Post of the Day
Re-wilding our cities: Beauty, biodiversity and the biophilic cities movement
Buildings covered in plants do more than just make the cityscape attractive – they contribute to human wellbeing, biodiversity, and action on climate change.
On This Day
Feast Day of Vincent Ferrer – Catholicism
Ecological observance
Sikmogil (Arbor Day) – South Korea
Climate Change
Abandon coal now or face catastrophe, US envoy says
Coal and its friends were in the sights of the powerful representatives at the International Energy Agency’s net zero conference this week.
Test flight for sunlight-blocking research is canceled
A test flight for researching ways to cool Earth by blocking sunlight will not take place as planned in Sweden this June, following objections from environmentalists, scientists and Indigenous groups there.
Understanding the fossil fuel industry’s legacy of white supremacy
In December, The New York Times published a story revealing how ExxonMobil and other oil companies had paid a public relations firm named FTI to build “news” and information websites falsely suggesting grassroots support for the fossil fuel industry and its initiatives.
Evidence of Antarctic glacier’s tipping point confirmed
Researchers have confirmed for the first time that Pine Island Glacier in West Antarctica could cross tipping points, leading to a rapid and irreversible retreat which would have significant consequences for global sea level.
Melting ice sheets caused sea levels to rise up to 18 metres
It is well known that climate-induced sea level rise is a major threat. New research has found that previous ice loss events could have caused sea-level rise at rates of around 3.6 metres per century, offering vital clues as to what lies ahead should climate change continue unabated.
Biden puts meat on policy bones at IEA net zero summit, Taylor falls short
Ketan Joshi
Biden administration announces more detail of its major climate plan as Australia reiterates its lack of climate ambition at a global climate summit.
‘Every choice matters’: can we cling to hope of avoiding 1.5C heating?
Graham Readfearn and Adam Morton
The Australian Academy of Science warns that limiting global heating to the Paris goal is now ‘virtually impossible’. Is it right?
Global cooling is bad news for some [$]
Andrew Bolt
The world is now cooler than it was, on average, at the end of last century — which is bad news to those commited to scaremongering.
Climate change … always a bridesmaid
Peter Dykstra
By 2050, many of climate change’s worst projected impacts could be fully upon us—or fully upon our descendants. The question is, will a half-century of sustained manmade upheaval ever dominate the top of the news? I’m skeptical.
Picture this — your carbon emissions as plastic straws
Barry Saxifrage
“Seeing” our family car litter 15 plastic straws out its tailpipe every second on the highway completely changed my understanding of our climate pollution emergency. And then I did the math for my flight.
National
Morrison government guilty of ‘absolute failure’ in electric vehicles policy
Independent senator Rex Patrick says the prime minister broke a 2019 promise to support the rollout of EVs
Cheap low-emissions technology key to hitting net zero, Taylor tells world
Federal Energy Minister Angus Taylor says lowering the cost of low-emissions technology will be a key driver in the world’s efforts to hit net-zero emissions, as he reaffirmed Australia’s ambition to reach the target “as soon as possible”.
Booming rooftop solar growth pushes renewables to 28 pct of energy mix
A record-breaking 3GW of new rooftop solar installations in 2020 pushed the total renewable energy mix in Australia to almost 28 per cent.
AGL coal split raises fresh fears over rehabilitation plans for biggest emitter
Heightened fears that AGL Energy has not properly budgeted for coal plant remediation following announcement of plan to carve out its generator business.
AEMO calls for all hands to navigate “incredibly fast” transition to renewables
AEMO’s new engineering framework lays out “just how incredibly fast change is coming” via the wholesale shift to renewables and calls for collaboration from industry to keep up the pace.
Australia is at a crossroads in the global hydrogen race – and one path looks risky
New ANU analysis shows producing hydrogen from fossil fuels carries significant risks – and these findings have big implications as Australia looks to become a hydrogen superpower.
Santos, Woodside face grilling on climate change commitment
Australia’s top oil and gas producers are bracing for an investor push to better disclose how their futures are in line with the global push to limit climate change.
