Post of the Day
35 degree days make blackouts more likely, but new power stations won’t help
Guy Dundas and Lucy Percival
Whether your energy comes from coal or renewable sources isn’t likely to make a difference to your risk of a blackout this summer.
Today’s Celebration
Martyr’s Day – Benin
Prohibition Remembrance Day – United States of America
Russian Winter Festival – Russia
Teachers Day – Thailand
Heroes Day – DR Congo
Religious Freedom Day – United States of America
Climate Change
Immediate fossil fuel phaseout could arrest climate change – study
Scientists say it may still technically be possible to limit warming to 1.5C if drastic action is taken now
Carbon capture cost savings on the horizon
University of Pittsburgh’s Swanson School of Engineering researchers develop computational model to help identify improved membranes for capturing CO2 at coal-fired power plants.
Climate solutions must prioritize the human dimensions of the crisis
Bob Doppelt
Unless substantial investments are made in preventative human resilience building, the psychological and psycho-social-spiritual impacts of rising global temperatures will undermine the safety, health, and wellbeing of people everywhere.
National
Heat records smashed in Australia
Scorching summer temperatures have seen some regions reaching close to 50C with records crumbling as the week long heatwave continues.
Experts say government faces ‘difficult choice’ on population growth
New research from the Australian National University has uncovered a dramatic decline in support for population growth.
Bureaucrats refuse responsibility for ‘ecological disaster’ on river
Officials managing Australia’s most important river network have cast doubt on claims that a million fish were killed in this month’s mass die-off in the Murray-Darling system and rejected accusations that they triggered the environmental catastrophe.
Murray Darling Basin chief has dismissed push for commission following mass fish death [$]
A high-level inquiry into the Barwon Darling would risk destroying the historic agreement to save Australia’s most iconic river system, its managers warn. The special commission was prompted following last week’s mass fish death.
Banks increasing exposure to fossil fuels despite promises to fight climate change: report
Australia’s major banks have been getting back into fossil fuels over the past year, casting doubt on their seriousness in tackling climate change through their investments, according to environmental campaign group Market Forces.
Wet and wild: why Australia must learn to love the animals on its beaches
John Pickrell
Australia is in danger of loving some beaches to death. By fostering a passion for wildlife, we can turn the tide on degradation
It’s time to restore public trust in the governing of the Murray Darling Basin
Jason Alexandra
Public confidence in the institutions in charge of the Murray Darling Basin has plummeted – with good reason.
This is an issue of national survival [$]
Guy Rundle
The Murray-Darling fish kill is horrifying, but not surprising. It is the logical result of our toxic politics.
Cotton is not killing fish [$]
Barnaby Joyce
Upstream irrigators wrongly are blamed when the rivers run dry down south.
Igor Martek and M. Reza Hosseini
Australia’s commitments to cut emissions are on a collision course with urban growth. We need a much more comprehensive strategy to make the transition to a sustainable built environment.
35 degree days make blackouts more likely, but new power stations won’t help
Guy Dundas and Lucy Percival
Whether your energy comes from coal or renewable sources isn’t likely to make a difference to your risk of a blackout this summer.
A current affair: the movement of ocean waters around Australia
Charitha Pattiaratchi et al
Many people in Australia will head to the beach this summer and that’ll most likely include a dip or a plunge into the sea. But have you ever wondered where those ocean waters come from, and what influence they may have?
Reasons for not wanting more people don’t stack up [$]
Tory Shepherd
We’re heading for an election that by all accounts will be a bare-knuckle free-for-all. Population will be part of the hot contest, and politicians have shown they’re happy to shackle migrants to our social ills and stoke fear.
Victoria
Threat eases as firefighters downgrade Victorian bushfire
Firefighters will work through the night to prevent any flare-ups after bringing a bushfire in central Victoria under control.
Australia’s first tufted duck sighting creates a ‘mega-twitch’ at sewage pond
Bird-watchers flock to Werribee treatment plant, near Melbourne, to see Eurasia native
Victoria’s duck hunting season a risk to breeding populations, experts warn
The Victorian Game Management Authority says season will end three weeks early because of low numbers
Hunters have demanded refunds on their $57.80 annual licence fee after the Victorian Game Management Authority’s decision to shorten the duck season by three weeks and halve bag limits.
Outrage over water bottles at Aus Open
Twitter lit up over Australian Open’s ‘official water’ from China. A simple photograph of bottled water at the Australian Open sent Twitter into a frenzy. It poses a big question for tournament organisers.
Cardiac arrests spike, deaths likely as state swelters through heatwave
The heatwave sweeping Victoria has already led to a spike in cardiac arrests – and things are only going to get worse as the heat goes on.
