Post of the Day
CSIRO/AEMO study says wind, solar and storage clearly cheaper than coal
Australia’s leading scientific research group and the country’s energy market operator have released a benchmark study that shows the cost of new wind and solar – even with hours of storage – is “unequivocally” lower than the cost of new coal generation.
Today’s Celebration
St. Vincent & the Grenadines Day – St. Vincent & the
Grenadines
St. Vincent’s Day (Valencia) – Spain
Plurinational State Foundation Day – Bolivia
Unity Day – Ukraine
Grandfather’s Day – Poland
Climate Change
David Attenborough tells Davos: ‘The Garden of Eden is no more’
Sir David Attenborough has warned that “the Garden of Eden is no more”, as he urged political and business leaders from around the world to make a renewed push to tackle climate change before the damage is irreparable.
Watchdog urges Trump administration to prepare for climate change
A report by the Government Accountability Office called on federal agencies to prepare for how climate change may fuel conflicts.
The Pentagon’s new climate change report is missing some important details
The entire Marine Corps, for instance.
Greenland ice melting four times faster than in 2003, study finds
Greenland is melting faster than scientists previously thought — and will likely lead to faster sea level rise — thanks to the continued, accelerating warming of the Earth’s atmosphere, a new study has found.
What can we do, right now, about climate change?
Jonathan Watts
Calamitous weather events and warnings from scientists that the planet is warming faster than previously believed are causing alarm. Global environment editor, Jonathan Watts, describes the shifts needed to keep global warming to a maximum of 1.5C
Why I’m (slightly) less pessimistic about global warming
Robert J. Samuelson
It may be possible to slow the increase in greenhouse gases, perhaps through a proposed “carbon dividend” plan.
Plimer’s polemics miss the point [$]
Geoff Edwards
Enough scientists want action on climate change. We should act.
National
‘Grid’s in good shape’: experts optimistic on power summer supply
The energy market is much less spooked by the prospect of rising temperatures.
‘Not too late’: Australians develop carbon model with DiCaprio’s help
Renewable energy can supplant fossil fuels across the global economy, with Australia among the three regions best-placed to benefit because of its rich solar and wind resources.
Alinta urges patience on power [$]
The CEO of Australia’s fourth-largest electricity retailer has warned households may not get significant price cuts this year.
CSIRO/AEMO study says wind, solar and storage clearly cheaper than coal
Australia’s leading scientific research group and the country’s energy market operator have released a benchmark study that shows the cost of new wind and solar – even with hours of storage – is “unequivocally” lower than the cost of new coal generation
Nuclear power a ‘no-brainer’ to lower bills and emissions
With power prices skyrocketing, the mining sector has called for the nuclear option with hopes a high-level review could end a ban on the prohibited energy source.
Population fear campaign hides the real problem
Malcolm King
When political leadership over the population issue falters, a sociobiological virus from a darker era begins to fester in our largest cities.
Chasing quality of opportunity [$]
Denis Dragovic
There is room for anti-discrimination and religious protection laws to coexist.
Positive reaction to hydrogen proposal [$]
Courier Mail editorial
Bill Shorten’s plan to quarantine $1 billion bound for the Clean Energy Finance Corporation for hydrogen proposals has great potential.
Heatwaves proof positive Australia needs nuclear [$]
Tania Constable
Energy costs are rising and renewables can’t meet all our needs but a new generation of clean reactors could.
Victoria
Campfire mistakes add to bushfire threat
A survey of Victoria’s national park users has found that only about a quarter know how to properly extinguish a campfire.
Vic crossbench unite against duck hunting
Victoria’s crossbench MPs are uniting to make a call to end to duck hunting in the state, but the major parties say they’re unmoved.
Goulburn River bank concerns as unseasonal flows sent downstream to the Murray
Experts fear for the health of Goulburn River in north-east Victoria as unseasonal flows are sent downstream to help meet water demands from towns, irrigators and the environment.
‘A David and Goliath battle’: The rise of resident action groups in Melbourne
Whether marching in the street or raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for legal fees, Melburnians are joining action groups in droves.
New South Wales
For centuries the rivers sustained Aboriginal culture. Now they are dry, elders despair
Indigenous people and farmers alike fear Walgett has only six months left if they don’t get water
More SMART shark drumlines trialled in NSW
Newcastle will join the NSW North Coast and Sydney’s northern beaches in getting high-tech shark drumlines to protect beachgoers.
