Daily Links Jan 23

And we are pushing through, driving forward, looking through the windscreen and not looking at the rear-view mirror – NOT! The tragedy is that the transition is well underway in most advanced economies but not in this ‘lucky country’, led by people who haven’t quite reached even second-rate. 

Post of the Day

Australia must jump on board the e-bus express

Karl Kruszelnicki and Bridie Schmidt

Why all the fuss about electric buses? They are part of a long-term plan to shift away from fossil fuels. And long-term planning is essential to drive forward.

 

On This Day

January 23

 

National

Australia must jump on board the e-bus express

Karl Kruszelnicki and Bridie Schmidt

Why all the fuss about electric buses? They are part of a long-term plan to shift away from fossil fuels. And long-term planning is essential to drive forward.

 

How I saved $537 on my electricity bill

Jessica Irvine

If you haven’t shopped around for a better energy plan in a year or more, this is your annual reminder to jump on to your relevant government price comparison website today.

 

Victoria

Victorian air filter for schools plan set to be national model

The Victorian government is close to finishing the roll-out of more than 50,000 air purifiers for schools.

 

Andrews’ own golf club takes swing at transport plan [$]

The premier’s own elite golf club, Kingston Heath, has teed off over his proposed $34.5bn transport plan near its grounds.

 

Electric motorbike revs up Melbourne vehicle manufacturing [$]

An ex-Ford worker is bringing vehicle production back to Melbourne with affordable racer-style electric motorbikes so sleek, even Harley owners are describing them as “sick”.

 

New South Wales

NSW students find tropical starfish 600km from home in climate change warning

Warming oceans are thought to be responsible for the starfish’s expansion to the small coastal town – and its presence is indicative of the impacts of climate change on marine ecosystems.

 

ACT

University of Canberra to lead nation on eDNA technology

The University of Canberra will set the national standard on a technique for discovering pests lurking in imported goods.

 

Moncrieff sludge pit creating major litter issue for Gungahlin waterways

Moncrieff residents have experienced the growing turmoil of a sludge pit for the past 25 years and locals have had enough.

 

The birds are back on mystical Lake George

Lake George is watery again. After years of driving past and wondering why on earth that arid expanse was called a lake, you now see why.

 

Queensland

Paradise lost: The gold rush ghost town submerged beneath the Burnett River

One of Queensland’s most controversial structures, Paradise Dam, hides a history of a late-1800s gold mining town few people know about. 

 

Queensland’s ‘other sea change’ is altering the coastline forever

Australia’s eastern coastline continues to be hammered by tropical cyclones, rising sea levels and significant tides as islands are ripped in two. And experts predict other parts of the coast will be eaten away.

 

World-first transplant technology helps restore reef [$]

World-first technology developed in Queensland is helping the future of the Great Barrier Reef, with transplanted coral fragments reproducing after just three years.

 

South Australia

Roadhouse fries to power cars across the Nullarbor [$]

Assuming we can ever cross the Nullarbor again to get to Western Australia, a series of charging stations will mean electric vehicles can run the whole distance.

 

Northern Territory

New research sheds light on diversity, need for protection of seagrass beds in dugong hotspot off NT coast

A team of researchers and Indigenous rangers have discovered why the Gulf of Carpentaria is such a dugong hotspot by carrying out a major survey of its seagrass beds, which are facing multiple threats from climate change.

 

Western Australia

Is the Kimberley about to host Australia’s largest oil project?

The stakes are high as an Australian company’s proposal to frack onshore oil in the Kimberley is considered by Western Australia’s environmental watchdog.

 

Environmental approvals lapse for three out of four grandfathered uranium projects in WA

The WA Labor government brought in a ban on uranium mining when it came to power in 2017 except for four existing projects. Environmental approvals have now lapsed for three as a low commodity price stifles development.

 

Sustainability

Creating sustainable material from waste

A team of researchers looking for ways to upcycle biomass into new products has demonstrated that it is possible to efficiently turn industrially processed lignin into high-performance plastics, such as bio-based 3D-printing resins, and valuable chemicals. An economic and life-cycle analysis reveals the approach can be competitive with similar petroleum-based products, too.

 

Tax on parking: UK cities to impose levy on cars in bid to cut pollution

Leicester politicians hope levy on local firms will help cut pollution in city

 

Sunday environmental round up

Peter Sainsbury

Four laws of ecology still relevant 50 years on but obscuring the truth more prevalent. Global warming continues and invasive species threaten Australian wildlife.

 

Nature Conservation

River flows linked to the ups and downs of imperiled Chinook salmon population

A study has discovered that sufficient water flows during summer can be critical to a Chinook salmon population in the interior of British Columbia.

 

Mange outbreak decimated a wild vicuña population in Argentina

Mange has decimated the population of wild vicuñas and guanacos in an Argentinian national park that was created to conserve them, according to a study published today in PLOS ONE.

 

‘We’re basically starting from zero’: Restoring Finland’s river ecosystems

Rewilding teams are facing a huge task to encourage the return of wildlife after decades of damage by the forestry industry

 



Maelor Himbury
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