Post of the Day
Deforestation can raise local temperatures by up to 4.5℃ – and heat untouched areas 6km away
Sally Thompson et al
Forests directly cool the planet, like natural evaporative air conditioners. So what happens when you cut them down?
On This Day
Climate Change
One of the biggest new deals on climate action happened in the last hours of COP26
From ministers knee-deep in seawater to China and US teaming up to tackle climate change — here is what happened at the UN COP26 Climate Change Conference.
Egypt: Rampant abuses make for poor climate host
The choice of Egypt to host the next UN climate summit severely imperils Egyptian and international civil society participation, a crucial feature of the global efforts to address the climate crisis.
Disappointment as COP26 ends with failure to lock in end of coal – Please Explain podcast
Today on Please Explain, national environment and climate editor Nick O’Malley joins Bianca Hall to discuss the Glasgow Climate Pact and what happened behind the scenes at the UN summit.
The Fossil Fuelled 5: comparing rhetoric with reality on fossil fuels and climate change
Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative
The scientific consensus is clear: limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels is essential to protecting lives and livelihoods the world over.
Climate emergency is causing widespread anxiety in young people
David Shearman
The future of life on Earth may well be decided in this decade.
Ratchets, phase-downs and a fragile agreement: how Cop26 played out
Fiona Harvey
Last-minute hitch on coal almost reduced Alok Sharma to tears as Glasgow climate pact made imperfect progress
Indigenous peoples had a clear vision for Cop26, but it has not been delivered
Victoria Tauli-Corpuz
World leaders recognise the importance of indigenous rights, but still haven’t committed enough to supporting our fight
Where were First Nations people at COP26? [$]
James Blackwell
If you were following the proceedings at COP26 in Glasgow over the past few weeks, you might have noticed a conspicuous absence – that of First Nations people.
Cop26 took us one step closer to combating the climate crisis
Christiana Figueres
Compromise was inevitable, but still the conference increased the speed of action with three important developments
After the failure of Cop26, there’s only one last hope for our survival
George Monbiot
It’s too late for incremental change. By mobilising just 25% of people, we can flip social attitudes towards the climate
Where voters and consumers lead on the climate crisis, businesses will have to follow
Will Hutton
The Cop26 outcome may disappoint campaigners but the talks are part of a wider shift in which everyone has agency
A Cop26 deal was always going to be messy – just look at world trade talks
Larry Elliott
WTO talks show how hard it is to get everyone on the same page – and what goes for trade, goes for climate too
Major players won’t COP hot air over economic realities
Judith Sloan
We have now had 26 COP UN climate change conferences. The first was in Berlin in 1995; the most recent, in Glasgow, ended over the weekend. With a few exceptions, they have been very forgettable events.
The Guardian view on the Cop26 agreement: unfinished business
Guardian editorial
The best thing about the Glasgow agreement is the chance it offers for tougher emissions cuts next year
Deforestation can raise local temperatures by up to 4.5℃ – and heat untouched areas 6km away
Sally Thompson et al
Forests directly cool the planet, like natural evaporative air conditioners. So what happens when you cut them down?
National
Serious concerns about forced labour in solar industry raised by Australians senators
A group of senators, human rights experts and lawyers call on the government to assure Australian consumers that the solar industry is not exposed to grave human rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang province.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison says Australia’s agreement to an international pact to phase down coal power does not spell the end of the industry, with jobs for coal workers to continue for decades to come.
Regional Forestry Hubs funding extended to 2025
An additional $8.9 million of Australian Government funding will boost 9 Regional Forestry Hubs across the country to support growth in the forest industries in their region.
Regional councils say ‘it’s about leadership’ in leaping ahead to net zero emissions
As world leaders continue to debate the best course of action on climate change, local councils in regional areas are already on their way to net zero.
A renewable energy revolution is powering Australia’s $720bn mining and resources industry
Australia’s biggest mine site micro-grid heralds the winds of change blowing through the country’s resources industries
Barnaby’s blow up at crying leader
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has mocked an international leader for his tearful breakdown during the final day of the Glasgow climate summit.
