And they’ll go down threatening to “bite your legs off”.
Post of the Day
Plants humans don’t need are heading for extinction, study finds
Bleak picture for biodiversity as analysis of over 80,000 species forecasts more losers than winners
On This Day
World Day of Muslim Culture, Peace, Dialogue and Film
Ecological Observance
Johnny Appleseed Day – USA
Climate Change
Cutting HFCs to cool the Earth
To have a better chance of holding global warming to 1.5°C, we need to accelerate the phase-down of HFC refrigerants under the Montreal Protocol. This could also reduce pollution and improve energy access.
Why Baghdad will be one of the cities hardest hit by global warming
Baghdad is already pretty hot. And it’s likely to get even hotter. A report from the European Union Institute of Security Studies projects that the number of days when temperatures in Baghdad hit 120 degrees will go from roughly 14 per year to more than 40 over the next two decades.
National
Why are these tree experts arguing about the sex appeal of eucalypts?
Would you pick from the sexy gum, the world’s tallest flowering gum or a backyard favourite? The Eucalypt of the Year competition has opened for another year and it’s claws out between the states.
386 grams of CO2: 4.2 million reasons to Go For Zero
Professor Alan Duffy, an astrophysicist from Swinburne University in Melbourne, is lending his support to an ambitious national campaign to round up over 4 million old and broken mobile phones and get them recycled.
Australia’s resilient fisheries and aquaculture bounce back
Australia’s fisheries and aquaculture sectors are set to reach a 20-year high this financial year, with the domestic industry on the up and exports forecast to rise for years to come.
‘The government pays out every time’: Experts call for disaster insurance scheme
Climate change is driving insurance costs up and with natural disasters forecast to rise, experts say the government will need to step in to lower premiums.
Climate-induced flood risks cast doubt on economic future
Heightened flooding risks spurred on by climate change will mean greater uncertainty for Australia’s future economic growth.
Clean energy returns trail oil, pre-dating outbreak of war [$]
Investors backing clean energy stocks have been left behind in the past year, with oil and gas producers outperforming their renewable counterparts.
Farmers say a more pro-active approach to climate change is needed – SBS podcast
Climate change is causing extreme weather systems across the country, with the effects rippling right through the food supply chain.
Decolonising my mind as a woman of colour in the climate movement
Varsha Yajman
The voices of people of colour and Indigenous people need to be far more prominent in the environmental movement, according to 19-year-old climate activist Varsha Yajman.
The ‘she’ll be right’ syndrome: Australia’s doomed koalas
Binoy Kampmark
In a country expert in killing off mammal species at a rate exceeding that of others, Australians face the prospect that the koala, one of its most recognisable animals, has its days numbered.
What are conservative commentators saying about the floods and climate?
Graham Readfearn
Australia has been through worse, Chris Kenny contends, while Andrew Bolt suggests global heating is ‘brilliant for farmers’
Why gas is Australia’s best weapon against Putin
David Crowe
Australia could help reduce Russia’s leverage over Europe – especially if this war drags on for years.
Offshore wind will come to Australian waters – as long as we pave the way for this new industry
Llewelyn Hughes et al
Offshore wind is playing an important role in Europe’s shift to renewables.
From field to store to plate, our farmers are increasingly worried about climate change
Stephen Bartos
Empty supermarket shelves still shock Australians, who have become accustomed to being able to buy the food they want. But we can expect to see more empty shelves, more often, in coming decades.
Rachel Withers
No expense will be spared in keeping Australians safe, unless it involves taking climate action
Australians more concerned about climate change than Covid-19
Quentin Maire et al
The top concern for most Australians is the impact of climate change and the environment, despite learning to live with the COVID-19 pandemic
What value coal? AGL’s demerger looks to divide without conquering
David Leitch
AGL shareholders will soon be asked to assess the value of the proposed demerger. But they might not have much to go on.
Floods forcing parties to confront ugly truth on climate
Letters
It should be no surprise to anyone that climate change is the key issue on the minds of Australians given the weather extremes experienced in so much of the country
Victoria
New EcoCentre to bring world leading sustainable design and construction
Port Phillip EcoCentre is getting a new home thanks to a $5.5 million redevelopment that will meet world class sustainability standards in structure and design.
Force of nature – women who make up Parks Victoria
Around 39 per cent of Parks Victoria’s employees are women. Since 2017, the percentage of women at Parks Victoria has grown by four points, and the number of women in leadership roles has increased – now at 47 per cent.
