Post of the Day
Climate strikes have changed the rules of diplomacy at UN Climate Action Summit
Richie Merzian
UN is drawing on the strength of youth climate strikes, and the vision of big companies like Atlassian to try and reshape rules of climate diplomacy.
Today’s Celebration
Blessed Rainy Day – Bhutan
Constitution Day – Cambodia
National Day – Guinea-Bissau
Heritage Day – South Africa
Republic Day – Trinidad and Tobago
National Punctuation Day – USA
Mahidol Day – Thailand
Our Lady of Mercy Day – Dominican Republic
Feast of Saint Rupert – Austria
Climate Change
Worldwide climate strikes are ‘prophetic’, says Christian Aid
The climate strikes sweeping the globe are a “prophetic movement”, Christian Aid has said.
‘How dare you?’ Greta Thunberg asks world leaders at UN summit
A visibly angry Greta Thunberg berated world leaders at a UN climate summit on Monday, accusing them of betraying her generation by failing to tackle greenhouse gas emissions and asking “How dare you?”
US commentator slammed after comparing Greta Thunberg to Nazi propaganda
A tweet by Dinesh D’Souza has been criticised across the political spectrum.
Banks worth $69 trillion commit to new UN-backed climate principles
Banks worth trillions of dollars have adopted UN-backed climate principles to move investments away from fossil fuels.
Make climate fight ‘sexy and fun,’ says Japan’s new environment minister
Japan’s environment minister wants to make the climate change fight “sexy”.
‘Funeral march’ held for Swiss glacier lost to global warming
According to scientists, the Pizol glacier in eastern Switzerland has lost at least 80 per cent of its volume since 2006.
Australian climate striker, 15, takes fight to New York
Harriet O’Shea Carre, one of the founding members of the School Strike For Climate movement in Australia, was invited to attend the United Nations Youth Climate Summit.
Countries must triple climate emission cut targets to limit global heating to 2C
United in Science report ahead of UN summit says climate is changing faster than forecast, and current plans would lead to ‘catastrophic’ global temperature rise
2019 Arctic sea ice minimum tied for second lowest on record
The extent of Arctic sea ice at the end of this summer was effectively tied with 2007 and 2016 for second lowest since modern record keeping began in the late 1970s.
‘We know the recipe’ to reach an ambitious climate goal, Montreal mayor tells UN summit
Montreal will reduce its carbon emissions by 55 per cent by 2030 and is ready to go even farther, Mayor Valérie Plante announced Monday in a speech to the United Nations’ Summit on Climate Change.
The world acted for the ozone layer. Why not climate change?
In 1986 and ’87, expeditions to Antarctica confirmed a development that left the world on edge: chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons, found in many personal hygiene products, had caused a hole in the ozone layer that was only getting bigger.
Cutting climate pollution isn’t enough – we also need carbon removal
Despite the urgency, there is no dedicated federal effort to develop crucial technologies or carbon removal initiatives.
To prevent the next dust bowl, give soil a chance
As the United Nations gathers for a Climate Summit, farmer Gabe Brown and ag specialist Ron Nichols urge regenerative agricultural practices to improve the soil and slow climate change.
Time to up the ante on climate change strategy [$]
Graham Lloyd
A sobering lesson from the latest UN science report on climate is not how much still needs to be done but how little has been achieved for all the effort and money already spent.
People of faith know what must be done on climate change
John L. McCullough and Rudelmar Bueno de Faria
The only strategy that ensures the welfare of humanity and the earth we all belong to is an approach that addresses the root causes of climate change and migration and expands our understanding of who needs international protection.
Climate strikes have changed the rules of diplomacy at UN Climate Action Summit
Richie Merzian
UN is drawing on the strength of youth climate strikes, and the vision of big companies like Atlassian to try and reshape rules of climate diplomacy.
National
Clive Palmer $60m election spend shows need for cap, advocates say
Human Rights Law Centre-led group warns against ‘disproportionate influence by those with the fattest wallets’
Australia’s social progress ranking hurt by poor environmental performance
Australia is lagging well behind other countries when it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, according to new research measuring the nation’s social progress.
Human rights lawyers stand with climate strike students
Australian Lawyers for Human Rights has backed schoolchildren across the country who took the day off last Friday to protest inaction on climate change, saying all children have the right to be heard on matters affecting them.
