Post of the Day
Evidence of the interconnectedness of global climate
The analysis, published in Nature, shows for the first time that changes in the Antarctic ice sheet were caused by the melting of ice sheets in the Northern Hemisphere. The influence was driven by sea-level changes caused by the melting ice in the north during the past 40,000 years.
On This Day
Climate Change
Ice sheets on the move: How north and south poles connect
Changes in the Antarctic ice sheet were driven by the melting ice sheets in the Northern Hemisphere
Evidence of the interconnectedness of global climate
The analysis, published in Nature, shows for the first time that changes in the Antarctic ice sheet were caused by the melting of ice sheets in the Northern Hemisphere. The influence was driven by sea-level changes caused by the melting ice in the north during the past 40,000 years.
National
Fracking hell: Gas and coal projects march on across Australia
While state governments are basked in praise for ambitious clean energy policies, a flurry of fossil fuel projects quietly get the green light.
Renewables sector rides through pandemic, rooftop solar market stronger than ever
CER says that rooftop solar installs on track to set new records in 2020, and large-scale market has survived a Covid investment blip.
Green hydrogen export potential lifts Australia to No. 3 on global renewables index
Australia reaches highest position ever on EY Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index, boosted to third place by green hydrogen and solar export plans.
Big batteries are getting bigger and smarter, and doing things fossil fuels can’t do
South Australia and Victoria seem to be engaged in a competition for bragging rights over who has the biggest big battery in the country.
China claims ‘quality’ problem with Australian coal as $700 million worth sits idle off ports
China suggests almost $700 million worth of Australian coal is being held up at ports due to “environmental quality” problems.
Mathias Cormann continues to talk up ‘green recovery’ in ‘vision statement’ for top OECD job
Former finance minister’s pitch pushes ‘zero net emissions as soon as possible’, which contradicts record while in Australian government
Terrorist stripped of citizenship ahead of prison release
A convicted extremist terrorist has become the first onshore dual-citizen to be stripped of his citizenship for terror-related offences.
Sustainable development goals – Australia’s progress
The Transforming Australia SDG Progress Report 2020 Update measures Australia’s performance against a set of 56 indicators linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This report builds on targets and measures of progress that the independent National Sustainable Development Council developed in 2018.
Global tariffs the only way to end Australia’s climate criminality
Bernard Keane
With a corrupted political process and a media industry pushing climate denialism, the chances of Australia embracing effective climate action appear slim. The rest of the world is therefore justified in punishing a country that is becoming a climate criminal.
The Morrison government has abrogated responsibility for the climate crisis to the states
John Hewson
It has fallen to the states to lead with more realistic targets, strategies and attempted policy responses
Instead of taxing electric vehicles, heavy vehicles should pay more for the damage they cause
Richard Denniss
But this would upset powerful industries, so don’t hold your breath
Think taxing electric vehicle use is a backward step? Here’s why it’s an important policy advance
Jago Dodson and Tiebei (Terry) Li
The South Australian and Victorian governments have announced, and New South Wales is considering, road user charges on electric vehicles. This policy has drawn scorn from environmental advocates and motor vehicle lobbyists who fear it will slow the uptake of less-polluting vehicles. But, from a longer-term transport policy perspective, a distance-based road user charge on electric vehicles is an important step forward.
Drones, detection dogs, poo spotting: what’s the best way to conduct Australia’s Great Koala Count?
Romane H. Cristescu et al
Federal environment minister Sussan Ley this week announced A$2 million for a national audit of Australia’s koalas, as part of an A$18 million package to protect the vulnerable species.
Victoria
Victoria’s EV hit means a sub $20,000 Nissan Leaf pays more tax than a Lexus
Victoria’s new electric vehicle tax means the cost of running a second-hand Nissan Leaf is less than a luxury hybrid. This is not a tax on millionaires, it’s an…
Victoria’s electric vehicle tax could reduce clean car use by 25%, researcher says
A charge on electric cars is ‘completely incongruent’ with states’ targets of reaching net zero emissions by 2050, Dr Jake Whitehead says
New South Wales
Graph of the day: Narrabri gas field will wipe out most renewable emissions cuts
The NSW renewable energy plans could massively reduce emissions, but a federally-approved gas mine could cancel out at least half of that.
