Post of the Day
Global plastic consumption has quadrupled in 3 decades, says OECD
Plastic consumption has quadrupled over the past three decades while its production has doubled from 2000 to 2019 to reach 460 million tonnes, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development says.
On This Day
Climate Change
35 million year old data could unlock future of Antarctica
Scientists have unravelled the secrets of a period 35 million years ago when Earth cooled rapidly, leaving Antarctica shrouded in ice. The findings could help to predict the unstable future of the West Antarctic ice sheet, researchers from the Alfred Wegener Institute say.
National
AGL open to higher takeover bid but says Cannon-Brookes plan to close coal by 2030 is unrealistic
Chief operating officer says consortium needs to offer at least 30% premium on share price and ‘engage once more or two times more’
AGL power play moves Australia ‘beyond the quarry’
The clean energy power play by a tech billionaire for AGL heralds a major shift in the tempo of Australia’s transition from fossil fuels, a leading infrastructure manager says.
‘No precedent’: AGL deal would kill Keating’s energy reforms [$]
The potential $5 billion buyout of AGL is shaping up as an “unprecedented” test case for the ACCC, according to experts.
Unions fear mass job losses if AGL takeover closes coal by 2030 [$]
Atlassian billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes said 10,000 jobs would be created by spending $20 billion on new renewable projects, but only 600 would be ongoing.
Cannon-Brookes tips $200m into debt fund, targeting renewables and batteries
Cannon-Brookes makes another major play into green energy transition, tipping $200m into fund financing renewables and battery storage projects.
Pipe dream or $26b nightmare? Warnings Australia’s gas plan is a network to nowhere
Global Energy Monitor says Australia’s pipeline plans, the fourth highest in the world, will make it significantly harder to help global efforts to keep temperature rises to 1.5 degrees.
Why Scott Morrison is wrong on AGL [$]
Kerry Schott
There is no reasonable case on power price and supply grounds for any veto of the Brookfield/Grok Ventures takeover bid by the Morrison government.
Is the AGL dream team the PM’s climate saviour? [$]
Pru Goward
The bid to decarbonise Australia’s power giant could allow the government to let the market carry the transition risk and show the climate independents that private enterprise has it covered.
AGL bid holds too many risks for power grid stability [$]
Judith Sloan
Let’s just hope the market-led acceleration from coal to renewables doesn’t result in galloping electricity prices for consumers along with sporadic brownouts and blackouts.
Why our energy future is electric
Joel Gibson
The next big thing in renewable energy is virtual power plants, made up of multiple units of solar panel batteries that can be switched on via a central control room to supply power to the grid.
Sangeetha Chandrashekeran et al
As the transition to clean energy unfolds, some fear the decarbonisation of the electricity sector will mean higher prices. And high prices can lead to energy poverty: when a household cannot afford the essential electricity services needed for a decent standard of living, such as heating.
Australia needs to ditch coal before it’s too late
Gabriel Filippelli
With other nations around the world eliminating coal as an energy source, Australia needs to do more to catch up.
Pauline Hanson v the gas giants: who would have thought?
Callum Foote
When people think of the Queensland senator, the words ”policy visionary” don’t jump to mind. But her One Nation party is promoting a better policy on our gas resources than its rivals in Federal Parliament.
How Scott Morrison might junk the Cannon-Brookes and Brookfield mega-bid for AGL
Michael West
Will Scott Morrison’s government block the radical AGL takeover bid by Mike Cannon-Brookes and Brookfield? It’s a deal which accelerates Australia’s decarbonisation, creates jobs, cuts energy prices, and saves AGL shareholders from a slow death, but Morrison has two regulators who can still nix it.
Morrison’s attempt to derail AGL takeover is a new challenge for ‘moderates’ [$]
Bernard Keane
Good luck to those Liberals in urban seats defending the Morrison government’s moves to block climate change action by investors.
“Makes no sense:” Push for new gas pipelines could create $A675bn of stranded assets
Michael Mazengarb
A US$500 billion global rush to build new gas pipelines – including Australia’s “gas fired recovery” – undermines efforts to achieve zero net goals.
Victoria
Update for Knox wildlife habitat corridor plan
Right now, biodiversity in Knox is at a tipping point
New South Wales
‘On our own terms’: Anaiwan people look to buy 240 hectares of bushland to reclaim country
The Anaiwan people say they hope to use the block of land 30 minutes north-west of Armidale to reconnect with their culture and language
‘Need not apply:’ NSW to effectively ban offshore mining exploration
The NSW government will reject all pending or future applications for offshore mineral, coal and petroleum exploration to protect the state’s coastline.
