https://www.miragenews.com/itll-be-impossible-to-replace-fossil-fuels-with-842624/
Date: 25 August 2022 at 7:06:36 am AWST
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Aug 25
Post of the Day
Mark Diesendorf
Energy consumption – whether its heating your home, driving, oil refining or liquefying natural gas – is responsible for around 82% of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions.
On This Day
Paryushana – Jainism
Ecological Observance
National Park Service Founders Day – US
Climate Change
China’s worst ever heatwave accompanied by drought, parching rivers and hammering crops
The unusually long and intense heatwave is the nation’s strongest since record-keeping began in 1961, meteorologists say, as it stretches into its third month. Some farmers estimate crops will have less than a third of their usual yield.
Europe facing its worst drought in 500 years, according to a new report
A report has found the drought facing Europe is “expanding and worsening” as the year goes on.
Researchers develop new method to assess ozone layer recovery
Researchers have developed a new method for assessing the impacts of ozone-destroying substances that threaten the recovery of the ozone layer.
Enhancing national capabilities to respond to climate change
The 12th professional training programme on greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories, conducted this year in-person, took place from 25 July to 12 August in Seoul, South Korea. Lessons learned from the session will enhance national capability in responding to climate change.
Egyptian NGOs complain of being shut out of Cop27 climate summit
Civil society groups say covert screening process excluded government’s critics
Scientists evaluate Earth-cooling strategies with geoengineering simulations
A group of international scientists is rigorously and systematically evaluating if and how the stratosphere could be made just a little bit ‘brighter,’ reflecting more incoming sunlight so that an ever-warming Earth maintains its cool.
Study on underwater methane release raises climate fears
A new scientific claim about a burst of methane from the sea floor 125,000 years ago raises questions about our climate future.
Restraining the tide exacerbates climate change
Blocking the flow of salt water can turn coastal wetlands into methane belchers.
National
Food waste on your face could soon be a thing as war on waste continues
Australia produces a whopping 7.6 million tonnes of food waste a year. But from feeding farm animals to making cosmetics, there’s a growing number of ways to turn this trash into treasure.
Dugongs have been deemed ‘functionally extinct’ off China. So how are they faring in Australia?
A study has found dugongs are functionally extinct off China. A top Australian researcher says back home things are generally good but there are areas of concern.
‘The tragic Australian asbestos legacy has not yet run its course’
With asbestos exposure in Australia reaching a “third wave”, securing compensation for such issues may be difficult, this special counsel has warned.
Tougher seven-star energy efficiency standards for new Australian homes set to be approved
State and territory building ministers will meet on Friday amid fierce debate about when and how new regime should begin
Australian government launches offshore petroleum exploration permits for 47,000 sq km of ocean
Resources minister says exploration ‘central to alleviating future domestic gas shortfalls’ but Greens slam ‘mockery’ of climate target
APA still targeting gas growth despite 2030 climate goals [$]
The gas pipeline owner, which is losing its CEO, is also seeking to buy Basslink and is bidding to construct a new Renewable Energy Zone in NSW.
CCUS part of solution for net-zero Australia
Australia’s leading Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) research organisation CO2CRC has welcomed the Albanese government’s decision to award new greenhouse gas permits in WA and the NT, saying CCUS stands ready to drive Australia to a lower emissions future.
Report – ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research
The Covid pandemic has caused – and continues to cause – substantial disruption to Australia’s demographic trends. Fertility, mortality and migration have all been affected.
It ‘doesn’t work’: Anger as federal government approves two offshore greenhouse gas storage areas
The federal government issues permits for two new offshore greenhouse gas storage areas, off the coast of Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
Ten years on, Australia’s green bank still has $4.6 billion to spend on clean energy
CEFC has spent nearly $10 billion advancing the green energy transition, but still has $4.5 billion to spend and likely more coming for grid expansion.
Mark Diesendorf
Energy consumption – whether its heating your home, driving, oil refining or liquefying natural gas – is responsible for around 82% of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Hydrogen in the gas grid is a dumb idea – very dumb
Tim Forcey
Blending green hydrogen into residential gas supplies is dumb on many levels, but a new report says it would send home energy costs skyrocketing even higher.
A near 100 per cent renewables grid is well within reach, and with little storage
David Osmond
A new study – completed on Wednesday – using real time data finds renewables can meet 98.8% of demand over the year, with just five hours storage.
Sacrifices required for net-zero reality will test resolve [$]
Tim Wellington
The federal election may have shown a disposition toward greater climate action, but people have a tendency to change their minds when they start to bear the costs.