Australian PM says China must step up on climate change as ‘newly developed’ nation
Scott Morrison uses keynote speech of US visit to say China should be doing more to combat the climate crisis
Josh Frydenberg backs Angus Taylor’s account of grasslands meeting
Former environment minister says Taylor had disclosed family interest in grasslands case before controversial meeting
Nation is sleepwalking towards a three-megacity debacle
The impact of the Commonwealth not extending its population planning efforts beyond adjusting immigration rates is being deeply felt across Australia.
Qld, NSW worst affected as climate change, disasters pose greater mortgage risk
One of the world’s major ratings agencies, Moody’s, has warned more people could fall behind on their mortgage payments as natural disasters become more frequent.
Energy ministers to meet as emissions ease
Energy ministers will meet for the first time in almost a year as the federal minister applauds a shift in emissions in the National Electricity Market.
Graph of the Day: Brown coal generation hits record low in Australia
Brown coal generation hits record daily and weekly low in Australia due to outages and impact of wind and solar.
The best way for Australia to stop worrying about oil is to stop depending on it
John Quiggin
Supply fears after the Saudi attack are alarmist, the impact on Australian petrol prices marginal at most. But they also miss the point
Scott Morrison’s decision to spurn the UN climate summit for a Trump rally speaks volumes
Paul Bongiorno
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has enthusiastically shared the stage at a Trump rally in the US swing state of Ohio rather than attend the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York.
Activists are using the climate emergency as a new legal defence to justify law-breaking
Nicole Rogers
As the emergency develops, our understanding of what is reasonable and lawful will inevitably change.
It’s time to ban climate denialism in the media [$]
Christopher Warren
Climate denialists continue to hijack media platforms to erode belief in scientific consensus. The media has a responsibility to stop them.
Why tech CEOs can’t afford to ignore climate change [$]
Yolanda Redrup
Start-ups struggling to attract and retain talent need to offer more than high salaries – they need to engage with the views of their workforce.
Climate strike children have the solution to crisis in their hands [$]
Alan Jones
If Australia’s climate strike children are serious about the world-ending dangers of coal-fired electricity, then a solution to the crisis is right in their very own hands.
Australia’s main grid copes just fine with minimal amount of coal [$]
David Leitch
More than 11 large coal units were offline at various times last week, and the grid coped just fine. But we still deserve better planning for a renewable future.
We can make roof tiles with built-in solar cells – now the challenge is to make them cheaper
Md Abdul Alim et l
Despite being such a sunkissed country, Australia is still lagging behind in the race to embrace solar power. While solar panels adorn hundreds of thousands of rooftops throughout the nation, we have not yet seen the logical next step: buildings with solar photovoltaic cells as an integral part of their structure.
Victoria
Recycling resumes across four Melbourne councils
Brimbank, Moonee Valley and Melbourne councils announced on Monday morning their recycling had been taken to SKM’s former Laverton North plant after receivers KordaMentha cleared more than 10,000 tonnes of stockpiled waste from the site over the last three weeks.
Notoriously polluted creek runs red in Melbourne
Melbourne residents are told to “avoid contact with the water” after Stony Creek, contaminated by chemicals last year, starts running red over the weekend.
Will powerful owls give two hoots for ‘LEGO’ prosthetic nest box?
It may look a little incongruous halfway up a tree and somewhat like a transformer toy or LEGO in appearance. That’s because you are viewing it as a human and not through the eyes of the prospective tenant, a powerful owl.
Andrews government rebuffs federal push on East West Link
Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan says the Victorian government has no interest in helping to build the tollway, despite a federal government offer of $4 billion.
Glen Eira Council could offer residents incentives to ditch car for public transport
Glen Eira residents will be offered $100 Myki cards to forgo parking permits under a push to ease traffic snarls in the municipality’s booming suburbs.
New South Wales
The coal workers striking for the climate [$]
These men and women know better than anyone the economic gift that coal has been. They also understand the environmental cost.
Dumped gravel and rocks blocks water from flowing into Murray-Darling forest
An irrigation channel used to release water into a forest along the Murray River in NSW is filled with earth and rocks, with an irrigator saying it’s a sign of frustration boiling over in the area.
NSW secretly exploring long-dismissed plan to turn coastal rivers inland
Proposal an expensive gift to irrigators at the expense of coastal communities and the environment, conservationist says
NSW warns Dubbo council: do more or face strict water restrictions
Water Minister Melinda Pavey says Dubbo’s actions do not reflect the criticality of the situation.