‘Metro’ Mornington Peninsula an economic drag [$]
A new report reveals rezoning the Mornington Peninsula as regional would not only unlock more funding but would fix social and economic inequalities.
Opposition’s climate confusion a lesson in policy fumble
Josh Gordon
Ask any pollster and they’ll tell you most voters want more action to tackle climate change, not a suite of policies that voters in the middle might see as environmentally regressive.
State opposition owes voters a clear climate agenda
Age editorial
That Victoria now has bipartisan support on climate change action is to be commended. But as the election draws closer, we would expect the Coalition to have a lot more to say on the issue.
New South Wales
Nuclear waste expected to arrive in Port Kembla from the UK this weekend
A shipment of processed nuclear waste from the United Kingdom is likely to arrive in Port Kembla this weekend on its way to Sydney.
Climate activists call for ‘solutions not pollution’
Climate activists protested amid the rainstorm outside a business summit at the Hyatt Regency to demand funding for climate solutions.
Oceanex talks $10 billion NSW floating offshore wind plans, and huge supply-chain task
Oceanex Energy offers new details on gigawatt-scale plans for NSW coast, ahead of release of major report mapping out the enormous task as the industry scales up.
Should we be turning mega-waste into mega-watts?
Tom Melville
Out Tarago way, on the NSW Southern Tablelands between Goulburn and Braidwood they’re complaining like the rest of us about the rain. It’s cut roads, flooded paddocks, delayed harvests and generally made life miserable.
As the flood waters rise, so too does our fury over climate change inaction
Meg and Peter Nielsen
Yet again our farm at Bentley, west of Lismore, is isolated by flood waters. This time we were lucky. We got our herd of Angus-Limousin cattle to higher ground before the paddocks were inundated. Fallen trees block whatever paths may exist, our roads and tracks are washed out, but yes, we are lucky because we are safe.
ACT
Judge warns of public commentary risk ahead of trial of Brittany Higgins’ alleged rapist
Chief Justice Lucy McCallum has warned the more the public talk about Brittany Higgins’ alleged rape, the more likely the prosecution will be halted.
Battery scale mix eyed to bolster ACT grid capacity in energy shift: Shane Rattenbury
Batteries at different scales will have a role to play in bolstering the ACT’s electricity grid, as the shift to renewable energy puts greater pressure on power supplies in the territory, the Energy and Emissions Reduction Minister has said.
Queensland
Polystyrene ‘white spill’ from floods causing an ‘environmental catastrophe’ on beaches
Brisbane River’s polystyrene pontoons, torn from their moorings in the floods, are breaking up along 300 kilometres of beaches, threatening nesting turtles and raising fears that other marine animals will mistake the white pieces for food.
First steps taken on pathways to restore parks
Logan City Council has begun a recovery program to restore playgrounds, facilities, pathways and trails in the city’s parks.
Leading marine scientist says Moreton Bay, one of three sites shortlisted, is bad choice due to risk to reactors if jellyfish sucked in
Unesco to visit Great Barrier Reef as coral bleaching risk rises
Environment groups say visiting scientists must be given true picture of the reef, ahead of world heritage committee meeting in June
Why SEQ dam failed to capture millions of litres of water [$]
A South East Queensland dam that supports local producers has failed to capture hundreds of millions of litres of water in the wake of last week’s weather.
‘Appalling’ stench as pop-up flood tip at Brisbane park fills with household waste
Outraged Brisbane residents blast council and say rotting food and flood waste should have been dumped at two nearby tips instead of at the local park.
Coalition keeping net zero plan a secret in Qld’s coal heartland [$]
Robert Shwarten
Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his LNP government are now net zero emission emissaries but you’ve never know it in Central Queensland.
South Australia
‘Significant step forward’ for disputed Yorke Peninsula copper mine
SA miner Rex Minerals has partnered with the multinational company that delivered the Carrapateena copper project to build a proposed Yorke Peninsula mine at the heart of a community and political backlash.
Goodwood bikeway overpass project delayed after community backlash
Plans for a $25m upgrade of the Goodwood Railway Station tram overpass have been put on hold after residents vented their frustration with the Transport Minister about a lack of consultation on the project.
In the latest Campaign Diary: the Marshall Government defends its green credentials after copping a ‘fail’ on an environmental lobby scorecard, and a prominent independent in the sights of a Right-wing activist group.
Giant problem could sink Labor’s $593m power plant [$]
The centrepiece of Labor’s election campaign could already be doomed as crossbench MPs warn local fears over an iconic species are a deal breaker.
