Post of the Day
More energy needed to cope with climate change
A new study found that by mid-century climate change will increase the demand for energy globally, even with modest warming.
Today’s Celebration
Independence Day – Mozambique
National Day – Slovenia
Statehood Day – Croatia
Arbor Day – Philippines
National Catfish Day – USA
Presentation of the Augsburg Confession – Lutheran Christianity
Day of Friendship and Unity of the Slavs
Climate Change
Climate activists end blockade of German coal mine as operator threatens to press charges
Hundreds of climate activists call an end to their protest inside one of Germany’s biggest open-pit coal mines after police repeatedly ordered them to leave, pulling some protesters from the site.
Damage to the ozone layer and climate change forming feedback loop
New report finds that impacts of ozone-driven climate change span the ecosystem
More energy needed to cope with climate change
A new study found that by mid-century climate change will increase the demand for energy globally, even with modest warming.
To understand climate denial, you have to understand Texas
Scientists should study Texas. We may be the secret to understanding climate change denial.
Up to 12 times more smoke due to climate change, warns prof
Climate change means more fire.
New poll: Big Oil should pay the climate tab
A new national survey found that most Americans – 57 percent – believe that fossil fuel companies bear primary responsibility for climate change.
The climate crisis and the end of the golden era of food choice
What’s for dinner in a hotter, drier, more crowded world?
National
PM promises ‘healthy balance’ on climate
Scott Morrison says his government will strike a “healthy balance” when it comes to achieving its 26 per cent emissions reduction target.
Power bills cut with ‘demand response’, but retailers want to keep grip on market
Some families are already taking advantage of “demand response”, reducing their bills by cutting their electricity use at peak times. But a move to promote competition in the demand response market has come up against some serious opposition.
Fire, disease, people: the native plants facing extinction – in pictures
Discover Australia’s threatened plant species, as well as their major threats
RBA governor says infrastructure spending should be run like monetary policy
Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe has urged the Morrison government to get infrastructure projects “shovel-ready” in case they are needed for an emergency stimulus to pull Australia out of an economic downturn.
Forget Dry July, try going plastic free [$]
Next month, when you go to buy veggies from the supermarket and put it in plastic, think about how long that plastic will last.
Green tape first priority for red tape review [$]
Business leaders said the states need to be brought on board with review of regulation, identifying environmental “green tape” as one area ripe for reform.
The real energy revolution is happening in our homes
Darren Miller
To make energy more affordable and future-proof our grid, we must better coordinate rooftop solar, batteries and other devices owned by consumers.
Rule changes, reform needed to address poor network frequency control
Bruce Miller
Having the power system frequency poorly controlled is like driving a car on a rough road.
The reason Australia doesn’t have nuclear power: the workers fought back
Jeff Sparrow
Workers have been fighting uranium mining for decades – the environment needs mass civil disobedience
Why have we stopped spending? The answer is not in the bag
John Birmingham
It’s not the plastic bag ban that’s making consumers reluctant to spend.
A radical economic shift is coming but Canberra isn’t talking about it
Lisa McLean
The world simply doesn’t have enough virgin resources to support the 10 billion people who will be on our planet by 2050.
Enormous lithium waste dump plan shows how shamefully backward we are
Emma Young
Our economy will transition to 100 per cent renewables. Sun and wind will bring us power, we’ll store it in lithium batteries. There’s just one (huge) problem.
Breaking the energy drought [$]
Robert Gottliebsen
We need reliable energy and industry super funds are using their clout for good.
Victoria
‘The only appropriate decision’: Leadbeater’s possum remains critically endangered
Victoria’s faunal emblem keeps its critically endangered status, in a decision from Environment Minister Sussan Ley that is likely to come as a blow to the state’s embattled native timber industry.
Back to nature: Children reap benefits of braving the cold
It’s eight degrees and children at Diamond Creek Memorial Kindergarten are stomping in puddles, making mud soup and running through the morning drizzle.
Major coal plant could close by 2025 amid Vic green push [$]
Workers at one of Victoria’s biggest coal-fired power stations have been warned about its future, with fears Yallourn could shut well before its slated closure in 2032 as the state pushes on with its radical renewables plan.
Fact Check: Is Victoria spending more on infrastructure than the entire Commonwealth?
Treasurer Tim Pallas said the State Government was spending more money on Victorian infrastructure than the Morrison Government was planning to spend across the entire nation over the next decade. Is he correct?
Ever wondered who looks after Victoria’s 100yo high country huts?
Victoria’s high country huts, preserved and maintained by around 240 volunteers, are each a little piece of history with an important job to do.
New South Wales
Workers exposed to unsafe radiation at Sydney nuclear facility
Production stops at a newly opened nuclear medicine facility at Sydney’s Lucas Heights after workers are exposed to a radiation dose above the statutory limit.
Climate emergency declared by city of Sydney
City of Sydney councillors have voted to declare that climate change should be treated as a national emergency.
Koalas’ ‘functionally extinct’ status challenged by grassroots action
Concerns that koalas could be extinct in New South Wales by 2050 prompts grassroots action by people to protect the iconic species.
