Date: 29 July 2021 at 8:47:54 am AEST
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Jul 29
Post of the Day
Frogs are suddenly dying in huge numbers in Australia. We don’t know why
Jodi Rowley and Karrie Rose
It’s typically rare to see a dead frog. But we’ve received a flurry of emails from people coming across them in this truly unusual and tragic mass death event.
On This Day
Climate Change
Scientists have checked Earth’s vital signs since the pandemic — and it’s bad news
Key signs of climate change’s impact on Earth have worsened over the past two years according to scientists, despite many industries grinding to a halt in the pandemic.
Scientists demand urgent action after Covid-19 did little to slow climate emergency
Scientists call for three-pronged action on emissions after new research finds Covid-19 did little to slow climate emergency.
‘Less than 1% probability’ that Earth’s energy imbalance increase occurred naturally
Sunlight in, reflected and emitted energy out. That’s the fundamental energy balance sheet for our planet — and for decades, it has been out of balance.
Thomas Newsome et al
Back in 2019, more than 11,000 scientists declared a global climate emergency. They established a comprehensive set of vital signs that impact or reflect the planet’s health, such as forest loss, fossil fuel subsidies, glacier thickness, ocean acidity and surface temperature.
National
Sustainable finance is here to stay
The Australian Sustainable Finance Initiative (ASFI) is set to become a permanent fixture, paving the way for a more sustainable future for the country’s finance system.
Australia’s miners powering the electric vehicle charge
Australia’s miners are hot property as global demand for electric vehicles soars, with the nation’s bountiful lithium resources attracting particular attention.
Fish size study shows benefits of marine sanctuaries
The Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) says a new study released today by researchers at the University of Western Australia (UWA), which shows that larger fishes can be found in Australia’s no-take marine sanctuaries, is more evidence of the benefits of highly protected areas for our oceans.
But federal energy minister Angus Taylor says proposed rules needed to ‘protect consumers from high prices and reliability risks’
Research shows variable climate cutting farmers’ profits
Farm incomes have become more variable with changing climate, according to the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences, and it is costing farmers $30,000 a year, every year.
Power market reforms to ‘chill’ green investment [$]
Confidential recommendations to overhaul the power market have worried renewable energy generators, who say their views have been ignored.
Big win for coal generators as ESB pushes for Taylor’s favoured capacity markets
New rules championed by Angus Taylor could benefit coal and stifle the pace of the clean energy transition. “It’s terrible,” said one insider.
Hypocrisy of bank, insurance chiefs exposed at coalface [$]
Lucas Dow
This week banking and insurance executives dialled in to Canberra to explain why they think wiping out thousands of Australian jobs and our second-biggest export industry is a perfectly reasonable thing for them to do.
Microgrid power for a greener future
Peter Fisher
A debate has been sparked about the capacity of centralised power grids to deal with the exigencies of climate change.
How the Barna-party is built on coal, mates and the home of country music [$]
David Hardaker
The National Party has outdone itself this time by appointing Barnaby Joyce as its leader. And its younger members are fed up.
Frogs are suddenly dying in huge numbers in Australia. We don’t know why
Jodi Rowley and Karrie Rose
It’s typically rare to see a dead frog. But we’ve received a flurry of emails from people coming across them in this truly unusual and tragic mass death event.
How the US could help Australia develop climate action
David Shearman
There comes a time when the citizens of one country need help from another country to solve crucial problems. In the case of Australia, help is not for poverty, chaos or insurrection, it is the need to join the world in addressing the climate and environmental crisis.
Rio and BHP shareholders should enjoy the cash deluge while it lasts
Stephen Bartholomeusz
Rio and BHP will shower their shareholders with cash, again, this year. But there are clouds appearing as a more threatening future moves rapidly towards the mining giants.
Australian farmers are adapting well to climate change, but there’s work ahead
Neal Hughes
Australian farmers have proven their resilience, rebounding from drought and withstanding a global pandemic to produce record-breaking output in 2020-21.
How to protect emitters’ revenue from climate push [$]
Robert Gottliebsen
The combined impact of two recent court judgments – one in the Netherlands and one in Australia – are a warning to Australia that its ability to generate revenue via carbon emission products may decline faster than we have previously anticipated.
Solar tax debate needs government intervention, not a push-poll
Bruce Mountain
Responsible governments should be demanding an explanation of why supposed customer and welfare advocacy has gone so badly off the rails.
Victoria
City of Greater Geelong plan targets net zero emissions by 2035
A municipal-wide target of zero net emissions by 2035 is a key feature of the City’s Draft Climate Change Response Plan.
New South Wales
NSW emissions reductions ‘totally undone’ by coal mine approvals, analysis suggests
Emissions from fossil fuel projects approved in the past three years will undo much of the NSW government’s emissions reduction work and could undermine the state’s net-zero by 2050 target, an analysis suggests.
Record low flying foxes in Eurobodalla
The number of flying foxes at known Eurobodalla camps were the lowest recorded since official counts started in 2012.
Nation’s largest solar installer gets three-month reprieve [$]
Sunboost will be able to operate as normal for at least the next three months after a hearing about revoking its electrical contractor licence in NSW was rescheduled.
Quarry muck makes Third Creek a ‘milky coffee’ mess [$]
Water quality has become the latest source of conflict in the battle against the expansion of an Adelaide quarry.
Seawall costing residents up to $300k each [$]
More than a year after severe storms left homes teetering over eroding sand in Collaroy, construction of a sea wall has finally begun.