South Australia names partners to $13 billion hydrogen hub as poll hangs in balance
South Australian Liberal government reveals key partners in proposed $13 billion hydrogen hub, seeking to trump Labor ahead of state election too close to call.
Tasmania
Tamar dredging program still on cards despite TEMT report
A “targeted dredging program” for the Tamar Estuary is still likely to proceed despite a report into sediment management options showing dredging was unlikely to have a significant impact on aesthetic or channel access for the estuary.
‘Sad, disappointing’: 150 plants stolen in nature strip heist [$]
Brazen robbers have made off with more than 150 plants after plundering a nature strip at the entrance to a Tasmanian town, leaving the local mayor dismayed.
Why I support a Battery Point walkway
Ryan Posselt
Hobart’s roads are increasingly clogged with cars, and drivers frequently complain that parking in the CBD is a challenge.
How to value transmission? Why Marinus has less chance of covering costs than Basslink
Bruce Mountain & Ben Willey
Considering the abject failure of Basslink, why do the powers-that-be want to boost Tasmania to Victoria interconnection for twice the cost?
Northern Territory
Action on climate change needed now before NT heats up
Groups across the Northern Territory have released a scorecard assessing the NT Government’s climate performance against the recommendations of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Western Australia
Aboriginal Affairs ministers coy as WA council plans ‘Juukan Gorge repeat’
The WA and Federal representatives for Aboriginal people have remained coy as a Perth council ploughs ahead with a bridge plan critics say will have a “Juukan Gorge-style” impact on Aboriginal heritage sites.
RBA deputy governor Guy Debelle to join Fortescue’s renewable energy push
Reserve Bank deputy governor Guy Debelle is leaving the bank to join Andrew Forrest’s renewable energy business, Fortescue Future Industries
‘Diversify’: WA warned it has over-reliance on mining sector
The economic boom is expected to continue in Western Australia for another two years despite the pandemic, but experts have issued a warning after mining reached a record 47 per cent share of WA’s economy.
It’s time to end fossil fuels’ total capture of Perth
David Ritter
The power of corporations has held back climate and environmental progress in Australia for too long. It’s time to fight back
Sustainability
UN watchdog says it has lost data at a second Ukraine nuclear plant
Zaporizhzhia, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, has been in Russian hands since last week when a blaze broke out in a building at the site.
Toxic pollution demands ‘immediate, ambitious action’
A new report by United Nations experts is raising renewed alarms about toxic pollution’s devastating impact on human rights.
Millions suffering in deadly pollution ‘sacrifice zones’, warns UN expert
Businesses blamed for rise of toxic hotspots hitting poor communities hardest
Higher levels of PFAS exposure may increase chance of Covid, studies say
Four studies are first to support theory PFAS could hinder body’s ability to fight virus, but authors say more is research needed
Relocating farmland could turn back clock twenty years on carbon emissions, say scientists
Scientists have produced a map showing where the world’s major food crops should be grown to maximize yield and minimize environmental impact. This would capture large amounts of carbon, increase biodiversity, and cut agricultural use of freshwater to zero.
Tracing regenerative farming to its Indigenous roots
In her new book, Liz Carlisle shows that carbon can be stored in the soil if we adopt ancestral land management strategies, many of which are held by communities of color.
In the most detailed study of its kind, scientists investigated biodiversity offsets purchased by owners of one of the world’s largest nickel mines. In this case, it looks like the mining company succeeded.
Three charts to help make sense of 2021, a year coal was up and solar was way up
One of the near constants in the transition to clean energy has been the decline of coal as a fuel for power plants. And then 2021 happened.
Plants humans don’t need are heading for extinction, study finds
Bleak picture for biodiversity as analysis of over 80,000 species forecasts more losers than winners
UN ocean treaty is ‘once in a lifetime’ chance to protect the high seas
Negotiators aim to agree on legal framework for protecting international waters that are key to ‘life as we know it’
Climate change fundamentally affecting European birds, study shows
Changes to birds’ size, habits and morphology have been linked to rising temperatures
One step closer to artificial rhino eggs
To prevent the extinction of the northern white rhino, researchers are attempting to create artificial egg cells from stem cells. A team has now revealed that they are one step closer to achieving this goal.
Caribbean coral reefs have been warming for at least 100 years
Data also reveals increase in amount and length of reef-disrupting abnormal heatwave events
Sergio E. Morales et al
Antarctica represents one of the last frontiers for discoveries on Earth. Our focus is on what lies beneath the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica’s massive wedge of floating ice that shelters the southern-most extension of the Southern Ocean.
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