Post of the Day
Australia’s Black Summer of fire was not normal – and we can prove it
Garry Cook et al
The Black Summer forest fires of 2019–2020 burned more than 24 million hectares, directly causing 33 deaths and almost 450 more from smoke inhalation.
On This Day
Ecological Observance
Climate Change
Communities ‘rooted in this soil’ face a managed retreat from climate change and rising waters
Communities in coastal areas of the United States are having to consider a “managed retreat” from climate change as rising waters and destructive storms threaten their way of life.
Politicians are failing to deliver climate justice. Lawyers and scientists could do it in court
Three climate activists in the UK are challenging the High Court to hear their case, in which they hope to sue their government for its role in the crisis. It’s one in a booming number of litigation cases that are leaning on science to bring about justice.
Carbon sinks: How nature helps fight climate change
Forests, soils and oceans are the unsung heroes of our climate, storing the greenhouse gases that cause global heating. But they could perform even better with a little help.
Yale psychologist: How to cope with climate disasters, anxiety
Two kinds of climate-related distress — the acute trauma of immediate disasters and the background sense of existential doom — require different responses, both personal and from society.
The ocean is our greatest climate regulator. It must be a stronger part of climate policy and action
Sarah Seabrook et al
The German linguist Heinrich Zimmer once described the ocean as “limitless and immortal … the beginning and end of all things on Earth”.
Tens of millions of people will be forced to flee their homes over the next few decades as a result of worsening environmental effects of climate change, experts have warned.
COP26 prepared the world to beat climate change
John F. Kerry
We can bemoan that there is still a gap between our ambitions and actions. Or we can work to close it.
Bankers took over the climate change summit. That’s bad for democracy
Christopher Caldwell
The big annual United Nations forum for debate on climate change ended this month in Glasgow in a way that left many attendees bewildered. Money men have taken the thing over.
Andrew King et al
There’s a big question mark over whether the world will keep global warming below the limits set out in the Paris Agreement. But even if we do, the climate will keep evolving – and society needs to prepare for this.
World will go green only when the price is right [$]
Bjorn Lomborg
We clearly need a smarter way forward, otherwise the next 26 climate conferences will be similarly inconsequential as the first 26 iterations.
National
More Black Summers ahead as climate change increases risk of megafires: CSIRO
Research shows climate change has increased the frequency and extent of megafires in Australia, with scientists warning the year following a La Niña is the most treacherous.
“Too difficult:” Vestas says wind projects will stop if Australia doesn’t invest in grid
Global wind developer Vestas warns that new developments will come to a halt if Australia does not fast track grid expansion.
Morrison and Taylor outline vision for more fossil gas fields, and more pipelines
The Morrison government’s new gas infrastructure plan would expand fossil gas extraction, and push Australia into fossil hydrogen.
Morrison government’s gas plan load of hot air and economically illiterate
The Federal Government’s announcement that it is pumping millions of dollars worth of taxpayer money into growing gas represents a major blow to the economy and the environment, says Greenpeace Australia Pacific.
Morrison Government failing young people on climate yet again
The Morrison government is set to announce fast track approvals and further public money for big gas corporations to open new gas basins as part of the release of the national gas investment framework today.
Electric cars averaged more travel than petrol vehicles in Australia in past year
Expert says claims that EVs will ‘end the weekend can be put to bed’ by new figures
‘Reaching back to the horse and cart’: Morrison government’s gas plan panned
Plan to ‘unlock basins’ for domestic and export criticised as ‘out of sync’ with global trends and climate action
High costs for property owners to retrofit for electric cars
New standards to increase electric vehicle charging capacity in apartments and other buildings won’t cope with expected demand, requiring expensive retrofitting.
‘Corporate welfare’: Commonwealth to support private sector in gas push
Australian taxpayers will help fund the private sector to develop gas fields after the federal government warned of a looming shortfall in gas supplies.
Why Australia’s electric vehicle strategy is going nowhere
Cameron Leckie
The soaring cost of raw materials for batteries and production challenges mean rising prices will push electric vehicles out of the reach of most Australians for many years.
