Taking a break over Easter. Back on Monday with a bumper edition.
Post of the Day
Earth ‘temperature test’ shows undeniable evidence of global warming
You can’t argue with the facts.
Today’s Celebration
Health Day – Kiribati
Independence Day – Zimbabwe
Paul Revere Day – United States of America
Invention Day – Japan
Battle of Dybbøl Day – Denmark
Battle on the Ice Day – Russia
The National Trust Heritage Festival
Maundy Thursday – Christianity
Climate Change
Don’t underestimate the climatic danger of ice-melt water [$]
Crikey speaks to climate change experts about last year’s IPCC report, the gaps it contained, and the real picture of things to come.
Balancing the ocean carbon budget
How exactly does the ocean — the Earth’s largest carbon sink — capture and store carbon? The answer to this question will become increasingly important as the planet warms and as we try to get ahead of a runaway climate scenario.
Act on climate change like you did on Notre-Dame, activist Greta Thunberg begs EU
Sweden’s teenage activist Greta Thunberg choked backed tears as she warned of climate disaster and urged Europeans to vote in next month’s elections to press for decisive action on cutting greenhouse gases.
Schoolgirl climate activist Greta Thunberg meets the Pope
The teenage girl who spearheaded the worldwide school strikes over climate change has met the Pope at the Vatican.
Earth skin test confirms global warming
Global warming is heating up the planet according to satellite measurements of the Earth’s “skin temperature”.
How bacteria build an enzyme that destroys climate-changing laughing gas
New research reveals how soil bacteria build the only known enzyme for the destruction of the potent global warming and ozone-depleting gas nitrous oxide.
Climate change targets are slipping out of reach
For all the commentary around a transition to a clean energy system, the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere is still continuing to rise rapidly and shows no sign of slowing down.
Protesters target Jeremy Corbyn on day three of Extinction Rebellion
West End traders say protests have already cost them tens of millions of pounds
Climate change was the engine that powered Hurricane Maria’s devastating rains
Hurricane Maria was the rainiest storm known to have hit Puerto Rico, and climate change is partly to blame, according to a new study.
Pacific island cities call for a rethink of climate resilience for the most vulnerable
Alexei Trundle and Darryn McEvoy
The impacts of climate change are already being felt across the Pacific, considered to be one of the world’s most-at-risk regions.
Figures hide financial hit [$]
Graham Lloyd
This is the detail-free climate change election where figures are hiding the heavy lifting.
The Guardian view on climate change campaigners: Suited or superglued, we need them all
The cause is being taken up in the corridors of power. We still need activists outside on the streets.
National
ACF welcomes Greens’ nature protection policies
The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) welcomes the Greens’ nature protection policies, in particular the $2 billion-a-year nature fund.
More Australians than ever before are worried about climate change, polling finds
New polling shows Australians are on the same page with climate concerns, dispelling a political divide between Queenslanders and their southern counterparts.
Vote 2019: Where the major parties stand on climate change
Climate change is top of mind for voters this federal election, spurring the major parties to take action. So here’s a look at the Coalition, Labor and the Greens policies’ on emissions reduction, electric vehicles and power prices.
Explainer: How the federal election will change Australia’s response to climate change
Both the Coalition and Labor say they take the threat of climate change seriously, but they’re offering different pitches on how to deal with it ahead of the federal election.
‘Like paying someone else to go on a diet’: Labor’s carbon permit policy attacked from both sides
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten is counting on a surge in spending on international carbon permits to meet an election pledge to grow the economy by 23 per cent under his climate change policy, sparking new attacks from the Coalition and the Greens over the scheme.
Revealed: ALP’s carbon costs to hit $25bn [$]
Business could be forced to spend more than $25bn on carbon credits to meet Labor’s 45 per cent emissions reduction targets by 2030.
Greens plan for pollution tax, shutting down coal industry
The Greens plan to use their power in the Senate to hold Labor to account on climate policy.
Forest regrowth review raises fresh concerns about Coalition’s climate fund
Vegetation regrowth projects may have been compensated for forest that already existed, has not yet grown back or may never go back.
