Post of the Day
‘Scathing’ report on environment approvals finds 80 per cent contained errors or were non-compliant
Almost 80 per cent of federal environmental approvals examined in a high-level review were non-compliant or contained errors, Australia’s audit office says.
On This Day
Ecological Observance
Arbor Day – Nicaragua
Coronavirus Watch
Confirmed cases: 7,558. Deaths: 104
How the world is learning to live with a deadly pandemic
Around the world, governments that had appeared to tame the coronavirus are adjusting to the reality that the disease is here to stay.
Climate Change
Increased warming in latest generation of climate models likely caused by clouds
New representations of clouds are making models more sensitive to carbon dioxide
How a ruling on gay and transgender rights may help the climate
What does that have to do with climate change? Potentially a lot.
What stands in the way of making the climate a priority
Bill McKibben
Inertia and vested interest are the main reasons our energy systems have been slow to change, even though rapid climate change represents the ultimate in imaginable violence, injustice, and chaos.
National
‘Scathing’ report on environment approvals finds 80 per cent contained errors or were non-compliant
Almost 80 per cent of federal environmental approvals examined in a high-level review were non-compliant or contained errors, Australia’s audit office says.
Morrison government has failed in its duty to protect environment, auditor general finds
Conservation groups call for independent environment regulator after scathing review of national laws
Energy regulator considers options to control output of wind and solar farms
The Australian Energy Regulator is considering options to impose more controls over the dispatch of wind and solar farms, after alarms were raised over the increasing number of wind and solar projects that suddenly withdraw capacity when wholesale prices are negative.
The Australian Instagram influencers being paid to promote gas
Australian Instagram influencers are being paid to promote the virtues of natural gas, despite its impacts on global warming and public health.
Up to 11,000 renewable energy jobs at risk if the government ignores calls for new policies
Renewable energy groups are calling for greater public investment as companies risk losing thousands of jobs if the government ignores calls for a policy refresh.
Reserve Bank warns of 25% GDP loss by 2100 unless action taken on climate change
Australia’s central bank joins 60 others, including the Bank of England, to warn of climate risk to the economy and financial sector
HESTA dumps coal, targets absolute net zero
Super fund HESTA will ramp up its thermal coal screening immediately, and dump all carbon emitting companies by 2050, in one of the most ambitious climate change policies put forward by an Australian super fund.
InterGen slams Australian Energy Council’s net-zero emissions target
Internal dissent has shaken the peak body representing the nation’s biggest power companies, with InterGen labelling its decision to endorse a 2050 net zero emissions target a “partisan” decision.
Partisanship was never the problem. Labor needs to learn to lead
Ketan Joshi
In my view, there was already bipartisanship on climate change, in that both parties were committed to not doing enough as slowly as possible.
Prejudice and ignorance, not evidence, driving recovery strategy
John Hewson
The focus of public policy is now on recovery, as it must be as we seek to come out of the worst economic circumstances since the Great Depression.
Cleaner future in sight — if we listen to the scientists [$]
Anthony Albanese
If we listen to scientists and work together, the country can reap the benefits of renewables jobs and growth.
Kyle J.D. Mulrooney and Alistair Harkness
Illegal hunters are damaging farm property, shooting at buildings and killing livestock. So why do farm trespass laws target animal activists?
Victoria
Environment groups urge Nippon Paper to scrap Victorian timber from supply chain
In a letter to the Japanese company, activists call for rapid transition to products sourced from plantations and recycled fibre
New South Wales
Cannon-Brookes details renewable powered, hybrid timber and solar glass HQ
Australian software billionaire reveals green details of timber, steel and solar-glass skyscraper that will serve as new Atlassian HQ in Sydney’s Tech Central Precinct.
Huge 720MW solar farm and very big battery approved for connection to NSW grid
UPC\AC Renewables Australia’s 720MW New England solar farm plus 400MWh battery cleared for connection by network provider Transgrid.
Waste export deadline underlines urgent need for recycling solution
The decision to push back a ban on waste glass exports from next month to next year does not alleviate the urgent need for major recycling reform in NSW, Local Government NSW (LGNSW) said today.
Working together at border to stop wildlife tracking
Following the high-profile arrest of two men in Sydney yesterday, a joint investigation between the Australian Government and the NSW Police Force has sent a clear message to those who seek to profit off our unique flora and fauna.
New plans for Barwon-Darling river system still prioritise irrigation over environment
Environmental groups say proposed plans do not meet recommendations of government’s own water agency
Sydney’s water supply unable to cope with population growth, drought
The NSW Auditor-General has released a scathing report into water conservation in Sydney.
NSW to continue its commitment to coal
The NSW government has released a plan for coalmining and exploration, which includes a forecast that the sector will remain ”important” for decades to come.
‘Great result’: Old-growth forests get reprieve from forestry
The Berejiklian government has suspended plans to remap old-growth coastal state forests after last summer’s bushfires burnt large swathes of woodlands.
