Post of the Day
Carbon emissions will reach 37 billion tonnes in 2018, a record high
Pep Canadell et al
Carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from fossil fuels and industry are projected to rise more than 2% (range 1.8% to 3.7%) in 2018, taking global fossil CO₂ emissions to a new record high of 37.1 billion tonnes.
Today’s Celebration
Constitution Day – Spain
Farmer’s Day – Ghana
Foundation of Quito – Ecuador
Independence Day – Finland
St Nicholas Day – Christianity
Climate Change
Save millions of lives by tackling climate change, says WHO
Global warming and fossil fuel pollution already killing many, UN climate summit told
‘Brutal news’: global carbon emissions jump to all-time high in 2018
Rapid cuts needed to protect billions of people from rising emissions due to increase in use of cars and coal
A problem that might be too big to solve [$]
In the daunting maths of climate action, individual choices and government policies aren’t adding up.
Climate change, cities make storms wetter
Two recently published studies show that urban development and the effects of climate change are contributing to the extreme rainfall and flooding of recent hurricanes.
https://www.coastalreview.org/2018/12/climate-change-cities-make-storms-wetter/
The ‘war’ on climate. The climate ‘fight.’ Are we approaching the problem all wrong?
By pitting one group against another, do war metaphors undermine our ability to take on this global crisis?
It’s time for journalism to ring the alarm about climate change more loudly
At the same time, reporters should be cautious not to oversell small and dubious solutions, as one recent case illustrates.
https://therevelator.org/journalism-alarm-climate-change/
Sea levels may rise more rapidly due to Greenland ice melt
Run-off from vast ice sheet is increasing due to manmade global warming, says study
Bernie Sanders’ impassioned plea for leaders to ‘get our act together’ on climate change
Senator Bernie Sanders called for action at a roundtable discussion with other politicians.
Turning climate change from a ‘tragedy of the commons’ to positive action
Climate change must no longer be viewed as a ‘tragedy of the commons’, researchers say.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/12/181205093712.htm
Trump’s disbelief won’t stop dangerous climate change
Dana Nuccitelli
Republican platform is not only at odds with science but potentially US voters in 2020.
Three climate justice metamorphoses and a lesson from Gandhi
Matthew Klippenstein
To understand our climate movement’s evolution, read Nietzsche. To understand our Achilles’ heel, study Gandhi.
‘A kind of dark realism’: Why the climate change problem is starting to look too big to solve
Steven Mufson
Climate expert: “There’s no silver bullet. There’s silver buckshot.”
The answer to climate change lies in technology and engineering
Nick Butler
It should be scientists, not politicians, who gather to combat carbon emissions
https://www.ft.com/content/73e78812-f309-11e8-938a-543765795f99
Attenborough a fool on climate fearmongering [$]
Andrew Bolt
It’s embarrassing to see Sir David Attenborough make such a fool of himself after decades of brilliant filmmaking — his climate change fearmongering makes him sound like an Old Testament prophet.
Teen face of climate strike [$]
Graham Lloyd
The star of the student strike for climate change movement would ban private car ownership, meat eating and ration air travel.
Carbon emissions will reach 37 billion tonnes in 2018, a record high
Pep Canadell et al
Carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from fossil fuels and industry are projected to rise more than 2% (range 1.8% to 3.7%) in 2018, taking global fossil CO₂ emissions to a new record high of 37.1 billion tonnes.
National
Morrison close to lower house win on ‘big stick’ energy package
Labor rearguard action to get divestiture powers delayed likely to fail as Wilkie and Katter join with Coalition
Turnbull speech draft said Labor’s 45% emissions target might not drive up bills
Early draft said cost of Labor’s proposal to keep national energy guarantee with 45% target ‘may not be as high as it would appear’
Students left hanging during Canberra trip to confront Morrison on climate change
Group rallies outside Parliament House after being told they needed to have a prearranged meeting organised
Nuclear ban an empty gesture [$]
Bill Shorten’s foreign policy agenda is set to come under attack at Labor’s national conference.
