Date: 22 September 2022 at 7:09:13 am AWST
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Sep 22
Post of the Day
A ‘genius’ inventor has a plan to decarbonise Australia — and he needs your help
Australia’s race to net zero will partly be a nationwide home renovation project. And it starts with your hot water system.
On This Day
Ecological Observance
National Arbor Day – Barbados
Climate Change
Improved air quality accelerates global warming in recent decades
An international research team has used satellite data to demonstrate that concentrations of pollutant particles have decreased significantly since the year 2000. This is desirable due to their impact on health. But it is also of great significance for another reason, since it has reduced the particles’ cooling effect on the climate.
Today the World Economic Forum launched a new coalition to investigate and highlight the potential of web3 technologies, such as crypto and blockchain, in accelerating action on climate change
Denmark offers ‘loss and damage’ funding to poorer countries for climate breakdown
Denmark ‘gets ball rolling’ at UN ahead of protests as poor nations call for greater collective commitment
Prince William cites the Queen as he calls for fresh focus on climate fight
Prince of Wales said protecting the environment was a cause close to his grandmother’s heart.
National
New areas of research must be explored to achieve negative emissions
Australia’s research expertise, wealth of critical minerals and renewable energy potential could make it an international leader in removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, according to leading experts.
Australia signs global nature pledge committing to reverse biodiversity loss by 2030
Morrison government refused to sign Leaders’ Pledge for Nature in 2020 but Anthony Albanese signals environment is back as priority
Coal comfort keeps economic storm at bay for Soul Patts [$]
Record coal prices are helping insulate one of Australia’s oldest conglomerates against rising inflation, interest rates, and the threat of an economic downturn.
Nats MP sparks climate stoush [$]
Nationals MP Keith Pitt says any future Coalition government should be prepared to pull out of the Paris Agreement so it can lower Australia’s 2030 emissions reduction target.
There’s a huge surge in solar production under way – and Australia could show world how to use it
Andrew Blakers
You might feel despondent after reading news reports about countries doubling down on fossil fuels to cope with energy price spikes. Don’t. It’s a blip.
Outdated ideas putting the ‘gross’ in groceries
Ali Clarke
One simple change could make a huge difference to the shocking amount of food Australians waste every year
Coles ditches servos as supermarkets end their love affair with fuel
Elizabeth Knight
The key motivation might be financial, but selling its portfolio of 700 fuel stations also helps Coles make up ground on improving its ESG (environmental, social, governance) bona fides.
Zero sum game: questions surround Australia’s electricity transition
Zacharias Szumer
The urgent task of decarbonisation is raising questions about whether Australia’s energy structures are fit for purpose.
Victoria
Airport link giant win for Maribyrnong and Victoria
Member for Maribyrnong and Minister for the NDIS and Government Services Bill Shorten says the Victorian Government’s announcement that Keilor East will have a brand-new station for the new airport ‘sky rail’ line is a boon for the whole electorate and local community.
A plan for a huge abalone farm in south-west Victoria is in the hands of the state’s planning minister almost two years after the planning tribunal said no to it.
New South Wales
Hunter residents encouraged to be on lookout for toxic cane toads
NSW biosecurity specialists have this week been called to a property at Mandalong, west of Lake Macquarie, following the detection of a colony of cane toads that were found under a sheet of tin.
Three years late, but Murray-Darling water sharing plan for NSW gets approval
In a major step for the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, federal water minister Tanya Plibersek approves the first plan for how New South Wales will share water in the river system.
Murray-Darling Basin plan on the brink after NSW says it cannot meet water savings deadline
Failure infuriates other states and may force Tanya Plibersek to impose highly controversial buybacks
Facing extinction, the plains-wanderer gets another chance at survival with Riverina release
Fifteen critically endangered plains-wanderers have been released in south-west New South Wales, despite some birds from the last flock released being killed or going missing.
‘Diabolical’ green tape on NSW homes adds thousands in costs [$]
Clarissa Bye
A sneaky war on gas cooking, home water tanks that don’t work and attacks on wood fires – green tape is invading our homes.
Alexander Franke et al
Plants capture around half the carbon we emit by burning fossil fuels, making them a crucial part of mitigating climate change. But carbon is often released back into the atmosphere when plants die, decompose and eventually turn into dirt.
