Date: 22 November 2019 at 8:34:41 am ACDT
To: Undisclosed recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Nov 22
Post of the Day
Enough ambition (and hydrogen) could get Australia to 200% renewable energy
Scott Hamilton et al
Australia can become a renewable energy exporting superpower, but timidity won’t get us there.
Today’s Celebration
National Day of Thanksgiving – Turks and Caicos Islands
Independence Day – Lebanon
Arbor Day – British Virgin Islands
Saint Cecilia’s Day – Mexico
Climate Change
A fossil fuel-powered future for Africa will come at a drastic human cost
Annual emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides on the continent are expected to double by 2030, compared to 2012 levels.
China is back to building coal power plants, sparking fears over climate change
In the past two years, China has expanded its coal fleet by 43 gigawatts — roughly the entire coal-fired capacity of Germany.
The Production Gap: 2019 report
Stockholm Environment Institute et al
Though coal, oil, and gas are the central drivers of climate change, they are rarely the subject of international climate policy and negotiations. This report aims to expand that discourse and provide a metric for assessing how far the world is from production levels that are consistent with global climate goals.
Let’s not pollute minds with carbon fears [$]
Ian Plimer
As soon as the words carbon footprint, emissions, pollution, and decarbonisation, climate emergency, extreme weather, unprecedented and extinction are used, I know I am being conned by ignorant activists, populist scaremongering, vote-chasing politicians and rent seekers.
Five things I’ve learnt about saving the world [$]
Pilita Clark
A new set of rules on climate change is altering the way we eat, dress, travel and work.
New report shows the world is awash with fossil fuels. It’s time to cut off supply
Peter Christoff
In the same decade we are supposed to be cutting emissions under the Paris goals, our coal production is projected to increase by 34%.
National
Australia needs to stop burning coal by 2030, report suggests
Australia must stop burning coal by 2030 if it’s to help contain warming to 1.5-degree rise, a new report says.
Smoke blankets Sydney, out-of-control bushfires threaten Victorian homes
Hot and windy conditions are plaguing South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales, with catastrophic fire danger ratings in place for parts of the country.
Here’s how you can help the koalas hit by the recent horror bushfires
One of Australia’s national icons has been hard-hit by the bushfires in NSW and Queensland.
PM says environmental approval process for major projects is ‘overly complex’
Prime Minister Scott Morrison flags an overhaul of the environmental approval process for major projects, saying the current system is too complicated, lengthy and duplicative.
Climate change is forcing coral reef fish to move south
Marine species, including a deadly type of jellyfish, are being spotted far from their usual habitats, in a phenomena disrupting Australia’s ecosystems.
The prime minister has again defended Australia’s climate record: ‘We’re doing our bit’
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has again dismissed claims his government’s lack of action on climate change has heightened Australia’s bushfire risk.
PM’s one-stop environmental digital portal
The prime minister has flagged a one-stop digital portal for companies seeking environmental approval for major projects.
ACFID Welcomes Publication of DFAT’s Climate Change Action Strategy
In a statement, the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) has welcomed the release of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s, Climate Change Action Strategy and the elevation of climate change as a development priority.
National Environmental Defenders Office launches
The eight state and territory EDOs have joined forces to create a new, national not-for-profit legal watchdog for the Australian environment.
Qantas pulls DHL further into climate initiative [$]
DHL’s plan to halve its carbon emissions by 2025 has received a boost, with Qantas Airways to offset the courier company’s carbon emissions for three years.
Scott Morrison says no evidence links Australia’s carbon emissions to bushfires
PM suggests Australia could increase emissions without worsening current fire season, and says government finalising plans to crack down on environmental protests
Scott Morrison contradicted on link between emissions and bushfires
Experts have contradicted Scott Morrison’s claim that Australia’s level of greenhouse gas emissions could not have increased the current level of risk from bushfires.
East Timor gas project ‘could be one of Australia’s biggest strategic blunders’
The government is being urged to support an inquiry into a controversial East Timor gas project.
EnergyAustralia sued over cutting power to hard-up customers
EnergyAustralia knew eight of its customers were facing financial hardship but disconnected their power anyway, the industry regulator will allege in the Federal Court.
Federal government calls for greater ‘harmony’ in recycling
The federal government is leading calls for greater harmony between the states on recycling.
Morrison’s way the fastest path to renewables: energy chief Kerry Schott
Energy Security Board chair Kerry Schott has urged states and industry to move on from demands for a national energy strategy and higher emissions targets and instead adapt to the Morrison government’s policy platform as a practical way to transition the power grid to renewable energy.
