Post of the Day
Scientists reveal substantial water loss in global landlocked regions
A new study involving Kansas State University researchers reveals that water storage declines in global landlocked basins has aggravated local water stress and caused potential sea level rise.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-11/ksu-srs113018.php
Today’s Celebration
National Day – Kyrgyzstan, United Arab Emirates
National Higher Education Day – Myanmar / Burma
Republic Day – Laos
Advent – Christianity
International Day for the Abolition of Slavery
Climate Change
‘New weapon’: courts offer hope for driving serious climate action
Frustrated by the lack of action by political leaders to reduce greenhouse gases, lawyers are stepping up efforts to press for change through litigation.
National
‘Rioting is not one of the three Rs’: Libs pan students
“If they’re really serious they should make a commitment – no ice-cream, no hamburgers and no trips to the Gold Coast for schoolies.”
DIY reno shows urged to warn of asbestos risks [$]
Reality do-it-yourself renovation TV shows have been urged to issue warnings to home handymen over the dangers of asbestos, with about 4000 Australians dying from asbestos-related diseases each year.
ScoMo slams states for poor planning [$]
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has hit out at state governments for their lack of planning, saying they need to do more to prevent infrastructure woes arising from rapid population growth.
What are we teaching in our schools? [$]
Peta Credlin
I’m in favour of bringing up young people as fiercely independent thinkers, but the climate change rally attended by striking school students shows they’ve been brainwashed by teachers.
Victoria
Concerns toxic blaze lit to conceal chemical stores
Concerns have been raised the massive toxic fire in West Footscray was lit to conceal stores of dangerous chemicals.
Coroner to probe huge Footscray factory fire [$]
The state coroner will investigate a huge suspicious fire that took hold of a factory and caused a major smoke event in West Footscray earlier this year.
Greens claim Brunswick from Labor a week after poll
The Greens have snatched the seat of Brunswick in Melbourne’s inner north from Labor for the first time, a week after polls closed in the Victorian election.
New South Wales
On-demand buses shifting further east, unused in the west
The multimillion-dollar rollout of Uber-style on-demand buses has been a spectacular failure in some areas of Sydney but they are moving thousands of people on the northern beaches with new services added to the inner west and regional areas recently.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/on-demand-buses-east-unused-west-20181112-p50fiu.html
ACT
ACT seeks climate litigation advice as court action gathers momentum
The ACT is set to join growing global efforts to use courts to press for urgent action to curb emissions, with Climate Minister Shane Rattenbury seeking advice on how to lower litigation barriers.
Investing in attitudes just as important as infrastructure for cycling
Canberra Times editorial
Cyclists aren’t pests, but people who actually free up congested roads and save everyone money.
Queensland
Why Queensland’s ‘mega-fires’ have been described as extraordinary
Scientists say bushfires are burning more intensely than they have before, the season is extending and heatwaves are getting worse. Their message? Climate change is changing fire in Australia, take notice.
Queensland bushfires: man dies clearing firebreak as evacuations continue
Two men arrested for lighting fires as heatwave conditions expected to continue over weekend
Carmichael mine: federal election, rail access and native title stand in the way
Adani’s plans to get started quickly on a scaled-down version of its Queensland mega-mine still face numerous obstacles
Bat-pocalypse drives away Christmas [$]
The stench of hundreds of decaying bats struck down by north Queensland’s heatwave has hit one town’s traditional Christmas event.
South Australia
Bushfires in SA after lightning hits
A band of lightning moving across South Australia is believed to be the cause of multiple bushfires, in particular on the Yorke Peninsula at Minlaton.
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/bushfires-in-sa-after-lightning-hits
Thousands without power as fires contained [$]
Almost 5000 properties are still without power after a day of wild weather and thunder storms which ignited several fires across the state.
Call for longer bans to protect snapper stocks [$]
Pressure is mounting for a longer snapper closure to protect the popular species from overfishing during their spawning season.
Total fire bans for most of SA [$]
Total fire bans have been issued for most of South Australia as summer officially starts.
Western Australia
Wheatbelt town goes against the grain to join billion-dollar battery market
The region feeds the world but in 10 years time it will also play a huge role in stopping the spontaneous combustion of electric vehicles and smartphones.
Sustainability
Madrid restricts traffic in city centre to improve air quality
Madrid is banning most petrol and diesel cars from its city centre as officials try to catch up with other European capitals that are already restricting traffic to reduce pollution.
Virtual reality could serve as powerful environmental education tool
Stanford researchers took a virtual reality experience into a variety of educational settings, including high school classrooms, to test the impact on awareness and understanding of ocean acidification.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-11/su-vrc112818.php
Explainer: So a scientist says he edited the genes of twin girls in China. What does it mean?
When it comes to science bombshells, claims that the first gene-edited humans have been born is hard to top. But there’s a whole raft of ethical ramifications, and will this put an end to CRISPR gene editing?
Nature Conservation
Snowpack declines may stunt tree growth and forests’ ability to store carbon emissions
Researchers conducting a 5-year-long study examining snow cover in a northern hardwood forest region found that projected changes in climate could lead to a 95 percent reduction of deep-insulating snowpack in forest areas across the northeastern United States by the end of the 21st century. The loss of snowpack would likely result in a steep reduction of forests’ ability to store climate-changing carbon dioxide and filter pollutants from the air and water.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-12/asrc-sdm112918.php
New research questions fish stocking obligations
Fish stocking as a fisheries compensation method in hydropower operations no longer meets latest legal and scientific requirements, according to a new study from the University of Eastern Finland. Published in Water International, the study focuses on ecological flows from the viewpoints of law and biology.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-11/uoef-nrq113018.php
Scientists reveal substantial water loss in global landlocked regions
A new study involving Kansas State University researchers reveals that water storage declines in global landlocked basins has aggravated local water stress and caused potential sea level rise.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-11/ksu-srs113018.php
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