Date: 15 November 2022 at 8:45:42 am AEDT
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Nov 15
Post of the Day
The world’s population is about to hit 8 billion. So what do you want to know?
This week, the world’s population is set to tick over a historic milestone — 8 billion people. If you have a question about what it all means, now is your chance to ask the experts.
On This Day
St. Leopold’s Day – Austria
Descending Day of Lord of Buddha – Bhutan
Ecological Observance
National Tree Planting Day – Sri Lanka
Climate Change
Limit of 1.5C global heating is at risk, Alok Sharma warns at Cop27
Previous summit’s president tells ministers no ‘backsliding’ must be allowed over climate crisis ‘red line’
Increasing demand for oil and fuel threatens African nations’ economies, analysis finds
Carbon Tracker thinktank says investors in fossil fuels on the continent would be left with stranded assets
Water scarcity on agenda as Cop27 climate talks enter second week
Days scheduled to discuss issues such as women’s rights and civil society alongside formal negotiations
Human rights allegations that have simmered in the background burst onto centre stage at the Egyptian climate talks.
Czech Republic considering bid to host COP29 climate summit
The Czech Republic is considering throwing its hat in the ring to host the U.N.’s COP29 climate summit in 2024, which would put it in contention with a handful of other countries for the massive international conference, its deputy environment minister told Reuters on Monday.
A global sigh of relief as China and US sit down to talk climate
Without the world’s two heavyweights onboard, climate talks have been losing momentum.
Cop27 is full of politicians and policymakers – but the global south doesn’t work that way
Ndileka Mandela
World leaders need to appreciate the importance of local authorities in nations most affected by climate change
Perhaps to save the planet we need to damage it even more
Graham Phillips
While we continue to cop out of real climate action, geoengineering presents a radical alternative.
Four promising signs of progress at the COP27 climate summit
Rachel Kyte
From clearer definition of goals to new rules to strengthen carbon markets, here are four promising signs of progress at the Egypt climate talks.
National
Ukraine calls on Australia to send coal as ‘catastrophic’ blackouts sweep the country
Ukraine has called on Australia to consider providing energy and infrastructure supply following widespread blackouts.
Fossil fuel support means Australia flunks on climate
Australia remains at the back of the pack on climate protection, thanks in part to the new government’s ongoing support for fossil fuels.
Barnaby’s wild claim shut down on air
Barnaby Joyce’s controversial claim about global warming has been met with fierce opposition from Sunrise host Nat Barr.
Frequency and intensity of tropical cyclones on Australia’s east coast set to worsen, study predicts
Research conducted jointly by IAG insurer and the US National Center for Atmospheric Research warns of ‘rapidly increasing risk’ from severe storms
Cop27: climate minister Chris Bowen to attack World Bank’s response to crisis
Australia is back as a ‘constructive collaborator’ in negotations, he will tell summit, as he calls for more commitment from institutions
COP27: Governments should reject weak carbon market rules
Countries attending the 27th annual United Nations climate change Conference of Parties (COP27) in Egypt should reject newly proposed recommendations for removals in a global carbon market, Human Rights Watch said today.
I still can’t bring myself to throw soft plastics away
Kate McIlwain
There’s a pile of plastic bags in my garage – and more under my sink – making me feel terrible.
Effects of climate change such as flooding makes existing disadvantages for Indigenous communities so much worse
Toni Hay and Courtney-Jay Williams
According to the Human Rights Council Report 75-80% of the world’s population will be negatively impacted by climate change. It also states climate change will exacerbate existing poverty and inequality and have the most severe impact on our poor.
Wesley Morgan
As the COP27 climate talks got underway in Egypt this week, climate and energy minister Chris Bowen announced Australia would bid to co-host the annual United Nations climate summit with Pacific island nations in 2026.
What’s this, some good news on climate change? [$]
Hans van Leeuwen
The world’s big four CO2 emitters – China, the US, the EU and India – may be poised to cut back greenhouse emissions faster than their national climate targets would suggest, a new analysis says.
Viv Forbes
Already there is a petition circulating in Australia calling for ugly destructive power lines to be put underground to save farms, forests, wildlife and scenery.
Victoria
Climate risk for dams as Eildon struggles to hold back floods
In October, when towns along the Goulburn River were ravaged by floods, more water was released by the Eildon Dam than what fills Sydney Harbour.
Stranded brumbies in Barmah National Park [$]
Confronting vision from the isolated island in Barmah National Park shows the scattered carcasses of brumbies.
Victorian energy minister and Coalition trade barbs over gas [$]
Lily D’Ambrosio has dismissed the Coalition as “fakes, liars and frackers”, saying its plan to turbocharge gas production is impossible.
Hidden cameras show this animal trapped for 13 hours before it’s shot — and it’s legal
Dingoes are a protected species in Victoria – so why is it legal to trap and hunt them?
Biggest climate challenges lie ahead for Victorian election victors
Tony Wood
There are opportunities in Victoria’s climate change transformation for whoever wins the state election, but what is needed is a comprehensive policy.
Will Matthew Guy’s gas reservation plan drive down power prices?
Josh Gordon and Nick Toscano
The Coalition is adamant its plan to “turbocharge” Victorian gas production while reserving 100 per cent of any new gas found in the state for locals will drive down energy prices. But how much gas is actually available?
Victorian Greenslide would create nightmare scenario [$]
Susie O’Brien
With less than two weeks to go before the election, Victoria is facing the prospect of a Greenslide delivering the balance of power to the Greens.
Can Victoria take another four years of Dan Andrews? [$]
Ticky Fullerton
Another four years of Dan Andrews in Victoria is almost a certainty. The other certainty is the uncertainty it will deliver for Victorians on energy prices and the cost of living.