Renewable energy jobs surge on back of solar
Employment in Australia’s large scale, photovoltaic solar energy sector more than doubled (210 per cent) in 2017-18, according to data released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
Tesla wants grid blue-print to reflect lower battery costs, greater flexibility
Tesla is pushing for Australia’s 20-year grid blue-print to reflect the rapid technology developments in battery story, saying it needs to acknowledge that batteries are cheaper, last longer, and are more efficient than thought.
Climate plan won’t ‘cost’ economy: Shorten
Bill Shorten has stressed Australia’s economy will grow at the same rate in the next decade under Labor’s climate change plans as it would under the coalition.
Santos posts record Q1 production, up 33%
Santos’ revenue for the quarter totalled $1.02bn, which is up 27.8 per cent. (AAP)
Santos, Australia’s No. 2 independent gas producer, has reported the second-highest quarterly revenue on record, $1.02 billion.
Australia’s top restaurants pledge to serve only sustainable seafood
Chefs won’t use red-listed seafood including farmed Atlantic salmon and east coast wild prawns
Company directors urge ‘very clear’ action on climate, energy policies
Leading company directors have expressed widespread concern over energy and climate change policy, and have warned the lack of clear direction is affecting investment and affordability.
Premier to pitch North East Link to China [$]
Premier Daniel Andrews will jet to China to spruik Victoria’s biggest road project at a conference for a controversial Chinese initiative.
New research reveals how young Australians will decide who gets their vote
Zareh Ghazarian et al
First-time voters are often treated as a homogenous group, but new research shows they make their decisions in a variety of ways.
Bill’s stance on climate is all pain but no gain [$]
Andrew Bolt
Voting risk Opposition Leader Bill Shorten’s climate policy con was exposed again this week, when he refused to tell Australians the cost of his plan to slash the emissions Labor claims are dangerously heating the world. If he has nothing to hide, why won’t he answer simple questions.
Australian editorial
Labor’s taxes and emissions reduction scheme could bite.
Victoria
EPA invites comment on proposed Bannockburn composting facility
Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) is assessing a works approval application for a proposed waste composting facility in Bannockburn.
Community urged to keep recycling – Campaspe Shire Council
Campaspe Shire Council is encouraging the community to keep up its good recycling habits despite recent media suggesting material is not being recycled.
New kerbside bins on way for Romsey and Riddells Creek
Residents in Romsey, Riddells Creek and surrounds will be the first in the shire to receive new black-bodied kerbside bins when the rollout begins in May.
Rabbit baiting program to be trialled
The City of Greater Geelong is rolling out a trial of its new pindone baiting program across the region, in a bid to reduce a record number of rabbits currently damaging environmentally sensitive habitats and recreational areas at six City managed reserves.
Help shape Macedon Ranges Shire Council’s first Reconciliation Action Plan
Local Aboriginal or Torres Islander people are being asked to help Council develop its first Reconciliation Action Plan.
Buy us please: North East Link neighbours fear they’re on road to ruin
Home owners whose houses will be badly affected by the proposed North East Link toll road want the government to step in and buy them out.
Residents in train-starved suburbs to lose bus lanes
Residents of train starved north-eastern suburbs will lose dedicated bus lanes that are key to making their lengthy commute manageable.
New South Wales
Tectonic shift as network owner buys solar farm, points to renewable future
In a move that could herald the start of a tectonic shift in the make-up of Australia’s energy sector, major network owner Spark Infrastructure has announced it is buying a 100MW solar farm in New South Wales – an unprecedented move into owning generation assets.
ACT
Canberra and Sydney landowners hesitant to help with feral deer problem at south coast
Canberra-based south coast landowners like deer too much to cull them and are contributing to an increase in the deer population, a landcare association has warned.
Light rail system gains last-minute accreditation just in time for first passengers
Canberra’s light rail project has received accreditation, less than 24 hours out from the first passengers boarding.
Queensland
Is Adani splashing donation cash to buy influence for its climate-wrecking coal mine?
ACF analysis of federal and Queensland donation return data
Liberal MP says she doesn’t know how much Adani donated to her campaign
Michelle Landry, the Queensland MP for Capricornia, says financial support from a company ‘doesn’t sway me’
Bob Brown leads anti-Adani convoy to Qld
A convoy led by former Greens leader Bob Brown protesting Adani’s controversial Carmichael coal mine has left Hobart.
