Date: 22 August 2019 at 8:10:06 am AEST
Subject: Daily Links Aug 22
If the links don’t arrive tomorrow it’s because I’m having NBN installed today and who knows what will happen
Post of the Day
Six sentences of hope: defining a unifying vision in the face of the climate crisis
Richard Flanagan
A sense of futility haunts us all, so I sought to distill in as few words as possible what could be done by us as a people. Writing them, I felt my despair lift
Today’s Celebration
Flag Day – Russia
Madras Day -Tamil Nadu
Feast of Queenship of Mary – Catholicism
International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief
Climate Change
Greenland glacier ‘shrinking fast’
Scientists look for ways to slow the melting of potentially world-flooding glaciers.
Six sentences of hope: defining a unifying vision in the face of the climate crisis
Richard Flanagan
A sense of futility haunts us all, so I sought to distill in as few words as possible what could be done by us as a people. Writing them, I felt my despair lift
Sanders to unveil climate plan on Thursday
White House hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) will unveil his climate plan Thursday during a trip to California.
Amy Westervelt
“I barely know your kids and I feel like I would jump in front of a bus to stop this shit.”
National
EnergyAustralia slams energy regulator for blackout “blame game”
EnergyAustralia says legal action against wind farm operators a fruitless “blame game,” at a time when the national energy market is changing “beyond recognition.”
‘Trilemma’ set to transform Australia’s energy market
The Australian energy market will have changed “beyond recognition” within a decade, EnergyAustralia says.
Top scientists slam ignorance about genetically modified food
The nation’s leading scientists have started a publicity campaign to dispel what they say are unfounded fears over genetically modified foods.
Can high speed rail really solve our population problem?
Todd Denham and Jago Dodson
The loss of 200,000 people would not much change Melbourne or Sydney, but those numbers moving to Geelong or Wollongong would create huge disruption
Eco-warriors should rein in their moralising zeal
Madeline Grant
In our haste to cleanse ourselves of eco-sins, we too should beware the dangers of setting up one rule for the rich and another for everyone else.
Access to land is a barrier to simpler, sustainable living. Public housing could offer a way forward
Alex Baumann and Samuel Alexander
The cost of land and, in turn, housing forces people to buy into the rules of market capitalism, making it very hard to ‘downshift’ from consumer lifestyles. But what if we rethink public housing?
Victoria
Plans to revive SKM plants to ease Victoria’s waste crisis
The restructuring company taking over embattled waste processor SKM Recycling says it hopes to get the business “back to capacity”, and says a solution could be reached within weeks.
SKM recycling collapses with $100m debt
One of Australia’s biggest recycling companies has collapsed with debts worth $100 million, plunging the struggling industry even further into crisis.
Standoff over bid to save ancient Aboriginal trees could ‘get ugly’
Protestors who have been camping for more than a year next to a sacred Aboriginal site are planning a showdown with authorities who are due to evict the group on Wednesday.
Power cuts may hit as many as 1.3 million Victorian homes this summer
Millions of Victorians could face blackouts this summer unless power plants are repaired and additional supplies of electricity are secured, the Australian Energy Market Operator has warned.
Walking all over: The suburbs with 20-minute ambitions
Strathmore is looking at how to make neighbourhoods more liveable as Melbourne’s population increases.
Illegal poisoning of trees results in prosecution
Monash Council has successfully prosecuted an owner over the illegal poisoning of 10 significant trees at a property in Wheelers Hill.
EPA issues clean up notice for site of Tottenham fire
Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) has issued a notice that requires the owner of the land, Danbol Pty Ltd, to clean up the site of a large fire that occurred on Somerville Road, Tottenham last year.
Government defends Eastern Freeway heritage push
The Andrews Government has defended its plan to give heritage protection to the Eastern Freeway by saying the special status would bring “certainty” to the North East Link project.
La Trobe to become state’s first carbon-neutral university
A $75 million initiative with 20 separate projects will create Victoria’s first emissions-free university. This is how campuses around the state will cut their carbon footprint by making “genuine, local” changes.