New South Wales
NSW government ditches bill which threatened to reignite internal ‘koala wars’ fight
The state government pulls legislation aimed at cutting red tape for landowners as an old internal Coalition stoush over koalas raises its head again.
NSW bill aims to protect Aboriginal cultural heritage sites
There are thousands of sites across Australia which are sacred to the First Nations traditional owners, but Indigenous elders say too often they are harmed or destroyed. A bill before the New South Wales Parliament at the moment aims to stop that from happening.
Hundreds rescued from rooftops and trees, dam spills at record rate as flash floods batter NSW
Spills from Wyangala Dam peaked at 230,000 megalitres a day and elsewhere thousands have been forced to leave their homes as flash flooding sweeps large parts of western NSW.
Queensland
How a 900,000-year-old island may have been crucial to the Great Barrier Reef’s birth
Ancient sand reveals the age of K’gari and how the world’s largest sand island — along with the Great Barrier Reef — may have been shaped by a dramatic shift in global climate.
Hope for Great Barrier Reef health after offshore-grown coral successfully spawns
Reef restorers are feeling like proud parents after corals grown in Australia’s original offshore nursery spawned for the first time on the Great Barrier Reef.
A ‘loophole’ has allowed land clearing near endangered wallaby’s home, conservationists say
Taunton National Park is home to the only remaining population of the endangered bridled nailtail wallaby. But land clearing and plans for a coal mine nearby have ecologists concerned about the species’ protection.
Incorrect battery disposal puts tip workers in danger as fires increase
Waste management staff in Central Queensland say they are putting out up to five fires a day as more household goods are disposed of carelessly.
Qld roads will need 1600 more EV charging stations before Games [$]
Electric vehicles have long been considered too expensive for many Aussies, but the cost is dropping rapidly, with basic cars and delivery vans likely to be rolled out for under $40,000 by the end of 2022, an expert says.
Build charging stations and EV drivers will come, says RACQ [$]
Blessed with lots of sunshine, Queensland is “perfect” for solar charging stations in workplaces and shopping centres to encourage more people to drive electric vehicles, the RACQ chief says.
‘It will get worse’: Whistleblower warns toxic chemicals from failed Linc Energy site are spreading
A petroleum engineer says he warned regulators years ago about the risk of chemicals, such as cyanide and benzene, spreading through groundwater beyond a failed underground coal gasification site in Queensland.
Forrest unveils 10GW renewable “super hub” to power grid and green hydrogen
FFI and Windlab to co-develop 10GW-plus wind and solar “Super Hub” in northern Queensland to fast-track the state’s green hydrogen ambitions.
No excuse for hiding the details of toxic chemicals [$]
Australian editorial
Safety standards in the gas industry must ensure public confidence.
South Australia
Power cuts have hit SA in a big way — here’s how they compare to the 2016 statewide blackout
South Australia’s weekend storms knocked out power to 163,000 homes and businesses, and the event has inevitably prompted comparisons with the infamous statewide blackout. Based on what we know so far, here’s how the situations compare.
SA prepares for worst as Murray Cod left gasping for air upstream
Native fish rescuers are rallying South Australian volunteers as local towns prepare for a slick of suffocating blackwater that is forcing native crayfish to crawl onto River Murray banks and killing vulnerable Murray Cod over the border.
Rooftop solar switched off in South Australia, as state isolated after storm damage to network
Updated: Massive amounts of rooftop solar PV – and large scale renewables – switched off in South Australia after state cut off from rest of grid after storm damage.
Enough blaming. How do we fix our precarious power supplies?
Paul Starick
The fragility of South Australia’s electricity grid has yet again been exposed. So, when the blame game finishes, what are we actually going to do about it?
Tasmania
Wildlife warriors launch action over logging coupe [$]
Wildlife warriors fearing for the future of swift parrots will launch court action this week, relating to a logging coupe near Bicheno. Why they’ll go to court + exclusive swift parrot footage.
Northern Territory
Tiwi Islanders take protest against the Santos’ Barossa gas project to Naarm
A group of Tiwi Islanders are heading to Naarm (Melbourne) to stand in solidarity as Santos attempts to overturn their Federal Court victory over the gas giant.
Western Australia
WA town to be powered with green hydrogen in ‘Holy Grail’ of renewable energy switch
Hydrogen made from renewable energy will be used to help power an Australian town for the first time as part of a landmark trial along the country’s sun-drenched WA coast.
WA gas takeover spree could be in the offing [$]
Beach Energy’s takeover bid for Strike Energy is likely the first move in a long-anticipated consolidation of the Perth Basin, one analyst says, which means it could be open season for M&A.
Sustainability
How much pollution do cars produce? It depends
Cars can easily be considered one of the greatest inventions of the modern world. They have transformed the ways so many of us live, given us greater ways to connect with others, and allowed people to live longer lives. But of course, they don’t come without their downsides.
Teflon-coated pans might be more risky than you’d think
One surface crack on a Teflon-coated pan releases about 9,100 plastic particles.
Growing investment and collaboration are making nuclear fusion more viable than ever. How close it is to reality remains up for debate.
Al Gore launches pollution tracker
Former vice president Al Gore wants to be able to keep tabs on which companies are polluting the planet. He recently helped launch an interactive map tracking the 72,000 biggest sources of pollution.
The environmental impact of healthcare
Alexius Jen Choi
We cannot lead healthy lives if we live in an ailing world and the healthcare sector can do more to help address climate change
Nature Conservation
Peruvian Amazon Indigenous leaders to lobby banks to cut ties with state oil firm
Leaders from Achuar and Wampis peoples say Petroperú is responsible for spills in their territory
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