As businesses come under pressure to take action on climate change in an increasingly climate-conscious international market, many are now taking the lead with bold initiatives to slash their carbon footprint.
Plan to relax Australian rules for chemicals and pesticides attacked by environment groups
Panel recommends many household chemicals and pesticides be exempt from scrutiny and agricultural chemicals’ approvals be fast-tracked
Community batteries: what are they, and how could they help Australian energy consumers?
Labor proposes funding batteries to allow households with solar power to pool excess electricity. Here’s what you need to know
“Solar tax” mythbuster: Here’s what you need to know
Mark Byrne
We, too, once supported the dogma that any export price would be bad to the bone. Two things changed our mind.
EU strongarming Australia on CO2
Alan Moran
The EU has long sought to impose its carbon dioxide abatement policies on the rest of the world. A major setback to this was the Copenhagen climate summit in 2009.
A foreign policy for the climate [$]
Kevin Rudd and Thom Woodroofe
Acting on climate change not only makes economic sense for Australia, it makes diplomatic sense as well. Our refusal to act meaningfully on climate change will increasingly be a thorn in the side of our relations with all of the world’s advanced economies.
Labor’s electric car plan is pure fantasy [$]
Vikki Campion
It will be decades before average Australians will be able to afford an electric vehicle. If Labor was serious about them, they would wipe the luxury car tax altogether.
Victoria
Warming sparks penguin breeding boom but experts sound note of caution
Rising ocean temperatures are increasing food supply and prompting some to breed twice in one season, but it’s not all good news for Phillip Island’s little penguins.
Dr Anne Décobert looks at how a Melbourne community’s mission to reduce waste is building a kinder and more sustainable society, enabled by social media.
The seaside town developing so fast it’s drowning itself
As the town of Torquay grapples with a population boom and seemingly endless hunger for development, there are signs of an impending natural crisis.
China trade war destroys Vic timber exporter [$]
A Victorian timber export business has placed itself into voluntary administration, and says the blame largely lies with China.
Kangaroo shooting raises protest on Mornington Peninsula
Government approval to shoot hundreds of Mornington Peninsula kangaroos has sparked fears for the future of local mobs.
Farmers fear for land that produces some of ‘best potato crops in the world’
They have farmed prime land in western Victoria for generations, but now these families think plans for a new power project could put them out of business.
New South Wales
What are ‘zombie mines’ and what do they have to do with Malcolm Turnbull?
According to a new report by the Australia Institute, there are currently 23 new coal projects proposed in NSW. Some of them, the report says, are ‘zombies’. So what does that mean? Here are some answers.
Premier faces coal war in four-party contest for must-win byelection
Upper Hunter is a must-win byelection for the NSW government, which has been plunged into minority after Michael Johnsen’s resignation and former Liberal MP John Sidoti was banished to the crossbench pending a public inquiry by the ICAC, while One Nation is preparing to take on the Coalition over coal.
Fitzgibbon: Labor must set aside all opposition to coal mining to win byelection
Labor has been urged by federal backbencher Joel Fitzgibbon to set aside any opposition to coal mining if it is to win the marginal NSW seat of Upper Hunter, though the party’s leadership will not say it will approach the issue of climate change at next month’s critical byelection.
Premier faces coal war in four-party contest for must-win byelection
The Berejiklian government’s ability to balance mining interests against environmental concerns is set to be central to its bid to retain the must-win marginal Upper Hunter electorate with One Nation preparing to take on the Coalition over coal.
Study reveals ocean warming at three times global average on NSW south coast
A University of New South Wales study reveals that Narooma is a global hot spot for ocean warming.
Inmates are ageing ‘15 years before the rest of NSW’
The state’s inmates are prematurely ageing up to 15 years faster than the rest of the population, according to a new report which warns health services are struggling to keep pace with the ballooning prison population.
ACT
‘Not a short-term fix’: Why blue-green algae remains on Lake Tuggeranong despite $30m being spent [$]
It’s the man-made lake that’s proved to be an environmental headache for authorities.
Queensland
Don’t give up on Great Barrier Reef yet: Qld tourism industry
The Queensland Tourism Industry Council has renewed calls for governments to address climate change to protect the Great Barrier Reef, which faces destruction.