New South Wales
Recycling centre fire extinguished; damage assessed
The fire at the Lismore Recycling & Recovery Centre in Wyrallah Road has been extinguished today by Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) with the assistance of Lismore City Council staff.
Wildlife protected as business park begins
Work is underway for the Armidale Regional Airport Business Park, with close liaison between Council and specialised ecologists to manage vegetation and biodiversity in and around the site.
Power strains predicted for grid this summer if repairs fail
NSW appears well-placed to get through this summer without major power outages although Victoria may not be so lucky, with more than a million households potentially facing blackouts.
Power station poised to be fired back up
A mothballed NSW Hunter Valley coal-fired power station is to be re-commissioned and the new owners say it will be cleaner and greener than it was before it shut down five years ago.
How Greg from NSW became Mr Coal [$]
Neil Chenoweth
In the inky depths of the coal whispering business, Greg Evans deserves a gold medal for reverse astroturfing. The man’s a genius.
Queensland
Explainer: Going nowhere: Experts work on how to unlock transport bottleneck in Queensland
Fast rail, a high frequency Metro, and a duplicate M1, are just some of the multi-billion dollar “fixes” aimed at getting South East Queensland moving again. But is it enough to solve the transport woes?
Queensland Labor to change its official platform in coal-friendly revamp
State conference expected to endorse proposal in a bid to reconnect with regional and blue-collar voters
Queensland expected to fare well as national power grid prepares for summer
Queensland appears to be the best-placed state to get through the summer without major power outages, but Victoria may not be so lucky, with more than a million households potentially facing blackouts.
Brisbane’s platypuses could vanish before we even knew they were there
The species’ conservation level is listed as Low Concern by the Queensland environment department, however a wildlife management group says the number of platypuses in the region has dropped sharply.
The $1.2b Queensland coal mine, the plane crash and the 12-year legal war
A legal war between two coal tycoons, one of the longest in Queensland’s history, was expected to come to a head in a matter of weeks.
Adani refuses to bow to climate activists
An engineering firm has dumped Adani after being targeted by climate activists, but the mining giant has vowed the Carmichael mine will go ahead.
Matt Canavan attacks mining contractor Aurecon for severing ties with Adani [$]
Resources Minister Matt Canavan will today lash engineering and mining contractor Aurecon for being “weak as piss” after it severed ties with the Adani coal mining site after being targeted by anti-coal activists.
Seven days to test koalas for killer disease too much to bear
Koalas can now be tested for deadly chlamydia bacteria within 30 minutes in a breakthrough announced on the Gold Coast.
Reef foundation quadruples staff [$]
The Great Barrier Reef Foundation also spent $3.6m on “administrative activities” in six months.
Dive deep to help group float [$]
The GBRF iwill need big corporations that have sought to align their branding with the reef to dig deep into their pockets.
Multiple Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) crews are assisting Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) and HQPlantations at a bushfire burning at the northern end of Bribie Island.
Crazy gang: Coalition MP wants Queensland to leave main grid
Sophie Vorrath
Just when you thought Australia had hit the ceiling on absurd energy politics, federal Nationals MP Keith Pitt has smashed right through it with a “bold” new plan for Queensland to quit the national grid.
South Australia
‘Stop the devastation’: Great Australian Bight seismic testing delayed until next year
A plan to probe the Great Australian Bight for gas and oil using seismic testing is delayed, with the company behind the move confirming its testing will be postponed until next year.
Controversial KI plan heads to Supreme Court [$]
Plans for high-end accommodation in Kangaroo Island’s biggest conservation park face another battle before they see the light of day, with campaigners heading to the Supreme Court.
Vic energy crisis a risk for SA [$]
The energy market operator says South Australia will also be at risk if Victoria’s electricity problems worsen this summer.
Minister’s pitch for Bight, South East to boost oil and gas [$]
A day after plans to use seismic testing in the Great Australian Bight were delayed, the federal energy minister says the hunt for oil and gas remains vital to the country’s energy security.
Tasmania
PETA asks Albert van Zetten to consider vegan council menu
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals are calling on City of Launceston mayor Albert van Zetten to serve vegan-only meals at council events. The group believe it would reduce carbon emissions.
