Date: 20 August 2021 at 8:50:36 am AEST
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Aug 20
Post of the Day
Young people rebel on climate, vaccines and housing
Nicola Philp
Some young Australians are now so desperately unhappy with government inaction they feel being arrested and fined is actually less of a cost than the cost to their future if nothing is done.
On This Day
Ecological Observance
Renewable Energy Day – India
Climate Change
The Climate Finance Access Network, coordinated by RMI, will be placing advisors dedicated to unlocking critical finance for climate adaptation and mitigation in eight Pacific nations on the front lines of climate change.
Climate change: How to process grief, according to Daniel Sherrell
Last year, the American Psychiatric Association reported that about two-thirds of Americans (67%) are somewhat or extremely anxious about the impact of climate change on the planet, and 55% have similar levels of anxiety about their own mental health.
Economists must grapple with climate tipping points before it’s too late
David Roberts
A groundbreaking new model suggests that we’ve massively underestimated the social costs of carbon.
Climate change: ‘We’re all part of the problem’ [$]
Kenji Sato
It’s hard to imagine what kind of hippie caveman lifestyle one would need to lead in order to advocate for clean energy without being a hypocrite.
How ancient beliefs in underwater worlds can shed light in a time of rising sea levels
Patrick D. Nunn
It is deceptively easy to ridicule such beliefs in underwater worlds but they likely represent memories of places that really were once submerged.
Lesley Hughes
Vote. Divest. Plant trees. Recycle. Remove fossil fuel subsidies. Go renewable. We don’t need to accept the inevitable demise of life on the planet
Why is life on Earth still taking second place to fossil fuel companies?
George Monbiot
No government, even the most progressive, is yet prepared to contemplate the transformation we need: a global programme that places the survival of humanity and the rest of life on Earth above all other issues.
National
How Indigenous knowledge can shape sea management
In the same way cultural burning can shape land management to reduce bushfire risk, a Federal Government grant will see scientists and Indigenous leaders work together to incorporate Aboriginal practices in looking after the ocean.
Origin ready to “pull trigger” on big batteries after recording $2.3 billion loss
Origin Energy prepares pivot into big batteries and green hydrogen after $2.3 billion loss, another legacy company wrestling with the energy transition.
“Digital twin”: Online simulator to help wind and solar farms connect to the grid
AEMO to build an “online twin” of the main grid to allow wind and solar developers to more easily model the impact of their project proposals.
1,000 days of baseload outages: Coal failures send electricity prices to record highs
Regulator cites “1,000 days of baseload outages” as reason for highest electricity prices on record. And it wants a “capacity” market?
Transforming grid with pole-mounted batteries
On behalf of the Australian Government, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has today announced $4 million of ARENA funding to United Energy to trial the use of pole-mounted batteries to support more rooftop solar and manage peak demand across the low voltage distribution network in south Eastern Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula.
Australian researchers set new efficiency record for double-sided solar cells
Australian National University researchers set new efficiency record for double-sided solar cells and hope to deliver boost to solar farm output.
Italian energy giant plans another 1,000MW renewables in Australia, seeks retail licence
Europe’s biggest utility plans to add another 1,000MW of renewables capacity in Australia and is seeking a retail licence to focus on industrial customers.
Why is the pressure being piled on Australia to do more on climate change?
This week has seen the UK, the US and others pile onto Australia during a virtual conference on climate action. Why now?
A top investment manager warns Australia risks being excluded from future trade deals unless the Prime Minister commits to a target of net zero emissions by 2050.
Please save these frogs: The 26 Australian species at greatest risk of extinction
These Australian frogs need our help to survive. Learn about the findings of new research published in Pacific Conservation Biology. The study aims to prevent extinctions by identifying the 26 species at the greatest risk of extinction and the actions needed to save them.
Baseload coal is over: Origin CEO [$]
Origin Energy plans to turn off units at its coal-fired power station for extended periods in a bid to keep its generation business profitable amid surge of renewables.
Young people rebel on climate, vaccines and housing
Nicola Philp
Some young Australians are now so desperately unhappy with government inaction they feel being arrested and fined is actually less of a cost than the cost to their future if nothing is done.
Teenager steps up as AGL board nominee
David Ritter
An 18-year-old from Melbourne is the first climate activist to successfully nominate for the board of a major resources, energy or mining company.
BHP is selling its dirty oil and gas assets, but hold the applause
Jeremy Moss
When BHP announced it would sell its stake in its oil and gas business to Woodside Petroleum to form a merged oil and gas business, it appeared welcome news. A big miner finally takes climate change seriously.
Creating genuine change through SDG implementation
Virginia Munro
Australia may have ranked last for sustainability, but it’s time for us to realise the SDGs hold the key to a sustainable future after COVID, writes Dr Virginia Munro, who argues we need to work toward genuine commitment and greater SDG accountability.