We say we want climate action, but we still won’t vote for it
Waleed Aly
Our climate debate is not merely politicised, it is fractured such that a working majority against serious action is always ready to emerge.
Australia not waiting for the government to lead on climate change
John Hewson
If we were to believe Prime Minister Scott Morrison and some of his mates in the Nats, it seems that it is never a good time to discuss climate.
Not the time to walk away from recycling [$]
Trevor Evans
Recycling is a simple and effective way to help the environment. But negative headlines mean householders could be forgiven for being feeling discouraged. But the benefits – including for the hip-pocket – can’t be ignored.
Enough ambition (and hydrogen) could get Australia to 200% renewable energy
Scott Hamilton et al
Australia can become a renewable energy exporting superpower, but timidity won’t get us there.
Putting homes in high-risk areas is asking too much of firefighters
Mark Maund et al
Land-use planning should give more weight to the increasing risks of natural hazards like bushfires as the first step in reducing the impacts.
Catastrophic conditions: Our obligation to reimagine cities as fauna refuges
Peter Fisher
While catastrophic fires eradicate habitats, it’s important to think of ways to integrate nature into our city environments.
Rupert claims there are no climate deniers at News Corp
Stephen Mayne
So does that make him a denialism denialist?
Victoria
Cooler weather helps calm Victorian bushfires
Record-breaking temperatures and high speeds winds have firefighters trying to contain more that 60 blazes all across Victoria.
Arsonists may have lit fires, thousands may be without power until this afternoon
Arsonists may have lit grass fires that threatened towns and forced families to evacuate on Victoria’s first Code Red fire warning day in a decade, as more than 140,000 homes and businesses lost power.
Mine regulator enforces fire safety at Loy Yang
Earth Resources Regulation continues to ensure Latrobe Valley’s coal mine operators comply with their fire safety obligations ahead of the summer high fire danger season.
Calls for man who killed 420 wedge-tailed eagles to face charges under wildlife act
Scale of killings so great that long-term-impact on eagle population is unknown, conservation groups say
Massive Mildura dust storm leaves Victorian town ‘unliveable’ amid 40C heat
Residents say such storms now occur on a weekly basis, as topsoil from drought-ravaged farms is blown through the town
Drugs in waterways found to change social behaviour and survival of fish
Research conducted at Monash University shows antidepressants in waterways changes the social foraging behaviour and escape capabilities of fish.
The big change coming to the MCG this summer [$]
Sports fans are being urged to bring their own coffee cups to the MCG this summer as the iconic stadium aims for an environmental reboot.
Government fast-tracks North East Link funding [$]
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has opened the federal coffers to fund early works for the North East Link— Victoria’s most ambitious roads project.
Coal-fired power stations falter ahead of summer [$]
Failures at Victoria’s coal-fired power stations have seen the generators deliver the least amount of energy in a quarter in two decades, sparking fears about the grid’s reliability for summer.
New South Wales
NSW’s plan to lower energy bills and boost reliability
Households will save $40 per year on their electricity bills and NSW will have one of the highest reliability targets in the world under a new state electricity strategy.
‘Rapid decline’ forces Sydney to Level 2 water restrictions
Put away the hose and reach for the watering can. The new rules will take effect from December 10 for the city’s residents as dam levels continue to fall.
How to keep your garden alive during harshest water restrictions [$]
As dam levels fall below 45 per cent, level-two water restrictions will be imposed across Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the Illawarra on December 10.
Taylor buys NSW support at COAG with big energy deal
Federal energy minister Angus Taylor has “bought off” troublesome NSW ahead of a showdown in Perth over national energy policy.
Reducing water use is bad for the water business: $500m revenue scandal
Justin Field
While leaky old pipes lose 110 million litres a day, the NSW government will slug households rather than invest its huge dividend from Sydney Water.
Did The Australian misrepresent the ‘hippies of Nimbin’?
Chris Woods
A recent anti-Greens hatchet job in The Australian has raised a few questions.
Queensland
Queensland says it won’t back Coalition’s emissions reduction scheme without gas funds
Angus Taylor wants support for $2.55bn rebadged fund and roll out of new generation and transmission projects
Human Rights Commission steps in over climate activist library ban
The Extinction Rebellion subgroup Grey Power meet in a Brisbane library meeting room in October despite a ban on bookings made by the group.
Brisbane Lord mayor Adrian Schrinner put the ban through council in October, preventing Extinction Rebellion from booking library rooms in libraries or other pre-booked public spaces.
