Post of the Day
What’s missing from forest mortality projections? A look underground
You can’t see it happening. But what goes on below ground in a forest is very important in determining its fate. In a study, scientists conclude that the sideways flow of water through soil can have an important impact on how riparian forests respond to climate change. Models used to predict the future plight of forests typically don’t account for this factor — but they should, researchers say.
On This Day
Birth of Prophet Muhammad and of Imam Jafar al-Sadiq – Iran
Ecological Observance
World Development Information Day
Climate Change
Swiss ‘Fridays for Future’ activists demand climate action ahead of COP26
Banner-waving activists have rallied outside the Swiss parliament in support of a youth climate movement Fridays for Future strike called ahead of the UN climate summit, COP26.
Saudi Arabia sets target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2060
One of world’s biggest oil exporters more than doubles its annual target to reduce carbon emissions
Climate crisis education should be embedded in system, say UK unions
Government urged to carry out comprehensive review of curriculum and decarbonise school estate by 2030
‘We’ve been caught half-dressed’: ambivalent Glasgow awaits Cop26
With an expected 30,000 delegates but only about 15,000 hotel rooms in Glasgow, there is a chronic accommodation shortfall. Composite: Guardian/Alamy
Ambivalence, industrial disputes and other issues are complicating city’s build-up to the climate conference
Cop26 climate deal will be harder than Paris accord, admits Sharma
Summit president says 2015 global emissions agreement a ‘framework’ but rules were left for future talks
Northern lakes warming six times faster in the past 25 years
Lakes in the Northern Hemisphere are warming six times faster since 1992 than any other time period in the last 100 years, new research has found.
Changing ocean currents are driving extreme winter weather
Slower ocean circulation as the result of climate change could intensify extreme cold weather in the U.S., according to new research.
Leaders in shipping, aviation and heavy industry chart a path to net zero ahead of COP26
The only catch? They say multitrillion-dollar investments and global regulatory consensus are musts.
Beware modelling that predicts an imminent catastrophe [$]
Peta Credlin
The modelling around Covid predicted devastating consequences for Australia that never eventuated, so could the science around climate change predictions also be wrong.
Global warmists cancel climate debate [$]
Piers Akerman
The UN’s Glasgow COP26 gabfest is underpinned by no more than a climate catastrophy theory.
National
It’s not all blue skies for Aussie solar farms as renewable power overloads national grid
There has been a seismic shift in Australia’s electricity network, with a glut of solar energy turning a spotlight on an overwhelmed national power grid.
National Farmers’ Federation supports net zero target by 2050
The National Party has yet to finalise its position on climate policy, even as constituents are calling for a net zero target by 2050.
Nationals MPs’ group chat explodes over climate, PMO leak claims
Barnaby Joyce backer Matt Canavan (left) opposes the net zero target.
Leaked messages reveal Nationals MPs believe the Prime Minister’s office is leaking against them.
Australia wants deeper energy ties to help Taiwan decarbonise, amid China tensions
Trade minister Dan Tehan sees ‘real opportunities’ to help Taiwan, as he hopes relationship with China has not become permanently adversarial
‘Long shot’: PK grills Joyce on climate
ABC host Patricia Karvelas has grilled Barnaby Joyce on climate change in a fiery interview, as the Nationals continue to clash on net zero.
BirdLife Australia calls on Bunnings to ban popular rat killer products amid bird poisoning fears
There are growing calls for hardware giant Bunnings to ban a product that has been a popular buy, especially in the past six months.
Meagre offerings for government’s latest emissions auction, all eyes on open market
Government purchases of carbon offsets remain low, with the secondary market now offering almost double the price for Australian Carbon Credit Units.
CBA backs mass rollout of small solar farms with hydrogen battery storage
Plans to pilot a UNSW-developed “hydrogen storage” solution across tens of sub-5MW solar farms have been underwritten by the Commonwealth Bank.
Big win for battery storage in another landmark energy market reform
Battery storage to get boost from another landmark reform after AEMC dumps failed “do no harm” rule on system strength.
