Post of the Day
If we want liveable cities in 2060 we’ll have to work together to transform urban systems
Tayanah O’Donnell et al
Urban greening is just one aspect of the transformation required to ensure our future cities are sustainable, liveable places.
Today’s Celebration
Constitution Day – Anguilla
National Day – Singapore
National Women’s Day – South Africa
Indigenous People’s Day – Suriname
Smokey Bear’s Birthday – United States
Battle of Gangut Day – Russia
Nagasaki Peace Memorial Ceremony – Japan
National Peacekeepers’ Day – Canada
International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples
Climate Change
IPCC issues global wake up call to Governments: act on climate or farmers will suffer
The IPCC’s latest special report on climate change paints a stark future for the world’s agricultural sector.
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce warns against climate change panic
Alan Joyce has slammed ‘flight shaming’ campaigns around the world – saying it wasn’t the best way to address climate change.
Climate change is bringing bumpier flights, study finds [$]
The greater the temperature contrast between the equator and the North Pole, the stronger the jet stream will blow from west to east across the North Atlantic.
Why a changing climate means more mercury in seafood
Emissions of mercury have declined, but levels in fish could still increase thanks to overfishing and a changing climate.
Will the climate services industry only help those who can pay?
Will the rise of private climate services — where companies sell data tailored to customers — benefit society as a whole or only those who can afford to pay?
Time to end the paradox in BHP’s response to global warming
Bob Carr
BHP’s CEO clearly sees the looming climate catastrophe, yet paradoxically the company still fights climate action.
National
AGL plans more storage as it eyes $200 billion energy transition opportunity
AGL Energy says it is looking to boost its storage and flexible generation options as it eyes a share of what it describes as a $200 billion investment opportunity…
AGL bags $1 billion profit, but faces headwinds on coal outages and retail margins
AGL posts $1 billion profit for the year, but expects falling energy prices, rising fuel costs and the impact of retail regulation to dampen future earnings.
Murray-Darling Basin no longer home to iconic Australian species
The decline in Australia’s platypus population has likely been underestimated, with the animal disappearing from large areas including the Murray-Darling Basin, research by scientists from the University of New South Wales finds.
Industry meets with Federal and Victorian Ministers to discuss future of waste and recycling
Ministers met with the waste and recycling industry on 6 August in Melbourne to discuss solving recycling challenges, developing markets for recycled materials, new infrastructure capacity, and how waste levies should be managed and reinvested into the sector.
Farmers call for national strategy on climate change and agriculture
IPCC report finds reduction in global heating requires transformation of food production and land management
Plan to slug green activists with legal costs [$]
A Queensland LNP senator will outline her controversial proposals to overhaul unfair dismissal laws, halt the increase of compulsory superannuation and crack down on green “lawfare”.
The big change Australia needs to make
People’s eating habits are making them unhealthy as well as contributing to global warming that will eventually drive up the price of food.
Climate out-of-controllers [$]
Warren Mundine
The biggest divide in politics and society, it seems, is between ordinary people and those who attempt to use climate scare stories to tell other folk how to live their lives.
Transurban is raking in cash — and it’s great news for the Liberal Party [$]
Stephen Mayne
Road developer Transurban has secured lucrative deals with state governments. Now it’s raking in billions in tolls, and the Libs are directly benefiting. How is this not a conflict of interest?
Victoria
Massive warehouses filled with recyclable materials that no one wants
It is the massive pile of recyclable materials, spread in warehouses across Melbourne’s north-western industrial suburbs, that the state government appears to not know what to do with.
‘You’ll need a valid ticket’: No such thing as a free trip, says Metro
Melbourne commuters may not get a free ride on Monday as promised by the public transport workers union, with Metro Trains warning that managers would be manning myki barriers at city stations.
Transport chaos looms as tram drivers vote to strike over pay claim
Melbourne’s trams could grind to a halt for up to 48 hours after hundreds of tram drivers and customer service staff voted to take strike action.
Western Highway activists given Major Roads eviction after 14-month protest
Activists camped for 14-months along the Western Highway to protest the loss of sacred Indigenous trees as part of a $672 million lane duplication project have been ordered off the land.
More solar panels installed with subsidies than last year, insists energy minister
Besieged Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio insists the number of rooftop solar panel installations in Victoria this year under the government’s rebate scheme will far surpass last year’s numbers.
New South Wales
NSW says SA should be forced to do more for the Murray-Darling Basin
Threats to walk away from the much-maligned Murray-Darling Basin Plan will be dealt with on the sidelines of the first meeting of state and territory leaders since Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s win at the May election.
In shadow of Liddell closure, power station expansion hits turbulence
A plan to shore up New South Wales’s energy supply suffers a setback amid concerns about aircraft safety.
Energy Minister vows to avoid repeat of ‘disastrous’ Hazelwood closure
A joint federal-NSW taskforce, set to be announced on Friday, will explore options for extensions or like-for-like replacement of Liddell to ensure there would not be a repeat of the impact on the National Electricity Market after the closure of the Hazelwood power plant in Victoria, which Mr Taylor said contributed to an increase in power prices.
Shark nets netting too many other marine creatures, latest data shows
New data shows dolphins, turtles and stingrays made up 94 per cent of the marine life caught by shark nets on some of New South Wales’s most popular beaches.
Towns facing water armageddon as supplies run out [$]
Some of NSW’s largest towns have less than a year of water left after an “unprecedented” depletion of dam supplies. Storage levels have dropped 30 per cent, leaving almost 200,000 residents in hubs such as Tamworth facing harsh restrictions.
ACT
Canberrans can now grow plants on nature strips
Most Canberrans are now free to grow plants on nature strips outside their homes.
