Post of the Day
Climate change is robbing us of this one amazing part of nature
The sounds produced by the natural world are changing, which means that the benefits we gain from being in nature are likely to be changing too.
On This Day
Eve of the Immaculate Conception – Catholicism
Climate Change
Old UK oilwells could be turned into CO2 burial test sites
Exclusive: Consortium of energy firms and universities says underground storage of hydrogen can also be investigated
Free tree for every Welsh household in climate initiative
Tree-planting project aims to directly involve people in the fight against the climate crisis
Could we store carbon in pools of brine underneath the seabed?
It’s one of the more ambitious ideas in terms of dealing with carbon dioxide – burying it in pools of salty water beneath the seabed. Such an idea – if it worked – has the potential to safely store carbon dioxide for thousands of years.
Too dry, too hot, or too wet: Increasing weather persistence in European summer
Global warming makes long lasting weather situations in the Northern hemisphere’s summer months more likely — which in turn leads to more extreme weather events, a novel analysis of atmospheric images and data finds.
How a carbon tax can fight inequality and climate change
Noah Scovronick, a researcher at the Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health at Emory University, says it’s possible to help reduce emissions while also implementing a carbon tax that redistributes wealth to people on the lower side of the socioeconomic spectrum.
As eco-anxieties mount, young Africans push climate change action
Africa has the world’s youngest population, and youth activists from Sudan to South Africa have been vocal in seeking bolder policy action.
Can archaeology help us navigate climate change?
Archaeological records have long helped scientists discover past important events, learn about extinct species and explore past ways of life. Might ancient history inform efforts to deal with climate change as well?
COP26: reading between the 97 clauses of the weak decision
Charles Essery
OK it may have not achieved its ridiculous, impractical phase-out of coal, but it did pass the agreement that is now called
Bowen says Labor ready to take climate election fight to Morrison and Taylor
Chris Bowen says Labor ready to fight Coalition on climate at next election, and issued a debate challenge to Angus Taylor.
Explainer: Labor plans 85 “solar banks” to open up solar to renters. What are they?
Labor’s ‘solar banks’ policy could break down the barriers to solar ownership for the millions of households who can’t install rooftop solar.
Morrison’s lack of climate action puts national security at risk, former defence chief says
National security experts welcome Labor’s commitment to undertake climate risk assessment, and say Morrison still “missing in action”.
World’s biggest renewables player to create major “greentailer” in Australia
World’s biggest renewable energy company secures energy retail licence in Australia where it will offer green energy, virtual power plants and EV charging.
Scott Morrison was quick to attack Labor’s commitment to reduce emissions by 43 per cent by 2030, calling it an “opening bid” which could be pushed higher if Labor has to negotiate with the Greens to form government. But Labor says that won’t happen.
Labor climate pitch a ‘target with teeth’
Labor has pledged not one job would be lost under its long-awaited climate policy.
Second wave of plastic bans proposed for ACT, QLD and SA
Australia’s leading ocean conservation group has welcomed new state government proposals for a second wave of plastic items to be banned.
Offshore greenhouse gas storage acreage release supports emissions reduction
Minister for Resources and Water Keith Pitt has announced five new areas in Commonwealth waters are now available to explore for greenhouse gas storage opportunities.
Labor sets up a clash with the Greens on climate change
Labor has set up a clash with the Greens on climate change in a bid to assure voters it will not change its 43 per cent target to cut greenhouse gas emissions if it wins the election, insisting the Parliament would have to pass the goal or vote it down.
Urea shortage puts supply chain under ‘extreme pressure’ with supplies at risk and prices to soar
Australia is just weeks away from a major crisis which could see tens of thousands of vehicles pulled off the road and supplies of key items dwindle.
Labor’s emissions-reduction jobs pledge under fire [$]
Labour movement luminary Jennie George has attacked as “unbelievable’’ Anthony Albanese’s climate change pledge to create 604,000 new jobs, as Labor MPs demand security for mining and industrial workers affected by the 2030 plan to slash emissions by 43 per cent.
Low Emissions Technology Statement 2022: have your say
Department of Industry media release
We are seeking input to guide the focus of the Low Emissions Technology Statement 2022. We also want your feedback on the 2021 statement. The annual statement reviews and refines Australia’s technology-led approach to accelerating the development of low emissions technologies.
