https://probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2019/04/environment-groups-slam-budget-for-climate-inaction/
Post of the Day
Australia’s 2018 environmental scorecard: a dreadful year that demands action
Albert Van Dijk
Environmental news is rarely good. But even by those low standards, 2018 was especially bad. That is the main conclusion from Australia’s Environment in 2018, the latest in an annual series of environmental condition reports, released today.
Today’s Celebration
Basque National Day – Spain
Children’s Day – Taiwan
Peace Day – Angola
Heroes Day – Lesotho
Independence Day – Senegal
Memorial Day of Chiang Kai-shek – Taiwan
Tomb Sweeping Day – Taiwan
Women’s Day – Taiwan
International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action
Climate Change
‘Hostile Planet’ takes a candid look at climate change
The new National Geographic series, narrated by Bear Grylls, doesn’t sugarcoat the harsh reality that critters face in the far reaches of the world.
These countries have prices on carbon. Are they working?
More than 40 governments have adopted a price on carbon, but many of the programs are still too weak to drive truly deep cuts in emissions.
More CO2 than ever before in 3 million years, shows unprecedented computer simulation
CO2 levels in the atmosphere are likely higher today than ever before in the past 3 million years. During this time, global mean temperatures never exceeded the preindustrial levels by more than 2°C. The study is based on breakthrough computer simulations of ice age onset in Earth’s past climate.
National
Australia’s biggest customers are abandoning coal-fired power projects
Australian government forecasts declining revenue from thermal coal, something they will need to come to terms with.
Environment groups slam budget for climate inaction
Environment spending has been labelled pointless by conservation groups in this year’s federal budget, with calculations showing for every dollar spent on the environment, $4 will be spent on subsidising pollution.
Climate funds stretch an extra five years
Despite originally saying the $2 billion climate solutions fund captured 10 years of funding, budget papers reveal the money will be spread over 15 years.
Australia: 100% renewables could be cheaper, quicker and easier than thought
The transition to 100 per cent renewable energy will be cheaper, quicker and easier than everyone thinks – that, at least, is the claim of one of Australia’s leading renewable energy data company’s and project developers, Windlab.
2018 was boom year for renewables despite political chaos, report finds
Clean Energy Australia snapshot shows investment in large-scale projects has doubled to $20bn
‘Unprecedented’: Energy operator in daily fight to keep lights on
The energy market operator is being forced to intervene daily in the electricity grid as an influx of renewable energy and ageing coal-fired power stations make the system unstable.
Environmentalists say federal budget doesn’t effectively tackle climate change
Environment Minister Melissa Price has proclaimed Scott Morrison’s federal budget to have the biggest ever direct investment in emissions reduction.
Extending power bill relief to Newstart recipients blows $80 million hole in budget
People on Newstart will now receive one-off payments of at least $75 to pay their power bills, after excluding them from the initial announcement.
Federal budget devotes $27.5 million to killing ants
In announcing the federal budget, the government has dedicated millions of dollars to eradicating three species of ants from Australia’s shores.
Indigenous affairs minister exits politics
Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion has delivered his final speech to parliament, backing the Adani coalmine as positive for traditional owners.
Migration blow-out raises doubts about government’s congestion-busting plans
Net overseas migration will reach its highest level in a decade the government cutting the number of permanent migrants.
Free ride for electric cars [$]
Labor says drivers of electric vehicle will be able to use roads free of charge for the foreseeable future under its plan to lift EV sales.
Bold thinking needed to dig Australia out of self-inflicted energy import-export dilemma
Andrew Want
The policy questions we ought to be asking now are not about how to preserve coal exports, but how Australia can replace those exports.
Coalition signs off with a budget tailored for climate denial
Giles Parkinson
Coalition budget ignores climate science and its own mediocre targets – even the climate solutions fund has been reduced to a trickle feed.
Can we afford Labor‘s climate folly? [$]
Andrew Bolt
Until Labor went mad this week, I was like many conservatives. I thought the Liberals needed to lose the election and find their mongrel, but then Labor released its global warming policy, and the Morrison Government revealed its Budget.