Queensland
Queensland officially opens its first completed large scale wind farm
Ratch’s 180MW Mt Emerald Wind Farm first in a pipeline of wind farms to be built as Queensland aims for 50 per cent renewables.
Future of Great Barrier Reef needs to be on Council of Australian Governments agenda
The future of the Great Barrier Reef under a rapidly-warming climate should be on the agenda at this week’s Council of Australian Governments meeting in Cairns, says the Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS).
Will it ever rain again?’: More Queensland towns reeling in worst drought on record
As Stanthorpe faces running dry within months the local council discusses its options with the Queensland Government and gets set to impose heavy water restrictions.
The big problem with our solar panels [$]
As home solar panels boom to a new record, complaints about dodgy installations are soaring, with one Queensland tradesman this week jailed for a $400k scam. Authorities say it’s not an isolated case.
Jackie Trad’s new coal-killing climate plan [$]
An embattled Jackie Trad is using a state treasurers’ meeting to push for a new national climate change plan that would put a handbrake on new coal mines and heavy industry.
South Australia
‘I’ll sell the boat I suppose’: Snap reaction to proposed snapper ban
For 17 years Ray Cook, also known as ‘Captain Cook’, has built a livelihood around helping others to catch a prized snapper — but a proposed ban in SA waters could force his business under.
Nuclear waste: residents near proposed dump told to sign draconian code of conduct
Code bans residents from taking notes or recording any part of meetings without prior agreement
AGL ready for blackout fight [$]
AGL will fight the regulator’s lawsuit over the role of its wind farm in South Australia’s infamous 2016 blackout.
Is regulator’s parting power play against wind farms just a political stunt?
Giles Parkinson
At least federal energy minister Angus Taylor is happy. The decision by the Australian Energy Regulator and its outgoing chair Paula Conboy to sue four wind farms over their role in the events that led to the South Australia blackout in 2016 confirms, in his mind, the case against wind technology.
Tasmania
City of Launceston council declares a climate emergency
Tasmania’s largest council has become the first in the state to unanimously declare a climate emergency.
Remote firefighting crews put on hold [$]
As the state digests how last summer’s bushfires could have been better handled, it has been revealed that ongoing safety concerns mean Tasmania’s exposure to wildfires has increased.
Northern Territory
NT hemp bill passes, planting to start [$]
The Territory Legislative Assembly has officially passed the Hemp Industry Bill, paving the way for NT farmers to start planting as early as next year’s Dry season
Western Australia
Possum finishing school helps endangered animals prepare for life in the wild
A finishing school for western ringtail possums is not about airs and graces — it’s about helping orphaned possums get used to fending for themselves.
Gorgon LNG plant begins long-delayed carbon capture and storage project
Half Australia’s increase in CO2 emissions has been linked to WA project’s failure to bury its greenhouse gas underwater
Climate radicals prepared to do ‘whatever it takes’
Climate change radicals Extinction Rebellion held their first talk in Perth, attracting about 50 people, young and old, ahead of WA rallies and ‘training exercises’.
Sustainability
Europe coal generation collapsed by 19% in first six months of 2019
Coal generation in Europe has collapsed 19% so far in 2019, which may mark the beginning of the end for coal power in Europe.
Scientists produce ‘Atomik’ vodka from Chernobyl grain
Alcohol is free of radioactivity and could help economic recovery in region
Tiny house on a rooftop could be model for cheap housing
Could you live in 12 square metres? What if your tiny home had a great view? An Ecuador architecture firm has come up with a novel housing solution – a tiny house on the roof of an existing building.
Study finds a third of Europe childhood asthma caused by air pollution
UP to a third of new cases of childhood asthma in Europe could be caused by air pollution, a study suggests.
Oil rigs could pump CO2 emissions into rocks beneath North Sea
North Sea oil and gas rigs could be modified to pump vast quantities of carbon dioxide emissions into rocks below the seabed, research shows.
New process discovered to completely degrade flame retardant in the environment
New research has potential application to remediate other difficult-to-degrade pollutants
These bioceramic geodesic domes are fireproof and hurricane-proof
Geoship is touting the bioceramic geodesic dome as the home of the future—and getting help on the rollout from Zappos, which wants to build some near its headquarters to give to the homeless.
Revealed: How Monsanto’s ‘intelligence center’ targeted journalists and activists
Internal documents show how the company worked to discredit critics and investigated singer Neil Young
Don’t Buy. Don’t Supply. Say Why.
Greenpeace Australia Pacific CEO David Ritter offers three clear steps every workplace can take to help get fossil fuels out of our economy
Balloons aren’t killing the environment, stupidity is
David Penberthy
Plastic bags I get. But killing off a biodegradable staple of kids birthday parties and wedding anniversaries for the sake of big-noting yourself as an environmental warrior is just overkill.
If we want liveable cities in 2060 we’ll have to work together to transform urban systems
Tayanah O’Donnell et al
Urban greening is just one aspect of the transformation required to ensure our future cities are sustainable, liveable places.
Nature Conservation
88 percent decline of big freshwater animals
Scientists have now quantified the global decline of big freshwater animals: From 1970 to 2012, global populations of freshwater megafauna declined by 88 percent – twice the loss of vertebrate populations on land or in the ocean. Large fish species are particularly affected.
Marine heatwaves a bigger threat to coral reefs than previously thought, scientists find
Marine heatwaves are a much bigger threat to coral reefs than previously thought, research revealing a previously unrecognized impact of climate change on coral reefs has shown.
Stony corals: Limits of adaption
Corals have been dominant framework builders of reef structures for millions of years. Ocean acidification, which is intensifying as climate change progresses, is increasingly affecting coral growth. Scientists have now answered some questions regarding whether and how corals can adapt to these changes by having gained important insights into the regulatory processes of coral calcification.
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