Horse racing kicks sand in the face of Levy’s Beach
Siobhan Simper
A coastal town has been divided over the decision to allow commercial horse training in a protected coastal reserve.
Beach hoods: guarding nests of hooded plovers a job for us all
Sean Dooley
As hundreds of runners pound along the sand, another race is on – to protect the young of this dapper but vulnerable bird
New South Wales
Aerators to be used to reduce fish deaths
A mass fish death in NSW’s Darling River has prompted officials to install river aerators in the region and consider other options, including moving fish.
Darling River mass fish kill could impact other states
Fish experts warn the die-off of fish in the Darling River could result in lower native fish stocks in other states, and call for irrigators to reduce water uptake by 40 per cent.
‘He’s got his wires crossed’: 1,800 dead fish turns out to be 60 as Minister defends comments
New South Wales Water Minister Niall Blair says it wasn’t irresponsible to announce reports of a fish kill of 1,800 at Lake Hume before a proper investigation revealed only 60 carp were involved.
Fish kill risks mount as temperatures ‘scream’ in hard-hit Menindee
The first of 16 machines aimed at keeping vital fish stocks alive in NSW’s ailing rivers will be installed as soon as Wednesday as fears build of more large dieoffs amid searing inland temperatures.
Damning Murray-Darling report says NSW ‘well behind’ on water-sharing plans
NSW under pressure over whether rivers over-allocated following Darling River fish kill
Deadly bat virus warning: 8 people bitten and scratched across Sydney
Health authorities have urged anyone who comes across an injured bat to make no attempt to pick it up.
Wendy worms her way south for Sydney’s $20b metro rail line
About 150 metres long, Wendy is gigantic by any measure.
Locals furious over tap water smelling of ‘sewerage’ and ‘rotting fish’
Residents in Menindee, the far-west NSW town where a million fish were recently found dead, say their drinking water is rancid and is making them sick.
Why the fish kill blame game is not helpful
Les Gordon
For farmers these are very difficult times, seriously exacerbated by the drought. Those looking for a scapegoat for the recent tragedy of fish deaths below Menindee Lakes achieve nothing more than fuelling media coverage and unrest.
The Darling River is simply not supposed to dry out, even in drought
Fran Sheldon
Puddles in the bed of the Darling River are a sign of an ecosystem in crisis.
ACT
Hume recycling centre ‘operational’ as regional waste joins backlog
The Hume recycling centre is expected to reopen one week after it was forced to close over safety breaches, with rubbish from towns surrounding Canberra being added to the temporary stockpile at the Mugga Lane tip.
ACT government to introduce wellbeing index
Bhutan has its happiness index and New Zealand has a living standards dashboard. Now it’s Canberra’s turn.
Queensland
Queensland coal exports hit record high
Despite figures showing a coal-export record has been beaten, with 223 million tonnes passing through Queensland ports last year, Greens senator Larissa Waters says the coal industry is in “desperate PR overdrive”.
Qld govt at a loss over who will pay for contaminated riverside land clean-up
The historical contamination of a stretch of land in West End is creating a headache for authorities.
South Australia
Great Australian Bight seismic testing gets green light
Oil and gas testing is set to take place in the Great Australian Bight this year, with the national petroleum regulator granting permission to exploration company PGS.
Temperature records broken in South Australian outback
Temperature records break in Port Augusta and Tarcoola as South Australia suffers through an extreme heatwave, causing bats to fall from trees in Adelaide.
A subjective guide to Adelaide’s most iconic trees
From the stately Plane Trees that border Botanic Park to the buttress roots of the park lands’ Moreton Bay Figs, Adelaide’s exotic and native tree registry is brimming with stories of historical, botanical and sentimental significance.
Council dumps controversial tip plan [$]
Burnside Council has abandoned a plan to reopen part of a local dump – closed for almost 30 years – following anger over the “sham” consultation.
Scare campaign behind Bight fears: KI Mayor [$]
Former Liberal MP turned Kangaroo Island Mayor Michael Pengilly says environmental groups drummed up unwarranted anxiety about seismic testing’s impact on whales and fisheries.
Sold: World’s second-biggest cattle station [$]
One of the world’s biggest farms in South Australia’s far north-east has been sold. Find out more about the new owners and their plans for the land.
Deadly heatwaves to become the norm in SA [$]
As South Australia swelters in extreme heat, a new report has warned that catastrophic heatwaves will become more common.
Tasmania
Explainer: Is there really a hole in the ozone layer that makes the sun feel hotter in Tasmania?