‘No trilemma’: Study finds increased renewables push down power prices
Renewable energy drives down wholesale power prices well in excess of subsidy costs, a study of Australian and European markets shows.
LNP rejects Morrison power play[$]
Scott Morrison’s controversial energy policy has been branded “out of touch” by the Qld LNP, as it forcefully rejected the plan.
The War on E-Waste and Everything in Between
Maggie Coggan
With over 20 million tonnes of technology ending up in landfill each year, Cat Harding and Mardi Brown knew they had to “Pony Up” – or do their bit. Now they’re not just diverting tech from landfill, they’re changing a culture of corporate e-waste
https://probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2018/12/war-e-waste-everything/
With the planet burning, we need to take control ourselves
Jeff Sparrow
Our representatives seem to be incapable of a serious response. Schools and workplaces should become parliaments
Students’ activism shows the kids are all right
Madonna King
Here’s a hint why we saw so many young people skip school and take to the streets last week, simply to be heard.
Coal is cool for those who dig it [$]
David Uren
Maligned as a rejected fossil whose time was up, it has just knocked iron ore from its perch as our top export earner.
Is Malcolm Turnbull truly a champion for clean energy?
Giles Parkinson
Malcolm Turnbull spoke positive words at a clean energy conference, which turned out to be classic political misdirection.
Looking past the hype about ‘trackless trams’
Yale Zhuxiao Wong
The autonomous rail rapid transit (ART) system developed in China might make buses sexy, but the technology alone won’t resolve the issues of road space and right of way in Australia.
https://theconversation.com/looking-past-the-hype-about-trackless-trams-107092
Victoria
High temperatures spark Vic health risk
Forecast high temperatures have prompted a health alert from the Victorian government for areas including the Mallee and Wimmera.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/high-temperatures-spark-vic-health-risk-163109154–spt.html
Queen Victoria Market under-shed plan parked [$]
Redevelopment options Parking has been endorsed as part of a revised plan for a $250 million redevelopment of Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Markets, but a plan to build under heritage sheds appears doomed.
New South Wales
Dexus taps Snowy Hydro for reliable renewable energy
In one of the first such deals of its kind, office tower landlord Dexus has struck a renewable energy agreement with Snowy Hydro-owned retailer Red Energy to power more than 40 buildings in its NSW portfolio.
https://www.afr.com/real-estate/dexus-taps-snowy-hydro-for-reliable-renewable-energy-20181205-h18qt3
ACT
Who is better at recycling, Queanbeyan or Canberra?
Astonishing figures for the “reverse vending machine” in Queanbeyan show 24,000 cans and bottles a day are being returned for recycling.
Canberra’s future needs to be planned
Canberra Times editorial
While Canberra has a long way to go before it faces the congestion issues seen in Sydney and Canberra the potential is definitely there.
Queensland
Last minute legal challenge to Carmichael mine a waste of time, says Adani
Indian energy giant Adani said a last minute legal bid by environmental activists to block the Carmichael mine in central Queensland was a waste of time and would not stop construction starting before Christmas.
‘Drastic reductions’ of Australia’s northern bettong population reported
Scientists call for species to be listed as critically endangered after finding range reduced by 70%
Counting the cost of Qld’s firey fortnight
The first damage assessments are starting to come in following nearly two weeks of unprecedented bushfires across much of central Queensland.
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/counting-the-cost-of-qld-s-firey-fortnight
Fewer than 200 submissions on controversial Mount Coot-tha ziplines
Fewer than 200 submissions have been submitted to the Brisbane City Council about the controversial six new ziplines proposed for Mount Coot-tha.
Liberal Party donor issues legal threat to minister over sensitive wetlands development
The former federal environment minister rejects critical advice from his own department that a $1.4 billion development on protected wetlands being proposed by a major Liberal party donor was “clearly unacceptable”, documents obtained under Freedom of Information show.
Livestock ‘couldn’t escape the fire’ say farmers pointing finger at National Parks
As Queensland recovers from its bushfire crisis, farmers and volunteer firefighters are claiming not enough has been done to stop bushfires spreading from National Parks onto people’s properties.
