Post of the Day
Small nuclear reactors may still have a big waste problem
A new generation of reactors promises a nuclear energy renaissance, but critics say the US needs to figure out what to do about its radioactive garbage first.
On This Day
Climate Change
Climate action can save Turkey nearly $150B by 2040: World Bank report
Turkey stands to reap $146 billion in savings over the next 20 years if it takes effective and appropriate actions to boost resilience and adaptation against the impact of climate change and to mitigate economy-wide emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
A group of researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology believes the “worst-case scenario” of a warming planet possibly could be avoided through human ingenuity.
National
Sky News Australia is a global hub for climate misinformation, report says
Murdoch-owned channel creates and distributes content promoting climate scepticism across the world, analysis finds
Frog hotels: scientists build creative urban shelters to draw species back to Australian cities
Old baths, PVC pipes and even dog bowls can make suitable homes for amphibians affected by habitat destruction
Student climate activists warn super fund Hesta over ad they claim implies false endorsement
Hesta rejects accusation it was trying to link brand to School Strike 4 Climate group, but says it pulled the ad after hearing concerns
Where did all our gas profits go? Hint: 96 per cent is not in Australia
Companies profiting from the export of Australian gas were 96 per cent foreign owned, according The Australia Institute.
Plibersek faces major challenges as environment minister
Three major environmental reforms were pledged by Labor, they are now being urged to get to work on them immediately to halt Australia’s extinction crisis.
Energy Australia faces gas ‘gouging’ claims [$]
Energy companies are strongarming domestic manufacturers into accepting 12-month contracts at sky-high wholesale gas prices.
‘Free up’ state gas supply, says new Labor minister [$]
Resources Minister Madeleine King says eastern Australian states need to make the move to ensure households and manufacturers have access to reliable energy.
More hydrogen refuelling stations for Melbourne and Sydney [$]
Australia is hoping to dominate the global export of hydrogen and scores of companies are making plans to ready for expansion of the fuel source.
Freezing indoors? That’s because Australian homes are closer to tents than insulated eco-buildings
Philip Oldfield
Our national building standards need to be overhauled to fight climate change and energy poverty – and improve our lives
Why we need a better gas deal [$]
Michael McGuire
Higher power bills for us mean more profits for energy companies – but they’re not paying their fare share. Here’s what we need to do.
Cold snap doesn’t mean climate change is fake [$]
Charles Wooley
A cold spell in a time of rising gas prices and a phasing out of coal power doesn’t really mean that 99 per cent of climate scientists are 100 per cent wrong and climate warming isn’t happening.
Climate primitives turning energy into a luxury [$]
Andrew Bolt
Australia is now becoming a modern primitive society, governed by the taboos of global warming zealots like Chris Bowen and Daniel Andrews.
Drive to renewables won’t bring energy prices down soon [$]
Judith Sloan
Labor’s pledges on emissions reduction may come to haunt the party now it’s in government.
Are Labor just coalition lite on climate?
Nigel Howard
Australian voters were ecstatic to be rid of the Coalition, but have we jumped out of the frying pan into the fire on climate?
Victoria
State open to Marinus Link, for now at least [$]
The Victorian government says it does not oppose Marinus Link, but sees other energy projects as higher priorities.
Alinta seeks biomass options for Loy Yang B, says capacity market for coal could end in 2029
Operator of what will be one of the last coal generators operating in Australia’s grid argues the case for a short term capacity market for coal.
Potatoes help power McCains move to get off the grid
Over 20,000 tonnes of food waste becomes green energy every year at this food giant’s Victorian processing plant.
New South Wales
CEFC-backed farming fund to regenerate former coal mine site [$]
The Transforming Farming Platform will grow summer and winter crops, graze livestock and sequester carbon across the 6000ha property
How a First Nations-led WA wildlife sanctuary is helping return endangered bandicoots to NSW
One century after their local extinction, a group of golden bandicoots has made a 2000km charter flight from outback WA to the Strzelecki Desert in far-west New South Wales.
ACT
Asthma sufferers urge wood heater owners to take up rebate [$]
Cold temperatures inside a geographic basin like Canberra make winters difficult for asthma sufferers like Megan Taylor, with surrounding mountains trapping in smoke from woodfired heaters.
Queensland
Queensland power blackouts averted as AEMO directs generators to protect network
After warnings of potential blackouts in Queensland, the Australian Energy Market Operator says it is using its powers to direct generators to avoid a power shortage.
South Australia
Rains see birds flourish — and leave SA river shacks at flood risk
Murray River shack owners have started to prepare for flooding as river flows increase and dams hit capacity. But the clouds have come with a silver lining for the local avifauna.
Cooper Energy puts foot on gas as prices explode
Spiking east coast gas prices and improved production from its Victorian operations are providing Adelaide-based oil and gas company Cooper Energy with a needed boost in the final weeks of the 2021-22 financial year.
