Date: 4 November 2022 at 9:07:30 am AEDT
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Nov 4
Post of the Day
Antidotes for ecological forgetfulness
Jason Mark
Bear witness, make a record, pass it on.
On This Day
Ecological Observance
Climate Change
Call for action as extreme weather smashes global records
A new Climate Council report chronicles the succession of disasters that have struck since last November’s global climate summit in Scotland.
Famous glaciers will disappear by 2050 because of global warming, UNESCO says
Glaciers in Yosemite, Yellowstone, the Dolomites and Mount Kilimanjaro will melt by 2050. More will almost entirely disappear by 2100 unless the world drastically reduces carbon emissions, the agency says.
China is burning more coal, a growing climate challenge
The country’s emissions of greenhouse gases rose last year at the fastest pace in a decade. Beijing is looking for alternatives.
As world leaders head to COP27, activist Greta Thunberg hopes more people will realise it’s a ‘scam’
Climate activist Greta Thunberg issues a warning to Australians relying on politicians to deliver the actions required to save the planet.
Greta Thunberg sees her climate book as ‘a new type of activism’
Environmental activist Greta Thunberg has gathered contributions from more than one hundred experts for a new book which explains the climate crisis.
‘No other option’ – Greta Thunberg
Climate activist Greta Thunberg talks about her new book, The Climate Book.
The climate crisis threatens to rob us not just of our living, but also of our dead
Lagipoiva Cherelle Jackson
As Pacific nations face the prospect of losing entire islands, the thought of leaving behind the bones of our ancestors is unbearable
There is no need for defeatism on climate change
Pilita Clark
Challenges abound, but ahead of the COP27 talks in Egypt next week, governments and regulators are finally getting serious.
Tax could help freeze power bills: Greens
The Greens say a new windfall tax on coal and gas companies would allow for power bills to be frozen for two years.
Fact check: Dutton muddles Labor’s energy promise timeline
The federal opposition leader gets his dates wrong on when Labor made its pre-election promise on energy bills.
This historic group thought they were ‘fixing’ nature. Instead, they were causing irrevocable damage
In 1857 a group of nature-loving colonialists formed the Acclimatisation Society and brought European animals into Australia. It didn’t go as planned.
Calls for a swift deal to make electric cars cheaper
Electric vehicle legislation is a Labor election promise that could make popular models, such as the Nissan Leaf, up to $2,000 cheaper for some individuals and $9,000 cheaper for employers who run fleets.
Energy price relief plan before Christmas, Jim Chalmers tells ABC’s Q&A
In a solo appearance, the treasurer was bombarded with questions but did not rule out subsidies or changes to company tax
More research needed before spreading herpes, carp control report finds
The long-awaited report says there are more steps that must be taken before a decision on whether to release carp herpes into Australian waterways is made.
‘Glut of greed’: Federal minister takes aim at gas companies as prices rise
Federal Industry Minister Ed Husic has launched a blistering attack on gas companies, accusing them of failing to take a price crisis seriously.
Self-inflicted blackout: Facts and the figures behind our power houses [$]
Australia has enough fuel to power the nation for generations. But data compiled by the Advertiser reveals we are shunning our energy bounty.
Corporate Australia’s net-zero talk not matched by targets
While most of the country’s largest listed companies have made net-zero pledges, concrete and measurable emissions reduction targets are largely missing.
Big sheds get electric boost as Goodman customers drive sustainability
Industrial property giant Goodman Group is future-proofing its sheds with reinforced roofs, solar panels, rain water harvesting, large electrical conduits, EV charge points, drone access and big batteries.
Labor set to join global 2030 deforestation ban in carbon credit boost
The Albanese government is on the cusp of joining a global push to halt deforestation by 2030, driving the use of agriculture and forestry land as a source of carbon and biodiversity credits that could generate income for farmers from big business and offshore markets
AGL resorts to “lights will go out” threat as pressure on board builds
AGL digs into the “blackout” scare campaign to defend the pace of coal closures ahead of a crucial shareholder meeting next week.
No old-style deals here: traditional owners [$]
Traditional owners courted by green energy companies say they will never again strike the sorts of deals that allowed resource companies to destroy their heritage.
‘High cost’ dig riles energy producers [$]
Big energy producers have clashed with the Albanese government over threatened gas price intervention.
Over half of Australia’s working population drove to work in 2021
Analysis of 2021 Census data has revealed that 53.1 per cent (6,398,000) of Australia’s working population (employed people aged 15 years and over) drove to work on Census Day in 2021.
Anthony Albanese won’t be at COP27 but energy will be on his mind
Michelle Grattan
Australians are facing another summer of discontent, this time with escalating living costs replacing Omicron at the top of their worry lists
Albo’s hot air on gas power will go up in smoke too [$]
Caleb Bond
The war in Ukraine may be part of the problem but Australia’s real energy crisis is homegrown.
