http://southwind.com.au/2020/12/08/peter-gutwein-on-climate/
Date: 9 December 2020 at 8:37:23 am AEDT
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Dec 9
Post of the Day
7 wins that gave us hope for the environment in 2020
From commitments to produce more electric vehicles to new marine protections, these trends may be a sign of good things to come.
On This Day
Climate Change
From Alaska to California, the climate is off-kilter in the West
20 pieces of evidence that the climate crisis is here — and wreaking havoc.
Hard and fast emission cuts slow warming in the next 20 years
A new study shows that strong and rapid action to cut emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases will help to slow down the rate of global warming over the next twenty years.
Analysis: When might the world exceed 1.5°C and 2°C of global warming?
The world will likely exceed 1.5°C warming between 2026 and 2042 if emissions are not rapidly reduced, and 2°C threshold could be exceeded by 2034.
Climate change is ushering in a new pandemic era
A warming world is expanding the range of deadly diseases and risking an explosion of new zoonotic pathogens from the likes of bats, mosquitoes, and ticks.
Swift, sharp emission cuts could slow warming ‘within 20 years’
Slashing global emissions would result in “substantial” near-term rewards by reducing the risk of unprecedented warming even within the next two decades, according to a new study.
Climate Change Performance Index: How far have we come?
No country has yet achieved the goals of the Paris Agreement, according to the Climate Change Performance Index from NGOs Germanwatch and the NewClimate Institute.
U.S. green groups say honeymoon is over, turn up heat on Biden
U.S. environmental groups that poured money and effort behind Democrat Joe Biden’s successful run for president are shifting to a new more adversarial role now that he has been elected, launching a pressure campaign to make sure he delivers on his promises to fight climate change.
Why Biden should declare a climate emergency
Lydia Millet
The National Emergencies Act gives the president the power to tackle global warming without Congress’s consent.
The climate debt the U.S. owes the world
Bill McKibben
We can’t meet our moral and practical burdens simply by reducing our own carbon emissions; we also need to make amends.
National
A record year for renewables, says CER
Clean Energy Regulator report shows record 4349MW of large-scale renewables – or 374 new renewable energy power stations – added in 2019-2020 financial year.
CEFC backs new $700m equity fund seeking only carbon neutral company investments
CEFC and Aware Super become cornerstone investors in a new $700m fund that will require companies to set and meet carbon neutral targets within 10 years.
Explainer: What are Kyoto carryover credits and why do Australia’s critics say they don’t exist?
Where did ‘Kyoto credits’ come from and how do they work? What difference would it make to use them now or not?
Glencore takes axe to coal targets but says Australia will be spared
One of the world’s biggest coal miners, Glencore, has forecast its global output will fall by more than 25 per cent but its Australian mines will be among the last to close.
PM could make early announcement of Kyoto plans to Pacific leaders [$]
Scott Morrison had intended to announce the plans at the December 12 summit hosted by Boris Johnson but has thus far been declined a speaking spot.
‘Dangerous’ months ahead for east coast gas [$]
The federal government’s move towards artificially suppressing gas prices on the east coast for domestic buyers is more suited to a third-world country, EnergyQuest said.
Australia’s weird weather baffling scientists
A climate watcher has said she is being “blown away” and “in shock” by Australia’s start to summer which is refusing to play by the rules.
From rubbish to resources: building a circular economy
House of Representatives Standing Committee on Industry, Innovation, Science and Resources
There is growing recognition that waste has value. Discarded material from households, commercial premises and industrial sites is not merely considered rubbish but a useful resource that can be turned into new components, products and energy.
Do no harm? How Australia’s regulators fumbled the transition to wind and solar
Giles Parkinson
Ask any wind and solar developer, investor and financier to cite the biggest problem facing the market today, and they will probably look right past the lack of any serious climate and energy policy from the federal government, or the demonising of renewables by conservatives, and point to the new connection rules that were thrust upon the market a few years ago.
How Rudd and Turnbull could activate climate change bipartisanship
David Shearman
Following the Rudd petition, Rudd and Turnbull could further extend their example to inspire bipartisan action on climate policy and sustainability.
