Date: 10 September 2022 at 6:59:25 am AWST
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Sep 10
Post of the Day
Amid so much depressing climate news, here’s a new book to inspire healthy climate action
Claire O’Rourke
The unending bad news on climate can be overwhelming and enervating. However, a new book, Together We Can, seeks to help people and communities move beyond being “climate freaked-out” to connecting up and taking collective action.
On This Day
Kshamavani – Jainism
Climate Change
Artificial ocean cooling to weaken hurricanes is futile
A new study found that even if we did have the infinite power to artificially cool enough of the oceans to weaken a hurricane, the benefits would be minimal.
Climate change is affecting drinking water quality
In a model study of the Rappbode reservoir in the Harz region, a research team from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) demonstrated how the climate-related disappearance of forests in the catchment area for Germany’s largest drinking water reservoir can affect water quality.
Fact check: Sunny outlook on global warming’s causes denies scientific evidence
A social media post says carbon dioxide has nothing to do with climate change and claims “the Sun is the cause”.
From an early age, Heleen de Coninck felt a sense of urgency on boosting knowledge of environmental issues.
Today, the Biden-Harris Administration is launching a website that, for the first time, provides a live dashboard to help communities see extreme weather and other hazards from climate change they are facing, while also providing maps projecting how each community could be impacted in the future.
Climate change in Africa can destabilize ‘countries and entire regions’
Water stress and hazards like withering droughts and devastating floods are hitting African communities, economies and ecosystems hard, according to a new report launched on Thursday by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
Hitting right notes on climate change
Anna McMichael and Louise Devenish
Eight years ago, when the existential threat of climate change was already critical, Australian National University science communicator Joe Duggan asked eminent scientists a curious but ultimately revealing question: “How does climate change make you feel?” They had to respond in handwriting.
National
Pre-cooling will slash emissions and cut power bills. Here’s how some homes are using new technology
Like many first home buyers, Georgia’s priority was price and location — it’s only incidental her new home is souped-up with technology that’s yet to hit the market and innovations that will save her thousands.
How investors are trying to ride the electric car wave
The rise of electric vehicles is being touted as “what Apple did with the iPhone on steroids”. Investors are trying to get their piece of the action.
Research partnership to address international energy challenges
A new agreement will see experts from Australia and India working together on renewable energy technologies that are robust, cost-effective and reliable.
Environmental groups say Glencore greenwashing as it expands Australian coal mining
Environmental law group alleges Glencore is misleading investors over its environmental targets given its growing footprint in coal mining.
Even companies profiting from Australia’s carbon market say system must change
Andrew Macintosh
This week, several of the largest companies that profit from Australia’s carbon market called for changes to the system. They said the rules that govern the issuing of carbon credits to some projects were too lax and the market’s integrity should be improved.
Praise for the Climate Bill comes with pressure for more action to protect health
Cate Carrigan
The Federal Government’s climate change legislation is set to pass the Senate this week but amid praise for the move come calls for further and stronger action to cut emissions and address the health impacts of global warming. At the Better Futures Forum in Canberra, former UN Secretary General and Ban Ki-Moon welcomed Australia’s ‘step-up’ on climate action but was among others pressing for more.
Too many climate change think tanks
Ben Beattie
In public discourse there are those promoting the truth, and those looking to further their own agenda. This is most obvious when the topic is climate change.
Ian Lowe
Our environment is in deep trouble. We are all suffering as a result. Elected officials at all levels behave as if tackling the problem is a luxury, an optional extra if time and resources are available after meeting the much more important challenges of growing the economy. We are not even treating the symptoms and there is no appetite to address the underlying causes.
Victoria
We need support for Yalukit Willam Nature Reserve wetlands
Bayside is seeking a tripartite approach to this regionally significant project – with all levels of government working together. We are seeking $6 million from the Victorian Government for the continued transformation of the reserve and expansion of the wetlands.
New South Wales
‘Not very green’ renewable energy power lines ruining habitat [$]
The multi billion dollar transmission towers being built as part of the renewable energy project Snowy Hydro 2. are not very green, say concerned community members.
NSW EPA Climate Plan strong first step in backing up targets with action
THE NSW Environment Protection Agency has today released its draft climate plan, which takes an important step forward by putting CO2 in the same bucket as other harmful pollutants regulated by the government.
South Australia
Parliament set to have power to block privatisations
The Malinauskas Government is backing a law change for both houses of parliament to approve or block selling off public assets – but the Liberal Party accuses Labor of hypocrisy and says it will restrict government decision-making.
Tasmania
Dam choices: spend big or shut and restore [$]
Tasmania faces a new dam dispute – over whether two ageing ‘high risk’ dams should be upgraded or scrapped, the outcome deciding the fate of a famous lost lake.
Retracing a father’s mission to the Franklin blockade [$]
Oliver Cassidy was barely a week old when his father was arrested by police and thrown to jail.
Northern Territory
Decision to re-grant Australia’s largest water licence was ‘rational’, court told
A Northern Territory minister showed “intelligible justification” when she re-granted a record-breaking water licence in 2021 amid local opposition, the Supreme Court is told.
