Post of the Day
We need more protected areas, but that’s not all
New research supports efforts to designate more land and water to save biodiversity and fight climate change — but we need to protect better, as well as more.
On This Day
Saint Dominic Day – Managua
Ecological Observance
Climate Change
Building resilience for future of climate change
Climate change is such a huge issue that it can be difficult to even know where to start.
World had “one of three warmest Julys on record”
It was one of the three warmest July’s The world had the third warmest July on record, with prolonged and intense heatwaves affecting parts of Europe. Antarctic sea ice was the lowest for July on record, according to Europe’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.
How indigenous peoples enrich climate action
Indigenous peoples have the knowledge and practices needed for the global community to implement and scale-up climate action.
Trillions of dollars at risk because central banks’ climate models not up to scratch
Climate research finds modelling used cannot predict localised extreme weather, leading to poor estimations of risk
Antarctic sea ice levels at record low for the month of July
Satellite data shows that the extent of Antarctic sea ice was at its lowest July value in 44 years, seven per cent below average.
Risk of death rises as climate change causes nighttime temperatures to climb
Excessively hot nights caused by climate change are predicted to increase the mortality rate around the world by up to 60% by the end of the century, according to a new international study.
Is a major Alaska oil project a ‘carbon bomb’ or a nothingburger?
Is a massive oil project on Alaska’s North Slope an environmentally responsible proposal or a ticking time bomb for the planet? It depends on whom you ask.
Congress is about to pass a historic climate bill. So why are oil companies pleased?
Kate Aronoff
The bill is a devil’s bargain between the Democrats, the fossil fuel industry, and recalcitrant senator Joe Manchin. Yet it’s better than nothing
Can philanthropy rise to the challenge of combating climate change?
Phil Buchanan et al
Climate change is widely acknowledged as the existential crisis of our time, a “code red for humanity,” in the words of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. With the Senate’s passage of the Inflation Reduction Act on Sunday — in the middle of a summer that has brought record heat and innumerable weather-related disasters — it looks like the federal government will finally take some long overdue action on climate change.
Did Democrats just save civilization?
Paul Krugman
On climate, Biden got almost everything he wanted.
National
Forest industries have “huge role to play” in emissions reduction: Minister Murray Watt
Australia’s Minister responsible for forest industries, Senator The Hon Murray Watt has declared the sector has “a huge role to play” in Australia’s emissions reduction task. The Minister’s remarks came in a broader speech on Australia’s agriculture sector to the National Rural Press Club in Canberra today.
Policy incentives for tree farmers needed as plantation estate shrinks by number of house-frames use
New Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) analysis has revealed that Australia’s forestry plantation estate has shrunk by the equivalent of 76-thousand timber house-frames as farmers and landowners pivot to other commodities which pay higher, short term, returns.
Bushfire affected species listed as threatened
The Minister for the Environment and Water is today listing the South-eastern Glossy Black-Cockatoo and the Mountain Skink as threatened under national environment law.
New platform to protect Australia’s biodiversity; one square metre at time
Australians will be able to permanently protect their very own square metre of high value conservation land through a platform that enables the purchase of a new Biological Diversity Unit released today as the first of its kind.
Power companies switch off support for key clean energy proposal
Power companies are opposing a key energy policy designed to help Labor deliver its climate ambitions, but experts say state ministers can ease the standoff.
A pioneer in forestry environmentalism
A highly original thinker to the end, John Jack exhaustively generated ideas and concepts to address global warming; the extinction of flora and fauna; and the regeneration of biodiversity.
Seven-star energy ratings key to cutting power bills [$]
Bumping up energy efficiency requirements for new homes from a six- to a seven-star rating could significantly cut household energy bills, governments will be told.
Strong growth in energy industry turnover continues
Business turnover increased in eight of the 13 selected industries in June 2022, according to monthly figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
Magpies warble, spring stirs, as wind and solar deliver one quarter of grid demand
Variable renewable energy – wind, rooftop PV and large scale solar – are delivering one quarter of Australia’s demand on an annualised basis.