Northern Territory
‘A stunt’: Senator Pauline Hanson slammed for climbing Uluru ahead of ban
Senator Pauline Hanson is set to scale Uluru as part of her campaign to keep the climbing route open for visitors.
Montara oil spill: site’s new operator rejects suggestion it couldn’t afford second clean-up
Jadestone CEO says it could cover the cost of cleaning up a major spill, even though company has never made a profit
Western Australia
Labor ‘burying toxic dirt to avoid landfill costs’ [$]
Stockpiling and disposal of the PFAS contaminated dirt from the Forrestfield Airport Link tunnel could add as much as $320 million to the cost of the project.
WA mining jobs on Trump’s agenda as ScoMo visit looms [$]
Scott Morrison and Donald Trump will discuss a plan to ramp up the mining of Australia’s key minerals and boost West Australian jobs when they meet in Washington next month.
Sustainability
Crappy clean energy project scales up
An Australian-Cambodian social enterprise turning manure into a clean source of energy for cooking has successfully launched a pay-as-you-go model, giving thousands more Cambodians access to the technology.
Smart sink could help save water
An experiment with a water-saving ‘smart’ faucet shows potential for reducing water use. The catch? Unbeknownst to study participants, the faucet’s smarts came from its human controller.
Vehicle exhaust pollutants linked to near doubling in risk of common eye condition
Long term exposure to highest levels linked to greatest risk of age related macular degeneration (AMD) among over 50s
Paper straws won’t stop climate change
They’re a single-use, disposable consumer item—a greener option, but not a green one.
With Ecosia, you can help plant trees by just surfing the internet
The Berlin start-up thinks tech companies can be a force for good.
Urban stormwater could release contaminants to ground, surface waters
A good rainstorm can make a city feel clean and revitalized. However, the substances that wash off of buildings, streets and sidewalks and down storm drains might not be so refreshing. Now, researchers have analyzed untreated urban stormwater from 50 rainstorms across the US, finding a wide variety of contaminants that could potentially harm aquatic organisms in surface waters and infiltrate ground water.
Record wildfires raging through the Amazon can now be seen from space
Swathes of Brazil, including some of its biggest cities, have been covered in thick smoke as wildfires continue to ravage the world’s largest tropical rainforest.
New evidence highlights growing urban water crisis
New research has found that in 15 major cities in the global south, almost half of all households lack access to piped utility water, affecting more than 50 million people.
‘It’s not Chernobyl’: Aussie radioactive waste a toxic issue in Malaysia
A growing pile of radioactive waste in Malaysia is at the centre of a battle between an Australian mining giant and local Malaysians convinced it will destroy their community for generations.
Contaminated water ‘no danger’ [$]
Drinking water supplies have been contaminated with minute pieces of plastic but there is no evidence of danger.
Hasbro to cut plastics in toy packaging
The toy maker Hasbro says it is introducing measures to ensure most of its packaging for its products is plastic-free by 2022.
Can environmental populism save the planet?
Mark Beeson
Populism focuses on charismatic individuals. Environmentalism is all about collective action on collective solutions. How do they come together?
Nature Conservation
Record wildfires raging through the Amazon can now be seen from space
Swathes of Brazil, including some of its biggest cities, have been covered in thick smoke as wildfires continue to ravage the world’s largest tropical rainforest.
Brazil’s Bolsonaro blames Amazon fires on NGOs
Mr Bolsonaro hit back Wednesday, saying “criminal action by those NGOs, to call attention against me, against the Brazilian government” may be the reason for the forest fires.
Two tigers seized from traffickers every week, report finds
Closure of tiger farms among urgent steps needed to protect species, wildlife summit hears
Los Angeles to build world’s largest wildlife bridge across 10-lane freeway
An $87m corridor will extend over Highway 101 to reconnect the ecosystem and possibly save mountain lions from extinction
Boreal forest fires could release deep soil carbon
Increasingly frequent and severe forest fires could burn generations-old carbon stored in the soils of boreal forests, according to results from the Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE) funded by NASA’s Earth Science Division. Releasing this previously buried carbon into the atmosphere could change these forests’ balance of carbon gain and loss, potentially accelerating warming.
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