Post of the Day
Renewable energy targets can undermine sustainable intentions
Renewable energy targets (RETs) may be too blunt a tool for ensuring a sustainable future, according to new research.
On This Day
Mawlid (Birth of the Prophet) – Islam
Climate Change
International collaboration reveals China’s carbon balance
An international team of researchers has compiled and verified newly available data on the country’s CO2 sink, and, for the first time, they have quantitatively estimated the effect of China’s carbon mitigation efforts. The results show that China’s forest ecosystem has a huge carbon sequestration effect.
National
The ‘loss and devastation’ of a relentless drought captured from space
The 2017 to 2019 period was the hottest and driest three-year stretch ever recorded for the Murray-Darling Basin, bringing with it a level of water stress that many in the region had never before experienced.
British PM tells Morrison it’s time for ‘bold action’ on climate change
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson emphasised the need for “bold action” to address climate change in a phone discussion with Prime Minister Scott Morrison overnight — interpreted as endorsement of Australia’s “practical pathways” approach.
Those wacky, arm-flailing tube people may be the solution to keeping dingoes away
A study to find ways how dingoes and farmers can live peacefully together discovers large inflatable devices used in car yards and outdoor advertising deter the animals from accessing food.
ANZ ’net zero emissions’ test for loans puts pressure on farmers and construction firms
ANZ will implement the most ambitious net zero emissions action of the big four banks and adopt climate change as a condition of lending, increasing pressure on farmers, construction firms and a range of companies to establish low-carbon transition plans by next year.
The Australia Institute
Tracking Australia’s attitudes towards climate change and energy
Japan’s net zero carbon by 2050 pledge is nothing compared with its 2030 cuts [$]
Bernard Keane and Glenn Dyer
In 10 years Japan will cut coal’s 33% share of its energy production to 26%. That’s one seriously big crisis for Australian coal exporters.
Net-zero emissions drive puts Australian industry on notice
Llewelyn Hughes
Australia can seize the opportunity or be left behind.
Australians have spoken on climate, so there’s no excuse to look backwards
Matt Kean
The NSW Energy and Environment Minister calls on Australia’s governments to deliver the transition to a low-carbon economy that the vast majority of citizens want, according to new research.
Pumped hydro isn’t our energy future, it’s our past
Bruce Mountain and Steven Percy
It’s now beyond dispute that — for new electricity generation — solar, wind and other forms of renewable energy are cheaper than anything else: cheaper than new coal fired power stations, cheaper than new gas-fired stations and cheaper than new nuclear power plants.
Will the population freeze allow our big cities to catch up on infrastructure?
Glen Searle and Crystal Legacy
The 2020 federal budget forecasts Australia’s population growth will slow to almost zero over several years because of COVID-19 and related restrictions. This leads to the question: will this period allow the big cities to catch up on infrastructure shortfalls that developed before the pandemic?
Victoria
Supreme Court order halts Western Highway upgrade
Work on widening part of the Western Highway is on hold, after the Supreme Court issued an order preventing works from going ahead. It follows the arrest of 60 people protesting over the removal of a tree they say is culturally significant.
Wyndham breathes new life into local parks
Council has commenced work on the final part of its Wyndham Parks 2021 project, an $11.4 million program to upgrade close to 200 parks over four years, finishing in 2021.
Bushfire survivors want more water bombers, climate change action
Victorians who lost their homes in last summer’s catastrophic bushfires are calling for a massive expansion of the state’s fleet of aerial water bombers.
ACT
Aranda nursery to grow 160,000 trees to aid bushfire recovery
In the Greening Australia nursery in Aranda, trays and trays of pots are being filled with potting mix and seeds of native trees.
Queensland
‘We don’t have time to lose’: plans for coral ark to help save the world’s reefs
The Biobank is an ambitious scheme to house 800 corals in a purpose-built facility in Port Douglas
The future is now: long-term research shows ocean acidification ramping up on the Reef
A new study has shown ocean acidification is no longer a sombre forecast for the Great Barrier Reef but a present-day reality
Private investigator hired by Adani secretly photographed activist’s daughter on way to school
Investigator’s affidavit shows he surveilled and followed anti-Adani activist Ben Pennings’ wife and daughter
Activists think stopping one coal mine is the fight of our times. This is why you should care
Eliza Egret
If you’re not Australian, you may not have heard of one of the most controversial coal mines in the world. The Carmichael mega-mine is set to devastate what’s left of the fragile Great Barrier Reef, as well as destroy First Nations Australians’ ancestral lands. It’s going to contribute massively to global warming, and will cause “4.6 billion tonnes of carbon pollution”.