Savanna burning under Australia’s carbon credit scheme is harming human health
Penelope Jones et al
Savanna burning projects in northern Australia provide economic benefits to Indigenous communities and claim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But our research suggests smoke from these projects is harming human health.
Is a 43 per cent emissions cut enough?
Liam Mannix
Last week a bill enshrining a 43 per cent emissions cut by 2030 was passed by the House of Representatives. The government is confident it will soon pass the Senate and become law.
Bandt threatens Labor from the left [$]
Paul Kelly
A new, intense, high-stakes rivalry is about to engulf the left of Australian politics.
Labor is now the party of capital. Progressive, social, groovy, but capital’s party it is [$]
Guy Rundle
Labor may present itself as progressive and socially conscious, but it has a commitment to capital, and that will drive its actions.
New South Wales
‘Out of date, inaccurate and confusing’: BOM, SES and Resilience NSW slammed for flood response
A NSW parliamentary inquiry into the state’s deadly flood disasters in the Northern Rivers and Hawkesbury region found the information from the Bureau of Meteorology and NSW SES was “incorrect and out of date”.
‘Taking our eye off the ball’: State’s architect warned against dumping green housing reforms
Abbie Galvin also said a powerful developers group was trying to “circumvent the process” by lobbying the planning minister to ditch the reforms.
FFI and AGL to explore green hydrogen in Hunter [$]
AGL and FFI are working on a feasibility study into using the site of two coal power stations to produce green hydrogen.
Perrottet under fire over water sharing [$]
Southern irrigators have declared war on the NSW government over a decision to hand billions of litres of water to private landholders in the north of the state.
Deer roaming suburban streets and yards as population ‘explodes’ across NSW
Deer have become a seemingly incongruous regular sighting in suburban communities around NSW in streets and busy highways.
Backyard eggs might have a deadly secret — sky-high lead levels
Mark Patrick Taylor et al
Almost one in two hens in our Sydney study had significant lead levels in their blood. Similarly, about half the eggs analysed contained lead at levels that may pose a health concern for consumers.
ACT
Canberra’s light rail to gain five new wire-free vehicles with federal government funding injection
Canberra’s light rail network will become wireless through the Parliamentary Triangle, following a joint investment from the federal and ACT governments.
Feral pigs and deer from NSW put pressure on Namadgi [$]
Aerial shooting in Namadgi has ramped up post bushfires with more than 500 feral animals removed over 14 days last year.
Queensland
$9.5 billion tunnel pitched to save Brisbane’s transport network
A tunnel stretching almost 12 kilometres from Bald Hills to Kedron has been investigated as a new study warns north Brisbane’s transport network faces failure within a decade.
Only costly transport options remain for northside: Schrinner
After ruling out development of the North South Transport Corridor, the lord mayor said a 40-year lack of action on transport infrastructure meant only expensive options remained. But is a road tunnel costing $9.5 billion too much?
How sending Brisbane cars underground would make room for buses
The proposed North West Motorway tunnel has been designed with an expanded Brisbane busway and Metro network in mind.
Queensland Government backs eco-certified tourism destinations [$]
The Queensland Government is investing $1 million to further enhance our great lifestyle and position the state as a leader in sustainable tourism by supporting our tourism destinations to gain globally recognised certification.
Pollies slammed for weaponising corruption watchdog [$]
The former boss of Queensland’s corruption watchdog has accused both sides of politics of weaponising the crime and corruption watchdog to attack their opponents, while claiming the agency has been sapped of resources.
South Australia
Newly named Weedfish lured from depths of SA waters
Scientists have officially named this distinctive-looking marine creature a Silverspot Weedfish after discovering it lurking deep below the waters off the South Australian coast.
Plastic bags to be ditched in SA Woolies stores [$]
South Australian shoppers will no longer be packing their groceries in plastic, but the supermarket giant is looking local for a solution.