Australia’s Black Summer of fire was not normal – and we can prove it
Garry Cook et al
The Black Summer forest fires of 2019–2020 burned more than 24 million hectares, directly causing 33 deaths and almost 450 more from smoke inhalation.
The new law threatening the future of Australia’s charities [$]
Ben Oquist
It is the biggest attack on the Australian charity sector you have never heard of.
What does Shell’s takeover of Powershop mean for green energy? [$]
Mike Seccombe
Shell is one of the worst polluters in the world. What does that mean for Powershop, the green energy provider in which it just bought a 100 per cent stake?
Victoria
‘Completely gutted’: 240 Victorian landholders told AusNet powerlines will go through their land
If approved the controversial power line route set to bring wind and solar energy onto the national grid, but impacted landholders says it’s “tearing people up inside.”
In the 19th century, Melbourne was nicknamed ‘Smellbourne’. The solution lay in the city’s west
In the late 1800s, the population of Melbourne was growing fast, but the streets were flushed with rubbish and human waste. A royal commission led to the development of a crucial piece of the city’s infrastructure: the Western Treatment Plant at Werribee.
New South Wales
Coastal development allegedly linked to Obeid family interests rejected
A Port Macquarie development proposal, scrutinised in an ABC Four Corners report examining the Obeid family’s coastal property interests, has been knocked back.
Rain pummels east coast of Australia, swelling rivers, wiping out crops
Rain has continued to fall overnight, leaving towns and highways flooded but also bringing hope and joy to parts of far-west New South Wales.
Blue Mountains City Council has developed an Asbestos Management Toolkit for use by local government authorities throughout NSW.
Call to rename park over ‘slavery’ link
A report that found Scotsman Ben Boyd’s name should be removed from a NSW national park due to links with slavery has been met with furious opposition.
Allegra Spender: Wentworth independent hopeful says climate action is vital for economy
Daughter of late fashion designer Carla Zampatti points to low number of female Liberal MPs and asks ‘when is this going to change?’
‘Real beacon’: Australian company developing zinc-bromide battery technology lists for $285m
Zinc-bromide gel is safer, longer-lasting, cheaper form of storage than lithium batteries, creators say, as company lists on UK market
Upper Hunter homes inundated by floods as Warragamba Dam predicted to spill
Parts of NSW including residents along the Nepean and Hawkesbury rivers are on flood watch as an unpredictable weather pattern dumps intense rainfall on large parts of Australia’s east coast.
Collaroy residents decry seawall as communities brace for erosion
A La Nina event is set to bring heavy rains, thunderstorms and strong swells this summer, and it’s not just Collaroy Beach that is likely to be hit by more erosion.
ACT
Lawson Defence Housing Australia plan slammed by conservationists [$]
A Defence housing plan proposed for Lawson north has again come under fire from environmental groups who say its recent revision will shift impact from one endangered grassland to another.
Queensland auditor general says state may miss 50pct renewables target
Queensland energy minister admits there’s “more work to do” after review suggests state could miss its 50 per cent renewables target.
Edify advances green hydrogen ambitions with Port of Townsville deal
Australian solar and battery storage developer signs MoU to investigate the possibility of exporting green hydrogen through Port of Townsville.
Australian scientists develop seagrass map to help protect Great Barrier Reef
Queensland scientists have produced an extensive map of the state’s seagrass meadows to help protect the Great Barrier Reef.
Great Barrier Reef: how a spectacular coral spawning event is helping to breed heat-tolerant corals
Scientists have carefully collected spawn bundles by moonlight in a bid to help save the reef
How Brisbane public transport explains COVID’s impact on tourism, city work
Tens of thousands of people have abandoned public transport, with new figures painting a picture of exactly how the pandemic affected domestic and international tourism, events, universities and city workers.
Try before you buy: Where to hire an electric car in Brisbane [$]
There are at least 12 electric car hire companies in Brisbane, ranging from private vehicle rental to subscription services.
