Post of the Day
Cuts to research and development are unsustainable
Margaret Gardner
Next year, we are now projected to spend a smaller share of our economy on research than we did in 1978.
Today’s Celebration
Constitution Day – Nepal
Fast of Tebet – Israel
Kingdom Day – Sint Maarten / St. Martin
Kingdom Day; Statute Day – Bonaire
Koninkrijksdag / Kingdom Day – Netherlands
Bill of Rights Day – United States of America
Climate Change
IPCC to take greater account of carbon storage by agroforestry systems
Researchers from CIRAD and the FAO establish coefficients for carbon storage in the soil and aboveground and belowground biomass of different agroforestry systems.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-12/c-itt121318.php
Cutting emissions proves a sticking point at Poland climate talks
Slow progress on 2015 Paris agreement comes as scientists warn of need to get on track
Climate change: More than 1000 institutions pledge to withdraw investment from fossil fuels
‘This is a moral movement as well as a financial one,’ campaigners say.
National
Murray-Darling Basin breakthrough as ministers agree on water deal
Delivery of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan has been secured with state and federal governments agreeing to terms about how environmental water will be returned to rivers.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-14/murray-darling-basin-breakthrough/10619372
Rubbish disposal costing charities millions a year
Rubbish donations are costing Australian charities millions of dollars a year in waste removal and are calling on the community to think about what they are give to organisations.
New 10% royalty put forward as a fix for ‘broken’ petroleum resources rent tax
McKell Institute report proposes royalty to be paid by all offshore gas projects currently only subject to Australia’s PRRT
Government steams ahead with energy plan
The federal government has injected $51 million towards its plan to lower power bills, while renewable projects must prove they support the grid’s reliability.
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/government-steams-ahead-with-energy-plan
Survey finds solar panels can save you even more money
Almost one in three households report having problems with their solar panels but experiences are improving and more than half are considering if they can use batteries to get off the grid, a survey by Choice has found.
Holy smoke! Carols turn green [$]
Choirs will be singing Christmas carols with lyrics altered to protest about the burning of coal.
PM: How I will take Labor heartland [$]
Scott Morrison has set out his pitch to win the election, saying most of the country isn’t focused on gender identity issues or climate change as he pledges to fight for middle Australia.
Population growth needs to be part of the national economic conversation
Carrington Clarke
The issue of population growth has now made it onto the national political agenda, but the debate needs to be grounded in a rational discussion of the economic and social pros and cons.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-14/population-growth-and-economic-growth-intertwined/10615352
Cuts to research and development are unsustainable
Margaret Gardner
Next year, we are now projected to spend a smaller share of our economy on research than we did in 1978.
The soul-destroying reality behind our shrinking home sizes
Elizabeth Farrelly
Our enthusiasm for tiny homes and the drop in the average area of a house, isn’t cause for celebration.
Inside the economics of Snowy 2.0
Sophie Boot
While Snowy Hydro has declared its readiness to develop the massive Snowy 2.0 expansion, the federal government has yet to decide on its economic feasibility.
Victoria
Agreement reached to save wild brumbies [$]
Parks Victoria have agreed to scale back their plans to cull hundreds of brumbies after coming to an agreement with the Australian Brumby Association.
New South Wales
$3.9b for underground WestConnex junction and tunnel
The state government will spend $3.9 billion on a complex underground motorway junction and kilometre-long tunnel in Sydney’s inner west as a part of the final stage of WestConnex.
Queensland
What happened next? Was the punk turtle that breathes through its genitals saved from extinction?
Australia’s Mary River turtle went viral after it was named on an endangered species list – and Cate Blanchett even voiced a puppet of it. But was that enough to save it?
Submissions on contentious zipline crash council website
The website was experiencing high traffic numbers on Friday.
Queensland public transport fares to increase by nearly 2 per cent
Public transport fares will increase by up to 35¢ a trip in south-east Queensland from next month.
Corflute crackdown a sign of times [$]
Jill Poulsen
At last there’s a council with a plan to restrict the plastic corflutes that sully our streets at election time — and our environment the rest of the time.
