Post of the Day
This scientist thinks she has the key to curb climate change: super plants
Dr Joanne Chory hopes that genetic modifications to enhance plants’ natural carbon-fixing traits could play a key role – but knows that time is short, for her and the planet
Today’s Celebration
FAO Day – Iraq
Independence Day – Cambodia
Evacuation Day – Syria
Youth Day – Iran
Women’s Day – Gabon
Flag Day – American Samoa
Youth Homelessness Matters Day (YHMD)
Climate Change
More than 200 people arrested in London climate change protests
British police arrest 209 people after climate change activists block some of London’s most famous roads in an attempt to force the Government to do more to tackle climate change.
Extinction Rebellion: The activists risking prison to save the planet
In the face of runaway climate chaos, governments around the world are in denial, say the activists hoping to land themselves in jail in defence of our planet — and the survival of our species.
How inland waters ‘breathe’ carbon — and what it means for global systems
Study reveals key relationship between storm events, ecology, and topography in carbon ‘evasion’
Potential effects of large-scale projects designed to offset Earth’s changing climate
Climate engineering research is too focused on specific aspects of individual projects, argues an expert. She believes broader studies about the impacts of these efforts will have on other Earth system variables.
What Earth’s gravity reveals about climate change
On March 17, 2002, the satellite duo GRACE was launched to map the Earth’s gravity field more precisely than ever before. The measurements make it possible to monitor the terrestrial water cycle, the mass balance of ice sheets and glaciers or changes in sea levels. This helps to better understand important trends in the global climate system.
This scientist thinks she has the key to curb climate change: super plants
Dr Joanne Chory hopes that genetic modifications to enhance plants’ natural carbon-fixing traits could play a key role – but knows that time is short, for her and the planet
National
Confusion, uncertainty grips market as marginal loss factors changed again
More confusion and uncertainty for wind and solar farms as AEMO admits errors and makes revisions to key marginal loss factors.
Senator Rice details Australia’s faunal extinction emergency
Sue Arnold talks to Senator Janet Rice about the Senate Inquiry into Faunal Extinction’s Interim Report and the catastrophic and irreversible ramifications if its recommendations are ignored.
What are the main issues dividing voters? Our Vote Compass survey gives a clue
Labor and Greens voters regard the environment as their number one concern, whereas Coalition voters nominate the economy as the single most important issue to them, the ABC’s Vote Compass survey reveals.
Shorten ducks questions on emission target
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has refused to answers questions about Labor’s climate policies while campaigning in South Australia.
Green bonds are a little grey say investors [$]
Not every investor is buying into the green bond revolution that is sweeping fixed income markets.
Greens propose supporting Labor climate policy in environment deal
Sarah Hanson-Young says party is not afraid to use its numbers in the Senate to push Bill Shorten to back key parts of its plans
Questions over companies chosen for $200m of Murray-Darling water buybacks
Water buyback criticised over the lack of open tender and the low reliability of water licence purchased
‘Snowy Hydro of gas’ needed to stave off disaster: energy users
The east-coast gas crisis needs to be elevated to the level of electricity, with government intervention to drive new supply, the energy users’ group
Chinese firms lift Australian coal orders, as curbs tipped to end
Chinese private power companies have started to buy contracts for Australian thermal coal, which could signal an end to China’s import restrictions that have sent prices plummeting.
Greens founder has faith in election boost
Former Greens’ leader Bob Brown expects the party will pick up votes at the upcoming election amid community concern about climate change.
Why climate change will dull autumn leaf displays
Matthew Brookhouse
Autumnal displays may be dimmed in the future.
Why the Coalition is misleading on meeting Australia’s Kyoto 2020 target
Josh Gordon
Power plant shutdowns, renewable energy targets and accounting assumptions have helped Australia meet its target “in a canter”
Let’s not get hysterical over climate change [$]
Caleb Bond
If people are going to advocate up turning our lifestyles and economy to tackle global warming, the least they could do is make sure they had a handle on the facts.
