Post of the Day
Many measures of Earth’s health are at worst levels on record, NOAA finds
A fatal virus and a massive economic downturn did not stop planet-warming gases in the atmosphere last year from rising to their highest levels in human history, researchers say.
On This Day
Ecological Observance
National Petroleum Day – USA
Climate Change
Southern Blob of unusual Pacific heat blamed for creating megadrought
A huge region of the South Pacific is warming unusually fast, disrupting rainfall patterns and contributing to a lengthy megadrought across parts of South America.
Reporting on the climate crisis: ‘For years it was seen as a far-off problem’
Paul Brown, the Guardian’s former environment correspondent, was warning of the consequences of climate change nearly four decades ago, from the mid-1980s, as scientists began to raise the alarm over greenhouse gas emissions and their potential impact.
Ocean surface climates may disappear by 2100: Study
Up to 95 percent of Earth’s ocean surface will have changed by the end of the century unless humanity reins in its carbon emissions, according to research published recently.
Judge skeptical of Republican case on social cost of carbon
A federal judge yesterday appeared skeptical of a lawsuit brought by Republican-led states over President Biden’s executive order on climate change.
Fewer El Niño and La Niña events in a warmer world
The cycling between warm El Niño and cold La Niña conditions in the eastern Pacific has persisted without major interruptions for at least the last 11,000 years. This may change in the future.
What if it’s too late to save our planet without geoengineering?
Moira Donegan
Climate engineering sounds scary. But is coming whether we like it or not, this scientist says
Slow-walking the climate crisis
Bill McKibben
“Greenwashing” is too kind a term; this is more like careful sabotage.
Independent advice to ESB was strongly against Taylor’s favoured “Coalkeeper” subsidy
Independent advice to ESB warned against capacity mechanism championed by Angus Taylor, and which may pay coal plants to do things they can’t do.
Experts warn wetter seasons risk grassfires alongside growth
It might seem counterintuitive, but winter and spring rains not only fuel growth, they are also increasing the likelihood of grassfires in eastern Australia, according to Australasian Fire and Emergency Council (AFEC) director Rob Webb.
Could climate change be increasing one of the major hay fever allergens in Australia?
A new study finds climate change could be influencing an increase in one of the major hay fever allergens in Australia, prompting calls for further research to be conducted.
More Healthy Rivers grants for Murray-Darling communities
The Coalition Government has announced the opening of the second round of grants available to Murray-Darling Basin communities and farmers under the $20 million Healthy Rivers Program.
ALP-linked Wilderness Society snubs native logging pact [$]
A historic agreement signed by more than 60 environmental groups calling for an end to native logging on public lands has been snubbed by the Labor-aligned The Wilderness Society, amid accusations the organisation is missing in action after being been “captured by the union movement”.
After three years, Taylor is finally succeeding in his promise to stop wind and solar
Angus Taylor’s main goal when he became energy minister was to stop wind and solar in their tracks. He may finally be succeeding.
The price of corruption: Taylor’s ‘CoalKeeper’ tax to cost households up to $400 a year [$]
Bernard Keane
Australia’s coal and gas-fired power stations, and the resources industries that support them, are set to receive billions in subsidies from households to continue pumping out greenhouse gases.
New uses for coal? Um, leave it in the ground — but first hire consultants
Georgia Wilkins
The government is looking to invest in research into alternative, ‘low emissions’ uses of coal to shore up fossil fuels’ continued domination of the economy.
Shunning speciesism could help save our climate and prevent future pandemics [$]
Emily Rice
Some 60 per cent of Australians share their homes with a companion animal, and we proudly consider ourselves a nation of animal lovers. Yet, Australians also reportedly eat nearly 100 kilograms of animal flesh per person per year – and seem equally proud of that macabre statistic.
Victoria
Victorian pressure on power subsidies proposal [$]
Victoria has signalled it could oppose subsidies being used to extend the life of coal generators under proposed reforms to the energy market, raising pressure on Energy Minister Angus Taylor to ensure his plans do not extend the life of fossil fuel generators any longer than necessary.
New South Wales
EPA ordered to protect against climate change as bushfire survivors triumph in court
The NSW EPA has been ordered to prepare objectives, policies and guidelines to ensure protection from climate change.
Clean energy interest soars in NSW as states resist rules to prop up coal
New England renewable energy zone inundated with investor interest amid pushback to federal rules on fossil fuel generators
Queensland
New radio tech tracks Qld’s most contentious bird across 33,000ha [$]
Endangered birds emit signals from tiny transmitters every 13 seconds to 27 radio towers across an area the size of 33,000 football fields near Adani’s Carmichael Mine.
