Post of the Day
30 percent by 2030? Study maps out how to protect the world’s oceans
Scientists have mapped out a network of potential protected areas intended to conserve marine biodiversity threatened by overfishing, deep-sea mining, plastic contamination, and climate change.
Today’s Celebration
Cambodian New Year – Cambodia
National Day – Chad
Unfairly Prosecuted Persons Day – Slovakia
Thomas Jefferson’s Birthday – United States of America
New Year – Laos, Thailand
World’s Day of Remembrance for Victims of Katyn Massacre – Poland
Baisakhi – Sikhism
Vaisakhi – Sikhism
Rama Navami – Hinduism
Undiagnosed Children’s Awareness Day
International FND Awareness Day
Climate Change
Can women save Planet Earth? Four women fighting climate change say they can — and must
Last year, scientists warned that humanity has only 12 years left before facing cataclysmic consequences for the planet.
Global warming could create ‘greater migratory pressure from Africa’
David Attenborough uses IMF speech to warn of human consequences of inaction on climate change.
Climate change: yes, your individual action does make a difference
Global problems need global solutions. But what you do personally can shift what’s seen as ‘normal’.
Youth climate change protests across Britain – as it happened
Tens of thousands of young people in Britain and abroad are demonstrating for climate action in the latest wave of strikes
National
Great Barrier Reef shark culling resumes
The Queensland Government has won a temporary stay over an order banning shark culling within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
Tony Abbott not convinced by ‘so-called’ climate science
Tony Abbott has warned Australia against making ‘futile green gestures’.
iSelect ‘deceived’ energy customers: ACCC
The consumer watchdog claims iSelect has been favouring some partner energy retailers over others in order to get a higher commission.
National grid has more immediate challenges than electric cars
Dozens of energy “stakeholders” shuffled into Boston Consulting Group’s 41st floor Sydney eyrie on Friday to help the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) plot the future of the country’s main power grid.
Poll shows 50% of Australians support shifting all sales of new cars to electric vehicles by 2025
Transition to electric vehicles to cut carbon emissions has dominated climate policy debate in the Australian election campaign
Why do cyclists keep dying on our rural roads?
At 4.30am on a Friday morning in March, 2017, Joe Spulak climbed into his Hyundai i30, pulled out of his Cooma driveway and headed into the darkness.
An appetite for destruction [$]
Greg Sheridan
Clueless vegans and anti-coal activists have no idea how much worse they’re making it for themselves.
Victoria
Up to 11 million litres of toxic chemicals in warehouses linked to massive fire
WorkSafe has seized control of warehouses illegally stockpiled with up to 11 million litres of highly-flammable chemicals linked to the same operator of the factory that erupted into a massive blaze last week.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg was forced to defend the Coalition’s policy on the Adani coal mine at a forum attended by hundreds of people who peppered six candidates running in the seat of Kooyong with questions about climate change.
The government wants to bulldoze my inheritance: 800-year-old sacred trees
Nayuka Gorrie
To sit in a tree that saw your people birthed, massacred, and now resist is a feeling that the English language will never be able to capture
More peak train pain should cost Metro
Age editorial
Melburnians are again frustrated by delays caused primarily by the massive works to upgrade and expand the rail network.
ACT
New feral horse count set for Australian alp regions, including Kosciuszko National Park and ACT
A cross-government agency has begun a new count of the Australian alpine regions’ feral horse population.
Queensland
Poachers target protected freshwater crayfish for BBQ hotplates and aquarium trade, locals says
Ecologists fear protected freshwater crayfish in south-east Queensland are being poached for food or sold as aquarium pets.
Great Barrier Reef shark protections to be rolled out after court grants temporary stay
The Queensland government had immediately suspended its shark control program on the Great Barrier Reef after a contentious ruling.
Town slams council for ‘appalling’ anti-Adani decision [$]
A coal mining community is up in arms – with some people vowing to vote against its council at the next election – after it greenlit a controversial move by protesters.
MP contradicted over Adani [$]
Tanya Plibersek says approval granted to Adani could be revisited by a Labor government.
CSIRO steps back on Adani approval [$]
Karen Middleton
As Scott Morrison readied to call the election, Melissa Price rushed to give federal approval to Adani’s Carmichael mine, citing support from the CSIRO.
Adani: Let’s talk about the bigger picture
Noely Neate
Aside from the environmental factors with the Adani coal mine, there are also political and community concerns to be addressed.
South Australia
Reef Life Survey arrives in SA waters and volunteer divers get to work
The prevalence of leafy kelp off Adelaide’s coastline is a barometer for marine health and is coming under the gaze of scientists and volunteers as a worldwide movement hits SA waters.
Thousands to go fishing for carp [$]
Thousands of anglers are expected to descend on Mawson Lakes this weekend as part of a concerted bid by the local council to eradicate a carp infestation.
Microchipping, desexing changes a win for animal welfare [$]
Animal Welfare League chief executive Richard Mussell says new mandatory microchipping and desexing for cats and dogs will help reduce unwanted litters and help more lost pets return home.
Approval for $240m powerline upgrade [$]
The ageing electricity link to Port Lincoln will be replaced with a new $240 million transmission line to be built by ElecraNet. The project has won approvals from the regulator.
Port Augusta solar tower: Did new inter-connector claim its first victim?
Giles Parkinson
Make no mistake, when the proponents of the new $1.5 billion transmission link between South Australia and NSW submitted their final proposals to regulators earlier this year, they had several victims in mind – all of them gas plants.
Election digs Dan out of hole [$]
Adam Langenberg
The federal election campaign comes at the best possible time for state Energy and Mining Minister Dan van Holst Pellekaan.
Tasmania
Break O’Day Council to discuss notice of motion to declare ‘climate emergency’
A Northern council could declare a “state of climate emergency” at its April meeting.
Western Australia
Synergy slammed for ‘abusing market power’
Energy provider Synergy has been rebuked in separate reports claiming the State-owned utility had a “disregard” for its obligations to Parliament and was pushing up prices by abusing its market power.
More single-use plastic products on hit list
The State Government hopes to have a hit list of single-use plastic products to target next year after releasing a discussion paper on the environmental issue.
Sustainability
China prepares transition to subsidy-free solar and wind by 2021
China’s main energy regulator has published a consultation paper that will usher in subsidy-free wind and solar plants from the start of 2021.
China buys ‘cheap’ Colombian coal [$]
Chinese buyers are looking at ‘super cheap’ coal from Colombia as they continue to search for alternatives to Australian coal.
Global storage market to grow more than 13-fold by 2024
New research tips the global energy storage market to expand 13-fold by 2024, growing from 12GWh to 158GWh by 2024.
Scientists say they have found a viable replacement for petroleum-based plastic
Scientists at Ohio State University say they have developed a viable alternative to petroleum-based plastic food packaging by using natural tree-based rubber.
“UK First” waste plastic to hydrogen project to be delivered at Protos
Using DMG (Distributed Modular Gasification); an advanced thermal treatment technology developed by Powerhouse Energy – it will produce a local source of hydrogen from unrecyclable plastics.
Flanders stream so polluted ‘water could be used as pesticide’
Scientists say stream dubbed ‘most polluted in Europe’ is reminder of effects of intensive farming
Nature Conservation
30 percent by 2030? Study maps out how to protect the world’s oceans
Scientists have mapped out a network of potential protected areas intended to conserve marine biodiversity threatened by overfishing, deep-sea mining, plastic contamination, and climate change.
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