Post of the Day
New research finds climate change induced plant growth relies on rain timing
Any increases in plant growth as a response to climate change will always be restricted by the natural distribution of rainfall, new research has found.
Today’s Celebration
Feast of St. Maron – Lebanon
Civil Aviation Day – Russia
Feast Day of St. Apollonia – Christianity
Martyrdom of Fatimah in Iran – Shia Islam
Climate Change
‘If the Torres Strait sinks, we sink with it’: Climate change eats away at islands
Rising sea levels, coastal erosion, unpredictable winds and destructive king tides are increasing problems in the Torres Strait, with residents concerned they’ll get washed away.
UK pupils to join global strike over climate change crisis
Thousands of pupils to walk out of lessons amid growing concern over global warming
What if…we reduced carbon emissions to zero by 2025?
Hazel Healy sketches out a radical scenario of carbon cold-turkey.
Latest forecast: climate of fear [$]
Graham Lloyd
Weather and climate used to be different things, but the capture of weather by climate change advocates is now all but complete.
National
Treasurers to better manage population
Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and his state and territory counterparts have met to develop a framework to manage Australia’s population growth.
Energy watchdog chief to step down
The head of the Australian Energy Regulator Paula Conboy will leave the energy watchdog and the national Energy Security Board in September, leaving the government scrambling for a new chief as its tries to push through a swathe of new regulations.
How GPS tracking could help conserve koalas ‘under great threat’
GPS tracking collars are being used to monitor the movements of koalas, to determine how much forest logging is impacting on them and whether they use regeneration areas.
It’s on your bike for iconic postie bikes as electric trikes take over the heavy lifting
Australia Post starts to roll out electric trikes to take the place of iconic Honda bikes on some its mail delivery routes.
Energy sector fired up donations as electricity dominated politics [$]
Bernard Keene
The energy debate led to a windfall for the major parties.
A (follow-up) guide to Australian denialism [$]
Kishor Napier-Raman
Australia has its fair share of those who reject scientific consensus (and common wisdom).
We have a rare chance to make our electricity system fair again, but we need to act fast
Nicky Ison
Waiting for coal power plants to naturally retire and be replaced with cleaner alternatives will take too long
Muppet population plan will be meaningless
Stephen Williams
Without a fundamental change to economic thinking, we will continue down the dystopian road
Chris Kenny
Taxpayers’ money used to deliberately attack our No 1 export? We have truly lost our way.
Victoria
Dan’s surprising allies in North East Link funding pitch [$]
Daniel Andrews wants to meet with Scott Morrison to convince him to divert cash set aside for the East West Link to the North East project. But his pitch might be helped by a surprising group of Victorians.
Cladding fire risks have been known for years. Lives depend on acting now, with no more delays
Geoff Hanmer
Combustible cladding on the Neo200 building facade allowed the fire to spread quickly from floor to floor.
New South Wales
Judge rejects NSW coal mine citing climate change
A proposed coal mine’s future green house gas emissions have been used as grounds to reject it by a NSW court.
‘Delicious irony’: How miner’s challenge became a climate change win
Future generations will wonder why it took so long for a court to hear evidence about climate change impacts when considering a coal mine project.
Court ruling threatens coalmines [$]
An unprecedented court ruling may place a $100bn pipeline of fossil fuel developments in peril.
Wild weather’: severe storms and very high fire danger for Sydney
Sydneysiders are in for a weekend of wild weather with severe storms and very high fire danger.
Only a matter of time until high-rise disaster strikes again in Sydney
Elizabeth Farrelly
Successive governments have loosened every bolt in a system that ensured skyscrapers were safe.
ACT
More of Lake Burley Griffin closed due to ‘extreme’ blue-green algae
More areas of Lake Burley Griffin have been closed to swimming after testing revealed “extreme” blue-green algae and bacteria levels in the lake.
Queensland
Queensland graziers face 300,000 lost cattle, $300 million flood losses
A crisis is unfolding in western Queensland where graziers are discovering the full scale of damage caused by floodwaters, with their losses expected to worsen.
SEQ environment alliance calls for planning overhaul
An alliance of environment groups says the ‘community voice’ in development applications is being lost in Qld.
If Queensland gets nothing, population summit just a ‘talkfest’: Trad
Treasurer Jackie Trad says Queensland did not get “what we came for” in a meeting with the federal government to discuss how to manage soaring population growth.
