Post of the Day
Warning: Smoking kills you — and the planet
Health warnings for smokers have never been clearer. But what about the health of the planet? Cigarette butts are the most common item of single-use plastic waste in the world — and that’s only one piece of the puzzle.
Today’s Celebration
Independence Day – Dominican Republic
Special Operations Forces Day – Russia
Marathi Language Day – India
Islamic Education Day – Iran
Climate Change
Can we address climate change without sacrificing water quality?
Strategies for limiting climate change must take into account their potential impact on water quality through nutrient overload, according to a new study from Carnegie’s Eva Sinha and Anna Michalak published by Nature Communications. Some efforts at reducing carbon emissions could actually increase the risk of water quality impairments, they found.
Coda waves reveal carbon dioxide storage plume
Pumping carbon dioxide into the ground to remove it from the atmosphere is one way to lower greenhouse gases, but keeping track of where that gas is, has been a difficult chore. Now, a team of researchers from Penn State and Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory are using previously ignored seismic waves to pinpoint and track the gas clouds.
How crowdsourcing seeds can help farmers adapt to climate change
In Ethiopia and other developing nations, scientists are working with small-scale farmers on trials to see which seed varieties perform best in changing conditions. These initiatives are enabling farmers to make smarter crop choices in the face of rising temperatures, drought, and more extreme weather.
It’s time to talk about ‘climate delayers’
We need a name for people who don’t have a plan consistent with science, and we need the courage to hold them accountable.
Ancient wetlands provide new insight into global carbon cycle
Scientists have unearthed and pieced together evidence on more than 1,000 ancient wetland sites from across the globe, that are presently covered by fields, forests and lakes. Although vanished from the Earth’s surface, these buried sites could explain some of the differences between global carbon cycle models and real-life observations.
Harvard economists join policy proposal to combat climate change
More than 3,300 economists, a number of whom are Harvard affiliates, signed the “Economists’ Statement on Carbon Dividends,” calling for a bipartisan climate change solution, the Climate Leadership Council announced last month.
Findings on gender and social impact of climate change in Liberia presented to stakeholders
UNDP working in close collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has presented findings of an assessment on the gender and social impact of climate change in Liberia.
The least developed countries call for urgent action at UN Climate talks
“It is those countries that have contributed the least to climate change that are most vulnerable to its impacts and that have the least capacity to protect against its effects,” explains Gebru Jember Endalew, Chair of the Least Developed Countries Group on Climate Change.
Climate change could kill off clouds and return us to a ‘hothouse earth’
New research suggests a climate feedback loop could explain a rapid and previously mysterious warming that took place over 50 million years ago.
Disband your climate denial panel, Mr. President
John Kerry
We don’t have time to debate the threat of climate change. Now’s the time to act.
National
New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland biggest water consumers in 2016-17
Across the Australian economy, industry and households consumed a total 16,558 gigalitres of water (the equivalent of more than 33 Sydney Harbours) in 2016-17 according to figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
$3.5 billion Climate Solutions Fund offers no ‘solutions’ to rising emissions
Green groups have slammed the government’s $3.5 billion Climate Solutions Fund, saying it does nothing to curb rising greenhouse emissions.
Taylor says may be running out of time for coal underwriting deal
Taylor says underwriting proposal may not be completed before the election, putting into doubt the push for new coal investment.
Network’s message to Canberra: The energy transition is happening now
Australia’s major network operator says the energy transition is happening now, and happening fast – regardless of policy uncertainty.
Coalition throws another $1.4 billion to try and make Snowy 2.0 stack up
Prime minister Scott Morrison has given the go-ahead to the Snowy 2.0 pumped hydro scheme, but it has needed an extra $1.4 billion of taxpayer’s money to get the pet project of predecessor Malcolm Turnbull – the man the Coalition dumped because they didn’t trust him on climate and energy policy – over the line.
Murray Darling Basin’s dairy shutdown [$]
Dairying is being priced out of the Murray Darling Basin’s water markets, with farmers culling into the core of their herds, drying off land or leaving the industry.
‘We don’t need Morrison’s money’ [$]
Snowy Hydro said it did not require a $1.4 billion equity top-up to get the Snowy 2.0 project off the ground.
Yancoal earnings soar on higher prices
Shares in miner Yancoal jumped more than 25 per cent after the company reported a more than four-fold rise in 2018 underlying net profit
Publisher rejects Craig Kelly complaint school textbook ‘inaccurate’ on climate change
Liberal MP took issue with year-1o history book statements linking extreme weather to climate change
Coalition too slow on climate policy, says party president
Liberal party president Nick Greiner warns ‘some conservative politicians’ that the environment shouldn’t be seen as a political football.
Could powered two-wheelers be a game-changer for urban travel?
Alan Davies
Although there’s never been a strong tradition of cycling in Australia’s capitals like there is in many European cities, the availability of battery powered bicycles and scooters is potentially a game-changer.
