Daily Links Aug 11

The criteria established here for industry support are all met by renewables, none are met by fossil fuels and worse, the consequences of the latter could kill many industries. So why does the Nev Power Commission and enabler, the Pentecostal PM, persist in acting as a ‘predator state’ in the support for a dying industry? One has to ask.

Post of the Day 

New global study shows ‘best of the last’ tropical forests urgently need protection 

The world’s ‘best of the last’ tropical forests are at significant risk of being lost, according to a new article. Of these pristine forests that provide key services — including carbon storage, prevention of disease transmission and water provision — only a mere 6.5 percent are formally protected. 

 

On This Day 

Aug 11 

Krishna Janmashtami – Hinduism 

 

Coronavirus Watch 

Confirmed cases: 21,407. Deaths: 314 

 

Climate Change 

Amazon’s Jeff Bezos creates Fellowship Ventures for $10 billion climate change strategy 

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos quietly created a new company to help execute his $10 billion pledge to combat climate change, Recode has learned, offering a clue into the plan known as the Bezos Earth Fund, which has been shrouded in secrecy since it was announced half a year ago. 

 

Analysts worried the pandemic would stifle climate action from banks. It did the opposite 

The risks of climate change and pressure from investors is driving the finance industry to move away from fossil fuels and improve its transparency. 

 

Personal connections key to climate adaptation 

Connections with friends and family are key to helping communities adapt to the devastating impact of climate change on their homes and livelihoods. The research found people are more empowered to deal with the impact of encroaching sea-levels and dwindling fish stocks when they see others doing the same. 

 

Past evidence supports complete loss of Arctic sea-ice by 2035 

A new study supports predictions that the Arctic could be free of sea ice by 2035. 

 

Landmarks facing climate threats could ‘transform’ 

Researchers asked whether heritage sites threatened by climate change should be allowed to adapt and ‘transform.’ 

 

National 

RBA ignores own climate warnings, seeks only 10pct green energy 

RBA plans 1MW solar plant on its note printing facilities, but a new tender for RBA’s energy supply seeks only 10% green power, despite its repeated warnings on climate… 

 

Medical groups call for a climate-focused COVID-19 recovery plan 

Many of the medical professionals on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic are urging the Australian government to also act on another health crisis – climate change. 

 

Hyundai partners with gas giants for hydrogen cars in Australia 

Gas companies will partner with Hyundai to supply refuelling infrastructure for hydrogen-powered cars in Australia next year in a bid to accelerate the take-up of the zero-emissions fuel technology. 

 

Don’t let states have last say, says Kim Carr [$] 

Labor senator Kim Carr has ­declared his opposition to state-control of environmental ­approvals, as the party’s federal MPs are pushed to reject the Morrison government’s proposed reforms to green-tape regulations. 

 

Why most Aboriginal people have little say over clean energy projects planned for their land 

Lily O’Neill et al 

Yes, transitioning Australia to a zero-carbon economy is essential, but the federal government must remedy this imbalance. 

 

Morrison’s COVID-19 Commission: Industry policy in reverse 

Tim Thornton 

The Morrison Government is using industry policy in a reverse and perverse fashion that is best understood as a form of predation. 

 

COVID-19 has already taught us the lessons we need to fight climate change 

Michelle Hamrosi 

It is more than six months since last summer’s apocalyptic bushfires, but the memories continue to haunt me. 

 

Why most Aboriginal people have little say over clean energy projects planned for their land 

Lily O’Neill et al 

Yes, transitioning Australia to a zero-carbon economy is essential, but the federal government must remedy this imbalance. 

 

Victoria 

Can Western Port stop AGL’s dirty floating gas factory? 

AGL Energy’s proposed gas import terminal for Western Port Bay has been rejected by the community, but will this stop the project going ahead? 

 

Protection bid rejected for culturally significant trees threatened by Western Highway upgrade 

The Commonwealth rejects an application to protect several trees deemed by Indigenous groups to be sacred at a contentious highway upgrade in Victoria’s west. 

