Post of the Day
Electric cars: separating the facts from the propaganda
Electric vehicles have been subject to some wild claims in the Australian election campaign, even before it is called. Here’s the reality
Today’s Celebration
Sibling Day – USA
International Day of Pink – Canada
Climate Change
Two-thirds of glacier ice in the Alps ‘will melt by 2100’
If emissions continue to rise at current rate, ice will have all but disappeared from Europe’s Alpine valleys by end of century
Public lands are critical to any Green New Deal
America’s public lands can help solve the climate crisis instead of contributing to it.
Climate change is already battering this West African city
Home to nearly 300,000 people, the West African city is already seeing houses destroyed, streets flooded, and crops killed by encroaching saltwater due to climate change.
US Congress is ready to tackle climate change
Carter Roberts
Finally, both parties recognize the urgent need to address climate risk.
National
Snowy 2.0 construction costs blow out to more than $5 billion
The much touted Snowy 2.0 pumped hydro scheme appears to have suffered another blowout in costs, just weeks after the Coalition government shovelled $1.4 billion into its wholly owned energy utility Snowy Hydro to support the project.
Coalition tips funds into battery electric vehicle – to cut pollution at coal mines
Federal Coalition announces funding for a battery electric vehicle to transport people in underground coal mines, to reduce fumes and pollution.
Green-tech business comp opens for Aussie start-ups
Innovators, entrepreneurs and early stage start-ups have the chance to grow their clean-tech ideas into sustainable businesses with the launch of a global green business competition.
Australian coal in the frontline of China’s supply glut [$]
China’s coal supply glut, politics and a switch to cleaner energy paint a grim picture for Australian miners, an industry conference in Shanghai has been told.
Atlassian shifts to 100pc clean energy by 2025
Atlassian has pledged to use 100 per cent clean energy by 2025, the third Australian company to do so, in a move chief executive Mike Cannon-Brookes said aimed to show leadership in the absence of political direction on climate change.
Labor’s cash splash to build electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles in Australia
Tens of millions of dollars will be offered to the world’s automotive giants to resurrect the Australian car industry to build electric and hydro-powered vehicles if Labor wins the federal election.
Liberals dumped electric car excise probe due to political fears [$]
In 2016, then urban infrastructure minister Paul Fletcher promised an inquiry into replacing fuel excise with a system that would charge motorists for every kilometre they drive.
What’s behind the political battle over electric cars?
Electric cars continue to spark debate this election campaign.
Soaring temporary migrant numbers outstrip Morrison’s ‘congestion busting’ cut
Population figures contained in last week’s federal budget show the number of temporary migrants is rising much faster than previously forecast.
Water Minister splashes $70m in bid to prevent further fish kills
Buying some water entitlement from irrigators, installing cameras on the river, and a subsidy for farmers to install water meters are at the centre of a $70 million Government spend to prevent fish kills.
Snowy 2.0 cost blows out to $5.1b
Even before a sod has been turned, the costliest scenario for Snowy 2.0 has blown out by 35pc and it looks like not being completed until well into 2026.
Former fire chiefs warn Australia unprepared for escalating climate threat
Major parties must recognise ‘national firefighting assets’ are needed to fight worsening natural disasters, say fire experts
‘Flexitarians’ driving soaring vegan food sales and quality
As new research suggests vegan food uptake continues to grow year-on-year in Australia, experts say ‘sometimes vegans’ are driving up sales and increasing quality.
Cracks in the Murray Darling Basin [$]
Cracks are emerging in the Murray Darling Basin Plan in the lead-up to the Federal election, with water and the environment major issues for both sides of politics before the campaign officially starts.
Coalition ‘tying themselves in knots’ on electric vehicles, Mike Cannon-Brookes says
Labor’s 50% target for new car sales ‘is ‘very achievable’ and not ambitious, Australian tech billionaire says
Electric cars: separating the facts from the propaganda
Electric vehicles have been subject to some wild claims in the Australian election campaign, even before it is called. Here’s the reality
Business-as-usual record on transport leaves next government plenty of room to improve
Marion Terrill
The Coalition’s infrastructure budgets over this term of government have been around the midpoint of government investment over the past decade. But how projects are chosen leaves a lot to be desired.
