Post of the Day
The extinction crisis: Coming to a dinner table near you?
Wild plants related to our main agricultural crops are important to future food security. But more than half are endangered, a new study finds.
On This Day
Ecological Observance
Climate Change
How icebergs really melt — and what this could mean for climate change
Iceberg melt is responsible for about half the fresh water entering the ocean from the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets. Accurately modelling how it enters is important for understanding potential impact on ocean circulation.
Skies of blue: Recycling carbon emissions to useful chemicals and reducing global warming
Researchers optimize a novel process for the efficient conversion of carbon emissions into useful chemicals like acetate using microbes
Fishes contribute roughly 1.65 billion tons of carbon in feces and other matter annually
Scientists have little understanding of the role fishes play in the global carbon cycle linked to climate change, but a Rutgers-led study found that carbon in feces, respiration and other excretions from fishes – roughly 1.65 billion tons annually – make up about 16 percent of the total carbon that sinks below the ocean’s upper layers.
National
Wind and solar projects join grid in record numbers, and connection queues grow
AEMO says number of connected wind and solar projects hit record high in 2020, but the queue for connection and registration is also growing.
Barnaby Joyce blunders attempt to open CEFC funds to “high intensity” coal plants
Barnaby Joyce calls for CEFC to fund “high intensity” coal plants, but the emissions threshold he proposes would make that impossible.
Matt Canavan’s false wind meme is linked to the fossil fuel industry
Another viral, inaccurate meme about wind turbines that’s got the attention of Matt Canavan has links to the fossil fuel industry.
‘Clean coal’ is nothing but a marketing scam: Energy experts
The Nationals’ pitch for taxpayers to invest in ‘clean coal’ is nothing but a marketing scam designed to make Australians feel better about burning carbon emissions, leading energy experts say.
More Nationals supporting Joyce amendment and Liberal Craig Kelly says he will consider it
Liberals fuming as Nationals’ energy revolt gains another backer
A Nationals revolt on climate change has gained support from the party’s Senate team in a challenge to Prime Minister Scott Morrison on whether to allow a new $1 billion fund to invest in coal and nuclear power.
Highway upgrade will ‘destroy sacred sites’ [$]
Indigenous elders are staring down an eviction threat from the Queensland government as they vow to stop an highway upgrade they fear will destroy ancient artefacts and bulldoze sacred land.
How computer vision can protect coral reefs
The Australian Institute of Marine Science teams up with Accenture to protect coral reefs in a computer vision project inspired by a Netflix documentary.
Conservation groups commend Morrison Government for joining Global Ocean Alliance
The Save Our Marine Life Alliance, Australian Marine Conservation Society and The Pew Charitable Trusts commend the Australian Government for joining an alliance of 40 nations calling for a visionary global target to protect the world’s oceans by 2030.
Inquiry to put spotlight on financial sector’s treatment of resources
Minister for Resources, Water and Northern Australia Keith Pitt has welcomed the Trade and Investment Growth Committee’s inquiry into the financial sector’s treatment of Australia’s export industries. “I am pleased that the resources sector will be a key focus of this inquiry that will look into recent announcements by some banks and superannuation companies that they will withdraw investment support for the coal industry,” Minister Pitt said.
Coalition MPs in drive for nuclear energy [$]
Nationals senators have drafted legislation allowing the Clean Energy Finance Corporation to invest in nuclear power as two-thirds of Coalition MPs backed lifting the ban on the controversial fuel source to help shift the nation to a carbon-neutral future.
Take it from a Tory: Australia should join the UK in embracing net zero
Simon Clarke
Conservatives are understandably sceptical about emissions targets, but the good news is they seem to work.
We deserve an end to the climate of confusion [$]
Alan Jones
The politicians who are driving Australia to reach “net zero” emissions by 2050 need to wake up and start listening to the scientists telling the truth about CO2.
Frydenberg makes the right call on class action lawsuits [$]
Jennifer Hewett
Corporate Australia is relieved at the decision to make it tougher for shareholder class actions to proceed based on continuous disclosure laws. But the Senate crossbench will be fertile ground for a scare campaign.
Victoria
Australian children are learning in classrooms with very poor air quality
Mary Myla Andamon et al
Victorian students are learning in classrooms with very poor air quality. Our year-long analysis of Victorian primary and secondary school classrooms has found the amount of carbon dioxide (CO₂) often far exceeds the maximum acceptable standard.
New South Wales
Collapsing thermal coal price pushes miners deep into the red
Whitehaven Coal – the kind of pure play thermal coal miner that investors are abandoning in droves – lost $94 million in the six months to December.
Whitehaven Coal points to green shoots despite price slump
The head of Australian miner Whitehaven Coal, Paul Flynn, is expecting a strong start to 2021 as coal prices begin to rebound from the shock of the COVID-19 crisis and Chinese government import bans imposed last year.
Outrage over Snowy 2.0 transmission line concession in Kosciuszko National Park
National Parks Association of NSW outraged by plan to build overhead transmission infrastructure for Snowy 2.0, saying damage to Kosciuszko is unacceptable.