Secret plan to raid koala rescue organisation [$]
Planned raids on a koala rescue organisation over concerns about treatment of the animals have been laid bare in secret documents presented to a parliamentary committee.
Surging Giant Australian Cuttlefish numbers a boon for Spencer Gulf tourism operators
Giant Australian Cuttlefish numbers are on the rise since the South Australian government reimposed a ban on their fishing in the upper Spencer Gulf, with this season’s aggregation near Whyalla numbering more than 137,000 individuals.
Tasmania
Oil spill from salvaged tug being managed [$]
Oil skimmers are being used to collect and remove oil that has escaped from the containment area at the Devonport port where two tugboats are being salvaged.
Launceston landfill cell wins Earth Award [$]
The Launceston Waste Centre’s Cell R3/R6 Construction has taken out an award at the 2022 Earth Awards.
Western Australia
An eleventh-hour legal challenge from environmentalists has failed to stop clearing of native bushland to make way for the $1.25 billion Bunbury Outer Ring Road in WA’s South West.
Sustainability
3 smart ways the US can grow more food while emitting less carbon
A climate-friendly national food strategy would start with accelerating alternative proteins, reducing food waste and investing in agricultural innovation.
The new climate bill could help clean up air travel
The Inflation Reduction Act, now moving through Congress, would provide new tax credits and research funding for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
What we know about the latest nuclear scare at a giant Ukrainian power plant
Heavy fighting is again raging around Europe’s largest nuclear plant, with Russia and Ukraine accusing each other of shelling the facility. What can be done to stave off disaster?
People who disagree with scientists often overestimate their own scientific knowledge, study finds
After surveying thousands of Americans on the COVID-19 vaccine, climate change and other contested issues, scholars found a correlation between how much people think they know and deviation from scientific consensus.
Using water resources more sustainably with hydrological database
How do droughts affect the environment? What are the effects of heavy rainfall? How do the water levels in rivers change? Data on groundwater levels, runoff volumes or precipitation – hydrological datasets – can help answer these and other questions relating to the water cycle and the effects of climate change.
Indonesia encourages world to develop blue carbon ecosystem
Indonesia encourages the world, especially G20 member countries to manage blue carbon ecosystems in a sustainable manner.
Rainwater everywhere on Earth unsafe to drink due to ‘forever chemicals’, study finds
Scientists are calling for tighter restrictions on PFAS which persist in the environment for years.
The social ideology of the motorcar
André Gorz
This 1973 essay on how cars have taken over our cities remains as relevant as ever.
Hydrogen 101: What it must do, what it might do, and what it probably won’t do
Gerard Reid
A lot of hope is invested in hydrogen. There are things it must do, some it probably will be able to do, but others it likely won’t because electricity is more efficient.
Plastic can take hundreds of years to break down – and we keep making more
Kim Heacox
Americans throw away an estimated 2.5m plastic water bottles an hour. We need international cooperation to protect our planet and our health.
Nature Conservation
The ancestral habitat study highlights the dependence of today’s orangutans on intact rainforests.
Drone footage reveals impact of climate crisis on Europe’s rivers – video
Europe’s most severe drought in decades is hitting homes, factories, farmers and freight across the continent, as experts warn drier winters and searing summers fuelled by global heating mean water shortages will become ‘the new normal’.
More wolves, beavers needed as part of improving western United States habitats
Scientists are proposing management changes on western federal lands that they say would result in more wolves and beavers and would re-establish ecological processes.
‘The Sacrifice Zone’: Myanmar bears cost of green energy
The birds no longer sing, and the herbs no longer grow. The fish no longer swim in rivers that have turned a murky brown. The cause? Rampant toxic mining for rare earth metals essential for green energy technologies.
We need more protected areas, but that’s not all
New research supports efforts to designate more land and water to save biodiversity and fight climate change — but we need to protect better, as well as more.
—
return email, delete it from your system and destroy any copies.