This study created fake green companies and we fell for it [$]
James Kirby
One fictitious firm said it was ‘going green’ with no data backing up the claim. A clear majority of those surveyed believed it was a credible source of information.
Net zero will be a huge task – but it is also an achievable one [$]
Robin Batterham and Richard Bolt
New analysis on the scope of net zero shows that there are few aspects of Australian life that won’t change.
Victoria
$48.2 million waste-to-energy grant under review after approval by Scott Morrison
A Latrobe Valley project to burn rubbish to power a paper mill, reduce landfill and sustain jobs has been put in doubt as the government reviews a grant announced in the lead-up to this year’s election.
PPE can be recycled to make stronger concrete
Engineers at RMIT University have developed a method to use disposable personal protective equipment (PPE) to make concrete stronger, providing an innovative way to significantly reduce pandemic-generated waste.
Labor refuses to confirm rail loop cost as opposition warns against signing contracts
Transport Minister Jacinta Allan was asked five times during a press conference about the cost of the first two stages of the Suburban Rail Loop. She would only confirm a figure for the first stage.
Falling lights warning in new energy scheme debacle [$]
Lights installed under the state’s energy upgrades program must under ago safety checks following reports some are falling from their fittings.
Another election, another campaign to cancel a project
Julian Virgona
The party responsible for shelving the Suburban Rail Link risks being seen as putting our rail system back years and even decades.
New South Wales
$11.5 million boost for regional active transport
The Camden Haven will soon have access to a stunning, coastal shared path spanning 11 kilometres as part of an $11.5 million funding boost to regional walking and cycling projects across the state.
ACT
E-scooter scheme keeps on rolling with expansion to more suburbs [$]
Electronic scooters will soon be rolled out to more regions with the shared scheme given the green light to expand north and south
Queensland
Edible forest dream transforms old grazing land into off-grid fruit paradise
Mike Gailer is aware his project might sound like the endeavour of a madman, especially since he still needs a full-time job to pay off the mortgage, but it is a labour of love.
Here we go again: Inland floods tipped as conditions ripe for another deluge
Another major rainfall event is on the way for Australia’s east coast as the full impact of the negative Indian Ocean Dipole hits.
Plugged in: Battery big enough for 57,000 homes switched on near Kingaroy
Vena Energy said it had handed over full operational dispatch rights of the battery to AGL after a 15-year deal was struck.
The Brisbane-based charger company poised to ‘electrify’ US transportation
Twenty years ago, Tritium was just a Brisbane start-up with modest roots in solar racing and power electronics. Today, it’s expanding rapidly into the burgeoning US market.
Why Albo’s rejection of Brisbane flight noise limits is ‘hypocritical’ [$]
A speech Anthony Albanese gave more than 20 years ago is coming back to haunt him as the Brisbane Airport flight noise fight turns on the Prime Minister.
Government’s love-hate relationship with mining exposed [$]
Neil Doorley had a front-row seat as the Palaszczuk government dealt with its “ideological black hole” in dealing with the mining sector, and the comments it made in public were very different to those made behind closed doors.
Locals lose 17-year fight as land that’s home to endangered species is razed
The area at North Maclean is home to numerous threatened and endangered species like koalas, spotted tail quolls, cockatoos, as well as kangaroos and wallabies.
South Australia
Caravan parks told to brace for influx of EVs, but who’s going to foot the bill?
Caravan park operators are told to think about electricity costs as the automotive industry transitions towards an electric future.
‘It’s a paradise’: Award-winning couple goes off-grid to save the Murray Mallee ecosystem
Marie and Brett Smith have dedicated the past decade of their lives to documenting the diverse native environment they now call home — and it is flourishing around them.
Urban sprawl not a dirty word as planning review kicks off
Premier Peter Malinauskas says urban sprawl is “not a dirty word” and there is demand for both big new blocks and medium density infill housing, as a new panel begins to review state planning and development rules.
Historic deal strengthens Traditional Owner authority over Adelaide national parks
A historic co-management agreement has been reached between Kaurna Yerta Aboriginal Corporation and the South Australian government for three Adelaide national parks.
Tasmania
Swift parrot recovery plan changes downplay logging threat, experts say
Revisions revealed through FOI are more focused on protecting forestry industry than preventing species going extinct, scientists argue
Could wetlands swamp this major Tassie wind farm project? [$]
A wetlands in the middle of a major Tasmanian wind farm debate could be listed as “internationally significant” – but will it impact the proposal?
Science friction: Thylacine ‘de-extinctors’ seek influencer help
It seems strange that a project already struggling with scientific legitimacy turned to influencers to spruik for it on Instagram.
