Date: 26 October 2019 at 8:48:55 am AEDT
Subject: Daily Links Oct 26
Post of the Day
How much would it cost to stop climate change? It’s a staggering amount
The world needs to spend $US50 trillion ($73 trillion) on five areas of technology by 2050 to slash emissions and meet the Paris Agreement’s goal of halting global warming, Morgan Stanley analysts wrote in a report.
Today’s Celebration
National Day – Austria
Angam Day – Nauru
Mourning Day – Libya
National Gospel Day – Cook Islands
Accession Day in Jammu and Kashmir, India
Climate Change
DNV says window to limit warming to 1.5°C will close by 2028
DNV says low cost renewables and electric vehicles will key drivers in rapid death of fossil fuels, but speed and scale of transition needs to increase.
Glacial rivers absorb carbon faster than rainforests, scientists find
‘Total surprise’ discovery overturns conventional understanding of rivers
How much would it cost to stop climate change? It’s a staggering amount
The world needs to spend $US50 trillion ($73 trillion) on five areas of technology by 2050 to slash emissions and meet the Paris Agreement’s goal of halting global warming, Morgan Stanley analysts wrote in a report.
When it comes to reducing energy-related CO2 emissions, efficiency is half the battle
Improved energy efficiency can make a big contribution to U.S. efforts toward dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, according to a new report from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.
America’s air quality worsens, ending years of gains, study says
The uptick reverses a decades-long trend in America’s progress toward cleaner air.
Earth can absorb a shocking amount of carbon: here’s how
The depths of the planet offer a rock-hard potential solution to climate change.
Climate change could cause U.S. military collapse, new report warns
The Trump administration may still be denying the impact and very existence of climate change, but the United States Army certainly isn’t ignoring the problem.
Greta Thunberg and Andrew Bolt: two sides of the same coin
Eric Claus
The first technique is the complete rejection of the idea that their opponents might have anything meaningful to say.
National
Wind and solar developers will finally get to see what their rivals are up to
New rules will eliminate cloak of secrecy that prevented network owners from warning wind and solar developers of congestion issues in parts of the grid.
What’s the optimal size for a behind-the-meter battery storage system on the grid?
Falling costs, longer lifetimes, and more revenue streams will boost opportunities for behind-the-meter battery storage systems on the grid in the near future.
Energy Insiders Podcast: Where will CEFC spend its remaining billions?
CEO Ian Learmonth discusses the Clean Energy Finance Corp’s investment strategy, and which technologies and sectors will be targeted from now.
Murray-Darling chief apologises for public release of dam satellite images
The head of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority apologises for mistakenly publishing a report that identified farms via satellite imagery, which is now subject to investigation.
Resources Minister Matt Canavan attacks Origin Energy boss’s coal warning [$]
Resources Minister Matt Canavan has slammed Origin Energy’s call for Australia to resist extending the life of coal [$plants, and blamed the power giant for helping to create an energy “mess” which it now profits from.
Water traders without a connection to farming are ‘failing the pub test’, says Minister
Sussan Ley says she believes only people who have a “connection to farming” should be allowed to own water in the Murray-Darling Basin.
Scott Morrison’s climate pact with the Pacific ‘family’ exposes the hollowness of his words
One small exchange in Senate estimates has exposed the measurable gap between the prime minister’s rhetoric and actions
Summer outlook ‘dire’ for Murray-Darling
The head of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority has warned of dire conditions across the crucial river system with the situation expected to worsen during a hot and dry summer.
Carbon emission fears put heat on festivals [$]
International artists and writers are snubbing Australia as a journey too far, turning down expenses-paid invitations from leading festivals and events because of their desire to reduce carbon emissions.
Sustainability critical for business: director Penny Bingham Hall [$]
Big business needs to sell itself better on sustainability issues, according to prominent director Penny Bingham Hall, who argues business is well ahead of the politicians on the issues.
The Verdict: Will driving electric vehicles ruin your long weekend?
Bryce Gaton
My final message is to the federal Liberal Party: “You’ve Scott to be kidding: EVs are perfect for the long weekend’.
It turns out you can put a positive spin on the climate crisis [$]
Justine Landis-Hanley
In Senate estimates this week, a senior Department of Environment official spruiked the supposed benefits of climate change. God help us all.
