Post of the Day
Signals of a warmed world: Endless Australian rain and 20 years of American drought
As rain continues to batter Australia’s east coast, the drought on the west coast of the US is entering its third decade and cities are grappling with how they manage dwindling water supplies.
On This Day
Baisakhi – Sikhism
Climate Change
Signals of a warmed world: Endless Australian rain and 20 years of American drought
As rain continues to batter Australia’s east coast, the drought on the west coast of the US is entering its third decade and cities are grappling with how they manage dwindling water supplies.
Maryland just passed one of the most aggressive climate laws in the US
The landmark legislation targets net-zero carbon by 2045 and takes decisive action on building decarbonization and environmental justice.
Inside a legal doctrine that could derail Biden climate regs
Conservative groups have asked the Supreme Court to establish a more muscular major questions doctrine that could strike down climate rules.
How polluting industries mobilized to block climate action
The latest IPCC mitigation report states clearly that politics and corporate power are the only real impediments to action — not a lack of scientific evidence, technological or policy options, or even money.
The war on climate change requires national sacrifices
David Shearman
A ban on Russian gas, coal and oil could both cripple Russia’s war effort and simultaneously reduce greenhouse emissions. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s initial response to a ban was negative, because it might trigger a German and European recession.
Is civil disobedience OK if it’s the only way to prevent climate catastrophe?
Elizabeth Cripps
Protesters from Just Stop Oil may be breaking the law and yet still be morally right in the face of future disaster
Extinction Rebellion, take note: we’ll start caring when it gets personal [$]
Will Pavia
No one doubts the science of climate change but extinction is a lot to get your head around. Regular wild fires, snow-free slopes or gardens full of dead grass and mosquitoes would be a better focus for campaigners.
National
Why collecting koala sperm could be the answer to saving the species
New research suggests we should be biobanking koala reproductive material now as an insurance policy for future koala populations and to ensure genetic diversity.
Students claim moral win on climate harm
Eight students who initially won, but then lost, a legal bid to force the federal government to protect them from climate change say it’s a disgrace they ever had to go to court.
Analysis from Investor Group on Climate Change places economic viability of eight major fossil fuel projects in doubt
Woolworths seen as having the best green credentials [$]
Research suggests there is a disconnect between what businesses are doing to improve social or environmental issues and what Australians think they’re doing.
Highest ever price at government carbon auction fails to attract much interest
Highest ever price at a carbon auction and modest take-up underlines the failure of the government’s flagship climate policy.
Election diary: Joyce pledges $1.5 bn on gas, as modelling reveals why that’s a bad idea
Nationals leader Joyce unveils $1.5 billion gas project as modelling reveals how much Australia’s climate failure could cost the budget.
50 years ago, one man saw the future of Australia’s climate crisis
Today’s climate experts were in awe when the ABC played them quotes from one man in the early 1970s on the climate crisis and how it could be averted.
Voters love the Greens’ message more than ever – but it may not lead to a surge of votes for them
Narelle Miragliotta
The Greens have long battled against the perception they’re the radical fringe or the electoral ingenues of Australian politics. Today, neither of these labels bedevil them in quite the same way they might have previously.
Want to invest in Australian renewable energy? Good luck
Charlotte Grieve
A lack of large ASX-listed companies specialising in clean energy means retail investors have almost no way to get exposure to Australia’s renewable energy push.
Albanese can’t be all things to the Greens and the bush [$]
Barnaby Joyce
Putting ‘farmer’ in front of a talking point won’t win Labor the regional seats it needs to form government.
The need for a department of climate change is now self-evident
Mike Scrafton
The time has come for a powerful government Climate Department to allow strong action on legislating, regulating, and coordinating mitigation, adaptation, and transition.
Coalition throws more billions at fossil fuels as Albo’s apology tour continues [$]
Bernard Keane
A whopping entry for Porkwatch, Albanese’s apology tour of Tasmania, and Scott Morrison gets some love from journalists — all in an exciting day two of the 2022 campaign.
Victoria
Motorcyclists slam ‘discriminatory’ electric vehicle subsidy in Victoria
Victorians who buy a new zero-emission car can receive a $3,000 subsidy but those selling electric motorcycles say they are being overlooked by the scheme.
The hole story: New details of West Gate Tunnel progress revealed
For the first time since the project began, two enormous tunnel boring machines are active beneath Yarraville, where they will drill almost seven kilometres of underground road.
‘Laughable’: Farmers forced to get fence permits
Andrews Government bureaucrats want to protect “valued scenic, rural vistas” by forcing farmers to get permits to build fences.
New South Wales
Why do giant endangered turtles keep washing up on NSW beaches?
Four of the world’s largest sea turtles that are rarely found close to Australia’s shore have washed up on the NSW Central Coast over the past couple of weeks in what experts have described as concerning and unusual.
How to access free public transport from Thursday [$]
Public transport will be free on all NSW services for 12 days from Thursday.
ACT
ACT govt recruits green thumbs to help meet canopy target
The ACT government is encouraging the public to help boost its tree planting efforts with grants offered for supporting its tree canopy target.
Queensland
‘Authors of our own story’: Native title recognised in southern Queensland
For decades, the Wakka Wakka people have been fighting for control of their lands. Today, the federal court formally recognised them as Native Titleholders.
