Post of the Day
Revealed: the places humanity must not destroy to avoid climate chaos
Tiny proportion of world’s land surface hosts carbon-rich forests and peatlands that would not recover before 2050 if lost
On This Day
Birth of Guru Nanak Dev Sahib Ji – Sikhism
Ecological Observance
Climate Change
Federal government champions gas-fired recovery, but regulator questions the cost to consumers
The energy regulator is concerned households that use gas could face significant future costs if the federal government continues to promote the gas sector while also aiming to reach net zero emissions by 2050.
Climate change is a systemic issue, so it can be difficult for any one person to address the impact it has on their mental health. Experts weigh in on ways you can process climate anxiety.
The story behind the most iconic COP26 speech
The foreign minister of Tuvalu, Simon Kofe, went viral with his creative speech at COP26. But his creativity doesn’t stop there when it comes to combating climate change in his island nation.
Climate-vulnerable countries call for help forcing high emitters to act
Those most at risk warn countries such as Australia they will lose out economically if they do not raise targets
Glasgow Climate Pact: what happened at COP26 and what it means for the world – The Conversation Weekly podcast
What did the Glasgow COP26 climate change summit actually achieve? In this episode of The Conversation Weekly podcast, we speak to researchers from around the world for their views on the negotiations and what needs to happen now.
COP26 keeps 1.5 degrees in reach
Jules Kortenhorst
This COP saw more active participation from businesses and financial institutions than any prior climate summit.
Climate change strategy must be adaptable to withstand new era
Bruce Thom
If the new climate change strategy is to succeed, it will need to be a living document, to be adapted and enhanced.
The earth is now warming itself — it may be too late for humanity
Julian Cribb
Only the complete cessation of all human carbon emissions within this decade and removing carbon from the atmosphere will save us from immolation.
Implement new climate commitments – then go beyond to constrain warming
Joel B. Smith and Gary W. Yohe:
By some accounts, Glasgow failed to deliver; by other accounts, it produced a landmark agreement. Somewhere in between is likely correct.
National
Funds for green aviation, shipping fuel spark logging fears
Low-emissions fuels for aircraft and cargo ships are targets of a new federal government initiative to harness organic waste for bioenergy, sparking calls for a ban on the use of native forest timber to fuel furnaces for power generation.
A damning silence from Australian health ministers and departments on COP26
Australian health ministers and health departments failed spectacularly to engage with COP26 as an important event for health, a new survey has found. The survey of media statements issued by health ministers and health departments in Australia during the period around COP26 could not identify a single statement on COP26 or health-related concerns.
Health leaders urged to empower the sector on climate action
Health leaders and services have been urged to create “an authorising environment” so that staff are empowered to address the climate crisis in their everyday work.
Why Morrison and Taylor won’t “meet and beat” their 2030 emissions target
New analysis finds no evidence Australia will achieve a “projected” 35 per cent cut in emissions by 2030, and even the official Paris targets are in doubt.
Every frog is a prince to Jodi — and she’s not the only one listening to their love-struck calls
Scientist Jodi Rowley has dedicated to her life to frogs and she’s just one Australian fascinated by the croaky Prince Charmings, with citizen scientists recording almost half a million of the amphibians’ mating calls.
Australia reaches 3 million solar milestone 18 November
We have known for a while that Australians love solar power and this week Australia reached a milestone of 3 million small-scale solar systems installed on rooftops. That’s more than 1 in 4 houses and many non-residential buildings which have installed solar in Australia.
$44 million in grants awarded to recycling and clean energy manufacturers
Six recycling and clean energy manufacturers will share in over $44 million in grants through round 1 of the Modern Manufacturing Initiative (MMI) Translation and Integration streams.
Australia failing to meet plastic reduction targets, new report shows
A new progress report from the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) has shown that Australia’s recycling of plastic packaging has flatlined, with only 16% of plastic recycled in 2019-20, down from 18% in the previous year.
Funds for green aviation, shipping fuel spark logging fears
Low-emissions fuels for aircraft and cargo ships are targets of a new federal government initiative to harness organic waste for bioenergy.
Burning vegetation and injecting emissions underground ‘ecologically risky’ and ‘should be avoided’
Farmers to cash in under new national biodiversity stewardship market plan
A national market allowing farmers to cash in for protecting and increasing biodiversity on their land would be set up under a federal government plan.