Water bird numbers reveal long-term decline of Menindee Lakes’ health
Water bird numbers at the world famous Menindee Lakes, near the site of this year’s massive fish kill, are in long-term decline, amid an ongoing failure to manage water levels to match weather fluctuations, leading ecologist Richard Kingsford says.
Bike share operators face up to $2750 penalty for bikes in the wrong place
The NSW government has handed local councils bolstered powers to make it easier for them to seize dumped share bikes and fine operators whose bikes have been dumped in public spots.
Highways, car parks to get charging stations for electric vehicles
Charging stations for electric vehicles on major highways and commuter car parks in NSW will soon become more common after the state government committed funding for them.
David Leyonhjelm
And yet, as with the lakes in SA, we are dealing with a man-made rather than the natural environment, where droughts are cyclical.
When the river runs dry, we will return to the scene of the crime
Irfan Yusuf
Residents at the trashed end of the Darling River are angry, jobless and unable to drink their own town water.
ACT
ACT government ‘not best placed’ to look after Jervis Bay Territory
The ACT government has reiterated that it is not “best placed” to provided services to Jervis Bay, after a report found the remote community is suffering because of the legacy arrangement.
Jervis Bay highlights limits of ACT government
Canberra Times editorial
The ACT Government doesn’t have the resources to provide services to Jervis Bay, or Norfolk Island for that matter.
Queensland
Scientists conduct Qld reef health check
Scientists will monitor remote parts of the Great Barrier Reef to see how it has fared during the latest bleaching events.
Yellow crazy ants: world heritage area at risk through lack of funding
Program holding crazy ants at bay in world’s oldest continuing rainforest suffers from lack of government funding commitment
Police ‘furious’ over suspicious Bribie Island fire
Bribie Island’s weekend fire is being treated as suspicious.
Sector Suspicious Over Great Barrier Reef Foundation’s First Project
The first project announcement by the Great Barrier Reef Foundation since being awarded a controversial $443 million grant, has been labelled a double handling exercise by conservationists, once again calling into question the legitimacy of the grant funding.
Cane toads perform ‘extremely rare’ phase switch
Most animals are biologically locked into being nocturnal or diurnal, but cane toads are proving they have super pest powers and can switch when conditions are right.
Dingo attack prompts extra patrols after 6yo boy mauled
Park rangers try to identify the dingo responsible for biting a boy on Fraser Island over the weekend, as the family thank those who came to their aid saying it was “an unfortunate incident”.
Birdsville blows off steam [$]
The closure of a geothermal plant that provided power to the outback town of Birdsville hasn’t pleased everyone.
Savage threat lurking in island paradise [$]
Peter Michael
Attack Fraser Island’s wild beauty is what draws hundreds of thousands of tourists to its shores every year. But the picturesque sand island’s rewards don’t come without risks.
South Australia
Rare waterbirds on the move in search of drought refuge
Rare waterbirds appear to be increasingly moving into South Australia to escape dry conditions in northern areas of the country, according to wildlife experts.
More bees needed for rapidly growing almond industry
Australia’s almond industry is set for a record crop, but more bees are needed to sustain the growing industry.
Bat blackouts causing Adelaide’s dark nights [$]
Bats are knocking out power lines across the city, as they venture out from their Botanic Park roost. A team of crusaders has been set up to protect the grid and the 20,000-strong colony from each other.
Dogs and roo ‘plagues’ are devastating the far north [$]
Better management of kangaroos reaching “plague proportions” and an urgent fix for the state’s ailing dog-proof fence are vital to help people in the state’s north weather the drought, pastoralists say.
In the land of Storm Boy, the cultural heritage of the Coorong is under threat
Seeing the new film Storm Boy, my mind turns to the landscape that forms the film’s backdrop. This is the Kurangk (Coorong), land of the Ngarrindjeri Nation. The Nation’s cultural heritage, testifying to the Ngarrindjeri’s enduring connection to the region, is being destroyed by off-road vehicles.
Tasmania
Worsening conditions fuel bushfires in Tasmania
Multiple warnings have been issued for uncontrolled bushfires across Tasmania, with residents warned the worst is yet to come as the heatwave continues.
Up to 40 people evacuated in Tasmanian town of Miena amid bushfire threat
Emergency bushfire warnings for Tahune and Miena in Tasmania are downgraded to a watch and act, but firefighters warn the worst weather is yet to come.
Ben Lomond as Tasmania’s next ‘iconic’ walk? Council submission says yes [$]
Is Ben Lomond Tasmania’s next multi-day walking experience? If the Northern Midlands Council has their way, it could be.
