Date: 26 September 2021 at 8:25:50 am AEST
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Sep 26
Post of the Day
Stepping up when adults don’t: ‘It’s just so real for us right now’
Call it the Greta Thunberg effect – young people are carrying the burden of fighting for their future when it comes to the climate crisis
Today’s Celebration
Ecological Observance
World Environmental Health Day
International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons
Climate Change
Vanuatu asks international court to weigh in on right to be protected from climate change
While advisory opinions by the court are not legally binding, they carry legal weight and moral authority, and they can inform the development of international law.
Climate change galvanises voters to rally ahead of German election amid worldwide protests
As the restrictions of the pandemic ebb away, climate action protesters are planning to get back on the streets in Germany and around the world.
The Secret Negotiator: Cop26 must leave the old diplomacy behind
An insider reveals what is going on behind the scenes of the climate conference
Climate crisis: do we need millions of machines sucking CO2 from the air?
From turning CO2 into rock to capturing the breath of office workers, a growing number of companies think the answer is yes
The transformation of Greta Thunberg
Greta Thunberg has made the ultimate sacrifice for the Guardian. She’s allowed us to turn her into a human oil spillage. The treacly black stuff is dripping from her hair, down her nose, past her cheeks on to her neck and shoulders.
Systems approach helps assess public health impacts of changing climate, environmental policies
A team co-led by a Washington State University scientist offers an alternative way to understand and minimize health impacts from human-caused changes to the climate and environment in a new study published in the journal One Earth.
This haunting vision of climate change could concentrate minds at Cop26
Tim Adams
Jonathan C Slaght’s nature writing has much greater impact than Boris Johnson’s speech at the UN
The climate crisis has made the idea of a better future impossible to imagine
Ian Jack
Despite all the analogies for this possibly terminal emergency, it is unlike anything that has come before
The West fiddles while China burns coal [$]
Peta Credlin
China’s announcement that it will no longer fund foreign coal plants stands in stark contrast to its plans to build 43 new coal-fired power stations at home.
National
Scott Morrison praises Australia’s record of ‘digging stuff up’ as he announces clean energy summit
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australia is “really good at digging stuff up” and is well placed to take a leadership role in the new energy economy being discussed by Quad leaders.
Stepping up when adults don’t: ‘It’s just so real for us right now’
Call it the Greta Thunberg effect – young people are carrying the burden of fighting for their future when it comes to the climate crisis
Powerful owls are gentle giants stalking our suburbs, but they are also on the edge
These are massive, charismatic birds with an exhibitionistic streak who have increasingly moved to the city with their natural habitat under pressure
Victoria
‘Looking after the places I love’: Rock climbers scale up respect for Aboriginal cultural heritage of sites
The closure of some climbing sites has spurred the creation of a new body to protect Aboriginal cultural heritage.
New South Wales
New national park to bring back extinct animals [$]
A new national park will be created in western Sydney where up to 30 different species of locally extinct native animals will be “reintroduced” to the area.
ACT
Mobility matters, but not a new tramline
Canberra Times editorial
The COVID impacts of the past 18 months on our city have been profound and there appears little doubt the way in which we work, and where we work, have changed forever. But such has been the speed at which those changes have reshaped our working lives, those projections have not been figured into the business case supporting the $162 million extension of light rail from the City to Commonwealth Park.
South Australia
Advocating for the environment matters but don’t forget to enjoy it
A change of thinking to encourage people to get out in nature, whether it’s gardening or bushwalking, will help the next generation understand the environmental challenges the planet faces, the organiser of one of South Australia’s newest festivals says.
Farmers ‘mesmerised and horrified’ as wedge-tailed eagles prey on healthy lambs
Healthy lambs are being targeted by eagles in South Australia in a sign other food sources may be dwindling.
Fisheries blitz nets a big bag of greedy anglers [$]
Anglers flouting limits have been slapped with almost $38,000 in fines since March – and some have dates in court for extreme breaches.
Smart cars ‘could ease Adelaide traffic squeeze by 40 per cent’ [$]
New technology may be the solution to Adelaide’s traffic delays with more cars squeezed into less space on the road, an Advertiser-Flinders University transport forum has heard.
Prescribed burning to help reduce bushfire risk [$]
Prescribed burns will be carried out on 900ha of land on public and private properties this spring to reduce bushfires risks across SA. See the map of upcoming burns.
Tasmania
Local businesses want a slice of the hydrogen fuel pie
Clean energy providers are preparing for a hydrogen energy boom after the state government announced it would trial up to three hydrogen-fueled buses over five years.
Seismic testing gas company to study its impact on rock lobsters [$]
A gas company about to undertake seismic testing in the Bass Strait says it will study its impact on scallop and rock lobster fisheries as it uses sound blasts to find new reserves.
Northern Territory
Back from the brink of extinction, there’s now one croc for every two and a half people in the NT
Fifty years ago, crocodiles had been shot to near extinction in the Northern Territory. Now the apex predators again dominate the waterways, raising questions about their coexistence with humans.
Sustainability
As the world turns on coal, scientists are at work on green steel
With world leaders being urged to abandon coal-fired power at upcoming climate talks, attention is now turning to coking coal used to make steel.
Stronger regulations needed on common obesity-promoting chemicals
Everyday exposure to obesity-promoting chemicals (obesogens) represents a significant risk to public health, and needs stronger regulation to minimise exposure and protect people’s health, according to evidence presented today at the 59th Annual European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology Meeting.
In the race to reduce car emissions, don’t forget longevity
The debate on green vehicles often focuses on fuel efficiency and alternative fuels, with the transition to fuel alternatives commonly being considered better for the environment the faster it is. A new study shows that keeping and using existing fuel-efficient cars a little longer can actually reduce CO₂ emissions even with gasoline cars. Thus, a gradual transition and policies that encourage a change in consumption patterns are also key for reducing overall emissions.
Nature Conservation
Sweden’s green dilemma: can cutting down ancient trees be good for the Earth?
The country’s model for managing its trees is bad for biodiversity… and political unity
Lockdowns and less travel may have altered the behavior of birds
Eighty percent of bird species examined in a new study were reported in greater numbers in human-altered habitats during pandemic lockdowns.
If endangered primates disappear, so will their parasites. That’s actually a problem
People are more aware of the plight of endangered gorillas than of gorillas’ gut worms, and are understandably more enamored with mouse lemurs than their mites. Half of the world’s roughly 500 primate species are at risk of extinction due to human activities such as hunting, trapping and deforestation. But the demise of the world’s threatened primates could also trigger even more extinctions for the parasites that lurk within them, finds a Duke University study.
Things I am asked: Is Christianity bad for the environment?
Nick Hawkes
The Canadian environmental activist, David Suzuki, has suggested that the teachings of the Old Testament encourage us to have a low view of creation, allowing us to exploit it thoughtlessly for our own gain.
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