The miner has not revealed which parts of the Pilliga forest will be cleared and what it means for groundwater and threatened species
NSW upper house passes renewable electricity bill after rejecting One Nation amendments
Marathon parliamentary sitting wraps up, passing legislation experts say will help turn NSW into a renewable energy superpower
Sydney public transport capacity to increase as mask use dwindles
Capacity on Sydney’s public transport network will be increased next month despite mask use dwindling to as low as 15 per cent as the government considers mandating the measure and imposing fines.
‘Fish massacre’: Fisheries staff feared easing of marine park controls
NSW fisheries officers were stunned by the Berejiklian government’s decision to roll back marine park protections in the Batemans Bay area.
Queensland
Bushfire continues to burn out of control on Fraser Island after six weeks
A bushfire ravages a third of the World Heritage Area of Queensland’s idyllic Fraser Island, six weeks after being sparked by an illegal campfire.
Wave of anger over art museum’s plan for new ocean sculptures on Great Barrier Reef
Some island residents say new artworks proposed by the Museum of Underwater Art are culturally inappropriate and their installation will damage the reef — but most love the existing sculptures.
Plans to clear crucial Cape York [threatened species habitat] rejected
Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley’s rejection of plans to clear nearly 2000 hectares of native woodland in a key Great Barrier Reef catchment area shows the importance of national leadership on nature protection, the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) says.
Young people love our natural assets
Young people rank the region’s natural assets as the top reason they love living in Cairns, followed by the relaxed lifestyle and the great weather.
The bikes that ate Brisbane: council scrambles to keep up with rush to e-mobility
Governments and local authorities are scrambling to get on top of the surge in the popularity of e-bikes and e-scooters in Brisbane, with a new draft strategy suggesting more dedicated parking spaces for the devices to clear congested footpaths and an expansion of hire schemes into the suburbs to allow true door-to-door mobility for residents.
Fears for wildlife as island continues to burn [$]
As a bushfire continues to burn on Fraser Island, a dingo advocate has shared her concerns about the long-term impact it could have on the wildlife population.
Cape York forestry clearing bid rejected [$]
Plans to clear 2100ha of woodland on a Cape York cattle station have been rejected by the federal government after a long-running approvals process.
South Australia
Leigh Creek syngas project granted petroleum licence
South Australian company Leigh Creek Energy has been granted a petroleum production licence to commence commercial syngas production at the former coal mine site in the state’s far north.
Finally, a top fix for plastic bread tags [$]
About 11 million plastic bread tags will be replaced by recyclable cardboard tags in South Australia by the end of next year, with Tip Top leading the charge on sustainability.
Electric vehicles ‘will mean cheaper power’ [$]
Electric vehicles will bring multiple benefits to all, not just the car owners, SA’s energy minister says.
Tasmania
More delays on Northern Regional Prison as Justice Department’s environmental consultant resigns [$]
The government’s environmental consultant for the proposed Northern Regional Prison north of Westbury has resigned, causing potentially months of delays with a new consultant and works permit required.
Documents detail swift parrot nesting habitat loss due to Tasman Highway works at St Helens [$]
The Department of State Growth covered the hollows of potential swift parrot nesting trees at a proposed Tasman Highway widening near St Helens despite being told to seek advice from the Commonwealth first.
Meander Valley will trial recycled road resurfacing in a Tasmanian first
Old tyres and discarded glass bottles will soon be repurposed to form part of the roads in Meander Valley.
Escaped salmon pollute marine environment
The fire and subsequent release of 50,000 4-kilogram Atlantic salmon into Tasmania’s publicly-owned marine environment requires an urgent independent investigation and appropriate prosecution, community watchdog, Neighbours of Fish Farming, said today.
