Post of the Day
Why your brain doesn’t register the words ‘climate change’
You say climate change; I say global warming. Neuroscience research suggests we should call it “climate crisis.”
Today’s Celebration
Constitution & Independence Day – Marshall Islands
Constitution Day – Latvia
Kazakhstan People’s Unity Day – Kazakhstan
Law Day – United States of America
Lei Day – Hawaii
Loyalty Day – United States of America
Save the Rhino Day – United States of America
Virgen de Chapi Peru
Youth & Sports Day – Cyprus (Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus)
Beltane (Northern Hemisphere) – Celticism
Samhain (Southern Hemisphere) – Celticism
Feast of St. Joseph the Worker – Catholicism
International Worker’s Day (May Day)
International Composting Awareness Week
Climate Change
‘Real education happens outside the classroom’: Climate activists speak
Pacific Climate Warrior Brianna Fruean and Anna Taylor of the UK school strikes movement share notes over what inspires them and how to avoid activist burnout.
Climate emergency’ declared by Welsh Government
The Welsh Government’s call comes after climate change protests in London and Cardiff.
Rise in temperatures linked to air pollution, say experts
Climate change and air pollution are interrelated, say environmental experts as they call for the authorities to take simultaneous and urgent action to tackle these problems and avoid serious consequences.
Could global warming lead to quieter hurricane seasons? Experts say yes, with a caveat
Hurricane experts explain how a warmer Earth will affect storm season.
Rapid permafrost thaw unrecognized threat to landscape, global warming researcher warns
University of Guelph Prof. Merritt Turetsky and an international team of researchers asssessed abrupt thaw studies across the permafrost zone to estimate the overall effect. They found carbon emissions have the potential to double the climate feedback associated with permafrost thawing because abrupt thaw releases more methane. It will also have drastic effects on landscape, from altering traditional travel and hunting patterns in the North, to causing costly infrastructure damage to roads and rail lines.
Almost half of World Heritage sites could lose their glaciers by 2100
Glaciers are set to disappear completely from almost half of World Heritage sites if business-as-usual emissions continue.
Why your brain doesn’t register the words ‘climate change’
You say climate change; I say global warming. Neuroscience research suggests we should call it “climate crisis.”
Annah Piggott-McKellar et al
Many houses were flattened after Tropical Cyclone Evan, leading to the partial relocation of the Fijian viillage Denimanu.
National
Increased agricultural water use in 2017-18
Australian farms increased their water use in 2017-18, according to data released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
AGL says grid-scale batteries will be game-changer in energy markets
AGL says lower cost of grid-scale battery storage will be the “game changer” for renewables in Australia, sees big shift in household storage and EVs.
Don’t stop us now: Open letter to politicians from clean energy industry
We have the skills and expertise to transform Australia into a clean energy super power. Don’t stop us now.
EVs could match petrol cars on cost by next year in Australia
BNEF says total cost of EVs could match petrol cars as early as next year in Australia, and says Labor’s target of 50% share of sales by 2030 is…
Explainer: Gene editing of plants and animals gets green light. Is CRISPR bacon next?
After a government decision not to regulate some types of gene editing, used to breed animals and plants, many researchers may be breathing a sigh of relief. But what are the implications?
Water mining: claims bottled water companies illegally extracting groundwater
NSW campaigners say they have footage of water transport trucks operating through the night despite curfew
‘Greed took over’: the farmers fighting bottled water giants for their water
Water mining is big business in rural Australia but many growers fear for the future of their groundwater
Save hundreds on power by doing nothing [$]
Consumers who’ve never bothered to compare electricity prices will be rewarded with annual discounts up to $662.
‘A bigger responsibility’: why sustainable seafood is close to Ben Shewry’s heart
One of our best chefs discusses insects as ingredients, cooking pearl meat and why Attica diners may be surprised by their meat dishes
Telstra puts industry groups on notice on climate [$]
Telstra has put industry lobby groups on notice over their positions on climate change, following major Australian companies such as Westpac and Rio Tinto.
NSW, Queensland household power bills to be slashed from July
The energy watchdog has launched a regulated electricity price that will slash power bills for almost 800,000 households across NSW, Queensland and South Australia from July.
Transurban says user-pays road charges needed within decade
Australia must find a new way of taxing road users soon or be unable to fund new infrastructure, according to the boss of toll giant Transurban, who says the inevitable mass adoption of electric vehicles will soon demolish fuel excise revenue.
Going for croak: under threat frogs hitchhiking their way back to life
Frog hunters across the country have recorded 70,000 verified frog calls from about 170 species.
Murray-Darling water use increased even as basin dried out, ABS says
The Murray-Darling Basin accounted for about 70 per cent of agricultural water use nationally in 2017-18.