ACT
How the residential building boom presents a golden opportunity to help the ACT meet its carbon neutral deadline amid a surge in sustainable and passive house projects in the capital.
Orroral Valley fire: The burning questions that need to be answered in Namadgi fire inquiry [$]
Dan Jervis-Bardy
Chief Minister Andrew Barr had declared it all but case closed.
Orroral Valley fire inquiry is welcome
Canberra Times editorial
The decision by the ACT’s Chief Coroner, Lorraine Walker, to launch an inquiry into the devastating Orroral Valley fire will almost certainly be welcomed by the vast majority of ACT residents.
Queensland
‘As significant as finding a new animal’: Fungi hunter discovers new orchid in national park
When fungi enthusiast Meredith Philistin looked down while hiking she knew the “tiny” plant she saw was unusual. So unusual, in fact, it is being touted as a new native orchid.
Qld approves $82m coal mine expansion
The Queensland government has approved an $82 million expansion of Stanmore’s Isaac Downs coal mine.
Queensland coalmine approval puts focus on ALP policy [$]
An extension to a metallurgical coalmine in central Queensland has been approved by the state Labor government while a thermal coal project three times the size at New Acland is still waiting for approval after 14 years.
Smoke gets in your eyes: planned burns fire up around Brisbane
Brisbane residents have been warned to expect a lot of smoke haze over the next few weeks as fire authorities take advantage of expected good weather conditions to increase hazard reduction burns.
Queensland’s first big battery gets registration, to begin charging soon
The first big battery in Queensland has obtained its registration and will begin delivering services to the grid in next few weeks.
Queensland greenlights $23m renewable energy skills centre
Queensland government fast tracks new “state of the art” renewable energy training facility, complete with onsite wind turbine and solar farm.
Great Barrier Reef proof climate warmists are wrong [$]
Andrew Bolt
Despite mounting evidence to the contrary, the reef is a favourite hostage of warming alarmists, who for two decades have claimed we’d better cut our emissions or the reef will die.
South Australia
Yorke Peninsula volunteers dedicate decades to recycling
The Yorketown Progress Association Sort and Save Shed has prevented 1632 tonnes of recyclable waste from entering landfill in its almost 20 years of operation.
Kangaroo Island has timber solution but can’t ship it off
In part three of InDaily’s special report on the national timber shortage, thousands of tonnes of structural grade timber is ready to be shipped to sawmills from Kangaroo Island but transport issues and high costs are hampering efforts.
Tasmania
Aboriginal advocates welcome rejection of controversial cable car on Hobart’s kunanyi/Mt Wellington
The decision has been celebrated by members of Tasmania’s Aboriginal community, for whom the mountain holds special significance.
Bob Brown Foundation against MMG’s Rosebery tailings alternative
Environmentalists who vehemently oppose a proposed tailings dam near Rosebery and have urged mine owner MMG to choose another option would also oppose the company’s nominated alternative site.
Park proposal is destructive on many levels
Guy Barnett
The Bob Brown Foundation’s latest attempt to lock up another 440,000 hectares of Tasmania will cost thousands of jobs and overlooks our world-leading system of reserves.
Northern Territory
Beetaloo Basin fracking plan: gas companies linked to tax secrecy havens and Liberal party, inquiry told
One company given grants worth $21m for drilling despite not having Northern Territory environmental approvals, senators hear
Western Australia
Former Rio Tinto boss joins Pilbara Aboriginal Corporation
A Pilbara native title organisation has added a former Rio Tinto mining executive to its board.
Land Council wants say in new cultural heritage Bill
The Kimberley Land Council says it wants to play a part in co-designing the new Aboriginal cultural heritage legislation alongside the West Australian Government and the mining industry.
Recognition for Whadjuk over Boorloo
The City of Perth has agreed to a Yacker Danjoo Ngala Bidi with the Whadjuk Noongar people, recognising them as the Traditional Owners of Boorloo, the Country Perth CBD is built on.
Fears of mouse explosion after signs in Mid West [$]
Farmers across WA have been urged to get out into their paddocks and search for signs of mice, after unusually early reports of mice damage near Geraldton
Can solar and farming co-exist? Dutch trial hopes to prove a perfect match
Vattenfall to trial a solar farm that will be combined with Dutch strip farming practices for organic crops.
A new study has found plastic accumulation in foods may be underestimated.
Hybrid Cars Are Twice as Vulnerable to Supply Chain Issues as Gas-Powered Models
The global computer chip shortage has hit car manufacturers especially hard, indicating the importance of supply chain resilience.
How Aboriginal culture can teach us how to live with less and tread more lightly
Sarah Moss
If you want to live more sustainably, the Aboriginal practice Wayapa Wuurrk, which draws on ancient wisdom, could give you some ideas for how best to treat the Earth.
First water war in Middle East and Africa is uncomfortably close [$]
Roger Boyes
“Whisky is for drinking,” Mark Twain supposedly said, “water’s for fighting.” That’s the way it’s looking in the Middle East and beyond at the moment.
Want to pass a 100% clean grid law? Don’t pick too many fights
Julian Spector
Oregon built broad support for its clean grid law. Can other places learn from the example?
New IUCN green status launched to help species ‘thrive, not just survive’
Conservation tool will focus on recovery efforts to give a fuller picture of threats to plant and animal populations
Caffeine may help bumblebees pollinate more effectively, study shows
Experiment using caffeine concoction on bees’ nests may help farmers ensure crops are pollinated
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