I’ll be away on the weekend so the next Daily Links will be on Monday.
Post of the Day
For some urban areas, a warming climate is only half the threat
A new study projects that the growth of urban areas in the coming decades will trigger ”extra” warming due to a phenomenon known as the urban heat island effect (UHI). According to their findings, urban expansion will cause the average summer temperature in these areas to increase about 0.5 to 0.6 degrees C — but up to 3 degrees C in some locations.
Today’s Celebration
Independence Day in Palestine
Republic Day in Brazil
National Peace Day in Ivory Coast
German Community Day in Belgium
King’s Feast in Belgium
Birth of Prophet Muhammad and of Imam Jafar al-Sadiq in Iran
St. Leopold’s Day in Austria
National Tree Planting Day in Sri Lanka
America Recycles Day – USA
Sadie Hawkins Day – USA
Schichi-Go-San in Japan
Climate Change
Future rainfall could far outweigh current climate predictions
Scientists from the University of Plymouth analysed rainfall records from the 1870s to the present day with their findings showing there could be large divergence in projected rainfall by the mid to late 21st century.
Climate change poses threats to children’s health worldwide
A study from the Lancet points to infectious diseases, worsening air pollution, rising temperatures and even malnutrition as threats to child health as the climate changes.
Global debt surges, heightening climate risk [$]
Global debt is surging, driven in large part by the US and China, and the pace of debt accumulation shows few signs of slowing anytime soon.
How the climate crisis is killing us, in 9 alarming charts
A new report from over 100 experts paints a devastating picture of how climate change is already imperiling human health.
Glaciers of the Himalaya and other South Asian mountain ranges are melting
The ice that has long defined South Asia’s mountain ranges is dissolving into massive new lakes, raising the specter of catastrophic flooding.
For some urban areas, a warming climate is only half the threat
A new study projects that the growth of urban areas in the coming decades will trigger ”extra” warming due to a phenomenon known as the urban heat island effect (UHI). According to their findings, urban expansion will cause the average summer temperature in these areas to increase about 0.5 to 0.6 degrees C — but up to 3 degrees C in some locations.
Future rainfall could far outweigh current climate predictions in UK [$]
Scientists analyzed rainfall records from the 1870s to the present day with their findings showing there could be large divergence in projected rainfall by the mid to late 21st century.
EU lender in fossil fuel ban [$]
EU lending arm to stop funding fossil fuel projects from 2022 as part of new climate strategy.
In London and Venice, the C-word isn’t a dirty word
Andy Marks
British PM Boris Johnson and Venice’s mayor are unafraid to say “climate change” when discussing floods this week, unlike some Australian MPs amid our fires.
National
Australia set to lie with some strange bedfellows at Madrid climate talks
Australia may be forced to align itself with former Soviet-era countries to defend plans to carryover surplus Kyoto emissions permits.
Former fire chiefs ‘tried to warn PM ‘ to bring in more water-bombers ahead of bushfire season
Twenty-three former fire and emergency leaders say they tried for months to warn PM Scott Morrison that Australia needed more water-bombers to tackle increasingly severe bushfires.
‘Water is the essence of life, not a commodity’: Anglican Bishop weighs in on water
An Anglican Bishop is calling for water to be seen as a physical and spiritual fundamental, rather than a commodity.
Foreign Affairs commits $500 million to Pacific climate plan
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has quietly released its climate change strategy which will guide Australia’s efforts in Pacific region to 2025.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has described climate change as an “existential threat” for Pacific nations, in a long-awaited climate strategy quietly released earlier this month.
Scott Morrison shuns Torres Strait Islanders worried about climate change
Scott Morrison has declined to visit the homes of a group of Torres Strait Islanders who are taking their complaint against government inaction on climate change to the UN.
‘A horrible map to look at’: No rain as Australia enters grim summer
Australia is staring down the barrel of a horrific summer season that will drag scorching temperatures and extreme conditions well into the new year.
Reflections on a catastrophic week of bushfires
It’s been a devastating start to the bushfire season. Lisa Cox explains how the fire season is changing, and we hear from people living on the frontline of the fires
Australia participates in largest Pacific illegal fishing surveillance operation
Fisheries Officers from the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) represented Australia in Operation Kurukuru, a multinational coordinated regional maritime surveillance exercise targeting illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing in the Pacific.
New opportunities for unique Australian native foods
Australian researchers will help turn bush tucker into new jobs and business opportunities while also showcasing native Australian cuisine to the world.