Barnaby Joyce says Nationals did not sign Cop26 pact and Australia is ‘happy with targets’
Deputy prime minister says party won’t “be changing our 2030 targets”, and takes a swipe at climate summit president Alok Sharma
Treasury under Labor to model climate change impact on economy and budget
It has been eight years since the federal Treasury has modelled the cost of climate change to the economy, while the government’s own modelling predicts gas developments will expand.
Glasgow coal deal a ‘clear sign’ of global energy shift: AGL
Australia’s top emitter has described the Glasgow Climate Pact as a sign of the world’s commitment to accelerating the clean energy transition and averting catastrophic global warming
Why KeepCup’s CEO wants to charge you more for your coffee
Sustainability is high on the public agenda and KeepCup CEO Abigail Forsyth says ditching takeaway cups would be a good start, even if it hurts your hip pocket.
Labor stays quiet on 2030 emissions target [$]
In a bid to avoid a repeat of the 2019 election campaign, Labor insiders say they won’t give Scott Morrison the fight he wants on climate.
Business wants Australia to take stronger targets to COP27 [$]
Business and industry are keen to keep up the pressure on the Morrison government about reducing emissions, including setting a stronger 2030 target.
A changing climate: what investors expect from company directors on climate risk
Investor Group on Climate Change
This report finds Australian company directors lack the skills and experience to lead the corporate transition to net zero emissions by 2050 and it is unclear how they are addressing this gap.
Next federal Government must meet global call for stronger action on climate change
ACOSS media release
The deal endorsed by all countries at the 2021 global climate change conference sends a clear message to the next federal government that Australia must commit to faster and fairer action on climate change, delay is no longer an option.
Katharine Murphy
Morrison government can’t lie to all the people all of the time without devaluing its currency
Coal industry: Jobs spin holding back progress in Australia
Zoë Wundenberg
Many of us in Australia spent the two weeks of COP26 in a permanent cringe as we watched Australia bomb on the global climate stage, resulting in ranking at the bottom of the Climate Change Performance Index ranks.
Glasgow Pact leaves us out in the cold
Peter Boyer
A dozen years ago, in that moment in history when then-prime minister Kevin Rudd and opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull were closing in on a carbon pricing agreement, I joined a team of climate action lobbyists in federal parliament.
Emissions ceiling can drive switch to electric vehicles
Ingrid Burfurd
We need a carbon ceiling, not subsidies, if we’re serious about cutting car emissions.
ABC, Guardian journos should look under the hood when reporting on electric vehicles [$]
Chris Mitchell
Left-wing journalists long ago abandoned balanced reporting of climate issues for passionate advocacy of often poorly reasoned solutions.
PM fans the climate wars again [$]
Craig Emerson
The government’s threats of a $400 a tonne climate price are hollow. Their only purpose is a new election scare campaign.
Morrison matches Labor’s 2013 carbon price [$]
Jacob Greber
For the first time, the Coalition has acknowledged Australia cannot and will not get to net zero by 2050 without a carbon price.
COP26: the Glasgow climate summit demonstrates an appetite for change Australia simply can’t ignore
Frank Jotzo
COP26 president Alok Sharma has described the pivotal United Nations talks, which concluded over the weekend, as only a “fragile win” for ambition on climate change. But, against the odds, the summit produced the goods on several important aspects of international climate policy.
After COP, it’s time for investors to choke off fossil fuels [$]
Bernard Keane
Real climate action must now be in the hands of investors, not a government that actively sabotages international agreements.
Morrison’s damaging ‘Australian Way’ brands us all
Jeremy Webb
The prime minister’s short-sighted climate change strategies have undermined Australia’s global standing and ignore the urgency of the threat.
Victoria
Councils partner to divert rubbish from landfill
Stonnington has joined 14 other councils in Melbourne’s south east to form a company – called South East Metropolitan Advanced Waste Processing Pty Ltd – to deliver an advanced waste processing facility that processes household rubbish instead of burying it in landfill.
Biochar to enrich soil, reduce climate impacts
Yarra Ranges Council will open a biochar facility by October 2022, producing charcoal by heating biomass in the absence of oxygen. This material can be applied to the soil of farm lands to improve nutrient and moisture availability.
