Daily Links May 17

Post of the Day

I want my vote to count for nature: how do the major parties stack up?

Sarah Bekessy and Brendan Wintle

The animals and plants at risk of extinction finally made it onto the political agenda last week, as Labor and the Greens launched biodiversity policies ahead of the federal election.

 

On This Day

May 17

 

Climate Change

Unusually high temperatures to hit western Europe this week

Although nowhere near as extreme as in India and Pakistan, anomalous warmth will be affecting large portions of western Europe in the first significant heat of spring.

 

National

From climate change to cost of living action: Greens outline balance of power demands

At a national campaign launch in Brisbane, Greens leader Adam Bandt has laid out his party’s priorities should it hold the balance of power.

 

Former Kiribati president slams Australia’s ‘politicisation’ of climate action and power of fossil fuel lobby

Five days before Australian election, Anote Tong urges leaders to understand climate crisis means ‘survival is on the line’ for Pacific islands

 

Australian authorities to buy out fisheries, citing climate crisis

$20m permit buyback aims to help recovery of jackass morwong, redfish, john dory and silver trevally

Australian wind market takes off again as projects and turbines get bigger

The wind energy industry is having its best year to date, and project sizes and turbines are getting bigger.

Morrison buries more funds in CCS projects in late pre-election splurge

Coalition provides another $30m in grants for CCS, potentially investigating the capture and storage of CO2 in Angus Taylor’s electorate.

 

I want my vote to count for nature: how do the major parties stack up?

Sarah Bekessy and Brendan Wintle

The animals and plants at risk of extinction finally made it onto the political agenda last week, as Labor and the Greens launched biodiversity policies ahead of the federal election.

Renewables snapshot: Are we on track to decarbonise the globe?

Andrew Blakers

About 80TW of combined solar and wind is required to decarbonise the globe – so how are we tracking?


Energy markets on wild ride as coal and gas costs hit jaw-dropping highs

David Leitch

Coal is dead on its feet, and if AGL can’t keep coal plants running in 2022, why should anyone believe they can in 20 years time

 

Compelling visions of our climate future

Peter Boyer

Climate change is now in our lived experience. We no longer need science to tell us that it is real and sometimes dangerous, that it is altering our lives today, and that it will continue to do so long into the future. But how should we respond?

 

Neither party is up for the job of dealing with climate change [$]

Adrian Blundell-Wignall

Even with a plan that would work, it will take many decades to decarbonise Australia. But we don’t have such a plan.

 

Almost 90% of us now believe climate change is a problem – across all political persuasions

Michelle Baddeley

If a week is a long time in politics, three years is an eternity. Since the 2019 election, Australia has endured devastating megafires and unprecedented floods. Meanwhile, news of extreme weather such as India and Pakistan’s horrific heatwaves has poured in. And international pressure to act on climate change is growing.

 

In a year of endless floods, why isn’t disaster governance front and centre in the election campaign?

Markus A. Höllerer

Australia has recently experienced multiple natural and man-made disasters, creating overlapping crises, often disproportionately affecting disadvantaged populations. The situation is here to stay, and, worryingly, likely to worsen.

 

Victoria

Victorian Liberal party seeks to expel Bernie Finn over anti-abortion comments

State MP will face motion to expel him from parliamentary Liberal party after he said he was ‘praying’ for an abortion ban in Australia

 

City floats $40m wetland plan to rewild the Yarra

Floating wetlands will be created in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD as part of a larger scheme to return the river to a more natural state.

 

Albanese pledges $4bn for Vic’s mega-projects [$]

Federal Labor has revealed it’s open to supporting Victoria on key projects including the controversial East West Link scrapped by Dan Andrews.

 

Wombat forest activists ‘roundup’ by GMA [$]

Victoria’s Game Management Authority has stepped in to try to stop environmental activists disrupting work to salvage 500,000-tonnes of fallen timber.

 

New South Wales

Mountain pygmy-possums find new home at Lithgow breeding facility

After decades in the making, the plan to breed mountain pygmy-possums and reintroduce them into lowland rainforests has begun.

 

Staggering cost of providing Sydney’s public transport services could lead fares to surge

A leaked document has revealed the staggering cost of providing transport in a major Australian city – and that could mean fares are about to rise.

 

NSW transport minister open to cheaper fares in bid to boost patronage

David Elliott says he is open to considering cheaper public transport fares if it could help ease financial pressures on the network.

