Post of the Day
Melanie Finch and Emily Finch
Two recent announcements hint at a seismic shift about to hit Australia’s coal industry.
On This Day
Climate Change
Megadrought likely to continue in Western Colorado and across the West for years, scientists say
Not only is the American West the driest it’s been in more than a millennia but the megadrought is likely to continue for years, climatologists say.
Tension and trade-offs between protecting biodiversity and avoiding climate change
To combat climate change with clean energy technology, we need copper, nickel, platinum, palladium, gold and silver — a lot of them.
Climate change: Covid shutdown linked to record rainfall in China
An abrupt drop in emissions due to the pandemic played a key role in record rainfall in China in 2020.
Progressives blast judiciary over Biden climate agenda
Liberal groups and legal scholars are up in arms over a recent decision from a federal judge that they argue is hamstringing the Biden administration’s climate agenda.
Heavy rains have major impact on economies
Dana Nuccitelli
When estimating costs that climate change will impose on societies, climate economists face a difficult barrier: They can only incorporate into models well-understood and quantified climate damages. Authors of a recent study published in Nature have identified previously unknown economic impacts associated with changes in rainfall.
National
Tens of millions of dollars are being spent prolonging the lives of some Australian coal-fired power stations, despite some high-profile closures.
The 15 most interesting Australian frogs – sorted
You’d be hopping mad to not be fascinated by the weird, wacky and wonderful frogs on this list, which are all well worth protecting
Mike Cannon-Brookes and Brookfield in bid to take over AGL and shut down coal plants earlier
Energy giant assessing unsolicited bid worth up to $8bn from tech billionaire and Canadian investment firm
Leading the charge: road-testing Australia’s EV stations on a 2,800km round trip
A trip from Sydney to Melbourne and back revealed a series of pleasures and pitfalls of Australia’s electrified open roads
Ocean a dangerous place for whales
This World Whale Day (Sunday, February 20th), Sea Shepherd Australia is calling for action to protect whales around the world from the devastating impact of industrial and illegal fishing, as well as the surprising but very real threats they face off Australia’s own coastlines.
Hydrogen hype gets real with big Japanese tender
Australia’s grand hydrogen export ambition faces its first market test with Japan’s largest power generator calling for competitive bids to supply the hydrogen product ammonia as it attempts to cut carbon emissions in its coal-fired power plants.
Q+A accused of Climate 200 ‘set-up’ [$]
Wentworth MP Dave Sharma pulled out of an appearance on the ABC’s Q+A on Thursday night, because he felt he was being ‘set-up’ in a debate with Climate 200 candidates.
There’s real power in change – and jobs too
Andrew Stock
Coal is no longer king, but Australia has the natural resources to become a world leader in renewable energy.
Cannon-Brookes rewrites the power play [$]
Eric Johnston
The tech multi-billionaire is seeking to change the way we keep the lights on.
Three megatrends collide in Cannon-Brookes, Brookfield’s AGL bid [$]
Chanticleer
The speed of the energy transition, the rise and rise of private capital and the emergence of billionaire activists are all at play in the offer.
Melanie Finch and Emily Finch
Two recent announcements hint at a seismic shift about to hit Australia’s coal industry.
Victoria
PM to announce huge investment in Victorian forests [$]
Scott Morrison is set to announce a grants program for Victoria’s forestry sector that he hopes will lead to 150 million trees being planted nationwide.
Dumped rubbish plaguing suburbs as complaints soar [$]
Illegally dumped rubbish is plaguing Victorian neighbourhoods, with ratepayers making almost 70,000 complaints to their councils.
Big build plans to cause pain for Melbourne commuters [$]
Major works across rail lines, tram routes and freeways will create massive delays for Victorian commuters this autumn.
New South Wales
NSW Clean Air Strategy to improve air quality and protect communities
The NSW Government today released its Clean Air Strategy 2021-30 aimed at improving air quality, reducing air emissions and protecting communities.
Lismore council’s return of land to traditional owners to proceed despite opposing motion
Attempt to pause historic handback of NSW land defeated, but lack of prior consultation leaves ‘bad taste’ in many people’s mouths
Bumper-to-bumper is back as workers return to offices
Experts say “emotional scarring” from the pandemic is set to linger for some time and result in people choosing to drive rather than hop on public transport.
