Post of the Day
Sam Wenger and Deanna D’Alessandro
Large-scale deployment of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) methods is now “unavoidable” if the world is to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, according to this week’s report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
On This Day
Annunciation – Eastern Christianity
Climate Change
New link between greenhouse gasses and sea level rise
Researchers have used advanced ocean modelling techniques to reveal how greenhouse gas emissions contribute to warmer oceans and resulting melting of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.
Sport must show leadership amidst climate crisis: UN deputy chief
Athletes are among the most influential people on the planet and together with their managers, fans and others involved in organized sport, must contribute to global efforts to combat climate change.
UK to defy net zero targets with more oil and gas drilling
Pressured by Tory right, minister to announce gas-heavy energy strategy with little emphasis on insulation
Climate crisis could cost US $2 trillion annually by century end
The climate crisis could cost the U.S. government $2 trillion each year – an annual federal revenue loss of 7.1% – by the end of the century, the White House said in an assessment published this week.
Sam Wenger and Deanna D’Alessandro
Large-scale deployment of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) methods is now “unavoidable” if the world is to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, according to this week’s report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Climate scientists are desperate: we’re crying, begging and getting arrested
Peter Kalmus
On Wednesday, I risked arrest by locking myself onto an entrance to the JP Morgan Chase building in downtown LA. I can’t stand by – and nor should you
Greens launch $6.1 billion electric vehicle policy in new election pitch
Greens unveil $6.1 billion electric vehicle policy package, including rebates of up to $15,000 per vehicle, and a plan to revitalise Australia’s car making industry
Climate change poses looming health crisis
Climate change is also an urgent health crisis, health and medical researchers warn as the federal government commits $10 million for modelling the impacts.
Action on environment report card stalls as government slow to release
The co-author of a major environment report card the Morrison government received more than three months ago but is yet to make public says she hopes it will be released soon, so scientists can act on its findings.
How to make an electric vehicle work in outback Australia
When Hunter Murray drove 8,000km in his new electric car in a week, he did it to prove a point: The technology can work even for people living in the most remote parts of Australia
Time’s up: why Australia has to quit stalling and wean itself off fossil fuels
John Quiggin
If the world acts now, we can avoid the worst outcomes of climate change without any significant effect on standards of living. That’s a key message from the new report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Andrew Bennett et al
Rural landscapes are changing in southern Australia. Thanks to landholders, community volunteers and Landcare groups, farms are increasingly home to corridors of trees and shrubs along creeks, and paddocks bordered by trees.
Climate change: Scott Morrison’s achilles heel [$]
Chas Keys
Scott Morrison has a problem with climate change which reflects his style of governing.
It is time to remind Labor that there is power in a union [$]
Meg Clark
While Labor declare they will never agree to a coalition with the Greens, their competition happily takes power from them, ONLY BECAUSE they rely on being in their own coalition with a party – far more extreme, far more incompetent and far less representative than the Greens.
Victoria
Geelong residents say ‘no’ to proposed gas import terminal
Hundreds of residents protested Viva Energy’s proposal for a floating gas import terminal in Corio Bay.
Local farmers encouraged to take part silage plastic recycling trial
Colac Otway farmers are eligible to take part in a silage plastic recycling trial. The trial, being run by Dairy Australian and funded through the Commonwealth Government’s National Product Stewardship Investment Fund, is set to begin this month and offers famers an opportunity to be environmentally responsible in the disposal of silage plastic waste.
VCAT decision to overshadow Brunswick parks
Moreland City Council is disappointed in the recent Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) decision to grant a planning permit for an 11-storey residential development adjacent to Gilpin Park and Clifton Park in Brunswick.
Riverside camping: Register failed to be set up [$]
Environment Minister Lily D’Ambrosio has failed to set up a riverside campers register to track campers who engaged in misconduct.
Premier’s timber secret revealed [$]
Premier Daniel Andrews signed off on phasing out native forest timber harvesting in April 2018 but waited until after the election before making it public.
New South Wales
‘The dune is gone’: Locals fear these beaches will disappear into the ocean
In the 42 years Rosemary Deadman has lived on the shore of Surfside Beach, she has watched the sea devour about 12 metres of beach, bringing the water ever closer to her back door.
NSW unveils “first of its kind” access standards for new renewable energy zones
NSW seeks feedback on draft REZ access standards to guide how billions in new investment in wind, solar and storage will replace ageing coal.
Australia’s oldest university goes 100 pct renewable in supply deal with Snowy
Australia’s oldest university becomes the latest to make the switch to 100 per cent renewables, striking a supply deal with Snowy Hydro.
High school student stands against Environment Minister in federal seat
A high school student from Albury will be one of Australia’s youngest political candidates after announcing he will challenge Environment Minister Sussan Ley for the Farrer seat as a Greens candidate.
Native timber industry no longer economically viable, inquiry hears
Continuous breaches of native forest regulations by Forestry Corporation show a systemic pattern of noncompliance despite a lack of economic benefits, a state inquiry hears.
