Date: 3 March 2021 at 8:49:33 am AEDT
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Subject: Daily Links Mar 3
Post of the Day
Largest carbon stores found in Australian World Heritage Sites
Australia’s marine World Heritage Sites are among the world’s largest stores of carbon dioxide
On This Day
Ecological Observance
Climate Change
Cancel all planned coal projects globally to end ‘deadly addiction’, says UN chief
Call comes at event hosted by UK government, which is under pressure over planned coalmine in Cumbria
Fossil fuel emissions in danger of surpassing pre-Covid levels
International Energy Agency data shows steady climb over second half of 2020
A third of top UK firms’ CO2 emissions not in line with global climate goals
Analysis shows emissions from 31 FTSE 100 companies are well above what’s needed to hit Paris targets
Kerry presses oil companies to tackle climate change
U.S. climate envoy John Kerry called on energy producers to ramp up their development of alternative and low-carbon technologies at a virtual conference Tuesday.
Ocean currents are slowing down due to climate change
Remember the movie, “The Day After Tomorrow,” in which a catastrophic series of global disasters strike after climate change causes the world’s ocean currents to stop? Well, new research reveals Earth’s major ocean currents are slowing down.
National
AEMO reconsiders plan to model ‘gas led recovery’, after idea panned by energy market
AEMO considers ditching plan to model the Morrison government’s ‘gas led recovery’ in next ISP, after key energy market players question whether it was even plausible.
Climate change could put insurance out of reach for many Australians
The financial industry regulator says insurers may be able to pay future claims, but fewer people will be able to secure coverage
Maker of world’s most popular electric car blasts Australia’s lack of ambition
Nissan Australia chief executive Stephen Lester says a lack of leadership in embracing electrified cars is out of step with the world’s leading economies.
Miners vow to come clean as First Nations, climate pressure builds
Escalating concerns about the mining sector’s treatment of First Nations communities and contribution to global warming have prompted Australia’s top miners to sign up to stricter monitoring standards for their social and environmental performance.
Hybrid cars can use four times more fuel than makers claim [$]
A study published on Tuesday found cars with a dual power supply were far less efficient when driven on the road in real-world conditions than motorists were led to believe by manufacturers.
Largest carbon stores found in Australian World Heritage Sites
Australia’s marine World Heritage Sites are among the world’s largest stores of carbon dioxide
Australia must set climate target
Janet Truslove
If you want to achieve something, it’s common practice and common sense to first set your target. Whether opening a new café in Hobart or training a young kelpie dog to move cattle, set the target ‒ net profit for the business and, for the dog, working to command before the cows start calving ‒ then work out how to get there!
Victoria
Salt-based energy storage trial taps “first-class” Australian technology
Swedish plans to develop and trial a salt-based energy storage system will enlist the electric kiln technology of award-winning Australian company Calix.
Litter and plastic pollution found in Yarra and Maribyrnong rivers skyrockets
A major study has revealed a shocking truth about what is lurking beneath the surface of Melbourne’s two most famous rivers.
Single-use plastics ban a vanity project [$]
Susie O’Brien
Targeting consumers in banning plastic cutlery is just another example of our government wanting to look like they’re green.
New South Wales
Dunghutti Elder’s desperate plea to stop road works on mid-north coast
James “Gurri” Dungay is asking to meet with the NSW Premier in a last-chance bid to protect Aboriginal cultural heritage sites from a road development between Cresent Head and Point Plomer.
John Barilaro thanked for $107,000 grant to agricultural group associated with Angus Taylor’s family
Grant used to develop case to lobby federal government to weaken native grassland protection came as separate Taylor-family controlled company was facing investigations for illegal clearing
‘Good politics’: Kean accused of ignoring science with koala policy
NSW Environment minister Matt Kean has been accused of ignoring science when he committed to more koalas
The state’s environmental watchdog is muzzled on forests
Forestry NSW is logging fire-ravaged areas but the environmental watchdog is powerless to stop it, able to act only after the damage is done.
ACT
ACT to investigate how to further grow Canberra’s renewables sector
A new ACT parliamentary inquiry to identify opportunities to position Canberra as a national renewables innovation hub.
Plan to make it easier for Canberrans to get a better deal on electricity
It could soon be easier for Canberrans to know if they can get a better deal on their power prices.
Funding uncertainty remains for Canberra environmental volunteers
ACT Environment Minister Rebecca Vassarotti told an estimates hearing on Tuesday that while $475,000 was allocated to environmental volunteers for 2020-21, a decision was yet to be made to extend the funding.