Labor appears to be living in either fear or hope over climate policy
Tristan Edis
With an election looming, Australia’s political parties are missing the main game: it’s policy instruments, not targets, that are pivotal to containing global warming
Wesley Morgan
The federal Labor opposition has pledged to reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions by 43 per cent this decade based on 2005 levels, claiming the plan will create jobs, cut power bills, boost renewables and provide business certainty.
Oh, stop it! It’s not a carbon tax and never was
Jessica Irvine
Unlike other countries, Australia under the Coalition has a “safeguard mechanism” to control emissions – and a Labor government would rev it up. But what is it?
The methane bomb sitting under climate plans
Peter Boyer
The parties’ climate positions are now staked out. At one extreme are the Greens, whose emissions targets are no more than what science advises. At the other are Coalition targets “built on practical action, not empty symbolism”. Their words, not mine.
Albo’s ‘modest’ plan the model of a drag on the economy [$]
Nick Cater
Anthony Albanese would have done himself a favour by announcing something a little less extravagant last week than Labor’s Powering Australia plan. He played down Labor’s policy as modest, but his ambitions were brimming with conceit.
Standing up to climate spoilers [$]
Australian editorial
Come election time it is reasonable that voters have concerns about economic and job security that are a world away from independent candidates who are being bankrolled to stand in some of the nation’s blue-ribbon seats.
BHP’s merger is a big step in group’s plan take advantage of decarbonisation [$]
Robert Gottliebsen
BHP’s merger of its Melbourne and London companies underlines a unique feature of the Australian share market: Our market is priced at a premium of around 15 per cent over equivalent overseas shares on an industry by industry basis.
Climate of fear won’t work at the ballot box [$]
Mike O’Connor
I’ve a tip for our leaders. Voters at the next federal election won’t be thinking about net zero emissions, they’ll be thinking about the cost of housing, food, fuel and raising a family.
Rohan Fisher and Neil Burrow
While southern Australia experienced a wet winter and a soggy spring, northern Australia has seen the opposite. Extreme fire weather in October and November led to bushfires across 120,000 square kilometres of southern savanna regions.
Joshua Gilbert and James Pratley
Much of the debate on Indigenous agriculture in Australia has focused on a contested pre-colonial definition as to whether Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people deserve the English title of “farmer”.
Joshua Gilbert and James Pratley
Much of the debate on Indigenous agriculture in Australia has focused on a contested pre-colonial definition as to whether Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people deserve the English title of “farmer”.
Is science a new driver for policy making?
Alessandra Pucci
What governments call science is only one part of it. With COVID-19 and climate change, the Australian government picks and chooses which science it listens to.
Can Labor’s goldilocks climate plan withstand the scare campaign? [$]
Kishor Napier-Raman
In a toxic electoral environment, Labor’s climate plan is perhaps the boldest we could have expected, even if it is less ambitious than 2019’s.
Victoria
Geelong wins 2021 Sustainable City Award
The City of Greater Geelong has won the overall Keep Victoria Beautiful 2021 Sustainable City award, along with three other awards for clever and creative projects that save energy, reduce waste and protect the environment.
Green spaces, roller-disco to go in plan for new homes on public estate
Collingwood public housing estate residents fear they will lose parks and community and cultural spaces to a new housing development planned for the land.
East Gippsland defeats mineral sands mine
After a seven-year battle, the East Gippsland community in eastern Victoria has defeated Kalbar Resources’ proposed mineral sands mine.
Yes, post-lockdown traffic on local roads is just as bad as you think it is
Tom Cowie
There was a time, when Melbourne was still in lockdown, that going for a drive was a relatively stress-free experience.
Wilson and Sharma celebrate subsidised solar for Double Bay sailing club
Tim Wilson kicks off pre-election campaigning with visit to Double Bay Sailing Club, whose solar was funded through the Morrison government’s Powering Communities Program.
Illawarra coal mine deemed of ‘state significance’
The fate of the Dendrobium coal mine expansion is in the hands of the NSW Planning Minister after new declaration means the Independent Planning Commission’s initial objection could be ignored.
Ending logging in NSW would save millions a year, study finds
An ANU report suggests the state would save $62m over the next 30 years if native logging is halted, but an industry expert says the research is flawed.