The smart money is on clean energy – but Australia must play to win
Kane Thornton
We can’t assume the renewable energy boom will simply continue. Only clear, coordinated policy will ensure it does
Business leaders look to close loop on waste
Sussan Ley
A week from the National Environment Ministers meeting in Adelaide, the Morrison Government is maintaining its determination to put an end to plastic, glass, tyre and paper exports, to increase Australia’s recycling capacity and to generate high value recycled commodities and associated demand. I have today hosted a circular economy roundtable with a number of industry leaders in Melbourne to further identify shared strategic values.
Victoria
ARENA-backed project trials “net zero energy” homes in Melbourne
ARENA backs Mirvac housing project in Melbourne to demonstrate the feasibility of building solar and battery powered “net zero energy” homes at scale.
‘Massive net loss’: Fears for native habitat as river property cleared
Ecologists say land clearing near a national park where the Government is trying to re-establish a bilby population shows the state isn’t doing enough to protect native habitat.
Breeding colony a no-show for the first time in living memory
Usually by this time of year, there’d be 40,000 mutton birds on south-west Victoria’s Griffiths Island. So far, fewer than 100 of the birds have arrived from their 15,000km journey from the northern hemisphere.
Drone to watch over troubled glass recycler [$]
The EPA has cracked down on a fire-prone Coolaroo glass recycling plant, installing a drone, 24-hour security and slapping the operators with more than a dozen charges.
The fight to save Victoria’s last forests [$]
Rick Morton
A report that recommends turning forested areas of central west Victoria into national parks has been met with silence by the Andrews government, prompting fears of a return to logging.
New South Wales
‘Our pool is black’: Upper Hunter residents vent air-pollution fears
For residents in the Upper Hunter, keeping an eye on air quality alerts from the Office of Environment and Heritage is a daily ritual.
‘It’s an addiction’: Farmers turned bird photographers spreading wings for conservation
Rebecca Van Dyk’s bird photography is growing from hobby to habitat protection as she takes on the mission of conserving the scores of Lake Cargelligo’s threatened world bird species.
New national park proposed to protect NSW’s last chlamydia-free koala colony
The NSW Government will discuss establishing a national park south of Sydney to protect the state’s last chlamydia-free koala colony under threat by urban expansion.
Extinction Rebellion protesters have ‘onerous’ bail conditions revoked by Sydney court
A group of climate change protesters including a western Sydney professor have had their “onerous” bail conditions revoked by a Sydney court.
Chance discovery puts Aboriginal sites back on the map [$]
The river reaches and stone-walled channels of the Hawkesbury have always held significant spiritual meaning for Aboriginal people, despite many of their indigenous place names being forgotten after colonisation.
Extinction Rebellion protesters ‘swarm’ George St
Extinction Rebellion protesters temporarily shut down a major Sydney street after hundreds of activists swarmed the CBD to recite Grete Thunberg’s speech to the United Nations.
Queensland
Australia’s world-first wind-solar-battery plant faces lengthy commissioning delays
Windlab says commissioning of its Kennedy wind-solar-battery storage facility in Queensland pushed into next year after contractor failed to secure GPS.
Recycled water to be tapped if rains don’t come
Another failed wet season could force southeast Queensland dam authorities to again consider introducing recycled water to boost the region’s drinking supply.
South Australia
Big wind farm and even bigger battery approved for South Australia
RES wins approval for its first wind farm in South Australia, and an even bigger battery as more projects line up to take state to net 100 per cent…
Tasmania
Rain eases bushfire threat in central Tas
Rain has eased the bushfire risk to communities in Tasmania’s Central Highlands, as authorities urge residents to be vigilant when burning vegetation.
Northern Territory
Uluru is now officially closed to climbers
Nearly 34 years to the day since Uluru was handed back to the Anangu traditional owners, their wishes will now be enforced by law, and anyone caught ascending the culturally significant site will face thousands in fines.
Uluru locals address the business of what’s next [$]
Aboriginal entrepreneurs who want to fill the tourism gap left by closing the Uluru climb say they are being thwarted by red tape and urgent ministerial intervention is needed for their businesses to survive and others to develop.