ScoMo rejects funding request for key Andrews project [$]
Scott Morrison has ignored a Labor government plea to help fund Melbourne’s Suburban Rail Loop, with the PM wishing Daniel Andrews “all the best on that project”.
What’s driving the phoney war over golf courses?
Duncan Fine
Golf. Mention the word and some people will instantly see crass billionaires like Donald Trump hacking away on private courses, open only to a select few.
New South Wales
Small-town plant crammed with sanitiser, ‘extremely volatile’ waste will burn for days
It will take several days to extinguish the blaze at the NSW factory, which has hundreds of tonnes of potentially explosive aluminium waste inside.
Waste research scientist Veena Sahajwalla named NSW Australian of the Year
The 56-year-old scientist, engineer and inventor pioneers research into waste, helping to turn it into a new generation of green materials and products.
Event to honour Port’s environmental trailblazers
In November 1971, Grace Easterbrook established the Port Macquarie Conservation Society (PMCS).
Native trees deliberately destroyed along Collingwood Beach
Shoalhaven City Council has recently become aware of ongoing tree and vegetation vandalism at Collingwood Beach. Council treats tree and vegetation vandalism seriously and is currently investigating this issue.
Windfarm opponents in Nundle accuse NSW of double standards
Renewables should be developed ‘where regional communities want them’, ministers have said
Thousands prepare to evacuate as Wyangala Dam dramatically overflows – video
Thousands of people in the New South Wales central west have been warned to prepare to evacuate as the Lachlan River threatens to flood after heavy rain lashed the state
‘Rapidly falling apart’: Sydney’s toxic waste plan for Newcastle no guarantee
Plans by the NSW government to ship toxic waste from the construction of the Northern Beaches Link to Newcastle have been thrown into disarray after both the local council and port indicated there was no agreement they would accept the material.
Hume Coal’s mystery Southern Highlands land buyer revealed
A tech investor has emerged as the almost $100 million buyer of Hume Coal’s Southern Highlands vast land holding, but it isn’t Mike Cannon-Brookes.
Transport chief warned Premier about risks of $40b rail corporation
NSW’s former Transport chief Rodd Staples was so concerned about the safety of the state’s rail network that he raised it in a special meeting with then premier Gladys Berejiklian, and three months later he was fired without cause.
How police plan to crack down on anti-coal lefties [$]
A special police taskforce has been formed to look into the anti-coal activists in the Hunter Valley region, where they are pulling stunts such as laying on railway lines.
Daily Telegraph Bush Summit 2021 In Conversation – Towards Net Zero – video
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce and Co-Founder/Co-CEO of Atlassian Mike Cannon-Brookes speak with Clare Armstrong.
ACT
More nature reserves to be explored in ACT as part of new management plan
The ACT government will seek to protect more of its natural habitat as part of a 10-year management plan for the capital’s nature reserves.
Queensland
Suspicious fires tear through Cape York wildlife reserve, cattle station
An arson investigation has been launched after fires burned tens of thousands of hectares of grazing land and wildlife habitat in Cape York.
The rare frog that swallows its babies is now extinct — but could cloning bring it back?
The Eungella gastric-brooding frog is now believed extinct — but in a real-life Jurassic Park scenario, some scientists are working to undo that.
Qld’s high quality coal industry here for long haul: QRC
Queensland coal producers are willing and able to meet the challenges of modern-day mining and will be operating for decades to come as the world turns its attention to using higher-quality, lower carbon-emitting coal, the Queensland Resources Council (QRC) said today.
Wetlands Weekend is officially Queensland’s gold standard
The Isaac region’s premier eco-tourism, culinary and First Nations event has struck gold at the Queensland Tourism Awards.
‘Unhelpful, unfortunate’: Why this man is so happy about fate of Aussie coal
The Morrison government is digging in on its 2030 emissions reduction target in defiance of a global push as Australia’s stance is criticised as unhelpful and unfortunate.
Annastacia Palaszczuk stands by emissions target [$]
Queensland will not increase its 2030 emissions reduction target despite its 30 per cent commitment being eclipsed by other east coast states.
