Post of the Day
Renewable energy’s booming, but still falling far short of climate goals
Power sector emissions would have been 15 percent higher in 2018 without the past decade’s renewable energy growth, a UNEP report shows.
Today’s Celebration
Independence Day – Tajikistan
Birthday of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong – Malaysia
Independence Day – North Korea
Chrysanthemum Day – Japan
İzmir Independence Day – Turkey
Martyr’s Day – Afghanistan
Children’s Day – Costa Rica
Day of the Victims of Holocaust and of Racial Violence – Slovakia
International Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Awareness Day (FASDAY)
Memorial Day for the Victims of the Crimean War
Climate Change
Marine heatwave hits Pacific, raising fears of a new hot ‘blob’
Phenomenon could be as damaging as ‘the blob’ that caused algae blooms and killed sea lions several years ago
Brexit is stalling Britain from taking vital action on climate crisis, says expert
Baroness Brown warns country’s world-class resources must be better used to cope with global heating
The problem with America’s climate debate is that only Democrats are showing up
While Democrats are getting ambitious on climate change, the GOP continues to derail the conversation from the sidelines.
What you need to know about carbon footprints
What is a carbon footprint, exactly? And how is it related to the climate crisis?
Record heat wave linked to climate change killed 1,500 people in France this summer
Multiple countries recorded exceptionally hot summer temperatures as scientists pointed to the growing global impact of climate change.
National
Weed killer linked to cancer: Could Australians die from using popular product?
Hundreds of users of Roundup in Australia are preparing legal cases against chemical giant Monsanto, the manufacturer of the weed killer. Their cases add to the already 17,000 cases launched in the United States.
I’d dreamed of going off-grid and it was perfect … until it wasn’t
Johanna Leggatt
I wished for a simpler life in the country, of veggie gardens and dawn meditations, but I ran back screaming to the city
Victoria
The train lines struggling to cope with massive passenger surge [$]
For many Melburnians who catch the train during peak hour, it won’t come as a surprise that the city’s train network is struggling to handle the surge of millions of extra passengers.
Taxpayers cough up for annual waste crisis clean-up
Victorian taxpayers are forking out big money each year to clean up rubbish stockpile fires, abandoned waste sites and illegal dumps.
Pests reveal giant flaw in protest [$]
Andrew Bolt
The failure of Extinction Rebellion to get boots on the ground at a protest in Melbourne highlights the weakness of the rhetoric of disruptive online activists.
New South Wales
NSW firefighters battle major blazes
Multiple bushfires across NSW continue to burn out of control more than 36 hours after the emergency began, scorching tens of thousands of hectares and destroying or damaging property.
Minister’s $10m fish kill rescue mission
NSW Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall says stranded fish will be rescued from Menindee in a special two-week operation.
‘Silicon Valley of solar’: NSW to set interim carbon reduction targets
NSW will set interim carbon reduction targets to guide its economy to net-zero emissions by 2050 in the latest sign the Berejiklian government plans to beef up its climate change action.
Fewer cars in Sydney CBD opens way for cycleway, more pedestrian space
A large drop in motorists driving into Sydney’s CBD over the past four years during the building of a multibillion-dollar light rail line has opened the way for construction of a key cycleway and an expansion of permanent pedestrian-friendly space.
Stunning reason the Darling River is drying up [$]
Families on the lower Darling are helplessly watching the last puddles of river water dry up, as an upstream discovery delays the planned removal of dam walls.
Why your lights will stay on without Liddell’s coal power
Guy Dundas and Tony Wood
The market is coping with the shift to renewables and gas, but governments need to stay out of its way.
Queensland
Queensland fires see 11 schools close as battle to contain blazes continues
Queensland is facing its worst bushfire threat in recorded history, with tough conditions to continue for at least one more day.
‘This is an omen’: Queensland firefighters battle worst start to season on record
More than 50 bushfires are burning with the most dangerous in the Gold Coast hinterland destroying the Binna Burra Lodge
Crackdown on Queensland fisheries sparks outrage from industry
Controversial changes enforcing quotas on Queensland fisheries have led to a critical breakdown in the relationship between industry and government.
New research to improve water quality in Great Barrier Reef catchment
Researchers have been working to improve the data gathered from cheap sensors, which would allow better monitoring of rivers feeding into the Great Barrier Reef.
‘A mind of its own’: Fire rips through heritage Binna Burra Lodge
A heritage-listed rainforest lodge in the Gold Coast hinterland has been destroyed after dangerous conditions prevented firefighters getting close enough to douse the flames.
New research to improve water quality in Great Barrier Reef catchment
Researchers have developed tools that could allow for real-time monitoring of Queensland’s waterways, in an effort to manage water quality and run-off to the Great Barrier Reef.
Energy: state may go it alone [$]
The Queensland government has called an urgent meeting to resolve a national policy vacuum.
Tasmania
Crowdfunds hit target for kelp project [$]
A crowdfunding project to help finance the restoration of giant kelp forests on Tasmania’s East Coast has been successful in raising $350,000 to save seaweed.
Tahune Airwalk to reopen ‘by end of year’ [$]
An engineering inspection shows the Tahune Airwalk structure does not need to be rebuilt after being caught in the Huon Valley summer bushfire.
Northern Territory
Whistleblower fears safety on NT mines [$]
A mining insider is calling on the NT Government to establish a dedicated mines department with highly experienced inspectors to carry out regular site inspections
Western Australia
The grim climate change future for WA
Heatwaves and extreme weather events as a result of climate change will put significant pressures on WA health services.
Sustainability
Renewable energy’s booming, but still falling far short of climate goals
Power sector emissions would have been 15 percent higher in 2018 without the past decade’s renewable energy growth, a UNEP report shows.
Nuclear power station could destroy wildlife haven I’ve loved since childhood
Naturalist Stephen Moss was 13 when he first saw the RSPB reserve in Minsmere, Suffolk. Now he fears plans for Sizewell C could wipe it out
Marine plastic pollution hides a neurological toxin in our food
In the mid-1950s, domesticated cats in Minamata, Japan mysteriously began to convulse and fall into the bay. The people of Minamata took on similar symptoms shortly after, losing their ability to speak, move, and think.
Nature Conservation
Thousands more badgers face cull as number of killing zones surges
Extermination gathers pace, even though new evidence suggests it fails to tackle rise in cases of bovine TB
Super corals can handle acid, heat and suffocation
Widely publicised marine heatwaves aren’t the only threat corals are facing: the seas are increasingly acidic, have less oxygen in them, and are gradually warming as a whole.
Now for something completely different …
Why you should cancel all your meetings [$]
Do you spend way too much time in pointless meetings? Sometimes even playing with your phone, or answering emails on your laptop while the meeting is going on around you? And are all those meetings stopping you actually getting your real work done?
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