Post of the Day
Don’t believe hydrogen and nuclear hype – they can’t get us to net zero carbon by 2050
Jonathon Porritt
Big industry players pushing techno-fixes are ignoring the only realistic solution to the climate crisis: renewables
On This Day
Ecological Observance
National Festival of Trees – Netherlands
Climate Change
Study predicts the oceans will start emitting ozone-depleting CFCs
The ocean, a longtime reservoir for CFC-11, will become a source of the ozone-depleting chemical by middle of next century.
UK PM accused of hypocrisy over claim that climate is ‘foremost priority’
Host of Cop26 overseeing policies that will increase greenhouse gas emissions, campaigners say
The Greenland ice sheet may be more vulnerable than we knew to global warming, new study shows
New findings published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences indicate that the biggest reservoir of ice in the Northern Hemisphere can collapse due to relatively small increases in temperature over a long period of time.
Race is on to achieve net zero [$]
Almost a quarter of all companies will be carbon neutral by the end of this decade, according to Fidelity International analysts.
Combination of climate change, development to fuel urban flooding
The combination of climate change and urban development is likely to fuel urban flooding in cities across the United States, according to a new model.
Don’t believe hydrogen and nuclear hype – they can’t get us to net zero carbon by 2050
Jonathon Porritt
Big industry players pushing techno-fixes are ignoring the only realistic solution to the climate crisis: renewables
National
Experts urge governments to follow health advice on climate, as they did with Covid
Health experts call on governments to recognise climate change as a health emergency that requires urgent action – and claims more lives than Covid.
Fossil hydrogen is coming – time to learn what it will look like
How can new coal burning projects be justified in 2021? Using the transformational powers of hydrogen and the empty promise of CCS!
A breakdown of the misinformation Michael McCormack spread on Insiders
Nationals leader Michael McCormack repeated a range of climate myths on ABC’s Insiders, suggesting there’s a long way to go to net zero.
Renewables shine over Australian summer, as gas share slumps to new lows
Renewables supplied six times more power than gas generators over the most recent Australian summer, the Climate Council reports.
Australia continues to lead way on wildlife wet market reforms
Australia has taken a leadership role in global reforms aimed at reducing the pandemic risks associated with wildlife wet markets and supply chains.
Valuer tells auditor general water buyback price was not in line with its advice
Colliers International says the way the agriculture department used its valuation to set record purchase price was ‘not reasonable’
Doubling uptake of wind and solar power could set up Australia for net zero emissions by 2040
Australian National University report author says green energy transformation will surprise ‘on the upside, not the downside’
Renewable energy mix over summer far greater than gas: report
Renewable energy sources contributed six times more power to Australia’s electricity grid over the 2020-21 summer than gas, according to new research which calls the federal government’s gas expansion plan into question.
Australia not on track for 2050 zero-net emissions target despite solar power boost
Australia would not be able to reach its target of zero-net emissions by 2050 without more work, despite the country having one of the largest take-up rates of solar and wind energy, according to a new report.
Electric vehicles should get tax breaks and free tollways says Liberal MP
One Liberal MP is calling for the governments to subsidise rather than tax electric vehicles as the industry ships its products to more welcoming markets.
Why Forrest’s green power station is being blocked [$]
Energy Minister Angus Taylor is refusing to rule out spending taxpayers’ money on a power station like the one Andrew Forrest wants to build with his own cash.
EU slaps carbon levy on key steel and aluminium exports [$]
The European Union has warned Australian steel and aluminium exports won’t escape the EU’s planned carbon border levy, but argues the tax will provide vital support for the nation’s green hydrogen and rare earths industries.
How electricity became a jigsaw puzzle in Australia
Peter Martin
When the early closure of Victoria’s second-biggest coal-fired power station was announced last week, something the energy minister said was less than complete.