Harvesting seaweed to save the planet
As the founder of The Seaweed Institute, Jo Kelly is growing the seaweed industry to tackle climate change.
South Australia
KI leaders want to cut down its forests
Converting Kangaroo Island’s timber plantations to farmland would be an economic boost, leaders say, despite a forestry company’s rejection of a $20m bid to buy up its land.
The Aussie Camino — inspired by Saint Mary MacKillop and the famous Camino de Santiago in Spain — invites pilgrims to find peace and clarity on a 160-kilometre journey through some of Australia’s most spectacular landscapes.
Tasmania
Tasmania Greens push for all new car sales in state to be electric vehicles after 2030
Greens want only electric vehicle car sales in Tasmania after 2030
The Tasmanian Greens have released a comprehensive climate change strategy that seeks make all new car sales electric in the state electric vehicles only after 2030.
“More chance of me going to the moon”: Premier Peter Gutwein promises to never sell Hydro
Premier Peter Gutwein has assured Tasmanians that his government would not sell or privatise Hydro Tasmania following claims from Labor that legal loopholes exist which would allow the state’s energy assets to be sold.
Van Dairy Group sets aside 1800 hectares of Woolnorth as Tasmanian devil conservation area
Tasmania’s largest dairy farm will set aside 10 per cent of its land as a conservation area for Tasmanian devils.
Labor commits $2 million and Liberals $3 million to recreational fishing
A day after Labor announced a $2 million election commitment to upgrading the state’s boating infrastructure, the Liberal Party unveiled its own $3 million worth of funding to the recreational fishing industry if re-elected.
Filmmaker’s drive to protect the platypus [$]
A mobile cinema is about to hit the streets of Tasmania to help outline the plight of the platypus – and there are plans to take it around the world.
Northern Territory
Real estate values could jump 20 per cent from Santos project: Agents [$]
Darwin real estate values could increase as much as 20 per cent in 2021 thanks to the Barossa gas project, according to several property professionals.
Western Australia
Meet the little ‘eco-engineer’ bringing life back to a degraded ecosystem
Despite its size, the woylie can move tonnes of dirt each year and it’s hoped these furry excavators can help bring new life back to degraded ecosystems.
Sustainability
US cities bought more renewables than ever in 2020. Here’s how.
Nearly 100 cities and counties across 33 states completed 143 deals, adding 3,683 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy capacity. This is a 23 percent increase from 2019 and represents enough energy to power 811,000 households annually
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic idled coal plants across the country, evidence has been building for at least a decade that coal-fired electricity is on its way out in the United States. But how quickly? The answer is critical to our ability to stay within a 1.5°C warming trajectory.
Battery powered transportation is not yet as green as it should be
While electric vehicles have proved to be better for the environment than those running on fossil fuel, their production leaves a bigger carbon footprint than making an internal combustion engine equivalent. How batteries for EVs are produced and for how long they last are decisive for making the shift to electric transport as carbon light as possible
The oil and gas industry is in denial about its own demise
Trade groups have thrown a fit over Biden’s pause on new oil and gas leases. They have much bigger things to worry about.
If you build it, they will bike: Pop-up lanes increased cycling during pandemic
A study of European cities adds to a growing body of evidence that investments in cycling infrastructure can encourage bike commuting, which helps cut greenhouse gas emissions.
What happens when solar gets much, much cheaper?
The plummeting price of electricity from solar panels is one of the driving forces aiding the transition to clean energy.
Rapid global heating is hurting farm productivity, study finds
Research shows rising temperatures since 1960s have acted as handbrake to agricultural yield of crops and livestock
Farmed fish suffer pain and stress, says report that criticises welfare failings
Instead of Atlantic salmon and trout, study says the industry should focus on cultivating species with less complex needs
How two archaeologists stumbled upon the keys to unlocking a nuclear mystery in the Israeli desert
All two archaeologists wanted was better satellite imagery of Israel so they could do their work. Instead, they led the way to uncovering what could be major construction at a secretive nuclear facility.