Yancoal is committed to Aussie coal [$]
Matthew Stevens
Reinhold Schmidt, the chief executive of Australia’s largest pure-play coal miner, won’t be committing to any Glencore-style production caps.
Scott Morrison’s pea-and-thimble trick
Peter Hannam
Did you notice that the Morrison government has slashed Australia’s Paris climate target in half?
PM sings old tune on climate [$]
Paul Kelly
Because the Libs can’t agree on the future they’ve returned to the past. The PM had no other option than to resurrect Abbott’s “direct action” agenda.
PM’s Snowy 2.0 is a snow job [$]
Judith Sloan
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is stretching the truth when he calls Snowy 2.0 fair dinkum power.
Tony Abbott and the climate change fandango
Steve Bishop
Does anyone believe that Tony Abbott’s latest change of stance on climate change is anything more than his description of the relevant science in 2009: “absolute crap”?
Victoria
Melbourne Zoo ditches Cadbury chocolates over palm oil concerns
Zoos Victoria are dumping chocolates and lollies made by sweets companies because makers have failed to declare where all the palm oil used in their products comes from.
Nine train lines to close for three weeks in disruption
Several rail lines will be closed for more than three weeks in April affecting more than 1.5 million Melbourne commuters.
New South Wales
$500m Murray River pipeline turned on, supplies outback town
As water supplies run low for towns reliant on the Darling River in western NSW, the Government says it has drought-proofed Broken Hill with a 270-kilometre pipeline from the Murray River.
This is how Sydney’s toll road network stacks up against other cities
It will bring NSW voters little comfort to know that transport experts have given Sydney the dubious honour of having the most extensive — and expensive — urban toll road network in the world.
Glencore coal cap in doubt as partner seeks expansion [$]
Glencore’s cap on its coal output is facing an early test after its Hunter Valley partner talked up expansion plans.
Santos gas project will create 1100 jobs for Narrabri [$]
More than 1100 construction jobs would be created in the region of Narrabri if Santos’ gas project gets the green light this year — giving the town in north western NSW an economic boost.
Queensland
Black lung advocates say 20 Queenslanders diagnosed with coal dust diseases in a fortnight
A black lung advocacy group says there have been almost 20 new diagnoses of coal dust diseases in Queensland workers in the past two weeks and there are many more likely coming.
Queensland coal-mining towns should reskill: Trad
Workers in Queensland’s coal mining towns need to learn new skills as demand for the resource drops, the state’s deputy leader says.
Labor’s mixed messages on coal [$]
Treasurer Jackie Trad has sounded the death knell for thermal-coal production in Queensland, but the state’s Mines Minister has a different take.
South Australia
Queensland floodwaters heading to Lake Eyre
A island in the middle of water. There is a white salt spit coming out of the side
The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting floodwaters will reach Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre in South Australia’s outback within weeks, but the lake is unlikely to fill.
Suburban bush gets a little help from its friends [$]
Pine Gully has become a cause celebre for local residents working to return the site to its pristine state.
Drilling in the Bight? Don’t believe big oil’s spin
Why are the Labor and Liberal parties doing the bidding of an overseas oil giant? South Australian Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young says the major parties are ignoring the risks of drilling in the Great Australian Bight.
Tasmania
Pumped hydro in Tas to get taxpayer funds
New pumped hydro projects that could store as much energy as 300 Tesla big batteries will get taxpayer support, Prime Minister Scott Morrison will announce.
Government funds power project that relies on massive coal plant closures
The Morrison government is backing a new power connection between Tasmania and the mainland that would be unviable unless one-third of Australia’s coal-fired power capacity prematurely shuts down and greenhouse gas emissions fall far more dramatically than the Coalition has proposed.
Bushfire recovery plan looks to Dark Mofo, Uluru shows to light the way
A large-scale light show, similar to Uluru’s Field Of Light and the Spectra beams at Dark Mofo, is suggested as a way to bring tourists back to the bushfire-hit south-east of Tasmania — but first, million of dollars will need to be found.
Under the Surface: AMC PhD student Damon Howe is researching wave converter technology [$]
Water and electricity don’t often go together, but PhD student Damon Howe has spent the last four years finding a way to make them work together.
Controversial camp proposal for Tasmania’s World Heritage Area rejected in heated meeting
The pressure of having to decide on whether to approve a camp development proposal inside Tasmania’s Wilderness World Heritage Area made one local councillor physically sick, with another saying they rued being forced to make such a “horrible decision”, a heated meeting hears.
Australia’s tallest tree damaged in bushfire but still standing
The tallest hardwood tree in the world was in the direct line of the recent Tasmanian bushfires, and now has the scars to prove it.
