https://reneweconomy.com.au/labor-and-greens-slam-taylors-unacceptable-attack-on-cefc-39127/
Date: 7 November 2020 at 8:46:22 am AEDT
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Nov 7
Post of the Day
Graph of the day: Without a big government stick, gas power will decline in Australia
Under all scenarios for Australia’s electricity market, the outcome for gas-fired generation is the same: It comprises only a tiny fraction of total annual energy output.
On This Day
Descending Day of Lord of Buddha – Bhutan
Ecological Observance
Climate Change
Climate finance for developing countries rose to USD 78.9 billion in 2018
Climate finance provided and mobilised by developed countries for developing countries totalled USD 78.9 billion in 2018, up 11% from 71.2 billion in 2017. The increase was driven by a rise in public climate finance, while private climate finance was flat, according to new figures from the OECD.
Putin orders Russian government to try to meet Paris climate goals
President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree ordering the Russian government to try to meet the 2015 Paris Agreement to fight climate change, but stressed that any action must be balanced with the need to ensure strong economic development.
Climate Fwd: The election edition
The United States presidential race is still up in the air, and the battle for control of the Senate appears far from over. But one thing is clear the day after Election Day 2020: The “green wave” that environmentalists had hoped for failed to materialize.
Christian Downie
When the US formally left the Paris climate agreement, Joe Biden tweeted that “in exactly 77 days, a Biden Administration will rejoin it”.
The election outcome will make sweeping climate action harder
Bill McKibben
Activists may have to look beyond a likely divided Washington—to the country’s other cities and states—to push for meaningful environmental reform.
National
Zali Steggall calls on Australia’s chief scientist to clarify position on net zero emissions by 2050
More than 100 businesses and organisations have supported the independent MP’s climate change bill in ads in major newspapers
Two new greater glider species discovered: ‘Australia’s biodiversity just got a lot richer’
One of the world’s biggest gliding mammals, Australia’s greater glider is actually three separate species, according to new research
Batteries steal market from gas power [$]
Storage is already capturing part of the market typically held by gas power stations, as shown with Neoen’s huge Geelong battery, but that isn’t the only challenge for gas power.
Australian states and utilities go bananas over big battery storage
The new Victorian big battery is just the latest addition to a growing number of battery storage projects across the Australian grid.
AEMO warns wind and solar developers that West Murray region is full
AEMO says West Murray region in main grid is effectively full, and any new wind and solar developments will lead to significant constraints on output.
Graph of the day: Without a big government stick, gas power will decline in Australia
Under all scenarios for Australia’s electricity market, the outcome for gas-fired generation is the same: It comprises only a tiny fraction of total annual energy output.
Labor and Greens slam Taylor’s “unacceptable attack” on CEFC
In dissenting reports, Labor and Greens senators says CEFC amendment bill is an unwarranted power grab by federal energy minister Angus Taylor.
Scott Morrison told to follow Joe Biden on climate [$]
The likely election of Joe Biden as US president should “spur” Scott Morrison to commit to a net-zero emissions target by 2050, says Australian Industry Group chief executive Innes Willox, as city-based Liberal MPs hold firm in backing the government’s climate change strategy.
Like water for electricity, we can go with the flow for cleaner energy
Elizabeth Farrelly
The solutions for a 100 per cent renewable economy are under our noses.
It’s Scott Morrison versus the world about his gas-fired fantasy
Ketan Joshi
A significant expansion of gas-fired power on Australia’s grid would cut into the growth of renewables, stifling emissions reductions.
Frequent extreme bushfires are our new reality. We need to learn how to live with smoke-filled air
Gabriel da Silva
As fires ravaged large sections of the Australian bush last summer, cities and towns all along the coast were blanketed in toxic smoke. Air pollutants were measured at unheard of levels across the country.
Victoria
Australia’s first Greens-dominated council elected in Yarra
The Yarra City Council will be Australia’s first Greens-majority local government, with all five candidates elected, leaving Labor empty-handed in their former heartland.
New twist in North East Link’s $15.8b price tag [$]
Victorian taxpayers are set to shoulder more financial risk to build the North East Link as part of a bid to avoid costly legal battles that have bogged down other mega-projects.
