Post of the Day
One in 10 Australian homes could become ‘uninsurable’, new data shows
Extreme weather in some of the country’s worst-affected regions is now twice as common as usual. Explore the data to see the risk to your area.
Today’s Celebration
Revolutionary Attack on the Presidential Palace Cuba
Decoration Day – Liberia
National Elephant Day – Thailand
Climate Change
‘We won’t stop striking’: US students taking a stand over climate change
American student activists are joining the global fray and helping to organize the first nationwide strike on 15 March.
Enough scandalous time-wasting on climate change. Let’s get back to the facts
Lenore Taylor
At this point of crisis we must bypass rhetoric and political posturing
National
Climate change costs will have knock-on effect on interest rates, RBA warns
The Reserve Bank warns it will have to take the impact of climate change into account when setting interest rates, with Deputy Governor Guy Debelle saying few forces have a similar scale and systemic risk on the economy.
Australia is ‘frustrated’ by Barnaby Joyce, Nationals deputy says
Bridget McKenzie takes a swipe at her former boss, saying his public statements about a coal-fired power station are “very different” to what is being said in the party room.
Morrison government has not ruled out supporting coal, energy minister says
Angus Taylor says Coalition assessing new projects despite pushback from moderate Liberals, but says taxpayers will only support ‘viable’ projects
Market Forces pushes Rio on carbon control [$]
Rio Tinto may be forced to explain how it plans to mitigate the greenhouse gas emissions of its customers.
Gas giants register foreign influence ties [$]
Woodside and Shell have outlined their relationships with foreign governments amid confusion over how the new foreign influence transparency register works.
Climate risk disclosure can no longer be avoided [$]
Simply the fact that investors might have an expectation that climate matters will significantly impact a company is enough to compel disclosure within the financial statements, not just the sustainability report.
Plan ‘risks energy projects’ [$]
EnergyAustralia says Canberra’s plan to underwrite power generation could jeopardise its $1bn project pipeline.
Nationals face climate change backlash, internal polling reveals
A public crusade for coal
One in 10 Australian homes could become ‘uninsurable’, new data shows
Extreme weather in some of the country’s worst-affected regions is now twice as common as usual. Explore the data to see the risk to your area.
Regulator sets higher rooftop solar target, no changes to price
Regulator lifts target for rooftop solar certificates for 2019, but leaves price untouched.
New solar, wind projects may stall in face of network “bloodbath”
That was one of the milder responses late last week to news that Australia’s fleet of wind and solar projects – and many thermal generators for that matter – will be “de-rated” in the next financial year because of severe congestion in parts of the grid.
Our wide brown land: looking back at a year of environmental reporting
Guardian
Our wide brown land has come to an end. As we launch the editorial appeal for The Frontline: Australia and the climate emergency, we look back at the impact made by the series
Even in its dying days, the government denies the need for climate action
Peter Lewis
The reckoning for this failure will come at the next election. And it can’t come soon enough
Emma Alberici outdone on Labor policy by Greenpeace’s Mark Butler
Joe Aston
Good news, everyone: Emma Alberici is “doing some research”. That should end well.
Libs’ 3 stooges on energy policy [$]
Judith Sloan
The Liberal Party has three outspoken amigos who might want to do a bit of homework on their government’s energy plan.
Coalition rows a gift to opposition [$]
Australian editorial
Soaring power costs should be Bill Shorten’s Achilles heel.
Outsmarted and with no hope of coal comfort [$]
Paul Kelly
The Liberal Party and the Nationals are moving into political deadlock over coal and climate change as Barnaby Joyce, posing as leader-in-waiting of the Nationals, exploits his backbench freedom to repudiate Scott Morrison’s climate change evolution.
Labor, Greens can’t handle the truth about coal [$]
George Christensen
Demonising coal is a cause celebre in the affluent inner suburbs of Sydney and Melbourne, but in north Queensland it’s a threat to their very survival.
Brawling Nationals put the government’s denialism up in lights [$]
Bernard Keane
The Nationals are now doing what the Liberals did last year — using climate policy as a weapon in their leadership battles. But at least they’re honest about their climate denialism.
Victoria
Pain ahead for Frankston line commuters as rail blitz details revealed
Frankston line commuters will face two months of disruption during a construction blitz next year as two stations are built and three level crossings removed.
Push for disadvantaged schoolkids to get free public transport [$]
Schoolchildren from struggling families should be allowed to travel on public transport free, the peak body for the state’s social and community sector says.
Melbourne airport rail link ready for takeoff [$]
Scott Morrison and Daniel Andrews will today green-light Melbourne’s long-awaited airport rail link, with the agreement moving the project towards construction.
Waste crisis eases but long-term solution still in doubt [$]
A recycling crisis, that led to several Victorian councils diverting waste materials to landfill, has eased after a waste firm was given the green light to reopen one of its plants. But the crisis is far from over with Victorian Councils still looking for a long-term alternative after China banned imports of recyclable materials.
Evironmental ideology: killing a Victorian rural industry by stealth
Mark Poynter
The Victorian Government’s appeasement of environmental ideology is hampering its capability to deal with serious bushfires.
