations in NSW have pollution controls that were so weak they are akin those in “fairly under-developed third world countries”, a US energy expert claims.
10 million animals a year die from tree clearing in NSW, report finds
The destruction of habitat on private land is pushing more species towards threatened or endangered status, such as the greater glider or even koalas, WWF-Australia.
Someone is violently attacking protected brush turkeys with bow and arrows
The hunt is on to find out who is harming brush turkeys in Byron Bay after a bird was killed in a bow and arrow attack and another injured when it was speared through its shoulder.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-08/brush-turkey-arrow-attack-in-the-suburbs/10467510
Toxic dump companies in line for compensation [$]
The waste companies that supplied thousands of tonnes of toxic waste to farmers are in line for a financial assistance from the state government.
How we wiped out the invasive African big-headed ant from Lord Howe Island
Ben Hoffman
The ants were a threat to many native species on Lord Howe Island. They were also a pest if they got into your home.
Queensland
Microplastics found in GBR wild-caught fish: new study
A study confirms the presence of microplastics in the digestive system of coral trout, a commercially important species.
Emergency declaration in Queensland town due to toxic chemicals
An emergency declaration put in place for almost three hours in south-west Queensland due to a potential toxic substance at a water treatment plant in the Maranoa region has been lifted
Sunshine Coast koala habitat protected in $3.5 million land buy
Almost 2400 hectares of koala habitat has been saved from a pine plantation near Tewantin in a landmark $3.5 million buyout by a conservation group, a local council and the Queensland government.
Queensland-wide shark-control program to go ahead with contractors despite strikes
Industrial action by fisheries officers will not impact Queensland’s shark-control program, Fisheries Minister Mark Furner has insisted.
Shark culling: does it work?
The most recent death at Cid Harbour has prompted calls for preventative shark culling. But do baited drum lines actually stop further attacks?
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/shark-culling-does-it-work
$900m coalmine expansion set for approval [$]
A “tortuous” decade-long application process is nearly over, with a $900 million expansion of a Queensland coalmine close to getting the green light.
Has Queensland really saved lives by killing thousands of sharks?
Jessica Meeuwig
One of the most common justifications for Western Australia’s shark cull is the longstanding use of baited hooks – or drum lines – in regions such as Queensland.
South Australia
Frustration at uncertainty over seismic testing in the Bight
South Australian senators have expressed frustration at the national offshore oil and gas regulator for granting multiple extensions to Norwegian oil exploration company PGS to submit its application to conduct a seismic survey in the Great Australian Bight.
https://indaily.com.au/news/2018/11/07/frustration-at-uncertainty-over-seismic-testing-in-the-bight/
Huge solar farm planned for Murray Bridge [$]
A jobs boom may soon be coming for Murray Bridge as developers aim to begin work on a $350 million solar farm next year — if it gets the go-ahead from the state’s peak planning body.
Bigger incentives to “switch off” could drive down energy prices
Ben Oquist
South Australia is the perfect place to introduce changes to electricity market rules to give consumers a greater capacity to save on their energy bills by voluntarily “switching off.
Western Australia
Perth still sucks at recycling: waste report reveals ‘long way to go’
Household recycling rates in Perth have barely improved in eight years and we are miles off the targets set for 2020, a new report has found.
Woodside extends life of NW Shelf [$]
The North West Shelf LNG plant is to operate for decades after the partners reached an agreement on third-party gas.
Sustainability
Paper towels vs air dryers: The good, the bad and the disgusting
Whatever your hand-drying method of choice, there are some you should avoid: wiping your hands on your jeans or letting them dry on their own.
A Practical Impact, Period.