South Australia
Desalination plant revival plan to help Murray River
Adelaide’s desalination plant has been largely under-utilised since it began producing water in 2011. But that could change with a new study to determine how it could reduce SA’s reliance on Murray River water.
Federal government commits $70m to Coorong
The Federal Government will spend $70 million on restoring the health of the Coorong westlands in South Australia.
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/federal-government-commits-70m-to-coorong
Boothby’s big battle for drilling in the Bight [$]
More than half of the voters in South Australia’s most marginal electorate do not want drilling in the Great Australian Bight and more than eight in ten support the region being World Heritage Listed.
Tasmania
Tasmanian could supply more power with second interconnector
Tasmania could supply an extra 400 megawatts of power to mainland Australia if a second interconnector, like Basslink, was built.
Northern Territory
NT on cusp of becoming gas centre of Australia as Queensland gas connector pipeline opens
Asian conglomerate Jemena says the expansion of a massive outback pipeline project would fuel the gas demands of Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide.
Western Australia
WA bushfire contained and controlled
A watch and act alert has been downgraded to an advice for a bushfire burning north-east of Perth after firefighters brought the blaze under control.
WA native title win for Kariyarra people
The Kariyarra people have been formally recognised by the Federal Court as the native title holders of more than 17,000 square kilometres of land in WA.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/wa-native-title-win-kariyarra-people-035418875–spt.html
Sustainability
Organic food worse for the climate
Organically farmed food has a bigger climate impact than conventionally farmed food, due to the greater areas of land required.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-12/cuot-ofw121318.php
More than air: Researchers fine-tune wind farm simulation
A collaborative research team based in Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences is working to better understand the effect wind farms have locally and globally by examining the performance of predictive models currently being used to forecast their effect.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-12/ioap-mta121318.php
The long dry: why the world’s water supply is shrinking
A global study has found a paradox: our water supplies are shrinking at the same time as climate change is generating more intense rain. And the culprit is the drying of soils, say researchers, pointing to a world where drought-like conditions will become the new normal, especially in regions that are already dry.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-12/uons-tld121118.php
An energy-efficient way to stay warm: Sew high-tech heating patches to your clothes
What if, instead of turning up the thermostat, you could warm up with high-tech, flexible patches sewn into your clothes — while significantly reducing your electric bill and carbon footprint? Engineers at Rutgers and Oregon State University have found a cost-effective way to make thin, durable heating patches by using intense pulses of light to fuse tiny silver wires with polyester.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-12/ru-aew121118.php
Dreaming of a sustainable Christmas: The little festive things you can do to help the planet
We are more conscious than ever about the amount of waste we produce and the products we consume, but we produce more waste during the festive season than any other time of year. Here are some ways to leave a small ecological footprint this Christmas.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-14/how-to-celebrate-a-sustainable-christmas/10617782
World’s first lab-grown steak revealed – but the taste needs work
Nascent industry aims to reduce environmental impact of beef production
Can Poland wean itself off coal?
Climate experts say the renaissance can be stopped but change must happen now – and the main obstacle is at the top.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/dec/14/poland-wean-coal-climate
Invisible pollutants and the tipping point for endocrine disruption
This is the story of how our physical environments in every community are currently under siege from endocrine-disrupting chemicals in our midst.
Why hasn’t the US banned asbestos?
Emily Walsh
How is asbestos regulated around the world, and what can we do to move towards a total ban?
https://theecologist.org/2018/dec/13/why-hasnt-us-banned-asbestos
Nature Conservation
Mountain birds declining in Europe
Population data for European mountain birds have been for the first time combined in a recent study, with worrying results: the abundances of mountain-specialist birds has declined by as much as 10% in the 2000s.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-12/uoh-mbd121318.php
Scientists identify 66 alien species that pose greatest threat to European biodiversity
Scientists have identified 66 alien plant and animal species, not yet established in the European Union, that pose the greatest potential threat to biodiversity and ecosystems in the region.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-12/cfe-si6121218.php
Even zoos are learning the art of doomsday prepping
With hurricanes and wildfires becoming more frequent and intense, zoos are facing the staggering task of protecting animals while the world runs amok.
https://www.wired.com/story/even-zoos-are-learning-the-art-of-doomsday-prepping/
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