Post of the Day
What if we covered the climate crisis like we did the start of the second world war?
Bill Moyers
In the war, the purpose of journalism was to awaken the world to the catastrophe looming ahead of it. We must approach our climate crisis the same way.
Today’s Celebration
Labour Day – Jamaica
Youth Day – Tajikistan
Birth of Abdul-Baha – Baha’i
Declaration of the Bab – Baha’i
Lag BaOmer – Judaism
Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea
International Day of End Obstetric Fistula
Climate Change
Much shorter working weeks needed to tackle climate crisis – study
People across Europe will need to work drastically fewer hours to avoid disastrous climate heating unless there is a radical decarbonising of the economy, according to a study.
An (even more) inconvenient truth
The hunger for these offsets is blinding us to the mounting pile of evidence that they haven’t — and won’t — deliver the climate benefit they promise.
Climate change is here. So why don’t more people give a sh*t?
During the last round of debates in 2016, presidential hopefuls spent a whopping 5 minutes and 27 seconds talking about climate change.
Should We Be Calling Climate Change a ‘Climate Crisis’?
How we talk about climate change is rapidly shifting as the ramifications of unchecked carbon pollution become ever clearer.
Corporate America is terrified of the Green New Deal
There’s a reason more big businesses are pushing for a carbon tax—and it’s not because they want to fight climate change.
Dealing with climate change: three scenarios
Peter McMahon
The scenario technique identifies three possible futures to aid critical thinking about climate change. Will basic social and political values survive?
What if we covered the climate crisis like we did the start of the second world war?
Bill Moyers
In the war, the purpose of journalism was to awaken the world to the catastrophe looming ahead of it. We must approach our climate crisis the same way.
National
Producers unable to meet demand for native foods
Farmers are unable to keep up with the market demand for Indigenous foods as consumer and manufacturer interest in the nutrient-rich bush foods ramps up.
Climate change litigation to continue, with focus on CSR
Australian courts will consider the risks of climate change to be foreseeable, thereby creating further responsibilities for companies and directors, according to one BigLaw firm.
Car industry urges ‘jump-start’ for electric vehicle chargers
Car companies will urge the new federal government to help drive investment in a vast network of electric-vehicle charging stations, with some pushing the idea of a dedicated “future fund”.
Food or energy? The battle for Australia’s prime agricultural land
Four foreign-owned energy companies are racing to get their large-scale solar projects off the ground on farmland in the NSW Southern Riverina.
Ausgrid seeks to expand virtual power plant to cut back on network costs
Network operator Ausgrid seeking proposals to expand its virtual power plant, targeting the estimated 5,000 batteries within its network and help defray investment costs.
Deloitte seeks offers for Lyon Group’s solar and storage projects
Three key projects held by one of Australia’s most ambitious solar and storage developers, Lyon Infrastructure, have been listed for potential sale by the voluntary administrator appointed to three of Lyon’s companies.
Michael Sievers et al
Far more megafauna species use coastal wetlands than we thought. And it affects the way we need to address the extinction crisis.
Change in Labor leadership to be a signal for Labor’s future climate policy
Michael Mazengarb
The fall-out of the 2019 election result on climate and energy policy in Australia will play out over coming months, or years, but the defeated Australian Labor Party faces a more immediate decision over its leadership and direction.
Understanding the 2019 federal election results and what to do about climate change
Bernie Masters
In Queensland, the ALP was devastated electorally because voters put jobs above climate change.
The price of not paying attention: Five ministers we cannot afford
Michelle Pini
The Morrison Government, whose only motivation appears to be getting elected and maintaining the status quo, can do a lot of damage in another three years.
Victoria
A closer look at Otway Basin’s rocks
The Victorian Government is working to deliver a better picture of the state’s gas resources, analysing rocks in Victoria’s south-west.
New species of endangered lizard found
Scientists studying the endangered Grassland Earless Dragon have discovered there are actually four separate species of the tiny lizard.
Budj Bim Indigenous eel trap site on verge of world heritage listing
Aquaculture network in Victoria, maintained over 6,600 years, faces final step in recognition process
Hundreds more to receive Vic solar rebates
Hundreds more Victorian households will be eligible for solar rebates after after the first part of the state government’s scheme was oversubscribed.
Council Signs First Environmental Upgrade Agreement with Local Hotel
Baw Baw Shire Council has signed its first Environmental Upgrade Agreement (EUA) with The Warragul Railway Hotel to fund the installation of 50.2 kilowatt (kW) solar system, which will assist them in reducing their operating costs and improving their environmental performance.
