Post of the Day
8 endangered places we can still save from climate change
As we hurtle toward an ever-hotter future, GQ spotlights the places whose very identities depend on a simple calculation: If we limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, these places could be saved. In a 2-degree scenario, they would be irredeemably lost.
Today’s Celebration
Ecological Observance
National Tree Planting Day – Tanzania
Climate Change
‘I’m prepared to die’: man on hunger strike fights for UK MPs to get climate briefing – video
A man on hunger strikes has said he is willing to starve himself to death if the energy minister, Greg Hands, does not offer all MPs the same climate crisis briefing that Boris Johnson has described as his ‘road to Damascus moment’.
National
Government to stop carbon projects that interfere with agriculture, regional communities
Australia’s Agriculture Minister will have the power to stop new carbon farming projects covering more than 15 hectares, or more than one third of a farm, from next week.
Australia’s biodiesel sector wants better investment to help improve the nation’s fuel security as the war in Ukraine highlights the volatility of relying on a global oil supply.
Australia has undergone the world’s second-largest shift to solar and wind in recent years
The budget might not have included any new funding for renewable energy, but Australia has nonetheless taken strides in solar and wind generation in recent years.
Banksia sustainability award winners herald bright future for Australia
An organisation on a mission to eliminate polystyrene from the world’s supply chains has won gold at Australia’s longest running and most prestigious sustainability awards.
Government’s claims on renewable energy put to the test
A budget cut in climate spending and federal government claims about billions of dollars of investment in renewable energy are under scrutiny.
Coal miners unable to raise output even as prices soar
Labour shortages, depleting coal fields and an investor-led retreat from fossil fuels are restricting Australian coal miners’ ability to expand.
Qantas says customers willing to cover cost of carbon targets
Qantas boss Alan Joyce says customers are willing to pay, but government investment could quickly bring down the cost of greener fuel options.
Uranium sector heats up as Russian blacklisting thaws nuclear winter [$]
Uranium bull John Borshoff reckons war in Ukraine is yet another catalyst that will reheat a sector that struggled in the decade after Fukushima.
Carbon credit fraud claim ‘completely unfounded’: Taylor
Energy and Emissions Reduction Minister Angus Taylor has rejected claims of fraud in a $1 billion taxpayer-funded carbon credit scheme, saying the criticism is unfounded and part of a political attack on the industry.
Major chains sign deal to buy energy from Australia’s biggest wind and solar farms
Four big retail chains owned by Wesfarmers sign deal with CleanCo to take renewable energy supply from the country’s biggest wind and solar farms.
Renewables agency forced to spend $100m on consultant and labour hire after staff cuts
Years of Coalition public service staff cuts have led to a $100m consultant and labour hire bill for ARENA, paid for using its renewable energy grant funds.
Why would a pre-election budget cut funds for climate action?
The Federal Budget papers show a re-elected Morrison Government would slash funding for climate action, reports The Guardian. Does the Government really think this is an election-winning strategy?
Morrison’s counterfeit carbon economy – 7am podcast
Australia’s pledge to achieve net zero carbon emissions relies in part on the success of the federal government’s carbon market. But explosive claims show almost all the money spent on emissions reduction has gone to projects that did not contribute to reductions. Today, Mike Seccombe on the man blowing the whistle on the Morrison government’s sham carbon projects.
Federal Budget under fire from those at the front-lines of climate change
Cate Carrigan
As the Federal Budget was handed down and debated this week, people in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales were again evacuating their homes amid rising floodwaters.
Orwellian interventions in climate debate alarming
Canberra Times editorial
It’s an eerily Orwellian scenario. A highly regarded academic is recruited to advise the government on climate change policy and, a little later, to serve as the chief scientist at the CSIRO’s Climate Science Centre. He then learns he cannot speak publicly and honestly on his findings.
Get ready, the ‘mining boom on steroids’ is coming
Peter Milne
Want to spend a few billion dollars on a resource project in Australia? Well, get ready to do your homework, take financial risks, and fight in the war for talent because the years ahead will be like the mining boom on steroids.
Why Joyce needed to add some green to Qantas’ red livery
Elizabeth Knight
At the heart of this green push is Joyce’s understanding that Qantas’ two major stakeholders – the shareholders and customers want action.
Samantha Hepburn
Tuesday night’s federal budget confirmed the Morrison government will spend A$50.3 million on gas projects in the Northern Territory, South Australia and the east coast.
Victoria
Victoria leads way in improving ambient air quality
Victoria has just adopted the nation’s toughest standards on ambient air quality for ozone and sulfur dioxide.
Victorian orchid’s supposed extinction a case of mistaken identity
A small, lemon-scented orchid that was believed to be extinct has been discovered hiding in plain sight by scientific sleuths at the Royal Botanic Gardens.
Andrews’ $11.5b suburban loop doesn’t stack up: Canberra
Responding to the federal government’s knock-back, Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan said Victorians were “sick of being ignored on projects they voted for”.
Vegetation levy hike adds to cost of new homes [$]
New home buyers in Melbourne’s outer growth corridors will be slugged environmental levies to offset the impact of clearing native vegetation.
$500m Gippsland wind farm plan approved [$]
The first wind farm to be constructed on a Victorian timber plantation has been given the green light, with one major caveat.
It’s Victoria’s fault we didn’t get more federal transport funding
Roshena Campbell
Why didn’t our state get federal funding for a landmark regional project? Perhaps we don’t have the runs on the board to show we can deliver.
New South Wales
$10m crematorium plan up in smoke as rare orchid discovery nips proposal in the bud
A plan to build a funeral complex on the NSW South Coast appears to have died on the vine after more than 100 rare orchids were found at the proposed site of the development.