India demand negates China coal sanctions [$]
Coal exports from NSW to India have nearly doubled in the past year, filling the void caused by China’s trade sanctions.
ACT
‘It’s our rubbish, our problem’: Meet the sisters saving 10,000 socks from landfill
Emma and Olivia Harris are still in primary school, but they are on a mission to encourage better recycling within their community by collecting 10,000 socks that would otherwise go to landfill.
Queensland
Procrastinating, endangered bum-breathing punk turtles thrill rescuers with late hatching
A precious clutch of Mary River turtle babies has defied the odds by surviving huge floodwaters and hatching long after rescuers feared they may have died.
E-scooters slowed on footpaths as e-speedster crackdown begins
The very popular e-scooters will be slowed on footpaths to 12kmh and councils will be asked to find better parking locations to stop scooters blocking footpaths.
Whale centre activists hopeful for ‘scrap’ decision [$]
Protesters who have been camping out on the site of a proposed whale centre at North Stradbroke Island for a year are optimistic the plan will soon be dumped.
Tasmania
Tasmania to host plan to plant 150 million trees [$]
Tassie is set to play a big role in a new government plan to plant more than 150 million new trees across Australia to provide future wood supply
RSPCA labelled ‘extremist’ for duck hunting views [$]
The annual firing match over duck hunting in Tasmania has sparked again with the season due to open in March.
Why you should care about where your mask ends up
Examiner editorial
In 2020, at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, more than three billion single-use plastic masks were thrown out around the world every day.
Northern Territory
Outback Way: Plan to pave Australian desert gets multimillion-dollar funding boost
The federal government has announced it will pour hundreds of millions into a network of desert roads and highways known as the Outback Way.
Western Australia
Climate change could be ‘catastrophic’ for this beloved bird
Scientists in Perth have found very hot weather is already affecting the survival and reproduction rate of magpies, with temperatures expected to get hotter.
WA close to eradicating one of our most dangerous weeds as other states struggle
Gamba grass appears to fit into Australia’s natural landscape, but the tall green tussocks are an insidious threat to native animals, homes and lives.
Sustainability
Fostering sustainable finance instruments together
Bank Indonesia Governor, Perry Warjiyo, officially opened the seminar, Scaling Up the Utilisation of Sustainable Finance Instruments (18/02), which highlighted the issue of developing sustainable finance as one of the six priority agendas in the financial track of Indonesia’s G20 Presidency in 2022.
How to clear the air in the most polluted cities on Earth
While the 2008 Olympic Games were marked by some of the worst air quality in Olympic history, China’s “war against pollution” has advanced so much since that Olympians this month could glimpse the previously smog-enshrouded mountains surrounding the city.
Ethiopia starts partial power generation from Blue Nile dam
Ethiopia has started generating electricity from the controversial mega-dam that is being built on the Blue Nile.
Plant Vogtle hits new delays; costs surge near $30B
The move highlights the nuclear industry’s chief troubles with building large, baseload reactors: safety and cost
The Guardian view on Britain’s green economy: seriously underpowered
Guardian editorial
New data exposes a strategic failure to drive growth in sectors that can provide the good jobs of the future
The Ukraine Crisis Could Trigger a Nuclear Catastrophe
Tilman Ruff
There are two potential nuclear dimensions to a war in Ukraine, which could create a massive humanitarian disaster and have profound global implications.
US environmental sacrifice zones
Peter Dykstra
Eight places we’ve given up—probably forever.
How vacation photos of zebras and whales can help conservation
Vacation photos of zebras and whales that tourists post on social media may have a benefit they never expected: helping researchers track and gather information on endangered species.
As temperatures rise, Antarctica is turning green
The Antarctic is warming and native vascular plants are spreading. But the warming could invite invasive species and disrupt the unique ecosystem.
‘It’s a powerful feeling’: the Indigenous American tribe helping to bring back buffalo
The Rosebud Sioux tribe in South Dakota are trying to build the biggest Native-American owned buffalo herd to help food security and restore the land
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