Bill Shorten dodges question on emissions plan cost [$]
Miranda Devine
It wasn’t a good look for Bill Shorten on the campaign trail in Melbourne on Tuesday when he refused to answer a question from a journalist about the cost to the economy of his emissions reduction policy.
Morrison and Shorten’s Big Australia: The overpopulation problem
Stephen Saunders
Ignoring environmental and urban congestion objections, the Morrison Government is committed to a Big Australia — a policy unchallenged by the ALP
Victoria
Latrobe Valley electric truck maker gets multiple orders from US
Victoria-based SEA Electric will soon have its Australian designed electric trucks in use from Detroit to San Francisco.
Bushfire near Ballarat under control
An emergency warning has been issued for an out-of-control bushfire in Victoria’s west, which has claimed a shed.
Possum surge locks up forest [$]
Victoria’s 4000 timber workers and their communities are demanding an immediate review of logging bans around Leadbeater’s possum colonies, following a massive surge in sightings of the marsupial.
Changes to solar scheme subsidies slammed [$]
Victorian solar installers say the sector has been thrown into turmoil by the Andrews Government’s sudden decision to introduce new caps for its rooftop subsidy scheme.
Hazelwood market analysis stacks up – consumers were well and truly “done over”
Bruce Mountain
As more coal generators don their cloaks and ride into the sunset we must make sure their owners do not keep making off with the family silver.
New South Wales
‘Stuff the bike riders’: WestConnex downgrades bike path to part-time
A city-bound bike path that was to have offered a separated route toward the central business district along the WestConnex motorway will be closed to cyclists when Sydney Olympic Park is busy.
Mining companies feel heat on climate change
A landmark decision in the NSW Land and Environment Court to knock back a proposed open-cut coalmine based on its contribution to climate change is looming over other projects in the state.
Climate change debate and the empty chair
Charlie Lewis
As the campaign proper gears up, climate change is being pushed as a front and centre issue by almost every candidate. But where’s Tony?
Broken promise on WestConnex undermines trust in planning [$]
SMH editorial
The Berejiklian government has been returned to office promising to restore trust. But its failure to deliver on a key promise does not inspire confidence.
Queensland
Adani confident Labor will honour environmental approvals for its coal mine
The head of Adani Australia has said he does not believe a Shorten government poses a risk to the company’s proposed Carmichael coal mine in central Queensland.
Microsoft carbon price funds Reef project
Microsoft has stopped short of calling on Australia reintroducing a carbon price but its own internal carbon scheme will fund new Great Barrier Reef research.
James Cook University professor Peter Ridd’s sacking ruled unlawful
Physics head dismissed after criticising scientific research about climate change impact on the Great Barrier Reef
Labor figures warn the handling of Adani is damaging hopes of winning marginal LNP seats.
Plibersek’s Adani race card is mind-boggling [$]
Mike O’Connor
As Tanya Plibersek has so keenly reminded us, Adani is not like other foreign-owned companies sure to bring in jobs and boost the economy, it’s an Indian-owned company. Which is apparently an issue.
Graham Lloyd
Peter Ridd’s unfair dismissal win shows an open mind can still trump bureaucratic intrusion.
No rest in free speech fight [$]
Tim Dodd
Peter Ridd has won his case against wrongful dismissal, but an incident at Griffith raises further questions.
South Australia
AGL plans 250MW pumped hydro plant in South Australia as replacement for gas
AGL wins tender to use an old copper mine near Adelaide to provide 250MW of pumped hydro capacity and eight hours of storage, and help the shift from fossil…
Challenge to protect our ailing Murray [$]
Advertiser editorial
Little more than 10 years ago, desperate Riverland irrigators were being forced to burn hundreds of decade-old trees as one-third of growers prepared to walk off their blocks.
