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Date: 15 January 2023 at 8:06:49 am AEDT
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Jan 15
Post of the Day
Many Australian beaches are disappearing before our eyes. So what’s the solution?
For decades, residents along a section of suburban Australian coastline have witnessed their beach dissolve before their eyes, sometimes literally dropping into the sea. It’s a problem that is also confronting coastal towns throughout the country — and the world — as sea levels continue to rise.
On This Day
Ecological Observance
Arbor Day – Jordan, Egypt and Malta
National
Zombie cane toads are real. Here’s how they can come back from the ‘dead’
Australians have long hunted cane toads in inventive and not always kind ways. But there’s a way to kill humanely and ward off the so-called zombie syndrome.
December 2022 was third-busiest month on record for solar panel installation partly driven by spiking electricity prices
PM defends climate laws, suggests he can’t meet Greens demands
The Greens have raised concerns that the changes let coal and gas companies “off the hook”.
Unexpected Aussie windfall out of Russia war
The profits Australian coal exporters have made over the past year have been revealed as the Ukrainian war continues.
Did 2022 prove that ESG investing is a fad?
Erica Hall
While recent ESG fund returns have been poor, sustainable investing is a long-term trend unlikely to reverse course.
Victoria
Planting the seed: the botanist who harnessed the arts to grow Melbourne’s botanic gardens
As he prepares to depart after 10 years at the helm, Tim Entwisle speaks of making the gardens ‘less introverted’ while staying focused on conservation
Coastal communities cry out for state government action as sea levels rise
The government’s approach to planning for the impact of climate change on the coast is based on a 15-year-old document which has been long superseded.
‘Assault’ on heritage as suburbs change forever [$]
High-density development is taking over Melbourne’s inner and middle rings, but with housing affordability at its worst ever — a delicate balance must be struck.
With few trees in her suburb, Ronda would rather jump in the car than walk on scorching footpaths
As experts push for faster action to boost tree cover in Melbourne’s canopy-starved west, councils in other parts of the city are making moves to boost the shade within their own regions.
New South Wales
NSW councils have declared war on cats, amid an acrimonious debate over whether they should be blamed for the destruction of native wildlife.
Devastation and blindness in our High Country [$]
Richard Barnes
One can only hope that the day is not too far away when “I was only doing my job” will be no more a defence against climate crimes than it is against war crimes.
Queensland
The federal government says the hydrogen hub will create 16,000 direct jobs and 13,000 indirect jobs.
Back to the wild for Brisbane’s neglected urban spaces
Brisbane’s neglected urban spaces could be turned into community gardens, composting hubs and native habitats.
How to get your green thumbs a $50k grant to fix your community spaces [$]
The state government will give out grants of up to $50,000 to build or expand community gardens in a bid to transform community spaces across Queensland.
Elder’s tears for Mt Warning as protesters gather to fight ban [$]
An Indigenous elder has broken down in tears over moves to ban the public from tourist icon Mount Warning as protesters gather to fight the ban.
Commuter route smashes pre-Covid figures, leaving others behind [$]
Commuter numbers on buses, ferries and trains are still lagging behind pre-Covid rates, with new peak periods emerging, but one form of transport is surging ahead and showing signs of a full recovery.
Tasmania
Keep it wild: Readers have say on national parks [$]
The state government remains committed to encouraging tourism ventures in national parks amid survey results showing public opposition.
Sustainability
Greta Thunberg calls for protest against expansion of German coalmine
Climate activist also denounced ‘police violence’ against campaigners at the abandoned village of Lützerath
Interfacial interactions of the lead-free perovskite for efficient hydrogen production
The conversion of solar energy into hydrogen energy represents a promising and green technique for addressing the energy shortage and reducing fossil fuel emissions. A research team recently developed a lead-free perovskite photocatalyst that delivers highly efficient solar energy-to-hydrogen conversion.
AI improves detail, estimate of urban air pollution
Using artificial intelligence, engineers have simplified and reinforced models that accurately calculate the fine particulate matter (PM2.5) — the soot, dust and exhaust emitted by trucks and cars that get into human lungs — contained in urban air pollution.
Bilingual kids could lead in ocean environmental action
Participation in environmental education programs can motivate children across diverse language groups to act responsibly toward the environment, a recent study suggests.
Computers that power self-driving cars could be a huge driver of global carbon emissions
Study shows that if autonomous vehicles are widely adopted, hardware efficiency will need to advance rapidly to keep computing-related emissions in check
Polyethylene has a number of advantageous properties, but biodegradability is not one of them. A team of researchers has now developed a plastic which has similar thermoplastic properties to polyethylene but is also biodegradable
Nature Conservation
Australian photojournalist Paul Jones spent months on a remote Indonesian island, living in a village without electricity or running water, to learn about whale hunters and their subsistence lifestyle.
All in the planning: State policies working to fix Gulf nutrient pollution
More than a decade on, critics have questioned the effectiveness of state nutrient reduction strategies, noting the still-massive hypoxic dead zones in the Gulf. In a new study, social scientists looked at the process states took to develop and implement their strategies, identifying key strengths and challenges that can inform other large-scale cooperative efforts.
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