Is Labor serious about electric vehicles?
Alan Davies
Labor’s policy on electrical vehicles (EVs) is probably good politics but it offers little substance in support of its optimistic targets.
The ‘Utey Myth’ that has our politicians in its grip
Annabel Crabb
As Bill Shorten and Scott Morrison trade car metaphor we’re left wondering how any political question can be boiled down to an equation employing the metric of utes
The Coalition government’s newfound war on electric cars is very strange
Alex Turnbull
Rusted-on conservative seats are experiencing a boom thanks to demand for batteries, but where are their MPs?
Don’t buy the scare against electric vehicles
Behyad Jafari
Charging infrastructure that allows you to power up an electric car in under 10 minutes is not some laughable futurist vision. It’s existing tech.
Change happens faster than you think
Canberra Times editorial
Few things demonstrate the Coalition’s inability to grasp the speed with which the world is changing as much as its response to the ALP’s policy on electric cars.
Victoria
Toxic Vic blaze extinguished, cause sought
A factory fire that sent thick plumes of toxic smoke across Melbourne has finally been extinguished as investigators probe the cause of the blaze.
‘Disrespectful’ SKM Recycling fined $16,000 for dangerous stockpiles
SKM Recycling has been fined $16,000 for having unsafe stockpiles of combustible waste, weeks after the environmental watchdog shut some of its warehouses down.
Planning Minister criticises council plan to axe car parks
Planning Minister Richard Wynne has warned he has concerns about an inner city council push to have the option of scrapping car parks in new developments.
New South Wales
Barwon-Darling River to get $70m to reduce risk of more fish kills
The Morrison government will spend $70 million to help avoid a repeat of the mass fish kills in the Darling River and to improve compliance by irrigators.
Stopping fish kill costs irrigators [$]
An Independent report into the Lower Darling River’s fish kills has called for a drought reserve to be held back in the Menindee Lakes, which would drastically curb efforts to save up to 106 gigalitres in evaporation and seepage losses.
ACT
Are separated bike lanes key to Canberra’s future as a cycling city?
Danny Corvini
We take pride in Canberra being an outdoorsy kinda place, sometimes you have to wonder – is it really?
Queensland
Adani coal mine clears another hurdle, with water approval from Price
Coalition, for first time in memory, says it “accepts the science” – but only a little bit, so it can advance the biggest ever coal mine in the country.
Qld to consider Adani environmental plan
The Queensland government needs to tick off two environmental approvals before Adani can start construction on its coalmine project in the Galilee Basin.
Adani coalmine: Morrison and Frydenberg play down remaining approvals
Some Queensland MPs push for sign-off before the election, which is likely to amplify activist campaigns against the Coalition
Adani mine, climate create great divide [$]
A new survey confirms the gulf between Queensland and the southern capital cities that has split the Morrison government over the Adani mine approval.
Queensland Environment Minister points to ‘uncertainties’ in Adani mine
Approvals for the controversial Adani Carmichael mine rest with the Queensland government, which has pointed to “uncertainty” in environmental plans.
Adani to letterbox homes in Qld’s north
The environmental approvals needed before Adani can start digging a coal mine in central Queensland will now be considered by the state government, as the mining giant prepares to reach out directly to residents.
Rainwater tanks and temporary barriers could protect Brisbane from floods
A one-in-100-year flood event could cost $5.2 billion, while temporary barriers could protect parts of South Brisbane and the CBD from flooding.
Brisbane council plans new $1.7m park for Milton
The park will be built on the corner of Railway Terrace opposite the train station.
How used tyres may be the solution to Australia’s fuel security problems [$]
A central Queensland oil refinery says biodiesel made from used tyres can work in a standard diesel engine.
Years of Coalition failure behind Adani panic [$]
Bernard Keane
The government’s panic over the Adani Carmichael project is driven by five wasted years that have seen unemployment spike in Townsville and surrounding regions.