Cool reception when Adani convoy hits coal country [$]
Locals in the coal mining towns of Mackay, Rockhampton and Clermont are not planning a warm welcome when Bob Brown’s “Stop Adani” convoy comes into town next week.
Convoy emissions ‘can’t compare’ [$]
Bob Brown is leading a ‘stop Adani’ convoy of cars, conceding the protest caravan will emit about 455 tonnes of carbon dioxide.
Coalition MP backs Adani mine to stop women having to ‘cook with cow dung’
The Coalition MP whose seat would house the controversial Adani coal mine said the project was necessary to stop women in India from being forced to cook with cow dung in poorly ventilated huts.
The Adani jobs up for grabs [$]
With more than 18,000 people registering to work at Adani’s Carmichael mine, the jobs the project will need from day one have been revealed.
Rail giant launches campaign against protestors [$]
An extraordinary campaign targeting anti-coal activists has been launched by one of Australia’s largest rail companies amid revelations that protesters locking themselves to train tracks were now a primary safety concern.
‘Brisbane is very concerned about climate’: Liberal, Labor candidates to skip forum
Brisbane’s incumbent federal Liberal MP Trevor Evans and his Labor opponent Paul Newbury are not attending a public climate forum in Brisbane on Wednesday night, in a move labelled “disappointing” by Greens candidate Andrew Bartlett.
QRC welcomes Senex domestic gas contract
Queensland Resources Council (QRC) today welcomed Brisbane-based Senex Energy signing its first domestic gas contract from the company’s Project Atlas in the Surat Basin.
Great Barrier Reef Tourism Operators Want Federal Candidates to Take Urgent Action
Some 150 businesses and tourism operators in Far North Queensland are joining Australia’s peak marine conservation group to call on all parties in the Federal election to protect the reef from the impacts of climate change.
Traditional owners still stand in Adani’s way
Kristen Lyons and Morgan Brigg
Traditional owners are contesting the validity of Adani’s land use agreement.
South Australia
SA Power Networks taps solar to cut dependence on its own grid
South Australia’s biggest electricity distribution company is seeking to reduce dependence on its very own grid, by installing just under 500kW of solar across two depots.
Bight oil drilling plan too risky: expert
The planned drilling of an oil exploration well in the Great Australian Bight is too risky due to its remote location and harsh environment, an expert says.
Bushfire continues to burn out of control in Adelaide Hills
A bushfire continues to burn uncontrolled in the Adelaide Hills. Source: Facebook
A fire at an Adelaide Hills conservation park is burning out of control, with fire crews expected to continue fighting the blaze until Thursday at least.
Brakes applied on coastal path plan [$]
The completion of a southern Adelaide coastal trail might have hit a roadblock after the local council voted to explore potential cost-cutting measures.
Poisoning of significant gum ‘disgraceful’ [$]
A large river red gum that was deliberately poisoned in Kilkenny is unlikely to survive, according to Charles Sturt Council.
Park bushfire blamed on makeshift campsite [$]
Hundreds of butane gas canisters have been discovered at a makeshift campsite where an out-of-control bushfire ignited in the Black Hill Conservation Park, just 10km northeast of Adelaide’s CBD.
Major revamp to clean up sick and suffering River Torrens [$]
The complex and convoluted management of the River Torrens will soon be completely revamped because the health of the river is “suffering” and water quality is “poor year round”.
Desal boost unlikely amid bleak outlook [$]
There is unlikely to be any increased use of Adelaide desalination plant in the near future, despite the bleak outlook facing the state’s irrigators this season.
Tasmania
500yo forest giant among trees reduced to ‘pile of ash’ by summer bushfires
Tasmania is home to 180 “giant trees” more than 85 metres tall or with more than 280 cubic metres of girth, but enthusiasts have discovered at least 15 of the giants have been destroyed by the state’s summer bushfires.
Tassie farmer speaks up on climate change [$]
Local farmer Anthony Houston has packed his bag to join the Adani mine protest convoy to share his perspective on the future of farming in Tasmania.
