Date: 26 May 2021 at 10:53:05 am AEST
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Subject: Daily Links May 26
Post of the Day
Student climate movement strike: In a crisis, what are the limits of ‘student voice’?
George Variyan and Fiona Longmuir
For students who walked out of classes on Friday 21 May, the School Strike 4 Climate protests are about extending their voices beyond the stifling grasp of schools. It is time for school leaders to recognise that young people exercising their democratic rights are citizens, and not citizens-in-waiting.
On This Day
Vesak (Buddha’s Day) – Buddhism
Climate Change
The climate crisis requires a new culture and politics, not just new tech
Peter Sutoris
This moment calls for humility – we cannot innovate ourselves out of this mess
Taylor pushes for “physical” capacity market in latest thrust for fossil fuels
Taylor now says wind and solar boom has been “excellent news”, but is pushing for a new market mechanism that could protect coal and gas.
We need grid ready for 100 pct renewables now, not in a few decades: AEMO
Australian Energy Market Operator underlines need for rapid upgrade to national grid and market systems, warning Australia is hurtling towards 100% renewables.
RenewEconomy unveils Big Battery Storage Map of Australia
RenewEconomy has launched a Big Battery Storage Map of Australia, highlighting all the major battery storage projects in the country.
Labor tries to block new regulations pushing ARENA into fossil fuels
Labor moves to cancel out Taylor’s new ARENA regulations, as department officials confirm they could extend to funding gas projects.
Gas industry wants dedicated “renewable gas target” to support hydrogen
Jemena calls for a dedicated renewable gas target to underpin hydrogen transition and defend that status of gas infrastructure such as pipelines.
The threat to the environment minister comes after Scott Morrison urged MPs not to get distracted
CEFC poised for first investment in hydrogen [$]
Australia’s green bank is nearing its first investment in the hydrogen sector as a report found green hydrogen is already almost cost-competitive for long-distance trucking, buses and remote power but will take much longer for some industries.
Seven in 10 Australians want government to take more action on climate, survey finds
The Lowy Institute’s annual survey of sentiment on climate action found strong support for net zero emissions by 2050 and a ban on new coalmines
Aus entering scary new weather phase
A “concerning” new climate driver has emerged that could see deadly floods like those in March occur sooner rather than later, with a 1-in-500 year disaster possible
Medical students support greater climate action
Medical students join young people across Australia in calling on the Federal Government to establish more ambitious and sustainable measures to address the climate crisis.
Too little too late: gas in the COVID recovery
The Australia Institute
Since the middle of 2020, the Australian economy has recovered strongly. By many measures, the recovery to pre-COVID levels looks to be almost complete. But have the gas and gas processing sectors had much to do with it?
What do incandescent light bulbs have to teach us about petrol-powered cars?
Peter Martin
Australians usually embrace the future. At times we’ve been ahead of it. Could no new sales of internal combustion cars by 2035 be our next challenge
The curious case of Tomago: fake blackouts feeding a fossil fuelled future
Ketan Joshi
Australia is entering its fifth-year of post-blackout hysteria, but a lack of real blackouts mean the threat has to be fabricated.
Going electric and banning new petrol-powered cars could be Australia’s next big light bulb moment
Peter Martin
In 2007 Malcolm Turnbull turned off an industry’s life support without blinking.
Wondering if your energy company takes climate change seriously? A new report reveals the answer
Anna Malos and Coral Bravo
A landmark report released last week put coal and gas on notice. For the first time, the International Energy Agency (IEA) declared reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 means no new investments in fossil fuel supply projects.
Student climate movement strike: In a crisis, what are the limits of ‘student voice’?
George Variyan and Fiona Longmuir
For students who walked out of classes on Friday 21 May, the School Strike 4 Climate protests are about extending their voices beyond the stifling grasp of schools. It is time for school leaders to recognise that young people exercising their democratic rights are citizens, and not citizens-in-waiting.
Victoria
Traditional owners miss out on Victorian water rights, saying it’s a ‘kick in the guts’
“New” water in the Murray-Darling Basin is rarely made available, so a recent Victorian government decision to allocate water to irrigators is a major blow for Indigenous groups.
New South Wales
Officials who paid $30m for land worth $3m had ‘no experience in acquisition of land’, report finds
Federal officials were overly focused on maintaining a “positive relationship” with wealthy landowners when they purchased land for the Western Sydney Airport for 10 times its market value, an independent review finds.
What the Nationals’ win means for the Upper Hunter
Labor’s poor showing at the weekend’s Upper Hunter by-election may have some calling for heads to roll, but that is not the main takeaway for professor of politics Jim Jose.
Snowy Hydro chief executive tells inquiry he’s known owner of NSW gas plant site for 40 years
Paul Broad tells Senate hearing he has known Hunter Valley developer since university so ‘deliberately excluded’ himself from negotiations
NSW labels flood-plain harvesting ‘legal’ but internal advice suggests opposite
When the NSW government went in to bat this month for a new licensing scheme for flood-plain harvesting, it neglected to mention one detail. It was sitting on internal legal advice that said flood-plain harvesting was illegal.