Premier can’t hide from Adani decision [$]
Courier Mail editorial
One of the great impediments to progress in Australia is the atomisation of society and the politics that drive decisions.
South Australia
Explainer: The future of solar thermal power once promised so much, but has the shine worn off?
A decision to scrap a $650 million solar thermal energy project in South Australia has left lingering questions about the future of the technology.
Mining reform in a hole as minister digs in on veto
Mining Minister Dan van Holst Pellekaan has dug in over his opposition to giving landholders a right of veto over exploration companies, telling an industry conference he takes “absolutely full responsibility” for the Marshall Government’s mining reforms falling into indefinite limbo.
Lucerne crop cools down runway at Adelaide Airport and provides cash crop
Crops grown near the runway at Adelaide Airport provide multiple benefits: cooling the air, helping aircraft take off, and providing extra income.
Fish deaths hook $70m for river clean-up [$]
Mass fish deaths in the Murray-Darling have led to a $70 million set of measures to protect, meter and monitor water flows — as a new study shows South Australians are more worried about the river’s future than those interstate.
Reef life treasure hunt finds gems [$]
Hidden treasures of rocky reefs have been uncovered in a biological survey and volunteer training exercise at Rapid Bay and Yankalilla in the Encounter Marine Park.
Children continue to be exposed to contaminated air in Port Pirie
Mark Patrick Taylor, Cynthia Faye Isley and John Glover
Lead and zinc smelting may be big business in Port Pirie, but it’s making the kids who live there sick. Something needs to change.
Tasmania
Residents evacuated as bushfire on Tasmania’s east coast reaches emergency level
All but three residents are evacuated from Dolphin Sands on Tasmania’s east coast, after an uncontrolled bushfire is upgraded to an emergency level warning.
‘Spectacular’ turning of the fagus obscures bleak outlook for ancient tree
Thousands of people will soon flock to see Tasmania’s deciduous beech turn orange, but scientists have given the tree a grim long-term prognosis.
Wilderness for sale as developers fast-tracked for access
An email chain released under Right To Information shows the Government is “pulling every lever” to give developers access to the Tasmanian wilderness, the Greens say.
Northern Territory
Native title recognised over remote Northern Territory town of Pine Creek
Native title holders in the remote town now hold the same rights as private land owners under Australian law, following the Federal Court ceremony in Pine Creek.
Western Australia
‘She systematically misled Parliament’: Call for Minister to quit over energy links
The WA Opposition calls on Alannah MacTiernan to resign amid revelations she had long-standing financial links to a company related to Carnegie Clean Energy, which later won a tender she oversaw.
Minister admits plan to slug wildlife carers $250 for rescuing animals was a ‘mistake’
Wildlife carers express relief that the Government will review plans for a $250 licence for people caring for native animals, but critics label it another in a series of policy backflips.
WA government hints at support for Lynas rare earths plant
The Western Australian government has indicated it is open to rare earth miner Lynas Corp’s plans for a processing plant in the state to satisfy onerous new licence conditions imposed by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed.
Indigenous skills vital to conservation research outcomes
First empirical evidence that culturally diverse teams produces better results
Miners urged to help Wittenoom asbestos clean-up
The companies that created the most contaminated site in the southern hemisphere should stump up cash to help clean it up, West Australian Aboriginal Affairs Minister Ben Wyatt says.
How indigenous expertise improves science: the curious case of shy lizards and deadly cane toads
Georgia Ward-Fear and Rick Shine
There are exciting synergies between western science and indigenous knowledge. Surprisingly, the success of our Australian predator conservation research was due entirely to its multicultural nature.
Sustainability
Hawaii aims for more cheap solar and battery storage to replace coal and gas
Hawaii utility to call another tender seeking cheap solar and battery storage to replace coal and gas plants about to close down.
India third largest solar market in 2018, top 10 companies bag 60% projects
India installed 8.3 GW (giga watt) of solar PV capacity in 2018 against 44.3 GW by China and 10.6 by the US. Japan and Germany, however, trailed India to the fourth and fifth-largest solar markets in the world.