Whale entanglement like a human ‘dragging a car’, experts say
Recent whale entanglements on the NSW coast highlight the man-made threats marine life face at an increasing rate, and experts say we can expect to see more.
Inquiry to reveal koala extinction truth
Sue Arnold
A new Parliamentary Inquiry into the future of the koala is likely to uncover the Berejiklian Government’s history of negligence, reckless mismanagement and refusal to listen to the experts.
ACT
ACT government opens public consultation on e-scooters [$]
A move to allow the use of e-scooters in Canberra is gaining momentum, as the government considers whether people should be permitted to ride them
ACT looks beyond 2020 renewables target, seals community solar off-take deal
The ACT doubles down on its renewable energy commitments as Australia’s largest community solar farm moves towards construction after securing funding.
Queensland
Reef grief: Some tourists already mourning loss of Great Barrier Reef
New research shows some tourists have already started to mourn loss of the reef.
Bid to wind-up Queensland solar supplier [$]
Moves are afoot to wind-up a Queensland solar energy business, which specialises in getting residents off the grid and was only registered as a company less than three years ago
Reef reports causing strife [$]
Graham Lloyd
Overheated reporting of coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef could leave people unengaged.
‘Sadness, disgust, anger’: fear for the Great Barrier Reef made climate change feel urgent
Matt Curnock and Scott Heron
Severe coral bleaching may have been the crucial factor in bringing home the reality of climate change for many people.
South Australia
Solar batteries are finally worth the money — sort of [$]
Solar storage batteries are now worth the investment, allowing you to save enough money to pay it off within the warranty period, UniSA research has found — but one expert disagrees.
Study explores Clare water options [$]
The Northern Adelaide Irrigation Scheme could be expanded to include the Clare Valley, to meet the needs of the region’s winegrape growers.
Tasmania
Break O’Day Council votes against climate emergency motion [$]
The Break O’Day Council has voted against declaring a climate emergency in its June meeting.
Standing up for the powerless and the unborn
Peter Boyer
Last week Hobart put itself in the history books by becoming the first Australian state capital to declare a climate and biodiversity emergency. Take a bow, councillors.
Northern Territory
Gunner rubbishes rumour of secret Glyde Point naval port plan [$]
Claims a top secret naval port is in the works at Glyde Point, north of Darwin, have been rejected
Solar energy could re-power the planet and the NT economy [$]
The Northern Territory is one of the sunniest places on earth, and according to a new report, turning sunshine into energy could be the answer to reviving the territory’s flailing economy.
Western Australia
Super power: Rest secures WA’s biggest wind farm
Retail super fund Rest has fully acquired the Collgar wind farm south-east of Merredin in WA’s Wheatbelt.
State Government rejects reports of planned carbon tax
The State Government has rejected reports it is planning a carbon tax as PM Scott Morrison today warned that carbon emissions reduction with the wrong target or an unclear mechanism could cost jobs.
Lithium giant will ‘get rid of biggest headache’ in controversial South West waste dump
The country’s pre-eminent expert on mine site rehabilitation has expressed surprise at the ability of the global company behind the lithium mine and new processing plant in the state’s south west to “exit the waste cycle” and sell its waste to the highest bidder.
Western Australia’s biggest wind farm now fully owned by retail super fund
W.A.’s 207MW Collgar wind farm now entirely owned by Rest Industry Super, after the minority shareholder bought up UBS Asset Management’s 60% stake.
Nufarm backed controversial campaign to stop ban on glyphosate [$]
Nufarm paid money to a campaign to stop a European ban on the chemical glyphosate, which has been linked to cancer.
First Dog on the Moon and the guest of honour in the desert who never turned up
First Dog on the Moon
Rangers and scientists and a white cartoonist converge for the night parrot but where is the night parrot???
What is left in the wake of a mining bonanza? [$]
Patrick Marlborough
‘As a West Australian I’d like to remind Queensland, and the nation at large, that the mining industry is better at digging holes than it is at fulfilling promises.’
Sustainability
On your dinner plate and in your body: The most dangerous pesticide you’ve never heard of
Chlorpyrifos – scientists say there is no acceptable dose to avoid brain damage. Its use is banned in several European countries. Now producers are pushing for a renewed EU-approval – perhaps in vain.
Why we have to finance a global Green New Deal
An international approach to tackling climate change would require the United States and other industrialized countries to give money to developing nations.
Schoolchildren helped redesign a city to cut air pollution and climate warming
Sean Peacock
Children are the future, so why don’t we listen to them more often?
Nature Conservation
Japan to resume commercial whaling next week
Japan’s whaling industry will restart on 1 July, despite low demand for the meat and criticism from conservationists.
Survival of natural world is in balance, says wildlife chief
Ana María Hernández says shifting society out of ‘comfort zone’ is difficult, but young people are inspiring
Abandoned tents add to detritus on Everest
Garbage on Mount Everest is not new but this year’s haul from an estimated 700 climbers, guides and porters has been a shock to the local Sherpas.
Untangling the complicated relationships between people and nature for a brighter future
With major crises such as extinctions and environmental degradation upon us, there’s never been a more crucial time to find solutions to environmental challenges. An international group of scientists is making major advances in sustaining the world’s environments — by untangling the intricate ways in which people and nature depend on each other.
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