Rare Gondwana rainforest resort under fire threat near Mount Barney
Bushfires are threatening another south-east Queensland mountain resort, this time in the World Heritage-listed Gondwana rainforest near Mount Barney.
Suffering Queensland wildlife treated in record numbers amid bushfires
Record numbers of native animals are being treated at Queensland wildlife hospitals as a result of the drought and bushfire crisis gripping the state.
Albo’s big power plan for Queensland [$]
Queensland would be a ‘clean energy superpower’ under Labor, as Leader Anthony Albanese moves away from his party’s pre-election tax and spend agenda.
Money sits idle as bats rule roost [$]
Only a fraction of money allocated to tackling a longstanding bat problem in a north Queensland community has been spent, with a government program now being extended.
Were Queensland fire danger indices historically high for early September?
The Inspector for Queensland Fire and Emergency has said we have never “in recorded history” seen such extreme fire danger ratings at this time of year. Is he right?
South Australia
Bone-dry Aboriginal community receives short-term water supply
A remote Aboriginal community on South Australia’s west coast is handed a lifeline, after its water reserves completely ran dry.
‘Power network fault’ to blame for SA bushfire that damaged 11 properties
Authorities say electrical infrastructure caused the bushfire on South Australia’s Lower Yorke Peninsula that damaged 11 properties. The CFS says there were 69 fires throughout the state on Wednesday amid catastrophic conditions.
Evacuations, injuries, destruction as Yorke Peninsula bushfire rages
Authorities say it is “remarkable” no one has died from an out-of-control bushfire burning on the lower Yorke Peninsula, with 11 properties destroyed or impacted and 33 people injured during “unprecedented” conditions.
What about me? SA energy firm laments lack of media interest
The chairman of Leigh Creek Energy has complained about the national media’s lack of interest in the South Australian gas company’s achievements, but conceded that it has a “credibility gap” to overcome.
Smart cooling to chill energy and carbon issues for Hills, Barossa producers
Cooling technology that uses solar energy, thermal storage, smart technology and non-toxic refrigerants will be used to reduce energy costs and emissions at major commercial sites in the Barossa Valley and Adelaide Hills.
What SA really thinks about drilling in The Bight [$]
An Advertiser survey of almost 1400 people on drilling for oil in the Great Australian Bight has revealed some emphatic results. Three out of four South Australians would not support drilling for oil in the Great Australian Bight, even if it would drive down their fuel prices.
Tasmania
Carbon sequestration workshops talk farm productivity
Despite bearing the brunt of climate change and the blame, farmers are embracing new ways to think about carbon.
Costly off-road push continues [$]
The State Government is pushing ahead with its election promise to reopen 4WD tracks in the Arthur-Pieman Conservation Area.
Northern Territory
NT buffalo population on the rise, with 161,000 feral animals roaming the Top End
They destroy wetlands and spread weeds, but they’re also a sought-after export. As buffalo numbers rise in the NT, authorities and industry are trying to work together to combat the problem.
Western Australia
Woodside embraces zero-carbon energy challenge [$]
Chief executive Peter Coleman says the company sees plenty of opportunity for solar-powered energy exports to Asia.
Sustainability
Indonesians ‘poisoned’ by contaminated eggs from Australian rubbish: report
The study found Indonesians eating just one egg from villages near rubbish dumps can end up with dioxin levels 70 times higher than what’s considered safe.
Trade war threatens progress on climate change, warns China [$]
The creation of an international carbon market – which many economists argue is the best way to bring emissions under control – would require good trade relations between major powers.
How to get around solar energy’s NIMBY problem
Objections to your neighbor’s solar panels, or the solar farm next door, can go beyond aesthetics.
A global ‘toilet revolution’ is underway – but it’s polluting water and ignoring the urban poor
Deljana Iossifova et al
In the rush to become ‘open defecation free’, cities are taking quick fixes that are making matters worse.
Want the greenest device? You may already own it
Kendra Pierre-Louis
One way to help the planet is not to buy new tech, especially stuff the planet never needed.
Nature Conservation
Queen Elizabeth presents David Attenborough with award for ocean pollution fight
Queen Elizabeth presented broadcaster David Attenborough with an award for his hit BBC nature series Blue Planet II, which raised public awareness around the world of the danger of plastic pollution in oceans.
Maelor Himbury | Library Volunteer
Australian Conservation Foundation | www.acf.org.au
p | +61 3 9345 1193 m | t | @AusConservation
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