Shareholder group sues Santos over “misleading” claims that gas is “clean energy”
Santos sued by shareholder group alleging claims gas is “clean energy” are misleading, and that the company’s zero emissions strategies are not credible.
Kevin Buzzacott: ‘Time for Santos to get off its bike’
Uncle Kevin Buzzacott, an elder of the Triabunna people in the Lake Eyre region of far northern South Australia, is campaigning for Santos and other gas companies to be prevented from destroying country.
John Davidson was thriving under the competitive nature of Silicon Valley when his wife Jill pointed out the toll it was having on their life. Approaching their retirement, the couple decided to return to Australia and invest their time and super into a different kind of work — restoring 60 hectares of farmland to its former glory.
St Kilda mangrove maps show it’s not all bad news [$]
Scientific monitoring and aerial imagery have finally shed some light on the dying mangroves at St Kilda.
Watch replay: Pelzer Prize green heroes revealed [$]
Finalists in the $10,000 Pelzer Prize for SA environment heroes are about to find out who is at the front of the line for 2021 honours.
KI koala wipe-out feared if timber firm cuts and runs [$]
A company’s plan to chop and burn thousands of hectares of timber plantations on Kangaroo Island could have devastating consequences for the island’s surviving koalas.
Tasmania
Tasmanian Government commits $15 million to climate change, renewable energy government office
The state government will establish a new government unit dedicated to climate change and renewable energy projects.
Court challenge to ore trucking permit hopes to stop roadkill [$]
Legal action has been launched to challenge a decision to allow a mining company to truck ore to Burnie at night when Tasmanian devils are in more danger of becoming roadkill.
Stellar Resources announces granting of NE Tasmania exploration licenses
Stellar Resources Limited (ASX: SRZ, “Stellar” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that it has recently been granted 8 Exploration Licences over an area of 1,899 km2 in North East Tasmania which is highly prospective for Victorian-style Orogenic Gold, Intrusive Related Gold Systems (IRGS) and additionally contains historical tin occurrences.
New forestry propaganda campaign
Guy Barnett
Tasmania’s sustainable forestry industry is taking positive steps to address outdated views of the industry.
Northern Territory
Beetaloo Boondoggle: political bribes beat the planet as gas fracking gets public hand-outs
Michael West
As a block, the two major parties voted to give our money, public money, to corporations to drill for coal seam gas in the Northern Territory, to open up a gigantic new territory, the Beetaloo Basin, for fracking.
Western Australia
As a eureka moment descended over Onslow, the town’s power station fell eerily quiet
A landmark trial that allowed a WA town to run on 100 per cent renewable energy is being heralded as a blueprint for electricity grids across the country.
‘Carving up my country’: Land clearing reignites fracking debate in Western Australia
The exploration occurred on First Nations’ territory, including those of the Yawuru people, recognized as “Traditional Owners” for their cultural associations with the land.
Sustainability
‘Battery power packs in these vehicles can kill’: Warning tags to be fitted to electric cars
In a car crash, electric vehicle battery power packs can be a risk to firefighters and paramedics attending the scene.
Many measures of Earth’s health are at worst levels on record, NOAA finds
A fatal virus and a massive economic downturn did not stop planet-warming gases in the atmosphere last year from rising to their highest levels in human history, researchers say.
How to fight microplastic pollution with magnets
Huge amounts of plastic ends up rivers and oceans every year, harming the environment and potentially also human health. But what if we could pull it out of water with magnets?
A beginner’s guide to the ‘hydrogen rainbow’
There are tons of ideas out there on how to use hydrogen to power the world. But which ones can really help decarbonize the energy industry?
New study unveils thermoelectric ink that turns car exhaust pipes into power generators
A recent study has resulted in the development of a thermoelectric technology method to produce power-generating tubes using 3D printing techniques.
Nuclear fusion breakthrough: what do new results mean for the future of ‘infinite’ energy?
Greg de Temmerman
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has announced a major breakthrough in nuclear fusion, using powerful lasers to produce 1.3 megajoules of energy – about 3% of the energy contained in 1kg of crude oil.
Cleaning up Indonesia’s Citarum River, one of world’s most polluted waterways
The Citarum is the longest and largest river in West Java, running 270km through thousands of communities to connect the people, villages and landscape of the most populous province in Indonesia.
Sorry to bug you, but insects are in decline
We hear that pollinators are in dire straits while harmful, invasive insects seem to be proliferating. But how are all the other bugs doing?
Protect habitat ‘stepping stones’ to help species cope with climate change
Safe passages for species adapting to climate change aren’t always being protected, a new study warns.
Tropical forest vulnerability index
New research will detect and evaluate the vulnerability of global tropical rainforests by focusing specifically on threats from changes to land-use and climate.
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