Date: 20 November 2022 at 8:17:05 am AEDT
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Subject: Daily Links Nov 20
Post of the Day
Five crucial issues in fight to save planet – and what Cop27 did about them
This month’s environmental summit opened as our planet wilts under the impact of climate crisis. Here we examine five key areas and assess what success – if any – was achieved in Egypt
On This Day
World Youth Day – Catholicism
Climate Change
Cop27: divisions and splits threaten deal to tackle climate crisis
Poorer countries denounce wealthier nations for delay and refusal over ‘loss and damage’ payments
China and US renew commitment to tackling climate crisis but differences remain
Xie Zhenhua said he’d had ‘very constructive discussions’ with John Kerry at Cop27 but there’s no change on finance issues
How much CO2 do humans exhale and does it affect global warming?
If you were unlucky enough to be locked in an airtight room, you might think you’d eventually run out of oxygen, but that’s actually not true. More serious would be the excess of carbon dioxide.
Sea level rise to dramatically speed up erosion of rock coastlines by 2100
Rock coasts, which make up over half the world’s coastlines, could retreat more rapidly in the future due to accelerating sea level rise.
Carbon dioxide in the deep Earth may be more active than previously thought and may have played a bigger role in climate change than scientists knew before, according to a new study.
Finding equity in climate mitigation finance
A new study helps inform the current negotiations at COP27 while keeping fairness at the forefront.
Smallest countries need biggest reform to achieve climate goals
Michael Jacobs
Sharm el-Sheikh is not the most propitious venue for a UN conference on climate change.
National
Are we underestimating Probable Maximum Precipitation?
New research finds we’re not taking climate change into account when considering current and future rainfall extremes.
‘Don’t make the same mistake’: Traditional Owners’ warning over renewable projects on Aboriginal land
First Nations experts and Traditional Owners say the government must properly consult and share benefits with Aboriginal Australians in the development of the new green economy.
National Asbestos Awareness Month urges homeowners to find out what’s really in your house
It’s a potentially deadly substance found in millions of homes, yet many people in Australia’s multicultural and diverse communities are unaware of the threat it poses. This month, there’s a push to raise awareness about the risks of asbestos exposure, with four-thousand Australians dying each year from asbestos related diseases.
CSIRO chief’s exit offers Labor rare opportunity to alter direction of Australia’s science agency
New chief executive will have their work cut out for them after what some scientists call ‘painful’ change under Larry Marshall
Albanese says Biden’s inflation-busting plan has opportunities for Australia
Australian PM says he used meetings on sidelines of summits this week to talk about commercial openings in green energy
Australia’s climate change minister backs proposed loss and damage fund but says 1.5C target is crucial to limiting the bill
Electric vehicle tax unites states in High Court stoush against the Commonwealth
The largest constitutional battle in 25 years could reshape how road users are taxed in the post-petrol world.
Greens appeal to states to back a windfall tax to freeze power bills
A spokesman for Qld Treasurer Cameron Dick said the state’s public ownership of electricity “enables us to ease power bill pressure in a way other states cannot”.
How to unpick a company’s net zero target in 7 steps
Sören Amelang & Julian Wettengel
Corporate net zero targets are spreading like wildfire, but many ring hollow and are no more than vague statements of intent. Here’s how to unpick them.
Victoria
New photos show massive delays in West Gate Tunnel project [$]
The project was scheduled to open before the state election, but new aerial photos show how the West Gate Tunnel project is far from completion.
Latrobe Valley pine plantation wind farm confirms Supreme Court challenge
Osmi Australia confirms that state approvals for its 200MW Delburn wind farm are being challenged in court, with a hearing date set for February 2023.
The Suburban Rail Loop once seemed like a good idea. But the gloss has come off
Age editorial
It has become abundantly clear this rail line will not materially improve Melbourne’s transport network for generations.
New South Wales
Save the song, save the species: Rescuing the sound of the Aussie bush
Taronga Zoo has revolutionised the way it raises the critically endangered regent honeyeaters, based on research that shows zoo-bred males sing differently from their wild counterparts, potentially slashing their chances to survive and breed.
Tooth marks and dorsal fins: Understanding Sydney’s dolphins
Researchers hope a new citizen science project will help them understand the needs and behaviours of the dolphins that frequent Sydney Harbour.
ACT
Why the ACT needs to change the way it assesses flood risk
Three people are feared to have died in NSW as floodwater inundates Central West towns just 2.5 hours north of Canberra. With showers and thunderstorms continuing across parts of the state this weekend and evacuation orders in place in Forbes, emergency services are bracing for another nervous week ahead.
South Australia
Two weeks to go: Murray towns to the barricades as record floods loom [$]
The highest river flows in a generation are getting closer, and millions of dollars worth of military-style equipment is coming too.
Thousands lose power as wind hits amid severe weather warnings [$]
Thousands of homes were plunged into darkness again on Saturday evening as a new round of wild weather battered parts of the state.
Tasmania
Converting diesel engines to run on hydrogen fuel: truck trial to kick off to reduce emissions
Hydrogen fuel trials are emerging across Australia, but a project in Tasmania is seeking to create an entirely renewable energy-generated supply chain.
New vehicle to help injured wildlife [$]
Northern Tasmania will benefit from the rollout of a new emergency responder ambulance which will support wildlife care and rehabilitation.
Western Australia
Rare grasswren returns to island for first time in a century
A species of bird that’s probably undergone one of the biggest declines of any Australian birds has been reintroduced to a remote island after disappearing more than 100 years ago.
These beach shack squatters are refusing to give up their homes, despite government orders
Despite threats of large fines, six beach shack squatters on the West Australian coast are refusing to bow down to government orders.
The annual “whites run” is a bizarre natural phenomenon in which juvenile western rock lobsters from Bunbury to Kalbarri moult their red shells and begin a choreographed migration.
Why this corporate misadventure in Australia should make Indians angry
Daniel Mercer
Four out of five Indians live on barely $10 a day yet the country’s biggest private bank has plunged more than $1 billion into a hopeless bet on a busted Australian coal mine.
Sustainability
New insights into energy loss open doors for one up-and-coming solar tech
A new method for describing energy loss in organic solar cells has paved the way for building better and more efficient devices.
Turning wastewater into fertilizer is feasible and could help to make agriculture more sustainable
Researchers’ lifecycle analysis of nitrogen reclamation from wastewater shows a viable path forward
Tackling plastic pollution with a net of law and chemical coding
An innovative proposal to tackle the global plastic pollution crisis with a combination of DNA-like encoding of plastics and international law has been put forward by a transdisciplinary team.
Planting trees can save lives, study shows
A 30-year tree planting campaign in Portland, Oregon, allowed researchers to show that the number of trees planted in the street is associated with reductions in mortality, and that the association grows stronger as the trees age and grow.
Ukraine says half of its energy system is crippled – podcast
As the first snow falls on Kyiv, around 10 million Ukrainians are suffering the winter without electricity or gas to keep warm, but the European Union is stepping in sending supplies to help keep people warm. This comes as Ukrainian investigators arrive at the site of a missile strike in Poland which killed two people earlier in the week.
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