Daily Links Sep 13

It’s a while ago that News Corp in the US dropped ‘fair and balanced’ as their strap line so we shouldn’t be surprised at this news. And there are other media companies to the right of Murdoch, if you can conceive of such a thing. Little wonder the country is in such dire straits.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/11/american-tv-news-california-oregon-fires-climate-crisis

From: Maelor Himbury <maelor@melbpc.org.au>
Date: 13 September 2020 at 8:39:44 am AEST
Subject: Daily Links Sep 13

Post of the Day 

‘Rio is just the tip of the iceberg’: First Nations groups call for strengthened cultural protections 

The First Nations Heritage Protection Alliances warns that without stronger legislation, more culturally significant sites will be damaged. 

 

On This Day 

September 13 

Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross – Armenia 

 

Ecological Observance 

National Bilby Day 

 

Coronavirus Watch 

Today’s Update 

 

Climate Change 

Fry and Rylance defend Extinction Rebellion against UK’s ‘organised crime group’ classification 

Celebrities hit back at move to brand protesters as part of ‘organised crime group’ 

 

Global warming threatens soil phosphorus, says a soil scientist from RUDN University 

A soil scientist from RUDN University found out that the resources of organic phosphorus in the soils of the Tibetan Plateau could be depleted because of global warming. 

 

Volcanic ash may have a bigger impact on the climate than we thought 

Volcanic ash shuts down air traffic and can sicken people. But a new study suggests that it may also be more important for Earth’s climate than scientists once thought. 

 

Most wildfire coverage on American TV news fails to mention link to climate crisis 

A media watchdog analysis found that just 15% of broadcast news segments over a September weekend made the connection to climate breakdown 

 

$500 billion question: what’s the value of studying the ocean’s biological carbon pump? 

A new study puts an economic value on the benefit of research to improve knowledge of the biological carbon pump and reduce the uncertainty of ocean carbon sequestration estimates. 

 

Faith and politics mix to drive evangelical Christians’ climate change denial 

Adrian Bardon 

Does religion predispose people against climate science? Studies link a belief in miracles and an afterlife with lower estimates of the risks posed by climate change. 

 

National 

‘Rio is just the tip of the iceberg’: First Nations groups call for strengthened cultural protections 

The First Nations Heritage Protection Alliances warns that without stronger legislation, more culturally significant sites will be damaged. 

 

‘We are relying on a pinky promise’: The problem with the new environmental powers law 

Michael Slezak 

As the NSW Government descends into chaos over koala protections, the Federal Government is in a scramble, trying to hand over its environmental powers to the states 

 

Victoria 

Push to make sustainable city buildings the new norm 

New residential and office developments in inner Melbourne would be required to meet sustainable building standards, provide a minimum number of bicycle spaces and would not be required to provide on-site car spaces, under a plan to be put to Planning Minister Richard Wynne. 

 

New South Wales 

Leaked report blasts NSW Government over plans to raise Warragamba Dam 

The NSW Government is told to re-do months of Indigenous heritage work as part of the proposal to raise the Warragamba Dam wall, a scathing Federal review leaked to the ABC shows. 

 

Residents at war with EPA over toxic waste dump and a mystery red truck 

To the victims of the toxic waste dump in north-western Sydney, it was a case that should not have been difficult to crack. 

 

Fireys cop foul abuse from posh suburbs over smoke [$] 

Firefighters have been racing against the clock to perform hazard reduction burns ahead of the approaching fire season but disgruntled residents, many from Sydney’s east and lower north shore, have been targeting fireys with abuse due to the smoke in the air. 

 

‘The message is simple’: Liberals refuse to work with Nationals if Barilaro remains leader 

Senior Liberal ministers have escalated the stand-off with the Nationals, vowing they will not give their Coalition partners a single concession in cabinet over the divisive koala planning policy as long as John Barilaro remains their leader. 

