Daily Links Nov 24

We cannot say we weren’t warned. And it is extremely serious, we’re all in trouble.

https://theconversation.com/state-of-the-climate-what-australians-need-to-know-about-major-new-report-195136

From: Maelor Himbury <maelor@melbpc.org.au&gt;
Date: 24 November 2022 at 9:02:56 am AEDT
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Nov 24

Post of the Day

State of the climate: what Australians need to know about major new report

Matthew England

Our climate has warmed by an average 1.47 since national records began, bringing the continent close to the 1.5 limit the Paris Agreement hoped would never be breached.

 

On This Day

November 24

Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur – Sikhism

 

Climate Change

Talks between the US and China to thaw the diplomatic ice, but will this lead to any climate action?

The US and China have resumed discussions on climate change, but experts say the future is uncertain and the dialogue fragile.

 

How China, the biggest annual climate polluter, avoids paying for the damage

Analysts say it is unlikely China will pay into the historic climate fund agreed to at the U.N. climate conference to support vulnerable countries.

 

Climate change forces Kashmir nomads to migrate

In India’s Ladakh region, a mountainous cold desert that borders China and Pakistan, climate change is fueling migration for nomads.

 

Extreme heat takes the field

Billions are watching the World Cup play out in one of the world’s hottest spots. It could offer a glimpse of the future.

 

Bold climate protests are triggering even bolder anti-protest laws

Increasingly bold climate protests are triggering a wave of harsh new laws in Western nations that aim to prevent the type of disruptive demonstrations experts say have long played an important role in healthy democracies.

 

Large parts of Europe are warming twice as fast as the planet on average

The warming during the summer months in Europe has been much faster than the global average, shows a new study. As a consequence of human emissions of greenhouse gases, the climate across the continent has also become drier, particularly in southern Europe, leading to worse heat waves and an increased risk of fires.

 

Limiting global warming now can preserve valuable freshwater resource

A research team has found that the Andean region of Chile could face noticeable snow loss and roughly 10% less mountain water runoff with a global warming of approximately 2.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels over the next three decades. The study also shows that what happens in the Andes could be a harbinger of what is to come for the California Sierra Nevada mountain range, and highlights the importance of carbon-mitigation strategies to prevent this from occurring.

 

Adapting to a hotter planet has never been more important, and progress edged forward at COP27

Johanna Nalau

As the COP27 climate summit drew to a close over the weekend, it’s important to acknowledge that progress was made on climate adaptation – even if more can be done.

 

National

Slavery links and quality concerns: Why there could be a dark side to your solar panels

 Experts have raised concerns about a key material used to produce solar panels, and say the Australian government should do more to stamp out the sale of products with slavery links.

 

Climate report warns of more flash floods and heatwaves

Intense heavy rainfall and extreme heat events are increasing across Australia impacting food supply and communities, according to the CSIRO and Bureau of Meteorology State of the Climate 2022 report released today.

 

Coalition MPs in fresh push for nuclear power

The Liberal-National Coalition is edging closer to a nuclear power plan to take to the next election, with a two-day forum to feed into the policy.


‘Growing concern’ on climate issues must be addressed by lawyers

Climate change will continue to be one of the top ethical challenges over the next 12 months, new research has shown.

 

Farmers’ group attended departmental meeting about grasslands clearing despite officials’ warnings

Environment department allowed National Farmers’ Federation to sit in on meeting about grasslands clearing by Jam Land, the company part owned by then energy minister Angus Taylor

 

How green was my car park: What cities will look like with electric vehicles

Underground charging stations for electric cars, more public parks on top of them and libraries, restaurants and vegetable patches populating what used to be petrol stations.

 

Wise up on benefits of nuke power, PM told

The former head of Australia’s nuclear science agency has urged Anthony Albanese to become ‘fully informed’ about nuclear energy generation.

 

Gallagher to talk to Future Fund over net zero, but no fossil fuel ban

Finance Minister Katy Gallagher and the government aim to “better align” the superannuation provider’s investment strategy with the climate goal by 2050

 

Lost without REDcycle? Here are some alternatives

REDcycle may have dominated soft plastic recycling before its collapse, but there are alternatives.


Solar thermal lobby wants a RET that values long duration storage and megawatt hours

Payments for megawatt hours and tax credits are policies that would boost a long-duration storage industry in Australia.