South Australia
Severe bushfire risk across SA
The Country Fire Service says severe bushfire conditions will be present across five South Australian districts on Thursday.
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/severe-bushfire-risk-across-sa
SA Tesla battery ready to go national
Operators of South Australia’s giant battery are keen to expand the technology across the nation after a report found the battery has exceeded all expectations.
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/sa-tesla-battery-ready-to-go-national
Tasmania
Petition to save Tarkine tabled in Senate
The largest petition ever tabled in the Senate has called for Tasmania’s Tarkine region to be world heritage listed and returned to Aboriginal ownership.
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/petition-to-save-tarkine-tabled-in-senate
Making History in fight to protect takayna / Tarkine
Bob Brown Foundation
The campaign by Bob Brown Foundation and Patagonia for the ancient, wild and threatened takayna / Tarkine has made history in the past week. Today, Australian Greens Senators Peter Whish-Wilson and Nick McKim are tabling the largest petition ever presented to the Senate. The petition ‘Support World Heritage protection for takayna / Tarkine’ received over 270 000 signatures from around the world.
https://tasmaniantimes.com/2018/12/making-history-in-fight-to-protect-takayna-tarkine/
Northern Territory
‘Divide and conquer’: fracking developers campaign to Indigenous groups
Traditional owners say a lack of information, the promise of cash and the sheer size of potential land to be fracked are creating confusion in Western Australia. https://www.crikey.com.au/2018/12/05/divide-and-conquer-fracking-developers-campaign-to-indigenous-groups/
Western Australia
‘Divide and conquer’: fracking developers campaign to Indigenous groups
Traditional owners say a lack of information, the promise of cash and the sheer size of potential land to be fracked are creating confusion in Western Australia. https://www.crikey.com.au/2018/12/05/divide-and-conquer-fracking-developers-campaign-to-indigenous-groups/
State poised for $1b green power blitz
WA is poised for a renewable energy bonanza with more than $1 billion to be spent on projects that will almost treble the green power in the south-west grid over the next two years.
New Exmouth reef a hit with big fish
An artificial reef deployed off Exmouth is kicking marine goals, with at least 40 species calling man-made structure home — double the expected amount.
Sustainability
Beef-eating ‘must fall drastically’ as world population grows
Current food habits will lead to destruction of all forests and catastrophic climate change by 2050, report finds
Your ethical guide to Christmas
Transform Christmas from being about excess to focus on the ethical instead. Remember it’s the thought that counts.
The Italian town where the air is lethal
Italy’s faltering economy and booming corruption problem has cruelled the opportunity to save a whole city from some of the worst industrial pollution in Europe.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-06/ilva-steelworks-taranto/10490868
These 7 technologies will make future farming smarter
With 3 billion more mouths to feed by 2050, can ag-tech innovation create a more plentiful, efficient, sustainable, and resilient food system?
50% in nuclear industry: Japan energy plan for 2030 is ‘unrealistic’
Half of companies in the nuclear industry doubt the government’s goal of having nuclear power account for 20 to 22 percent of Japan’s energy supply by fiscal 2030, according to a survey.
http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201812050032.html
Client Earth: Changing environmental law, the world over
James Thornton, head of public interest law firm Client Earth, holds governments around the world accountable for environmental damage. He tells DW how the law can be harnessed for the good of people and the planet.
https://www.dw.com/en/client-earth-changing-environmental-law-the-world-over/a-46524635
No evidence of nuclear deal breach: Russia
Russia says the US has shown no evidence that Moscow is in breach of a landmark arms control treaty.
