Post of the Day
Extra $100m to protect rivers, waterways
An extra $100 million has been set aside in the federal budget to go towards practical steps to protect rivers and waterways.
Today’s Celebration
Declaration of the Second Republic “Power Taken by the Military” – Guinea
Isra and Mi’raj – Islam
Climate Change
Canada passed a carbon tax that will give most Canadians more money
By rebating the revenue to households, disposable income rises, which can be a boon for the Canadian economy
Climate, conflicts set to plunge millions into food crisis
Food crises will affect tens of millions of people across the world this year, researchers warned on Tuesday, after war, extreme weather and economic woes in 2018 left more than 113 million in dire need of help.
Rockefeller to wind down biggest private climate resilience push
The Rockefeller Foundation will end funding and dismiss the staff at its 100 Resilient Cities program, the largest privately funded climate-adaptation initiative in the U.S., the foundation announced Monday.
Climate change is making allergy season longer and more severe
Climate change is making allergy season more miserable, according to new research focused on how climate change impacts human health and wellbeing.
Tall ice cliffs are slumping and may trigger rapid sea-level rise, study finds
Scientists have found that ice cliffs on Greenland’s Helheim Glacier are slumping — a sensation that typically happens on land. This may trigger rapid sea-level rise, the study says.
National
Extra $100m to protect rivers, waterways
An extra $100 million has been set aside in the federal budget to go towards practical steps to protect rivers and waterways.
Billions set aside for natural disasters
Australian communities bracing for catastrophic natural disasters will soon have access to billions more dollars in recovery funding.
Australia has just sweltered through the ‘hottest March on record’
March was the hottest on record for Australia, the Bureau of Meteorology says, but a wet end to the month saved it from being the driest.
Public fed up with climate attacks: Labor
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten says coalition attacks on Labor’s climate change policy amount to an admission their own mechanism hasn’t worked.
Labor to back government’s power bill help
Federal Labor will back the coalition’s power bill assistance payment but Newstart recipients will remain out in the cold.
Iron ore, coal revenue dream won’t last [$]
Surging prices have filled government coffers, but budget papers now warn that the second wind from the mining boom won’t last.
Fast rail solution to traffic congestion [$]
The Morrison government has created a National Faster Rail Agency to deliver a swag of fast-rail projects to ease transport gridlock in major cities.
Budget reboots for climate and energy election [$]
The Morrison government is funding its climate and energy platform to battle Labor’s ambitious renewable energy and emissions reduction targets.
Cities set for $100b infrastructure spend
New funds for fast rail and road projects set to offer relief to commuters; government banks on huge spend over the next decade to ease voter concerns.
Why Kyoto carryover credits are so important [$]
Australia’s 370 million tonnes’ worth of Kyoto “carryover” carbon credits constitute more than half of what Australia needs to “abate” by 2030.
Carp populations are booming in the wake of artificial environmental river flows.
Electric trucks’ market penetration would be greater with more help from governments, say their potential users and manufacturers.
Bank Australia signs up for 100pct renewables, calls on business to lead transition
Bank Australia becomes second Australian company to sign up for 100 per cent renewable energy initiative, and calls on other business to lead transition.
Fate of big solar projects could ride on May poll, and carbon credits
Analyst says federal election critical to fate of large scale solar industry in Australia, and raises prospects of carbon credits playing a role in funding.
The national innovation agenda is dead [$]
Ben Potter
On Tuesday there wasn’t a mention of innovation in Treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s budget speech.
Congestion-busting infrastructure plays catch-up on long-neglected needs
Phillip O’Neill
The focus on roads reflects the fact that this infrastructure program lags well behind the growth of our biggest cities, resulting in less-than-ideal transport patterns.
Total transport spending is about par for the course, but the pattern is unusual
Marion Terrill
Despite boasts of ‘record’ infrastructure spending, relative to GDP it’s comparable to previous budgets. What’s different is that Treasurer Frydenberg has chanced his arm more over the longer term.
Coalition chooses spin over substance as Labor announces climate policy
James Fitzgerald
Labor’s climate policy announcement has exposed the Morrison Government as divisive and confused as ever on climate action.
Labor Pains: Fighting Fear And Loathing With A Small Target Climate Policy
Ben Eltham
Labor’s climate policy is a patchwork quilt of old and new ideas. But will it actually work?
Banning ‘tiny vehicles’ would deny us smarter ways to get around our cities
Hussein Dia
The exploding popularity of e-scooters has the potential to reshape transport in our cities. Regulators need to adapt their approaches to handle the new mobility service rather than ban it altogether.
Lucy Knight
Farmers can be the solution, not the problem, in the carbon debate
Rethink needed on basin plan [$]
Weekly Times editorial
Rather than improving the health of the rivers, it appears the CEWH’s policy of setting environmental watering targets — whether it’s wet or dry — risks damaging the basin’s health.
Cyclists should be celebrated not condemned [$]
Matthew Condon
A recent study on attitudes to cyclists showed that many road users believe they are “less than human” and deserve to be intimidated on the roads. This is abhorrent. Cyclists should be celebrated.