 

Coronavirus: Stage-four rules make inroads on transport 

Victoria’s stage-four restrictions and 8pm to 5am curfew have seen road and public transport use fall dramatically, in a sign the restrictions are limiting movement around the state. 

 

Bold idea to open up Victoria’s green spaces [$] 

Golf courses, bowls clubs and racetracks would be transformed into public recreation hubs in a radical idea to ease the squeeze on green space. More walking and cycling paths along creeks and rivers has also been flagged in a bid to open up parks and underused land and reap huge health and wellbeing benefits. 

 

New South Wales 

Narrabri gas planning assessment slammed for being ‘riddled with errors’ 

A NSW government assessment of the Narrabri gas project has been slammed as being filled with errors, as project faces community opposition. 

 

Biggest solar farms in NSW face major output cuts in latest network shock 

The three biggest solar farms in New South Wales will face “material” constraints to their output when they join the grid west of Wagga Wagga over the next 12 months, as do another half a dozen existing and soon-to-be connected solar farms in the region. 

 

Water storage hits significant milestone 

Orange’s water storage hit a significant milestone with a total combined storage of 35.54 per cent. The figure is the highest in 12 months. 

 

Drop in transport use linked to fears over Melbourne outbreak 

A recent fall in NSW public transport patronage has been linked to the coronavirus outbreak in Melbourne, with scores of Sydneysiders opting to stay at home amid fears of a second wave north of the border. 

 

Dramatic video: NSW dam bursts its banks 

A dam on the NSW south coast has burst its banks after heavy rainfall over the weekend, reportedly losing a “year’s worth of water” in 24 hours. 

 

A contentious NSW gas project is weeks away from approval. Here are 3 reasons it should be rejected 

Madeline Taylor and Susan M Park 

The pending decision on the Narrabri Gas Project comes at a critical time for Australia’s gas industry. 

 

ACT 

Food waste collection service to be rolled out across Canberra if ACT Labor re-elected 

Canberrans without a kerbside green bin will be issued one, alongside a free compost caddy for their kitchen, if the ACT Labor Government is re-elected in October, in a proposal that aims to reduce the capital’s garbage emissions by a third. 

 

Waterfront cafes, ‘swimming cove’ planned for Lake Burley Griffin [$] 

Waterfront cafes and restaurants, event spaces and a designated “swimming cove” are planned for Lake Burley Griffin’s West Basin as part of a refreshed vision for the precinct. 

 

Canberra dam levels increase by almost 10 per cent after weekend rain 

Canberra’s dam levels have increased by almost 10 per cent since last Thursday due to the weekend’s rain. 

 

Queensland 

Genex raises $28.3 million to fast-track Queensland big battery 

Genex to fast track development of the Como big battery in Queeensland, after raising $28.3m in a new share offering. 

 

South Australia 

Virtual inertia in practice: How South Australia’s second big battery made its mark 

The use of grid-forming inverters and the creation of “virtual inertia” at the Dalrymple battery in South Australia has been a critical step towards a decarbonised grid. 

 

Power saving plan hits the water [$] 

Drawing on cheaper power during the day – while there’s an abundance of sunlight – could save us each $50 per year. 

 

Public sex, drug use and … lizard poaching [$] 

The Tennyson dunes, long known as a site for night sex and drug use, now have a new problem – wildlife poachers. 

 

Far North deluge stops tourists in their tracks [$] 

First we had thick snow in the Flinders Ranges. Now a deluge in the state’s Far North has made many roads impassable, with fears more rain on the way could keep traffic stranded for even longer.  

 

Tasmania 

Cable car RFI 

Mount Wellington Cable Way Company (MWCC) today lodged its response to the Hobart City’s Council’s request for additional information. 

 

Mystery carp abnormality creates opportunities 

A remote Tasmanian lake is the unlikely location for a discovery that could benefit research into human illnesses as well as efforts to eradicate populations of an invasive pest. 

