Solar keeps on getting better: Cheaper, more efficient and bigger returns on energy
Fereidoon Sioshansi
The energy payback time for solar PV can be less than a year, meaning it will produce 20 times the energy needed to produce it over a 20 year lifespan.
On This Day
Climate Change
Over-50s want climate crisis addressed ‘even if it leads to high prices’
Research finds almost two-thirds of older people want UK government to move faster on green initiatives
Even 1.5C warming will still leave world’s coasts exposed to extremes
The findings, which include work by Australian researchers, are published on Tuesday in Nature Climate Change journal.
By acting on climate change, India can gain $11 trillion in economic value by 2070
A gigantic climate crisis has an opportunity for the struggling Indian economy – if the government plays its cards right.
Rain in Greenland is our problem too
Peter Boyer
The US Summit Station, over 3 km above sea level on Greenland’s ice sheet, is the Northern Hemisphere’s coldest place. Only the higher Antarctic ice sheet is colder.
National
The company that manages Australia’s electricity markets is no longer warning the closure of coal-fired power stations could lead to blackouts, as battery storage and gas power have shored-up supply.
Renewables could meet 100% demand in Australia at certain times of day by 2025, report says
Energy market operator notes penetration of renewable generation reached record high of 57% twice in 2021
Australia’s biggest companies want Australia to urgently commit to net zero carbon emissions by 2050
The Lendlease chairman says the federal government needs to urgently step up in the global fight to combat climate change and commit to reducing pollution to net zero by 2050.
National Fisheries Plan consultation opens
Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries Jonno Duniam said the National Fisheries Plan will aim to support and empower all sectors of the fishing and seafood community.
Australia’s emissions fell 5% during first year of pandemic
Emissions fell sharply in transport and electricity in a trend that took annual output to its lowest level in decades, official figures show.
The coming change that could slash your energy bill by $2000 a year
Houses across Australia are set to be much better built under a world-first agreement that could ensure cuts to energy bills by as much as 75 per cent.
Carmakers scrutinise lithium’s green credentials amid battery rush
The head of Australia’s largest lithium miner says carmakers are ratcheting up scrutiny of the environmental impact of mining practices across battery supply chains.
Clean energy, less fuel use cut emissions
Fewer jets in the air, vehicles on the road and cleaner energy have helped cut Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions
Wilderness Society grant ‘hypocritical’ [$]
The Wilderness Society took an almost $200,000 grant from a philanthropic organisation that derives its income from the operations of a quarry, with conservationists likening the ongoing relationship to a “cancer ward taking donations from Phillip Morris”.
Power more reliable, but coal still a risk [$]
The retirement of coal generators from Australia’s electricity grid and the risk of breakdowns from ageing plants has increased the need for back-up supply and reinforced the case for a payment mechanism to keep coal and gas-fired power stations in business.
Greenhouse gas emissions ‘at historically lowest levels’ [$]
Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions have hit their lowest levels on record, falling by 5.3 per cent in the year to March and putting the country on track to meet its Paris Agreement target.
Fortescue says government action on climate ‘critical’ [$]
Fortescue chairman Andrew Forrest has challenged the Morrison government to set the sort of ambitious targets seen in corporate Australia.
Officeworks sticks to sustainability goals as office products boom [$]
The pandemic has inspired customers and staff to make more sustainable choices, says Officeworks managing director Sarah Hunter.
Net zero: Liberal MP confident of 2050 pledge after major climate poll [$]
A Coalition backbencher is confident Prime Minister Scott Morrison will commit to a target of zero emissions by 2050, as a major poll shows voters in every electorate in the country want the federal government to do more to tackle climate change.
Regional voters reject gas led recovery, support investment in renewables
New survey confirms that some of the Morrison government’s most ardent supporters of coal and gas are largely out of step with the views of their own electorates.
Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute
This research investigates the potential for Australia’s regional areas to attract and sustain population and economic growth, examining whether particular international strategies and Australian models for supporting development have been effective.
