Post of the Day
Chris Turner
An optimist’s guide to the climate crisis
Today’s Celebration
October Revolution Day – Belarus
Days of History and Memory – Kyrgyzstan
Thanksgiving Day – Liberia
Anniversary of the 1941 October Revolution Day Parade – Russia
Climate Change
Global warming: Earth just had its hottest October on record
October 2019 ranks as the hottest such month on record, according to new data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service.
U.S. ingenuity can tackle climate threat, fossil energy chief says
The United States can tackle threats to the climate through technological advances as fossil fuels will remain a priority for the U.S. government and business, the assistant secretary for fossil energy said on Tuesday.
Trump Isn’t a Climate Denier. He’s Worse.
Robinson Meyer
The president is withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Agreement on climate change because he just can’t quit carbon.
Chris Turner
An optimist’s guide to the climate crisis
National
Anthony Albanese rips Joel Fitzgibbon over climate change as Labor rifts widen
Anthony Albanese has carpeted Labor frontbencher Joel Fitzgibbon in shadow cabinet over his call for Labor to water down climate change targets as the party braces for the release of a post-mortem into the election defeat.
New national recycling scheme for batteries and plastic pens
The Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction and Environmental Management, Trevor Evans MP, today launched a new national battery and pen recycling program at Officeworks.
How living in a crowded city could be taking a toll on your health
This ailment will affect nearly half of all Australians in their lifetime, but city planning experts have come up with a way to reduce the rate of illness.
Irrigators are taking their Murray-Darling concerns to Canberra
Disgruntled irrigators and their supporters are planning to take their concerns directly to Canberra.
Wombats’ jaws change shape to eat different foods, research shows
New research has proven wombats aren’t as set in their eating habits as previously thought, giving hope for conservation efforts.
Deepen nuclear cooperation, think-tank urges [$]
Australian policymakers need to start thinking about how Canberra can contribute to US nuclear deterrence.
Engie targets 2GW of Australian solar and wind, backed by new fund
French energy giant flags plans to ramp up development of large-scale wind and solar development in Australia via a purpose built investment fund.
Australia’s main grid reaches 50 per cent renewables for first time
Australia’s main grid – known as the National Electricity Market – broke through the 50 per cent benchmark for renewable energy in one trading period on Wednesday, the first time that half of net demand had been met by renewables.
Why is Australia trying to shut down climate activism?
An increasingly outraged public is demanding action in a nation intimately linked to coal mining. The government has responded by threatening a new law to punish protesters.
Governments must work with Landcare
Adrian Zammit
Not a day goes by that we are not bombarded by the depressing narrative that leads us to believe we are fighting a losing battle in the protection of our natural environment – climate change, loss of biodiversity, soil and waterway degradation, loss of agricultural productivity – the list goes on.
Climate manifesto in age of disbelief
Canberra Times editorial
It is today’s tragedy that the distinction between testable facts and untestable belief has been lost. An assertion, preferably shouted with the help of an insult, has as much currency as anything written in a journal of authority.
There is no magic hydrogen bullet coming [$]
Matthew Warren
Producing the wonder fuel on an industrial scale is a cage fight with the laws of physics. It is a possibility, not a policy.
Drought cash makes farmers more dependent [$]
AFR View
The rational approach would be to encourage self-reliance among farmers running viable businesses.
There is one way forward on climate change [$]
Martin Wolf
A carbon tax, or an emissions trading system with a price floor, is the most effective way to influence emissions.
Protesting and boycotting the Morrison Government way
Michelle Pini
Ahead of the Coalition’s signalled changes to protests, boycotts and freedom of speech, executive editor Michelle Pini decodes who may and may not protest and what they may protest about.
A short history of groundbreaking climate reports we pretty much ignored [$]
Chris Woods
Thousands of scientists around the world have signed a report declaring a climate emergency. Will the Coalition government even look at it?
Victoria
After years of uncertainty, Victorian Government swings the axe on native timber industry
Logging of native trees will be phased out in Victoria over the next decade under a transition plan that could cost hundreds of millions of dollars.
‘Caked in oil’: Creek clean-up to last several weeks
Contamination of a waterway in city’s west will take weeks to clean up as the source of the spill remains unknown.
93 trains on Cranbourne, Pakenham lines to run slower
More than 90 trains a day on the overcrowded Cranbourne and Pakenham lines will take longer to reach their destination, with some trips delayed by up to five minutes.
New South Wales
Total fire ban for Sydney with strong winds, hot temperatures forecast
Firefighters are bracing for the combination of hot temperatures, low humidity and strong westerly winds on Thursday and Friday.