 

Container deposit scheme model 

Following the establishment of TasRecycle by Coca-Cola Amatil and Lion, the Greens are calling on the Tasmanian Government to rule out handing control of the container deposit scheme to the beverage industry. 

 

Gutwein can claim leadership – but not yet [$] 

Peter Boyer 

Like the pandemic, climate change demands a public discourse free of spin 

 

Northern Territory 

Labor pledge to implement final fracking recommendations [$] 

Labor have pledged to implement the remaining recommendations of the Pepper Inquiry, or the Independent Scientific Inquiry into Hydraulic Fracturing in the NT, if re-elected 

 

Western Australia 

Why an outback city wants a controversial Malaysian plant and its radioactive waste 

A multi-million-dollar rare earths processing plant is welcomed as a “game changer” for WA’s Goldfields region, but some have raised safety and environmental concerns. 

 

Juukan Gorge destruction shines light on Aboriginal group ‘gags’ 

While the destruction of the Juukan Gorge drew global condemnation of the act itself, in the aftermath a spotlight has been shone on the agreements between mining companies and Aboriginal groups that allowed it to happen. 

 

Roy Hill talks down need for Aboriginal heritage law reforms [$] 

There are growing concerns about established land use agreements between miners and traditional owners, with work either stalled or under a cloud following Rio Tinto’s blasting of Juukan Gorge. 

 

Sustainability 

Gene manipulation using algae could grow more crops with less water 

Enhanced photosynthesis holds promise of higher yields in a drought-afflicted future 

 

Agriculture replaces fossil fuels as largest human source of sulfur in the environment 

New research identifies fertilizer and pesticide applications to croplands as the largest source of sulfur in the environment — up to 10 times higher than the peak sulfur load seen in the second half of the 20th century, during the days of acid rain. 

 

Aquatic robots can remove contaminant particles from water 

Scientists have developed a 1cm by 1cm wireless artificial aquatic polyp, which can remove contaminants from water. Apart from cleaning, this soft robot could be also used in medical diagnostic devices by aiding in picking up and transporting specific cells for analysis. 

 

Hiroshima reconsidered 

Wade Allison  

The threats to world order are climate change and the coronavirus, not nuclear fission. The fear of nuclear energy should be exorcised. 

Death from the sky: Hiroshima and normalised atrocities 

Binoy Kampmark  

On a certain level, it was merely another weapon, one to use, a choice sample in the cabinet of lethal means and measures. 

 

Electric cars won’t save us if the numbers don’t add up – economist 

Jamie Morgan 

It seems likely we are going to need radical reductions in future ownership of private vehicles as we transition to cleaner transport. 

 

Nature Conservation 

Anxious Mauritians use hair to stem Japanese ship’s oil spill 

Mauritians are making floating booms of human hair and leaves in a round-the-clock scramble to mop up oil leaking from a grounded Japanese ship onto their pristine Indian Ocean beaches. 

 

Alarm as pesticides spur rapid decline of US bird species 

Seed-coating chemicals harm birds’ development, study finds 

US and Canada have lost 29% of birds since 1970 

 

Marine heatwaves may force fish to flee huge distances: Study 

Fish and other marine life may have to flee thousands of kilometers to escape damaging heatwaves, highlighting the scale of disruption caused by these increasing surges in ocean temperatures. 

 

How fish stocks will change in warming seas 

New research out today highlights the future effects of climate change on important fish stocks for south-west UK fisheries. 

 

Forest growth in drier climates will be impacted by reduced snowpack 

A new study suggests that future reductions in seasonal snowpack as a result of climate change may negatively influence forest growth in semi-arid climates, but less so in wetter climates. 

 

New global study shows ‘best of the last’ tropical forests urgently need protection 

The world’s ‘best of the last’ tropical forests are at significant risk of being lost, according to a new article. Of these pristine forests that provide key services — including carbon storage, prevention of disease transmission and water provision — only a mere 6.5 percent are formally protected. 

Maelor Himbury

6 Florence St Niddrie 3042

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0432406862

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