Post of the Day
Chemical pollution has passed safe limit for humanity, say scientists
Study calls for cap on production and release as pollution threatens global ecosystems upon which life depends
On This Day
Epiphany – Eastern Christianity
Climate Change
BlackRock’s Larry Fink: climate policies are about profits, not being ‘woke’
Investment fund manager says firms that do not plan for a carbon-free future risk being left behind
How Exxon is using an unusual law to intimidate critics over its climate denial
America’s largest oil firm claims its history of publicly denying the climate crisis is protected by the first amendment
Climate crisis could wipe 1% a year off UK economy by 2045, say ministers
Global heating of 2C would cause billions in damage each year by 2050, according to risk assessment
DiCaprio on climate change: ‘Vote for people that are sane’
Leonardo DiCaprio says if the world has any chance at combating climate change, voters need to pick “people that are sane.”
Climate change poses threat to Winter Olympics: Study
The impacts of climate change will restrict where future Winter Olympics can take place in the Northern Hemisphere, a study from the University of Waterloo in Ontario has found.
“Rivers” in the sky likely to drench East Asia under climate change
Extreme rainfall events associated with atmospheric rivers, narrow bands transporting large amounts of moisture in the atmosphere, are becoming more frequent and severe in mountainous parts of East Asia as the climate changes.
Rivers speeding up Arctic ice melt at alarming rate
Freshwater flowing into the Arctic Ocean from the continent is thought to exacerbate Arctic amplification, but the extent of its impact isn’t fully understood. New research measures how the flow of the Yenisei River — the largest freshwater river that flows into the Arctic Ocean — has changed over the last few hundred years, and describes the impact freshwater has had on the Arctic.
National
How 15 minutes of your time could lead to ‘significant’ electricity bill savings
The price of electricity is the cheapest it has been in almost a decade, and average annual household bills are going down. But a new analysis shows many consumers could be paying even less. Here’s how.
Jump to it: Why we’re being urged to join nation’s biggest ‘cane toad bust’
With the cane toad population soaring from 102 in Queensland in 1935 to more than two billion across four states, we’re being asked to help cull them to save native species.
$20 million to get rid of pests and weeds
New Australian Government funding of $20 million to be matched by over $20 million in funding from states and territories.
Federal water minister allocates $126m to Murrumbidgee Irrigation for works it says will save just 7.4 gigalitres of water
Could cleaner, greener, quieter trucks be part of the supply chain solution?
The trucking industry is pushing for a plan to make delivery vehicles electric, which it says will allow suburban noise curfews to be lifted and companies to save money.
New research hub to tackle energy transition’s toughest challenges
A new hub for energy market expertise will tackle some of the toughest challenges of transitioning the Australian electricity grid to net-zero emissions.
4 ways to stop Australia’s surge in rooftop solar from destabilising electricity prices
Christina Nikitopoulos et al
Last year saw Australians install rooftop solar like never before, with 40% more installed in 2021 than in 2020. Solar system installations now make up 7% of the energy going into the national electricity grid.
State versus State, gas mate versus gas mate, a fossil fuels bonanza with a planet on the line
Michael West
Emissions targets are dead. Corrupt governments in hock to their corporate donors are accelerating fossil fuel projects despite international condemnation, economic logic and the future of the planet. Michael West reports on Kurri Kurri gas plant and the slew of new projects.
How competitive is Australian renewable hydrogen?
Steven Percy
How close are we really to a green hydrogen industry? And which states are best placed to host it? New research offers some answers.
Victoria
Conservationists seek new ways to keep critically endangered possums alive
Conservationists plant more food alternatives for the critically endangered mountain pygmy possums as their moth diet continues to be threatened.
Recycling transformation drives jobs in Victoria
The transformation of Australia’s recycling sector steps up another gear today with the Australian and Victorian Governments jointly announcing 13 new projects that will see 136,000 tonnes of plastics, paper, glass and tyres remade into new products while creating new jobs and new investment in the Victorian economy.
Victoria pushes ahead with 1.5GW network upgrade in windy south-west
Victoria pushes ahead with major transmission upgrade, to open way for 1,500MW of additional renewable capacity and ease wind farm constraints.
Victoria backs hydrogen fuelled cremations, fuel cell buses, with $7m in grants
Fuel cell buses, trucks and hydrogen fuelled cremation to be trialled in Victoria with the support of more than $7 million in state government grants.
New South Wales
Hawkesbury River environmental spill update
Council staff and contractors are working with the NSW Environment Protection Agency (EPA) to determine the environmental impact of a sewage spill into South Creek and the Hawkesbury River at Windsor, and to limit its effects.
State warned of cockroach ‘explosion’
An “extensive influx” of cockroaches are plaguing the homes of Australia, experts have warned — and could be yet for months to come.