Tasmania
TasWater still losing 25% of treated water, says regulator
TasWater’s real water loss is almost three times the median rate reported by equivalent mainland utilities, the state’s Economic Regulator says.
Aboriginal Land Council hopeful for meeting with Premier
Following the tabling of a proclamation under the Nature Conservation Act which included naming a section of the Great Western Tiers a Conservation Area, the Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania have raised concerns.
Media release – Rail Action Group
The proponents of passenger rail in Hobart are urging the new Rockliff Government to reconsider rail for Hobart’s rail corridor given the scarcity of new buses
Northern Territory
‘Leave our trees alone’: Resident’s plea to council [$]
Council has responded to criticisms its contractors are overdoing its nature-strip pruning program.
Off northern Australia, scientists and Islanders are sharing knowledge to protect our ‘seagrass capital’
Madeina David, 23, recalls fondly her days following her father out on his boat crayfishing to make a living on the remote Iama Island in the Torres Strait.
Western Australia
‘Shattered’ asbestos adds $250,000 to clean-up bill of bushfire-ravaged owners
Property owners left devastated by bushfires have had massive asbestos clean-up bills added to their heartache, prompting a warning for others in rural towns
Sustainability
Global nuclear arsenal could grow for the first time in decades, think tank warns
The world’s arsenal of nuclear weapons is expected to grow in the coming years, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute says, adding that the risk of such weapons being used is increasing.
UN appeals to public for $20m to stop feared catastrophic oil spill from tanker
Vessel off Yemen with more than 1m barrels of oil aboard has been stranded for six years and is close to breaking up
Small nuclear reactors may still have a big waste problem
A new generation of reactors promises a nuclear energy renaissance, but critics say the US needs to figure out what to do about its radioactive garbage first.
Pollution detector that does not need a lab
About the size of a slim fire extinguisher, this pollution detector can sit by a riverbank or even be towed along behind a kayak, giving feedback on the water quality as you paddle along the river.
Puerto Ricans are powering their own rooftop solar boom
Residents and shop owners are installing solar-plus-battery systems in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Will the government get on board?
Solid-state batteries could be key for EVs—and they’re making a leap toward mass production
Solid-state batteries are capable of holding much more energy per unit of mass than today’s lithium-ion batteries, which means an EV could go for much longer before needing to be recharged.
Goldman Sachs is being investigated over E.S.G. funds
The Securities and Exchange Commission has stepped up scrutiny of sustainable investing, which has become popular but is said to lack accountability.
The sun bakes wildfire smoke, changing its toxicity
Fresh smoke disrupts the way cells store and use energy. But aged smoke may lead to higher levels of cell death.
Why Biden declared heat pumps and solar panels essential to national defense
Daniel Cohan
Clean energy is indeed essential to mitigating the risks posed by climate change and volatile markets. But generating demand for it will be essential.
Making cities green using digital technology
Anthony Larsson and Andreas Hatzigeorgiou
Parks, small woodlands and even simple patches of grass not only keep a city attractive, but also help people find a sense of bliss in an otherwise bustling urban environment. With new technologies, we can plan and monitor these urban “green spaces” better than ever before.
Ukraine helps feed the world – but its farmers, seeds and future are in danger
Michael Fakhri and Sofia Monsalve
Even in the midst of war, we have to think about recovery. Seeds are what make future life possible. Without seeds, it is very difficult to rebuild a food system
Nature Conservation
‘We beg God for water’: Chilean lake turns to desert, sounding climate change alarm
The Penuelas reservoir in central Chile was until twenty years ago the main source of water for the city of Valparaiso, holding enough water for 38,000 Olympic-size swimming pools. Water for only two pools now remains.
Glasgow peatland restoration project could help tackle climate change
Around 20% of Scotland is covered in peatland; healthy peatlands capture and store vast amounts of carbon and should play a critical part of the drive for Net Zero.
The world can’t keep fishing like this
The World Trade Organization has been struggling for over two decades to reach an agreement among its members to restrict global subsidies to the fishing industry that are pushing some fish stocks to the brink of collapse.
Hundreds of the world’s smallest penguin wash up dead in New Zealand
Hundreds of the world’s smallest penguin are washing up dead on New Zealand beaches. The kororā, also known as the little blue penguin, are being found in the northern-most region of the North Island.
Dogger Bank is about more than shipping forecasts: it shows how we can rewild our seas
Charles Clover
As of today, trawling is banned in the British part of the famous sunken landmass – a major win for biodiversity
We know heatwaves kill animals. But new research shows the survivors don’t get off scot-free
Justin Eastwood and Anne Peters
Extreme heat waves can cause birds and mammals to die en masse. But it’s more common for an animal to experience relatively mild heat stress that doesn’t kill it. Our new findings suggest that unfortunately, these individuals can suffer long-term health damage.
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