McCormack offers more dams [$]
Michael McCormack has tied the Nationals’ electoral fortunes to a promise of building more dams.
Shorten reheats school solar plan [$]
Bill Shorten’s $1 billion cash splash to roll out solar and battery storage has triggered claims it will cost 4000 schools up to $380,000 each.
Labor has shifted its position on forest policy, abandoning support for more native forest reserves.
‘Climate Cuts, Cover-ups and Censorship’, courtesy of the Morrison Government
Climate Council
The Coalition Government’s climate performance over the past five years is the defining leadership failure of the past decade.
Investors must reject climate denial on boards, starting with AMP
Will Van De Pol
AMP is materially exposed to climate change risks and must heed the warnings about the financial impact of climate change.
How Coalition “squandered” climate decade, and is still lying about science
Sophie Vorrath
The federal Coalition government has spent the better part of the “critical decade” for climate change action doing everything in its power not to act, a new report has found, including deliberately misleading the public on the science, and on Australia’s emissions trajectory.
Climate cost is terrifying [$]
Judith Sloan
Crunch the numbers on Labor’s climate change policy and you find they are frightening.
Victoria
Alternative North East Link plan would save homes, trees, says council
The North East Link tunnel should be extended to save several homes from demolition and thousands of trees from the chop, a local council says, but the plan could add $350 million to the project’s cost.
Libs won’t charge for car parks, Kooyong crossing on back-burner
Coalition promises proposed station car parks will be free, Daniel Andrews rules out prioritising fixing Glenferrie Road crossing.
The Melbourne venues banning plastic products [$]
Two of Melbourne’s attractions will join the growing number of outlets dumping plastic products, in the hopes to send a conservation message to their visitors.
Taxpayers hit with $30m bill for Geelong dump site [$]
A massive stockpile of potentially toxic waste in Lara, on the edge of Geelong’s northern suburbs, has been taken over by the state’s environmental watchdog as authorities move to clean up the site before it ignites.
New South Wales
‘Walking taller’: Byron Bay native title claim approved 20 years after application
The Bundjalung people are celebrating the Federal Court’s historic native title determination for land and sea around Byron Bay — the first such decision to be made in a densely populated NSW area.
New tool to help track water use
New equipment will soon be added to Tamworth Regional Council’s water sustainability toolbox with Councillors giving the go ahead for a trial of automated meter reading.
Footage released of dead marine life as shark nets removed from NSW beaches
Humane Society International (HSI) and the Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) today release graphic new footage of the impact of NSW’s shark net program, which kills hundreds of marine animals every year. Today marks the end of the 2018/2019 NSW shark netting season, and the conservation organisations say it must be the last.
ACT
Bus service reforms generate winners and losers
Canberra Times editorial
The sweeping changes rolled out across the ACT bus transport network on Monday have proved a mixed bag for the many Canberrans who rely on the service.
Queensland
‘Imminent risk’: Climate crisis facing Australian rainforests likened to coral bleaching
Animals in Australia’s globally renowned wet tropics are on the brink of extinction after the hottest summer on record, according to official advice that equates the scale of the crisis to coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef.
Independents pledge to block Adani mine in event of minority government
Seven high-profile independents including Kerryn Phelps and Julia Banks promise to pursue climate actions
Labor ‘two-faced’ on coal, says CFMEU [$]
The CFMEU has accused the Palaszczuk government of double standards by approving an expansion of a thermal coal mine but blocking Adani.
Adani coal mine poses ‘alarming’ risk to sacred wetlands, traditional owners say
Traditional owners who are fighting the Adani mine in central Queensland say they welcome scientists’ concerns about impacts on the Doongmabulla Springs but do not trust any government to ensure the miner protects their sacred wetlands.
Same bird but different approach to mine approval [$]
A major new coalmine was waved through environmental approvals by the Queensland Government despite the presence of the same bird that has left Adani’s Carmichael project languishing in limbo.
South Australia
Wind, solar push South Australia prices below zero for almost six hours
South Australia electricity prices go negative for nearly six hours as wind and solar account for all of demand on a mild Autumn day.
SA Water unconcerned about big dry and will keep desal plant on low
SA Water says it is no closer to ramping up usage of Adelaide’s desalination plant despite the city enduring its driest start to a year since records began.
Shorten promises more renewables for SA
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten is campaigning in Adelaide on Wednesday, where he will pledge to unlock the renewable energy potential of the Spencer Gulf.
Adelaide students key to understanding our oceans [$]
Leading South Australian engineer Alan Noble has partnered with Immanuel College on a groundbreaking project to dramatically improve our knowledge of oceans.
Who’s being right about The Bight? [$]
Threats to the Great Australian Bight are real and already happening, but oil drilling is only one of many, as Miles Kemp reports.
