Daily Links May 9

The Pentecostal PM’s belief system and its consequences when it shapes policy is a matter of extreme public interest, so I don’t buy the line that his religion is a private matter. Why bother about climate change on earth when you’re about to be raptured up to join those who are saved?

Post of the Day

‘The media uses it to scare people’: Survey detects climate change scepticism in young people

While young people are overwhelmingly concerned about climate change, a report has detected an increase in doubt among teenagers.

 

On This Day

May 9

Laylat al-Qadr – Islam

Mother’s Day

 

Climate Change

Flooding might triple in the mountains of Asia due to global warming

A research team has revealed the dramatic increase in flood risk that could occur across Earth’s icy Third Pole in response to ongoing climate change. Focusing on the threat from new lakes forming in front of rapidly retreating glaciers, a team demonstrated that the related flood risk to communities and their infrastructure could almost triple. Important new hotspots of risk will emerge, including within politically sensitive transboundary regions of the Himalaya and Pamir.

Putting Extinction Rebellion activists on trial in the UK isn’t in the public interest, so let’s stop

Peter Hain

After the recent acquittal of climate activists by a crown court jury, it’s clear public sentiment is on their side

 

National

The cold isn’t the only thing that’s a worry for wombats in winter

The mites that cause the distressing wombat mange are likely to persist longer in burrows in cooler, wetter months, research suggests.

 

Floods flush away years of drought along Darling River

Australia’s third-longest river is running a banker once more as floodwaters from March storms bring its first major flush after years of devastating drought and re-energise communities.

 

Finding Nemo introduced us to the East Australian Current — but a lot has happened to it in 18 years

Scientists say the East Australian Current is stronger than they anticipated and an enormous amount of warm water is flooding south. So what does that mean for our oceans?

 

Taxpayers could save $7.8bn a year if diesel fuel rebates scheme was wound back

Energy experts believe weaning fossil-fuel industries off the rebate would push heavy industry towards using renewables

 

AGL takes Greenpeace to court over use of its logo in ‘biggest climate polluter’ campaign

Energy giant objects to use of its logo on posters and online advertising that use phrases like ‘generating pollution for generations’

 

‘The media uses it to scare people’: Survey detects climate change scepticism in young people

While young people are overwhelmingly concerned about climate change, a report has detected an increase in doubt among teenagers.

 

Ambassadors bring voice of science to parliament

For many parliamentarians, the last time they learned about science and technology was in their distant school days.

 

Ashes to ashes: Pentecostalism, the PM and the climate crisis

Graham Readfearn

Scott Morrison’s recent speech to a Christian conference draws fresh attention to Pentecostal churches’ lack of climate evangelism

 

I met my first Australian sea lion 57 years ago. Today I fear for this delightful animal

Valerie Taylor

I’ve seen sea lion populations decimated. I want people to understand how wonderful an unafraid wild creature can be

 

Victoria

Pop-up bike lanes ripped up, stalled despite cycling upswing

Pop-up bike lanes planned at the height of COVID-19 to accommodate a huge increase in cycling have been ripped up or stalled in Melbourne’s inner-north, due to internal council politics and construction delays.

 

Victorian government pledges $500m to reduce bushfire risk, waives tourist entry fees for emergency workers

Described as a “small gesture to say a big thank you”, the four-week fee freeze on Phillip Island attractions will be open to police officers, firefighters, SES members and frontline medical staff.

 

Melbourne’s green heart, the Royal Botanic Gardens, is 175 this year

The gardens, established by the river by Governor Gipps in 1846, have celebrations and surprises in store for visitors this year

 

Combustible cladding crisis uncovered [$]

An alarming number of rogue builders, surveyors and fire engineers have been caught out giving the green light to the use of flammable cladding.

 

New South Wales

Abandoned power station to become site of big battery

While most coal-fired generators are demolished after their use-by date, the defunct Wallerawang power station in central-western NSW is being repurposed to help with Australia’s renewable energy future.

 

Queensland

How a QUT expert is helping change future of clean energy

Researchers are spotlighting tiny particles called POMs, whose special properties could mean they will have a huge impact on clean energy technology in the near future.

 

Face it, Brisbane, we need a congestion tax [$]

Dan Petrie

It’s time Brisbane joined London and New York and found a legitimate solution to its gridlock nightmare.

 

Tasmania

Why Tasmania doesn’t need a salmon war

Brian Wightman

Local News

Is a salmon ‘war’ really necessary?

 

Northern Territory

NT ‘positioned to become a global powerhouse’ for LNG, says Jemena boss [$]

The Northern Territory has enormous potential in terms of its energy resources and is on track to become a world ranked LNG hub, says the head of the company that operates the Northern Gas Pipeline (NGP), a 622km gas transmission pipeline between Tennant Creek and Mount Isa.

 

Sustainability

Transforming atmospheric carbon into industrially useful materials

Plants are unparalleled in their ability to capture carbon from the air, but this benefit is temporary. Researchers have proposed a more permanent, and even useful, fate for this captured carbon by turning plants into a valuable industrial material called silicon carbide (SiC). A new study from scientists quantifies this process with more detail than ever before.

 

Researchers develop new metal-free, recyclable polypeptide battery that degrades on demand

This could result in battery production moving away from strategic elements like cobalt

 

Zero to hero: Overlooked material could help reduce our carbon footprint

Reducing the amount of CO2 in our environment is crucial for mitigating climate change and needs materials that can adsorb CO2 from air under ambient conditions. In a new study, scientists explore the CO2 adsorption properties of zeolite, which has been overlooked in this regard, and report an unprecedented selective adsorption behavior in the extremely lower pressure region and at room temperature, paving the way for its future applications in air purification.

 

Hydrogen instead of electrification? Potentials and risks for climate targets

Hydrogen-based fuels should primarily be used in sectors such as aviation or industrial processes that cannot be electrified, finds a team of researchers. Producing these fuels is too inefficient, costly and their availability too uncertain, to broadly replace fossil fuels for instance in cars or heating houses. For most sectors, directly using electricity for instance in battery electric cars or heat pumps makes more economic sense.

 

How viruses and bacteria can reach drinking water wells

Induced bank filtration is a key and well-established approach to provide drinking water supply to populated areas located along rivers or lakes and with limited access to groundwater resources. It is employed in several countries worldwide, with notable examples in Europe, the United States, and parts of Africa. Contamination of surface waters poses a serious threat to attaining drinking water standards.

 

Can federated learning save the world?

Training the artificial intelligence models that underpin web search engines, power smart assistants and enable driverless cars, consumes megawatts of energy and generates worrying carbon dioxide emissions. But new ways of training these models are proven to be greener.

 

Nature Conservation

Protecting coral from heat stress and coral bleaching

Coral bleaching, which is becoming stronger and more frequent due to heat stress, has already wiped out corals at many locations globally. With the help of a microbiome-targeting strategy, it could become feasible to help protect corals from heat stress.

 

More than one way for animals to survive climate change

Researchers found that to live in hotter more desert-like surroundings, and exist without water, there is more than one genetic mechanism allowing animals to adapt. This is important not only for their survival but may also provide important biomedical groundwork to develop gene therapies to treat human dehydration related illnesses, like kidney disease.

 

The African wild dog: An ambassador for the world’s largest terrestrial conservation area

The world’s largest terrestrial conservation area is located in southern Africa and covers 520,000 square kilometers spanning five countries. A study now shows that the endangered African wild dog mostly remains within the boundaries of the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA) when dispersing, thus highlighting the relevance of such a large-scale conservation initiative for maintaining key wildlife corridors of threatened species.



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