South Australia renewable hydrogen hub wins Japanese backing
A green hydrogen pilot project being developed by Marubeni Corp and the South Australian government has won the backing of the Japanese government.
Tasmania
Mt Wellington cable car project drops restaurant in hope to win approval
The proponent of a cable car on Hobart’s kunanyi/Mount Wellington says it has made a “regrettable” move to scale back its plan in an attempt to see the project win approval.
Labor vote would delay 10-cent container deposit scheme in Tasmania, recycling groups warn [$]
Australia’s peak recycling industry body has urged Labor not to push into next year the passing of legislation to introduce a 10-cent container recycling scheme in Tasmania.
Inland Fisheries puts Tasmanian whitebait poachers on notice
” … now the season has closed, any further whitebait fishing is illegal and significant penalties apply,” the Inland Fisheries Service said.
Woodside obtains land for 1.7GW green hydrogen plans for Tasmania
Australian oil and gas giant’s plans to produce and export green hydrogen and ammonia from Tasmania to Japan firm up after securing land for H2TAS plant.
Future of Marinus Link looking bright despite fall of Basslink [$]
The future of the proposed $3.5bn Marinus Link interconnector could be strengthened after Basslink went into receivership, a leading economist and the Premier say.
Court stoush looms after Bob Brown vows: ‘Not one cent’ [$]
Bob Brown’s activist foundation has vowed not to pay “one cent” of a $100,000 damages claim from a mining company, setting the scene for a landmark court battle.
ROCC: ‘Reduced cable car DA still inappropriate’
Media release – Residents Opposed to the Cable Car (ROCC)
After years of attacking the Hobart City Council and telling councillors its Development Application for a cable car complex on kunanyi Mt Wellington was its ‘best effort’, the proponent has promptly used a loophole in the appeal process to submit a revision of its Development Application that downsizes parts of the proposal in an attempt to win approval. In doing so, the proponent has avoided community input from 12,500 persons opposed to the development.
Future Gas Strategy Discussion Paper
Guy Barnett
Gas is an important energy source for both industrial and domestic users in Tasmania and today the Government is releasing the Tasmanian Future Gas Strategy Discussion Paper for public comment.
Northern Territory
NT re-approves controversial water licence with new conditions
A Chinese-backed agribusiness has its right to extract a record amount of groundwater from arid Central Australia upheld, following a review prompted by concerns from traditional owners and environment groups
Territory Wildlife Park to get a makeover [$]
Popular destination Territory Wildlife Park is set to get a makeover with a tender for upgrades recently released.
Western Australia
Faceless investment giant teams up with Woodside for Australia’s most climate polluting project
Woodside Energy has convinced multinational infrastructure firm Global Infrastructure Partners to fund part of its toxic Scarborough gas drilling development, with Greenpeace Australia Pacific warning that it will escalate pressure to stop Australia’s most climate polluting project from going ahead.
Sustainability
Here’s something you can’t ignore, says tampon plastics activist
Ella Daish to hand Procter & Gamble giant Tampax applicator, made from 1,200 discarded contributions
‘Saved by coal’: Why India refuses to give up an ecosystem that gives life to millions
India fought for a watered-down final deal at COP26 because coal remains its biggest source of fuel for electric power, tied to millions of jobs and livelihoods, with no viable alternative in sight.
Cleaner electricity makes a big difference to real EV emissions [$]
Cleaner electricity means cleaner-running fully electric vehicles. As such, any carbon emissions advantage from battery cars versus petrol will only grow.
Just 124 people own most of England’s deep peat – its largest carbon store
New report says burning and draining of peatland by grouse moor estates and others adding to climate disaster
Antarctic bacteria live on air and make their own water using hydrogen as fuel
Humans have only recently begun to think about using hydrogen as a source of energy, but bacteria in Antarctica have been doing it for a billion years.
Beauty rich and rare: lockdowns could renew our connection with nature
Carolyn Pettigrew and Wendy Goldstein
The separation of humans from nature is a major factor in the planet’s ecological challenges, but the COVID-19 pandemic might shift our thinking.
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