Re-wilding our cities: Beauty, biodiversity and the biophilic cities movement
Buildings covered in plants do more than just make the cityscape attractive – they contribute to human wellbeing, biodiversity, and action on climate change.
Coffee sustainability check: Q&A with Sjoerd Panhuysen of Coffee Barometer report
Coffee enjoys a reputation as a sustainable crop, but for many of the people who cultivate it, it’s a “poverty crop” that’s economically unviable, says Sjoerd Panhuysen, lead author of the annual Coffee Barometer report for Ethos Agriculture.
How climate change is stunting farm production
Since 1960 about 21 percent of global agriculture production, including livestock, tree farming, and traditional crops such as corn and soybeans, has been negatively impacted by climate change, according to a new study.
Science has not kept pace with aquaculture
Aquaculture has reached unprecedented levels of growth in recent years, but largely without consideration of its impact on individual animals, finds a new analysis by a team of researchers.
Fungi could manipulate bacteria to enrich soil with nutrients
Researchers have discovered that fungi living symbiotically with most land plants have a bacterial “microbiome” that may help the fungi access soil nutrients and share them with their host plants. Identifying the specific beneficial bacteria and how the fungi attract them could lead to cost-effective and eco-friendly alternatives to conventional fertilizers.
Consumer resistance to sustainability interventions
To be accepted, sustainability intervention policies must consider social practices.
Is that a good egg? How chocolate makers rate on social and environmental measures
John Dumay and James Guthrie
The second annual report on the social and environmental performance of the world’s major chocolate makers show human exploitation and environmental degradation continue to be key ingredients in many chocolate products.
There’s another pandemic under our noses, and it kills 8.7m people a year
Rebecca Solnit
While Covid ravaged across the world, air pollution killed about three times as many people. We must fight the climate crisis with the same urgency with which we confronted coronavirus
The fossil fuel industry’s ties to White supremacy
Kendra Pierre-Louis
The American oil industry is linked to a history of racism, a legacy that remains after decades of Black oppression.
Toxic impact of pesticides on bees has doubled, study shows
Analysis contradicts claims that the environmental impact of pesticides is falling, say scientists
How volunteers are helping keep coral reefs alive
Planting new corals can’t stop climate change, but it can give marine ecosystems a fighting chance. Volunteers have largely led the ambitious effort.
Birds versus bees: Here are the winners and losers in the great pesticide trade-off
As farmers have switched pesticides, some species benefited and others suffered.
Global forest losses accelerated despite the pandemic, threatening world’s climate goals
Even amid the pandemic, losses of vital forests in the tropics increased by 12 percent between 2019 and 2020, a satellite-based survey found.
Study sounds latest warning of rainforest turning into savanna as climate warms
As the planet warms, it isn’t just humans who are feeling the heat — trees are too. Rising temperatures are disrupting a primary engine of life on Earth: photosynthesis.
Smart glass has a bright future
Substituting the inefficient glazing areas of buildings with energy-efficient smart glazing windows has great potential to decrease energy consumption for lighting and temperature control.
Mapping policy for how the EU can reduce its impact on tropical deforestation
EU imports of products contribute significantly to deforestation in other parts of the world. Researchers evaluated thousands of policy proposals for how the EU could reduce this impact, to assess which would have the largest potential to reduce deforestation.
Hidden diversity of coral more important for conservation than previously thought
Researchers say that our framework for classifying coral species needs to be expanded to capture ecological diversity and protect reef environments after discovering surprising differences between cryptic coral species.
African elephants’ range is just 17 percent of what it could be
A study has both good news and bad news for the future of African elephants. While about 18 million square kilometers of Africa — an area bigger than the whole of Russia — still has suitable habitat for elephants, the actual range of African elephants has shrunk to just 17 percent of what it could be due to human pressure and the killing of elephants for ivory.
Melissa Parsons and Martin Thoms
Dramatic scenes of flood damage to homes, infrastructure and livelihoods have been with us on the nightly news in recent weeks. Many will be feeling the pain for years to come, as they contend with property damage, financial catastrophe and trauma.
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