India’s top 9 states by installed wind power capacity
Keeping the target in mind, states have already started ramping up their installed solar and wind powered capacity. Here, ETEnergyWorld takes a look at top 9 states by installed wind power capacity.
Genetic breakthrough on tropical grass could help develop climate-friendly cattle farms
Researchers have shown that Brachiaria grass species can reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cattle and increase productivity — and breeding improved varieties can potentially augment the environmental and economic benefits.
Fuel cell advance a breath of fresh air
In an advance that could help lead the way toward longer-lived green energy devices, engineers have revealed new insights about the chemical reactions that power fuel cells.
China’s thermal coal imports to drop by 10-12 mln tonnes in 2019 -Noble’s Echeverri
China’s coal output will increase from the second quarter of 2019, reducing its reliance on overseas supplies, Rodrigo Echeverri, head of hard commodities at trader Noble Group , told an industry conference in Shanghai.
China 2019 coal output to increase by 100 mln T – industry association
China produced 4 billion tonnes of coal in 2018, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
Oil Search signs deal with PNG on LNG
Oil Search has signed an agreement with Papua New Guinea for the Papua LNG Project, enabling initial work to begin.
Pesticides and antibiotics polluting streams across Europe
Wildlife and human health are threatened say scientists as Syngenta accepts ‘undeniable demand’ for change
Pollution from busy roads may delay kids’ development
Children who live near major roads are more likely to score poorly on communication tests and experience development delays, according to a new study.
‘Our children are gasping’ – Senegal’s toxic air battle
A paediatric doctor says more and more children are suffering from Dakar’s worsening air quality.
Should you be concerned about PFAS chemicals?
These ‘forever chemicals’ are in our water supply—and in the body of nearly every American.
Shrinking the Carbon Footprint of a Chemical in Everyday Objects
Chemical engineers have devised an alternative approach to synthesizing epoxides, a type of chemical that is found in many products, including plastics, pharmaceuticals and textiles.
This is how human extinction could play out
Food-system collapse, sea-level rise, disease. In his new book “Falter,” Bill McKibben asks, “Is it Too Late?”
Peter McMahon
It is essential that we create global governance systems that can deal with disasters and enforce rules relating to energy use.
Seasons of the witch: as women we nurture the riches of earth, food and health
Sam George-Allen
The correlation of the feminine to nature, repressive for so long, can be a source of power
Vegan activists: spectacularly inconvenient but morally right
David Killoren
I doubt that there is any way to morally justify routine consumption of animal products.
Nature Conservation
Viewers left shocked after new Attenborough documentary shows walruses falling down cliffs
A scientist who has been studying marine animals in northern Russia says the walruses were crammed on the coastline due to a lack of sea ice.
Biodiversity: Climate Key to Abundance of Life
Natural history museum paleontologists have succeeded in mapping historical biodiversity in unprecedented detail.
Greener, more efficient natural gas filtration
MIT researchers have developed a new polymer membrane that can dramatically improve the efficiency of natural gas purification, while reducing its environmental impact.
More than dozen wild bee species declining in Northeastern U.S.
Researchers have found a dramatic decline of 14 wild bee species that are, among other things, important across the Northeast for the pollination of major local crops like apples, blueberries and cranberries.
In the land of El Dorado, clean water has become ‘blue gold’
The misty páramos in the Andes that supply water to tens of millions of people are under threat. Now their mystery could be solved
From Australia to Africa, fences are stopping Earth’s great animal migrations
Bill Laurance and Penny van Oosterzee
When people build fences across semi-arid landscapes we cut off vital paths to seasonal food and water.
Kat Bolstad and Heather Braid
Squids and octopuses could be considered the “parrots of the ocean”. Some are smart, and many have complex behaviours. And, of course, they have strange, bird-like beaks
Now for something completely different …
Captain GetUp: conservative group’s satirical superhero debuts to ridicule
Advance Australia character called ‘one of the dumbest ideas I’ve seen’ and likened to anti-cancer initiative shaped like a testicle
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