Post of the Day
Fact check: Are carbon emissions coming down in Australia?
On an episode of Q&A, former Howard government minister Amanda Vanstone claimed that carbon emissions are coming down in Australia. Fact Check finds that claim to be misleading.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-17/fact-check-are-emissions-coming-down-in-australia/10620194
Today’s Celebration
National Day – Bhutan
Special Holiday Western Province – Solomon Islands
Wright Brothers Day – United States of America
Climate Change
After a 30-hour delay, UN agrees on Paris Agreement guidelines
Almost 200 countries now have a common framework to determine how best to keep carbon emissions down to prevent two degrees of global warming this century.
UN climate accord ‘inadequate’ and lacks urgency, experts warn
Agreement will fail to halt devastating rise in global temperature, say scientists
Antarctic clouds help researchers delve into climate change
Clouds over the Southern Ocean are different to anywhere else, and researchers are studying them closely to help understand climate change and better predict weather conditions.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-16/cloud-researchers-using-new-technology-in-antarctica/10623752
Make climate crisis top editorial priority, XR campaign urges BBC
Extinction Rebellion group call on BBC to tell ‘full truth about ecological emergency’
Canada, climate hypocrite
Margaret Wente
Embarrassingly – for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, at any rate – Canada’s performance is rated as “highly insufficient” by Climate Action Tracker, an outfit that monitors these things.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-canada-climate-hypocrite/
National
Labor announces environmental overhaul, avoiding pre-election internal battle
Opposition pledges to create a new federal environment protection agency and an Australian environment act
Under siege: our commitment to Australia’s national parks is waning
The government has committed to protecting our national parks and biodiversity, yet investment is lower and jobs have been slashed
My favourite national park: tell us why it’s important to you
Australia’s national parks are under threat due to funding cuts, excess tourism and politics, so we want you to share your favourite park stories
‘Missed opportunity’: Australia’s ‘difficult’ position in UN climate change talks
Australia’s “constructive” role at the United Nations climate change talks in Poland was undermined by its continued support for fossil fuels at home, experts say.
Fact check: Are carbon emissions coming down in Australia?
On an episode of Q&A, former Howard government minister Amanda Vanstone claimed that carbon emissions are coming down in Australia. Fact Check finds that claim to be misleading.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-17/fact-check-are-emissions-coming-down-in-australia/10620194
Saving the climate for future generations
Frank O’Shea
The recent school strikes held across Australia signalled the importance of protecting our planet for our children, grandchildren and beyond.
Climate change crusaders are out to ruin Christmas [$]
Tim Blair
Christmas should be a wonderful time of family, friends and fun, but our local environmental extremists are instead planning an all-out climate change crusade
New South Wales
‘Dead tree detectives’ wanted to map drought’s environmental toll
Unprecedented dry conditions this year have been killing trees that have survived previous droughts, and scientists ask the public for help to find out the scale of the problem.
Dead fish in ‘rotten’ far-western NSW river sparks concerns about water quality
A property owner in Menindee says he is concerned for the welfare of his horses after finding hundreds of dead perch in a river that he has been using to pump water from.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-16/dead-perch-found-in-far-western-nsw/10624030
NSW state forest logging agreement with no end date criticised over accountability
A new agreement between NSW and the Commonwealth that will govern logging in native forests until 2039 and beyond is being criticised as a step backwards — and even the man who advised on the deal says it raises questions of accountability. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-17/regional-forest-logging-agreement-with-no-end-date-criticised/10623906
Planned Northern Beaches freeway threat to Aboriginal rock art
Secret government documents reveal the Beaches Link tollway, which will run between Rozelle and Sydney’s northern beaches, will destroy ancient Aboriginal sites and the habitats of vulnerable native animals.
ACT
‘We can do anything’: Women paving the way for ACT’s renewable future
When 17-year old Elina Ulrich decided she wanted to be an electrician, she wasn’t going to let gender stereotypes get in her way. All it takes, she says, is a bit of willpower.
Queensland
Animal activists arrested during campaign targeting Queensland theme parks
Animal rights activists have targeted three Queensland theme parks to protest animals held in captivity.
Adani’s key water management plan is flawed and used some unverified data, CSIRO says
The CSIRO is warning that an ancient and nationally significant springs complex could be permanently dried up under the mining giant’s plan to drain billions of litres of groundwater annually.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-17/adani-water-management-plan-criticised-by-csiro/10625228
Bill’s shrewd move mines protest vote [$]
Renee Viellaris
#StopAdani Opposition Leader Bill Shorten turned a Stop Adani stunt to his advantage at Labor’s national conference.
Northern Territory
Shipping workers say blind eye turned to lead-zinc ocean spills for years
The controversial McArthur River Mine operation is once again in the spotlight after former workers say they regularly witnessed barges spill lead-zinc concentrate into the sea while transferring it to export ships in the Gulf of Carpentaria.
Western Australia
Feeling the heat: Scientists on climate change truths
It is a subject on which there is little middle ground. Climate change — you either believe the predictions, or you don’t. We speak to three WA scientists in the vanguard of world research.
Flames threaten Fortescue mine [$]
An “out of control and unpredictable” fire has temporarily shuttered the Solomon iron ore mine.
Sustainability
Sellafield boss warns on nuclear clean-up
Falling revenues from waste reprocessing have led to a financial black hole for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/dec/16/taxpayers-face-extra-nuclear-cleanup-cost
How to have yourself a plastic-free Christmas
Manuela Taboada et al
Research shows that waste can double during the Christmas period, and most of it is plastic from gift wrapping and packaging.
https://theconversation.com/how-to-have-yourself-a-plastic-free-christmas-108828
Nature Conservation
This scientist wants to bring extinct animals back from the dead
Resurrection biology is getting a considerable boost from new technologies. But would the woolly mammoth and Tasmanian tiger be happy living in the 21st century?
Frogs, fish, birds die in English zoo fire
Larger mammals have survived a fire the UK’s Chester Zoo, but smaller animals including birds and frogs have died, officials have confirmed.
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/frogs-fish-birds-die-in-english-zoo-fire
I led the National Park Service. Ryan Zinke leaves lasting damage
Jonathan B Jarvis
Hopes were high for the interior secretary’s tenure. But profiteers and climate deniers quickly changed that
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/dec/16/ryan-zinke-resignation-jonathan-jarvis
6 Florence St Niddrie 3042
93741902
0432406862