Morrison chaos and fossil fuel funding is undermining Queensland’s efforts to go green
Tim Buckley
Morrison government’s policy chaos and its massive taxpayer subsidies for fossil fuels is undermining Queensland’s efforts to shift to renewables.
South Australia
SA announces ‘grand initiative’ to create Australia’s largest national park
The Munga-Thirri—Simpson Desert National Park in far northern South Australia becomes Australia’s newest and largest national park.
Fossil gas pared back to its bare bones in South Australia’s renewables grid
Fossil fuel generation pared back to bare bones in South Australia on Friday, with just 80MW of gas output and more than 100 per cent renewables.
Tasmania
WA Forest Alliance: Tas must end native forest logging
Bob Brown Foundation hosted a Hobart Town Hall meeting today with keynote speaker West Australian Forest Alliance convenor Jess Beckerling, who was announced as 2021 Environmentalist of the Year earlier this week.
Young climate crusader takes fight to major Tassie super fund [$]
A 24-year-old Tasmanian climate campaigner is taking on the state’s biggest superannuation fund, urging it to divest from fossil fuels as a matter of urgency.
Northern Territory
Recent rains bring dormant outback waterfalls to life
Watarrka/Kings Canyon National Park, south-west of Alice Springs, is transformed into a watery wonderland thanks to a very wet start to November.
First Nations-led protocols guiding responsible drone use on Traditional Land
A First Nations-led project focusing on drone use guided by Traditional Owners in Kakadu National Park has developed protocols for responsible and ethical use of drones and other technologies on First Nations owned and managed land in Australia.
Plan to bring tourists to East Arnhem Land [$]
The NT Government has released plans of how to get more visitors to East Arnhem Land. Here’s what they’re targeting.
Sustainability
Pakistan orders Monday closure of schools and offices in Lahore to cut smog
Pakistan has ordered private offices and schools to remain closed on Mondays in Lahore in the hope that a three-day weekend will help reduce toxic levels of smog in the country’s second-largest city.
Toilet-trained cows could be a new pollution solution
The “MooLoo” may lead to a 56 percent reduction in ammonia emissions, according to researchers.
A new COVID-19 variant has been detected in South Africa. This is what we know
After a new COVID-19 variant emerged in southern Africa, scientists, health officials and the public are concerned, and the World Health Organization is monitoring the situation closely. Here is what we know.
Only two out of 11 herbicide studies given to EU regulators deemed ‘reliable’
Review of safety studies shows vast majority do not meet international standards for scientific validity
What happens when America’s coal plants die?
Facing economic and environmental pressures, coal plants are closing across the US, leaving communities to work out how to keep afloat
Don’t add to e-waste mountain, campaign urges UK shoppers
Material Focus says tech superseded by purchases on Black Friday and beyond can be donated or recycled
The Gulf of Mexico is poised for a wind energy boom. ‘The only question is when.’
Study sees potential for 510,000 megawatts, twice the current needs of all five Gulf states.
Reporters and writers I’m thankful for
Peter Dykstra
Last Thanksgiving, I cited a dozen U.S. environmental journalists that deserve our thanks. Since there are dozens more, let’s make this an annual thing.
Be reassured: the world is not as divided as we might think
Stephan Shakespeare and Joel Rogers de Waal
Beneath the public discord about BLM, the climate and feminism, there is surprising consensus about how the world should be
In a warming world, deforestation turns the heat deadly, Borneo study finds
New research identifies how rising localized temperatures driven by deforestation and global warming are increasing heat-related deaths and creating unsafe working conditions in Indonesia.
The need to trespass: let people in to protect nature, says guerrilla botanist
Naturalist and campaigner Dave Bangs says limiting access to the countryside makes it harder to save our ancient landscapes
How the return of bison connects travelers with Native cultures
From Montana to Alberta, Indigenous communities are developing ecotourism tied to the keystone species’ restoration.
Fall foliage was disrupted by climate change. It might be the new normal
Throughout the eastern U.S., fall colors arrived behind schedule, which scientists say is a sign of things to come.
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