https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2019-11-04/mountain-pygmy-possum-extinction-save/11658418
Date: 6 November 2019 at 7:12:19 am AEDT
Subject: Daily Links Nov 5
Post of the Day
Green infrastructure has benefits, but upkeep can be challenging
Urban projects designed to manage stormwater promise huge benefits as climate changes — but they also demand a new kind of care.
Today’s Celebration
Colon Day – Panama
Puno Day – Peru
Guy Fawkes Night – British Commonwealth
Aliyah Day – Israel
International Volunteer Managers Day
Climate Change
Celebrities back call for climate action in Extinction Rebellion video
Singer Ellie Goulding, actor Imelda Staunton and model Daisy Lowe were among celebrities demanding that the governments act on climate change in a video campaign launched by Extinction Rebellion ahead of Britain’s Dec. 12 general election.
Sea levels to continue rising after Paris agreement emission pledges expire in 2030
Sea levels will continue to rise around the world long after current carbon emissions pledges made through the Paris climate agreement are met and global temperatures stabilize, a new study indicates.
The world is getting wetter, yet water may become less available for North America and Eurasia
With climate change, plants of the future will consume more water than in the present day, leading to less water available for people living in North America and Eurasia, according to a Dartmouth-led study in Nature Geoscience The research suggests a drier future despite anticipated precipitation increases for places like the United States and Europe, populous regions already facing water stresses.
National
Retailers urged to ethically source their products
Aldi Australia says all its own-brand fish and seafood will be responsibly sourced by the end of 2020
Rooftop solar smashes Australia installation record in October
Rooftop solar installations smash previous record by 15 per cent in month of October, with NSW leading the way.
Solar farms warned of worsening network losses in NSW, Victoria
Newly constructed solar farms and at least one major wind farm in western Victoria and western NSW have been warned that network losses with worsen next financial year, in an early appraisal of likely marginal loss factors.
Zali Steggall $1.1 million in donations leads funding push for climate action candidates
Electoral disclosures for federal independent candidates have revealed big donations for campaigns in support of strong climate change action at the last election.
The bold and controversial plan to save the mountain pygmy possum from extinction
Scientists are hoping to stop mountain pygmy possums from hibernating, acclimatise them to warmer environments, then relocate new populations to lowland forests.
Our biggest coal generator is not talking about coal. Here’s why
Electricity suppliers are grappling with fundamental changes sweeping across the sector. But uncertainty over government schemes and emissions policy risks deterring private investment.
Fact Check: Is the Snowy Mountains Scheme the achievement of the Coalition or Labor?
Energy Minister Angus Taylor and Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese have engaged in a back an forth over which party can claim credit for the original Snowy Mountains Scheme.
Move to outlaw environmental protests ‘deeply concerning’
Boycott campaigns to stop human rights abuses or to protect the environment are a legitimate protest tactic that should be protected, argues the Human Rights Law Centre.
‘We are all accountable’: Atlassian chief slams Morrison protest crackdown
Cannon-Brookes says govt is “attacking people who just want good policy”.
Explainer: How bad is this drought and is it caused by climate change?
How do we define drought? What causes them? And are they getting worse?
Coercion is coal’s only friend
Ketan Joshi
Room of mining men at Queensland Resources Council luncheon cheer as they discover Morrison realises the value of coercion and intimidation just as much as they do.
Attorney-General Christian Porter targets Market Forces in push against environment groups
Michelle Grattan
The government has the activist group Market Forces squarely in its sights as it considers ways to stop environmental organisations persuading financial and other businesses to boycott companies in the…
The country is not waiting for the government
David Ritter
The Australian government may not have a credible mechanism for reducing the emissions that are driving global warming. But huge amounts of climate action can and is occurring outside of what the government does
How Australia is failing its birds headed for extinction
Sean Dooley
If ever there were a country in a prime position to be able to invest in protecting its precious wildlife, it was us.
We’re getting closer to a sensible debate on nuclear power [$]
Judith Sloan
Australia’s experience with nuclear power can best be summed up by the phrase “missed it by that much”. We’ve come close to establishing a nuclear power industry but events conspired against it.
Recycling plastic bottles is good, but reusing them is better
Rachael Wakefield-Rann et al
A new business is skipping recycling in favour of returning, washing and reusing sturdy containers for common groceries.
Scott Morrison wants to outlaw boycott campaigns. But the mining industry doesn’t need protection
Graeme Orr
Laws on boycotts already exist, but their aim was never to target consumer groups.
Victoria
‘Best offer’ on your latest power bills could bring big savings
Victorian households could save hundreds of dollars a year on gas and electricity by checking the ‘best offer’ alerts now mandated to appear on energy bills.
Councils banding together to save historic river red gums from the axe
In Dandenong Park there is a stump of a river red gum – felled in 2008 to make way for the Dandenong Southern Bypass – that pre-dated European settlement by 200 years.