Big states become beggars in national gas wars
David Crowe
The hard truth for NSW and Victorian leaders in this energy crisis is that their fortunes are now in the hands of the premiers who sit in Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.
Pitchforks out for ‘greedy’ gas as high prices fuel tax talk
Elizabeth Knight
The oil and gas majors, and their shareholders, have become collateral beneficiaries of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, prompting talk of a Robin Hood-style redistribution profits to consumers and other businesses
Should they stay or find another home? First, talk to the flood victims
Jane McAdam
Relocation may be flood victims’ best option, and governments are spending millions to help them do it, but we won’t find sustainable solutions unless we consult the people affected before, during and after any mass movement.
A platypus can glow green and hunt prey with electricity – but it can’t climb dams to find a mate
Luis Mijangos
The platypus is one of Earth’s most unique creatures. It sports a duck-like bill and flippers. It locates prey in murky water by emitting an electric charge. Males have venomous spurs on their legs, and the females lay eggs. And a platypus’ fur glows blue-green under UV light!
The $530 billion junk infrastructure scandal – What the PM can do
John Menadue
Sydney and Melbourne’s ‘big infrastructure build’ will soon prove Australia’s ‘big bust’. Our Prime Minister cannot aid and abet this madness.
Is the Pacific Engagement Visa Australia’s first climate change humanitarian visa?
Abul Rizvi
The new Pacific Engagement Visa (PEV) has more similarities to a humanitarian visa than a labour supplementation visa – at 3,000 permanent resident places per annum, it could be Australia’s first climate change humanitarian visa.
Is it time to re-visit the gas to Queensland project?
Jeffrey Wall
We hear from the federal government daily that we face a critical shortage of gas – with prices for industry and households to rise by up to 50 per cent. At the same time power prices will rise by even more.
From renewables to crypto, don’t buy into the hype [$]
Claire Lehmann
Wishful thinking about wind and solar is going to come up against reality soon … and there will be a world of pain in the awakening.
Gas price caps a cure worse than the disease [$]
Henry Ergas
Price controls would compound rather than address the distortions that plague our energy markets.
Green powerhouse lure has Aussie financiers salivating [$]
Joyce Moullakis
Banks and other financiers are jostling for a portion as Australia positions itself as a world superpower in renewable energy.
Climate talks are worth a miss [$]
Australian editorial
Mr Albanese must resist being dragged further into politics of misery.
Rachel Withers
The resources and industry ministers are out of step with their rhetoric on gas
Climate change is the burning issue
The Canberra Times editorial
On Thursday Australian Community Media, the publisher of The Canberra Times, launched the first instalment of Our Climate Future, an important new series on climate change. It is being published across Australia’s largest regional newspaper network.
Victoria
Victoria logging emits 3m tonnes of carbon
Native forest logging in Victoria emits at least three million tonnes of carbon emissions each year, new research shows.
Victorian rain eases, river threat remains
A break in rainfall is easing flood conditions on the Victoria-NSW border despite volumes of water continuing to surge along the swollen Murray River.
When Melbourne will become nation’s biggest city [$]
Not so long ago it was predicted that Melbourne would become Australia’s biggest city in 2027, but a Covid-led exodus has caused a reassessment.
30 big ideas to transform Victoria [$]
From voucher giveaways, to fast rail and a revamp of Flinders Street station — there’s no shortage of big ideas to improve Victoria.
New South Wales
Large dams may threaten survival of platypus populations, research finds
Scientists have found major genetic differences between groups of platypuses above and below dams which may lead to inbreeding and reduced adaptability
‘Whole town has gone into panic’: Forbes locals brace for rising floodwaters
Regional NSW towns from Forbes to Wagga Wagga are bracing for floodwaters to rise with more than 100 emergency warnings in place.
ACT
Canberra’s water security is about more than just rain
Gavin Dilworth
Water is a man-made marvel in Canberra: artificial Lake Burley Griffin is regulated by Scrivener Dam and three other dams keeping water levels in check. In times of drought the dams keep water irrigating along the length of the water system, and in times of rain sluices are opened to keep communities from being overwhelmed by flood.
Queensland
‘Natural event’ bleaches thousands of hectares of coral exposed to strong cold winds
Low tide, acting “like a lawnmower on the coral”, leads to the bleaching of vast swathes. But a researcher says the “dramatic” process is a part of nature.
Off track: Qld delays bid to build private cabins in national parks
A new government tourism strategy delivers a setback for the private sector’s bid.
Coal price ‘just as important as gas’ [$]
Queensland Energy Minister Mick de Brenni says any move to regulate the price of gas should also include coal.
South Australia
Traditional custodians seek global recognition for Flinders Ranges’ first inhabitants
The federal government will provide $500,000 over the next four years to increase engagement with the traditional owners of a potential World Heritage site.
Murray flows could now peak at 150 gigalitres per day into SA, risk of ‘blackwater events’
Higher River Murray flows into South Australia are now expected to last well into January, prompting warnings to shack owners to begin sandbagging, and to summer holiday revellers about increased water risks.