Sydney is set to be thrashed by damaging winds
Wind gusts of up to 100km/h are expected to thrash Sydney with several households evacuated as roof rips off building.
Time to give ‘little Manhattan’ its promised park [$]
It’s like living in New York ‘without Central Park’ but a crowded riverside suburb has ramped up calls for a waterfront park to finally be delivered.
Pumped hydro project promises money and jobs for NSW coal communities
Study finds pumped hydro energy storage project would generate hundreds of jobs and tip tens of millions of dollars into dwindling NSW coal economies.
ACT
Home Energy Support Program available to low-income home owners: Shane Rattenbury
Low-income home owners can now apply for up to $2500 in rebates to have rooftop solar installed, as part of an ACT government program designed to improve energy efficiency and drive down prices.
Parramatta light rail setback is a betrayal of Sydney’s new pioneer populations
David Borger
Thousands of people have moved to the affected areas with the promise of public transport.
Queensland
‘Massive milestone’ as contracts for next stage of Gold Coast’s light rail signed
Construction giant John Holland signs the contract to carry out major works on stage three of the Gold Coast light rail which will extend the rail by about seven kilometres from Broadbeach to Burleigh Heads.
Brisbane City Council still fighting Extinction Rebellion discrimination complaint over library ban
A ban on Extinction Rebellion members using library meeting rooms is still being appealed, more than two years after mass disruptions on Brisbane streets.
Fears over asbestos inhalation as Australians clean up after flooding
Australians cleaning up their properties in the wake of destructive flooding are being warned to think twice about handling some building materials due to the risk of asbestos inhalation.
Adani convoy ‘lite’ accused of ‘running from a fight’ [$]
An Adani convoy “lite” is returning to Queensland but the day it is starting has raised a few eyebrows and led to accusations that promoter Bob Brown is ‘running from a fight’.
Brisbane’s anti-flood devices worked but homes flooded anyway. What now?
Devices designed to stop the Brisbane River flowing up through stormwater drains were installed after the 2011 floods and did just that in 2022, but houses flooded anyway, exposing holes in the city’s flood defences.
Massive 3,000MW Queensland green hydrogen plant a step closer to reality
A massive new green hydrogen export facility proposed for Queensland is closer to fruition, progressing to the next stage of federal environmental approvals.
Queensland to pay for Albo’s new carbon tax [$]
Matt Canavan
Once again the Labor Party and the Greens are teaming up to hit Queensland’s mining industry, which produces the wealth for our nation.
South Australia
Santos eyes carbon credits as lucrative revenue stream [$]
Santos managing director and chief executive Kevin Gallagher says its carbon capture and storage operations will drive growth for the company.
Tasmania
Trespass charges against Bob Brown and three others dropped over Eastern Tiers protest action
Bob Brown has questioned the reasons behind police withdrawing trespass charges against him and three others on Thursday before they were to be sent to a three-day hearing in court
Piecing thylacine DNA back together
Charles Feigin
New research is using genomes from living thylacine relatives to build a new, chromosome-scale genome for the de-extinction of the Tasmanian tiger
Northern Territory
Mega prawn farm plan in northern Australia seems dead in the water
The idea of building the world’s largest prawn farm on a remote Northern Territory cattle station seemed ambitious. Now it has been deemed unviable.
Western Australia
New national park is declared to help protect some of the world’s oldest rocks
A new national park in the heart of Midwest iron ore country aims to protect banded iron formations, which have some of the oldest rocks in the world.
Trails plan for ‘Kings Park of the south’ pits bikers against environmentalists
A decade-long debate over mountain bike trails in the City of Cockburn’s Manning Park has set people who want to preserve urban bushland against mountain bikers.
What do WA’s carnivorous plants eat? Turns out we were not that sure
Western Australia is home to the most species of carnivorous plants in the world – but the nature of their feeding makes it difficult to know what they have chowed down on.
Feds intervene in WA government’s approval of controversial Midland bridge
The federal government is investigating the West Australian government’s approval of a controversial $40 million bridge in Midland to see whether it poses a risk to nearby Aboriginal heritage sites.
Woodside secures new LNG export supplies [$]
The early start is a boost to Woodside as they can increase lucrative LNG cargo exports that are in high-demand amid a global energy crunch.
Sustainability
9 women fighting for justice and for our planet in Americas
From Chile to Canada, women are at the forefront of the climate crisis, and are one of the most impacted groups by climate catastrophes.
Our cities are making us fat and unhealthy – a ‘healthy location index’ can help us plan better
As councils and central government consider what cities of the future will look like, a new tool has been developed to map how various features of where we live influence public health.
Beat the petrol price hike! Could hypermiling be the answer to soaring fuel costs?
Hypermiling – driving for maximum fuel efficiency – used to be a niche pursuit. But with high petrol prices, Guinness World Record winner Kevin Brooker thinks we can all learn something from it. Here are his tips
Russians leave Chernobyl after radiation exposure as fighting continues
Russian troops have started leaving the Chernobyl nuclear plant after soldiers got “significant doses” of radiation from digging trenches at the site.
Graham Readfearn
Unattributed extracts from an essay decrying renewables and electric vehicles are being used to undermine their environmental credentials
Nature Conservation
Mortality of seagrass meadows may not kill their methane release
Conservationists advocate using vegetated coastal ecosystems to help mitigate climate change through so-called blue carbon initiatives. Such initiatives are complicated by the ecosystems’ methane emissions.
8 endangered places we can still save from climate change
As we hurtle toward an ever-hotter future, GQ spotlights the places whose very identities depend on a simple calculation: If we limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, these places could be saved. In a 2-degree scenario, they would be irredeemably lost.
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