Daily Links Aug 4

Hey Beetrooter, given the half-life of the waste a nuclear power station would generate, for how many thousand generations should  those living nearby receive free power? When you’re under the pump on your piddling energy policies, run some creative mischief, for that’s all this is.

https://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-03/parliamentary-enquiry-to-examine-nuclear-power-in-australia/11380666?pfmredir=sm

From: Maelor Himbury <maelor@melbpc.org.au>
Date: 4 August 2019 at 8:13:04 am AEST
Subject: Daily Links Aug 4

Post of the Day

Study suggests economic growth benefits wildlife but growing human populations do not

Analysis shows that while national-level economic growth and social development — including more women in government — are associated with more abundant wildlife, growing human populations are linked to wildlife decline.

 

Today’s Celebration

The First Sermon of Lord Buddha – Bhutan

Constitution Day – Cook Islands

Founders Day – Ghana

Matica Slovenská Day – Slovakia

Revolution Day – Burkina Faso

Friendship Day

Sisters’ Day

National Aboriginal and Islander Children’s Day (NATICD)

More about Aug 4

 

National

Coalition requests first study of nuclear power in Australia in over a decade

Energy Minister Angus Taylor insists the moratorium on nuclear energy will remain in place, but asks the bipartisan Environment and Energy Committee to look at what would be needed for “any future government’s consideration” of the technology.

 

Meeting of Murray-Darling Basin Water Ministers

Minister for Water Resources David Littleproud said he would meet state and territory ministers to discuss how the drought is affecting Basin communities, agriculture and the environment.

 

Australia’s climate stance is inflicting criminal damage on humanity

Ian Dunlop and David Spratt

The government opts for conflict rather than change, while suppressing details on the implications of its climate inaction

 

Dingoes save wildlife and improve stock grazing

Peter Mirtschin |

Dingoes have long been considered a natural pest, but perhaps it’s time we worked with them instead of against them.

 

Victoria

La Trobe University says North East Link planners have missed the bus

Students at La Trobe University’s Bundoora campus need better bus services, and often have no choice but to drive, the North East Link panel has been told.

 

Ozone, uh oh: Fumigator roasted for spraying pesticide at fruit market

A fumigation company at Melbourne’s fruit and vegetable wholesale market has been ordered to stop releasing a gas it sprays for pests because it depletes the ozone layer.

 

Drive to share recycling bins to cut landfill [$]

A northern suburbs group has started a “recycling buddy program” to encourage people to share bins so recycling doesn’t end up in landfill.

 

Can trees, seats slow Southbank’s speeding cyclists? [$]

Pedestrian safety will be the focus of an extensive overhaul of the Southbank promenade, which will extend use of the space to the Yarra River’s edge. See the new measures that’ll force speeding cyclists to hit the brakes.

 

New South Wales

‘Russian roulette’: State Government failed to identify contaminated swimming spots

A study using data from Water NSW finds parts of the popular Hawkesbury-Nepean River is “susceptible to periods of elevated faecal contamination” yet the community is not being alerted to hazardous levels of contamination.

 

‘Just crazy’: Koscuiszko feral horse herds swell as government dithers

Divisions within the NSW government have delayed the relocation of brumbies in the Kosciuszko National Park even as numbers of the feral horses continue to rise.

 

Queensland

Queensland planning laws risk alienating communities, expert warns

Griffith lecturer Philippa England has updated her text on Queensland’s planning laws and their impact on the state.

 

Stick to collecting rubbish – not spreading it [$]

Peter Gleeson

As the clock edged towards midnight, all that was left for the craggy old mayor was to call stumps and close the long council meeting.

 

South Australia

Platypus breeding? It may be on the bill at Warrawong [$]

The humble platypus is thriving at the Warrawong Wildlife Sanctuary in the Hills — in fact, they’re doing so well that a breeding and research program may soon be on the cards.


Tasmania

Alarm at zoo’s plan to import wild cat [$]

A Tasmanian zoo has applied to import a wild cat native to Africa and Asia – but wildlife authorities have assessed the risk posed by the species as “extreme”.

 

Meet Australia’s southern-most ranger [$]

Parks ranger Andrea Turbett will this week undertake one of the highlights of her job on remote and rugged Macquarie Island.

 

Northern Territory

Bauxite mine set for compensation claim over ‘destroyed dreamings’

Respected Aboriginal leader Galarrwuy Yunupingu says mining operations on the peninsula have gone on without seeking advice from traditional owners, and have damaged “a whole lot of dreamings”.

 

Sustainability

We must transform food production to save the world, says leaked report

Cutting carbon from transport and energy ‘not enough’ IPCC finds

 

Shared E-Scooters Aren’t Always as Green as Other Transport Options

People think of electric scooters, or e-scooters, as environmentally friendly ways to get around town. But a new study from North Carolina State University finds it’s not that simple: shared e-scooters may be greener than most cars, but they can be less green than several other options.

 

‘Green’ taxes

A comparative analysis has shown that ‘indirect’ instruments, such as excise taxes on motor fuel and other energy taxes, did not yield any lesser impact than their ‘direct’ counterparts, and, over time, were even more effective.

 

Making a case for returning airships to the skies

Reintroducing airships into the world’s transportation-mix could contribute to lowering the transport sector’s carbon emissions and can play a role in establishing a sustainable hydrogen based economy. According to the authors of an IIASA-led study, these lighter-than-air aircraft could ultimately increase the feasibility of a 100% sustainable world.

 

From greenhouse gas to fuel

University of Delaware scientists are part of an international team of researchers that has revealed a new approach to convert carbon dioxide gas into valuable chemicals and fuels.

 

Study identifies way to enhance the sustainability of manufactured soils

Through its FABsoil project, the University of Plymouth — in partnership with the world famous Eden Project and businesses in Cornwall, such as the Green waste Company — is leading the quest to fabricate soils which could ultimately lead to the creation of custom-made, sustainable products across a range of locations and markets.

 

Nature Conservation

Brazilian scientist sacked after row with Brazil’s President over Amazon deforestation

The head of Brazil’s space research agency is sacked after Jair Bolsonaro accused the respected government science body of fudging Amazon deforestation numbers to make his administration look bad.

 

Outfoxed! The incredibly simple baiting tool that’s killing foxes and saving wildlife

A clever little baiting device is being hailed as groundbreaking for the way in which it tempts foxes to take a poison bait while discouraging other wildlife.

 

Number of US fish stocks at sustainable levels remains near record high

Today, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released the Status of US Fisheries Annual Report to Congress, which details the status of 479 federally-managed stocks or stock complexes in the US to identify which stocks are subject to overfishing, are overfished, or are rebuilt to sustainable levels.

 

Eleven new species of rain frogs discovered in the tropical Andes

Eleven new frog species were described in the open-access journal ZooKeys. This is the largest number of frog species described in a single article from the western hemisphere in over a decade.

 

Seabirds are threatened by hazardous chemicals in plastic

An international collaboration led by scientists at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT) , Japan, has found that hazardous chemicals were detected in plastics eaten by seabirds. This suggests that the seabird has been threatened by these chemicals once they eat plastics.

 

Study suggests economic growth benefits wildlife but growing human populations do not

Analysis shows that while national-level economic growth and social development — including more women in government — are associated with more abundant wildlife, growing human populations are linked to wildlife decline.

 

 

Maelor Himbury

6 Florence St Niddrie 3042

93741902

0432406862