Gladys Berejiklian will need to sign up to climate denialism to run in Warringah [$]
Bernard Keane
If Gladys Berejiklian runs in Warringah, she’ll have to explain why she has completely reversed her previous support for ambitious climate action — including a 2030 target twice as high as Scott Morrison’s.
ACT
ACT launches interest-free loans for electric cars to boost uptake
Territory minister says policy sends ‘strong signal’ to global automakers to make more EVs available
Road user fees for electric vehicles are inevitable in the ACT, but the government needs to continue to encourage zero-emission vehicle take-up in the meantime, Chief Minister Andrew Barr has said.
Electric cars double in a year in ACT as interest-free loans scheme set to expand
The number of electric cars registered in Canberra has doubled in a year, with more than 750 added to the territory’s roads since January.
Queensland
Next stage of Qld plastics ban could include coffee cups and lids
Helium balloons, takeaway containers, and cigarette filters should be “up for discussion” as the Palaszczuk Government seeks feedback about the next single-use plastics to be phased out, environmental groups say.
Our vanishing cities: How major Qld locations could be wiped out in decades [$]
Shock new mapping has revealed the stark reality of how rising sea levels could impact Queensland, with 55 of the state’s suburbs and major tourist drawcards set to all-but vanish within a matter of decades.
‘That’s my history’: Qld government won’t investigate Adani works on cultural land
Charlotte Grieve
The Queensland government will not investigate mining giant Adani after it cleared land near its Carmichael mine containing hundreds of culturally significant artefacts, sparking objections from some traditional owners.
South Australia
‘Good chance’ of Juukan Gorge scandal repeat in SA, traditional owners warn
Work started on two major projects in the state’s north despite heritage assessments showing the areas are scattered with artefacts.
Tasmania
St Vincent de Paul Society releases 2021 tariff-tracking project results
An analysis of electricity and gas prices in Tasmania has found prices have fallen by 7 per cent over a 12-month period.
Dean Winter
Labor will lobby the Tasmanian Economic Regulator to prevent it approving the Gutwein Liberal Government’s immoral plan to slug families with a whopping 15 per cent increase to water bills.
Northern Territory
Concerning levels of heavy metals found in Indigenous people living beside world’s biggest manganese-producing mine
Tests on the hair and nails of children and adults living in Angurugu, on Groote Eylandt, have shown “concerning” levels of manganese, according to the local lands council.
Gathering and cooking food on Country isn’t just about culture, it’s about sustainability
The ABC’s Rulla Kelly-Mansell travelled to the Top End for his new show Cooking on Country, and hopes it will inspire others to better appreciate and understand native foods and ingredients.
Sustainability
What’s better than a big battery? How about a big battery you can move around
Power Edison is putting megawatt-scale batteries on truck trailers and barges to bring more flexibility to a costly yet valuable energy-storage resource.
Microplastic pollution aids antibiotic resistance
Microplastics dispersed in the environment may enhance antibiotic resistance. A study found the chemical-leaching plastics draw bac
Has zombie apocalypse of forest fires begun?
We have all seen the dramatic, terrifying images of wildfires tearing at devastating speed through forested areas all over the world, from the Amazon to California and throughout Northern Africa and Europe. But what we don’t very often see – likely because it’s much more difficult to capture with a camera – are the equally devastating peat fires which burn underground, often for months at a time.
All coral reefs in western Indian Ocean ‘at high risk of collapse in next 50 years’
Reefs from Seychelles to South Africa may become functionally extinct due to global heating and overfishing, study finds
Climate change is robbing us of this one amazing part of nature
The sounds produced by the natural world are changing, which means that the benefits we gain from being in nature are likely to be changing too.
Trees are biggest methane ‘vents’ in wetland areas – even when they’re dry
Most of the methane gas emitted from Amazon wetlands regions is vented into the atmosphere via tree root systems — with significant emissions occurring even when the ground is not flooded, say researchers.
Chemical pollutants disrupt reproduction in anemonefish
Ocean pollution is unfortunately becoming more commonplace, raising concerns over the effect of chemicals that are leaching into the water. In a new study, researchers have discovered how these chemicals can affect the reproduction in common anemonefish Amphiprion ocellaris.
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