BHP signs wind farm deal in renewables push
BHP has signed a deal with Neoen energy company to support a planned 203MW wind farm it hopes will meet half of the Olympic Dam mine’s electricity needs by 2026.
Tasmania
Hobart cable car project dealt another blow as company loses appeal over council refusal
Tasmania’s planning authority rules the controversial kunanyi/Mt Wellington cable car project should not go ahead, upholding Hobart City Council’s original refusal of the project.
Environmentalists protest company’s takeover of Tassal [$]
The Bob Brown Foundation protested outside the Tassal annual general meeting ahead of the takeover vote on Friday.
Key Marinus questions sorted, now to the selling job: Barnett [$]
Two key questions fueling persistent Tasmanian opposition to a huge electricity project have now been answered, state Energy Minister Guy Barnett says.
Campaign explores Tamar Estuary [$]
A new education campaign launched by the Tamar Estuary and Esk Rivers program explores the aquatic ecosystems and our use of waterways.
Portrait of a 500yo forest giant, ‘the world’s biggest blue gum’
This 80-metre-tall Tasmanian blue gum was discovered by giant-tree hunters in an area of forest slated for logging. So what is the future of the forest giant?
Northern Territory
Cash-strapped miner Energy Resources of Australia says the federal government has agreed to release almost $60 million from the security bond meant to ensure the mine site is rehabilitated.
Western Australia
Last chance for WA possums as public launch federal court challenge
The federal environment minister’s approval of a major road in the South West Australian biodiversity hotspot will become a landmark test case for environmental law.
PCH to get new $4m nature park to brighten sick kids’ lives
A new $4 million nature park will be built near Perth Children’s Hospital’s rainbow-coloured bridge to brighten up the lives of sick kids and their families across WA during their visits.
Sustainability
The problem with ‘home-compostable’ plastic bags
Most certified “home-compostable” plastics do not fully break down in home compost bins, a citizen science project finds.
Nuclear watchdog says there’s no evidence of ‘dirty bomb’ at Ukraine sites
The UN nuclear watchdog says it has found no sign of undeclared nuclear activity at three sites in Ukraine that it inspected at Kyiv’s request in response to Russian allegations that work was being done on a “dirty bomb”.
Delhi air pollution explained: Why India’s capital is being suffocated by toxic smog again
Deadly air pollution has become an annual hazard in northern India, but there were hopes for change after political upheaval in Punjab. But even more farm fires are filling the sky with particles, as Arpan Rai reports from a landscape up in flames.
Nuclear industry eyes expansion despite tenuous start
TerraPower and PacifiCorp will consider adding five more Natrium nuclear power plants, targeting Wyoming and Utah.
The nonprofits cleaning up the oil and gas industry’s ‘dirty little secret’
More than a million abandoned wells are found throughout the US. Charities have popped up to help deal with the massive problem.
Why the feared wave of solar panel waste may be smaller and arrive later than we expected
Researchers say improvements in solar panels mean we need to change expectations about when they’ll need to be repurposed or recycled.
As banks fund oil pipeline, campaigners question their environmental pledges
Activists say some banks that have signed up to the Equator Principles are failing to live up to their pledge of properly assessing the environmental and social risks of the projects they finance.
Most ‘home-compostable’ plastic doesn’t fully break down in compost bins, UK study finds
Most certified “home-compostable” plastics do not fully break down in home compost bins, a citizen science project finds.
A new report based on electric utilities’ own records reveals a significant challenge confronting the Biden administration as it grapples with enforcing coal ash regulations adopted seven years ago in the wake of natural disasters.
Inside Baltimore’s groundbreaking plan to study climate change in the city
A $25 million grant will help researchers study how the city can adapt and become more resilient.
Are bananas really ‘radioactive’? An expert clears up common misunderstandings about radiation
Sarah Loughran
The simple mention of the word “radiation” often evokes fear in people. For others, it’s fun to think a little exposure to radiation could turn you into the next superhero, just like the Hulk.
Nature Conservation
A caustic shift is coming for the Arctic Ocean
Scientists have already begun to observe the ecological effects of acidifying oceans on sea life. The changes ahead may be more drastic.
In the Amazon, a giant fish helps save the rainforest
Even in the most biodiverse rainforest of the world, the pirarucu, also known as arapaima, stands out.
‘Carbon timebomb’: Climate crisis threatens to destroy Congo peatlands
The Congo peatlands are a huge carbon “timebomb” that could be triggered by the climate crisis, research has shown.
Nord Stream: Urgent need for international investigations into crimes against the environment
Chandran Nair
The explosions at the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines on September 26 in the Baltic Sea have been deemed an act of sabotage – but which nations or actors are responsible is yet to be known. Given the scale of the environmental crime, why are we not demanding the truth? What explains Western silence?
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