New South Wales
NSW teacher loses shifts after urging students to join climate strike
Greens’ Bega candidate Will Douglas being investigated by education department after complaint about his comments
‘Ignored’: climate experts appeal to Berejiklian government
An advisory group to the Berejiklian government on climate change has appealed to the Premier saying it has been “largely ignored” despite extreme conditions in the state.
‘Quickest, cheapest’ way to boost Sydney’s train services
While tens of billions are ploughed into new metro rail lines, London’s Tube is a lesson on how to significantly increase train services in Sydney.
Uni students to rally for climate change
Students and staff at the University of Sydney will walk out of classrooms later this week demanding action on climate change.
NSW Labor has edge on key issues: Newspoll
A Newspoll has shown that the coalition is strong on the big picture topics such as the economy but Labor has the edge on daily issues such as power prices.
Outback at breaking point: We finish work before 10am [$]
Hardworking people like former Test cricketer farmer Peter Taylor, who endure 40°C plus heat on their farms, have revealed how they are forced to work well before 10am. “It’s just too hot,” he said.
2GB’s high emissions, low integrity broadcast from “greeny-free” coal mine
2GB broadcasts from inside a coal mine, interviews a couple of old fossils, and warns of “economic chaos” from renewables.
Genex finalises NSW solar purchase, as progress continues on Kidston hydro
Genex Power completes acquisition of 50MW Jemalong project in NSW, in bid to diversify, boost earnings, as flagship Kidston solar and pumped hydro storage project progresses.
NSW voters want environmental policies
SMH editorial
The accepted wisdom in the Coalition seems to be that the only things on voters’s minds at this state election are bread and butter issues like the cost of living and infrastructure.
Which lines are priorities for Sydney Metro conversion? Hint: it’s not Bankstown
Mathew Hounsell
In rankings of Sydney railway stations with the most passengers and fastest growth, Bankstown line stations are way down the list.
ACT
Ghost road to stay in National Capital Plan for now
The National Capital Authority has refused an ACT government request to remove a ghost road from the blueprint for Canberra for now, saying the future bypass may yet be needed.
Light rail stage two now seems inevitable
Canberra Times editorial
If stage two of the light rail cannot be justified on financial grounds it should be shelved, regardless of whether or not federal funds are available.
Queensland
Rain eases Woodgate bushfire threat south of Bundaberg
Showers and a storm ease the fire threat near the coastal community of Woodgate, after authorities earlier urged locals to leave their homes as a large bushfire closed the main road in and out of town.
Crops wither across Queensland as dams dry out
Summer crops are failing and winter crops look increasingly less likely to be planted as dams dry reach record lows across the state of Queensland due to drought.
Why croc sightings have doubled in the past year
Queensland wildlife officers are investigating more croc sightings than ever before as the public imagination for the killer reptiles goes wild.
Lilyvale is latest large scale solar farm to begin production in Queensland
Another major solar farm in Queensland has joined the grid, with the 100MW Lilyvale plant – 50km north east of Emerald – beginning production late last week.
Federal cash needed for Cross River Rail to free up state funds: report
Introducing new road tolls and asset recycling were also floated as methods Queensland could use to come up with more money to spend on infrastructure in a new report.
Minister extends rifle range koala land submissions
The time frame for public submissions over the controversial upgrade of a gun range in Brisbane’s south-east has been extended.
Power bills make it a big call to engineer a future [$]
It is one of the oldest foundries in Queensland, but a 70 per cent increase in the power bill for Bundaberg Walkers engineering could be enough to pull the plug on the business after 131 years.
Voters won’t zip it over Mt Coot-tha [$]
Marg Wenham
Brisbanites have a long history of defending their beloved Mt Coot-tha from development, and this project may be a zipline too far.
South Australia
Former Labor minister’s ex-chief of staff lobbying for Norwegian oil giant
Foreign influence register reveals Bindi Gove lobbying for Equinor, which is wanting to drill in Great Australian Bight
‘Inaction on climate change is intergenerational bullying’ [$]
Students will rally to demand action on climate change this Friday, but SA’s education minister says they should be at school for the national anti-bullying day.
‘Upset, angry’: Sewage leaking into loved ones’ graves [$]
Residents of Kadina say their dead loved ones are floating in their poo at the cemetery because the council septic ponds have been leaking millions of litres of sewage into the area.
Joyce and the Nationals are doing nothing for farmers [$]
Michael McGuire
There are many valid, even necessary, criticisms that can be made about politics in South Australia. But let’s all be grateful for one thing. That the Nationals, apart from a couple of MPs, have never managed to win much more than a toehold in the state’s political scene.
Tasmania
Pumped hydro set to fire up first at Kentish or on West Coast
The Kentish area and the West Coast will vie for a pioneering pumped hydro development worth the best part of $1 billion.
Survey finds Tasmanian waterway protection woes
More than three-quarters of Tasmanians believe not enough is being done by governments to protect waterways, according to a new survey.