Koalas recovering after Port Macquarie bushfire, but hundreds still unaccounted for
Injured koalas receive life-saving treatment after surviving devastating bushfires on the New South Wales mid-north coast.
Light rail will help Sydney lighten up at night
James Hulme
A move to extend light rail services to get people home from the city late at night is welcome, but to match great global cities, why not extra trains, too?
Queensland
Great Barrier Reef: scientists find banned pesticides and blast chemical regulator
Pesticides found in reef catchment include Atrazine, a herbicide banned in 60 countries
$80 million spent by council on Brisbane Metro to date
Brisbane City Council is waiting for state government approval to begin early work on the public transport project.
Plastic straws, cutlery and plates could be banned in Queensland next year
Laws would be introduced to bring the ban into effect next year if a consultation phase is successful. Coffee cups, plastic cups, and heavyweight plastic bags could also be on the chopping block “down the track” the Palaszczuk Government says.
Authorities examine Moreton Island groundwater for E. coli as number of ill visitors rises to 60
Health authorities investigating the contamination of drinking water at Tangalooma Island resort are looking into the possibility that sewage or other contaminants have polluted the island’s natural groundwater.
South Australia
Delivering a win-win for our environment and our agricultural communities
The Morrison government has announced a key milestone in the creation of a 140,000 hectare ‘Great Southern Ark’ that will protect native species and benefit local farming communities.
Catchment area to be drained to eradicate pest fish
The large water catchment area at the Mount Gambier Railway Lands will be drained on Thursday 7 November 2019 as City of Mount Gambier work with staff from Natural Resources South East and the University of Tasmania to attempt to eradicate an invasive fish species called Gambusia.
State Govt cautious about park lands World Heritage bid
Environment Minister David Speirs says he is not “fully satisfied” that nominating the park lands for UNESCO World Heritage listing would benefit the city, with the State Government instead favouring a joint bid with the Mt Lofty Ranges.
Garden guru decries apathy over tree ‘sacrifice’ [$]
Sophie Thomson has joined a growing outcry over the shock felling of giant river red gums in her district but the Mt Barker mayor says her council is passionate about trees.
Northern Territory
Southport water shortage may get worse
The NT Government might only have four months to come to a solution for Southport’s water woes with the town’s Progress Association looking to hold a community vote about closing down and ending its oversight of the drying up communal bore.
NT government told to take bolder action on climate change
Community groups want the NT government to legislate targets of 100 per cent renewables by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050
Western Australia
Bunbury prison in full lockdown, as drugs and syringes found in three-day prison search
A prison in WA’s South West remains in full lockdown as a three-day raid uncovers a significant haul of drugs and syringes.
Sustainability
Banned in the West, the asbestos industry tells Asia its deadly product ‘dissolves’ in the lungs
Years after Australia banned all forms of the building material, big companies and lobby groups have worked together to keep Asia importing thousands of tonnes of white asbestos, and health experts fear an impending ‘explosion’ in cancer.
Indian coal generation plunges in faltering economy, but power from clean alternatives grows
Sharp falls in coal generation in India’s faltering economy present opportunity to fast-track ambitious clean energy transition, reduce air pollution and stimulate rural job growth
Why biodegradables won’t solve the plastic crisis
“Green” alternatives to throwaway plastics don’t always break down in sea water. But could they help to fix our food waste problem?
Democrats’ baffling blind spot on cars
Transportation is the greatest source of greenhouse gases in the United States. Why are all the 2020 candidates so scared to say it?
Kenya vows to cut emissions as dirty stoves and fuels kill 21,500 a year
Cooking with fuels such as charcoal and firewood produces high levels of carbon dioxide, as well as contributing to deforestation and climate change.
India reverts to building mud homes to fight climate change
Faced with a rise in extreme weather events, some architects in India are looking to revive ancient mud house construction.
Why Marie Kondo is helping to keep interest rates low
Jessica Irvine
The greatest boom in consumption in human history appears to be at an end, and it’s not all bad news.
Nature Conservation
Drought is killing Africa’s elephants, forcing rangers to abandon ‘non-intervention’ policy
Since late 2018, southern Africa has been plunged into a searing drought, and now the region’s elephants and other wildlife are starting to suffer the consequences.
Dumped fishing gear is biggest plastic polluter in ocean, finds report
Greenpeace calls for global action over nets, lines and traps that are deadly for marine life
A recent study found that new forests might be our best shot at saving the world. A global guide to doing it right.