System will ‘grind to a halt’: Sydney’s focus must shift from cars to public transport, experts warn
Governments must shift Sydney’s focus to public transport and away from new roads carving through built-up urban areas as the city’s population races towards 7 million.
Rob Stokes star speaker at climate emergency conference [$]
Straight after the rejection of a $300 million coal mine that would have created 1100 jobs Planning Minister Rob Stokes has been billed as the keynote speaker at an activist group’s “climate emergency” conference.
Kepco urged to continue coal mine talks [$]
Korean power giant Kepco has been encouraged to hold talks with the NSW government over rebooting its rejected Bylong coal mine after meeting with Resources Minister Matt Canavan in Seoul late on Monday.
Small but “smart” Kanowna solar farm comes on line in northern NSW
Small but potentially significant solar farm officially opened in NSW that state agriculture minister says is a glimpse of the future for regional areas.
Sydney can be a great world city with the right policies
SMH editorial
The Herald’s population summit has laid out a road map for how to cope with a city of 8 million.
IPC and Stokes need to change [$]
Telegraph editorial
The NSW Independent Planning Commission should consider changing its name to the Independent Stopping Commission – it’s not really into “planning” at all but has become a state-funded body for rejecting anything that hints of investment and progress.
ACT
Canberra Nature Park management plan outlines impact of climate change on reserves in the capital
The rising impact of climate change in the ACT has been spelled out in a major study of the future of the territory’s parks and reserves.
New location for Federal Gold Club’s proposed retirement village
Federal Golf Club’s long-running bid to redevelop part of its course with housing has been given a major boost, with a new masterplan for the Red Hill precinct earmarking land for the development.
Natural gas may be on the nose but other products can be piped through its underground network
Sitting under Canberra is an old-fashioned energy product which, with some clever thinking, is ready to be made relevant again.
ACT government announces plans for minimum energy performance requirements for rentals
Canberra landlords will be obliged to ensure their properties meet minimum energy performance requirements before renting them out under proposed legislation.
Queensland
Artificial reef could fix beach landslip problem at Inskip Point on Queensland’s Cooloola Coast
Building an artificial reef could be the key to stabilising a popular beach at Queensland’s Inskip Point that suffers from repeated landslips, a geotechnical expert says.
Brisbane’s busiest buses revealed … and how many people were left behind
More than 400 buses on Brisbane’s busiest bus route – the route 66 between UQ Lakes and the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital – were so packed during August they were unable to pick up more passengers.
Warning as ‘starving bats’ pose health risk to south-east Queensland
Potentially disease-ridden bats are dropping from the trees and scratching residents in Brisbane as dry and hot conditions persist.
Volunteer charged over three bushfires [$]
A volunteer rural firefighter has been charged with starting fires in southern Queensland barely a week after emergency services crews struggled to contain major blazes in atrocious conditions across the state.
Is $566m project about to go down the gurgler? [$]
The feasibility of one of the state’s most crucial water projects has been called into question over fears its about to be drastically downsized.
South Australia
SA to export hydrogen fuel to the world [$]
Shipping sunshine is the state’s next growth industry, as we turn our abundant renewable energy into hydrogen fuel and sell it to the world.
Forestry sets extra 200m tree target [$]
Nine major South East forestry businesses have joined forces and aim to grow an extra 200 million trees in the region by 2030.
Murray-Darling Basin panel to visit Loxton [$]
Feedback on the social and economic conditions in the Murray-Darling Basin are being sought at an upcoming meeting at Loxton.
Climate activists delay morning traffic [$]
Climate activists caused a headache for commuters this morning by blocking peak-hour traffic with bikes and bodies.
Plant more trees, get quicker housing approval
Housing applications that meet higher design standards — including planting more trees — would be fastracked under an overhaul of the state’s planning system.
Tailem Bend solar farm gets operator approval for self-forecasting technology
The 95MW Tailem Bend solar farm in South Australia has become the first renewable project of its kind to be granted approval for self-forecast generation.
Compressed air energy storage company secures $55m in finance
Company behind South Australian compressed-air storage project gets major secures more than $55 million in new investment, including from GE company.
Tasmania
What would happen if Hobart’s 1967 Black Tuesday fires hit today?
