Post of the Day
James Deverell
Australia’s future prosperity will require bold action on a number of fronts and a deliberate commitment to careful and considered long-term thinking.
Today’s Celebration
Artigas Day – Uruguay
Juneteenth (Milwaukee, Wisconsin & Texas) – United States of America
Labour Day – Trinidad & Tobago
Independence Day – Hungary
Arbor Day – Paraguay
International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict
Climate Change
Britain to host critical UN climate crisis summit at end of 2020
Gathering aimed at keeping global heating close to 1.5C will be most significant since Paris
Scientists shocked by Arctic permafrost thawing 70 years sooner than predicted
‘The climate is now warmer than at any time in last 5,000 years’
The poisons released by melting Arctic ice
Toxic chemicals, anthrax – even nuclear waste – could be unleashed by global warming.
High temperatures can lead to more violent crime, study finds
Researchers found that days with a high of more than 85 degrees spurred a 2.2 percent rise in general crime and a 5.7 percent increase in violent crime, on average.
EU issues green investment guide to help combat climate change
The European Commission sought to boost the flow of private money to tackle climate change on Tuesday by publishing guidelines on what qualifies as environmentally friendly investment, in a move welcomed by the financial industry.
In times of climate crisis, how many children should you have?
None, according to several philosophers.
The next wave of climate refugees
In the Indian Sundarbans, climate change threatens to destroy an important ecosystem, and a region populated by tens of millions.
Leaving microbes out of climate change conversation has major consequences, experts warn
Leading microbiologists have issued a warning, saying that not including microbes — the support system of the biosphere — in the climate change equation will have major negative flow-on effects.
National
Australia needs more than a single page EV strategy to cut transport emissions
EVs can help to significantly lower global transport emissions, but governments must develop the strategies to ensure they can achieve their full potential.
Cheap wind and solar, and “people-powered” revolution to kick out coal
The latest analysis from BloombergNEF dismisses talk of a new coal fired power generator in Australia, and says that cheap wind and solar, supported by flexible technologies such as storage, and driven by a “people-powered revolution” in rooftop installations, will kick coal out of the generation mix in Australia.
This is not the first time that Bradfield’s complex hydraulic plan has been drawn into the political debate; that the scheme could ensure water security is a myth that refuses to die.
Australian miners not complacent about tailings dams, says industry
The mining industry says it is not complacent about tailings facilities used to store the waste product from mining, after the tailings dam disastetr in Brazil killed more than 240 people.
Fast transition to renewables would be cheaper and reduce coal ramping risks
Ben Rose
Modelling shows that a faster transition to a high renewables grid would be cheaper and more efficient than a slow transition.
Final 2019 election results: education divide explains the Coalition’s upset victory
Adrian Beaumont
According to election results, areas with low levels of tertiary education swung strongly to the Coalition in NSW and Queensland, helping propel Scott Morrison to victory.
How to answer the argument that Australia’s emissions are too small to make a difference
Matt McDonald
After a recent foray into the debate over Australia’s so-called “climate election”, I received plenty of critical replies to my argument that Australians should take climate action more seriously.
James Deverell
Australia’s future prosperity will require bold action on a number of fronts and a deliberate commitment to careful and considered long-term thinking.
Alan Jones’ climate change ‘argument’
Steve Bishop
A mere two billionths of a gram of toxin is enough to kill Alan Jones’ ridiculous argument that the small proportion of CO2 has no effect on climate change.
Cheer up – things aren’t as bad as they may become
Peter Boyer
But government recalcitrance is making it tough for the optimists
Victoria
Victoria school trials solar electric car charger
Victorian college installs solar powered electric vehicle charger with view to go off grid and power staff and parents’ cars.
Altona foreshore to receive upgrade against storm surge
The Altona foreshore is set to receive a $2.1 million upgrade to protect it from the damaging effects of climate change, including sea level rise and the increased intensity of storm events.
Expanded protection for You Yangs
The You Yangs Regional Park has been declared a mining free zone thanks to additional protections being placed over the landmark hills, just north of Geelong.
State forced to pay millions more in East West Link compensation
The owners of a Clifton Hill hardware store will get an extra $2.8 million compensation, on top of $12.2 million already paid, as the financial pain from the defunct East West Link continues to haunt the Victorian government.
Victorians to wear cost of $109 million powerline safety blowout
Victorians could be forced to spend an extra $109 million on their power bills to cover another unexpected blowout in the cost of installing powerline bushfire safety technology.