Sydney commuters face a tough journey as damaging winds and heavy rainfall cause major traffic disruption and property damage.
Major question marks hang over power station closure [$]
A government department undertook a secret eight-month modelling project into a Lake Macquarie power station before its owners announced its early closure last week.
Claim electric car subsidy a ‘reverse Robin Hood’ scheme [$]
Postcode data shows a green scheme that subsidises people buying electric cars has been overwhelmingly taken up by wealthy Sydney suburbs.
Transport minister sleepwalked into rail chaos
SMH editorial
Transport Minister David Elliott needs to focus on customer service and working with unions constructively or the Premier should consider whether he is the right person for this crucial role.
ACT
Rapid response team to fight invasive species in ACT
A rapid response team has been established in the ACT to defend against the increasing biosecurity threat posed by invasive species.
Queensland gears up for shift to renewables and decentralised power with microgrid R&D hub
Queensland Labor government welcomes $6 million Microgrid and Isolated Systems Test facility in Cairns, established by Ergon Energy late last year.
South Australia
‘Just add water and it turns’: Stunning views as Lake Eyre fills but more rain still needed
Recent rain over Australia’s inland Channel Country is breathing new life into the Lake Eyre Basin, with graziers and businesses excited for a big year ahead.
Tasmania
From a billion trees down to 150 million, opponents seize on Prime Minister’s plantation scheme
The spectre of the disastrous managed investment schemes loomed large over Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s plantation grant scheme announcement, but industry is confident it can work with farmers to avoid problems of the past.
Rio Tinto and state government mull over Bell Bay smelter future
Mining giant Rio Tinto and the Tasmanian government have agreed to jointly investigate future operations at the Bell Bay aluminium smelter, one of the state’s most energy-intensive industrial operations.
Environmentalists want 60,000 hectares of native forest locked up to protect parrots
A plan defined by environmentalists as the last chance to prevent extinction of the Swift Parrot wants 60,000 hectares of Tasmania’s public forests protected from logging.
‘Totally disrespectful’: Indigenous elder slams damage of Aboriginal midden [$]
An Aboriginal elder says the actions of a man who disturbed a significant shell midden by bulldozing a track to the beach at a local bay has caused damange spiritually and culturally.
Western Australia
Conservation concerns as big groups of rare sharks found along Perth coast
Scalloped hammerheads, usually only spotted north of Jurien Bay, were documented in waters south of Perth by a team of researchers.
Plan to ban shark fishing in the west [$]
The plan follows a fatal attack at a popular swimming spot where hobbyists had routinely bloodied the water.
University of Western Australia looking into grapevine dormancy and climate change response
Work into grapevine bud dormancy could have wider reaching positive impacts for other crops to help deal with climate change.
How WA government’s COVID response hampered its promise to move away from mining
Gareth Parker
In WA, mining is the 800-pound gorilla consuming every banana in the jungle, and the state’s COVID response has hurt efforts to diversify the economy.
Sustainability
Less than 10 per cent of the world’s plastic is being recycled, new report shows
A new report has found that 460 million tonnes of plastics were used in 2019, the number nearly doubling since 2000.
Global plastic consumption has quadrupled in 3 decades, says OECD
Plastic consumption has quadrupled over the past three decades while its production has doubled from 2000 to 2019 to reach 460 million tonnes, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development says.
290 million new city dwellers benefit China’s climate balance
Contrary to popular belief, China’s massive emigration from rural areas to cities has been shown to have a positive effect on China’s carbon stocks. Urbanization can even play a role in attaining climate neutrality. This is the conclusion of researchers based upon analyses of vast amounts of satellite data.
Perfecting the EV battery recycling process
Recycling of electric car batteries can be easier, cheaper, and more environmentally friendly, according to a new scientific article, which outlines an optimized recycling process. The research represents a vital step towards the electromobility society of the future.
Researchers claim major breakthrough in Li-S batteries that could revolutionise batteries
Drexel’s sulfur cathode breakthrough could pave the way for better-performing and sustainably sourced batteries for EVs, computers and mobile devices.
New technology fused with photosynthetic life offers path to green energy
Researchers have developed a patented hybrid device — part living organism, part bio battery, capable of producing stored energy by increasing energy flow under light conditions where natural photosynthesis is normally inhibited.
Can a hidden world be saved from an invasive scourge?
Gabriel Popkin
The emerald ash border threatens ash trees that anchor a unique world on the Delmarva Peninsula.
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