The sooner we embrace electric cars the better [$]
Dennis Atkins
Labor’s policy on climate change and energy is ambitious, but a majority want bold action on these issues, which previously turned our politicians into frightened rabbits in the headlights.
Labor’s plastic ban plan riddled with hypocrisy [$]
Mike O’Connor
If Bill Shorten’s to prove he’s fair dinkum about the environment, he needs his plastic ban to include disposable nappies. That would challenge the commitment of supposed activists.
Labor should focus on states to help beat 50 pct renewables target
Giles Parkinson
Federal Labor urged to focus funding and reverse auction program to support state programs, and tap into pipeline that would see Australia beat 50% renewables target.
Victoria
Incitec Pivot to close Vic phosphate site
Incitec Pivot is closing a Victorian phosphate factory at the cost of $13 million and has flagged another $20 million earnings hit.
Wind farms’ pay deal to dampen unrest [$]
Neighbours of a proposed western Victoria wind farm will be paid $1000 annually for each turbine within 3km of their home.
Duck protestor allegedly hit by car [$]
Police are investigating after a duck rescuer was allegedly struck by a car driven by a duck hunter at Lake Connewarre yesterday.
Northern suburbs receive Budget roads boost [$]
Northern suburbs residents will be some of the biggest recipients of road funding in the Budget under a Coalition push to generate goodwill.
What the Budget means for the eastern suburbs [$]
Infrastructure is at the centre of Treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s pitch to the east, including his own electorate, and much of it is based around tackling urban congestion.
What the Budget means for Melbourne’s west [$]
Fast rail from Geelong has been billed as game-changer for all of Melbourne’s west and is by far one of the most significant cash injections promised in the Budget — but it comes with a catch for the city’s western suburbs.
Budget guide for southeastern suburbs [$]
Roads, roads and more roads are at the centre of the Coalition’s pre-election pitch to Melbourne’s southeast, with a host of new projects targeted at congestion in booming Pakenham, Cranbourne and Dandenong.
New South Wales
Planning ‘king’ as NSW enviro dept ditched
There are concerns the environment will suffer while the planning system will be “king” under the NSW premier’s plan to axe the once stand-alone department.
‘Vandals’: NSW environment staff fear for jobs as office dissolves
The Berejiklian government has sought to reassure staff and the public that the dissolution of the Office of Environment and Heritage won’t compromise the independence and services provided by it.
Budget’s $7.3bn boost for NSW roads, rail projects [$]
The Coalition is spending big on infrastructure across the country and NSW will reap the benefits with $7.3 billion to be poured into new road and rail projects. Congestion will also be targeted with the Federal Budget outlining significant new measures to slash travel times.
Why the Port of Newcastle has been continuously dredging for 160 years
This Port of Newcastle dredger, with its unique hull that splits in two, is the latest technology that has kept kilometres of channels clear for shipping across 160 years.
NSW road and transport agencies merged; reshuffle in senior bureaucracy
Roads and Maritime Services, the state’s roads agency, will be brought inside Transport for NSW as part of the Berejiklian government’s administrative overhaul after last week’s election victory, which also includes a new head of Planning.
Angry dog walkers want fishing ban at McMahons Point [$]
Dog walkers have launched a petition to ban fishing in a Sydney Harbour park after a dog required major surgery to remove a fish hook.
ACT
Number of dogs euthanised increases tenfold after fatal attack
The government says legislation it introduced after the 2017 death of a Canberra woman killed by her own dog has given it more powers to euthanise dogs.
Queensland
Sharks caught on Great Barrier Reef drum lines must be released, Queensland tribunal declares
A conservation group has won a legal bid to end the killing of sharks caught on drum lines inside the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
Scientists scale new heights for rainforest discovery
A team of scientists and artists discover a tiny flying fox and 90 new plant species in a vertical BioBlitz of Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve on the Sunshine Coast.
Green bridges welcomed but attention urged for Walter Taylor Bridge
Transport Minister Mark Bailey has questioned why the south-west of Brisbane has been overlooked by Brisbane City Council in a new bridges plan.
Baby rhino arrives at Australia Zoo as part of new conservation effort
The arrival of southern white rhino Carrie last year at Australia Zoo on the Sunshine Coast has raised awareness about the species with at least one rhino being killed by poachers in South Africa everyday and the threat of habitat loss and political conflict.
Queensland: A little sunlight is needed on renewables policy
David Leitch
You could argue Queensland is on track for 50% renewables by 2030. But it needs around 700MW annually to 2030, and there’s next to no policy to get there.
South Australia
“SA’s fallen off the pace”: Hook sinks boot into Labor’s infrastructure record
South Australia has “dropped the ball” on securing funding for major infrastructure projects, according to a former top state bureaucrat newly appointed to the national Infrastructure Australia board.
SA Water pledge on pine plantation [$]
SA Water has committed to working with the community to ensure its proposed solar farm in Flagstaff Hill will have “minimal impact” on the area’s visual appeal.
