Post of the Day
One of the leading advocates of energy conservation explains why this could be a turning point for climate economics
On This Day
Ecological Observance
National Weed Appreciation Day – USA
Climate Change
Global warming folly creating affordability nightmare [$]
Andrew Bolt
You may think huge rises in petrol and food prices – is just Putin’s fault, but our global warming extremists helped create this nightmare.
National
Carbon market industry rebukes claims Australia’s emissions reduction fund is a ‘fraud’
The carbon market industry has refuted claims that Australia’s emissions reduction fund is a “fraud”, labelling them an attack on a wide range of participants.
Coalition unveils $17.9bn pre-election cash splash on road and rail projects
Largest new spending is $3.1bn for Melbourne Intermodal Terminal with package also allocating $140m for a regional road safety program
Severe weather is set to return to flood-ravaged NSW and south-east Queensland
Coalition earmarks more cash for commuter car parks in marginal seats
Train station car parks promised to key seats at the 2019 election are getting a fresh funding boost ahead of this year’s poll under an infrastructure package to be confirmed in Tuesday’s budget.
No, sunscreen chemicals are not bleaching Great Barrier Reef
Nial Wheate
For the sixth time in the last 25 years, the Great Barrier Reef is bleaching. During bleaching events, people are quick to point the finger at different causes, including sunscreen.
Frank Bongiorno and David Lee
Most commentators on the coming federal election probably see a hung parliament and a minority government as one possible outcome. There is already a crossbench of seven, with five independents plus Liberal defector Craig Kelly for the United Australia Party and Greens leader Adam Bandt.
Don’t believe what you hear about fuel excise and road funding in the forthcoming election campaign
John Austen
It is impossible to avoid the conclusion that road spending is way too high, priorities are wrong, and there is a roads empire which is out of control.
Victoria
‘This is not Australia in 2022’: Towns plead for running water, sewerage
In communities in this part of north-west Victoria, residents who’ve had surgery are advised to recuperate elsewhere due to the infection risk from their own water supply, and some parents of newborns have to buy bottled water for formula.
No-one can figure out how to solve this giant waste problem
In just five years’ time, there will be no space in landfill across Melbourne’s sprawling south-east, and a proposed alternative waste plan is dividing councils.
Melbourne’s moment: Eight keys to the future of the city
What is the future of Melbourne? Just how should our city seize this moment? These eight keys could unlock a revived Melbourne …
Libs pledge to limit desal water orders [$]
Victoria’s desalination plant will only operate under specific conditions, with the Coalition slamming Labor for expensive water orders.
Major issue threatens to derail airport link [$]
A spat between the federal and state governments over one crucial aspect of the planned airport rail link is threatening to derail the $10bn project.
New South Wales
Free public transport for everyone across Greater Sydney during Easter school holidays
Public transport will be free across Sydney’s entire network for 12 consecutive days during the Easter holidays.
Fears for more ’life-threatening’ floods in NSW [$]
NSW is bracing for more “life-threatening flash flooding” as torrential rain impacts the state for a second time this month.
NSW government set to delay mega projects amid COVID-19 pressures
The NSW government is preparing to delay several multi-billion dollar mega projects due to rapidly escalating costs and labour shortages, leaving commuters on Sydney’s northern beaches and in fast-growing suburbs around Olympic Park facing slower journeys for years longer than originally promised.
True impact of floods on animal populations remains unknown
Byron Bay wildlife vet Dr Bree Talbot said animals have survived the floods, but food sources and habitats have been badly disrupted.
NSW’s hydrogen hub attracts eight times more interest than expected [$]
Companies proposing more than $4 billion in investment have expressed interest in joining the scheme, highlighting interest in the zero emission technology.
Property developers fight NSW bid to make houses more energy-efficient and climate-resilient
Property developers in New South Wales are fighting against the introduction of a wide-ranging planning policy aimed at ensuring houses are more energy-efficient and climate-resilient, which one environment group described as “everything you could ever dream about”.