Tampons and pads make getting your period a whole lot easier. But a lot of them aren’t that great for the environment, or accessible to everyone. Rozalyn Campbell, founder of Tsuno, is trying to change that however.
https://probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2018/11/practical-impact-period/
Taxing red meat would save many lives, research shows
The cost of bacon and sausages would double if the harm they cause to people’s health was taken into account
BHP Billiton facing £5bn lawsuit from Brazilian victims of dam disaster
Action launched in Liverpool against Anglo-Australian mining company after 2015 tragedy that killed 19 people
Autonomous vehicles could shape the future of urban tourism
In the first study of its kind, published in the Annals of Tourism Research, academics from the University of Surrey and the University of Oxford have examined how Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) may have a substantial impact on the future of urban tourism.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-11/uos-avc110718.php
A bionic mushroom that generates electricity
It sounds like something straight out of Alice in Wonderland, but researchers have now generated mushrooms patterned with energy-producing bacteria and an electrode network.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-11/acs-abm110218.php
EU to outlaw routine use of antibiotics in farm animals
Industry bosses say the devil will be in the detail for Kiwi farmers.
Asbestos: A cancer risk lurking in the wall
Almost everyone knows that asbestos is dangerous. But what many don’t know is that these deadly fibers can hide everywhere: in every wall, behind every tile.
https://www.dw.com/en/asbestos-a-cancer-risk-lurking-in-the-wall/a-46170006
UK renewable energy capacity surpasses fossil fuels for first time
Renewable capacity has tripled in past five years, even faster growth than the ‘dash for gas’ of the 1990s
Children urged to play outdoors to cut risk of shortsightedness
Research reveals link between environmental factors and rising cases of myopia.
Graphene takes a step towards renewable fuel
Researchers at Linköping University, Sweden, are working to develop a method to convert water and carbon dioxide to the renewable energy of the future, using the energy from the sun and graphene applied to the surface of cubic silicon carbide.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-11/lu-gta110718.php
Powered by windows: enhanced power factor in transparent thermoelectric nanowire materials
A research group led by Professor Yoshiaki Nakamura of Osaka University successfully developed a methodology for enhancing thermoelectric power factor while decreasing thermal conductivity.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-11/ou-pbw110718.php
Forget about stone-age coal energy … think space-age solar technology.
Ted Mead
If we can acquire a natural energy resource for zero cost and little environmental impact then why shouldn’t we develop it, particularly when it is of significant benefit to the entire planet. Our sun is infinitely reliable, and it comes up everyday giving us its supply free. That’s why solar energy is the vanguard of the future.
Nature Conservation
Is the wind turbine really a ‘new apex predator’?
The presence of wind turbines can reduce the number of birds and lizards in an area, a new study has found. Should we start tearing the farms down?
How do dogs affect the environment?
Mr. Green digs around for the answer.
https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/2018-6-november-december/how-do-dogs-affect-environment
National Parks at risk from Trump administration’s energy agenda
Experts fear oil and gas development could permanently damage millions of acres of ecologically and culturally important public lands.
https://therevelator.org/national-parks-trump-energy/
Northern white rhino: New hopes for IVF rescue
A new study raises hopes of saving one of the last animals of its kind – the northern white rhino.
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-46109393
Deforestation-linked Brazilian beef still flowing into international markets: report
The Brazilian cattle industry’s lack of traceability allows deforestation-linked beef to reach retailers committed to eliminating it. Uruguay’s digital traceability system could be a solution.
Saving one of the last biodiversity hot spots
The ridges and reefs of West Papua are some of the most biodiverse on the planet. Two acclaimed filmmakers are on a mission to make sure they stay that way.
https://www.outsideonline.com/2361721/provinsi-konservasi-film-west-papua-reefs
Save wildlife? Researchers use geology to track elusive animals
The University of Cincinnati is using isotopic analysis to track where elusive hawks were fledged. This technique helps wildlife managers identify critical habitat.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-11/uoc-swr110718.php
Modern slavery promotes overfishing
Labour abuses, including modern slavery, are ‘hidden subsidies’ that allow distant-water fishing fleets to remain profitable and promote overfishing.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-11/uobc-msp110618.php
Maelor Himbury
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