How to talk to your kids about the climate crisis [$]
Blanche Verlie
With a large proportion of Australia in lockdown, millions of parents are grappling with the challenges of home schooling. This can be hard enough when the curricular content is straightforward, but helping kids when they’re learning about tricky issues like climate change can be even harder. In fact, it’s hard for teachers too.
Climate change denying MPs out of step with voters
Canberra Times editorial
While it has long been known climate-change-deniers in the government are out of step with their constituents it was always hard to tell by how much.
Zoë Thomas et al
If you’ve ever visited Australia’s highest peak — Mount Kosciuszko — you might remember the long uphill trek to the summit past some of Australia’s most picturesque and rugged landscapes. Vibrant snow gums, boardwalks with meadows of exquisite alpine plants, and blinding patches of snow.
Birgita Hansen
Imagine having to fly non-stop for five days over thousands of kilometres of ocean for your survival. That’s what the Latham’s Snipe shorebird does twice a year, for every year of its life.
CoalKeeper set to dwarf Gillard’s carbon price [$]
Bernard Keane
Angus Taylor’s ‘CoalKeeper’ proposal would increase greenhouse emissions while slapping households with an increase in electricity prices greater than that of the carbon price.
Victoria
Paving way with soft plastics and glass
Hume City Council is laying the road to a more sustainable city with a continued partnership with Downer, Close the Loop and RED Group.
A walk on the banks of the Maribyrnong helps Nicole during lockdown. Now she is the river’s ‘voice’
Ecologist Dr Nicole Kowalczyk has been appointed the Maribyrnong river’s advocate at the Yarra Riverkeeper Association.
How Melb’s west aims to be ‘major player in economy’ [$]
As the population of Melbourne’s outer west gets set to explode, Melton Council wants government help to put a huge range of projects in motion to ignite a jobs boost.
Brown coal output hits record low in Victoria, as renewables reach 72% of demand
Generation from most polluting technology in Australia’s grid – brown coal – hits record low on Saturday as renewables grabbed major share.
New South Wales
Lake sediments show link between climate change and bushfires in Aussie Alps
Sediments in a lake near Kosciuszko may hold clues to plant conservation strategies amid rising temperatures and more frequent bushfires.
ACT
Climate survey: Canberrans among nation’s strongest climate action advocates
Almost eight in 10 voters in inner-city Canberra believe the Morrison government needs to do more to tackle climate change – the second highest proportion in any of the nation’s 151 federal electorates.
Queensland
Animals prepare for ‘sugar fix’ as Fraser Island’s fire recovery continues
Hundreds of grass trees are beginning to bloom on Fraser Island (K’gari) signalling some early steps to recovery after last year’s bushfire.
Rift between top Queensland ministers over inland rail threatens more unrest
A five-page document arguing the case for changing the inland rail route through Queensland was circulated among several Queensland Coalition MPs about 10 days ago.
Number plates to be photographed on Fraser Island as part of bushfire strategy
Fraser Island campers will have the number plates of their 4WDs photographed by the Queensland government as they try to prevent bushfires on Australia’s largest sand island.
Redflow in running to deliver its first megawatt-hour battery in Australia
Brisbane-based zinc bromine flow battery maker named in request for tender for a job that could mark its first megawatt-hour scale job in Australia.
Wangan and Jagalingou people demand respect for human rights
Wangan and Jagalingou senior cultural custodian Adrian Burragubba led an important rally outside the Queensland parliament on August 30. Burragubba demanded that the Wangan and Jagalingou human rights be respected and that the sacred Doongmabulla Springs be protected. He also promised that the Adani mine would be stopped and called on the government and investors to walk away from Adani’s mine.
Feds’ new energy plan could get Queensland out of a black hole, but at what cost?
Robert MacDonald
A plan to undewrite coal-fired power stations could be a windfall for Queensland but do we really want to take the money?
South Australia
Port Pirie children growing up in environment ‘inundated’ with lead, SA Health says
Blood lead levels in Port Pirie children are at a 10-year high, according to SA Health data, putting them at risk of not reaching their full IQ potential.