Grant Blockade Australia protesters their wish [$]
Tim Blair
Blockade Australia climate protesters say they want to stop Australia’s operation – so let’s do that, beginning with a halt to police protection for climate protesters
Queensland
Queensland’s proposed coal mines would double emissions, report suggests
Such an increase would make the state’s target of reducing emissions by 30 per cent of 2005 levels by 2030 “effectively impossible”, the report states.
Properties worth $25b at risk from coastal erosion
New research shows climate change is already being felt in popular beachside areas, but Paradise Point on the Gold Coast is by far the Australian suburb at greatest risk.
Queenslanders bracing for more rain just weeks after flood disaster
Severe storms have already hit parts of the state. Now Brisbane, the Gold and Sunshine coasts are back in the firing line.
The difficult science of computer modelling may soon mean locally caught Spanish mackerel is off the menu for Cooloola Coast diners and recreational fishers.
A new milestone of coral bleaching for the Great Barrier Reef – Full Story podcast
The Great Barrier Reef has been hit with another mass coral bleaching event, with aerial surveys showing almost no reefs across a 1,200km stretch escaping the heat. This is the sixth mass bleaching event for the reef and the first to ever happen during La Niña. Guardian Australia environment reporter Graham Readfearn breaks down what you need to know, and explains what it means for the push to list the reef as ‘in danger’
Something fishy in Labor-Greens plan to ban Spanish mackerel [$]
Peter Gleeson
A Labor-Greens alliance that will ban the commercial fishing of Spanish mackerel from July 1 will destroy livelihoods. Those out on the water say the data behind the move is a stitch up
South Australia
The SA coastal suburbs which could ebb away [$]
Coastal erosion caused by climate change is wreaking havoc with high-end South Australian suburbs, leaving millions of dollars in property vulnerable, according to a new report.
Tasmania
Bowser pain fuels a transport revolution in Tasmania
Eye-watering petrol prices are presenting yet another cost of living pressure for Tasmanians; so perhaps it should be no surprise that motorists are turning their backs on cars.
Northern Territory
Traditional owners lawyer up to stop massive Northern Territory gas project
A bitter feud is brewing in the Top End as Indigenous communities launch a legal campaign to foil a vast Northern Territory gas project they claim will be a cultural and ecological disaster.
Petrol prices push commuters to swap to e-scooters [$]
Looking for a way to escape skyrocketing petrol prices? Meet the Darwin residents dropping down to two-wheels to avoid the fuel pump.
Conservationists call for tighter fishing rules to protect endangered sharks in NT waters
Scalloped hammerheads have been recognised as ‘critically endangered’ by the International Union for Conservation since 2018. But the species is not protected as endangered under Australia’s environmental laws.
Sustainability
Oil giants under scrutiny as climate pressure intensifies
Could a global carbon price be the only way to secure gas’s role in the energy transition?
One of the leading advocates of energy conservation explains why this could be a turning point for climate economics
How to game the dystopian future
In “Imaginable,” the futurist and game designer Jane McGonigal argues that being open to even far-fetched catastrophes can better prepare us.
Europe doesn’t need more gas to replace Russia’s. That’s a climate disaster
Rebecca Leber
In five years, European countries hope to end dependence on Russian fossil fuels, and by the end of the year, they look to slash reliance on Russian gas by two-thirds. The biggest question now is whether it’s a transition off oil and gas – or just off Russianoil and gas.
Talking nuclear and ‘the smoke and mirrors game of shadows’
Noel Wauchope
Noel Wauchope tests the ‘nuclear’ facts in an interview between former CEO of Australia’s Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Dr Adi Paterson, and Sky News host Chris Kenny.
Ukraine war deals ‘massive blow’ to nature as Belarus’s largest wildlife NGO shut down
Former employees arrested for ‘extremist activities’, fuelling fears for conservationists’ safety and the future of protected areas
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