Bendigo gold miner plans 60MW solar farm on old evaporation ponds
Gold miner GBM Gold plans 60MW solar farm, including a floating solar element, on old evaporation ponds near Bendigo.
Time for Zali to walk the talk on climate change [$]
Andrew Bolt
Until warming crusaders like Zali Steggall are building wind farms in their Warringah backyards, high-pain climate “solutions” are doomed.
New South Wales
Extend or replace Liddell: energy minister
Energy giant AGL must replace the NSW-based Liddell power station or extend its life beyond the planned shutdown in 2022, Energy Minister Angus Taylor says.
RFS pauses NSW burns while smoke clears
Smoke has blanketed Sydney after bush fire reduction burns west of Sydney. (AAP)
Sydneysiders have woken to hazy conditions and the sharp smell of smoke in the air caused by hazard reduction burns conducted earlier in the week.
Sydney braces for water restrictions as dams drop
The Berejiklian government will review planned water restrictions for Sydney with the possibility that curbs on use will be tougher than detailed in the city’s Metropolitan Water Plan.
Opening day for Sydney’s new metro trains to be free for passengers
Thousands are expected to converge on Sydney’s first metro line on Sunday after the state government decided to make the opening day free for passengers.
Armed with goggles and snorkels, a couple of canoeists saved a rare turtle from extinction
If not for the determination of a couple of sharp-eyed locals and a raft of agencies and scientists, a much-loved turtle in NSW would be no more.
How close is Sydney to the vision of creating three 30-minute cities?
Somwrita Sarkar et al
When a city gets to a certain size, it starts to make sense to have multiple centres of activity, and three are planned for Sydney. So what needs to be done to bring the city closer to this goal?
ACT
The Canberra tree threatening to thwart a multi-million dollar hotel development
A London Plane tree will be protected, the ACT Conservator says, preventing the development of a six-storey hotel in south Canberra, but the developer claims the decision is a ‘scam’.
Barr government should tread carefully on Woden link
Canberra Times editorial
One immediate result of the Morrison government’s unexpected election victory is the second stage of the light rail, the already problematic Civic to Woden leg, just got at least $200 million harder.
Queensland
Qld govt to thrash out timeline on Adani
The Queensland government representative will meet with Adani on Thursday to thrash out a timeline for the Carmichael Mine approval process.
Thousands of promised jobs in doubt after mega mine next to Adani quietly put on hold
A $6.7 billion Chinese mega mine coal project adjacent to the Adani venture in Queensland’s Galilee Basin is in doubt after the company abandoned its bid for a mining lease.
‘Beyond a farce’: Palaszczuk’s Adani ultimatum comes under fire
The Queensland Premier’s call for a plan to get environmental approvals for the Adani coal mine by Friday has been criticised from all sides
What’s next for the coal mine that helped to return Morrison to power?
Much is at stake as Adani’s Carmichael coal mine becomes a swing factor in delivering victory to the federal Coalition – and approvals have now been fast-tracked.
Port Hinchinbrook court decision may be appealed again
Residents of a small north Queensland town are hoping a Court of Appeal decision about their languishing marina development will see work on the estate progress after years of being in limbo.
Extreme weather conditions cost Australia’s largest pastoral company $182 million
Extreme weather conditions has cost Australia’s largest pastoral company more than $100 million.
Group Labor has been ‘ignoring’ on Adani
Repeated pleas to the State Government by one sector of the community over the Adani megamine have fallen on deaf ears, it has been claimed.
Albo keeps us guessing on Adani stance
Anthony Albanese has refused to declare a position on the Adani mine as he firms his position as the likely next Labor leader.
Coal catastrophe: why Scott Morrison can’t give in to Queensland triumphalism
Katharine Murphy
The government would be wrong to imagine all of Australia possesses the sensibilities of coal communities in Queensland
Queensland to all those #Quexiteers: don’t judge, try to understand us
Anne Tiernan et al
Queensland has a proud place in Labor history. But the 2019 election shows the federal Labor Party no longer understands the issues that matter to Queensland voters.
With the LNP returned to power, is there anything left in Adani’s way?
Samantha Hepburn
The Queensland Labor government still must approve two outstanding environmental management plans for the Adani mine to go ahead.
Premier digs a deeper hole [$]
Courier Mail editorial
Annastacia Palaszczuk must think Queenslanders came down in the last shower if she seriously expects us to swallow the waffle and plain nonsense she espoused on the Adani mine.