Tasmania
Salmon industry ‘paying pittance’ for marine debris fines
Tasmania’s major salmon farmers have paid just a few thousand dollars in fines since the State Government introduced a “zero tolerance” approach to marine debris.
Activists rail against marine farm waste [$]
Existing laws are insufficient to deal with the large amount of marine debris from Tasmanian fish farms washing up on shores as far away as New Zealand, activists say.
Libs take poll position in battle for Bass [$]
Labor is trailing the Liberals in the key marginal seat of Bass, according to polling the Australian Forest Products Association will release today.
Northern Territory
New NT gas well could bring big benefits [$]
A significant gas well has been found in the Carnarvon Basin, north of Darwin within a petroleum permit owned wholly by Australian Energy company Santos
Western Australia
McMansion expansion is leaving Perth ‘full of terrible houses’
Architects say it’s time to rethink the suburban dream, with data revealing that around a fifth of new homes built in WA don’t meet six-star energy standards, costing their owners dearly in running costs.
Santos makes major gas find off WA [$]
CEO Kevin Gallagher has described the Corvus-2 well gas discovery, which lies close to existing pipelines and is bigger than anticipated, as “fantastic”.
Sustainability
Tesla solar production twice its EV charging, claims huge emissions savings
Electric vehicle pioneer and energy group Tesla says its fleet of more than 550,000 EVs has already delivered savings of more than 4 million tonnes of greenhouse gases and their equivalent, and the output of its solar products is also twice that of energy consumed by all those electric cars.
Your chocolate egg might be more unethical than you think
As Easter approaches, the rush to stock up on chocolate eggs begins. But where exactly are they coming from? Humanitarian groups and ethical trade watchdogs are calling on shoppers to think about what makes a “good egg”.
Plastic technology for natural recycling
Michael Stephen of the says Europe and the US should follow the lead of countries that have embraced oxo-biodegradation
Solar evaporator offers a fresh route to fresh water
A self-cleaning device made of wood aims to make small-scale desalination more practical
Could wave power be the next boom in renewable energy?
Several devices that generate electricity from the movement of waves are about to begin large-scale testing in Hawaii.
When it comes to learning, what’s better: The carrot or the stick?
Does the potential to win or lose money influence the confidence one has in one’s own decisions? Researchers (UNIGE) investigated confidence bias in a learning context through a system of monetary punishment and reward. They demonstrated that we become more confident in our choices when learning to seek rewards. However, this confidence evolves into over-confidence. Moreover, the monetary gains makes us less flexible, while the fear of losing money preserves our ability to adapt.
Explainer: Some say the Green New Deal will destroy hamburgers and end air travel. Let’s take a look
America’s new climate policy proposal aims to achieve net-zero greenhouse emissions and create millions of jobs. Here s why it is become a lightning rod for criticism.
Oil will be the lifeblood of the global economy for years to come
Andy Critchlow
We have just been given more proof that the age of oil won’t end soon.
Electric cars can clean up the mining industry – here’s how
Elsa Dominish and Nick Florin
Electric vehicles and renewable energy must mine more responsibly.
Nature Conservation
Six-decade plankton study charts rise of ocean plastic waste
Handwritten journals from 50s show how plastic problem has grown to global emergency
Palm oil, logging firms the usual suspects as Indonesia fires flare anew
Oil palm and logging companies in Indonesia have come into public glare once again as another season of forest fires flares up in Sumatra.
Plastic pollution reaches new heights in the Pyrenees
A new study shows microplastic fragments can be carried long distances from cities, covering even the most remote areas with a ‘blanket’ of waste
Climate change threatens endangered sparrows
A new study in The Condor: Ornithological Applications finds that some sparrow species will go extinct within the century due to climate change.
Elizabeth Warren lays out ‘Climate Solution’ vision for public lands
The proposal includes a moratorium on new oil and gas leases on federal lands and waters.
Deforested habitats leave migratory birds ill-prepared for journey north
Migratory birds are experiencing precipitous population declines due to land-use change in Central and South America.
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