Western Australia
South32 to switch fossil fuels at alumina refinery as coal ends
With the curtain coming down on coal-fired power generation in WA, South32 says it will convert to natural gas to keep the Worsley alumina refinery running.
Sustainability
Ukrainian’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant operating in emergency mode as war persists
Ukraine’s state nuclear energy operator has said that Europe’s largest nuclear power plant is operating in emergency mode with elevated risk.
North Korea passes new law on nuclear ‘first strikes’
Kim Jong Un says his country’s nuclear status is “irreversible” as North Korea passes a law allowing pre-emptive nuclear strikes.
Oncology is committed to doing its part for sustainability
Sustainability will be at the heart of many discussions at the ESMO Congress 2022, as illustrated by the new results and initiatives spanning cancer prevention, early detection and treatment that were announced today during the opening press conference to the annual meeting of the international oncology community taking place 9-13 September in Paris, France.
Laws of our sustainable future
What laws are in place across the world for the protection of our fragile planet? How effective are they? How can they be strengthened? A new project by the TLI, lead by Professor Octavio Ferraz in collaboration with people and institutions within and outside the legal world investigates this complex legal landscape which is increasingly crucial to human survival and flourishing
Why solar panels do not always live up to expectations
The performance of solar panels has been tested extensively in the laboratory. But do these PV systems indeed deliver what they promise? Researcher Bin Meng decided to test the solar panels in real-life. He found that on average the performance of the tested PV systems is 6 procent lower than expected.
Top strategies to cut dangerous methane emissions from landfills
How smart regulation and tailored policy can cut emissions, lower health risks to nearby communities, and generate clean energy
Solar power saved Europe €29 billion in this summer’s energy crisis
New analysis reveals record levels of solar across the EU over summer avoided the need for 20bn cubic metres of gas, and the cost to import it.
First discovery of microplastics from water trapped on plant leaves
Although they have not been around for long, microplastics have found their way to almost every ecosystem on the planet. They have been discovered in the soil, in rivers, in our food and bottled water, and even in the human body. Recently, a team of researchers found, for the first time, microplastics in water trapped in plant leaf axils.
A future ‘climate king’ takes over
King Charles’ environmentalism stands out.
Economic lifeline or climate peril? East African pipeline is a new flashpoint
The 900-mile pipeline would bring needed revenue to Uganda and Tanzania. But it would disrupt thousands of lives and key wildlife habitat—to say nothing of its climate impact.
ICYMI: Global security risks, COVID costs and cautions, media and misinformation, and a smorgasbord of news and reviews
Marie McInerney
We cover global and local news on the climate crisis and on COVID-19, including big concerns about transparency and reporting, and worries about media, misinformation and democracy. In particular, we cover the World Health Organization’s Director-General’s comments on the climate and health dialogues and extreme floods in Pakistan.
Doomscrolling is literally bad for your health. Here are 4 tips to help you stop
Kate Mannell and James Meese
Doomscrolling can be a normal reaction to living through uncertain times. It’s natural to want to understand dramatic events unfolding around you and to seek out information when you’re afraid. But becoming absorbed in bad news for too long can be detrimental.
Environment: Pacific wants Australian support for strong climate action.
Peter Sainsbury
Pacific nations want climate action not military bases. Emissions and temperatures keep rising and forest fires keep increasing.
Nature Conservation
More than 1.1m sea turtles illegally killed over past 30 years, study finds
Demand for luxury goods is driving global trade in hawksbill and green turtles, researchers say, adding to calls for more protection
Tropical rainforests show phosphorus key to understanding world’s ecosystems
A new international study led by Western Sydney University researchers has quantified phosphorus constraints to photosynthesis in tropical forests, highlighting how accounting for this constraint can improve the world’s climate.
Danger looms where toxic algae blooms
There is nothing attractive about Lake Erie’s annual algal bloom, or the harmful blooms that now contaminate so many of America’s iconic waters, among them the Chesapeake Bay, Lake Okeechobee, Lake Champlain, and California’s Clear Lake.
Human development falling behind in ninety per cent of countries: UN report
The latest flagship UN report on human development, released on Thursday, warns that multiple crises are halting progress on human development, which is going backwards in the overwhelming majority of countries. Here are five things to look out for in the report.
How a last-ditch attempt to save the few remaining California condors became a conservation victory for the ages.
How to save a forest by burning it
Prescribed burns are key to reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfires. Scientists are using high-tech tools to ensure they can be done safely in a warming world.
Ontario’s smallest wetlands are disappearing
Small wetlands have an outsize importance for ecosystems and the climate. But they’re declining faster than bigger wetlands and need more protection, a new study has found.
Human pressures strain Lake Tanganyika’s biodiversity and water quality
As fishing pressure has increased on Lake Tanganyika, its level has also been rising, inundating shoreline communities.
Illegal logging and trade in fine wood threaten Wampis communities in the Peruvian Amazon
More than 20,000 board feet of protected forest species, such as cedar and mahogany, are being lost from forests inhabited by Wampis communities every month, according to estimates by community leaders.
‘World’s loneliest tree’ could answer climate change questions
Scientists hope that the world’s loneliest tree can help answer climate change questions. The tree, on a remote island more than 400 miles south of New Zealand, doesn’t have any leafy neighbours nearby and its closest companion is over 150 miles away.
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