Labor tips another $500m into CEFC to help bridge clean energy’s “valley of death”

Labor sets up $500m Powering Australia Technology Fund to drive commercialisation of energy efficiency and smart energy technologies.

 

CSIRO and BoM release State of the Climate update – video

We’ve been given a bleak update on the State of the Climate, with the CSIRO and Bureau of Meteorology warning weather and climate extremes are accelerating across Australia.

 

Nuclear energy is a win-win for us and the planet [$]

David Gillespie

Australia needs to wake up and stop ignoring the obvious. We should embrace modern nuclear technology and ensure cheap, reliable power.

 

COP27: Australia promotes fossil fuels as pathway to carbon neutrality

Jeremy Webb

It seems the Australian media still has to be told: COP 27 was a disaster and the glaring flaws in Australia’s grab bag

 

Australia’s fake coal emissions certificates rort major trading partners

Binoy Kampmark

Companies responsible for testing the quality of Australian coal altered “40-50 per cent of the certificates” to make dirty coal look cleaner than it was and sell substandard products for higher profits to Australia’s export partners and underplay carbon emissions.


Generators want money to keep burning coal while waiting for wind, solar and storage

Giles Parkinson

Coal plant owners are ramping up calls for more money to stay open longer. Might this come in the form of more secret contracts?

 

No one has ever recorded the call of these elusive birds. Do they even exist? – cartoon

First Dog on the Moon

Whither do you go little snipe?

 

Victoria

A community battery could solve this tourist town’s energy woes, but the cost is a challenge

Skyrocketing demand for electric vehicles has caused the price of lithium-ion battery components to rise, casting doubt over the financial viability neighbourhood batteries. 

 

Top economist says Suburban Rail Loop ‘a disgrace’ [$]

An ex-federal Treasury economist says the Suburban Rail Loop is the “worst infrastructure project of all time” as Victorians prepare to go to the polls not knowing how much it will cost.

 

New South Wales

Tropical cyclones could return to Sydney — and it’s not because of climate change

While only two cyclones have directly struck NSW since 1974, the state could again be impacted. A Pacific pattern behind the abundance of cyclones last century has now returned.

 

Popular NSW ski resort fined more than $200,000 for pollution at Kosciuszko

A resort’s failure to properly maintain and operate its sewage treatment plant led to 14 million litres of partially-treated sewage being leaked into a national park.

 

Warragamba Dam: health department feared raising wall could harm Sydney’s drinking water

NSW health department’s concerns revealed in report released by WaterNSW

 

Dam project report flags conflict over World Heritage site [$]

The boundaries of a World Heritage-listed site may be changed as the NSW government seeks to raise the height of the Warragamba Dam wall, a report says.

 

Ten retrofits to protect homes against flood, fires, heat and cold

A NSW program will provide scientifically proven advice on how best to protect homes against climate change and extreme weather.

 

Shocking “inland lakes” created by floods and devastating farmers [$]

Flooding which has devastated farmers across the NSW Central West has formed vast inland lakes which are strangling crops and ruining harvests…

 

Aerial shooting recommences in Kosciuszko following complaint review [$]

NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service has recommenced aerial shooting across all its national parks after a complaint from a farmer in Kosciuszko triggered a temporary suspension.

 

Controversial coal mine wins water licence, former pollie Joel Fitzgibbon joins the board

Callum Foote

Joel Fitzgibbon was Labor’s man in the coal-mining electorate of Hunter. He’s the ‘‘ideal appointment’’ to a company with interests in coal.

 

ACT

Going cold on light rail, Libs push for updated cost, timeline [$]

The Canberra Liberals will on Thursday launch a fresh push for more detail on the cost and timing of the next stage of light rail, after the party sent a strong signal on Tuesday it would not back the project if elected.

 

States ranked in race for green transport

Australia’s capital is winning the clean transport race in the country, with the ACT a clear frontrunner in a new study by the Climate Council, followed by New South Wales.

 

Queensland

Government turns to oysters in bid to boost quality of Noosa waterways and help ecosystems bounce back from habitat loss

Scientists and environmentalists across the country are working to help shellfish reefs recover, with hundreds of kilograms of oysters added to the Noosa River.

 

‘Angry’ Palaszczuk pulls out of lunch after Queensland Resources Council’s campaign against coal royalty hikes

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says she is “angry” and “disappointed” at the Queensland Resources Council over an expensive advertising campaign. 