Australian litigation funding giant rejects Christian Porter’s ‘lawfare’ claim
IMF Bentham says several class actions against mining sector companies are for corporate breaches, not environmental
Sweden dumps Aussie bonds as country ‘not known for good climate work’
Sweden’s central bank has sold off bonds from parts of Australia and the oil-rich Canadian province of Alberta because it felt that greenhouse gas emissions in both countries were too high.
Australia no climate change backwater for global firm [$]
Climate change is a growing source of work for both transaction and litigation lawyers, says a leading lawyer in the field.
Solar investors spar with energy users over grid ruling [$]
Renewables developers’ arguments that losses in transmission in congested parts of the grid should be shared more broadly have been rubbished by energy users.
Does Australia have enough water-bombers?
Experts are concerned that fire services do not have enough large-scale aircraft to deal with the unprecedented magnitude of fires Australia is now facing.
East coast bushfires: ‘a mongrel of a thing’
In this week’s episode of Please Explain, Tory Maguire talks to Herald environment editor Peter Hannam about why these are the worst bushfires in living memory and reporter Lucy Cormack, who has been on the ground in the NSW Mid North Coast among the devastation these bushfires have wrecked on communities and infrastructure.
Australia must engage with nuclear research or fall far behind
Heiko Timmers
Recent debates about the future of nuclear power in Australia make much of the potential of the next generation of reactors.
Governments have ignored the warnings of fire chiefs on bushfires. There is no more time to waste
Ken Thompson
Even today, we have people disputing the evidence or spreading misinformation
Minister David Littleproud on bushfires, drought, and the Nationals
Michelle Grattan
In this podcast, David Littleproud says “as elected officials, we’ve got a responsibility” to wait for the right time to talk about the link between climate change and the ongoing bushfires.
Virtual tools, real fires: how holograms and other tech could help outsmart bushfires
David Tuffley
The convergence of technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence and virtual reality may offer hope for the way we manage future bushfire disasters.
How we plan for animals in emergencies
Ashleigh Best
During an emergency it’s vital you know what your animals need, where you can take them and what your local rules are. Fortunately, there are plans in place and guidelines to help.
Virtual tools, real fires: how holograms and other tech could help outsmart bushfires
David Tuffley
The convergence of technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence and virtual reality may offer hope for the way we manage future bushfire disasters.
While Australia burns, the world watches our credibility go up in smoke
Damien Cave
When a mass shooting shattered Australia in 1996, the country banned automatic weapons. In its first years of independence, it enacted a living-wage law. Stable retirement savings, national health care, affordable university education – Australia solved all these issues decades ago. But climate change is Australia’s labyrinth without an exit, where its pragmatism disappears.
Where there’s smoke there are noxious health hazards on the fire front
Ivan Hanigan
A health expert writes on the potential perils of exposure to the fires and their fallout.
When the firies call him out on climate change, Scott Morrison should listen
Michelle Grattan
Emergency Leaders for Climate Action have a simple message: we’re in “a new age of unprecedented bushfire danger” due to climate change. But Morrison refuses to acknowledge it as a central issue.
Greens all fired up … but achieving little [$]
John Rolfe
Far-left posturing — whether in federal parliament or on local councils — is aimed at restricting our economic choice.
How the Coalition became a lightning rod for climate rage [$]
Phillip Coorey
Because the Coalition spent a decade denying and failing to act on global warming, it has become the whipping boy as the drought continues and bush fires rage.
Victoria
Victoria’s renewable energy auction to deliver net benefit of $285 million
Victoria renewable energy auction to deliver net benefits of $285 million, according to state auditor.
‘Bloody well done’: Texts and emails reveal scheme to poison eagles
The messages from a Gippsland land owner congratulating his employee for killing dozens of wedge-tailed eagles have been revealed after the businessman admitted to his part in the scheme.
Melbourne Airport opts for third runway to run north-south
Melbourne Airport has opted for its third runway to run north-south, dumping its previous preference for an east-west orientation.
Metro trains fails tenth-straight punctuality target
For the tenth consecutive month, Metro trains has failed to deliver enough on-time trains around Melbourne, with more than 6000 services running late in just one month.
Why Melbourne is one of the world’s worst cities to drive in
Think driving in Melbourne is awful? A survey of cities around the world has confirmed it, rating us worse than notoriously busy cities Los Angeles and Rome. And it’s not just because of congestion.
