Post of the Day
John Turnbull and Emma Johnston,
For the first time, the new State of the Environment report explicitly assessed the dependency of humans on nature. We, as report authors, evaluated trends and changes in the environment’s health for their impact on human society. This is described in terms of “human wellbeing”.
On This Day
Climate Change
Climate shocks can put financial stability at risk, ECB/ESRB report shows
The European Central Bank (ECB) and the European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB) today published a joint report on how climate shocks can affect the European financial system. The findings show that climate risks can quickly spread and harm companies and banks alike.
Supervolcano study finds CO2 emissions key to avoiding climate disasters
The speed and volume of carbon dioxide emitted from supervolcanoes controlled the severity of past environmental crises on Earth, a new international Curtin-led study has found.
Net-zero aviation still contributes to global warming, according to research
Efforts to make flying greener mostly count carbon dioxide emissions only, an approach that might ignore 90 per cent of future flights’ contribution to climate change accounting to new findings.
We’re occupying schools across the world to protest climate inaction
Youth activists involved in End Fossil: Occupy!
We can’t keep sitting in school, pretending everything is all right, and studying as if the planet wasn’t on fire
National
Endangered fish returns to Murray in record numbers since the Millennium drought
Land and water stakeholders are overjoyed to find the threatened southern pygmy perch returning to the Murray River in record numbers.
Liberal MP Bridget Archer says she is ready to rebel again in support of government’s climate bill
Bridget Archer, who rebelled against the former government on key pieces of legislation, says she is prepared to do so again in support of enshrining a 43 per cent emissions reduction target into law.
Labor wants climate win within fortnight
The Albanese government intends to speed its signature climate legislation through the lower house within the next fortnight, but does not expect it to pass the Senate until at least September.
Anthony Albanese rules out banning fossil fuel projects, citing risk to Australian economy
PM says if Australia didn’t export coal there would be ‘replacement coal from other countries that’s likely to produce higher emissions’
Wearing suffragette colours of purple and white, the ABC foreign correspondent turned MP used her first speech to parliament to explain her climate campaigning.
Emissions shift may reduce taxpayer burden
Labor’s revamped rule book on how greenhouse gas emission controls will operate could improve the nation’s global environmental credentials and save Aussie taxpayers’ money.
‘Shroud of uncertainty’: Investors make case for Labor’s climate targets [$]
Clean energy investors could overlook Australia in favour of more stable overseas markets if the parliament doesn’t pass Labor’s climate bill, industry leaders have warned.
Labor confirms climate bill tweaks but ‘stumbling blocks’ remain
Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen says Australia’s international reputation will take a hit if parliament fails to legislate climate targets, as he confirmed tweaks had been made to his bill to satisfy some demands from Greens and teal independents.
What happened to promised $2 billion gas deal? [$]
A freezing winter, rising demand for gas and soaring prices — the squeeze on gas could have been avoided if the federal and state governments had followed on their deal.
Hey Albo, where’s our $275 power bill cut, Coalition MP demands [$]
Shadow energy minister Ted O’Brien is pushing for a cost-of-living strategy as costs around lowering emissions start to bite.
Power giants want new projects prioritised as coal is phased out
Origin Energy and EnergyAustralia want support for new projects that would back up renewables, and want to be paid for guaranteeing power, not just providing it.
Finance experts say Australian renewable energy could benefit from Islamic bond market – video
Islamic finance experts say the federal government needs to take steps to facilitate investment from the Middle East to fund its ambitious renewable energy projects. Western nations around the world are benefiting from the Sharia-compliant Islamic bond market, known as sukuk, and experts say it’s time Australia got on board.
The Dutton-proof fence has got a hole in it (got a hole in it)
Mark Sawyer
Bandt is adamant that the 43% emissions reduction target by 2030 not be unwound at a future date. Alas, most legislation can be unwound at a future date.
Labor should have fixed energy crisis already, say Andrews and Hughes
David Donovan
Expect the Liberal Party’s “women of calibre”, Karen Andrews and Hollie Hughes, to be taking it up to the Labor Party “full bore” this week, especially over power prices.
Albanese’s real enemy is across from him, and in the press gallery above [$]
Bernard Keane
Don’t be fooled by the positive political atmosphere of the new government. Unless Labor is prepared to be ruthless, it won’t last.
Rachel Withers
Labor and the Greens each seek a win on climate, while the Coalition opts to be left behind
Labor plans to seek advice from Climate Change Authority. But what is it worth?
Giles Parkinson
Since being gutted by the Coalition, the CCA is no longer a beacon of sound policy guidance. Which begs the question, what does Labor hope to hear from it?
Labor’s new religion gives Coalition a chance [$]
James Morrow
The new government’s faith in climate and Covid rules may be messianic but they also give the Coalition the chance to fight back by using the left’s own tested tactics.
Fine print on emissions for new projects looms large [$]
Dennis Shanahan
Labor appears set to get its target for reductions by 2030 but the emissions mechanism, which decides the economic viability of a project, isn’t detailed.
AFR editorial
No Australian government would be prepared to concede the demand for no new coal or gas projects.
Pass the climate bill to end the energy culture wars [$]
Chris Bowen
Legislating the 2030 emissions’ reduction target will send the message that the country now has a government and a Parliament that wants Australia to be a renewables’ powerhouse.
John Turnbull and Emma Johnston,
For the first time, the new State of the Environment report explicitly assessed the dependency of humans on nature. We, as report authors, evaluated trends and changes in the environment’s health for their impact on human society. This is described in terms of “human wellbeing”.
Victoria bans private, embedded power networks – unless they’re 100 pct renewable
Victoria to start banning embedded networks from the start of 2023, with the exception of buildings run on 100% renewables.