Sacred stories a cultural heritage that lives on [$]
The cultural significance of Uluru to local Anangu people is retold through dances, songlines and ceremonies that reflect Tjukurpa stories, sometimes reaching hundreds of kilometres across the landscape.
You can’t boost Australia’s north to 5 million people without a proper plan
Julian Bolleter
The government wants more people to live in Australia’s north. So we looked at three scenarios to increase the population and the results don’t always look good for the north.
Most Australian’s respect Uluru [$]
Canberra Times editorial
The tactless stampede by thousands of people from around the country to have a crack at climbing Uluru before today’s ban took effect would appear to augur badly for Australia’s ongoing journey towards reconciliation.
Time for respect: It’s right to return rock to traditional owners
Age editorial
No, Pauline Hanson, you don’t get it. A climbing ban at Uluru is not the same as closing Bondi Beach.
Uluru is a very important place, it’s not Disneyland
First Dog on the Moon
This cartoon is in the Pitjantjatjara language of the Anangu people
Western Australia
Native timber processor accused of ‘wasting’ thousands of tonnes of jarrah logs
WA’s biggest native hardwood processor is facing accusations it sold thousands of tonnes of jarrah sawlogs to be burnt as low-value charcoal.
Farmers risk losing key markets because of controversial weedkiller, Minister says
Alannah MacTiernan says farmers risk losing access to foreign markets because of their reliance on glyphosate, but her remarks draw criticism from farming groups that say the herbicide is a linchpin of the industry.
Australian water rats cut cane toads open with ‘surgical precision’ to feast on their hearts
Scientists say native rodents in Western Australia have discovered how to kill and eat parts of the poisonous pests
Extinction Rebellion protestor fined $1200
An Extinction Rebellion protester was fined $1200 and granted a spent conviction after a magistrate accepted she acted in the “heat of the moment” when joining a crowd blocking a city intersection.
Sustainability
Chinese-owned nickel plant in PNG shut down after toxic spill
Papua New Guinean authorities shut down a Chinese-owned nickel processing plant for breaching safety and mining laws, after a spill that saw tens of thousands of litres of toxic slurry leak into a bay.
SUVs second biggest cause of emissions rise, figures reveal
If SUV drivers were a nation, they would rank seventh in the world for carbon emissions
Offshore windfarms ‘can provide more electricity than the world needs’
Supplies from turbines will prove to be the next great energy revolution, IEA predicts
‘People take it for granted’: how the next generation of toilets could change the life of millions
The average Australian flushes 35 litres of water down the toilet every week, but many newly invented toilets being tested today could reduce water usage to a fraction of that.
Study raises concern about e-cigarette waste
A new study found significant quantities of litter from vaping devices in high school parking lots, prompting environmental concerns.
Ranking chocolate by labor and environmental records
The chocolate industry can be quite bad for the world. Make your choices accordingly.
Nature Conservation
‘Rewilding:’ One man’s mission to save honey bees
A man in California is championing an approach he calls the “rewilding” of honeybees, allowing them to live as they did for millions of years – in natural log hives high above the ground.
‘Citizen army’ needed to tackle invasive species, UK MPs suggest
Environmental committee says government funding ‘fails to match scale of threat’
Sea urchin population soars 10,000% in five years, devastating US coastline
Voracious purple urchins in waters of California and Oregon pose threat to kelp forests and risk upending delicate ecosystems
Amazon river dolphins threatened by mercury pollution
Amazon river dolphins are showing alarming levels of contamination mainly because of illegal panning for gold, conservationists say.
‘Sand wars’: the battle to replenish Florida’s beaches amid climate crisis
Surfside’s postcard beach is experiencing a disappearing act amid hurricanes, rising sea levels – and a worldwide sand shortage.
The illegal wildlife trade will continue until demand disappears
Clive Williams
The international illegal wildlife trade includes endangered animal species and their body parts, illegal logging, and illegal fishing. It is said to be worth at least $US23 billion a year. This would probably be a low figure, because the trade in rhino horn alone has been estimated at $US20 billion a year.
Now for something completely different …
It’s not just about your feelings, OK? The best end for a racehorse might be the knackery
Cathrynne Henshall
Our reaction to the horse-slaughter scandal show a double standard, and suggest we care more about what racehorses mean to us than what’s best for the animal.