Victoria’s native forestry ban exemplifies the lost perspective of ‘progressive’ politics
Mark Poynter
Australia cannot afford to needlessly trash valuable industries at the behest of fashionable causes.
New South Wales
Fires not due to climate change: expert
Linking NSW’s bushfires to climate change is ‘nonsense’, a leading expert says.
Minister’s ‘contempt’ for climate question
NSW’s emergency services minister has treated a question about bushfires and climate change with ‘the contempt it deserves’ in parliament, he says.
Shooters and ex-Green talk water in leaked chat
Environmentalists and shooters have found some common ground.
‘Misleading’: Government accused of hiding cut in firefighting talent
The dispute over the numbers of trained firefighters within the state’s national parks service has taken a new twist with evidence surfacing the government inherited almost a third more trained staff than it has claimed.
NSW on alert as bushfire danger levels rise again
Deteriorating weather has put firefighters on high alert again, with several parts of NSW facing severe bushfire conditions on Friday. The toll of the crisis engulfing the state continues to grow.
Debt or asset sale: How NSW will raise $30b to save Sydney [$]
NSW faces a huge infrastructure funding shortfall of about $30 billion needed to drive projects critical to the state’s future. But the government has vowed to push on and is considering all methods of obtaining the cash needed to finalise key projects.
Treasurer must be wary about assets sell-off [$]
Telegraph editorial
Treasurer Dominic Perrottet needs to raise $30 billion for an ambitious infrastructure project, but selling off assets is not the way to go. With money so cheap and interest rates at historic lows, we would be mad not to consider debt-funding.
ACT
Australia’s first openly gay government leader marries partner of 20 years
ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr has married his long-term partner, Anthony Toms, at a wedding in the Hunter Valley.
Canberra makes world record attempt for recycled mobile phones
Relics of a technological past were on show in Civic on Thursday as Canberrans were asked to bring in old mobile phones for recycling.
Queensland
Solar pushes average midday prices in Queensland to near zero
Solar pushed the average midday price of electricity in Queensland close to zero in the September quarter.
Fact check: Were Queensland fire danger indices historically high for early September?
As bushfires blazed in early September, Inspector for Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, Andrew Sturgess, said that the high fire danger ratings at that time of year were historically high. RMIT ABC Fact Check investigates.
Momentum gathers on air quality monitoring concerns
The dust has not settled on the community concerns surrounding air quality in the Bowen Basin’s largest mining town after Isaac Regional Council met with State agency delegates.
Brisbane council plans to paint the town green
The council wants to see more green landscapes, public art and an overall improvement in design standards.
Pockets of incest compounding bushfire risk to Gold Coast koalas
Declining levels of genetic diversity caused by inbreeding are making the Gold Coast’s koala population more vulnerable to future bushfires and dry weather.
Adani boss bullish on company’s carbon neutral future [$]
Adani Ports chief executive Karan Adani said there would be no holding back on coal demand in what is already a crucial $11 billion a year trade relationship for Australia.
Adani scion says coal essential to lifting Indians out of poverty [$]
One of Adani’s top executives has accused Australian critics of its Carmichael coal mine of ignoring the needs of up to 300 million Indians living without electricity as the nation pushes to more than triple its power consumption and lift its people from poverty.
Bushfire crisis: Evacuation orders in place as fuse lit [$]
Leave now orders remain in place for three bushfire zones across Queensland with authorities warning the worst may still be ahead for the fire-ravaged state. A new peak day has been identified in the ongoing battle against Queensland’s unprecedented firestorm.
South Australia
More ways for community to ‘waste less, recycle more’
The Barossa Council are pleased to have extended their partnership with the Father’s Farm, offering more options to ‘waste less, recycle more’.
Golf course fire hazard drives department to action [$]
An hour after this abandoned and overgrown golf course was pointed out as a bushfire threat, the Environment Department pledged to cut it – by the end of Friday.
The $100m desal deal better not sell us down the river [$]
Matthew Abraham has a very bad feeling about the supposedly brilliant deal to crank up our $1.8 billion desalination plant to “rescue” upstream farmers — here’s why.
Tasmania
‘Jail no terror like destruction of Earth’: Green defiance ahead of protest law reboot
The Tasmanian Government promises the state will soon have the strongest anti-protest laws in the country, but one expert says the legislation reflects a “massive overreach”.
Female orange-bellied parrots single and ready to mingle, but where are all the males?
More female than male orange-bellied parrots have returned to Tasmania to breed so biologists are playing cupid to save the species from extinction.