NSW Labor followed the Joel Fitzgibbon playbook in the Hunter and look what happened
Felicity Wade
It was empirical proof that abandoning leadership on climate change is a dead end in regional seats.
ACT
ACT government electric bus deal in the works
The world’s largest electric bus manufacturer is prepared to offer the ACT government a “circuit breaker” deal which will take the territory’s highest-emitting diesel buses off the road by October, and deploy 30 of the world’s most proven electric buses as immediate replacements.
Queensland
Coal plant “explosion” triggers widespread blackouts across Queensland
Almost 400,000 homes and business lost power across Queensland following reports of an explosion at the Callide coal-fired power station.
What happened at Queensland’s Callide Power Station and will we lose power again?
A fire at a central Queensland coal-fired power station on Tuesday afternoon triggered mass power outages statewide, from the Queensland-NSW border to north of Cairns. So what happened and will we lose power again?
‘Smart’ bin chooks dodge breeding control by nesting above croc enclosure
The Gold Coast has been trying to keep ibis numbers down ever since one of the birds almost brought down a Qantas flight in the ’90s. But now the tip turkeys are finding creative ways to avoid the authorities.
Australian Conservation Foundation wins Federal Court challenge against Adani
Environmental advocates win a court challenge against the federal government and mining giant Adani, over its proposed water use at its coal mine in central Queensland.
These wallabies were so endangered they were thought to be extinct. They’re now bouncing back
An endangered species of native wallabies has been pulled from the brink of extinction and saved from the jaws of feral cats, thanks to a breakthrough trial in central Queensland.
Electric buses to begin trial in Brisbane CBD from mid-June
Four electric buses will begin to run around Brisbane’s free City Loop bus link from June 14, in the city’s first trial of renewable energy buses.
MPs plead for Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to back mine extension [$]
Federal Labor MP Joel Fitzgibbon has pleaded with Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to approve expansion of the New Acland mine, where 120 workers were told last week they would soon be sacked without access to new coal reserves.
Queensland explosion and blackouts prove that coal power is dangerous and unreliable
Greenpeace media release
The explosion at the Callide coal burning power station and widespread power outages across Queensland provide more proof that coal power is dangerous and has no place in a modern energy system.
South Australia
‘Dirty gas future locked in behind closed doors’ [$]
Santos has been accused of a “lazy greenwash” that reduced consultation on controversial technology to one email to a defunct address.
Tasmania
Fireys fuming over ‘toxic’ foam TFS says is safe to use
The firefighters’ union says the Tasmania Fire Service continues to use a foam that some believe is toxic.
Greens Beach Golf Club say their greens are being destroyed by wildlife [$]
The Greens Beach Golf Club will begin culling wild wallabies and rabbits from early next week in an attempt to keep the course playable, the club says.
UTAS study shows plastic waste on beaches causing temperature increase
Some of the most remote islands in the world have accumulated enough plastic on their beaches it is causing the sand to heat up, a new study has found.
Northern Territory
Santos takes giant leap with $235 million infill drilling program starting [$]
Santos’ $4.7 billion NT gas investment to create 600 jobs and unlock new business and export opportunities, has taken another giant leap forward.
27m ago
Western Australia
Crazy ants have killed millions of the crabs since reaching shores of the remote island in the 1990s. Now scientists are considering sending in the big guns.
Sustainability
Africa essential for sustainable development, poverty reduction and peace
Africa’s rich, diverse cultural and natural heritage, is important for sustainable development, poverty reduction, and “building and maintaining peace”, the UN chief said on Tuesday, marking the international day celebrating the continent.
Amcor launches first designed to be recycled packaging for powdered chocolate in Latin America
Amcor has taken another step towards its goal to provide more sustainable packaging solutions by producing the first designed to be recycled plastic packaging for powdered chocolate in Latin America.
Poland defies EU court by refusing to close major brown coalmine
Shutting Turów lignite mine would cause thousands of job losses, says development minister
Want to make your skincare more eco-friendly? Go waterless
As people look for more sustainable cosmetic options, water-filled products are the latest to get a shake-up.
British banks finance 805m tonnes of CO2 production a year
Emissions from projects and companies backed by the City are nearly double those of the UK
Big oil companies are driven by profit – they won’t turn green by themselves
Brett Christophers
Renewables are getting cheaper, but fossil fuels are still more lucrative. To reach net zero, we’ll need radical intervention
Nature Conservation
Turkey struck by ‘sea snot’ because of global heating
Increasing blanket of mucus-like substance in water threatens coral and fishing industry
‘A huge surprise’ as giant river otter feared extinct in Argentina pops up
Conservationists thrilled at the sighting of the wild predator, last seen in the country in the 1980s
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