Australia’s clean energy export need to keep pace with China [$]
A new study has revealed six key clean energy export opportunities for Australia to ensure we don’t lose our edge to rivals like China, the UAE and Germany.
The Nationals must account for the cost of climate inaction, too
Cristina Talacko
As humans, we’re hard-wired not to like change. The comfort of familiarity is our preferred status quo, so it is unsurprising that when we are faced with a new situation, there is a tendency to either fight or flee.
Australia’s decade of doughnut leadership on climate [$]
Mark Kenny
According to the old initiative-resistance critique, Australian politics is a wrestle between progressives pursuing change and conservatives opposing it.
We need to become a renewable export superpower [$]
Nicky Ison
Australia’s energy transition needn’t be characterised by sacrifice and trade-offs. We have everything we need to step up in the world and become a renewable export superpower.
Net zero explanation from the Nationals [$]
James Campbell suspects that what brought the National Party to the table is realising the Liberals are serious about doing something on climate change.
COP26: How will the Oz soft-shoe climate shuffle be received?
Nick O’Malley
A broad picture of what Australia might offer the world is emerging from the political uncertainty, and the world is taking notice.
Climate crisis demands change, but that’s good
Letters
Of course climate change technologies will change employment opportunities.
On net zero, Morrison has forgotten that you don’t negotiate with climate terrorists
Michael Mazengarb
Rather than showing leadership, Morrison has allowed the Nationals to dictate the terms of a net zero target. An error that could cost Australia billions.
Gina Rinehart needs to rethink her sums on solar and battery storage
Giles Parkinson
Australia’s richest person has produced some strange numbers to demonise solar and batteries, as Murdoch media presses nuclear button on renewables.
Victoria
Twelve Apostles drilling plan turns spotlight on Victoria’s gas strategy
Victorian government consent over a proposal to extract gas near the Twelve Apostles raises questions about its long-term plans for the future of gas here.
Melbourne freeways to slow to a crawl over summer [$]
Motorists hitting the road post-lockdown will have to hit the brakes as works ramp up. Find out how your journey will be affected.
Letters
Age readers have their say.
New South Wales
‘Millions of dollars’ in rescoped Menindee Lakes water-saving projects
The New South Wales government has announced a plan for its Menindee Lakes and Yanco Creek water-saving projects with millions of dollars potentially on the table for new initiatives.
Reaping the wind turbines: the little town in the Great Dividing Range split by green energy plan
Those born in the small NSW town of Nundle are generally in favour of a new windfarm, while many tree changers object
A 7m wall has gone up on a Sydney beach: are we destroying public space to save private property?
Beachfront residents back the Collaroy wall but other locals worry the beach will disappear for longer periods as climate change increasingly drives coastal erosion
Schools turn to solar power, helping state to achieve emissions reduction targets
From Monday, when students return full-time to Jamison High School, the power used to charge their laptops and light their classrooms will have been sourced from the solar panels on the school’s rooftops.
‘Win for wildlife’: Council to consider phasing out New Year’s Eve fireworks
Sydneysiders could be celebrating New Year’s Eve in 2022 with drones and lasers instead of fireworks as part of a push to reduce air pollution and the impact on domestic animals and wildlife.
Charging hub: Sydney electric bus depot to lay blueprint for EVs and grid
Transgrid and Zenobē Energy join forces to deliver Australia’s most sustainably advanced, electrified depot in NSW – a critical first step 100% electric buses by 2030.
ACT
The mountains are calling this summer, with trails around Canberra and deep in the Snowies expected to be jumping with mountain bikers when the season begins in earnest next month.
Queensland
Conservationists are buying back blocks in the Daintree, but not all the locals are happy
In the early 1980s, a controversial subdivision of 1,137 blocks was approved in the Daintree rainforest. Now conservationists are racing to raise funds to buy the blocks as southerners eye off a tropical COVID tree change
Decisions world leaders make next week could impact the future of this outback town
As world leaders gather in Scotland to talk about dramatically cutting greenhouse gas emissions, residents in this central Queensland town reliant on coal are trying to work out how much their lives are about to change.