Stopping Adani won’t stop climate change [$]
Matthew Warren
You don’t reduce emissions by banning a coal mine. You reduce them by providing a credible and affordable way of making electricity that can replace coal.
South Australia
Hillgrove Resources enables hydro development
Hillgrove Resources has sold development rights for the creation of a pumped hydro energy storage project on one of its South Australian mine sites.
Future of mining changes stuck in limbo
The fate of the Government’s controversial Mining Bill is up in the air, with the state’s Mining Minister coy about whether he’ll reintroduce it.
Cooper Basin beckons for SA’s Vintage Energy
It is back to the future in some ways for Adelaide’s Vintage Energy.
Tasmania
Climate change spending ‘smart’
An Australia Institute economist says he hopes to see the Tasmanian Government preparing to respond to the effects of climate change when it hands down its Budget today.
Northern Territory
Fracking ‘no go zones’ may infringe TOs’ rights
The NT Government is preparing to reveal the final boundaries of its fracking ‘no go zones’, but it could have a fight on its hands from Traditional Owners exercising rights over their land
Western Australia
‘Bright white skeletons’: some Western Australian reefs have the lowest coral cover on record
James Paton Gilmour and Rebecca Green
The Western Australian coral reefs may not be as well known as the Great Barrier Reef, but they’re just as large and diverse. And they too have been devastated by cyclones and coral bleaching.
Sustainability
China blamed as a major source of illegal ozone-depleting gas
Air monitoring study points finger at a major culprit in a ‘global environmental crime’ as provinces in northeastern China are identified as a source of an ozone-depleting CFC gas in contravention of an international treaty.
Contact with nature during childhood could lead to better mental health in adulthood
Almost 3,600 people participated in a European study on the impact of green and blue spaces on mental health and vitality.
Only 9 percent of plastics are recycled. What’s happening with the rest?
The blessing and curse of plastic. A boon to us, but a major hazard for wildlife and nature requiring a global solution.
A shocking amount of plastic is burned every second
Throwing plastic trash into open fires releases chemicals that are highly toxic to humans.
Is modern life poisoning me? I took the tests to find out
We are exposed to synthetic chemicals in plastics, cosmetics and food every day. Could it be making us toxic? Our environment reporter was tested for over 1,530 chemicals to find out.
Explained: The toxic threat in everyday products, from toys to plastic
Thousands of potentially harmful chemicals are in products ranging from electronics to medical equipment and carpets in the US.
Los Angeles ranked highest in U.S. for deaths linked to air pollution
Scientists warned efforts to tackle air pollution that have saved the lives of Americans are under threat from Trump administration policies.
Clever scientists catch up with rogue, ozone layer-killing polluters
Detectives have sniffed out a big source of an outlawed, invisible, and odorless gas, currently wafting through Earth’s atmosphere.
Quantum rebar: Quantum dots enhance stability of solar-harvesting perovskite crystals
Engineering researchers have combined two emerging technologies for next-generation solar power — and discovered that each one helps stabilize the other. The resulting hybrid material is a major step toward reducing the cost of solar power while multiplying the ways it can be used.
How parks help cities adapt to climate change
Cities across the U.S. are seeing worse floods and hotter summers, but experts believe urban parks can help residents cope.
Interest in protecting environment up since Pope’s 2015 encyclical
Just before Pope Francis released Laudato Si’, an encyclical, or formal letter from the pope, on the environment, on May 24, 2015, global concern for the environment seemed to be on the wane.
Nature Conservation
Flying a drone through a whale’s snot cloud – all in the name of science
Whale snot is collected by water-proof drones flown over the blowholes of humpbacks, helping researchers assess the health of giant mammals cruising Australia’s east coast.
US EPA blocks a dozen products containing pesticides thought harmful to bees
Environmentalists and beekeepers have pushed for action for years.
Climate change is altering the composition of the world’s plankton communities
The composition of the world’s plankton has changed significantly since before the Industrial Revolution, with zooplankton communities shifting poleward by an average 374 miles as a result of warming ocean temperatures.
What is the impact of ocean acidification?
Ocean acidification could have a massively damaging impact on millions of people all over the world in the coming years and decades, according to a new study from the University of Plymouth.
How air pollution affects growth of trees
Air pollution is not just responsible for affecting human health, it can also affect the growth of trees, a recent study suggests.
Now for something completely different …
Alien abductions and climate change
An instructor of Korean at the University of Oxford in England, Dr. Young-hae Chi, believes that alien abductions are real. But he also claims to know what the aliens have in mind. They’re creating alien-human hybrids as a hedge against climate change.
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