Strange object found in Sydney Harbour
A mysterious object found in Sydney Harbour could be key to helping to undo damage caused over hundreds of years.
Anaiwan mob launch campaign to buy-back land on Country
The Nēwara Aboriginal Corporation say owning land on Country will help Anaiwan people heal from colonisation and cut through the red tape to access public land.
Australian biomass-to-hydrogen venture readies for US public listing
Australian based Verdant Earth readies to list on the Nasdaq, to raise funds for its planned NSW biomass-to-hydrogen plant.
Queensland
Have your say on draft Boodjamulla National Park management plan
Queenslanders are invited to have their say on the future management of one of the state’s most scenic and remote national parks.
New Hope’s garbage day strategy seems well short of full disclosure
With a beautiful sense of timing, New Hope announced the resignation of its chief executive on a Friday afternoon when the nation was transfixed by the Ashes, the Djokovic debacle, the looming weekend or sitting on the beach.
Know your NEM: As rooftop solar soars, something is rotten in the state of Queensland
David Leitch
Queensland’s wholesale electricity prices are going through the ceiling, which is remarkable given that nothing in particular is happening to demand.
South Australia
Goanna recovery hit by record visitor numbers and road deaths in national parks
Endangered goannas become roadkill in national parks as a record number of visitors come to see wildlife.
Tasmania
Community seeks financial help to fight island wind farm [$]
A community group fighting to protect a North West Tasmanian island and its birdlife and ecosystem from a massive wind farm say they need financial help to do so.
Would slashing Hobart bus fares solve the city’s traffic woes? [$]
Greater Hobart’s mayors have doubled down on their call for public transport fares to be cut, saying it would create a “net societal gain”.
Western Australia
$2m Mersey Point seawall project nearly complete
Works on a new granite seawall at Mersey Point have been completed as part of a $2 million City of Rockingham project.
Sustainability
Two people are dead and Tonga’s government is advising the public to remain indoors after the eruption of the Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai volcano, the World Health Organization says.
Greenpeace calls for global treaty to include whole life cycle of plastics
In February 2022, national governments and multinationals will gather for the next session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA 5.2), presenting the international community with a unique opportunity to take substantial decisions on plastic pollution. Ahead of the meeting, more than 70 signatories including multinationals signed onto a statement.
Decarbonisation tech instantly converts CO2 to solid carbon
Australian researchers have developed a smart and super-efficient new way of capturing carbon dioxide and converting it to solid carbon, to help advance the decarbonisation of heavy industries.
Chemical pollution has passed safe limit for humanity, say scientists
Study calls for cap on production and release as pollution threatens global ecosystems upon which life depends
China’s coal production hit record levels in 2021
In blow to climate campaigners, state encourages miners to ramp up output to avert winter gas crisis
Blue LEDs light the way toward sustainable development
A new method for creating a highly useful chemical subunit eliminates the need for precious metals, potentially leading to the sustainable production of pharmaceuticals and electronics.
Smart soil bugs offer farmers an ecofriendly route to controlling crop diseases
An innovative method of controlling a range of damaging crop diseases using native, beneficial soil bacteria has emerged from a research-industry collaboration.
Cut carbon and toxic pollution, make cement clean and green
If the cement industry were a country it would rank as the world’s fourth largest GHG emitter, responsible for roughly 7-8% of global CO2 pollution.
A North Dakota coal-fired power plant was slated to close last year, to the delight of environmentalists. But local officials rallied to block renewable projects in the area, and a buyer stepped in to preserve the life of the power plant.
Is there really such a thing as low-carbon beef?
The USDA is making it easier for farmers to market their meat as “low-carbon.” Not everyone is happy about it.
Where will biotech have the biggest climate impact? – Catalyst podcast
Microbes, meat and materials: where biotech might beat out electrochemistry.
Boris Johnson’s other disaster [$]
Wall Street Journal editorial
Boris Johnson is fighting for political survival amid a scandal over parties during pandemic lockdowns in 2020. And if only that were the UK Prime Minister’s only problem. “Party-gate” is proving so damaging because the news has landed on an electorate already exasperated with Mr. Johnson over soaring energy costs.
Climate change will force 45 per cent of the fish stocks that cross through two or more exclusive economic zones to shift significantly from their historical habitats and migration paths by 2100, a challenge that may lead to international conflict, according to a new study.
Urban bees face a flower deficit, says Swiss study
An examination of 14 cities in Switzerland adds heft to concerns that urban beehives can overtax city green spaces, potentially harming native pollinators.
Saving species through genomics in megadiverse Colombia
Colombia stands to benefit ecologically, economically and socially through membership in the Earth Biogenome Project, according to research from the University of East Anglia (UEA).
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