Ta Ann workers facing uncertain future [$]
Assessing the damage It will be “many weeks” before Ta Ann Tasmania is able to decide the future of its Huon Valley veneer mill at Southwood that was damaged by fire, the company says.
Northern Territory
PFAS precautions ‘disregarded’ at Darwin Airport
The government-owned firefighting service at Darwin Airport “disregarded” directives designed to prevent the release of potentially toxic PFAS chemicals into nearby waterways, an investigation finds.
Western Australia
Why the future of mining won’t be too different to online gaming
Students from Kent Street Senior High School visited Roy Hill HQ in Perth, trying out their newest mining gadgets, that are very similar to online gaming controls.
$120m Ocean Reef marina plan given EPA approval
Construction of a $120 million marina at Ocean Reef in Perth’s northern suburbs could start next year after WA’s environment watchdog gave the project the all clear.
Sustainability
Costa Rica lays out ground-breaking decarbonisation plan
The plan includes both short-term goals out to 2022 which are intended to support the country’s longer-term 2050 goals.
How power-to-gas technology can be green and profitable
Hydrogen production based on wind power can already be commercially viable today. Until now, it was generally assumed that this environmentally friendly power-to-gas technology could not be implemented profitably. Economists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), the University of Mannheim and Stanford University have now described, based on the market situations in Germany and Texas, how flexible production facilities could make this technology a key component in the transition of the energy system.
Identifying the common ground for sustainable agriculture in Europe
Agriculture is critical to achieving many of the Sustainable Development Goals. New research shows that researchers, policymakers, and farmers in Europe currently have different, often conflicting priorities for sustainable agriculture. The researchers propose a way forward built on shared priorities.
America uses 322 billion gallons of water each day. Here’s how
From cooling power plants to quenching thirst and growing crops, water is part of everything we do.
Air pollution: the single greatest health risk of our century
Air pollution is an obvious yet formless threat to the health of city dwellers and local and global polices are falling behind on its regulation.
All the ways restaurants ruin the environment
And how chefs are working to change things, from sourcing locally to clamping down on single-use plastics.
Warning: Smoking kills you — and the planet
Health warnings for smokers have never been clearer. But what about the health of the planet? Cigarette butts are the most common item of single-use plastic waste in the world — and that’s only one piece of the puzzle.
Nature Conservation
‘It’s impossible to fish or swim’: Oil spill threatens heritage-listed Solomon Islands reef
Australian officials in the Pacific warn of a looming environmental disaster at a Solomon Islands reef after an oil spill from a bulk carrier.
‘Dead zone’ volume more important than area to fish, fisheries
A new study suggests that measuring the volume rather than the area of the Gulf of Mexico’s dead zone is more appropriate for monitoring its effects on marine organisms.
Recovering forests important to conservation, study finds
Tropical forests recovering from disturbance could be much more important to the conservation of forest bird species than first thought, according to a new study.
Concentrations of pharmaceuticals in freshwater increasingly globally
Concentrations of pharmaceuticals in rivers and lakes have significantly increased across the globe over the past 20 years, according to a new study published in the journal Environmental Research Letters.
Stricter mining regulations and oversight needed in the Arctic, Finnish report says
The authors of a new report said that there has hitherto been little research on the environmental risks associated with mining in the Arctic as well as measures that could mitigate those risks.
Indigenous knowledge, key to a successful ecosystem restoration
Ecological restoration projects actively involving indigenous peoples and local communities are more successful. This is the result of a study carried out by the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB), which places value on indigenous and local knowledge contribution in the restoring of degraded ecosystems, and highlights the need to engage them in these projects for ensuring a long-term maintenance of restored areas.
Indigenous agriculture has potential to contribute to food needs under climate change
Researchers from Kamehameha Schools, University of Hawaii at Manoa and the United States Geological Survey have published a study in the journal Nature Sustainability (March 2019) highlighting the large role indigenous agriculture can play in producing food, while supporting biodiversity and indigenous well-being in Hawaii under intense land use and climate changes.
Endangered wildlife are getting dosed with rat poisons
Products marketed to kill rodents are instead threatening the lives of the wildlife that eat them as poisons travel up the food chain.
Scientists simulate forest and fire dynamics to understand area burn of future wildfires
Scientists are examining more data via simulations of wildfires in the Sierra Nevada to improve their understanding between prior and future wildfires. They hypothesized that prior wildfires and their influence on vegetation, coupled with a changing climate and its influence on vegetation recovery after a wildfire, would likely restrict the size of wildfires in the future.
Why we can’t help but see the whale in the forest as an omen
Jonathan Jones
The dead humpback whale lying in an Amazon rainforest clearing distils our knowledge that human actions have changed the climate and polluted the oceans
The phrase that’s being used to silence debate [$]
Tory Shepherd
Lazy, empty sloganeering is being used to shut down vital but difficult discussions. It’s a tactic that stifles voices who are striving for equality and need to be heard
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