Half of Western Sydney foodbowl land may have been lost to development in just 10 years
Nicky Morrison and Awais Piracha
Growing fresh produce on the outskirts of a city reduces food miles and increases food security. But the foodbowls next to our our big cities are fast losing their land to urban growth.
Queensland
Consortium greenlights green energy corridor between Queensland and Korea
Three of Korea’s largest conglomerate groups have formed a powerful new Consortium in Queensland to unlock the State’s hydrogen potential and build a green energy export corridor, connecting North Queensland to north-east Asia.
Hydrogen deal to turn Collinsville from coal to $20b green energy hub
The old coal town of Collinsville will be the centre of a $20 billion renewable energy and ammonia/hydrogen project worth billions led by Korea Zinc’s Ark Energy in Townsville.
Qld’s ‘carbon capital’ ready for change [$]
Kahn Goodluck
The “engine room” of Queensland has, until recently, been driven by heavy industries. But major trading partners are decarbonising their economies and we need to adapt.
South Australia
Operators of two illegal dumps hit with record $1.1m penalty [$]
The operators of two illegal dumps in Adelaide’s north have been hit with a record $1.1m fine, with a judge saying they offended deliberately.
Tasmania
About 230 whales stranded on Tasmanian beach on same day as last event two years ago
A mass stranding of about 230 whales has occurred at Macquarie Harbour on Tasmania’s west coast, two years to the day since a similar event in the same spot, with authorities saying “half are still alive”.
Northern Territory
‘A huge victory’: Traditional owners win court challenge against $4.7b Santos gas project
A federal court judge has upheld a challenge brought by Munupi clan elders who said they were not properly consulted before the project was approved.
Sustainability
Rooftop solar cells can be boon for water conservation too
Electricity-generating rooftop solar cells not only save on planet-warming carbon emissions, they also save a significant amount of water, say a pair of Duke University researchers who have done the math.
Researchers aim to turn century-old building into model of smart energy use
A century-old building at the University of Alberta is getting a whole lot smarter, thanks to researchers who are figuring out how to optimize all the control systems within the structure with the aim of reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, increasing comfort for building occupants and saving operational costs.
UN-led coalition to release targets to cut carbon from public construction projects
New international targets to cut carbon emissions from public construction projects – from new buildings to roads and bridges – will be released by a global coalition of public and private organizations led by the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
Fertilisers cause more than 2% of global emissions
Synthetic nitrogen fertilisers account for 2.1% of global greenhouse gas emissions, new research shows.
Research on nuclear fuel burnup supports effort to reduce waste and fuel costs
Increasing burnup from 50 gigawatt-days per metric ton (GWd/MTU) of uranium to 75 can decrease fuel costs, increase proliferation resistance and decrease the amount of fuel waste
International Energy Agency wants an end date for petrol and diesel cars
The International Energy Agency has called for a global end to the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2035 as it argues for a “massive scaling up” of investment to boost energy security.
Exposure to air pollution may worsen autism-related hospital admissions in kids
Autistic children seem to be at heightened risk of being admitted to hospital if they are exposed to air pollution for relatively brief periods, with boys more at risk than girls, suggests research published in the open access journal BMJ Open.
Lithium-ion battery material breaks barrier on fast charging
Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, discovered a key material needed for fast-charging lithium-ion batteries. The commercially relevant approach opens a potential pathway to improve charging speeds for electric vehicles.
Nuclear power still doesn’t make much sense
Farhad Manjoo
Responding to the world’s climate emergency with nuclear power is like calling on a sloth to put out a house fire.
Nature Conservation
The Department of the Interior today announced that more than $31 million in grants has been approved by the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission, which will conserve or restore 116,305 acres of wetland and associated upland habitats for waterfowl, shorebirds and other birds in 18 states. The grants, made through the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA), will be matched by more than $60 million in partner funds.
There are no statistically significant differences in key factors of population growth – breeding, birth, survival, life span and death – between dehorned or horned black rhinos new research, conducted by the University of Bristol Vet School, Namibian Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, and Save the Rhino Trust has found.
Tropical soils ‘highly sensitive’ to global warming
Global warming is likely to cause a decline in the number of species of microbes that live in tropical soils – and that could threaten the biodiversity of rainforests and increase carbon emissions.
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