Post of the Day
Scientists strategize for better conservation plans
Endangered and invasive species may be better managed in the future with new techniques outlined by a Texas A&M University scientist and others.
Today’s Celebration
Foundation of the Vietnamese Communist Party – Vietnam
Heroes’ Day – Mozambique
Martyrs Day – Sao Tome & Principe
San Blaise – Paraguay
Veterans Day – Thailand
Day of the Virgin of Suyapa in Honduras
Patient Recognition Day – United States of America
Setsubun – Shinto
Climate Change
Is deep freeze the latest sign climate change is accelerating?
Extremes consistent with theories about how emissions could affect weather patterns
National
‘Insane’: split emerges among irrigators as focus shifts to floodplains
Unity among irrigators in the Murray-Darling Basin is beginning to fray with one large group in the southern region breaking ranks, dubbing the lack of monitoring of water use in northern areas as “insane”.
Facebook glitch emboldens student climate protesters
The battle cry for climate-conscious students to take part in a school strike had been launched, but on Friday, they hit a glitch.
Stable APVMA workforce more important than decentralisation: report
The federal government should prioritise a stable workforce at the pesticides authority above any project to move public servants to the bush as the agency deals with a disruptive exodus of scientists, a Senate inquiry has found.
Power company apologises for blackouts [$]
One of the state’s biggest power companies has apologised for blackouts that left 200,000 Victorians sweltering through some of the hottest days experience in several years, explaining how and why the power went out for so many.
Climate change a burning issue (again) in voters’ minds
Katharine Murphy
The Coalition has no choice but to try and fix the self-created disaster that is its climate policy
Victoria
Fatal 2013 Gippsland blaze sparked by man lighting paper in his yard
The Victorian coroner has ruled a fire, which killed a man in eastern Victoria six years ago, spread from a fire lit by an Aberfeldy resident the day before the fire ravaged several Gippsland towns.
Emergency fire warning downgraded to Watch and Act in Victoria
Victorian fire authorities are bracing for hot and windy weather on Sunday as they continue to fight fires, including a blaze on the Bass Coast which is threatening lives and properties.
Labor’s next task is to stop the energy grid going off the rails
Adam Carey
Victorians have endorsed the Andrews government’s support for renewable energy over fossil fuels, but Labor must also guard the grid against summer blackouts.
Building costs a big dilemma for Dan
Matt Johnston
Spending priorities Daniel Andrews’ infrastructure plans helped keep him in power last year but major projects can result in major cost blowouts.
New South Wales
NSW premier tells other states to ‘lift their game’ on energy policy
Premier Gladys Berejiklian says other states should follow NSW’s lead on energy policy after reports of a proposal to legislate emissions reduction targets.
‘Extraordinarily fortunate’: How NSW has dodged the worst fire weather
NSW has so far been spared the severe fire dangers this summer that might have been expected given the record heat for the state – and Australia overall – for both December and January.
Could an old coal-fired power station breathe new life into this town?
Locals fear Lithgow could turn into a ghost town if the Wallerawang Power Station — which has sat idle since it closed in 2014 — is not redeveloped soon. But questions are being raised about who will be left with the bill do demolish the site.
Can’t see the park for the trees
Helen Pitt
Lachlan Swamp is my favourite Centennial Park spot. The grove of paperbarks and she-oaks has a fairy-tale feel, which adds a certain lustre to the events that often take place in the reserve: weddings, children’s birthday parties and christenings.
Queensland
Queensland braced for ‘dangerous’ flooding as big wet continues
Bureau of Meteorology expecting rainfall totals of up to 400mm per day for multiple days
This possum could become our first climate change extinction
The white lemuroid possum of Far North Queensland’s tropical mountains doesn’t sweat because it’s never needed to cool its body before. Now harsher heatwaves are forcing it to higher elevations and it is at risk of becoming Australia’s first animal to become extinct due to man-made climate change.
South Australia
Live simply and your kids will live longer [$]
South Australian parents need to embrace a “simpler, more wholistic” approach to children’s health and wellbeing to protect them from a raft of mental health issues and diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, according to a newly-released report.
Jason Alexandra
I am a former Murray-Darling Basin Authority executive who gave evidence at the royal commission, and my concerns were reflected accurately in its sensational report. Australians deserve transparent and legal management of this water resource, funded and owned by all of us.
Tasmania
Tasmanian bushfire threat tipped to rise
Hot and windy weather in Tasmania on Sunday could fuel bushfires across the state, with communities and firefighters on high alert.
Donations pour in to help wildlife [$]
PHD student Elleke Leurs was hoping for $300 when she started her Facebook fundraising account for Tasmania’s bushfire-affected wildlife. The response she received was “uplifting and inspirational” – far exceeding her expectations.
Penguin probe tackles deaths [$]
Fears for the future of Tasmania’s little penguin population will be raised this week when a Senate inquiry comes to Hobart.
Northern Territory
Tiny mouse in spotlight as Aboriginal rangers fight to save vulnerable species
The northern hopping mouse has kept its extreme cuteness mostly under wraps on a remote Top End island, rarely spotted on the mainland over the past century. But now rangers are trying to survey its populations in an effort to better protect it.
Western Australia
Secret report puts Collie plant at 2025 shutdown
WA’s biggest coal-fired power station faces closure within six years amid an onslaught of renewable energy that is making it increasingly unviable.
Sustainability
Lettuce show you how to restore oil-soaked soil
Rice University engineers have fine-tuned a method to restore oil-soaked soil to fertility while eliminating toxic hydrocarbons.
Sodium is the new lithium: Researchers find a way to boost sodium-ion battery performance
NITech scientists have found the desirable component for sodium-ion batteries (SIB), which could contribute to boost SIB performance such as speed of charge.
Microbes hitched to insects provide a rich source of new antibiotics
In an exhaustive search of microbes from more than 1,400 insects collected from diverse environments across North and South America, a research team found that insect-borne microbes often outperformed soil bacteria in stopping some of the most common and dangerous antibiotic-resistant pathogens.
How much carbon emissions from farmland reclamation in China during the past 300 years?
Scientific assessment of the accounting over carbon in the terrestrial ecosystem in the process land use/land cover changes (LUCC) caused by human activities will help reduce the uncertainty in estimating carbon emissions from the terrestrial ecosystem. Science China: Earth Sciences have reported the newly assessment result of carbon emissions from farmland reclamation in China during the past 300 years.
The search for environmental causes of Parkinson’s disease moves forward
Scientists evaluate promising research hypotheses for understanding environmental triggers in Parkinson’s disease and propose future directions for research.
Nature Conservation
Scientists strategize for better conservation plans
Endangered and invasive species may be better managed in the future with new techniques outlined by a Texas A&M University scientist and others.
Butterflies thrive in grasslands surrounded by forest
For pollinating butterflies, it is more important to be close to forests than to agricultural fields, according to a study of 32,000 butterflies by researchers in Sweden. The results provide important knowledge about how to plan and manage the landscape to ensure the survival of butterflies.
6 Florence St Niddrie 3042
93741902
0432406862