‘The age of coal, oil and gas is over’ [$]
More than 100 anti-Adani protesters have lined up at a rally in Hobart to farewell an 80-vehicle strong convoy intent on stopping the controversial coal mine.
Green light for new Cradle venture [$]
A new boutique accommodation offering with private walking tracks and stargazing facilities have been given the go-ahead at Cradle Mountain.
Fishing for tuna the Tasmanian way serves up top quality tuna in big-city restaurants
Tasmanian commercial fishermen are using rod and reel to target top quality sashimi-grade southern bluefin tuna to meet the demand of discerning diners in Japanese restaurants on the mainland.
Northern Territory
Coalition promises $8.4m for NT fracking
Fracking for gas in the NT may be fast-tracked with the coalition promising an extra $8.4m for the Beetaloo Basin if it wins the federal election.
Territorians to be slugged to use Litchfield Park [$]
Territorians and tourists may soon be paying to use Litchfield National Park under revenue raising measures planned by the Gunner Government as part of its Budget Repair Plan
Western Australia
Creditors vote to save WA wave power firm
Creditors of cash-strapped Carnegie Clean Energy backed a proposal to bring the company back from the brink by raising capital and re-listing on the ASX.
Billions of dollars and ‘congestion busting’ bluster jammed on WA’s election highway
Almost 60 per cent of the Coalition’s WA roads funding in the recent budget won’t be spent until the election after this one, meanwhile Labor isn’t saying when their promises are scheduled.
Sustainability
Electric cars cheaper than petrol/diesel from 2022, as battery costs plummet
Battery costs will amount to a quarter of the total cost of making an electric car within 6 years, BloombergNEF analysis says.
Elon Musk joins China’s electric car gold rush, but can he beat out local rivals?
Tesla is moving aggressively into China, where the Government is encouraging drivers and manufacturers to go electric. But China already has its own manufacturers, who will challenge Elon Musk for his crown.
Lynas still has to move a radioactive mountain, say Malay officials
Malaysia’s Environment Minister accused Lynas of putting its bottom line before the environmental concerns of local Malays in a letter to Lynas employees.
Why researchers are mapping the world’s manure
Farmers rely on phosphorus fertilizers to enrich the soil and ensure bountiful harvests, but the world’s recoverable reserves of phosphate rocks, from which such fertilizers are produced, are finite and unevenly distributed.
Solar panel demand causing spike in worldwide silver prices
Rising demand for solar panels is having a major effect on the worldwide price of silver, which could lead to solar panel production costs becoming far higher in the future, new research has demonstrated.
Green plastic production made easy
A one-step method enables scalable and more environmentally friendly production of plant-derived plastic monomers, paving the way towards the mass production of a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based materials.
The coming obsolescence of animal meat
Companies are racing to develop real chicken, fish, and beef that don’t require killing animals. Here’s what’s standing in their way.
Morgan Stanley seeks to finance global cleanup of plastic trash
Morgan Stanley wants to help cut waste globally and has one word for its focus: plastics.
Researchers improve method to recycle and renew used cathodes from lithium-ion batteries
UC San Diego researchers have improved their recycling process that regenerates degraded cathodes from spent lithium-ion batteries. The new process is safer and uses less energy than their previous method in restoring cathodes to their original capacity and cycle performance.
Tips to reduce your waste this Easter (but don’t worry, you can still eat chocolate)
Jenni Downes
Easter eggs with coloured foil might look pretty at Easter, but it can contaminate your recycling if it’s not dealt with correctly.
Nature Conservation
‘When the glaciers disappear, those species will go extinct’
America’s glaciers are losing ice as the world warms. That’s disrupting habitats for fish, insects and even bacteria.
Climate change is stripping the magnificent cloud forests of their clouds
Cloud forests are among the world’s most biodiverse ecosystems.
Most endangered rivers of the USA, as named by American Rivers
Sure, we know about endangered species, but did you know there are endangered rivers, too?
Now for something completely different …
‘Groundbreaking’: Scientists partially restart brains of dead pigs
Scientists have restored function in the brains of dead pigs, opening up a new avenue in treating human brain damage caused by strokes and other injuries.
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