Post of the Day
Australia’s roads are empty now, but what happens after coronavirus?
Experts say going back to the normal gridlock on city transport networks in a post-coronavirus world is not only unappealing — it’s unnecessary.
On This Day
Easter Monday – Eastern Christianity
Ridvan (until May 1) – Baha’i
Coronavirus Watch
Confirmed cases: 6,612. Deaths: 61
‘Never seen anything like it’: Good Friday was Lifeline’s busiest day ever
In its 57-year history, the crisis support and suicide prevention service has never experienced demand like this, but there are things you can do to improve your mental health.
Open letter from 122 Australian economists: don’t sacrifice health for ‘the economy’
Steven Hamilton et al
Leading Australian economists in four countries have signed an open letter calling on the national cabinet to think carefully before easing restrictions ‘for the sake of ‘the economy’.
Climate Change
The Guardian joins forces with hundreds of newsrooms to promote climate solutions
As the 50th anniversary of Earth Day approaches, we’re partnering with newsrooms around the world to report on solutions to the climate crisis – and drive hope
Is fungus the answer to climate change? Student who grew a mushroom canoe says yes.
“Mushrooms are here to help us — they’re a gift,” college student Katy Ayers said. “They’re our biggest ally for helping the environment.”
National
Australia’s roads are empty now, but what happens after coronavirus?
Experts say going back to the normal gridlock on city transport networks in a post-coronavirus world is not only unappealing — it’s unnecessary.
Artificial intelligence, trackless trams: Ideas for Australia’s post-coronavirus economy
National technology programs that teach workers about artificial intelligence. Infrastructure projects that put trackless trams on major roads. These are two of the ways that business leaders and academics say Australia can repair its economy after the coronavirus pandemic.
Oil crash may force energy firms to write down assets
Australian energy producers may be forced into significant writedowns amid concern that rock bottom oil prices will persist for the rest of the year, pressuring companies to lower their long-run assumptions for the commodity.
Burn-offs ‘worse for health than bushfires’ [$]
Prescribed burn-offs to prevent bushfires may be worse for overall public health than bushfires due to the cumulative effect of air pollution, a new study warns.
Victoria
’Safeguarding Victorians’: Toxic chemical fires spark [$]
Over 13 million litres of stockpiled waste chemicals have been removed by Worksafe since the toxic West Footscray and Campbellfield fires.
New South Wales
Wildlife carers, vets call for faster and better prepared wildlife rescue after bushfires
Wildlife injury from megafires overwhelmed volunteer responders who now call for strategies to be included in government response planning.
Hazard reduction burns in Myall Lakes National Park
National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has scheduled a hazard reduction burn in Myall Lakes National Park on Monday 20 April to reduce bushfire risk to Myall Shores Holiday Park and wildlife habitat.
Stronger Protection for Sydneys water catchment following extensive review
Better protections, stronger assessment and more environmental offsets will ensure Sydney’s drinking water supply is safeguarded, following an extensive review by an independent expert panel.
‘Kick them into action’: Fire group takes EPA to court over climate
A NSW court will host a legal challenge to the state’s environment watchdog that litigants hope will have wide-ranging impacts on climate policy.
WaterNSW warns of ‘extreme’ risks from expansion of catchment coal mine
In a letter to the Planning Department last month, WaterNSW said the extension of South32’s Dendrobium underground mine could also trigger rock fracturing and potential water losses.
Second wave of mega projects ‘silver bullet’ to reviving NSW economy
NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance says a second wave of mega transport projects, and the sale of assets to reinvest in new infrastructure, will be part of a “silver bullet” to revive the economy.
Queensland
Keeping our promises: We can’t let the Great Barrier Reef die
David Ritter
While we’ve been consumed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Great Barrier Reef has continued to endure bleaching which threatens its very existence, writes Greenpeace Australia CEO David Ritter.
Sustainability
Bubble-wrapped windows and foam-taped doors: How to keep warm for less this winter
Fancy your home as an “hermetically sealed space ship” this winter, and keeping warm to boot? Here’s how you can do both and not pump out more electricity, gas or wood smoke.
Norway and the A-ha moment that made electric cars the answer
A country fuelled by hydropower has become the world’s electric vehicle leader
Attenborough’s grim warning on last chance
Broadcaster and naturalist David Attenborough has warned people have a “last chance” to change their behaviour and save the planet, and we must “stop waste”.
A million people face food shortage in Ethiopia due to locusts
One million people are in need of emergency food assistance in Ethiopia after the worst desert locust outbreak in decades.
Africa’s exploding plastic nightmare
While the plastics crisis has largely played out on the administrative level in the U.S., burdening local governments with the growing costs and logistics of managing plastic garbage, in developing countries that have no government-funded waste collection or recycling systems, those burdens fall on individuals.
Nature Conservation
Covid-19 – a blessing for pangolins?
Pangolins are the world’s most trafficked mammals, but there is evidence that they were the source of the new coronavirus – which could end the trade
Maelor Himbury
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