Post of the Day
The butterfly, the ant and the mistletoe: A tale woven across species
To save one of the rarest butterflies in the world, we also need to save an unnamed ant species, an endangered woodland and a parasitic plant.
Today’s Celebration
Armenian Christmas Day – Armenia, Lebanon
Army Day – Iraq
La Paradura del Nino (The Parade of Baby Jesus) – Venezuela
Maroon Day – Jamaica
Pathet Lao Day – Laos
Orthodox Christmas Eve – Serbia
Nollaig Bheag (Little Christmas) – Ireland
Epiphany – Christianity
Tirer Gateau (Les rois) – Voudon
Climate Change
Historical cooling periods are still playing out in the deep Pacific
Researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Harvard University have found that the deep Pacific Ocean lags a few centuries behind in terms of temperature and is still adjusting to the advent of the Little Ice Age. Whereas most of the ocean is responding to modern warming, the deep Pacific may be cooling.
Victoria
Victoria fires rage on but temperature drop brings some relief
Temperatures drop overnight but warnings remain in place for several parts of the state as well as in Tasmania
‘We’re here for the long haul’: Bushfires may take weeks to put out, CFA warns
Firefighters will use this week’s brief reprieve from the hot weather to try to get on top of a major bushfire in the state’s east – before the temperatures start to climb again.
‘Disaster in waiting’ as probe starts into transport of toxic chemicals
Investigators are probing how millions of litres of toxic chemicals were able to be transported covertly to illicit dumps in the city’s north and west amid concerns there are significant gaps in the system used to monitor the handling of hazardous wastes.
New South Wales
NSW ‘waste crisis’ looms even as government collects ‘huge’ levy gains
NSW landfills prepare for a spike in dumping, generating a tax windfall that the industry says will do little than bloat government coffers.
Opal: a planning failure not just a transport card
Elizabeth Farrelly
It’s apt, after the NYE rail-fail, that Sydney’s transport card should name-share with the building that may symbolise the city’s fall from grace.
ACT
Canberra swelters through the hottest day of summer
If you’ve been struggling with the heat this week, spare a thought for the region’s wildlife after Canberra sweltered through the hottest day of summer so far on Friday.
Beached: the huge sandbar clogging Canberra’s favourite coastal lake
Just north of Mollymook, along the NSW South Coast, the normally blue waters of Lake Conjola have darkened as they fail to drain out to the Tasman Sea.
Queensland
Residents to rate bushfire crisis response [$]
People who live in some of the worst hit areas of Queensland’s devastating bushfires will be surveyed as part of a wide-ranging probe into the disaster.
Deadly disease ‘outbreak’ slashing wildlife numbers [$]
Rescuers worry a paralysing disease is responsible for pelican deaths on Sunshine Coast beaches.
Tropical Cyclone Penny to weaken, floods to improve in far north Qld
Tropical Cyclone Penny is set to return to the Queensland coast as it continues to weaken from a category 1, forecasters predict.
South Australia
We’re drowning in a sea of political spin on power prices
Matt Abraham
From the White House to the Kremlin, from the White Horse Inn to Karoonda, political spin is the most abundant, renewable source of energy on the planet. We’re drowning in the stuff. And when it comes to political spin, nothing comes with more little white porkies and big fat fibs than energy policy.
Tasmania
What to do when the air is filled with bushfire smoke and you’re worried about your asthma
Extreme levels of air pollution from Tasmania’s massive Gell River bushfire could compromise the health of people with heart or lung conditions, experts warn.
City congestion fix with traffic signals change [$]
Traffic signals at intersections throughout Hobart’s CBD will change this week in an effort to reduce traffic congestion in the capital city.
Sustainability
China population to peak at 1.44bn in 2029
China’s population is set to peak at 1.442 billion in 2029 and start a long period of decline in 2030, a government research report says.
Plant hedges to combat near-road pollution exposure
Urban planners should plant hedges, or a combination of trees with hedges — rather than just relying on roadside trees — if they are to most effectively reduce pollution exposure from cars in near-road environments, finds a new study from the University of Surrey.
Severe air pollution affects the productivity of workers
Prolonged exposure to pollutant particles was shown to reduce the output of workers in China
Nature Conservation
The butterfly, the ant and the mistletoe: A tale woven across species
To save one of the rarest butterflies in the world, we also need to save an unnamed ant species, an endangered woodland and a parasitic plant.
Jellyfish are causing mayhem as pollution, climate change see numbers boom
Jellyfish predate dinosaurs and even trees. But now they’re booming in numbers, disrupting ocean ecosystems and shutting down power plants.
Microplastics and plastic additives discovered in ascidians all along Israel’s coastline
Tel Aviv University report is first to assess presence of plastic additives in Eastern Mediterranean and Red Sea marine life
Is habitat restoration actually killing plants in the California wildlands?
Nursery-grown plants can harbor fungicide-resistant strains of disease-causing pathogens
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