Calls for rethink on roo cull [$]
Animal welfare groups have called for a rethink on the state’s program to kill kangaroos for pet food, claiming we need to be “sympathetic to our indigenous wildlife”.
New South Wales
Native forest slated to become national park kept open for logging to save 500 jobs
Thousands of hectares of native forest north of Noosa, which was due to become national park, will now remain open to the timber industry in order to save hundreds of jobs.
‘It’s been beautiful’: Drought-stricken western NSW receives biggest rainfall in years
It is far from drought-breaking, but it is heartwarming, as weekend rain bringing the biggest falls in years for inland NSW.
Cladding list kept secret amid demands for action on ‘construction crisis’
A list of 444 buildings across NSW potentially clad in flammable material has been released to the NSW Parliament, but cannot be shown to the public.
Asbestos waste levy to be eased to discourage illegal dumping
The NSW government will remove the levy on asbestos waste of up to a quarter of a tonne in a bid to discourage widespread illegal dumping of the dangerous building material.
Queensland
Troubled water: PFAS pollution found downstream from Ipswich dump
Waste giant Cleanaway has been ordered to probe contamination found around its New Chum dump including in a creek used to irrigate a community vegetable garden.
Giant water battery helps university cut energy costs by 40 per cent
University of the Sunshine Coast solar thermal plant is saving 40 per cent of the university’s air conditioning costs. Water is chilled using energy powered by the solar panels and stored in the circular water ‘battery’.
The University of the Sunshine Coast has won an award for the project.
Dozens fall ill at Tangalooma resort after bacterial contamination hits water supply
Health authorities are investigating the source of contamination at a popular island resort off the coast of Brisbane after more than 50 people fall ill within a matter of days.
South Australia
Adelaide bus patronage down 231,000 trips as critics blame Government policy
Public transport policies are discouraging patronage in Adelaide, lobbyists say, after Freedom of Information figures uncover a significant decline in bus patronage in the first six months of the year.
Leigh Creek Energy hints at Chinese takeover
Leigh Creek Energy has encouraged journalists to “draw their own conclusions” about a potential Chinese takeover of the South Australian company, citing the final sentence of a news story on a Chinese-language news website last week.
‘It’s really scary’: Aboriginal community has completely run out of drinking water
Clean drinking water is essential for survival — but one South Australian Aboriginal community has now been completely “bone dry” for days.
Tasmania
Tasmania the ‘battery’ to power the mainland
Guy Barnett
Increased energy interconnection between mainland Australia and Tasmania will provide the nation with greater energy security, put downward pressure on residential and business power prices and help make Australia the world leader in renewable energy production.
Northern Territory
Dumped horse carcasses trigger investigation over water contamination
Dozens of horse carcasses, car bodies and dangerous substances are being illegally dumped in a catchment area for Darwin’s water supply, prompting concerns about potential contamination.
Sustainability
New Delhi pollution reaches ‘unbearable’ levels as public health emergency declared
Air pollution levels in India’s capital New Delhi have reached their worst levels so far this year.
Iran boosts nuclear program: official
Tehran is now operated 60 advanced centrifuges in violation of its nuclear deal with world powers, the head of Iran’s nuclear program says.
Italy’s plastic tax plan under threat after industry outcry
The Italian government could be forced to change its plans for a tax on plastic packaging after coming under pressure from producers.
Pollution, climate change and the Global Burden of Disease
Recent estimates in the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study show that the combination of air pollution, poor water sanitation and exposure to lead and radon is responsible for 9 million premature deaths each year.
Riding an e-bike is not cheating
A growing body of research shows that electric-assist bikes may have profoundly positive health impacts—and not just for the people who ride them but for society
Wear clothes? Then you’re part of the problem
Making, washing and tossing apparel has a big environmental cost.
How to cut down on carbon emissions when traveling
Here’s a guide to when you should take a plane, when you shouldn’t, and how to be a more conscious traveler.
Green infrastructure has benefits, but upkeep can be challenging
Urban projects designed to manage stormwater promise huge benefits as climate changes — but they also demand a new kind of care.
Scientists create ‘artificial leaf’ that turns carbon into fuel
Scientists have created an ‘artificial leaf’ to fight climate change by inexpensively converting harmful carbon dioxide (CO2) into a useful alternative fuel.
Nature Conservation
Lost trees hugely overrated as environmental threat, study finds
Cutting down trees inevitably leads to more carbon in the environment, but deforestation’s contributions to climate change are vastly overestimated, according to a new study.
Global policy-makers must take a more ambitious approach to reversing biodiversity loss
Leading conservationists urge governments to adopt a new approach to address the impact of economic development on the natural world.
Invasive species short-circuiting benefits from mercury reduction in the Great Lakes
According to a new study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 40 years of reduced mercury use, emissions, and loading in the Great Lakes region have largely not produced equivalent declines in the amount of mercury accumulating in large game fish.