Peter Ryan
A top investment manager warns Australia risks being excluded from future trade deals unless the Prime Minister commits to a target of net zero emissions by 2050.
Australia needs help from the US to defuse the ‘gas bomb’
David Shearman
A recent UN report states that reducing human-caused methane emissions is a most cost-effective strategy to rapidly reduce the rate of global warming and limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The U.S. may succeed in reducing methane. Australia has no intention of doing so.
Reshaped BHP comes home to lower carbon future [$]
AFR editorial
The transformation of BHP confirms a key message of this week’s Platinum 70 Year coverage about the challenges and opportunities of the low-carbon world.
Victoria
An overhaul of the vehicle registration system, more underground rail and a London-style congestion tax in Melbourne could all be on the cards under a 30-year plan.
Working from home, population growth to drive Melburnians to fringe, sparking $100b spend
Infrastructure Victoria’s 30-year blueprint says population growth and working-from-home arrangements are set to drive more people away from Melbourne.
‘Time to take a breath’: Yarra riverkeeper steps down from ‘perfect job’
It’s just a few kilometres from Melbourne CBD, but a peaceful oasis near Clarke Street in Abbotsford is one of Yarra riverkeeper Andrew Kelly’s favourite spots on the famous waterway.
Halt sale of petrol vehicles by 2035: Victorian advisory group
Victoria should stop the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2035 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and encourage more people to buy zero-emissions cars, says the state’s key infrastructure adviser.
$144 billion-dollar project pipeline delivers long term pain for taxpayers
Annika Smethurst
Election strategists will tell you that promising roads and train lines gives political parties the best chance on polling day, but voters should be wary.
New South Wales
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‘Vehicles for deception’: Transport plan fails the truth test
Tony Harris
NSW governments have a reputation for designing fiscally shady schemes. They pretended the Sydney Harbour Tunnel was privately owned to avoid then existing controls over state borrowings and to get Commonwealth tax advantages not available to state entities. It took years to unravel that deceit.
Queensland
SEQ does not have enough drinking water for booming population
South-east Queensland does not have enough drinking water to cater for its booming population, while the region could face mandatory restrictions in just months.
Innovation key to saving the Reef [$]
From coral IVF to ‘stork’ robots, Australian scientists are leading the global fight to restoring the Great Barrier Reef.
Snorkellers discover rare, giant 400-year-old coral – one of the oldest on the Great Barrier Reef
Adam Smith et al
Snorkellers on the Great Barrier Reef have discovered a huge coral more than 400 years old which is thought to have survived 80 major cyclones, numerous coral bleaching events and centuries of exposure to other threats. We describe the discovery in research published today.
South Australia
With wind generation one of the fastest-growing renewable energy sectors in the world, Flinders University experts are using machine learning and other signal processing techniques to characterise annoying noise features from wind farms.
Hypersaline water leaking into Adelaide mangroves as ‘horrible history repeats’
Hypersaline water leaks into mangroves again from faulty ponds in Adelaide’s north, prompting calls for urgent action to avoid a repeat of last year’s ecological disaster that killed swathes of marshland.
Experts demand ‘urgent’ climate action in SA planning code
South Australia’s new planning regime has “no coherent climate change narrative” and must be “urgently” revised, a panel of legal and environment experts has urged, warning: “Business as usual does not cut it.”
Tasmania
As a historic town grapples with a tourist exodus, business owners look to a cable car
The vertical rock columns of Mount Roland loom large over the historic north-west Tasmanian town of Sheffield. A proposal for a cableway at the site is gathering support from local businesses, but the Aboriginal community says it should not proceed.
Protestors wasting time and energy
Minister for Resources and Water Keith Pitt says protestors attempting to disrupt gas exploration to the west of King Island should abide by the environmental umpire’s decision and let the crucial work proceed to guarantee future energy supplies to south-eastern Australia.
Shooters welcome economic assessment of hunting in Tasmania
Tasmanian shooters believe their chosen sport puts “significant” funds into regional communities, and are in full support of a government funded study that will put a real dollar value on hunting in the state.
Protestors blockade Hobart fuel depot
In response to the latest IPCC report declaring the climate crisis a ‘code red for humanity’ Extinction Rebellion Tasmania (XR) will be forming a human blockade outside Hobart’s fuel distribution facility on Selfs Point Road, Newtown. As part of a nationally synchronised push, supplies around Hobart, Adelaide and Brisbane will be disrupted.
Canadian aquaculture company could battle JBS in Huon takeover [$]
A potential suitor for Huon Aquaculture described by a Tasmanian fishing organisation as a ‘nicer looking version of JBS’ has confirmed its interest in the company’s takeover.