Launceston students to strike for climate action
Hundreds of students from across Launceston are expected to gather in Princes Square on Friday – joined by thousands more in other Australian cities – as part of a global movement to call for government action on climate change.
EPA tick for proposed timber mill [$]
Tasmania’s environmental regulator has assessed a proposed timber mill as “environmentally sustainable and acceptable” – as long as certain conditions are followed.
Northern Territory
Gibson Farmer working in the forestry plantation on the Tiwi Islands Growing Northern Australia’s forestry and forestry products industry and the challenges and opportunities facing it will be the central plank of a new Cooperative Research Centre for Developing Northern Australia (CRCNA) project.
Clock ticking on fishing, boating at Manton Dam
Manton dam Generic pic. THE long term future of Darwin’s drinking water supply faces such an uncertain future the Power and Water Corporation could begin bolstering supplies from Manton Dam, effectively dusting off WWII era supply plans
Western Australia
Taxpayers wave goodbye to $2.6 million as troubled WA energy project scrapped
The WA Government cancels a $16 million deal with Carnegie Clean Energy for a wave farm off the state’s south coast amid growing uncertainty about the company’s future, but denies it has broken a key election promise.
‘Not on a floodplain, not earthquake-prone’: The case for storing nuclear waste in outback WA
Leonora, a small town in the West Australian Goldfields, is being touted as a suitable location for an underground, low and intermediate-level nuclear waste storage facility.
WA resources projects ‘face endless court challenges’ [$]
Fossil fuel activists now have a road map with which to challenge WA resource project approvals, lawyers say.
Zero marks for Western Australia [$]
Peter Coleman
National action on climate change is vital, but the state has gone too far.
Sustainability
How cracking sugar’s DNA could help save the planet
Sugar has long been a source of energy for people, but now scientists believe they are close to unlocking its DNA secrets and harnessing its potential as a green fuel.
Resource extraction responsible for half world’s carbon emissions
Extraction also causes 80% of biodiversity loss, according to comprehensive UN study
Air pollution deaths are double previous estimates, finds research
Researchers say dirty air is killing 800,000 people a year in Europe, and urge the phasing out of fossil fuel burning
Surge in chemical use ‘a threat to health and environment’
UN warns of global failure to tackle hazards – with risks ranging from cancer to coral damage
Autonomous vehicles could be an environmental boon or disaster, depending on public policy
Widespread use of autonomous vehicles (AVs) could either massively increase or drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions depending, in large part, on public policy, according to new research.
What we’ve been getting wrong about office airconditioning
Despite many finding relief from soaring temperatures in airconditioned offices, a new study has challenged the accepted wisdom that a cool office is more productive.
Five gifs that explain how pumped hydro actually works
People have used moving water to create energy for thousands of years. Today, pumped hydro is the most common form of grid-connected energy storage in the world.
Experiences of nature boost children’s learning
Spending time in nature boosts children’s academic achievement and healthy development, concludes a new analysis examining hundreds of studies.
China expands switch from polluting coal heating in 2018 -environment minister
China expanded its coal-to-gas and coal-to-electricity projects to 35 cities in 2018 from 12 cities the previous year, China’s environment minister, Li Ganjie, said on Monday, as the world’s second-largest economy stepped up its fight against smog.
Trump proposes slashing EPA budget by 31 percent
President Trump on Monday proposed significant budget cuts to the government agencies responsible for overseeing the nation’s energy and environmental policies, including a 31 percent reduction in spending at the Environmental Protection Agency.
India′s youth want cleaner air, better infrastructure
Elections in India usually center around communities, religion, jobs and development. But political parties need to focus on reducing pollution and reining in the environmental crisis, young people say.
Household pollutants cause infertility in both men and dogs – study
Environmental contaminants found in home and diet have the same adverse effects on male fertility both in humans and domestic dogs.
Germany′s atomic phase-out: How to dismantle a nuclear power plant
Germany now has just seven nuclear plants left in operation, but what becomes of those that are already decommissioned? Bits of them are recycled, and could ultimately end up in our kitchens.
How to neutralise your greenhouse gas footprint
Andrew Blakers
A 1 kilowatt solar PV panel can save about 1.4 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year.
After Fukushima: Nuclear power’s deepening crisis
Dave Sweeney
Eight years on from Fukushima, the lands are littered and the seas awash with radioactive waste and economic, human and environmental costs.
Nature Conservation
Orange-bellied ‘starry dwarf frog’ discovered in Indian mountains
Astrobatrachus kurichiyana lurks in leaf litter and is sole member of an ancient lineage
Scientists warn about the dangerous interaction of plant protection products
A recent study found that the toxins used in agriculture to combat insect pests and fungi can be more dangerous than expected.
Climate change limits forest recovery after wildfires
New research suggests climate change makes it increasingly difficult for tree seedlings to regenerate following wildfires in low-elevation forests, which could contribute to abrupt forest loss.
Guns, snares and bulldozers: new map reveals hotspots for harm to wildlife
James Allan et al
Human activity threatens many species across Africa’s savannahs.
Now for something completely different …
X
6 Florence St Niddrie 3042
93741902
0432406862