Liberal Dave Sharma on 2030 target – Politics with Michelle Grattan podcast
Liberal backbencher Dave Sharma, a former diplomat, is an up-and-comer in his party and one of its moderate voices.
International partnerships on net zero and clean energy through Mission Innovation
Australia. Department of Industry – media release
Australia showcased the practical actions we are taking to reach net zero emissions by 2050 at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26). We also built on the work we are doing with partner countries to reduce emissions and grow our economies together.
History shows why clean energy must be done differently for First Nations people
Thomas Mayor
The resources industry has always established itself on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land, largely at the expense of Indigenous peoples. It does not need to be this way. We want the rise of clean energy, which must now be the priority of all nations, to be different.
The blight of the bulldozers of the bush
Laura Corrigan
Last week I saw my first wombat in the wild. It was in the Megalong Valley, deep in the Blue Mountains, about two hours from Sydney.
New technology and other methods needed to cut carbon emissions to avoid higher prices [$]
Robert Gottliebsen
We are learning from the US that simply reducing the production of carbon fuels boosts prices and creates a backlash that is not politically sustainable.
Party plates rebranded ‘reusable’ ahead of bans on single-use plastics
Environmental groups have accused a major retailer of exploiting a loophole to escape bans on single-use plastics that are progressively being implemented across Australia.
Victoria
Victorian Traditional Owners shun Commonwealth exclusion of their voice on Murray-Darling Basin
Traditional Owners have called the Commonwealth’s failure to include a First Nations voice in discussions about the future of the Murray-Darling Basin a “continuation of the government’s history of dispossession of land”.
Total fire ban as Victoria prepares 50 planes
Victoria’s fire authority has declared its first total fire ban of the season, as the state government prepares 50 planes to assist in fighting bushfires this summer.
New South Wales
On the Glasgow Climate Pact, and colonialism, privilege, selfishness and spin
The Glasgow Climate Pact is shameful and a missed opportunity to address the catastrophic health impacts of the climate emergency, say academics at the UNSW School of Population Health.
First green hydrogen for New South Wales homes and businesses
Green hydrogen now being blended into the NSW gas network from Australia’s most comprehensive hydrogen facility – the Western Sydney Green Hydrogen Hub.
Narrabri locals to take virtual tour of underground gas operation
Narrabri locals can experience what it’s like to descend deep below the earth’s surface to visit the heart of a gas operation from the safety of a mobile theatre. It’s all part of a virtual reality theatre that shows how NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) officers regulate the onshore gas industry.
Forbes locals urge premier to get NSW’s biggest inland dam project done after floods ruin crops
Farmers say inundation proves project is essential, but environment experts say there are better ways to manage floods and it is ‘kneejerk, pork-barrelling’
The Sydney trains assets in ‘very poor’ condition amid maintenance backlog
A sensitive government document has revealed a litany of maintenance issues across Sydney’s train network, with hundreds of kilometres of poor overhead wiring forming part of a growing backlog that risks blowing out to $1.65 billion within 10 years.
Queensland
Can tiny homes for microbats save endangered species?
Microbats are vital for ecosystems, but with their habitats destroyed and their numbers dwindling, a group of Queensland volunteers tries to save them one tiny house at a time.
‘Freakish speeds’: Queensland considers putting brakes on private e-scooters
Private e-scooter use has become the “wild west of the e-mobility market” and needs to be better regulated, Brisbane City Council transport chair Ryan Murphy says, ahead of a state government roundtable on e-scooter laws.
Naive Net Zero oversight will smash our food production [$]
Matt Canavan
The last production facility of its kind, that’s crucial to making fertiliser, is to close, costing 170 Brisbane jobs. But worse is the fact we will become completely reliant on imported supplies of a vital fertiliser ingredient to grow our food.
Scott Morrison is a threat to the Great Barrier Reef
David Ritter
By failing in climate policy, Prime Minister Scott Morrison is also failing in protecting the future of the Great Barrier Reef.
Tasmania
Adaptation key to climate change, says Tasmanian modellers
Preliminary modelling has shown Tasmania will initially escape the worst impacts of climate change but by 2050 farmers will have to adapt to hotter, drier conditions.