How universities and professions are preparing to meet the climate challenge
Shamit Saggar
Last month the bosses of 22 of Australia’s largest firms, including BHP, Rio Tinto, Wesfarmers and Commonwealth Bank, put their names to the Climate Leaders Coalition. It signalled their collective wish to push down emissions and push up their international obligations under the Paris Agreement.
Victoria
Toxic soil dump approval reversed in further hurdle for West Gate Tunnel project
Victoria’s environmental watchdog reverses its own approval to dump contaminated soil from the West Gate Tunnel in the state’s west, which could mean further delays to the project that is already in turmoil.
Victoria sets new energy efficiency targets to cut energy use by 7 pct by 2025
Victorian government announces new energy efficiency targets for households and businesses, set to cut energy use, costs and emissions.
30 more years of growth: Third CBD rail tunnel proposed as city expands
Melbourne will need to build a third rail tunnel under the CBD and take another look at a major road project the Andrews government rejected, Infrastructure Victoria says.
Victoria drives campaign for national electric car tax [$]
Victoria wants all states to introduce a controversial electric vehicle tax, despite concerns over the plan, leaked documents show.
Order rolled back for power-guzzling trams [$]
Taxpayers will foot a $3 mil bill for new trams the Andrews government ordered but cancelled because they consume too much power.
As Victorians begin planning for life beyond COVID-19, Infrastructure Victoria has released a 30-year blueprint for the state’s future, with a heavy focus on climate, energy, and sustainability.
Victoria’s electric vehicle tax and the theory of the second-best
John Quiggin
It might be thought that piecemeal reform, moving some taxes closer to the ideal, would be a step in the right direction. But it needn’t be, if other taxes aren’t moved.
New South Wales
Coal mine expansion above Sydney’s water catchment gets green light despite concerns
The Independent Planning Commission approves the Russell Vale coal mine expansion above Sydney’s water catchment despite concern about the miner’s $1 billion in debts.
Crudine Ridge wind farm starts sending power to the grid in NSW
CWP Renewables’ 170MW Crudine Ridge wind farm has started sending small amounts of renewable energy to the grid in New South Wales.
Federal Coalition MPs raise fresh concerns about NSW clean energy commitment
MPs also urge Scott Morrison to use carryover credits to meet Australia’s 2030 target ahead of weekend global climate summit
Bushfire smoke and climate inertia dents Sydney’s reputation
Bushfire smoke that blanketed Sydney for days last summer cruelled the city’s reputation worldwide for sustainability and clear air, new research shows.
Queensland
How to lose $18m in a day? Buy into a coal terminal
Coal has proved to be a troublesome issue for the State Government after its latest foray to back the sector lost it about $18 million in the space of a few hours.
Low dam levels could see recycled water scheme recycled
Recycled water could be pumped into Queensland’s drinking supply within two years if the drought continues.
Gabriel Conroy
K’gari (Fraser Island) has been burning for more than seven weeks and, so far, the fires have razed half of the World Heritage-listed island off the coast of Queensland. The devastation will become more pronounced in coming weeks, despite overnight rain.
Questions surround Adani’s $1 billion loan as world’s biggest investors get jumpy
Speculation has swirled for weeks that Adani Australia was about to land a $1 billion loan from the State Bank of India, a prospect first raised six years ago and now actively opposed by the world’s biggest investment company.
Protesters’ act of defiance in court
Two protesters who blocked Brisbane peak hour traffic for hours have chosen to stay in custody, rather than agree not to take part in any more unlawful protests.
Adani was a bad investment in 2014. It’s an even worse one now
John Quiggin
Despite winning approvals and commencing construction, Adani’s Queensland coal mine is as controversial as ever.
South Australia
South Australia gives new interconnector more money, to keep momentum of wind and solar boom
South Australia gives more money to early works for Project Energy Connect, to maintain momentum for what it says will be $4 billion investment boom.
New bikeway route through city revealed [$]
The preferred route for a new $5.8m CBD bikeway route has been revealed – and it means 170 fewer street car parks.