Billions for roads but SA cops big revenue blow [$]
Regional road upgrades including the duplication of Victor Harbor Rd headline the Federal Budget for South Australia — but our slice of the GST pie is taking another huge hit. However, SA Treasurer Rob Lucas says he still expects to deliver a Budget surplus despite the huge revenue blow.
Adelaide beaches could wash away [$]
A damning report has warned Adelaide’s famous beaches could be destroyed unless drastic action — including an $8 million West Beach project — is taken to save them.
Tasmania
Group claims cable car benefits are overstated
A group set up to preserve a mountain in its natural state has come out in protest against the State Government’s approval of a cableway up the peak.
Northern Territory
No sign of promised $220m Kakadu rescue package [$]
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s first Budget was one of mixed fortunes for the Northern Territory … but there was no sign of the promised $216 million towards the Kakadu National Park rescue package
Millions to tap NT shale fields [$]
The Morrison government has moved to open Northern Territory shale fields for exploration and development.
Western Australia
3,000 jobs to be delivered to WA as Fortescue gives green light to $3.6 billion iron ore mine
Fortescue Metals Group gives the go-ahead to its second major iron ore mine development in the Pilbara in just 12 months, promising the Iron Bridge project will deliver 3,000 jobs during construction and 900 once it is operational.
‘We had no chance’: The unstoppable WA blaze that left four dead
It took 11 days for the fire to raze more than 310,000 hectares, kill thousands of livestock, destroy millions worth of crops and take the lives of four people.
Sustainability
Growing corn is a major contributor to air pollution, study finds
A study ties an estimated 4,300 premature deaths a year to the air pollution caused by corn production in the U.S. In some regions, the per-bushel health costs exceed the corn’s market price.
What we must do to turn the tide on plastic pollution
Sophie Edmonds, CEO of Water Smart Foundation, responds to an EU move against single-use plastics
To fight climate change, rail is the way to travel
The quickest way to decrease greenhouse gases from transportation is to travel by train and move goods by rail instead of on the road or by air.
Cutting air pollution may save millions of lives annually
Reducing global air pollution may prevent over three million premature deaths annually worldwide, particularly in India, Africa and China, according to a study.
Data centers gobble energy. Could a ‘fossil-free’ label help?
A Swedish industry group believes its new “Fossil Free Data” label will not only push consumers to click on firms that process their information using green power, it will also attract more data centers to Sweden’s low-carbon economy.
DOE says Hanford contractor punished enough for radioactive contamination spread
DOE issued a preliminary notice of violation to CH2M Hill Plateau Remedation, owned by Jacobs Engineering, for spreading radioactive contamination at the Hanford nuclear reservation’s plutonium finishing plant.
‘The only thing we had going for us, really, were the power plants’
In 2018, the consumption of coal hit a four-decade low in the United States. A total of 19 coal-fired plants closed last year, making for one of the largest waves of such retirements in the single year.
Hands spread flame retardants, plasticizers throughout homes
Hundreds of everyday items, from furniture to cell phones to floor wax, contain organophosphate ester (OPE) flame retardants and plasticizers. Some of these compounds make their way into the air, onto surfaces and even inside our bodies, with uncertain health effects. Today, researchers report that hands play a central role in transferring OPEs throughout the indoor environment.
Nature Conservation
The plague killing frogs everywhere is far worse than scientists thought
On Thursday, 41 scientists published the first worldwide analysis of a fungal outbreak that’s been wiping out frogs for decades. The devastation turns out to be far worse than anyone had previously realised.
Farming for natural profits in China
Expanding monoculture threatens valuable services from land, such as flood control, water purification and climate stabilization. A new approach promises to protect these benefits, while improving biodiversity and human livelihoods in rural areas around the world.
Marine protected reserves do more than restore fish
In a new analysis of the effectiveness of marine protected areas worldwide, marine ecologists report that reserves not only replenish target fish populations, they also restore ecological functioning. However, not all reserves performed equally well.
Restore natural forests to meet global climate goals
International plans to restore forests to combat global warming are flawed and will fall far short of meeting 1.5C climate targets, according to new research.
Dolphins might not survive for long due to climate change, says study
Female dolphins were giving birth to fewer calves — a phenomenon that lasted at least until 2017, researchers of University of Zurich (UZH) in Switzerland said.
Loss of habitat causes double damage to species richness
Loss and fragmentation of habitat are among the main reasons why biodiversity is decreasing in many places worldwide. Now, a research team has established that the destruction of habitat causes double damage to biodiversity; if habitat patches disappear, not only do the species living there become extinct, but species richness in neighbouring patches also declines. The reason is the large physical distances between the remaining habitat patches, the researchers write in the journal Ecology Letters.
Now for something completely different …
Find out if you’re a winner or a loser in this year’s Budget
How will taxpayers, welfare recipients and small business owners fare in the year ahead? Explore who wins and who loses as a result of Treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s 2019 Budget.
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