Queensland
Controversial road corridor being dusted off for another election campaign
Work to decide the future of Brisbane’s North West Transport Corridor has already been politicised and will soon feature in a federal election
Protestors back activist in Adani court battle
Anti-Adani protesters have backed environmental activist Ben Pennings at a Queensland court for the next stage in his battle with the mining giant.
Tropical Cyclone Niran set to bring another day of strong winds and rainfall to Far North Queensland
Cyclone expected to pick up steam and could turn into category three storm.
South Australia
Approval is granted to demolish and replace Victor Harbor’s heritage causeway despite concerns that construction works will drive the region’s whales away, which arrive to breed and calve between May and November annually.
Electric bus company gears up for zero-emission growth
The Adelaide group behind the manufacture of the Brabham BT62 supercar is positioning itself to become a major producer of electric buses for the emerging Australian market.
Not even a shed: Crows’ parklands plans torpedoed [$]
The Adelaide Crows’ latest plans for a new HQ in Adelaide’s prized parklands have crashed at their first hurdle.
250 jobs in Morgan solar farm project [$]
A $200m solar farm planned for land northeast of Morgan would provide work for up to 250 people during its construction, Green Gold Energy says.
Tasmania
Wild Things documentary explores environmental activism [$]
Tasmania’s environment and activists feature heavily in a new documentary to be launched in Launceston on Thursday.
“Twenty-seven forests defenders arrived at one of the largest sawmills in Tasmania this morning, halting the operation of a mill which is trashing native forests from across the state. Eight of these brave people were charged, taking a stand for the majority of Australians who want to see this archaic logging industry end, just as whaling was ended. It’s an outdated practice in a time of climate emergency. It’s time to end native forest logging,” said Jenny Weber, Bob Brown Foundation Campaign Manager.
John Powell
With the ongoing dialogue about climate change and the need for Australia to proceed rapidly to a renewable future and away from the fossil fuel age here is an amazing solution in a unique part of Tasmania.
Northern Territory
Calls for cultural heritage protection laws to acknowledge complexities of Aboriginal lore
More needs to be done to ensure culture and lore is prioritised in Aboriginal cultural heritage protection legislation, says the Central Land Council.
Trekkers, who want to walk the Jatbula Trail, the Larapinta Trail and the Tabletop Track, will pay $25 per night, up to a maximum of $125 for five or more nights. However, under the new fee structures to begin from July 1, Territorians can still access walking trails for free if they are undertaking single day walks or runs.
Western Australia
Native animals flee as developers drain lakes at Perth golf course
It’s right by the freeway, ripe for rezoning. But seeing lush land slowly dying has shocked residents.
One of WA’s top marine scientists has called the image of a massive 395kg tiger shark being hauled onto a recreational fisherman’s boat “ocean vandalism”, saying it made her “want to puke”.
Sustainability
The UN Environment Programme needs new powers
The United Nations Environment Programme will be 50 next year. But the globe’s green watchdog, which helped to create the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, very nearly didn’t exist.
Fossil fuel cars make ‘hundreds of times’ more waste than electric cars
Fossil fuel cars waste hundreds of times more raw material than their battery electric equivalents, according to a study that adds to evidence that the move away from petrol and diesel cars will bring large net environmental benefits.
Here’s the history of fracking in U.S. – how and when it started
Fracking – it’s a strange word, and one that’s highly controversial, though many people don’t know what it means, and if you’re one of them, you’re not alone.
New science on microplastics suggests macro problems: Op-ed
With hundreds of millions of tonnes of plastic discarded into the environment over the past few decades, scientists are now learning that what is visible is only the tip of the plastic waste iceberg.
Think all your plastic is being recycled? New research shows it can end up in the ocean
Monique Retamal et al
We all know it’s wrong to toss your rubbish into the ocean or another natural place. But it might surprise you to learn some plastic waste ends up in the environment, even when we thought it was being recycled.
Nature bonds may be the next big thing for emerging markets
Emerging-market nations are looking at issuing the first nature-linked bonds as part of talks involving the World Bank and major sovereign creditors to make their debt more sustainable.
Rivers and lakes are the most degraded ecosystems in the world. Can we save them?
We rely on fresh water for drinking, food, and sanitation, and they’re in trouble. But freshwater issues are becoming a higher priority for conservationists.
Papua deforestation highlights eastward shift of Indonesia forest clearing
Forests in parts of Indonesia regions that have remained largely untouched are now fast disappearing as deforestation driven by agribusiness and infrastructure development moves east, according to a new report.
Corals are struggling, but they’re too abundant to go extinct, study says
A new study that counted half a trillion coral colonies between Indonesia and French Polynesia found that most corals are not in imminent danger of being wiped off the planet.
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