 

Farmers will suffer while the Libs try being green [$] 

Vikki Campion  

It’s ridiculous to suggest koalas should live in and eat native pine trees. A tree a koala may walk past is not a reason to protect it, more than a culvert a funnel-web lives in makes it a sacred site. 

 

Gloves come off between Berejiklian and Barilaro over ‘koala war’ 

Sue Arnold 

The future of Australia’s wildlife is at the mercy of political gamesmanship and politicians who don’t understand its importance. 

 

Queensland 

New fast rail push to get SEQ’s post-COVID recovery on track 

The Wagner Corporation built an airport for Toowoomba in 18 months when it realised it was taking too long for its customers’ goods to get to Brisbane. 

 

South Australia 

Meet the people fighting to save a blood-sucking living fossil with terrifying teeth 

The blood-sucking lamprey has survived another evolutionary battle creeping its way back into Australian waterways and cultural kitchens. 

 

Electric vehicles to power your home [$] 

Electric vehicles are growing in popularity as prices come down and a charging network evolves. Now, SA will help fund testing on whether the vehicles can power homes too. 

 

Tasmania 

Ben Lomond committee past president Tony Gray says a cultural shift is needed to realise the mountain’s potential 

An investor, financial advisor and former president of the Ben Lomond committee is choosing not to invest in the mountain due to the current attitude of Parks and Wildlife. 

 

Premier should walk the walk on prison site 

Concerned Residents Opposed to the Westbury Prison Site (CROWPS) 

National Threatened Species Day 2020 has again highlighted just how many threatened species there are in Tasmania and the imminent danger our flora and fauna is in. 

 

Explainer: EPBC Act reform: how laws born from a Tasmanian decision have failed the environment [$] 

Adam Holmes 

Should issues of environmental importance just be a matter for the state where they occur, or are they a concern for all of Australia and the world at large? 

 

Frustration with forestry 

Geoffrey Swan 

“Your latest article is a litany of misinterpretations, confusion, and incorrect assumptions. I think you are perhaps out of your depth here in objectively presenting the Foresty Watch conclusions, interpreting forestry legislation and code of practice.” 

 

Northern Territory 

Territorians moving south, data shows [$] 

Heat, high living costs and the distance from other capitals in Australia is have been key traditional drivers moving people away from the NT to Australia’s southern states. 

 

Sustainability 

Inexpensive, non-toxic nanofluid could be a game-changer for oil recovery 

Researchers from the University of Houston have demonstrated that an inexpensive and non-toxic nanofluid can be used to efficiently recover even heavy oil with high viscosity from reservoirs. 

 

As time becomes kaleidoscopic, I find it unbearable to think too far into my children’s future 

Delia Falconer  

‘Stop the world’ the musical hero said whenever things went wrong. I’ve been feeling this way for a few years now 

 

Wildfires are striking closer and closer to cities. We know how this will end 

Alastair Gee and Dani Anguiano 

The climate crisis is a factor, but so are efforts to fight fires – which have had the opposite effect 

 

Nature Conservation 

Shedding light on coral reefs 

New research published in the journal Coral Reefs generates the largest characterization of coral reef spectral data to date. 

 

First assessment of naturalized, invasive and potentially invasive plan 

CABI scientists have led the first assessment of naturalised, invasive and potentially invasive plant species present in Laikipia County, Kenya, which hosts the highest populations of endangered large mammals in the country. 

 

Climate change recasts the insect communities of the Arctic 

Through a unique research collaboration, researchers at the University of Helsinki have exposed major changes taking place in the insect communities of the Arctic. 

 

In the line of fire 

People are starting almost all the wildfires that threaten US homes, according to an innovative new analysis combining housing and wildfire data. 

 

Loss of sea otters accelerating the effects of climate change 

The impacts of predator loss and climate change are combining to devastate living reefs that have defined Alaskan kelp forests for centuries, according to new research published in Science. 

 

Maelor Himbury

6 Florence St Niddrie 3042

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0432406862

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