Wake up, Mr Morrison: Australia’s slack climate effort leaves our children 10 times more work to do
Lesley Hughes et al
There is much at stake at the highly anticipated United Nations climate summit in Glasgow this November. There, almost 200 nations signed up to the Paris Agreement will make emissions reduction pledges as part of the international effort to avoid catastrophic climate change.
Risky business: BHP, Rio Tinto given carte blanche to export uranium to global hotspots
David Noonan and Jim Green
It has been 10 years since the Fukushima nuclear disaster that was fuelled by Australian uranium but neither the mining industry nor the nation’s leaders have heeded any of the lessons, instead continuing to export uranium to countries with inadequate regulation and nations beset by corruption.
Only the lonely: an endangered bird is forgetting its song as the species dies out
Ross Crates et al
Just as humans learn languages, animals learn behaviours crucial for survival and reproduction from older, experienced individuals of the same species. In this way, important “cultures” such as bird songs are passed from one generation to the next.
Cormann’s lesson in the virtue of keeping promises [$]
Australian editorial
The appointment of Mathias Cormann to head the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development provides a timely snapshot of where Australia really stands in global affairs, including on the issue of action on climate change.
David Pope’s view: Who says Europe has no sense of humour
Cormann appointment
Victoria
Victoria slammed for refusing to release details of secret Yallourn closure deal
Dirty deal? Victoria won’t disclose details of ‘secret’ agreement with EnergyAustralia over Yallourn closure, with speculation it is paying to keep it open.
Coles, Nestle in plans to build first-ever soft plastics recycling plant
A consortium of high-profile companies including Coles and Nestle is planning to build a soft plastics recycling plant where chocolate bar wrappers or chip bags can be broken down and remade into new food-safe wrappings.
New South Wales
‘Flawed’ cultural heritage report condoning dam raise could lead to ‘catastrophic’ loss
After a Traditional Owner raised concerns about the report, a review into the heritage assessment found it ‘old fashioned’. Experts have called for a new, more inclusive report to be commissioned.
Giant blackbutt trees are our hidden gems and a portal into the past
The largest blackbutt trees in the country survived logging and fires and now stand as a reminder of what life may have looked like for local Aboriginal people of the Birpai nation.
Beekeeper concerned bees will get lost if gold mine gets green light
One of Australia’s largest beekeeping businesses fears bright lights and noise at a proposed gold mine nearby could result in millions of bees becoming disorientated and stressed.
Commercial kangaroo cull questioned at home and abroad
The NSW Parliament will hold an inquiry into the health and welfare of kangaroos.
Sydney plans tree-planting blitz to curb heat
The City of Sydney will spend $377 million over the next decade to boost tree cover, adding about 700 trees a year to parks, lanes and roads.
Harbour’s historic sites to be kept from private hands
Measures to effectively block the transfer of Sydney Harbour’s historic sites into private hands will be introduced into federal parliament this week, in what campaigners have hailed as a victory for heritage areas such Cockatoo Island.
Clover’s Hollywood meeting on climate change [$]
Lord Mayor Clover Moore has discussed climate change with Hollywood legend and activist Jane Fonda for an event later this month.
Queensland
Inverters are solving grid issues at fraction of cost of spinning machines
Solar farms in Queensland say tuning inverters is solving grid problems at a fraction of the cost of synchronous condensers some project developers have been obliged to install.
QRC welcomes Santos exploration project and domestic gas boost
The Queensland Resources Council (QRC) has congratulated Santos on being awarded an Authority to Prospect (ATP) in the gas-rich Bowen and Surat Basins.
Queensland rainforests could be birthplace of ‘second CSL’
Qbiotics has landed a $50 million investment from TDM Growth Partners which now wants to see the Queensland-based pharmaceutical company become the second CSL.
Waterways, coastline plan to help create a greener Gold Coast
New technology to detect and manage hyper-local impacts of climate change will spearhead a new plan to help manage rising sea levels and extreme weather events on Queensland’s Gold Coast.
