Post of the Day
Pest plants and animals cost Australia around $25 billion a year – and it will get worse
Corey J. A. Bradshaw and Andrew Hoskins
Shamefully, Australia has one of the highest extinction rates in the world. And the number one threat to our species is invasive or “alien” plants and animals.
On This Day
Ecological Observance
Climate Change
Global warming may lead to more variable hydroclimate
Global wet regions will not only receive more rainfall, but also experience temporally more varied rainfall events under global warming, according to researchers from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the UK Meteorological (Met) Office.
‘Climate change has become real’: extreme weather sinks prime US tourism site
At Lake Powell on the Arizona-Utah border, the water line has dropped to a historic low, taking a heavy toll on the local industry
Three Americans create enough carbon emissions to kill one person, study finds
The analysis draws on public health studies that conclude that for every 4,434 metric tons of CO2 produced, one person globally will die
Aerosols add a new wrinkle to climate change in the tropical Pacific Ocean
A new Yale study suggests that aerosols in the atmosphere may be temporarily holding down ocean temperatures in the eastern equatorial Pacific.
Oh good, now there’s an outbreak of wildfire thunderclouds
Huge pyrocumulonimbus clouds just formed over fires in the West. These clouds can then advance across the landscape, sparking new wildfires as they go. Here’s why they could become more common on a warmer planet.
Climate change: Science magazine article blows the whistle on model failure [$]
Graham Lloyd
Leading climate scientists conceded that models used to estimate how much the world will warm with rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are running too hot.
How many years until we must act on climate?
Jennifer Francis et al
We have zero years before climate and ecological breakdown, because it’s already here. We have zero years left to procrastinate.
Propping up coal: Clean energy sector says ESB reforms will distort market
ESB’s post-2025 energy market reform slammed by clean energy industry which says it will slow new investment and prop up coal generators.
AEMO boss: We don’t yet know best path to 100 pct renewables
Daniel Westerman says AEMO does not yet know best path to accommodating 100 pct renewables, but the technology is changing quickly.
Huge change set for Australian-UK climate agreement [$]
Ever wondered how we’ll reach our emission reduction targets? A new deal between Australia and the UK aims to help the world to just that.
ACF statement on passing of Hal Wootten AC QC
Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) Chief Executive Officer, Kelly O’Shanassy, said: “ACF’s staff, board and council are saddened to learn of the passing of ACF’s former President, John Halden Wootten, who was known almost universally as Hal.”
Our bill for feral cats comes in at $13.5 billion — but that’s not the worst figure
They trample fragile environments and devastate crops, and now we can put a figure on how much damage invasive species like feral cats and weedy plants are doing to Australia’s bottom line.
Australia’s energy market operator plans for net zero by 2050 as Morrison stalls
Aemo says new planning scenarios, including a ‘hydrogen superpower’ option, reflect accelerating transition in energy market
Environmental groups take federal minister to court over multi-million dollar fracking grant
Environment groups allege Resources Minister Keith Pitt failed to assess climate change risks when awarding millions of dollars in grants to an oil and gas company seeking to frack the Beetaloo Basin.
Canberra to fund 400 electric car charging stations [$]
The Morrison government has taken a major step towards curing Australians of electric vehicle “range anxiety” by funding the rollout of more than 400 public fast-charging stations around the country.
National Sustainable Oceans and Coasts Strategy
Media release – Australia Institute Tasmania
The 15th National Coast to Coast Conference delegates have called for the Australian Government to adopt a National Sustainable Oceans and Coasts Strategy. The strategy provides a blueprint for change that Australia’s oceans and coasts need, and outlines the steps needed to transform how we govern and protect oceans and coasts across Australia.
Wind and solar could deliver 65 pct of Australia demand by 2030 if built on time
David Leitch
Wind and solar projects are queuing up, but short term factors and high coal prices cause us to lift our wholesale price forecasts.
Taylor looks to impose coal subsidies on electricity customers
Bernard Keane
If Angus Taylor gets his way, all east coast electricity consumers will be forced to subsidise coal-fired power stations as part of an unnecessary and expensive ‘reliability requirement’.
Pest plants and animals cost Australia around $25 billion a year – and it will get worse
Corey J. A. Bradshaw and Andrew Hoskins
Shamefully, Australia has one of the highest extinction rates in the world. And the number one threat to our species is invasive or “alien” plants and animals.
Sidestep on energy wedges ALP [$]
Geoff Chambers
Scott Morrison has wedged Anthony Albanese by allowing the Australian Renewable Energy Agency to bankroll low emissions technologies – including carbon capture and storage and clean hydrogen – after the federal government redrafted regulations opposed by Labor and the Greens.
Victoria
‘Illogical’: Residents slam logging of koala refuge
Residents and farmers have raised the alarm over logging in a small forest north of Wilsons Promontory, an area of remnant bushland home to rare and endangered species like powerful owls, greater gliders and Strzelecki koalas.
‘Sky rail’ looms as level crossing removal fix [$]
Another 10 level crossings will be removed in a major construction blitz that will involve building more “sky rail”. See which suburbs will be affected.
New South Wales
‘Just breathtaking’: The moment scientists spotted rare whales in Jervis Bay
When the drone footage of the southern right whales first popped up on the screens of a handful of marine biologists this week they cheered. Susan Crocetti confesses to fighting back tears.
ACT
Bridport’s Scallop Fiesta full steam ahead after plover chicks hatch
After having navigated public health guidelines and wild-weather, a popular fiesta was almost derailed by a pair of plovers.
