Post of the Day
We’re terrible at estimating our dinner’s carbon footprint, but labels could help fix that
Rating how much carbon is emitted by food production can help reduce the environmental impact of our diet, according to new research.
Today’s Celebration
Republic Day – Niger
Climate Change
At Penn State, researchers push for answers on carbon capture: Will it stay where we put it?
If power plants that burn fossil fuels could capture their carbon emissions and store them somewhere, it would go a long way toward preventing greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere.
The Extinction Rebellion’s direct-action climate activism comes to New York
Climate activists from Extinction Rebellion met in Manhattan to discuss how they might replicate their success in the U.K.
https://theintercept.com/2018/12/15/extinction-rebellion-nyc-climate-activism/
Climate change leading to water shortage in Andes, Himalayas
Climate change could have devastating effects on vulnerable residents in the Andes mountains and the Tibetan plateau, according to researchers at The Ohio State University who have been studying glaciers in those areas for decades.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-12/osu-ccl121418.php
Will a 1.5 degrees target trigger a death spiral for oil and gas companies?
Paul Gilding
The dominant assumptions regarding the transition of oil and gas companies are wrong. The evidence suggests it is far more likely they will fail, because they will not cope…
The religion of global warming [$]
Maurice Newman
Schoolchildren have been weaponised to advertise the religion of global warming.
National
Labor set for nuclear showdown as Gareth Evans warns of risk to US alliance
Former foreign affairs minister says signing up to international campaign to abolish nuclear weapons would ‘tear up’ US alliance
Energy supply funding gets kick along
The federal government has packaged together $131 million over seven years for its action plan to reduce power prices in Australia.
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/energy-supply-funding-gets-kick-along
Power bills to fall after regulator slashes networks’ revenues
Household power bills will soon start falling after the energy regulator slashed the amount of money network companies can charge consumers.
Paris target ‘eight years early’ [$]
Emissions reductions in Australia’s electricity market are on track to meet the Paris target eight years ahead of schedule in 2022.
Trees are worth billions to Australia’s economy — but how we value them is changing
Money might not grow on trees, but they are becoming more profitable. And it’s not just about forestry and timber — the tree economy has many diverse branches.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-18/the-changing-economy-of-trees/10602186
Mining group slams Labor’s pledge for new environment laws
The Minerals Council says there’s already a number of agencies monitoring environmental policy, and Labor’s announcement of an Environmental Protection Agency would create more hurdles for the mining industry.
Victoria
Could East West money fund new Victorian projects? [$]
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has left the door slightly open to using the $3 billion earmarked for the controversial East West Link on other major infrastructure projects in Victoria.
New South Wales
Fringe Islamic group stripped of charity status after illegal land clearing
An Islamic-influenced guild which illegally cleared land at its religious retreat outside Sydney and claimed it was exempt from Australian law can no longer operate as a charity after an investigation by the national regulator.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-17/diwan-al-dawla-charity-status-revoked/10626908
NSW council warns it will run out of space for landfill in as little as a year
NSW councils like Coffs Harbour, which is set to run out of space for landfill in “between one and three years”, complain that the State Government is collecting landfill waste levies from them without reinvesting it in recycling facilities.
Solar farms getting smaller, cheaper and smarter to overcome grid hurdles
Kanowna solar farm near Moree believed to be first to use both DC optimisers and centralised DC-coupled inverters to cater for battery storage and get around network connection hurdles.
Queensland
Study finds ‘alarming’ levels of chemicals in Great Barrier Reef turtles
Results of research into 2012 mass deaths offer insights into reef health and throw up further questions
The discovery giving the Great Barrier Reef a fighting chance
Australian scientists say they have discovered the world’s largest meadow of carbon-absorbing deepwater seagrass – equivalent to the size of Switzerland.
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/the-discovery-giving-the-great-barrier-reef-a-fighting-chance
Dollars to flow for irrigation project, but farmers bank on quick progress
North Queensland farmers urge the Federal Government to start building the $54 million Big Rocks Weir, promised by Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
The legal clause which could allow Adani to sue Australia
Patricia Ranald
Global corporations should not have special legal rights to undermine the policies of democratically elected governments
South Australia
Another bid to stop SA nuclear dump
A second indigenous group is to launch legal action to try to head off the location of a low-level nuclear waste dump in South Australia.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/another-bid-stop-sa-nuclear-dump-163119945–spt.html
Santos gets ARENA funding for solar pumping in Cooper Basin
Santos has secured funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency to support what is being billed as the country’s first off-grid, 100 per cent renewable energy project in the oil and gas sector.
Tetris Energy secures PPA for 5MW solar and battery project in South Australia
Melbourne firm says it has signed offtake deal for 5MW solar and storage project in S.A. Murray River region, as stage 1 of what could become a 30MW affair….
Nuclear waste dump goes to Human Rights Commission [$]
Flinders Ranges traditional owners will on Tuesday lodge a complaint with the Australian Human Rights Commission over the search for a national nuclear waste facility.
SA power prices to fall from 2020 [$]
South Australian households can save between $30 and $40 on annual power bills from 2020, under a new regulatory decision.
Tasmania
Fruit fly detected on Flinders Island off Tasmanian coast
Tasmania’s biosecurity authorities are ramping up fruit fly control measures after the discovery of another adult fly near a previous detection site on Flinders Island.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-17/fruit-fly-detected-on-flinders-island-off-tasmania/10627274
State’s answer on power, people [$]
Tasmania can help resolve national immigration and energy debate, says Premier Will Hodgman.
Drive to reduce roadkill [$]
Wildlife experts hope a new partnership with Hobart Airport will help to slow the slaughter.
The State Government fails to acknowledge majority community opposition to the proposed Cable Car after three public consultations … !
Ben Jones and Geoff Holloway
More than three months after writing letters to Minister for State Growth Peter Gutwein concerning the proposed kunanyi/Mount Wellington cable car development, people who wrote these letters all recently received the same pro forma letter from the Minister dated 13 December 2018 stating that …
Swift parrots vs the golf course. Who will win?
First Dog on the Moon
These not very useful birds are critically endangered. But don’t panic! The federal government has it all sorted
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/dec/17/swift-parrots-vs-the-golf-course-who-will-win
Western Australia
WA names new energy minister, primes grid for 900MW renewables rush
WA opens up grid for nearly 1GW of new large-scale renewable projects. And it has appointed a new energy minister to shepherd the process.
Sustainability
Cambodia’s biggest hydro dam now working
Cambodia’s largest hydropower project has officially started work, boosting the country’s electicity production by 20 per cent.
We’re terrible at estimating our dinner’s carbon footprint, but labels could help fix that
Rating how much carbon is emitted by food production can help reduce the environmental impact of our diet, according to new research.
Charging your EV with diesel is greener than you think
A group of outback EV drivers test out using an EV charger powered by a diesel generator, and the results are promising.
https://reneweconomy.com.au/charging-your-ev-with-diesel-is-greener-than-you-think-13665/
Kenya: Harassment of Environmental Activists
Arrested, Interrogated, Detained
https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/12/17/kenya-harassment-environmental-activists
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