Thousands of solar-powered buses to kickstart clean transport revolution
The Victorian Greens will kick start the clean transport revolution by manufacturing thousands of solar powered, electric buses to create a high frequency bus network across Melbourne and regional cities.
Sustainable development given approval to drain untreated stormwater directly into creek
A Melbourne project that includes a shopping centre and hundreds of homes is being touted as among the “world’s most sustainable”, but its revised plan for stormwater could put a dent in its environmental credentials.
The group saving rubbish from landfill
The Darebin Hard Rubbish Heroes go through hard rubbish, collecting, distributing and rehoming items, and also selling many in their pop-up store in Thornbury.
Zoo to protect animals from foot and mouth
Melbourne Zoo has put restrictions in place to protect its animals from a foot and mouth disease outbreak in Indonesia which is threatening to impact Australia.
How the cost of your drive to work has changed
Pallavi Singhal et al
At current fuel prices, people in Victoria are paying $629 more over the year to drive to work than they did in 2019-2020.
Why the free tram zone needs to be cancelled
Daniel Bowen
As well as encouraging overcrowding in trams in the CBD, the free tram zone diverts attention and funding away from where it’s really needed.
New South Wales
Drones to improve response to climate change monitoring
Council is trialling the use of fixed-wing drone technology along the Eastern Beaches to improve its management response to climate change.
Party kits help families celebrate without single-use plastic
Ballina Shire Council and Richmond Tweed Regional Libraries have joined forces to offer reusable kids’ party kits as part of their ongoing commitment to reduce single use items across the shire.
Holly Cope et al
Every year, Australia’s wildlife volunteers devote time, effort and their own money to rescue, rehabilitate and release tens of thousands of native animals. Their efforts get a lot of media attention, particularly after huge disasters like the megafires of the 2019 Black Summer.
ACT seeks proposals for 250MW of battery capacity with at least two hours storage
ACT’s Big Canberra Battery project will open to tenders in August, as the government works on how its promised energy storage “ecosystem” will take shape.
Queensland
Competition watchdog finds Logan City Council green waste program undercut private businesses
A south-east Queensland council did not comply with competitive neutrality principles when launching its own green waste bin program last year.
South Australia receives 60 proposals for Whyalla green hydrogen plan
South Australia receives 60 different proposals for its Whyalla hydrogen hub which now appears to have taken a deeper shade of green.
Tasmania
Tasmanian MPs place faith in climate target negotiations [$]
Tasmanian federal parliamentarians are holding out hope the new parliament will take a more collaborative and less combative approach to climate target negotiations as talks continue this week.
MMG tailings plan intended to protect environment, union says
A proposed tailings dam central to an environmental row threatening a key Tasmanian mine is actually intended to protect the environment, a senior unionist says.
‘Voice for the birds’: Tassie conservationist remembered [$]
Tasmanian conservationist Priscilla Park, described as being a “voice for the birds”, has been remembered as a “dynamo” after she passed away on the weekend.
Sustainability
Saudi Arabia reveals plans for a 170-kilometre-long skyscraper eco-city
The city will be 200 metres wide, run entirely on renewable energy and will include a high-speed rail with an end-to-end transit of 20 minutes.
NGOs ask Elon Musk not to invest in Indonesia’s nickel industry over environmental woes
Dozens of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) send an open letter to Elon Musk, urging him to not invest in Indonesia’s nickel industry on environmental concerns.
Natural clean-up: bacteria can remove plastic pollution from lakes
A study of 29 European lakes has found that some naturally-occurring lake bacteria grow faster and more efficiently on the remains of plastic bags than on natural matter like leaves and twigs.
Exposure to ‘forever chemicals’ costs US billions in health costs
Daily exposure to a class of chemicals used in the production of many household items may lead to cancer, thyroid disease, and childhood obesity, a new study shows. The resulting economic burden is estimated to cost Americans a minimum of $5.5 billion and as much as $63 billion over the lifetime of the current population.
Saving Venice from flooding may destroy the ecosystem that sustains it
A system of moveable walls, called Moses, protects Venice from colossal high tides that are worsening with climate change. But they’re also destroying the marshes that keep the lagoon alive.
Seven ‘megatrends’ that will shape our lives in the years ahead — and what it all means
The CSIRO’s megatrends report says there has been a seismic shift in the challenges we’ll face over the next 20 years, including climate change, geopolitics and artificial intelligence.
Ghostly swarms of jellyfish along the coast of Israel have banished summer swimmers from the Mediterranean waters, raising concerns about ecological imbalances caused by climate change.
Saudi Arabia reveals plans for a 170-kilometre-long skyscraper eco-city
The city will be 200 metres wide, run entirely on renewable energy and will include a high-speed rail with an end-to-end transit of 20 minutes.
Could eating fish increase your risk of cancer?
In a new study, researchers found a higher risk of melanoma among people who ate the most fish. This study is among the largest and most well-designed to examine this link.
Fact check: Reports clear the air around Auckland pollution levels
A social media post claims New Zealand’s largest city has seen the greatest increase in air and sea pollution in the last 15 years.
What’s really behind the failure of green capitalism?
Adrienne Buller
The UK is witnessing extreme temperatures, prompting public outcry. Yet new proposals to counter this are coming up short
Nature Conservation
Global awareness critical to protect world’s mangroves: UN science chief
Time is running out to protect the world’s mangroves which are not only home to many species but also an important hedge against climate impacts, the head of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said on Tuesday.
US to plant 1 billion trees as climate change kills forests
The Biden administration says the government will plant more than one billion trees across millions of acres of burned and dead woodlands in the U.S. West, as officials struggle to counter the increasing toll on the nation’s forests from wildfires, insects and other manifestations of climate change.
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