 

Ibis add toxic cane toads to the menu with clever technique to eliminate poison first

Citizen scientists report the much-maligned ibis has an ingenious method of making sure poisonous cane toads don’t cause them a problem.


Extinction threat for Wet Tropic possums

Ringtail possums in Queensland’s Wet Tropics could be wiped out by 2050 unless action is taken to reduce the impacts of climate change, a paper says.


Tasmania

Researchers plant baby giant kelp to restore Tasmania’s seaweed forests

They’ve had success with growing individual plants, but now a team of scientists is taking on a new, far more ambitious underwater project — starting with spreading baby kelp across 7,000 square metres off the Tasmanian coast.

 

After five decades, these Aboriginal rock carvings are returning home. But not everyone is happy

After more than five decades, three apologies and painstaking preservation work, ancient Indigenous rock carvings are making the journey from museums to their original home hundreds of kilometres away in a remote corner of Tasmania’s far north-west.

 

ReNu raises $4.5m for Tassie hydrogen projects [$]

ASX-listed ReNu Energy will seek to raise $4.5 million by selling new stock to investors, with the funds earmarked for use to pursue its hydrogen projects in Tasmania and Indonesia, the company announced on Wednesday

 

State government details waste targets [$]

The state government has released a draft waste strategy which states an aim to reduce waste generated by each Tasmanian by 10 per cent in eight years.

 

Draft salmon plan released [$]

Implementation of the state government’s new Draft Salmon Industry Plan will support the industry’s sustainable growth and improve its transparency, Minister for Primary Industries and Water, Jo Palmer, said on Wednesday.

 

Western Australia

Kimberley traditional owners secure tenure over famous El Questro

Kimberley traditional owners have secured tenure over El Questro and will convert part of the station to a nature reserve, while allowing tourism to continue.


Burrup ‘is world’s most important rock art site’ [$]

A famed French archaeologist who led the first major scientific study of the Burrup Peninsula’s ancient rock art has added his voice to calls for greater protection of the area.

 

Government to legislate new protections after Juukan Gorge destruction

The federal government responds to an inquiry into Rio Tinto’s destruction of a sacred site at Juukan Gorge, agreeing to legislate new cultural heritage protections and review the native title act.

 

Sustainability

Ukraine nuclear power plant still under fire

Ukraine says it’s maintaining control of its power grid despite ongoing Russian missile attacks. But the country’s foreign minister says Moscow’s ability to produce new weapons must be destroyed.

 

Global Plastics Treaty: Opportunity to protect rights

Governments attending negotiations for a Global Plastics Treaty should ensure that the new treaty protects human rights throughout the plastic life cycle, Human Rights Watch said today, releasing a question-and-answer document about the human rights impacts of plastic production, use, and disposal.

 

The market can deliver the green transition – just not fast enough [$]

Martin Wolf

Policymakers and governments need to work out how to accelerate the process.

 

The book that changed me: Hannah Arendt’s Eichmann in Jerusalem and the problem of terrifying moral complacency

Peter Christoff

As a child of Hungarian Jews, reading Eichmann in Jerusalem was a revelation to Peter Christoff. Yet might the ‘Eichmann problem’ of criminal disregard apply, today to those exploiting fossil fuels?

 

Nature Conservation

They might not have a spine, but invertebrates are the backbone of our ecosystems. Let’s help them out

New research shows rewilding with invertebrates – insects, worms, spiders and the like – can go a long way in bringing our degraded landscapes back to life.

 

Significant increase in Yamuna pollution since 2017: Delhi govt report

The Delhi government has promised to clean the Yamuna to bathing standards by 2025, but the pollution load in the river has increased substantially over the last five years.

 

Plants teach their offspring how to adapt to climate change, scientists find

Plants help their offspring adapt to climate change by passing down traits, scientists have claimed.

 

Wild turkey: Climate survivor or destined for decline?

Meleagris gallopavo, the North American wild turkey,survived European settlement, clearing of America’s native forests, the rise of industrial agriculture and unfettered hunting until the early 20th century. Whether it can thrive in a quickly warming world remains an open question.

 

Earth might be experiencing 7th mass extinction, not 6th

Earth is currently in the midst of a mass extinction, losing thousands of species each year. New research suggests environmental changes caused the first such event in history, which occurred millions of years earlier than scientists previously realized.

 



Maelor Himbury
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