Tasmania
Tasmanian farmers’ anger grows over wild fallow deer [$]
Five years ago a University of Tasmania report predicted wild fallow deer numbers would swell to more than one million by 2050, but the state is only marginally closer to granting more strategies for farmers and landowners to manage herds.
New seed zones adopted by Forestry
A more efficient seed zoning system for Tasmania’s native forest regeneration, developed by the ARC Training Centre for Forest Value, has been officially adopted by so-called Sustainable Timber Tasmania.
Govt ignorance of prison environmental assessments laid bare
Media release – Westbury Region Against the Prison Inc
The government’s complete ignorance of, or disregard for, the legal implications associated with the natural values of the Westbury Reserve have been laid bare.
Peter Boyer
A fortnight ago, premier Peter Gutwein sat down with the Legislative Council Estimates Committee to talk about climate change.
Western Australia
Less money means fewer emissions: Bizarre reason WA health is ‘greener’
West Australian hospitals have produced fewer emissions because of a decline in funding, a government report has noted.
WA Liberals match promise of electric vehicle network [$]
WA will have Australia’s longest electric vehicle network after the Liberals matched Mark McGowan’s election promise.
Sustainability
Can local food feed big cities? Yes, if we cut down on meat
New research shows that shifting to lower-meat diets would allow cities to source more—or all—of their food locally.
7 wins that gave us hope for the environment in 2020
From commitments to produce more electric vehicles to new marine protections, these trends may be a sign of good things to come.
A system for sharing household heat is growing beneath France
Green energy is generated at a central location, then shuttled through underground pipes to homes in suburban Paris.
France’s next-generation aircraft carrier will be nuclear-powered, says Macron
France’s next-generation aircraft carrier will be nuclear-powered and replace the national fleet’s flagship warship, the Charles de Gaulle, in 2038, President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday.
US Environmental Agency greenlights neurotoxic pesticide
Last week, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a proposed interim decision that would allow for continued use of the neurotoxic pesticide chlorpyrifos. The decision is based on evaluations that directly contradict previous EPA conclusions linking the chemical to developmental delay in children.
Pollution from cooking remains in atmosphere for longer
Particulate emissions from cooking stay in the atmosphere for longer than previously thought, making a prolonged contribution to poor air quality and human health, according to a new study.
BC and Woods Hole scientists show link between ocean pollution and illness
A new study draws some jarring conclusions on the link between ocean pollution and human health.
New method to label and track nano-particles could improve our understanding of plastic pollution
A ground-breaking method to label and track manufactured nano-plastics could signal a paradigm shift in how we understand and care for environments, finds a new study.
US to protect coral reefs in Caribbean and Pacific
A recent report found that the reefs off the coast of Florida are the most degraded in the USA, with perhaps as little as 2% remaining.
Will rising temperatures make superweeds even stronger?
Widely used herbicides are struggling to kill some weeds. Some experts think heat could be part of the problem.
Peatland preservation vital to climate
Preserving the world’s peatlands — and the vast carbon stores they contain — is vital to limiting climate change, researchers say.
Marine ecosystems: No refuge from the heat
Over the past several decades, marine protected areas (MPAs) have emerged as a favored conservation tool. By protecting marine species and safeguarding habitat, these reserves help buffer ecosystems against natural and human-made shocks alike.
Global trends in nature’s contributions to people
A new study examined the risks to human well-being and prosperity stemming from ongoing environmental degradation.
Java’s protective mangroves smothered by plastic waste
The mangrove forests on Java’s north coast are slowly suffocating in plastic waste. The plastic problem in northeast Asia is huge and a growing threat to the region’s mangroves; a natural alley against coastal erosion. Based on recent fieldwork researchers shows that restoration of this green protection belt is impossible without better waste management.
How non-native plants are contributing to a global insect decline
Recent research provides new evidence that the displacement of native plant communities is a key cause of a collapse in insect populations and is affecting birds as well.
How France can help Brazil’s Amazon defenders
Luciana Téllez Chávez
Over the past year, France has been an outspoken voice on the mounting crisis in the Brazilian Amazon, calling international attention to the disastrous environmental policies of President Jair Bolsonaro. But if France genuinely hopes to help Brazilians save the world’s largest rainforest, there is more it can and should do.
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