Tasmania
Captive-bred parrot leads wild girlfriend astray, leaving experts concerned
Wildlife experts in Tasmania will attempt to trap two critically endangered birds that have been spotted in a backyard well off their migratory course in the state’s far south.
Slight edge to Libs in Braddon polling [$]
The Liberals have taken the lead over Labor in the key election battleground of Braddon, according to new polling to be released by a forest industry group today.
Smoke warning for city suburbs [$]
Fuel-reduction program Hobart residents with breathing problems are being warned of a fuel-reduction burn beginning today across bushland that flanks several city fringe suburbs.
Northern Territory
Authority calls for new court to help crush lucrative wildlife poaching trade
The Northern Territory’s snakes and lizards have become prized trophies for international wildlife collectors, fuelling a booming illegal trade and keeping authorities on the constant watch for poachers.
NT power bill cuts on the cards, says energy regulator [$]
Territory power bills could drop by $100 for households and more than $300 for businesses over the next five years following a decision from the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) today
Western Australia
Revolutionary East Village at Knutsford enhances Freo’s sustainability credentials
Fremantle’s reputation as a showcase for sustainable living has been boosted with today’s launch of LandCorp’s trail-blazing East Village at Knutsford development.
Sustainability
Germany’s RWE abandons new brown coal generator, and all new coal plans
Germany utility RWE abandons plans for new brown coal generator, and drops all new coal investments.
‘Scary’ microplastics rain down on secluded Pyrenees, sparking fears of airborne risk
Scientists have long known about microplastics travelling in water, but a new five-month study has now revealed they can also travel by air, spreading their effects even further into the environment.
Climate-friendly farming is taking root in New York
New York wants to fight climate change through good farming. Here’s the dirt.
Renewable energy to surpass coal for first time in the US – but why not Australia?
America’s renewable energy set to surpass coal for the first month ever – Australia is slowly following suit.
Climate change elevates carbon-free nuclear power in 2020 election
The issue of nuclear power could cleave the field even as all the major presidential candidates promise to aggressively take on climate change.
Fungi could be our best bet to fighting widespread plastic pollution in India
Plastics are forever.
What you need to know about particle pollution and how it could affect your heart
Ozone and particle pollution found in unhealthy air can be hard on the respiratory system. But the particle pollution also can affect your heart.
Cigarette butts: The most littered item in the world
The most commonly found piece of trash on beaches isn’t plastic bags or straws. It’s even smaller and contains dozens of dangerous chemicals.
Hanford site radioactive waste tunnel collapse prevented
The second Hanford PUREX plant tunnel storing highly radioactive waste has been stabilized to prevent a collapse.
Scientists consider meteor strike response
Scientists are grappling with the potential response to an asteroid hit on Earth. (AAP)
Scientists at a US conference are exploring the potential response of the international community to an asteroid on collision course with Earth.
EPA reaffirms finding that glyphosate does not cause cancer
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday reaffirmed its finding that glyphosate, the world’s most popular herbicide, is not a cancer risk to users.
The tipping point: How surging oil prices can hurt the world economy
Enda Curran and Michelle Jamrisko
Oil prices have jumped more than 30 per cent this year and more rises are expected. Ultimately, there comes a point where higher prices may be damaging to everyone.
The madness of nuclear deterrence [$]
Mikhail Gorbachev
“Deterrence cannot protect the world from a nuclear blunder or nuclear terrorism,” George Shultz, William Perry and Sam Nunn recently wrote.
Nature Conservation
Could it be? ‘Yeti’ footprints discovered by Indian army mountaineers in Nepal
Mountaineers from the Indian army on an expedition in Nepal find mysterious large footprints in the snow that they claim belong to the yeti, or the abominable snowman.
Breaking from tradition, indigenous women lead fight for land rights in Brazil
Brazil’s indigenous women have been overturning tradition to step into the spotlight and lead an international push to defend their tribal land rights, which are up against the greatest threat they have faced in years under right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro.
Climate change is hurting forests’ ability to filter agricultural nitrate pollution
Animal waste and nitrogen-based agricultural fertilizers contribute to nitrate runoff, which ends up in creeks, streams, rain and, eventually, water systems. Nitrate, that mix of nitrogen and oxygen, can cause serious health problems if it’s too concentrated.
Plastic eaten by plankton may impair oceans’ ability to trap CO2
Oceans store up to half of all carbon dioxide produced by mankind in the last 200 years.
Despite its green image, NZ has world’s highest proportion of species at risk
Michael (Mike) Joy and Sylvie McLean
About 74% of New Zealand’s land birds, including the endemic takahe, are either threatened or at risk of extinction.
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