Logging to resume in bushfire-affected forests on NSW south coast despite environmental warning
EPA warns Forestry Corporation of NSW it could face regulatory action after accusing it of walking away from negotiations
Queensland
D grade for Great Barrier Reef shows urgent need for action on water quality
Marine conservationists have urged the Queensland and Federal governments to commit more money to tackling water quality issues in the Great Barrier Reef and speed up the enforcement of reef regulations on farms after an official report found that the inshore condition of our Reef is not improving.
Dead baby turtles wash up on central Queensland beaches after eating plastic
Dead and sick baby turtles are washing up on Capricorn Coast beaches in numbers never seen before by researchers, after swallowing plastic.
Artificial intelligence helps save sea turtle eggs from predatory pigs
An artificial intelligence program is being used to quickly scan thousands of aerial beach photographs to identify turtle nests and their predators.
We loved the Bramble Cay melomys even though we hadn’t even heard of it until it was gone
First Dog on the Moon
The Bramble Cay melomys is the first official mammal extinction due to climate change. So every February 18 we pay tribute to this small furry life
South Australia
‘Historic’ fishing deal signed with SA Native Title group
Traditional owners have been formally granted unrestricted access to fish in waters off Yorke Peninsula under what the State Government describes as an Australian-first agreement with a Native Title group.
Tasmania
Trout fishing Tasmania: Cumbungi eradicated from Four Springs Lake
In good news for Four Springs Lake trout anglers, Inland Fisheries Service has reported cumbungi has been eradicated in the area.
Northern Territory
Kakadu body is raided by watchdog [$]
An Aboriginal organisation linked to the federal and Northern Territory government’s multimillion-dollar Kakadu redevelopment plans was raided by a corporate watchdog and the police over alleged offences involving six directors, documents reveal.
Western Australia
‘We want to ensure river is preserved’
As Western Australia prepares for its upcoming election, Kimberley Land Council is gearing up to fight for Country and culture.
Labor energy minister “horrified” by Liberals “risky” zero emissions energy plan
In WA, the politics of energy is turned upside down as Labor labels the ambitious clean energy plan of the WA Liberals as reckless and too costly.
Rio Tinto boss admits destroying Juukan rock shelters ‘was a dark day’ and announces US$9.77bn profit
Jakob Stausholm also says mining giant will link emissions reductions to executive pay packets and deliver a climate change report to AGM
Sustainability
The more coal-dependent a country is, the more pro-coal its news reporting is—this was the trend among five Southeast Asian countries surveyed by Climate Tracker. Why is the Philippines the outlier?
Scientists develop blood test to predict environmental harms to children
Scientists have developed a method using a DNA biomarker to easily screen pregnant women for harmful prenatal environmental contaminants like air pollution linked to childhood illness and developmental disorders. This approach has the potential to prevent childhood developmental disorders and chronic illness through the early identification of children at risk.
Why does Bitcoin need more energy than whole countries?
Running the cryptocurrency Bitcoin requires more energy than New Zealand and Belgium put together. How can something virtual keep power plants around the world so busy? DW’s Timothy Rooks looks into the numbers.
New highly radioactive particles found in Fukushima
The 10 year anniversary of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident occurs in March. Recent work documents new, large (> 300 micrometers), highly radioactive particles that were released from one of the damaged Fukushima reactors.
Youth activism alone cannot save us: A case for intergenerational environmental coalitions
“Young people are recognizing that the issues that we’re inheriting are ours now. Like, the inheritance process just got significantly shorter because of COVID.”
Plastic recycling results in rare metals being found in children’s toys and food packaging
Scientists tested a range of new and used products – including children’s toys, office equipment and cosmetic containers – and found they contained quantities of rare earth elements.
Fueling the future: Novel two-polymer membrane boosts hydrogen fuel cell performance
Fuel cells are an attractive sustainable energy source due to their eco-friendly by-product, water. However, existing fuel cells are either expensive or low performance. Now, scientists from Korea have designed a robust and highly conductive fuel cell ion-exchange membrane using two readily available polymer materials and a unique technique, opening doors to fuel cells that are both cheap and high performing, bringing us closer to realizing a hydrogen economy.
Global mapping projects aid humanitarian organisations
In disaster management and the implementation of the UN Sustainability Development Goals, free digital world maps like OpenStreetMap open up new possibilities to coordinate aid interventions and carry out sustainability projects.
What’s wrong with plastic credit and offset schemes?
Too numerous, opaque and greenwash-y— a new report urges caution for companies and consumers in how they use plastic recycling credits and offsetting.
Revealed: Monsanto owner and US officials pressured Mexico to drop glyphosate ban
Internal government emails show actions similar to those by Bayer and lobbyists to kill a proposed ban in Thailand in 2019.
Why won’t Joe Biden let ethanol die already?
The biofuel’s clean promise has only led to dirtier air.
Climate change and suppression tactics are critical factors increasing fires
Both climate change and forest management have been blamed for wildfire hazards increasing across western North America, but the relative influence of these drivers is still heavily debated. The results of a recent study show that in some ecosystems, human-caused climate change is the predominant factor; in other places, the trend can also be attributed to a century of fire suppression that has produced dense, unhealthy forests.
The extinction crisis: Coming to a dinner table near you?
Wild plants related to our main agricultural crops are important to future food security. But more than half are endangered, a new study finds.
—
return email, delete it from your system and destroy any copies.