Tasmanians often say the sun is harsher on the island state, that there are holes in the ozone layer, and that summer temperatures feel hotter here than they do on the mainland. So what’s going on?
Crews and aircraft on standby as Tasmania braces for ‘very high’ fire danger
Pre-positioned fire crews and aircraft are on standby as high fire dangers are again forecast across the state.
Tasmania ‘treading water’ on container refund scheme and waste levy
Tasmania is “treading water” on a container deposit scheme as job opportunities for the state lay waiting, according to a leading figure in the area.
Hydro Tasmania’s Wilmot Power Station to get major upgrade this year
Tucked away in a corner of Lake Cethana, the Wilmot Power Station is getting ready for a major 50-year makeover.
Sustainability
The world’s growing toxic brine problem
Desalination plants around the world are producing far more brine waste than previously estimated and much of it is being dumped into the sea.
EU glyphosate approval was based on plagiarised Monsanto text, report finds
Study for European parliament ‘explains why EU assessors brushed off warnings of pesticide’s dangers’, says MEP
Purchase receipts with easily erasable ink contain cancer-infertility inducing substances
An international research led by the UGR shows that 90 percent of store and supermarket receipts are made of thermal paper containing bisphenol A (BPA).
UK’s first contact lens recycling scheme launches
Wearers of any brand of soft lens can now have them collected or drop them off at recycling bins
Keeping roads in good shape reduces greenhouse gas emissions, Rutgers-led study finds
Keeping road pavement in good shape saves money and energy and reduces greenhouse gas emissions, more than offsetting pollution generated during road construction, according to a Rutgers-led study.
Trump plans to relax Obama rules for oil companies put in place after BP disaster
Proposed revised rules include a change that would allow oil companies to select third party companies to evaluate the safety of their equipment
A crusade in the Philippines takes on the big brands behind plastic waste
With a growing economy and a swelling middle class, people in the Philippines are consuming at a torrid pace — electronic devices, packaged foods, fancy toiletries — goods either made of plastic or wrapped in it. In fact, that’s the story of many Southeast Asian countries.
New conservation practice could reduce nitrogen pollution in agricultural drainage water
In a new study, University of Illinois scientists have estimated that a new conservation practice known as saturated buffers could reduce nitrogen from agricultural drainage by 5 to 10 percent.
New analysis raises questions about EPA’s classification on glyphosate weed killer
Researcher says the EPA has disregarded substantial evidence that the popular herbicide is linked to cancer
Fossil fuel’s leftover infrastructure may have a surprising new ecological role
Removing drilling rigs makes things look more pristine from a human perspective. But the view may be different from under the water’s surface. Leaving structures in place can actually have benefits, and removing them can cause harm.
Nature Conservation
Insect collapse: ‘We are destroying our life support systems’
Scientist Brad Lister returned to Puerto Rican rainforest after 35 years to find 98% of ground insects had vanished
‘One fish at a time’: Indonesia lands remarkable victory
Tuna fishery gains first MSC gold standard after nation’s huge push to boost stocks, protect livelihoods and ban foreign vessels
The environmental impact of eating insects
Edible insects are on the rise as an alternative protein source but new research warns of the “overwhelming lack of knowledge” regarding this emerging industry.
Qld hunt for bats blocked by Mexican drug lords
Qld research was put on hold when drug lords took control of the field site.
UM professor co-authors report on the use of biotechnology in forests
University of Montana Professor Diana Six is one of 12 authors of a new report that addresses the potential for biotechnology to provide solutions for protecting forest trees from insect and pathogen outbreaks, which are increasing because of climate change and expanded global trade.
Campeche wetlands at risk of disappearing
Population growth, illegal logging of white, red, black and buttonwood mangrove species together with fires caused by poachers, are causing the disappearance of wetlands in Campeche, a Mexican state on the Yucatán Peninsula.
Animals May Get Used to Drones
A new study shows that over time, bears get used to drones. Previous work indicated that animals behave fearfully or show a stress response near drone flights.
Tiny killer that could wipe out the honeybee
Researchers found the tiny mite, called Varroa destructor, actually eats one of the honey bee’s organs.
Loons are getting squeezed by wind farms
Wind turbines have altered bird paths in the German North Sea, forcing them into smaller habitats.
Acid loving algae? How ocean acidification may contribute to harmful algal blooms
Climate change isn’t just changing temperatures–climate change is changing the pH of our ocean, with big impacts on marine food webs!
Now for something completely different …
Relying on karma: Research explains why outrage doesn’t usually result in revolution
New research from Professors Rosalind Chow and Jeffrey Galak examines how people respond to two types of injustices: when bad things happen to good people, and when good things happen to bad people.
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