Western Australia
Threatened cockatoos ‘annihilating’ apple crops
An iconic Aussie bird is ruffling apple industry feathers to the tune of millions of dollars a year in damage to orchards and crops, say frustrated farmers.
Goldfields to get a share of Perth basin gas with new $460 million pipeline
Gas infrastructure group APA has pulled the trigger on a new $460 million, 580-kilometre pipeline that will connect Perth basin onshore gas projects in the Mid West with the Goldfields region.
Report lays bare McGowan government’s chummy chats with big gas companies
The findings of a new report have prompted accusations that the closeness of the gas industry to the WA government was resulting in a slow response to climate change and limp efforts to hold the sector to account.
Top Rio Tinto executive says iron ore boom unravelled Indigenous ties
One of Rio Tinto’s most senior executives has partly attributed failures that caused the destruction of a 46,000-year-old Aboriginal site in Western Australia to the miner’s push to simplify its business during the China-driven iron ore boom years.
Sustainability
China tipped to double solar installs to 85GW a year, pushing costs down by half
China is tipped to double solar installs to 85GW a year under its new five year plan, pushing costs down by half.
Coal financing in India from commercial banks dropped 126 per cent in 2019: Report
Project funding to coal from commercial banks dropped 126 per cent from 2018 to 2019, according to a recent report. It said that commercial banks provided Rs 950 crore in loans to coal.
New modified wheat could help tackle global food shortage
Researchers at the University of York have created a new modified wheat variety that increases grain production by up to 12%.
Research creates hydrogen-producing living droplets, paving way for alternative future energy source
Scientists have built tiny droplet-based microbial factories that produce hydrogen, instead of oxygen, when exposed to daylight in air.
Biden’s Cabinet picks could transform energy world
President-elect Joe Biden’s choices for Treasury secretary, secretary of State and executive branch positions yesterday signal a dramatic shift in U.S. energy and climate policy.
Michelle Power
Many of us are aware of the enormous threat of antibiotic- (or “antimicrobial”) resistant bacteria on human health. But few realise just how pervasive these superbugs are — antimicrobial-resistant bacteria have jumped from humans and are running rampant across wildlife and the environment.
Sri Lanka digs moat around landfill to stop hungry elephants from eating trash
The elephants will slowly die after consuming plastic along with food scraps, but Sri Lanka’s Government hopes the moat will keep the animals away and stop them harassing villagers.
Report clears WWF of complicity in violent abuses by conservation rangers
But independent review criticises wildlife fund’s inconsistent approach to human rights
Scientists race to find ancient bananas that can save one of the world’s favourite fruits
In the rainforests of Papua New Guinea, 15-metre-tall ancestors of modern-day, cultivated bananas contain the precious genetics that could save the popular fruit from climate change, pests and disease.
Community conservation reserves protect fish diversity in tropical rivers
Small, community-based reserves in Thailand’s Salween River Basin are serving as critical refuges for fish diversity in a region whose subsistence fisheries have suffered from decades of over-harvesting.
Ghost fishing threatens endangered river dolphins, critically endangered turtles, otters
Waste fishing gear in the River Ganges poses a threat to wildlife including otters, turtles and dolphins, new research shows.
US Clean Air Act saved 1.5 billion birds
Improved air quality, reduced ozone pollution may have averted bird deaths
The invasive species that Europe needs to erradicate most urgently are identified
An international research team analyzed the risk impact and the effectiveness of possible erradication strategies for invasive species already in the region as well as those that have yet to arrive
Researchers go underwater to study how sponge species vanished
Research suggests that sharp rise in water temperatures led to death and disappearance of some species from the shallow water of Israeli shores
Scientists call for decade of concerted effort to enhance understanding of the deep seas
An international team of scientists, spanning 45 institutions in 17 countries, has called for a dedicated decade-long programme of research to greatly advance discovery in the deep ocean.
Shaun Rosier
New Zealand has more than 1,100 registered quarries. Some of these mined sites are small, rural operations, but a significant number are large and complex, and within a city’s urban boundaries.
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