Forums to discuss Launceston’s future
Key issues that will help shape the city’s future are set to be discussed at a number of forums over the next two weeks.
Cat bill misses mark on containment, groups say
New cat management laws introduced to parliament this week have been broadly welcomed by stakeholder groups, though most agree more could be done to increase the burden on owners to control their pets.
Climate fears shown in primary school exhibition
Concerns about the environment have emerged front and centre at this year’s Art Start exhibition, which hangs works from children in kindergarten to grade six at the Queen Victoria Art Gallery.
Farmer urges tougher cat control laws [$]
A livestock farmer who shot more than 100 stray cats in a year has called for tougher measures to stop the animals from being allowed to roam.
Western Australia
House made with bags of dirt lets couple live off grid and avoid mortgage trap
While it may look like a replica of Luke Skywalker’s dwelling on Tatooine, this house is actually a council-approved residential abode made entirely out of bags filled with soil.
Dry conditions see ‘bin chickens’ flock to metropolitan WA
Water shortages in the regions has driven flocks of ‘bin chickens’ into urban areas in Western Australia, according to the experts behind a national bird count.
Sustainability
Turning (more) fat and sewage into natural gas
NC State University researchers have developed what is, to date, the most efficient means of converting sewage sludge and restaurant grease into natural gas.
Meet the woman turning fish waste into an award-winning alternative to plastic
A 23-year-old British graduate has received an international design award for an organic product she hopes could one day replace many single-use plastics.
Brewer to go green in 2020 [$]
Beer brewing company Lion plans to be carbon neutral by 2020 in response to consumer demand for action on climate change.
For cement’s massive carbon footprint, some concrete steps
Cement production is one of the world’s most carbon-polluting industries. Could new, greener, manufacturing processes help?
Cities worldwide are reimagining their relationship with cars
Cars changed the way we move. They also led to toxic levels of air pollution in many cities. Now, under pressure from their citizens, city officials are experimenting with new ways to reimagine the role of cars.
Never too small: the aspiration and nauseation of micro-apartments
A hit Australian YouTube show presents a vision of our housing future that’s both charming and off-putting
African Development Bank decides not to fund Kenya coal project
Dozens of banks, insurers and finance institutions are restricting coal investments, as climate activists and investors voice growing concerns about the impact of burning fossil fuels.
What happens to nuclear waste from power plants?
African countries looking to invest in nuclear energy as a source of clean electricity should consider Europe’s struggles with disposing of radioactive waste.
New material breaks world record turning heat into electricity
Thermoelectric materials convert heat into electrical energy. The amount of energy that can be generated is measured by the so-called ZT value. The best thermoelectrics to date were measured at ZT values of around 2.5 to 2.8. Scientists have now developed a completely new material with a ZT value of 5 to 6. It is so effective that it could be used to provide energy for sensors or even small computer processors.
Micro-rubber in the environment
The tread on the tire is worn out, new tires are needed. Everyday life for many drivers. But where do these lost centimeters of tire tread ‘disappear’ to? As micro-rubbers, they mainly end up in soil and water and, to a small extent, in the air. And the amount of these particles in our environment is anything but small, as researchers have now calculated.
Virgin’s Richard Branson’s advice to airlines: ‘go greener to ease flying guilt’
Airlines need to work harder at reducing their carbon footprint so environmentally conscious travellers do not have to feel guilty about flying.
Energy Insiders Podcast: Carbon price takes toll on coal generators in Europe
The rising carbon price is starting to have a real impact on coal generation in Europe, with coal output down sharply this year. Analyst Gerard Wynn paints the picture.
Nature Conservation
How giant kelp may respond to climate change
Like someone from Minnesota being dropped into an Arizona heat wave, giant kelp living in cooler, high-latitude waters were more vulnerable to excessive heat than kelp already living in warmer, Southern California waters, according to a study of Chilean and Californian kelp.
Global climate change concerns for Africa’s Lake Victoria
Researchers have developed a model to project lake levels in world’s largest tropical lake.
The dawn chorus that heralds fresh hope for New Zealand’s wildlife
The success of a scheme to reintroduce endangered parrots to the forests of South Island augurs well for wider efforts to restore native wildlife
Ocean studies look at microscopic diversity and activity across entire planet
Two new articles use samples and data collected during the Tara Oceans Expedition to analyze current ocean diversity across the planet, providing a baseline to better understand climate change’s impact on the oceans.