Tahune airwalk closed, 300 visitors evacuated due to fire [$]
The owner of Tahune airwalk in the Huon Valley is hoping for the best as a bushfire burns nearby his much-loved Southern Tasmanian tourist attraction
Anti cable car lobby seeks public meeting [$]
A petition calling for a public meeting to highlight community concerns over the kunanyi/Mt Wellington cable car proposal is set to be handed to the Hobart City Council.
Why our air pollution is worse than Beijing [$]
The air quality in the Huon Valley is worse than in Beijing because of bushfires burning in the area.
Cops charge pair in night raid on marine reserve [$]
Two people have been charged with using a vessel without permission and numerous fisheries after being accused of setting craypots and fishing in a marine reserve.
Northern Territory
Buffalo fencing sees ‘amazing’ recovery as waterhole springs back to life
Rangers from central Arnhem Land record degraded wetland’s recovery after removing feral buffalo to protect 10 hectares of the culturally significant waterhole.
Mineral lease to spark new NT industry [$]
The first lithium mineral lease has been awarded in the Territory signalling the first real beginning of a new NT industry with the potential to create hundreds of new jobs
Western Australia
Mining giant ‘owes up to $300m in unpaid royalties’
The State Government is reportedly looking to recover hundreds of millions of dollars in iron ore royalties owed to it by BHP, it was revealed on radio this morning.
‘Time to manage our own land’ [$]
The Nyikina Mangala people of Australia’s northwest yesterday become owners of the pastoral lease on historic Myroodah station.
Sustainability
Does nature really improve your health? Francie thinks so
Scientists know nature keeps people healthy, now they’re using a Tasmanian program that reaches out to people who are isolated to find out how.
Founders of plastic waste alliance ‘investing billions in new plants’
European NGO says firms are likely to be at centre of global boom in plastic production
North Sea rocks could act as large-scale renewable energy stores
Rocks in the seabed off the UK coast could provide long-term storage locations for renewable energy production, new research suggests.
Chile’s Pinera seeks jail time for environmental damages, infractions
Chilean President Sebastian Pinera announced on Monday a bill to set stiffer fines and jail time for serious violations of the country’s environmental laws, marking a shift toward increasing environmental scrutiny in the world’s top copper producer.
How Orkney leads the way for sustainable energy
A tech revolution – and an abundance of wind and waves – mean that the people of Orkney now produce more electricity than they can use.
Scientists turn carbon emissions into usable energy
A recent study, affiliated with South Korea’s Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) has introduced a system that turn carbon emissions into usable energy.
Stuck and stressed: the health costs of traffic
The physical and psychological toll of brutal commutes can be considerable.
If edible insects are the future, we should talk about poop
Insects are touted as a major new source of protein, but scaling up Big Cricket could mean new problems—such as what to do with all their “frass.”
The health hazards of air pollution in Ivory Coast
In 2016, the Swiss NGO Public Eye analysed the sulphur content of the fuel being sold in eight West African countries, including Ivory Coast. The results were startling.
Air pollution puts city residents in bad mood, study suggests
The dense cloud of pollution choking cities around the world may be impacting the mood as well as the health of urban populations.on.
Planning a Marie Kondo clean-up? Here’s what clutter does to your body and brain
Libby Sanders
Japanese tidying aficionado Marie Kondo is on to something: clutter can affect our anxiety levels, sleep, and ability to focus. But it doesn’t end there.
Nature Conservation
Supermodel Bundchen responds to Brazil’s farm minister in Amazon spat
A high-profile dispute between supermodel Gisele Bundchen and Brazil’s agriculture minister over deforestation escalated this week, coming as activists worry about new President Jair Bolsonaro’s environmental policies.
Environmental alarmism a “turn-off” for viewers
Sir David Attenborough, the world’s best-known wildlife storyteller, believes repeated warnings about human destruction of the natural world can be a “turn-off” for viewers – a comment that is likely to reignite the debate about whether the veteran broadcaster’s primary duty is to entertain or educate.
Saving a river: Pollution in India’s holy Ganges makes it toxic
The Ganges river, holy to most Indians, flows from the western Himalayas down to the Bay of Bengal through crowded cities, industrial hubs and some of the most populated areas in the world.
Ecological Benefits of Part-Night Lighting Revealed
Study shows there is no difference in pollination success between part-night lighting and full darkness, highlighting the ecological benefit of switching off our street lights even for short periods
Now for something completely different …
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