NSW’s bullish coal export plan defies the global market realities
Simon Nicholas
The world is turning off coal-fired power, so the NSW government’s optimism that thermal coal has a bright future is baffling.
Queensland
Marine conservationists want ‘nets out now’ for our humpbacks
Marine scientists and campaigners have spelt out a message of conservation for our humpback whales on a Gold Coast beach.
Ruling means electricity gets $84 cheaper for regional Queenslanders
Regional households will save more than $80 a year on their electricity bills next year following a Queensland Competition Authority ruling.
$2 billion proposed wind far for Flinders Shire to supply power from Townsville to Mt Isa
A proposed $2 billion wind farm project for north Queensland could create up to 400 construction jobs and would aim to deliver cheaper power.
South Australia
Expanded Hornsdale big battery begins final testing for inertia
Tesla big battery at Hornsdale begins final testing before delivering crucial new services, including inertia, to the grid and hastening transition to 100% renewables.
Bushfire victims lodge class action against SA Power Networks
Victims of a bushfire that swept through the lower Yorke Peninsula in November leaving a trail of property damage have launched a class action against SA Power Networks, which has conceded its infrastructure was “the most likely source” of the blaze.
Fears coronavirus will make Adelaide more car-centric than ever
As COVID-19 wipes out demand for public transport in Adelaide, urban planning experts fear the pandemic will derail long-term plans to reduce car use, resulting in higher carbon emissions and congestion.
Tasmania
Council adopts single use plastics policy
The City of Launceston has unanimously adopted a new policy for phasing out single use plastics at events, markets and other activities on Council-managed land, as well as at facilities like UTAS Stadium.
Tassie the only carbon-neutral state [$]
New figures show Tasmania remains the country’s only carbon-neutral state or territory, contributing a net reduction in Australia’s emissions, with land use change and forestry making up most of the reduction between 2005 and 2018.
Forest logging ‘ramping up’ despite pandemic [$]
Have you noticed more log trucks on the state’s roads lately? The Greens say there has been an increase in logging, with more to come.
Pademelon massacre has hunters under fire [$]
Hunters who slaughtered 140 pademelons have become a target for animal rights activists after they posted their kills on social media.
Western Australia
Areas of coral diversity identified for conservation in Australia’s North West
New research has confirmed that corals reefs along the Kimberley coastline will not recover quickly from an extreme event such as mass coral bleaching, unless local populations survive.
Sustainability
A million-mile battery: For more than just electric vehicles
With the past few years’ enormous build out of lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery manufacturing plant capacity and near-term commitments to further expansions, battery storage costs continue to fall dramatically. Falling costs, coupled with improved performance, are enabling new battery applications that will dramatically accelerate the energy transition.
Reinventing cities: Harnessing leapfrog improvements for urban transformation – video
Hear from experts as they discuss how leapfrog improvements in urban systems and infrastructure can be harnessed to deliver more equitable, healthy, resilient, lower-carbon communities.
Trapping the Sun: New thin-film technology uses sustainable components for solar panels
Most common thin-film solar panels consist of expensive rare-earth elements like indium and gallium, or highly toxic metals like cadmium. Environment-friendly solar panels consisting of the abundant materials Cu, Zn, Sn offer attractive alternatives, but are hindered by their low practical efficiency compared to their theoretical potential. Researchers from DGIST have now discovered a way to overcome these hurdles.
Five trends: US cities and counties are going renewable
Cities are a core driver of climate change, accounting for more than 70 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. Precisely because their communities are such big emitters, local governments can be at the forefront of tackling climate change and leading the switch to clean energy.
We can no longer take breathing for granted
Between a global pandemic, protests against police brutality, and unprecedented environmental rollbacks, a lifelong asthmatic reflects on how 2020 is the year we must come to terms with the tenuous nature of this simple act—and why ensuring our fragile future begins with protecting our air.
What′s driving Europe′s stance on glyphosate?
Chemicals giant Bayer has reached a settlement to end most of the current US lawsuits. Its glyphosate-based weed killer Roundup causes cancer, plaintiffs insist, bit it’s still used in many places in Europe and beyond.
How 200 Trump judges could shape environmental policy
With the Senate poised to confirm another judicial nominee, President Trump is on the verge of officially filling all of the nation’s vacant circuit court seats, securing a lasting legacy.
Going green: preparing the UK workforce for the transition to a net-zero economy
Nesta
A transformation towards a greener economy in the UK will lead to significant changes across sectors and occupations, which could increase inequalities between individuals, industries and regions.
Climate extremes will cause forest changes
No year has been as hot and dry as 2018 since climate records began. Central European forests showed severe signs of drought stress. Mortality of trees triggered in 2018 will continue for several years.
Paulinho Paiakan, Indigenous defender of rainforest, dies at 67
Mr. Paiakan became celebrated internationally for his campaigns in Brazil, even appearing once with Sting. He died of Covid-19.
The Anthropocene began with colonisation, slavery and the ‘great dying’
Mark Maslin, Simon Lewis
It marked the point when humans began to exert a geologically-huge influence on the environment.
Maelor Himbury
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