‘Bus way’ badly planned, will stop future Doncaster rail: transport group
A new “bus way” to be built along the expanded Eastern Freeway is a poorly planned ‘afterthought’, according to a group of transport experts.
How hi-tech terror plan could speed up your commute
Melbourne’s underground rail network will get the latest technology to spot suspicious packages and intruders. But the terror-proofing plan has an unexpected perk for commuters.
Exxon to drill deep for Bass gas
ExxonMobil has received environmental approval to drill Australia’s deepest ever oil and gas well in the Bass Strait.
New South Wales
NSW Budget: Coalition misses opportunity to invest in state’s energy sector
Government investment in clean energy projects could improve budget bottom line, as well as helping to tackle climate change.
Premier taps into climate change fund to aid communities
The Berejiklian government plans to tap into its $1.4 billion Climate Change Fund by almost $300 million in the 2019-20 year for programs to help communities and businesses adapt to and cope with impacts from climate change.
Public transport savings for commuters and seniors as cut to weekly Opal fare cap kicks in
A lowering of the weekly cap on public transport fares from July 1 and travel benefits for seniors in regional NSW will cost taxpayers at least $160 million over the next four years, budget papers show.
NSW Budget: great news for green and open spaces and vital infrastructure to support communities
NSW Dept of Planning media release
The NSW Government’s 2019-20 Budget has some great news for green and open spaces and for vital infrastructure to support both new and growing communities.
NSW Dept of Planning media release
The NSW Government’s 2019-20 Budget is helping households with their energy bills and driving investment in a modern and reliable energy system.
Solar and battery scheme to help reduce bills
NSW Dept of Environment media release
NSW households are being encouraged to register their interest in the Empowering Homes program, which could save up to 300,000 households hundreds of dollars on their power bills.
Australia, water we waiting for?
Jamieson Murphy
Water is a bit like air, in the sense that you don’t really think about it until you don’t have any – and by then it’s too late.
ACT
Major Projects Canberra should consider social priorities
The establishment of Major Projects Canberra has merit, but it should provide social justification for the government’s infrastructure projects.
Queensland
Climate change protesters glue themselves to busy street
Two protesters have glued themselves to a zebra crossing and shut down a busy street in Brisbane’s CBD.
Payroll tax to overtake coal as Queensland’s cash cow
A think tank has argued it would be lucrative for the Queensland government to stop new coal mines from opening to limit supply and keep coal prices high.
New insight from Great Barrier Reef coral provides correction factor to climate records
Newly developed geological techniques help uncover the most accurate and high-resolution climate records to date, according to a new study. The research finds that the standard practice of using modern and fossil coral to measure sea-surface temperatures may not be as straightforward as originally thought. By combining high-resolution microscopic techniques and geochemical modeling, researchers are using the formational history of Porites coral skeletons to fine-tune the records used to make global climate predictions.
Make no mistake, Adani means death
Patrick Marlborough
Those championing the Adani Carmichael mine and similar projects are pushing a new sort of nihilism — asking us to take one more step into our collective graves, with the promise of some small reward along the way.
Using our river to connect the dots and our city [$]
Mark Damant
Now’s the time to make our river a point of distinctiveness for Brisbane – no other city has an opportunity like it.
South Australia
South Australia looks to EVs to flatten solar duck curve
South Australia to make electric vehicles a focus as it looks to solve the solar “duck curve” in the grid, and help integrate high renewables.
SA budget plan to bring the beaches back
The South Australian government has unveilled a plan to bring back Adelaide’s sandy beaches.
Outback opens up with a road to back of beyond [$]
There will be celebrations in the Outback following the complete sealing of the road to Marree, in what locals hope will be a boon for tourism and a win for pastoralists.
Mayors lash out over ‘hypocritical’ dump levy rise [$]
South Australian mayors are furious they were not consulted about a huge increase to dump rubbish, throwing their budgets and planned rate increases into chaos. One mayor termed it “hypocritical”.
SA must face reality with basin plan
Max Rheese
The consequence of turning formerly estuarine lakes into man-made fresh water lakes is that annually 900GL of precious fresh water evaporates from the lakes, instead of sea water.
Tasmania
PFAS at airport: Tasmanian Government commits to working with Australian counterparts
Tasmania’s PFAS action plan will not be amended at this stage despite concentration of the chemical found in the groundwater at Launceston
West Tamar Highway upgrades discussed at public hearing
Not all proposed upgrades suggested for West Tamar Highway by Department of State Growth are supported by the region’s council.