New South Wales
NSW government to sell remaining WestConnex stake
The cash-strapped NSW government will sell its remaining stake in the WestConnex motorway, with the multibillion-dollar asset set to draw interest from around the globe.
Massive solar farm poses deadly risk to workers [$]
Workers on a giant new solar farm near Dubbo are in danger of being electrocuted from dodgy wiring, with SafeWork NSW demanding urgent repairs.
New technology could remove PFAS from the environment
Nano technology that can break down PFAS contaminants will be trialled in Jervis Bay next year and, if successful, could be rolled out at other contaminated sites across Australia.
Wiradyuri Traditional Owners fear sacred site will be ‘forever destroyed’ for a go-kart track
Wiradyuri Traditional Owners say a go-kart track planned to be built on Wahluu (Mt Panorama) will destroy a sacred women’s site.
Queensland
Plans to generate renewable energy from green waste falter
A bold plan by several south-east Queensland councils to generate electricity from green waste is likely to be shelved after questions were raised about its feasibility.
Vicious circle: What to do with nation’s 56 million unwanted used tyres
Charleville is leading the call for a federal government fix on cleaning up toxic tyre dumps, just one of many environmental challenges confronting Queensland councils.
Queensland prices hit extremes as grid issues force solar to be switched off and on
System strength issues in Queensland lead to price extremes as large scale solar farms are switched off and on in response to grid constraints.
South Australia
Study links plastic ingestion and dietary metals in seabirds
A new study by scientists from the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), CSIRO and the University of South Australia is the first to find a relationship between plastic debris ingested by seabirds and liver concentrations of mineral metals, with potential links to pollution and nutrition.
$18m boost for electric vehicles [$]
The State Budget will have millions for new chargers for electric cars and a transition to a fully electric government fleet.
Reservoir will make a splash in time for Christmas [$]
Hope Valley Reservoir’s opening date has been set as the state prepares to spend big on more parks.
Tasmania
Tasmania uniquely positioned to lead on net-zero carbon emissions
Tasmania’s proposed renewable energy target has the potential to establish the state as an innovative, low-carbon island which continues to lead the global charge to net-zero emissions.
Happy trails: ravaged wilderness back on track [$]
It’s a challenge almost as large and overwhelming as the surrounding landscapes of towering peaks, mirrored lakes and timeless forests. But metre by metre, hardy track workers are replacing 117km of Tasmania’s bushwalking trails destroyed by the 2018-19 bushfires that burnt 212,000ha of the state’s national parks.
Waratah Reservoir – Water Supply, Safety and Firefighting
John Powell
The more you talk to learned residents of Waratah the more you discover about the efficacy (or lack thereof) of TasWater, and their incestuous advisor Entura, with regards to the so called ‘modelling’ that the destruction nee decommissioning of the Waratah Reservoir is based upon. Some examples follow.
Western Australia
One of Australia’s healthiest reefs bursts back to life after coral bleaching
Reefs in Western Australia’s Rowley Shoals “dodge a bullet” by making a remarkable recovery from coral bleaching — but scientists fear the long-term outlook might not be so pretty.
Juukan inquiry chair calls on Rio Tinto to salvage what it can after visit to Pilbara site
Northern Australia committee chair Warren Entsch has called on Rio Tinto to salvage what it can of the Juukan Gorge rock shelters that were blasted by the company in May, as part of the expansion of its Brockman 4 mine.
Sustainability
Raw sewage dumped into English and Welsh beaches ‘2,900 times this year’
Exclusive: public health and environment at risk as water companies overuse emergency overflows, says pressure group
Resuable cups: how do we return to pre-Covid habits?
Lisa Novoradovskaya
The effect of the global pandemic on the economy has been widely discussed, but what is often overlooked is the devastating impact on sustainability.
Keeping honeybees doesn’t save bees – or the environment
It’s no secret that bee populations are in decline across the UK and Europe. There has also been a fantastic increase in public awareness over the past few years, leading many to set up hives in their gardens and on their roofs. But this might not be as helpful as you may think.
Florida county overwhelmingly supports granting legal rights to rivers
Orange County, Florida, voted overwhelmingly in favor of changing the county charter to give legal protection to rivers.
—
return email, delete it from your system and destroy any copies.