Post of the Day
Jane Goodall: ‘Unless we move together toward a new, greener economy… we’re doomed’
Jane Goodall launches a collection with Crate & Barrel to get children thinking about the environment as early as possible. Here, she talks to us about the collection, why capitalism is broken, and how young people can help save the planet.
On This Day
Ecological Observance
World Development Information Day
Coronavirus Watch
Climate Change
How climate change is making the Alps more dangerous
As the mountains thaw, rocks are coming loose from the ice, increasing the risk of injury or death for even the most experienced mountaineers.
To save low-lying atolls, adaptive measures need to start now
New research uses 5,000 years of geological data to understand how and when sea level rise will affect the livability of low-lying reef islands.
National
Solar power a clean winner for homes but beware of shocks [$]
Quality solar power networks installed by accredited experts help households cut electricity costs. But unscrupulous operators are ripping off many consumers with defective and dangerous systems.
Doubts for plans to deliver 450GL [$]
Less than four years from the deadline, there is no clear plan to deliver 450 gigalitres of water for River Murray.
Basin authority fails on Indigenous role [$]
An indigenous board member is yet to be appointed to the Murray-Darling Basin Authority espite the passing of laws last year to ensure Aboriginal representation, Senate estimates has heard.
Two-faced Labor risks falling between stools
Crispin Hull
Labor in Australia had better watch out. The Greens are coming for them. The results of last weekend’s ACT and New Zealand elections illustrate the point which will likely be reinforced in next weekend’s Queensland election.
Katharine Murphy
Does a late conversion somehow void the finance minister’s previous statements and the Coalition’s decade of shame?
Anthony Albanese coy on gas as Scott Morrison locks in Australia’s fossil fuel future
Callum Foote
Australia’s carbon-belching future is surely being sealed by the Coalition with the acquiescence of Labor.
Victoria
Murray-Darling Basin left without top cop as Keelty steps down
The former federal police commissioner did not seek to extend his tenure as the interim inspector-general for the Basin when his term ended last month.
I wondered how many birds I could count in my Melbourne backyard and asked others to do the same
Sean Dooley
The sight of pelicans and rainbow lorikeets became a bright spot in dark times for many
New South Wales
Transgrid to build Australia’s first Tesla Megapack big battery in western Sydney
Transmission company Transgrid is to build the first big battery in Australia using Tesla’s recently introduced Megapack battery technology, and what is likely to the first of more than 10 big batteries to be built across NSW as it prepares for the retirement of its ageing coal fleet.
IAG withdraws support for raising Warragamba dam wall
Insurance Australia Group says ‘significant cultural heritage sites and important natural habitats’ could be damaged
Sydney’s last wild river is at risk
A $1 billion+plan to lift the Warragamba Dam Wall as much as 17m could lead to the flooding of the lower Kowmung and 6000 hectares of pristine wilderness.
‘It was terrible work’: 20 years on, horses’ cull still a bitter political issue
Two decades ago this Monday news broke of a horse cull, spurring a backlash that still reverberates in NSW politics.
ACT
Canberra houses using more water again, as rainfall levels drop
Less rain fell into ACT catchments over the past financial year while Canberra households used more water, new figures have shown.
Queensland
How COVID hit SEQ’s public transport usage – and how it could bounce back
Will public transport usage ever bounce back to pre-COVID numbers, and if so, when?
New technology to save the Great Barrier Reef [$]
The world’s largest reef forecasting and monitoring project called eReefs has transformed the way the marine environment is managed.
‘Betrayal’: Residents’ fury as ferries cancelled, terminal closed [$]
Hundreds of cars will be funnelled onto one of Brisbane’s busiest roads and a three-minute journey will become an hour-long commute after a shock decision to close two Brisbane ferry terminals.
LNP chips in $80m to expand national parks [$]
A Liberal National Party government would dedicate $80m to expand national parks and private reserves, almost tripling the commitment by Labor.