Northern Territory
Rio Tinto NT mine production suspended amid safety concerns
Production at a remote Rio Tinto mine site is temporarily suspended when a union investigation raises safety concerns at the operation.
Government considering magpie goose bag limits
The Territory Government is looking at the magpie goose bag limits for next hunting season.
Government kills funding for wildlife program [$]
Tourism Minister Lauren Moss has defended a decision to completely cut off funding for a NT wildlife group which is now on the brink of closure
China backs Aboriginal island mine [$]
The Aboriginal owners of one of Australia’s remotest islands are on the cusp of starting their own Chinese-backed mining venture.
Western Australia
WA minister denies allegations he misled Parliament over emissions guidelines
Environment Minister Stephen Dawson has denied accusations he misled WA Parliament over what he knew about the EPA’s plan to make big WA resources projects carbon neutral.
Sustainability
Synergy caught between high gas costs and falling renewable prices
WA Government owned Synergy has forecast substantial losses as the emergence of cheap renewables squeezes its coal and gas heavy fleet out of the market.
Murder, rape and claims of contamination at a Tanzanian goldmine
Police and guards at North Mara have been accused of killing dozens – possibly hundreds – of locals
You’re likely inhaling 11 tiny bits of plastic per hour
A new study suggests that our lungs are under siege in our own homes.
‘We want to force private motorists out of their cars’
A revolution in transport is planned for Ireland over the next decade.
‘Hot spots’ increase efficiency of solar desalination
Researchers showed they could boost the efficiency of their nanotechnology-enabled solar membrane desalination system by more than 50% simply by adding inexpensive plastic lenses to concentrate sunlight into ‘hot spots.’
Ammonia pollution damaging more than 60% of UK land – report
Study finds most sensitive plant and wildlife habitats are worst affected, yet government has no clear plans to monitor impact
Bitcoin mining: A report finds the network mostly runs on renewables
A new report claims it’s mostly powered by renewables. Be skeptical.
PFOA safety level should be 700 times lower than EPA guidelines
New data suggests that the safety threshold for PFOA in drinking water should be as low as .1 parts per trillion, according to a top U.S. toxicologist.
Q&A: The air we’re breathing is killing us, says new research
About 9 in 10 people worldwide are breathing unhealthy air. A journalist went on a quest to tell their stories.
‘Chernobyl’ provided the climate change metaphor that ‘Game of Thrones’ failed to deliver
Much like the climate crisis we face today, Chernobyl‘s conflict wasn’t really about facts; the terrible nuclear accident was right there for the world to see. But the scale of the problem was deliberately concealed.
How advertising can repurpose itself to serve cities in more sustainable ways
Sergio Brodsky
Companies have an opportunity to reframe brand communications from the promotion of conspicuous consumption to becoming a regenerative force in urban economies.
Designing ‘moments’ to progress complex problems – A look at nuclear weapons
Elise Harper
Like many modern social problems the threat of a nuclear weapons attack has no single cause and is constantly changing. Elise Harper explains why looking at the problem through the lens of complex adaptive systems, could hold the key to mobilising people at scale to affect systematic social change.
Nature Conservation
Superweeds are becoming increasingly resistant to herbicides
The evolution of herbicide-resistant weeds is a “striking example” of the consequences associated with human activities.
How enough floating plastic could change the sea
Many plastics float, block sunlight, and do not degrade—a recipe for altering the physical properties of the water underneath.
Changing how we predict coral bleaching
A remote sensing algorithm offers better predictions of Red Sea coral bleaching and can be fine tuned for use in other tropical marine ecosystems.
Cambodia’s islands are under threat. This woman aims to save them.
Decades of overfishing and indiscriminate waste disposal have taken a deep toll on Cambodia’s coastal and island communities.
Glacier National Park could be glacierless by 2030
As climate change melts the glaciers in Glacier National Park, how will these places most affected by climate change retain their identity?
Endangered shorebirds threatened by rising Great Lakes
A rainy spring and overflowing Great Lakes are adding to the environmental strain on tiny piping plovers.
Coral bleaching causes a permanent change in fish life
Repeat coral bleaching caused by rising sea temperatures has resulted in lasting changes to fish communities, according to a new long-term study.
Monitoring biodiversity with sound: How machines can enrich our knowledge
Research team compares traditional and modern survey methods
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