Wind power vulnerable to climate change in India
The warming of the Indian Ocean, caused by global climate change, may be causing a slow decline in wind power potential in India, according to a new study from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and the Harvard China Project.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-12/hjap-wpv120518.php
Widespread decrease in wind energy resources found over the Northern Hemisphere
A new study focusing on the change in wind energy resources and models’ simulation ability over the Northern Hemisphere reveals a widespread decline in wind energy resources over the Northern Hemisphere. Using station observation data, the study finds that approximately 30 percent, 50 percent and percent of the stations lost over 30 percent of the wind power potential since 1979 in North America, Europe, and Asia, respectively.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-12/ioap-wdi120518.php
Paving the way for more efficient hydrogen cars
Hydrogen-powered vehicles emit only water vapor from their tailpipes, offering a cleaner alternative to fossil-fuel-based transportation. But for hydrogen cars to become mainstream, scientists need to develop more efficient hydrogen-storage systems. Now, researchers reporting in ACS’ Chemistry of Materials have used metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) to set a new record for hydrogen storage capacity under normal operating conditions.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-12/acs-ptw120518.php
American expat in Dubai lives life without plastic
This Dubai expat is an eco-warrior, a crusader, all-in-one, raising awareness on the ills of plastic use and she shows us by example on how to lead a sustainable life free from plastic.
https://gulfnews.com/uae/environment/american-expat-in-dubai-lives-life-without-plastic-1.60742673
Can we grow more food on less land? We’ll have to, a new study finds
To make meaningful progress on climate change, cows and wheat fields will have to become radically more efficient.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/05/climate/agriculture-food-global-warming.html
Nuclear: Downtime at ‘aging’ Grand Gulf attracts increased scrutiny
The Grand Gulf nuclear plant’s issues are gaining attention at a time when the Trump administration continues to mull ways to aid U.S. coal and nuclear plants under a premise of reliability and resilience.
https://www.eenews.net/stories/1060108635
Uranium in mine dust could dissolve in human lungs
Although active uranium mining in New Mexico has ceased, rates of cardiovascular and metabolic disease remain high in the population residing close to mines within the Navajo Nation. According to a new study, inhaled uranium in dusts from the mines could be a factor.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/12/181205093720.htm
Neighborhoods with more green space may mean less heart disease
People who live in neighborhoods with more green spaces may have better blood vessel health and lower levels of stress, and a lower risk of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks, strokes and others.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/12/181205093718.htm
In 100 years’ time, maybe our food won’t be grown in soil
Alex McBratney
Soil is a non-renewable part of the environment. Can it sustain food production for our growing population?
https://theconversation.com/in-100-years-time-maybe-our-food-wont-be-grown-in-soil-108049
Unlike a globalized food system, local food won’t destroy the environment
Helena Norberg-Hodge
Our food system is linked to an economic system that is fundamentally biased against what’s good for people and the planet.
Bhopal’s mass human tragedy and suffering continue to this day
Rashmee Roshan Lall
A new generation of babies born to victims suffer defects and there are more than 100,000 chronically sick residents.
Nature Conservation
‘We’re sounding the alarm’: half of Canada’s chinook salmon endangered
Prospects for species look dire as federal science body finds that only one of the country’s 16 populations is believed to be stable
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/dec/05/canada-chinook-salmon-endangered
Scientists find plastic in all sea turtles
Research on sea turtles spanning three oceans has found plastic particles and man-made fibres in the guts of every one of the 102 turtles studied.
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/scientists-find-plastic-in-all-sea-turtles
Peace, not war, responsible for deforestation in armed conflict zones
Rates of deforestation in war zones increase dramatically once peace is declared, according to a study from the University of Waterloo.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-12/uow-pnw120518.php
More diversity than before: Indications for recovery after ecosystem pollution
Lake Constance, one of the largest freshwater lakes in Europe, suffered from eutrophication, or nutrient contamination caused by agricultural and waste water run-off in the mid-1900s. A study has now revealed that one European whitefish species expanded its genetic variation through hybridization with other whitefish species during the period of eutrophication.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/12/181204131129.htm
Now for something completely different …
What’s the Encryption Laws Got to do With the Social Sector?
Digital rights activists warn the implications of the federal government’s encryption bill will need to be closely watched by social sector organisations, who may be open to law enforcement agencies tapping their phones and accessing their information.
https://probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2018/12/whats-encryption-laws-got-social-sector/
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