Tasmania
State government to amend fisheries bill to access to Commonwealth waters
The Tasmanian government is proposing changes to legislation that would hand control of aquaculture research in Commonwealth waters to the state.
Bicheno abalone gets green tick from ASC
Yumbah Aquaculture’s abalone farm at Bicheno has received an internationally-recognised tick of approval from the Aquaculture Stewardship Council.
Extra grounds added to cable car refusal
The Resource Management and Planning Appeal Tribunal (RMPAT) has accepted the Residents Opposed to the Cable Car (ROCC) application to ‘enlarge’ the Grounds of Refusal of the kunanyi cable car and these additional grounds will now be considered as part of the cable car appeal proceedings.
This weekend, Bob Brown Foundation is hosting forty campers in the threatened forests of takayna’s Pieman River for the global Big Canopy Campout.
Tiny native mouse rediscovered in Tasmania
A native mouse not seen in Tasmania for 17 years has been recorded on the state’s remote Flinders Island inspecting a peanut butter-covered stick.
The Tamar River should be the jewel of Northern Tasmania
Letters
The Tamar River should be the jewel of Northern Tasmania. But due to the mud and weeds it is not.
Northern Territory
Beetaloo Basin Traditional Owners alleged Origin”hung up on” them
Traditional Owners say the resources company attempting to frack in the Beetaloo basin hung up on them and ignored their questions at the company’s Annual General meeting on Wednesday.
‘Astroturfing’: Experts say fracking website is fake grassroots campaign
A website purporting to represent people from the Northern Territory who support fracking was registered by a former Liberal staffer in Sydney.
Western Australia
Traditional Owners are calling on the WA Government to clarify plans for the clean-up of asbestos contamination in and around what was the town of Wittenoom.
WA Government accused of holding “private presentations” of draft Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Bill
Allegations have come to light accusing the West Australian state government of hosting private presentations of the draft Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Bill.
Carbon capture and storage won’t save Santos’ new LNG “emissions factory”
John Robert
Emissions, logistics and pure economics all pose strong arguments against Santos’ Barossa gas project in the Timor Sea. And CCS won’t help.
Sustainability
‘A green adventure’: Is carbon-free flying possible?
Airlines promise to cut greenhouse gas emissions, but how? What will fuel the aircraft of the future?
Extinction Rebellion activist now backs nuclear power
A former key official in the Extinction Rebellion movement has revealed why she’s turning her back on its doomsday messages to back nuclear power.
Researchers are applying a new technique to identify defects in silicon solar cells that cause a drop in efficiency.
Tap water produces a protective shield against microplastics
Tap water produces a natural protective shield against harmful microplastics, which can help prevent household products such as plastic kettles from releasing them.
How a bacterium may help solve the plastic pollution crisis
Researchers have found that the bacterium Ideonella sakaiensis can fermentatively convert environmentally problematic poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) plastics into highly biodegradable poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) plastics. Their findings have promising environmental implications because they provide a new approach not only for PET recycling but also for the sustainable production of biodegradable plastics.
Chart: Offshore wind is poised for massive global expansion
Developer-announced commercial wind projects are booming in offshore waters around the globe, with China and the U.K. in the lead.
What’s the best way to get plastic out of the ocean?
Two nonprofits take different approaches to the problem of removing the 24 billion pounds of plastic that flow into the ocean each year—and face different challenges. Will we ever find a solution that works?
Rising Arctic temperatures means migrating north no longer worth it for many species, study finds
As temperatures rise in northern regions, migrating species are seeing less benefit from migrating north for the summer months, according to scientists who reviewed 25 recent studies.
Climate change affects animal behavior
According to a study pertaining to more than a hundred animal species, environmental change brought about by humans has the greatest impact on the animals’ activity in exploring their environment.
What’s missing from forest mortality projections? A look underground
You can’t see it happening. But what goes on below ground in a forest is very important in determining its fate. In a study, scientists conclude that the sideways flow of water through soil can have an important impact on how riparian forests respond to climate change. Models used to predict the future plight of forests typically don’t account for this factor — but they should, researchers say.
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