Adani mine faces new legal challenge [$]
Anna Krien
Two teens have lodged a legal request for the Environment minister to revoke approval for the Carmichael mine, citing research linking its associated emissions with damage to up to 18,000 square kilometres of the World Heritage site.
South Australia
Four years and $4 billion – Minister says SA will still get its water
Federal Water Minister Keith Pitt says any court action is unlikely in the Murray water dispute – because there’s still plenty of time and money to deliver.
Northern Territory
Renewable energy a ‘great hoax’, says NT senator
Territory Senator Sam McMahon has labelled renewable energy a “great hoax” and the “dole bludgers” of the energy sector
Western Australia
Solar plus storage better than grid connection for remote households
Dozens of WA households taken off the grid and given stand alone solar and storage power systems, cutting costs and improving reliability.
Job-creating energy hub given Major Status backing
The Morrison Government is helping fast-track the world’s largest green hydrogen and ammonia production facility, which is expected to create tens of thousands of jobs in Western Australia.
Sustainability
The case for carbon offsets to reach net zero emissions
Carbon offsets are often dismissed as a “fig leaf”, but they ensure money is directed to sustainable projects and they provide an economic incentive to continue reform.
Campaigners criticise global deal on carbon emissions from shipping
Green groups say agreement will allow emissions to continue to rise in the next decade
Biden echoes Morrison on carbon capture [$]
In one of the most tense moments of Friday’s (AEDT) debate between Donald Trump and Mr Biden, the former vice president reiterated that he would not ban fracking.
Good environmental policy requires understanding people
A healthy forest can link to community well-being in multiple ways, including through deep ancestral and spiritual connections to place, increasing groundwater recharge for drinking or providing lei materials and medicinal products.
Even with coal, strict air pollution control can prevent early deaths
Enforcing air pollution controls can prevent premature deaths from air pollution exposure, even in a future that uses coal, finds a study.
Bill proposes harnessing ocean’s power to help reverse climate change
The legislation would prohibit oil and gas leasing in all areas of the Outer Continental Shelf, promote offshore wind energy and restore 30% of the nation’s oceans by 2030.
Jane Goodall: ‘Unless we move together toward a new, greener economy… we’re doomed’
Jane Goodall launches a collection with Crate & Barrel to get children thinking about the environment as early as possible. Here, she talks to us about the collection, why capitalism is broken, and how young people can help save the planet.
Matthew Finch and Marie Mahon
Imagine visiting the Europe of 2048. The cities are strangely silent. Desperate communities in Paris, London and Berlin struggle in the shadow of hollowed-out buildings. The once-popular coastal resorts have also been abandoned, as rises in sea level have taken their toll.
Why ‘eco-tourism’ makes me want to puke [$]
Amanda Ducker.
Throwaway terms like ‘sustainable’ and ‘eco-tourism’ are greenwashing the cold hard facts – we need to change the way we travel.
Danish research shows “almost no birds” die in collisions with wind turbines
A multi-year scientific study in Denmark has concluded that birds are quite good at avoiding wind turbine blades, and so “almost no birds die in collisions.”
Roar deal: wildlife reserves cop a hammering as COVID bites
With tourism and safaris stalled, national parks in poor African and South American countries are under serious threat.
Alexandra Cousteau wants to restore the oceans by 2050
Through her organization Oceans 2050, Alexandra Cousteau wants to shift our history of ocean loss into a tale of restoration – starting with kelp.
Climate change isn’t the only environmental crisis Biden wants to confront
The Democratic nominee’s platform calls on the United States to set aside 30 percent of its land and water for conservation by the end of the decade.
How small-scale loggers can help save Africa’s tropical forests
Small-time loggers providing timber to local villages have long been seen as a threat to forests in Africa. But that view is changing.
Peter Dykstra
If you live and work within cities or suburbs, urban nature enclaves are something special.
Maelor Himbury
6 Florence St Niddrie 3042
0393741902
0432406862
return email, delete it from your system and destroy any copies.