Government’s anti-protest laws weakened in Legislative Council [$]
The government’s anti-protest legislation has been watered down after a rare move in the Legislative Council on Wednesday.
‘I’m aghast’: TasWater profits in tens of millions as bills soar [$]
TasWater should cut its bills in half rather than notch annual profits in the tens of millions, a long-term critic says.
Protests continue to block Tassal ship
Media release – Bob Brown Foundation
Today, Bob Brown Foundation has again halted the AQUA SPA from pumping salmon into 16 pens in Long Bay near Port Arthur, with a brave activist climbing aboard a salmon pen.
Western Australia
Farmer’s ‘no kill’ crop system celebrated for sustainable approach
A farmer who has planted more than 200,000 trees to help regenerate his land hopes his successes can be an example to others.
Plibersek gives nod to fertiliser plant near huge sacred rock art collection, leaving some ‘devastated’
A controversial multi-billion-dollar fertiliser plant will go ahead on the Burrup Peninsula in WA, with some traditional owners fearing it will destroy the world’s oldest and largest rock art collection.
A tiny marsupial with a huge two-metre leap has been discovered on a wildlife sanctuary in Western Australia, to the surprise of scientists.
Assessment of electricity demand to inform WA’s future network
State Government to assess renewable energy needs to support local industry’s decarbonisation goals to 2030 and beyond
Transport depot expansion at odds with Australia’s most endangered reptile
WA’s Environmental Protection Authority has recommended the project not go ahead after a 12-year-long application process.
Dramatic plan to REMOVE cars from three popular Perth strips
The Telethon Kids Institute has launched an initiative that will see popular business streets transformed into strips without cars.
Fortescue plans new WA port as farmers warm to wind turbines [$]
The company has signed exclusivity agreements with some farmers as it looks to gain access to enough freehold land to build hundreds of wind turbines.
Australian lithium miner ready to tap into solar to cut costs and emissions
Australian lithium miner Pilbara Minerals is almost ready to flick the switch on its first solar plant as it seeks to decarbonise as it expands.
Sustainability
Researchers present blueprint for building green
A new paper from the Next-Gen Cities Institute uses real-world examples to lay out the obstacles, opportunities and realities of sustainable real estate development
A new concept for low-cost batteries
Made from inexpensive, abundant materials, an aluminum-sulfur battery could provide low-cost backup storage for renewable energy sources
Digging through patents to make mining greener
Researchers identify R&D strategies for greener tech in the mining sector
New method for recycling polystyrene
Ocean trash and overflowing landfills have drawn widespread attention to the plastic waste that we put into our environment. In response, communities around the world work hard to reduce, reuse, and recycle. But what does it mean for something to be recyclable? A research team is working to expand the frontiers of plastic recycling.
For Chernobyl survivors, new Ukraine nuclear risk stirs dread
They lived through what is considered the worst nuclear disaster in history. As fighting rages around the Zaporizhzhia plant, they fear another one.
What is greenwashing and how do you avoid it?
It’s hard to see through misleading claims, even for those who care about the environment. Be very skeptical.
PFAS removal discovery not yet a ‘powerful solution’
Terry Collins:
Researchers at Northwestern University last week published a breakthrough paper in the journal Science touting a new way of destroying PFAS molecules – dubbed the “forever chemical” for its engineered longevity. Carnegie Mellon University chemist Terry Collins offers a counterpoint on the optimism.
Nature Conservation
Giant panda gives birth to twin cubs in China in conservation win
The cubs were born at the Qinling Panda Research Center, where Qin Qin was also born in 2013.
Scientists use AI to define priority areas for action to combat deforestation in Amazon
Using a method based on satellite images and artificial intelligence, Brazilian researchers have shown that the priority area for actions to combat illegal deforestation could comprise 27.8% less territory than the 11 municipalities monitored by the federal government under the current strategy, known as the Amazon Plan 2021/2022. This monitoring ignores new deforestation frontiers outside the targeted areas.
Climate change predicted to reduce kelp forests’ capacity to trap and store carbon
Kelp forms vast seaweed forests along temperate coastlines, which sequester large amounts of atmospheric carbon. But according to a study by Karen Filbee-Dexter at the University of Western Australia and the Institute of Marine Research and colleagues, published in the open-access journal PLOS Biology, warming oceans could reduce the capacity of kelp forests to trap carbon for long periods in deep ocean stores, exacerbating the effects of climate change.
Fires consuming nearly twice as much forest as they did 20 years ago
Wildfires are destroying nearly twice as much tree cover globally as they did in 2001, burning through an additional 7.4 million acres of forest annually, an area roughly the size of Belgium, a new analysis shows.
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