Qld walking on sunshine – 2022 set to be bumper resources year
The Queensland Resources Council’s (QRC) latest CEO sentiment survey results are in – and the news is good for every Queenslander. QRC Chief Executive Ian Macfarlane said all signs point to a bumper year for Queensland’s resources sector – and the Queensland budget.
Massive $4.7 billion hydrogen scheme unveiled but money, approvals still to come
Plans for a $4.7 billion industrial scale hydrogen and ammonia hub in Gladstone were unveiled today by a joint venture between Orica and H2U that could potentially employ 550 people in construction.
It’s all electric as new buses and bus depot roll out in Queensland
Australia’s first 100 per cent electric bus depot will open its doors on the Gold Coast today, ahead of 30 new electric buses hitting Queensland roads from next month.
Victims of 2011 Brisbane floods lose High Court appeal against dam engineers
The High Court dashes hopes of further compensation for thousands of victims of the disastrous 2011 Brisbane and Ipswich floods.
South Australia
Desalination plant a step closer for Eyre Peninsula after years of debate and community backlash
An independent committee has short-listed four of the most suitable locations on the lower Eyre Peninsula for a desalination plant
Tasmania
Bleaching in deep waters off Tasmania
Scientists have recorded bleaching for the first time in sponges in deep-shelf waters off Tasmania, in what is likely a “canary-in-the-coal-mine” sign of stress from underwater heat waves.
Blue Derby Wild wins temporary halt against logging in two coupes [$]
An environmental group has won a temporary injunction against the logging of two north-west forestry coupes – in the wake of revelations Tasmanian logging may have been illegal for decades.
As the federal election looms, is the Tamar Estuary any cleaner? [$]
Caitlin Jarvis
While focus so far on the federal election has rightly been on the health sector, the health of the Tamar Estuary has not strayed far from the minds of the voting public in Northern Tasmania, as the results of a poll commissioned by The Examiner shows.
Revealed: Big Japanese buyer behind $15bn Desert Bloom green hydrogen plan
Massive 10GW Desert Bloom green hydrogen project signs up Japanese gas giant, and flags scale of project could be doubled to 20GW.
Western Australia
Community ‘bypassed’ under major projects fast-track plan
A plan to put decision-making on multimillion-dollar developments in the hands of a new planning body, modelled off a COVID measure to fast-track projects, will diminish community input, the opposition says.
Kwinana goes green under renewables plan [$]
The City of Kwinana’s biggest energy-guzzling sites have switched to renewable energy sources.
How quick wins for our climate could also help our hip pockets
Brad Pettitt and Brad Hiller
While Australia was singled out recently by the UN Secretary General as a climate “holdout”, it is WA that is performing worst.
Sustainability
Cities are major polluters: Can we make them climate neutral?
Spewing most of the world’s heat-trapping gases, fast-growing cities need to be transformed into clean, low emissions ecosystems in the struggle against climate breakdown.
Children view eating meat as less morally acceptable, study finds
“Children are motivated to consider harm against the natural world, including animals, and as such we might want to consider beginning these discussions about food decisions early in life,” the study’s lead author Luke McGuire said.
Solution to world’s largest waste stream: Make sand
After water, sand is the most exploited natural resource on the planet. However, its extraction from seas, rivers, beaches and quarries has an impact on the environment and surrounding communities.
Method efficiently breaks down plastic bottles into component parts
A Northwestern University research team is the first to demonstrate that a material called a metal-organic framework (MOF) is a stable and selective catalyst for breaking down polyester-based plastic into its component parts.
Bacteria generate electricity from methane
Generating power while purifying the environment of greenhouse gases should be achievable using bacteria.
Potential to reduce reliance on non-renewable fertilizers in agriculture
An enzyme that can help release phosphorus from its organic forms has been identified.
To make our wardrobes sustainable, we must cut how many new clothes we buy by 75%
Samantha Sharpe et al
If things don’t change fast, the fashion industry could use a quarter of the world’s remaining global carbon budget to keep warming under 2℃ by 2050, and use 35% more land to produce fibres by 2030.
Thousands of animals seized one of Europe’s biggest taxidermy busts
Spain’s Civil Guard says it is investigating a businessman in the eastern Valencia region who owned a private taxidermy collection with more than 1,000 animals, including just over 400 from protected species. It is estimated the collection would fetch 29 million euros ($AUD 42.5 million) on the black market.
Global biodiversity is in crisis, but how bad is it? It’s complicated
Biodiversity has been defined as one of nine planetary boundaries that help regulate the planet’s operating system. But humanity is crossing those boundaries, threatening life on Earth.
Sunscreen chemicals accumulating in Mediterranean seagrass, finds study
Chemicals found in sunscreen lotions are accumulating in Mediterranean seagrass, a study has found.
Bee diversity is important for maintaining healthy ecosystems and life on Earth
Rutgers scientists assessing the level of diversity among bee species necessary for sustaining populations of wild plants have concluded that ecosystems rely on many bee species to flourish, not just a few dominant ones.
Nell Frizzell
Few British waterways are in decent condition, with thousands of tonnes of sewage discharged into the environment. It is high time we demanded more from our leaders
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