The ACT’s Attorney-General chose not to launch a coronial inquiry into the origins of the Orroral Valley bushfire, which was sparked by a Defence helicopter, because he believed it would not shed new light on the start of the blaze.
Queensland
Coalition criticised after Great Barrier Reef Foundation receives $351,000 in jobkeeper payments
Foundation has received $400,000 in total pandemic support despite being awarded $443m government grant three years ago
Anti-mining activist ordered to pay most of Adani’s legal bill
Mining activist Ben Pennings has been ordered to pay 60 per cent of Adani’s legal fees from a fight over access to confidential documents.
Federal government doubles funding for Urannah Dam project [$]
A major dam one and half times the size of Sydney Harbour that’s set to be built in North Queensland has received a multimillion-dollar funding injection from the federal government.
South Australia
Sawmill’s bid to chop timber shortages
In part four of InDaily’s special report on the national timber shortage, a Mid North sawmill operator aims to build a second facility closer to Adelaide to cut structural timber and capitalise on fire-affected wood from Kangaroo Island if he can secure government support.
Tasmania
Electric scooters create buzz for small Tassie businesses [$]
Shared electric scooters touting environmental and traffic congestion benefits could also support businesses in the city, Tasmanian Small Business Council CEO Robert Mallet says.
Mass protest planned at MMG’s Rosebery mine this weekend [$]
The lull in protest activity on a mining lease on Tasmania’s West Coast looks set to be short-lived with a mass demonstration planned for this weekend.
‘Cruel’: Huon Valley excluded from feds’ bushfire grant scheme [$]
Despite being ravaged by bushfires just 12 months before Australia’s so-called Black Summer, the Huon Valley municipality is ineligible to access a new bushfire recovery grant scheme.
Tasmania makes the cut of places to ride out global collapse
Many mainlanders have already made the move to Tasmania and they may be ahead of the curve — with the island state listed as one of the best places to be in the event of societal collapse. But could it cope with the pressure?
Bob Brown puts ‘best takayna option’ to Premier
Media release – Bob Brown Foundation
At a meeting with Premier Peter Gutwein this afternoon, the Bob Brown Foundation explained why returning mine waste underground is the best option for MMG and its Rosebery mine.
In the climate movement, women are failing women on #MeToo
Kate Booth
I am no spring chicken, so when I joined Extinction Rebellion, I felt like I was ready for the rough and tumble of volunteer activism.
Is this really the end of Hobart’s cable car?
Laura Beavis
The latest plan to build a cable car to the top of Hobart’s mountain has just been voted down by the city’s council — but is this really the end of it?
Northern Territory
Santos gassed about strong start to $235m drilling off Darwin
The operator of the Darwin LNG onshore gas plant Santos says production from the $235m Phase 3C infill drilling program has begun with a better than anticipated outcome.
Western Australia
Why isn’t drinking water in these Indigenous communities tested for dangerous microbes?
Harmful organisms such as E. coli could be going unchecked in water consumed by some of Australia’s most vulnerable residents.
Fortescue sees big opportunity as Japan goes greener
Australian mining giant Fortescue is planning to accelerate a push into clean-energy industries such as zero-emissions hydrogen after Japan set new targets to sharply reduce its reliance on fossil fuels by 2030.
Sustainability
Environmental impact of bottled water up to 3,500 times higher than tap water
What is the best option for individual water consumption if we take into account both health and environmental impacts? The answer to that question, according to a new study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) is that, at least in the city of Barcelona, tap water is the option that offers more overall benefits.
Adapting roots to a hotter planet could ease pressure on food supply
Supercomputer-powered 3D imaging of root systems to help breeders develop climate-change adapted plants for farmers
Bayer to replace glyphosate from US lawn products by 2023
German chemical company Bayer A.G. announced Thursday that it would replace the herbicide glyphosate from all lawn and garden products sold in the United States by 2023.
Everyday chemicals and household products ‘to blame for 450,000 early deaths from pollution a year’
Air pollution created by everyday items including cleaning fluids, grooming products, paints, glues, wood stoves and pesticides causes up to 450,000 premature deaths worldwide in cities including London, a study has found.
What history tells us about the delta variant — and the variants that will follow
John M. Barry
The delta variant: There is still so little we know for sure.
Warning over start of commercial-scale deep-sea mining
Deep-sea mining in international waters could begin in two years – but researchers say this is unnecessary and could cause irreversible damage to marine ecosystems.
City-living bees benefit most from specific types of urban ‘greening’
Study suggests native bees, wasps thrive in large green spaces, flowering prairies
Endangered species’ recovery measured by IUCN’s new ‘green status’
This week, scientists unveiled a new standard for assessing the status of plant and animal species. Instead of focusing on decline, this new approach aims to measure recovery.
Here’s what climate change will mean for bats
A new study identifies threats facing dozens of bat species in areas of the world that are predicted to get hotter and drier.
Southern Spain’s green-belt project aims to stave off impending desertification
The ambitious green-belt project aims to create a series of contiguous forests that would run for hundreds of miles across Spain’s southern region — but it may take decades.
Bolsonaro’s 1,000km Amazon railway will cause climate chaos. It must be stopped
David Miranda
This project would rapidly deforest large areas of the Amazon, which would wreak havoc on the planet
Katherine Seto et al
Small Pacific Island states depend on their commercial fisheries for food supplies and economic health. But our new research shows climate change will dramatically alter tuna stocks in the tropical Pacific, with potentially severe consequences for the people who depend on them.
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