Fire is “absolutely the number-one risk” to the city of Hobart, authorities say. But has the island state learnt from the 1967 fires that destroyed hundreds of homes and claimed 62 lives?
Longford sewage plant works gain council go-ahead
The Northern Midlands Council has approved upgrade plans for a Longford sewage treatment plant aimed at reducing the impact of long-running odour issues.
Logging bid stirs Tasmanian ‘forest war’ fear [$]
Tasmanian timber companies fear they are running out of resources and may need to log native forests they had agreed to protect, rekindling the state’s divisive “forest wars”.
Indigenous walk a global drawcard [$]
A Tasmanian cultural tourism walk has been listed among 10 destinations to which travellers are expected to flock in the year ahead by a luxury adventure travel company.
Surveyors take to the sky for deer census [$]
A vital part of Tasmania’s feral deer census has started as part of a program to tackle the problem.
Tassal plans new salmon hatchery [$]
Tassal has lodged an application to build a $46 million hatchery in Tasmania — its third smolt growing facility in the state.
Towards a just transition for Tasmania
Peter Boyer
Scott Morrison copped a hammering in Tasmanian protests last week, but we also must attend to our own back yard.
Northern Territory
Enviro Centre hits back at Acting PM over climate strike comments
The Environment Centre NT’s Shar Molloy says Michael McCormack was out of line for ‘mocking’ climate strikers.
Western Australia
Eat your heart out: native water rats have worked out how to safely eat cane toads
Marissa Parrott and Simon Clulow
When neatly dissected cane toad corpses began turning up next to a creek in the Kimberley, scientists went on the hunt for the clever killer.
Sustainability
‘Human rights tragedy’: Palm oil plantations taking toll on Indigenous Indonesians
Human Rights Watch claims Indigenous groups in Indonesia are ‘suffering significant harm’ at the hands of palm oil companies.
Record-low price for UK offshore wind cheaper than existing gas plants by 2023
UK to get first subsidy-free offshore wind farms after contracts awarded for nearly 6GW that will make it cheaper than gas, and less than half the cost of new…
Soap from straw: Scientists develop eco friendly ingredient from agricultural waste
A scientist has discovered a way of using one of the world’s most abundant natural resources as a replacement for humanmade chemicals in soaps and thousands of other household products.
What would Jesus do? Quite possibly, recycle
A team of social scientists and sustainability scientists worked to peel off the layers of understanding about how Christianity and environmentalism mix.
Tires: The plastic polluter you never thought about
Because tires are made of natural rubber and plastic, it’s easy to miss just how much they contribute to pollution in our oceans.
3 ways companies can start embracing the circular economy
Making and using food, clothes, cars, buildings, and other products causes 45% of our emissions. To solve climate change, we need to rethink how we make things.
Air pollution reaches hazardous levels in Singapore
Air pollution in Singapore, caused by the forest fires in Indonesia, on Sunday reached hazardous levels.
Peter Curson
Since the beginning of recorded history young children have always outnumbered old people. Now we face a very different world where old people are striking back.
Nature Conservation
Microplastics in the Great Lakes: Becoming benthic
From the Great Pacific garbage patch to inland rivers, plastics are among the most widespread contaminants on Earth. Microplastics — particles of plastic smaller than five millimeters — are especially pervasive. As they build up in Earth’s waters, microplastics are also becoming a permanent part of the planet’s sedimentary layers.
Bee biodiversity barometer on Fiji
The biodiversity buzz is alive and well in Fiji, but climate change, noxious weeds and multiple human activities are making possible extinction a counter buzzword. Just as Australian researchers are finding colourful new bee species, some of them are already showing signs of exposure to environmental changes.
New report deepens understanding of wind-wildlife interactions
An increase in the generation of wind energy is a key component of the U.S. strategy to reduce carbon emissions from the power sector. Approximately 97 gigawatts of wind energy production capacity are currently installed in the U.S., and in 2018, wind energy supplied about 6.5% of the nation’s electricity. Scenarios developed by various groups, including U.S. Department of Energy, indicate that a four- to five-fold expansion over current levels of electricity produced by wind is needed by the year 2050 to help meet U.S. carbon emission reduction goals.
Human pressures on mammals in protected areas of West Africa
When a wildlife ecologist started her multiyear camera survey of West African wildlife, she sought to understand interactions between mammals and people in protected areas such as national parks.
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