 

Power struggle: Turnbull relative furious over ex-PM’s Snowy legacy [$]

The high voltage power line from former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s Snowy 2.0 hydro electric plant is about to rip through his mother-in-law’s farm, and she’s furious.

 

Queensland

‘Gut-wrenching’: Clean-up efforts underway across Queensland as floodwaters subside

Floodwaters are slowly receding across Queensland, but there are warnings in place in some areas.

 

Pentecostalism and the LNP’s fight for its soul in Queensland’s Darling Downs

The seat of Groom has been held by conservatives since federation, but Labor and independent candidates have shaken up the race this election

 

Australian Conservation Foundation names Mount Isa the most polluted postcode in the country

Mount Isa Mines responsible for 91% of emissions in the outback city despite having an ‘industry-leading air quality management framework’

 

Qld billionaire’s impassioned plea to save coal-fired power [$]

Energy billionaire Trevor St. Baker is urging against the early retirement of coal-fired power stations, fearing it will drive up prices and make it harder to keep the lights on.


Tasmania

‘It’s the vibe!’: Land clearing case won, despite legal argument likened to The Castle’s Dennis Denuto

Environmentalists are celebrating a seven-year legal battle over Tasmanian politician John Tucker — despite the judge likening their argument to that of the bumbling lawyer Dennis Denuto character from the classic Australian film The Castle.

 

Court quashes MP’s plan to clear 1800 hectares of native forest [$]

The Supreme Court has quashed a plan by Lyons Liberal MHA John Tucker to clear more than 1800 hectares of native forest at a property at Ansons Bay in the North-East.

 

TasWater issues warning over the security of drinking water supply [$]

TasWater was prompted to write to former Primary Industries Minister Guy Barnett seeking assurances over the long-term security of Tasmania’s potable water after it was left out of the scope of a guiding strategy.

 

New timber tech unveiled at Tasmania’s largest softwood sawmill [$]

The state’s largest softwood sawmill unveiled new state-of-the-art technology at its Northern Tasmanian headquarters on Monday.

 

Hobart’s keen on free city bus loop – but how do we get one? [$]

The City of Hobart will explore whether a new inner city bus service operating in Hobart would be viable after the council unanimously supported the idea on Monday.

 

TCT defeats forest clearing plan at Anson’s Bay

Media release – Tasmanian Conservation Trust

A large parcel of native forest will no longer be cleared for cattle grazing after a successful legal challenge by the Tasmanian Conservation Trust, represented by the Environmental Defenders Office

 

Greens Tasmanian devil plan

Media release – Tasmanian Greens

The Greens have outlined a plan to save the Tasmanian devil and called on the Liberals and Labor to adopt the comprehensive measures required to protect this iconic species.

 

TNPA: ‘Cradle Mountain still needs protection’

Media release – Tasmanian National Parks Association (TNPA)

The Tasmanian National Parks Association (TNPA) is calling for the area around Cradle Mountain to be protected from overdevelopment including an intrusive cable car, a century after the area was reserved on 16 May 1922 to protect its scenery.

 

Northern Territory

Greens commit $20m to tackle weeds [$]

The Greens have unveiled a multi-million dollar plan for land management in the NT, with their eyes on tackling gamba grass and buffel grass.

 

Sustainability

Gas guzzlers be gone! New Zealand will subsidise low-income earners to drive ‘clean’ cars

New Zealand’s government will help pay for lower-income families to scrap their old gas guzzlers and replace them with cleaner hybrid or electric cars as part of a sweeping plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

 

Mining is a polluting business. Can new tech make it cleaner?

Mining will always have environmental impacts, but new approaches could help reduce them as the world digs up more metals for renewable energy.

 

Why electric scooters in India are catching fire

A spate of battery fires could complicate the country’s green agenda.

 

Reduction in air pollution can help improve functioning of kidney, study

Improving air quality may not only help your lungs but also your kidneys, a study suggests.

 

We need sustainable food packaging now. Here’s why

While packaging is an essential component of the food sector and the only solution we have to facilitate food transportation, food packaging waste is also one of the most harmful aspects of this industry.

 

Ukraine war ‘best opportunity’ for nuclear comeback since Fukushima [$]

Japan’s heavy reliance on Russian gas imports has rekindled a debate over nuclear power in the country more than a decade after regulators took most plants offline.

 

Nature Conservation

British Columbia salmon abundance ‘a sixth’ of what it was half-a-century ago: Study

Catches of wild pacific salmon on the Fraser, Skeena and Nass Rivers are only a sixth of what they were half a century ago, according to a new study from UB

 



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