Sustainability
The case for onboard carbon dioxide capture on long-range vehicles
A Northwestern University research team offers a practical way to make ships CO2 neutral — or even CO2 negative — with CO2-capturing solid oxide fuel cells.
Small changes in diet could help you live healthier, more sustainably
Eating a hot dog could cost you 36 minutes of healthy life, while choosing to eat a serving of nuts instead could help you gain 26 minutes of extra healthy life, according to a University of Michigan study.
Climate change supply chain disruptions: How to prepare
Experts say supply-chain disruptions during Covid will be nothing compared with those from climate change. Here’s how companies can protect themselves.
Suppressed EPA report: Formaldehyde causes leukemia
Although the formaldehyde assessment has grave implications for public health, Trump administration officials refused to allow the EPA to release it.
4 ways to make solar panels more sustainable
Solar panels provide the largest and cheapest source of renewable energy. But there is still room to reduce the high emissions created when building solar power infrastructure.
Scientists dig deep to understand the effects of population pressure on violence levels
A continuous rise in global population has led to fears that conflicts and war will become more frequent as resources dwindle. But this widespread belief has not been quantified based on actual Japanese archaeological data, until now.
US bans use of controversial pesticide over health concerns
Chlorpyrifos, which has been linked to health problems in children, is being banned from use on food crops in the US.
Procuring large-scale renewables through aggregation: a guide for local governments
Local governments across the United States are setting ambitious goals to transition to renewable energy. Since most municipalities cannot supply 100 percent of their electricity needs with on-site supply alone, they often look to purchase off-site renewable energy. One approach to do this that can provide numerous benefits is buyer-led aggregation.
The carbon footprint of ‘delivering the goods’ with robots and automated vehicles
In the last few years, delivery robots and drones have popped up around the U.S., occasionally rolling, walking or flying up to people’s doorsteps to drop off packages. But one consideration that needs to be addressed before widely adopting autonomous technologies is their environmental impact. Now, researchers show that automating residential package transport doesn’t influence the greenhouse gas footprint as much as the delivery van’s size and type.
Could nice smells be hurting the planet? NOAA study finds fragrance rivals car exhaust
How many of us wake up in the morning and use some type of product that has a fragrance? Stop for a moment and think about how many times just today, you have used something that gave off a scent.
A breakthrough by researchers at the University of South Florida (USF) and collaborating institutions around the world could pave the way for better products, such as improved batteries, automobile paint and cellphone screens.
Solar energy use will become more common as power use becomes smarter and more automated
Scientists develop ‘greener’ way to make fertilizer
Researchers have devised a new ‘greener’ method to make a key compound in fertilizer, and that may pave the way to a more sustainable agricultural practice as global food demand rises.
Solar farms and biodiversity: How clean energy affects wildlife conservation
Solar installations are often bad for local plants and animals — but they don’t have to be.
What does it mean to be net-zero in the financial sector? – video
Investors, lenders and climate policy experts discuss how the financial sector can achieve net-zero lending and investment portfolios.
We’re all exhausted but are you experiencing burnout? Here’s what to look out for
Gabriela Tavella and Gordon Parker
With more than half the country in lockdown and many of the social support systems we rely on having been put on hold, it’s no wonder people are feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. For some, such feelings may ultimately culminate in burnout.
How to go green for a healthier planet
James Quigley
Climate change is frightening, but it’s not out of our control. Help make a more sustainable world possible through simple steps.
Electric cars to be here faster than we expect [$]
Robert Gottliebsen
The US has learned once again that when it engages in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan-style wars it loses. But don’t write off the US because we are about to see its strength in action. When the US decides to mobilise its industrial base there are few countries in the world that can match it.
Can a polite sign lead to political change? What kinds of protest work?
Aidan Ricketts
Prime Minister Scott Morrison recently gave reporters in Canberra a “lesson” in what kinds of protest he thinks work best.
Mystery of the seadragon solved
The genome of the seadragon, a very unusual fish, has been decoded. New insights help answer the question of evolutionary invention
Planet needs Indigenous peoples to help save biodiversity: top rights expert
The global initiative to save the planet’s biodiversity on land and water must not be allowed to threaten the world’s most vulnerable people, a top human rights expert said on Thursday.
Landslide disaster risk in the Kivu Rift is linked to deforestation and population growth
New research shows how deforestation and population growth have greatly impacted landslide risk in the Kivu Rift. This is what researchers established from an analysis of six decades of forest cover and population trends in the region.
Climate change threatens to squeeze out Indonesia’s medicinal plants
More than half of medicinal plant species in Indonesia won’t be able to grow in most of their current range by 2050 due to climate change, a new study says.
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