JBS Australia announces new chief of Huon Aquaculture
Multinational compant JBS Australia has now taken 100 per cent ownership of Huon Aquaculture after payment of the scheme considerations for the amount of $3.725 per share.
Deer plan doesn’t go far enough: Invasive Species Council
The growing deer population in Tasmania is a ‘wicked’ issue, particularly for farmers, which needs to be tackled immediately, according to a researcher with the Invasive Species Council of Australia.
ALCT: Legislate ownership of Aboriginal heritage
Land Council Chairman Michael Mansell has called for immediate action by the Tasmanian government to declare Aboriginal ownership of Aboriginal heritage. The call was a reaction to proposed West Australian laws that retain crown ownership of Aboriginal heritage in that state.
BBF challenges Andrew Forrest on hydrogen
Media release – Bob Brown Foundation
The Bob Brown Foundation is challenging Twiggy Forrest’s claim that future hydrogen production as he projects it will be ‘pure, totally clean.’
Western Australia
Land law changes proposed to open up “millions of hectares” for huge green hydrogen plans
Proposed amendments to WA Land Administration Act would introduce a new, more flexible form of land tenure to pave way for giga-scale renewables.
‘This is our last chance’: Alarm about future of iconic fish species
West Australians love fishing, but a new report raises questions about the sustainability of pink snapper and dhufish.
You could be having seven-minute guilt-free showers if we didn’t lose so much water
About 52 billion litres of water was supplied to WA’s water network in 2020-21 but not billed for.
Sustainability
Pollution’s mental toll: How air, water and climate pollution shape our mental health
For years Americans have been warned about the dangers of pollution and climate change but one effect is neglected: impacts to our brains.
Amcor research shows consumers worldwide want to recycle more
When it comes to packaging and sustainability, consumers are clear: provide options to recycle more, make recycling easier and ensure the product is in fact recycled.
Equitable future cities hold answers to pollution, climate and nature breakdown
Global cities are key to overcoming the climate crisis, biodiversity loss and pollution. A new vision of future cities is detailed in a report released today by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).
Toxic smog impairing infant growth in Delhi
A toxic mix of pollutants in New Delhi’s air has fuelled an alarming increase in cases of children with wheezing, respiratory and breathing issues, posing danger to their long-term physical and cognitive growth.
No country has met welfare goals in past 30 years ‘without putting planet at risk’
Even wealthy nations seen as having good sustainability records use more than fair share of resources, finds study
Electric cars alone won’t save the planet
At the COP26 climate summit, world politicians patted themselves on their backs for coming to a last-minute agreement. Humanity now waits with bated breath to see if countries implement the commitments they made, and if those commitments help the planet.
Net zero FAQ: How travel companies plan to reduce climate change
Airlines, cruise companies and Airbnb are taking the climate-conscious pledge.
Tesla shows how batteries can kick fossil fuels out of the grid – video
Tesla posts video about cool things that battery inverters can do, including ability to mimic rotating machines and smooth way for kicking fossil fuels out of the grid.
The moral case for destroying fossil fuel infrastructure
Andreas Malm
If someone has planted a time bomb in your home, you are entitled to dismantle it. The same applies to our planet
We must rapidly decarbonise road transport – but hydrogen’s not the answer
Robin Smit et al
Hydrogen has been touted as the fuel of the future, and the technology features prominently in the Morrison government’s plan to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
Hong Kong begins culling wild boars in urban areas
The government says it will capture and euthanise all wild boars found in the city, after a policeman was bitten in an incident last week.
Revealed: the places humanity must not destroy to avoid climate chaos
Tiny proportion of world’s land surface hosts carbon-rich forests and peatlands that would not recover before 2050 if lost
Bee-harming pesticides exported from EU despite ban on outdoor use
Greenpeace says 3,900 tonnes of neonicotinoids were due to leave EU and UK in three months after ban
To save a seabird, scientists must restore balance to an island ecosystem
On the Farallon Islands, invasive mice and hungry owls are a deadly combination that threatens the endangered ashy storm petrel.
Karen Scott
The COP26 summit may come to be regarded as a failure or an important milestone, but it certainly failed to address the “other” climate change problem: ocean acidification.
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