‘Leave now’: Flood warning for Qld
Residents in some low-lying areas of Queensland have been told to ‘move to higher ground now’ after more than 130mm of rain fell in three hours overnight.
South Australia
Switching off rooftop solar will become an important feature of a renewables grid
About 10,000 South Australian households had their rooftop solar switched off on Sunday. They probably didn’t even notice the intervention, and certainly not their place in Australia’s grid history.
Mining on sacred site set to start this week, against wishes of Traditional Owners
The drilling operation on Lake Torrens, a sacred site to four separate First Nations clans in South Australia’s mid-north, is expected to run for ‘several years’, and will drill up to 1,230 holes.
Streaky Bay battle over oyster spat for spit
Residents, business owners and oyster growers in the Eyre Peninsula town of Streaky Bay are battling a proposal to develop a five-hectare oyster lease in what they say is an environmentally sensitive and visually prominent part of the bay known as The Spit.
Billionaire pressures Santos on climate [$]
Santos shareholders will next year get a vote on the company’s climate report, which the company says shows its leadership on the issue.
Tasmania
Forest clearing starts for coupe alongside Krushka’s mountain bike trail near Derby
Sustainable Timber Tasmania has started constructing roads in a forestry coupe alongside a popular Derby mountain bike trail with harvesting plans to be developed for the upcoming summer.
Logging near Blue Derby Mountain Bike Trails reckless
Peter Whish-Wilson
After nine years on the job, it takes a fair bit to get me hot under the collar these days. But in the last week, I’ve felt genuine rage and disbelief witnessing the reckless behaviour of the Gutwein government.
Western Australia
China suspected of cyber attack on WA Parliament during state election
Western Australia’s parliamentary email network was hit by suspected Chinese hackers earlier this month as part of a massive global cyber-attack involving Microsoft software.
Sustainability
Could we recycle plastic bags into fabrics of the future?
Engineers have developed self-cooling fabrics from polyethylene, commonly used in plastic bags. They estimate that the new fabric may be more sustainable than cotton and other common textiles.
Massive Attack star ‘livid’ with music industry for not acting on green issues
Robert Del Naja tells MPs one band cancelling a tour as Coldplay did will not ‘change a thing’
Refining strategies and policy priorities for a successful low carbon industry transition
Since April 2019, eleven state and regional governments from across Europe and North America have been taking part in the Under2 Coalition’s Industry Transition Platform – together, they’ve been working to develop strategies to cut industry emissions while supporting growth, job creation and prosperity.
$2.2 trillion fund of true believers [$]
Investments focusing on environmental, social and governance factors have achieved market-beating returns. But can the strategy itself really take credit?
Ending over mending: planned obsolescence is killing the planet
Jeff Sparrow
As Australia considers the right to repair, it’s worth thinking about how the items we use daily became so disposable
Catherine Knight
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of green spaces and urban parks, especially during periods of lockdown.
When ‘eradicated’ species bounce back with a vengeance
Some invasive species targeted for total eradication bounce back with a vengeance, especially in aquatic systems, finds a new study. The study chronicles the effort — and failure — to eradicate invasive European green crabs from a California estuary.
Important forests and wetlands are disappearing in Belize
Using NASA satellite images and machine learning, researchers have mapped changes in the landscape of northwestern Belize over a span of four decades, finding significant losses of forest and wetlands, but also successful regrowth of forest in established conservation zones that protect surviving structures of the ancient Maya.
Global river flow contingent upon climate change
Study shows that as climate change impacts extreme flows, it could be worsening river flooding or increasing water scarcity during dry seasons.
Syria’s 10-year war has left a toxic environmental legacy
A forthcoming report shows how a decade of conflict has polluted rivers, destroyed crops and scorched forests.
The global pollination ‘trade’ reveals how crucial biodiversity is to food security
Pollinators underpin the global food trade, and that makes rich nations highly dependent on conservation measures in tropical countries.
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