South Australia
One of South Australia’s most picturesque beaches is eroding into the ocean
A “picture-postcard” coastal road is likely to be lost to the Southern Ocean within a decade and scientists predict it will happen more frequently as sea levels continue to rise and “waves get better” due to climate change.
Search the map: Contaminated sites of SA [$]
For the first time, the EPA has provided a searchable map of contaminated groundwater across Adelaide.
Tasmania
Don’t burn native forest for energy, Greens tell government
Tasmanian Greens leaders past and present have come together to speak out against the practice of burning native forest for energy, demanding that Energy Minister Guy Barnett clarify his position on the matter.
The Northern Suburbs Community Centre recognised 27 learners for their permaculture committment
The students helping shape the future of sustainability in north west Tasmania received recognition on Sunday for their contribution to the cause.
Dodges Ferry beachgoers cry out for stormwater solution after pipe discovered spewing effluent [$]
Dodges Ferry residents aghast to find a pipe spewing stormwater into one of their most beloved beaches have called for an urgent solution to what they say is a human health and environmental disaster.
Northern Territory
Fyles heads for talks on Kakadu funding [$]
The Draft Kakadu Tourism Master Plan and funding will be put on the table by the Territory’s new Tourism Minister Natasha Fyles when she meets federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley and Federal Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham this week.
Sustainability
Covid saves 2.5 years of emissions, accelerates energy transition: BNEF
Together, wind and solar will account for 56 per cent of global electricity generation by mid-century and together with batteries take 80 per cent of the $15.1 trillion invested in new power capacity
Breaking down EV myths in India – what have we learnt?
India is home to seven of the top 10 most polluted cities in the world, underlining the need for cleaner transport solutions. Why then are Electric Vehicles (EVs) seen as a distant reality?
Renewable energy targets can undermine sustainable intentions
Renewable energy targets (RETs) may be too blunt a tool for ensuring a sustainable future, according to new research.
This cargo ship cuts emissions 90% using an old-fashioned trick: Sails
Using sails to transport goods? An idea so old it’s new again.
Satellite photos show construction at Iran nuclear site
Dubai: Iran has begun construction at its Natanz nuclear facility, satellite images show, just as the UN nuclear agency acknowledged Tehran is building an underground advanced centrifuge assembly plant after its last one exploded in a reported sabotage attack last summer.
Diesel locomotives to soon become thing of the past
Diesel locomotives to soon become thing of the past in India. Railways, according to an estimate, will save a whopping Rs 2,000 crore annually.
Soil-powered fuel cell promises cheap, sustainable water purification
Soil microbial fuel cells proven to be capable of creating energy to filter a person’s daily drinking water in Brazil test
New Hampshire sues Monsanto over chemical contamination
New Hampshire filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the agrochemical giant Monsanto over what it says has been widespread PCB pollution in the state.
How to vote for the environment this year
A guide to key ballot measures and Senate and House races that will have huge impacts on the way we address climate change.
Leaving more big fish in the sea reduces carbon dioxide emissions
Leaving more big fish — like tuna, sharks, mackerel and swordfish — in the sea reduces the amount of carbon dioxide released into the Earth’s atmosphere. This is because when a fish dies in the ocean it sinks to the depths and sequestrates all the carbon it contains with it.
Seafood extinction risk: Marine bivalves in peril?
Marine bivalves are an important component of our global fishery, with over 500 species harvested for food and other uses.
Reforestation plans in Africa could go awry
The state of mature ecosystems must be taken into account before launching massive reforestation plans in sub-Saharan Africa, according to geo-ecologist Julie Aleman, a visiting researcher in the geography department of Université de Montréal.
Climate change drives plants to extinction in the Black Forest in Germany
Climate change is leaving its mark on the bog complexes of the German Black Forest. Due to rising temperatures and longer dry periods, two plant species have gone extinct over the last 40 years. The populations of many others have decreased by one third. According to a new study, more species could become extinct in the next couple of decades.
The world’s banks must start to value nature and stop paying for its destruction
Robert Watson
As a new report spells out how financial institutions contribute to biodiversity loss, the clamour is growing for a new approach
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