NSW puts property developer profits before climate action
SMH editorial
By ditching proposed new planning rules the government has made a blatant pitch to win developers which will cost the citizens of NSW in the long-term.
ACT
Heritage buildings must be allowed to adapt to climate change: minister
Heritage controls will need to strike a balance between preserving buildings in Canberra and allowing changes to make them climate resilient, the ACT’s Heritage Minister has said.
Free buses not the answer to cost of living pinch, expert says
Free public transport is not the best way to offer cost-of-living relief to low- and middle-income households because wealthier people are more likely to have better access to the most frequent transport routes, an expert has said.
Canberra brewery first to be fully carbon neutral [$]
In Capital Brewing’s effort to become Australia’s first fully carbon-neutral brewery, they surveyed staff on their commuting habits and inspected “every piece of paper in the office”.
Queensland
Rain brings tiny land crustaceans known as forest hoppers to Brisbane suburbs
Lawn prawns, forest hoppers, water fleas — there are a few names for the tiny creatures you may be finding in your home after recent heavy rain.
Aussie coal playing part in war effort [$]
Courier Mail editorial
It’s a great irony of the Ukrainian conflict that Queensland is likely to benefit from coal shortages out of Europe. But in no way should this be seen as profiteering
South Australia
Will the sea swallow Port Lincoln’s prime properties? Study says risk is real
A CoreLogic report finds the city is among the most at risk in SA, but a real estate agent says there are still plenty of good years ahead.
Eyre Peninsula kaolin mine aims to break ground this year [$]
Andromeda Metals says its planned kaolin mine near Streaky Bay would employ about 70 locals for almost three decades, and the aim is to break ground before the end of this year.
Tasmania
‘Technical’ flaw or illegal logging? Forestry law faces update
Native forestry will continue in Tasmania despite the government being forced to bring in validating legislation to resolve a “technical issue at law”, just days after trespass charges were dropped against protesters.
Claims logging ‘illegal’ as industry under spotlight [$]
All logging in Tasmania has been carried out illegally for decades, casting doubt on the convictions of hundreds of people charged in conservation protests, the Bob Brown Foundation says.
Civil construction for Marinus transmission upgrade set to start
Civil construction work for the $500 million North-West electricity transmission developments to underpin the Marinus Link interconnector to Victoria is about to start.
RSPCA Tasmania calls for greater transparency into duck data
RSPCA Tasmania is calling for the state government to provide greater data transparency into duck populations, and phase hunting out over the next three years.
‘Plague proportions’: Rabbits wreak havoc as populations boom [$]
Easter is less than two weeks away but an unwelcome bunny baby boom has been met with calls for the animal’s demise.
EPA approves new woodchip plant for Bell Bay
The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has concluded its assessment of a proposal by Midway Tasmania for a woodchip mill at Bell Bay in George Town Council municipality.
Western Australia
Collie to host Australia’s biggest green-energy battery [$]
The South West town of Collie, which has been the lifeblood of WA’s coal-powered electricity needs for generations, has been tipped to host the biggest renewable-energy battery in Australia.
Final government approvals are granted for Woodside’s controversial Scarborough LNG project off WA’s north west coast, just days after a major report warns of the catastrophic dangers of fossil fuel emissions.
Sustainability
Microplastics found deep in lungs of living people for first time
Particles discovered in tissue of 11 out of 13 patients undergoing surgery, with polypropylene and PET most common
Why is it so expensive to eat sustainably?
Creating a sustainable, equitable food system is complicated—and sometimes costly. But it isn’t impossible.
In these cemeteries, nature also rests in peace
Conservation cemeteries serve as a space for green burials, a tool to preserve land naturally, and a deterrent to runaway development.
IFM launches $4b green fund to target energy transition
Infrastructure giant IFM Investors intends to raise $4 billion by the end of next year for a new clean-energy focused fund to capitalise on voracious demand from clients to invest in green assets.
Thousands of tonnes of air pollution could be reduced by changing the way we dry our laundry
A new study has revealed that tumble drying a load of laundry releases almost the same amount of potentially harmful microfibres into the air as those released down the drain during machine washing of the same load.
Global experts meet to discuss plastic pollution crisis
Experts from around the world are coming together this week to discuss the success of policies designed to tackle the global plastic pollution crisis.
A full energy ban against Russia is now unstoppable
Ambrose Evans-Pritchard
Public opinion will not tolerate the continued funding of Vladimir Putin’s war machine with purchases of oil, gas and coal.
Why is the UK government backing nuclear power when onshore wind is so much better?
Alethea Warrington
Using windfarms would be an easy, quick, cheap and actually popular way to solve the energy bill crisis
The race to rebuild the world’s coral reefs
Nearly half of these ocean ecosystems have been wiped out since 1950. One man is on a mission to reverse that—by speed-growing coral in hyperefficient nurseries.
Palm oil firm that cleared Papuan forest after losing its permit is still at it
A palm oil company whose permit was revoked at the start of the year and which was ordered to halt operations is allegedly continuing to clear forests in Indonesia’s Papua province.
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