Don’t forget the powerless [$]
Barnaby Joyce
We’re happy to subsidise renewables while crushing those who can’t afford electricity.
Australia’s 2018 environmental scorecard: a dreadful year that demands action
Albert Van Dijk
Environmental news is rarely good. But even by those low standards, 2018 was especially bad. That is the main conclusion from Australia’s Environment in 2018, the latest in an annual series of environmental condition reports, released today.
Victoria
Massive 700MW wind farm proposed for Victoria’s south west
Victoria’s Moyne Shire is being sized up for what could be a massive 700MW wind farm, in a proposal from locally-based renewable energy developer Wind Prospect.
Vic fire risk high despite cool conditions
Victoria’s fire risk remains high despite cooler conditions with much of the state very dry.
Budget’s road and rail sweeteners still years away for Victoria
Most of the state infrastructure promises unveiled in the federal budget will take years to materialise, with Premier Daniel Andrews slamming it as a “dud” for Victorians.
Queen Vic Market revamp saga likened to Brexit [$]
The latest proposal to redevelop the Queen Victoria Market may have hit a hurdle even before the final plans have been drawn up, with the long-running saga described as “Brexit-like” by one trader.
Don’t go booking your high-speed train ticket to Geelong just yet [$]
Bernard Keane
The government used the budget to commit to a brave new world of “faster rail” but the money is nowhere to be found.
New South Wales
Solar industry backs Steggall, as symbolic end to Abbott-era energy policies
Smart Energy Council backs Independent candidate for Warringah, Zali Steggall, in her bid to oust “the most destructive politician in a generation” on climate and renewables.
Irrigators deny breaking official NSW pumping embargo after weekend rainfall
The water watchdog says it is investigating claims that irrigators in the Namoi Valley pumped water out of the river system during a recent embargo.
ACT
Canberra needs 100 extra cops: opposition
The ACT opposition wants the government to fund at least another 100 front-line police officers, a move it says would mean the ACT would no longer have the lowest number of police in the country.
Queensland
Great Barrier Reef suffers 89% collapse in new coral after bleaching events
Study shows dramatic fall in baby coral numbers but also change in type of coral
RACQ questions ‘unusual’ federal move to fund park-and-ride spaces
Both major political parties have decided to fund park-and-ride facilities close to train stations in an unusual ‘congestion-busting’ move, which is normally a state government role.
Adani gave cash to One Nation [$]
Mining firm Adani and the Pharmacy Guild have emerged as major contributors to One Nation’s political coffers.
South Australia
More billions promised for North-South Corridor, but two federal elections away
The Federal Government has again declined to fund the North-South Corridor in the budget’s forward estimates, undermining Premier Steven Marshall’s infrastructure pitch for a second year in a row.
We’ll only use ‘lower noise helicopters’, OTR vows [$]
A helipad proposed for Peregrine Corporation’s $50 million head office in Kensington would use “lower noise helicopters”, an environmental report lodged with the State Government reveals.
Shopping centres turned into giant solar farms [$]
Four of Adelaide’s biggest shopping centres have been converted into giant solar farms, producing enough electricity to power most of their operations. One even has a giant battery.
Tasmania
Environmental Restoration Fund should look to Tasmania, leading conservationist says
There are environmental restoration projects that “could and should” be happening in Tasmania – and the Wilderness Society is calling on the federal government to take note of this when administering the funding in its 2019-20 budget.
Rethink on Dove Lake redevelopment
A kiosk proposed for a new viewing complex at Dove Lake will be repurposed to become a Discovery Ranger Station under the development’s final draft plan, the State Government says.
Northern Territory
Minister says NT Government ‘doesn’t know how to read a budget paper’ after Kakadu confusion
Nigel Scullion comes out swinging amid confusion surrounding multi-million-dollar upgrades to Kakadu National Park, insisting $150 million has been set aside for the next four years.
The Galloping Ghan: 500km/h Darwin to Adelaide bullet train
Territorians could soon be jetting down to Adelaide for a weekend get away without having to take to the sky after plans were hatched to build a bullet train called the Galloping Ghan between the cities.