Stink over $42m sewage scheme [$]
A investigation has blasted the Local Government Association over its handling of a scheme distributing millions for sewerage systems in rural towns.
Tasmania
Riley Creek Mine blockade; 19 protesters face court
Conservationists have this morning returned to protest at the Riley Creek mine in Tasmania’s takayna.
‘Dangerous’ seal encounters on the rise [$]
With teeth bared, a 300kg seal hurled itself repeatedly against the side of a recreational fishing boat in an encounter that has become all too familiar for fishermen.
Northern Territory
Confidential documents reveal NT government reduced scope for monitoring McArthur River Mine
Environment groups call on the Commonwealth to take over regulating Glencore’s McArthur River Mine after confidential documents revealed the NT Government has reduced the scope and funding of the mine’s current independent monitor.
Turns out dugongs, turtles are great at fertilising seagrass
Now they can be considered farmers of the sea because dugongs and turtles not only eat seagrass seeds, but also make them germinate faster and further afield, as scientists are discovering.
Sun Cable: World’s biggest solar and battery project is about to get a lot bigger
Sun Cable is to announce a significant expansion to what is already the world’s biggest solar and battery project, and will deliver first output to Darwin in 2026.
Western Australia
Forrest’s Fortescue vows carbon targets for customers in green shift
Mining giant Fortescue has delivered a record $14b profit on the back of a stunning rally in iron ore prices and doubled its full-year dividends.
‘Huge concern’ over WA’s Indigenous vaccination rates [$]
Labor Senator Pat Dodson says ‘it’s only a matter of time’ before the Delta variant enters WA regions, and low vaccination rates among Indigenous people have authorities worried.
Sustainability
Leaded petrol era ‘officially over’ as Algeria ends pump sales
UN announcement marks ‘huge milestone for global health and our environment’
Improved water splitting method: A green energy innovation by Pusan National University
Hydrogen is a promising clean energy source with great potential to replace greenhouse gas-emitting fossil fuels. While total water (H2O) splitting is the easiest way to obtain hydrogen (H2), this reaction is slow and not yet commercially feasible. Now, scientists from Pusan National University, Korea, have developed a novel electrocatalyst that significantly improves hydrogen production from water splitting in an energy and cost-efficient way.
Turning thermal energy into electricity
With the addition of sensors and enhanced communication tools, providing lightweight, portable power has become even more challenging. New research demonstrated a new approach to turning thermal energy into electricity that could provide compact and efficient power.
Upcycled manure may ignite new sustainable fertilizing trend
Judiciously decomposing organic matter from 700 degrees Fahrenheit to 1,200 degrees F, without oxygen — a process known as pyrolysis — and retaining nutrients from dairy lagoons can transform manure into a manageable, ecologically friendly biochar fertilizer, according to new research.
Solar keeps on getting better: Cheaper, more efficient and bigger returns on energy
Fereidoon Sioshansi
The energy payback time for solar PV can be less than a year, meaning it will produce 20 times the energy needed to produce it over a 20 year lifespan.
Tracking genetically modified animals
Researchers have discovered a new way to track genetically modified animals using the artificial transgenes they leave behind in the environment. The discovery provides a powerful new tool to locate and manage genetically modified animals that have escaped or been released into the wild.
Is deep-sea mining a cure for the climate crisis or a curse?
Sea-floor nodules could fight global heating, but mining them may damage ocean ecology.
How fires in the Amazon got so out of control
A populist and ally of former President Donald Trump, Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro has dismantled a number of environmental protections since taking office in 2019.
EPA: Bee-killing pesticide harms most endangered species
Most endangered species are likely to be harmed by three pesticides already known to impair bees, the EPA says.
Research reveals location and intensity of global threats to biodiversity
Using a novel modelling approach, new research published today in Nature Ecology and Evolution reveals the location and intensity of key threats to biodiversity on land and identifies priority areas across the world to help inform conservation decision making at national and local levels
Helping nature heal itself in the face of climate change
Veronica Balderas
Climate change is transforming the world’s shorelines as we speak. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias takes a first-hand look at how nature is struggling to heal.
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