South Australia
Australia’s first compressed air energy storage plant to be built in SA
South Australia will host the country’s first compressed air renewable energy storage project – a $30 million facility – to be built at a disused mine in Strathalbyn.
‘Cash for trees’ proposed for eastern suburb
A councillor in one of Adelaide’s premier eastern suburbs says residents should be paid to care for significant trees on their properties, to maintain the area’s “leafy” reputation.
Tasmania
Neville-Smith’s hardwood timber mill hit by Southern bushfires
Fire has again dealt Tasmanian business Neville-Smith Forest Products a savage blow.
Water fine to drink despite contamination: TasWater [$]
TasWater says it is safe to drink water from systems linked to the Tasmanian lakes this week revealed to have been badly contaminated by historic West Coast mining activities.
Lost and found in the Tasmanian bush
Cassandra Pybus
Alone and adrift in Melbourne, Cassandra Pybus returned on a whim to her childhood home of Tasmania. There, she rediscovered nature’s power, encountering the island’s difficult history as well as her own.
Lindsay Tuffin
The relentless convoy of the waterbombing helicopters overhead has halted. The last of the evacuees have packed up their mattresses and belongings and left the Huon Valley PCYC. And the re-traumatised army veterans scattered across the valley can rest a smidgin easier again.
Northern Territory
Outback oil Australia’s ‘best immediate prospect’ for domestic production: Canavan
Federal Resources Minister Matt Canavan says there are “a lot of people excited about the potential for liquid production in the shale fields of the Beetaloo Basin”.
Western Australia
Explainer: Sweltering heat, gusty winds — but no total fire ban. So when is a ban declared?
The Forrestdale bushfire, which threatened lives and homes in Perth’s south, ignited on a day when hot, gusty winds and temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius were forecast. But those conditions alone aren’t enough to warrant a total fire ban.
DFES releases astonishing video of intense Forrestdale bushfire
Incredible footage has been released by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services showing the intensity of the Forrestdale bushfire that ripped through the area.
Dead starfish, unusual fish behaviour in Cockburn Sound
Two more mass fish kills in Perth’s south are being investigated by Fisheries officers, days after thousands of fish washed up on a Rockingham beach.
Sustainability
UK worst offender in Europe for electronic waste exports – report
The UK is the worst offender in Europe for illegally exporting toxic electronic waste to developing countries, according to a two-year investigation that tracked shipments from 10 European countries.
Carbon offsets: Worth buying to fight climate change?
If you’ve ever booked a flight with an airline like Air Canada or WestJet, you might have been offered a chance to pay money to “offset” the carbon emissions from your flight.
AOC’s Green New Deal: A new millennial climate politics
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez outlines the fuzzy edges of a new “green dream.”
Organic Green New Deal? Comprehensive climate change policy must address the American food system
The proposed bill must put just rural economic and environmental development back on the table.
Bank Of America: oil demand growth to hit zero within a decade
Nicholas Cunningham
By 2024, demand growth halves, falling to just 0.6 million barrels per day (mb/d), down from 1.2 mb/d this year.
Our Big Microplastic Survey is helping people do something about plastic pollution
David Jones
Volunteers from all over the world are taking part in a citizen science project to help scientists work out how bad microplastic pollution really is.
Ocasio-Cortez is green in more ways than one [$]
James Morrow
Despite being a government-elected official for all of five minutes, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez seems determined to bring in a new world order, reason and facts be damned.
Nature Conservation
Environmentalist priest in Peru says little has changed since pope’s visit
Pope Francis’ trip to Peru a year ago included a visit to a biodiverse region, where a Swiss priest has for decades sought to bring global attention to environmental and social devastation caused by illegal gold mining. Despite years of effort — and the pope’s visit — little has changed, said Xavier Arbex.
Thousands of flamingo chicks rescued from drying South African dam
South African animal welfare volunteers are working around the clock to raise thousands of baby birds, blending up smoothies of baby formula, prawns and sardines to keep them alive.
UK trawlers ignoring ban on discarding edible fish at sea
Lords say government failing to act as industry blames non-compliance on ‘flawed design’
New research finds climate change induced plant growth relies on rain timing
Any increases in plant growth as a response to climate change will always be restricted by the natural distribution of rainfall, new research has found.
Rare-plant hunters race against time to save at-risk species
One in five plants is at risk of extinction.
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