Western Australia
WA power provider accused of price gouging
WA’s biggest electricity generator has been accused of price gouging industrial customers for more than one year, increasing revenues by up to $102 million.
Woodside says no threat to LNG from trade war, Labor
Woodside is upbeat on its West Australian investment plans, saying it can work with either side of politics and navigate trade tensions.
One heatwave led to a catastrophic 12 per cent fall in the survival rates and numbers of calves among dolphins in WA.
Sustainability
Renewable energy now accounts for a third of global power capacity
IRENA says 171 GW of new renewable energy capacity in 2018 means a third of global power capacity is now provided by renewables.
Big Tesla battery to provide back-up for trains in Japan
42 Tesla Powerpack battery storage units have been installed to provide emergency backup power for a Kintetsu train line in Osaka, Japan.
Two billion lack clean hospital water: UN
A quarter of the world’s health facilities lack basic water services, impacting two billion people, the United Nations says.
Environmental issues among top priorities of urban Indian voters: Report
With India just a few weeks away from the general elections, a new survey has shed light on what the country’s voters want.
UK’s nuclear subs pose waste hazard
Britain’s Ministry of Defence has been sharply criticised by the National Audit Office for failing to dispose of its obsolete nuclear-powered submarines.
How the media launders fossil fuel propaganda
The oil and gas industry is using branded content, and the news media’s hunger for revenue, to peddle misleading claims about natural gas.
Window of opportunity to deal with harmful chemicals closing, UN warns
Innovative solutions are needed as a UN report acknowledges governments and businesses won’t hit 2020 targets.
Cutting ammonia pollution may lead to more acid rain in China
Any effort to target ammonia should aim to reduce sulfur dioxide pollution at the same time.
Children born today will die 20 months sooner than expected because of air pollution
The new research shows that air pollution now rivals smoking as a fact in life expectancy reduction.
How clean is your city? Just ask the bees
Urban pollutants are a health concern in growing cities. Scientists are turning to honey bees to help monitor contaminants in soil, water, air and plants.
How to win the fight against plastic
The Story of Stuff Project’s Stiv Wilson talks about an upcoming film that traces the life cycle of plastic and the people leading the fight against it.
What does air pollution do to our bodies?
The countdown has begun to the launch of one of the world’s boldest attempts to tackle air pollution.
Could maple syrup be a climate change solution?
With growing demand for maple products, conservation groups and farmers alike see a financial incentive to keep carbon-storing woodlands intact.
The complicated future of offshore wind power in the US
Research lays out thorny challenges facing renewable sector
Africa: population growth, governance, democracy
Guy Hallowes
The third world, and Africa in particular, needs to be persuaded that it is it in its absolute best interests to put in place measures that will help to reduce – or at least plan and control – population growth.
Nature Conservation
Let nature heal climate and biodiversity crises, say campaigners
Restoration of forests and coasts can tackle ‘existential crises’ but is being overlooked
Solomon Islands: Oil stops spilling but environmental toll still being calculated
An estimated 80 metric tons (88 tons) of heavy fuel oil escaped from the ship, but the government maintains that the full environmental impact of the spill remains to be determined.
Netflix’s ‘Our Planet‘ is beautiful but uncomfortable
In a groundbreaking move, the beautiful but uncomfortable documentary forces viewers to acknowledge their own complicity in the decline of nature.
Splashing about in the coal pit
When Germany phases out coal, mine operators will have to “renaturalize” their former coalfields. Lusatia has a head start: the region has been turning mines into lakes since the 1990s, trading mining for tourism.
Global warming disrupts recovery of coral reefs
The damage caused to the Great Barrier Reef by global warming has compromised the capacity of its corals to recover, according to new research published today in Nature. ‘Dead corals don’t make babies,’ said lead author Professor Terry Hughes, Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University (JCU).
Effects of reintroducing top predators questioned
There’s little evidence that reintroducing top predators to ecosystems will return them to the conditions that existed before they were wiped out, according to new research.
Now for something completely different …
Do you plan your life around your fitness schedule? You could be addicted to exercise
Katinka van de Ven and Ornella Corazza
We usually associate addiction with bad things like smoking, alcohol and gambling. But it’s possible to be addicted to exercise, too.
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