Post of the Day
‘Reckless’: Farmers left high and dry after Murray River water goes missing
An extraordinary amount of deliberately “lost” water – the volume of Sydney Harbour – is being blamed for the extreme hardship faced by hundreds of Murray River farmers struggling to survive on zero water allocations.
Today’s Celebration
Bunker Hill Day – United States of America
Independence Day – Iceland
National Heroes Day – Bermuda
Parinirvana Day – Bhutan
Occupation of the Latvian Republic Day – Latvia
Queen’s Official Birthday – British Overseas Territories and the Norfolk Island
Anniversary of the Death of General Martín Miguel de Güemes – Argentina
Whit Monday – Orthodox Christianity
World Day to Combat Desertification & Drought
Climate Change
Without swift action on climate change, heat waves could kill thousands in U.S. cities
New study suggests that a marked reduction in greenhouse gas emissions will be needed to limit deaths caused by extreme heat.
The right to a stable climate is the constitutional question of the twenty-first century
In the absence of adequate climate-policy laws, the courts must find their right to act in the Constitution.
National
Explainer: Are wind farms the ‘Formula One cars’ of our future power systems?
Multi-million dollar wind farms are springing to life in Tasmania, and there are billions of dollars more in the pipeline. How will that affect the power security of the state or even Australia?
Australia’s climate policy is failing to deliver, government data shows
Scott Morrison injects $2 billion into the Emissions Reduction Fund, but analysis reveals the program is failing to spend the funding it already has and experts warn projects that promise abatement don’t always eventuate.
Lomborg lifts lid on renewables [$]
Australia is still well short of a sensible policy on climate change.
Tentative transition unfolding [$]
Australian editorial
Technical innovation will drive solutions to climate change.
‘Photosynthesis could heal’: why agriculture should be driven by environmentalists
Patrice Newell
Environmental policy must begin at the farm gate because it’s farmers who could undertake the repair work.
Coal debate needs a reality check [$]
Scott Grimley
Australia, like the rest of the world, needs to transition to a lower carbon energy system — no argument there. But extremist views on coal’s current and future state, alongside misinformation about massive emerging economies like India going carbon neutral, are not helpful.
A rising tide of environmental uncertainty
Georgia Rowles
In 2018, as Australia’s population hit 25 million, Citizenship Minister Alan Tudge stressed the need for new migrants to head to country towns.
Victoria
Victorian crossbenchers go nuclear
A couple of Victorian crossbenchers want to explore lifting the state’s bans around uranium and nuclear power in an effort to tackle climate change.
Victoria’s coal-fired power plants the least reliable in the country
Victoria’s brown coal-fired power stations are the most unreliable in the country, breaking down far more often than power plants in the rest of Australia and putting the stability of the state’s energy supply at risk.
Deadly deer shooters terrorising a Victorian district [$]
Andrew Rule
Rogue deer shooters are terrorising the district around Jamieson with Russian roulette tactics that saw local Bryce Airs, an innocent man walking home from the pub, killed without a second thought.
New South Wales
‘Reckless’: Farmers left high and dry after Murray River water goes missing
An extraordinary amount of deliberately “lost” water – the volume of Sydney Harbour – is being blamed for the extreme hardship faced by hundreds of Murray River farmers struggling to survive on zero water allocations.
The NSW town now a ‘luxury resort’ for birds
Corellas are as smart as the average two year old, which is why they are adapting to city life across Australia. They’re entertaining and playful, but they leave a mess behind and destroy infrastructure.
Labor moves to take ‘dodgy donations’ out of council elections
Donations to candidates for local government in Victoria will be capped at $1000 and foreign donations banned under proposed laws to clean up council politics.
High-rises turning ‘toxic’ [$]
Corners are being cut on high-rise residential properties in NSW, industry analysts say.
Endangered Manning River helmeted turtle thriving in some areas — and dingoes are helping
It has been described as one of Australia’s most beautiful and ancient creatures, yet much is still not known about the rare and endangered Manning River helmeted turtle.
Queensland
The ‘catastrophic’ effect of increasing heatwaves on Queensland
Queensland’s emergency services are planning for more catastrophic weather events – including 30-day heatwaves and 43-degree peak temperatures – as the effects of climate change turn up the heat on regional parts of the state.
Taxpayers fork out $31 million to clean up toxic coal gasification plant
Queensland taxpayers are spending almost $31 million over the next four years to clean up land polluted by a private coal gasification plant.
Police prepare for Adani protests [$]
Queensland police are “well advanced” in their planning to disrupt protests against the Adani coalmine.
Australia, in a victory for coal, clears the way for a disputed mine
The final permit from regulators in Queensland came less than a month after a conservative coalition that champions coal won in national elections. [New York Times]
Adani is not about jobs, and never really was
Matt Holden
It feels like you can believe whatever you want about Adani, or at least whatever suits your world view.
South Australia
Water worries ahead for SA’s wine makers [$]
The demand for SA’s wine is insatiable but issues with water cost and availability were evident in the state’s lower-that-average vintage — and the problem isn’t going away any time soon.
Park fee spike increases Cleland ticket to $30 [$]
A suite of park entry and tour prices will rise across the state from next month, sparking criticism that parks should be affordable for everyone.
Tasmania
A new report shows the population pictures varies widely across Tasmania’s 29 local government areas, while the state is headed for an overall population decline by mid-century.
Northern Territory
Paradise in peril as luxury retreat is swamped by tides of toxic trash
A luxury tourism retreat on the edge of East Arnhem Land is facing an uphill battle as waves of plastic trash wash upon its shores, and its owners are doing everything they can to try to limit the environmental impact, and stem the loss of tourists.
Western Australia
No more training wheels: Rio Tinto launches ‘world’s biggest robot’
After more than a decade Rio Tinto has officially launched its autonomous train fleet, which the miner says holds great promise for flexibility and efficiency improvements at its Pilbara operations.
Sustainability
G20 set to agree on marine plastic pollution deal
G20 nations are negotiating a deal aimed at reducing marine plastic pollution.
Getting to zero: the Japan town trying to recycle all its waste
The Kamikatsu town in western Japan aims to be “zero-waste” by 2020.
Major global firms accused of concealing their environmental impact
More than 700 companies, including Amazon, Tesco and ExxonMobil, lack transparency, campaign group claims
Greenpeace activists try to board oil rig at sea
Greenpeace is trying to stop the drilling rig reaching a BP oil field east of Aberdeen.
As Trump touts ethanol, scientists question the fuel’s climate claims
At a crucial moment in ethanol policy, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is doubling down on its argument that ethanol is better than conventional fuel.
The truth about Chernobyl? I saw it with my own eyes…
Kim Willsher reported on the world’s worst nuclear disaster from the Soviet Union. HBO’s TV version only scratches the surface, she says
Chernobyl lies take their toll [$]
Andrew Bolt
HBO’s TV series Chernobyl can’t resist peddling deadly eco-porn about the nuclear disaster. More harm was done not by the effects of radiation but by the irrational fear of it.
Nature Conservation
Homeowners asked to help deal with huge number of dead whale carcasses
Port Hadlock, Washington: So many gray whale carcasses have washed up this year that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries says it has run out of places to take them.
Celebrating the environment on World Oceans Day
Edward Hull
Oceans are integral to the sustenance of human life
We are full of bright ideas to solve ecological problems. So let’s act on them
Chris Packham There is hope in the face of environmental crises. But we must all embrace change.
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