Post of the Day
Great Barrier Reef on verge of collapse: government officials
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority says global warming must be kept to 1.5 degrees – a threshold that scientists say requires shutting down coal within three decades.
Today’s Celebration
Cambodian New Year – Cambodia
National Fast and Prayer Day Liberia
Pan American Day (Day of the Americas) – Honduras, Haiti
Songkran Days (Thai New Year) – Thailand
Youth Day – Angola
Pi Mai (Laos New Year) – Laos
Hùng Kings Commemoration Day – Vientam
Anfal Genocide Memorial Day – Kurdistan
Orange Day – Japan
Death anniversary of Zhabdrung – Bhutan
Rama Navami – Hinduism
Vaisakhi – Sikhism
World Youth Day – Catholicism
Palm Sunday – Western Christianity
National
Scorching earth and ‘spiders’ that bring down trees: Behind the scenes of a bushfire mop-up
When firefighters bring big bushfires under control they don’t just suddenly go out. That’s the work of largely unseen mop-up crews who work quietly behind the scenes for weeks and months after Australia’s biggest blazes.
Recycling industry demands federal action as mountains of rubbish build up
Phillip Lasker
There are plenty of examples of successful recycling operations in Australia. Why isn’t more being done?
Racing into electric era is a charged issue [$]
Matthew Abraham
Labor’s electric car policy is high on wishful thinking, extraordinarily light on detail. But it won’t make a difference.
Victoria
Hundreds of fish die in eastern Victoria
A mass fish kill near an internationally-recognised lake is due to natural causes such as salinity, authorities say.
Extent of North East Link environmental impact revealed for first time
The extent of the North East Link’s environmental impact has been revealed for the first time, as the Andrews government releases documents many thousands of pages long, detailing the land to be taken to build the state’s most expensive freeway project.
Search for underground gas set to ramp up as prices hit 10-year high
Vast parts of regional Victoria are about to be sized up to see how much natural gas is underground and if it could be tapped as a new energy source.
New South Wales
‘Significantly higher’: Spotlight on noise levels at Sydney’s new airport
The noise levels at the new Western Sydney Airport could be “significantly higher” than the Federal Government predicted ahead of approving its construction, a study finds.
‘Invisible killer’: Air pollution levels spike in Sydney’s west
Western Sydney residents endure worse air quality than those in the east, with Liverpool exceeding annual national air quality standards for exposure to particulate pollution by 25 per cent, government data reveals.
ACT
Oh deer, ferals could invade Canberra’s suburbs and cause traffic chaos
Feral deer will move into suburbia and create as much of a traffic hazard for Canberrans as kangaroos unless a serious effort is made to control their spread, according to the head of a major conservation group.
Canberra crane numbers reach record high as residential projects drive growth
There are a record number of cranes on Canberra’s skyline, with more than 85 per cent of the machines erected for work on residential projects.
Queensland
Fines introduced in Queensland for animal rights activists who trespass
Activists who enter Queensland farms to protest against animals being eaten, raced or worked will be fined hundreds of dollars in fines.
Scientists launch plant rescue mission on far north Queensland mountain
Scientists hope to protect plants at Mt Lewis, near Mossman in far north Queensland.
Tiny orchids and huge trees in far north Queensland hope to be saved by a team of scientists.
Great Barrier Reef on verge of collapse: government officials
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority says global warming must be kept to 1.5 degrees – a threshold that scientists say requires shutting down coal within three decades.
How do you solve a problem like Mt Coot-tha?
The zipline is gone, but the mountain still waits for the next decision.
Greens set to protest Adani mine over Easter when other parties pause
The Greens will campaign against the Adani mine over the Easter holidays, despite the major parties agreeing to take a breather from the election trail.
Adani coalmine: can Labor get away with choosing ambiguity over integrity?
Katharine Murphy
The Coalition showed unseemly haste to get an approval through before the election was called
South Australia
Oysters to help restore SA reef
More than 50,000 oysters have been homed in South Australia to boost numbers as part of the country’s largest reef restoration project.
South Aussies to expect big water bills [$]
South Australians are reeling as sky-high summer water bills start to fill letterboxes — reflecting the state’s highest water consumption for the start of the year in more than a decade.
Tasmania
Cane toad, sea urchin in Tas feral feasts
An exhibition at Tasmania’s Museum of Old and New Art is putting invasive species on the menu, including cane toad, camel and sea urchin.
Federal Government urged to ‘stump up’ for wilderness bushfire funds
Extra funding has been announced to help Tasmanian communities recover from the summer’s devastating bushfires, but it remains unclear whether there will be any additional money for firefighting in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.
Scientists discover wombats on Tasmania’s islands are one of three subspecies
A small island off Tasmania’s coast has become a haven for a subspecies of wombat only found on one other island in Australia, and they’re one of three genetically different wombat subspecies.
‘What’s the point?’: Incomplete fish farm panel ‘green light’ condemned
A decision progressing Petuna’s fish farming application in Storm Bay is questioned over concerns that biosecurity, boating and environmental issues were not properly scrutinised.
Tasmania could face more lawsuits against industrial fish farming, says Bob Brown, ahead of an expected Federal Court appeal decision in the Okehampton Bay case in Hobart tomorrow.
Sustainability
China auto show features electric ambition
China’s Communist leaders are imposing mandatory sales targets for electric cars as they wind down subsidies that boosted sales by 60 per cent last year.
How hydrogen fuel will change our car market
The new frontier in powering our vehicles
Study questions the sustainability of plant ingredients as fishmeal substitutes
Substituting fishmeal in aquaculture feeds with plant ingredients may not be as beneficial for the environment as many predict, according to new research from an international team of experts.
Electric vehicle adoption improves air quality and climate outlook
Ozone pollution reduced even when electricity is produced by combustion sources
Nature Conservation
Scientists say world’s protected areas need a re-boot
An international study published today in the journal Science argues that the current international target for the protected area estate, accepted by over 190 nations, is failing. They propose a new measurable target based on the best scientific evidence that they say will galvanize greater and more effective conservation efforts.