Post of the Day
Salt marsh microbes threaten to reshape the atmosphere
Turf wars between microbes dictate how much carbon salt marshes store and how much methane they pump into the air.
On This Day
Ecological Observance
National Squirrel Appreciation Day – USA
Climate Change
Climate change is fueling conflict in Lake Chad
A new report warns the region is facing “much more than a climate and ecological crisis.” It’s a humanitarian issue.
Greta Thunberg bursts into laughter at reporters’ questions in Davos – video
Greta Thunberg couldn’t stop laughing at reporters’ questions while she walked through Davos on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum. Reporters asked about whether she staged her arrest at a Germany coal mine protest, and when they could expect it to get warm in Davos due to global warming.
A hotter planet takes another toll on human health
Bill McKibben
A new hypothesis about heat waves, redlining, and kidney stones.
National
Australians to save $230 on electricity bills next financial year as wholesale prices fall
Treasurer Jim Chalmers says the saving is a sign the government’s plan to cap prices is ‘starting to make a difference’.
Carbon credit demand surges, sending spot price higher [$]
Changes to the safeguard mechanism and the Chubb Review on ACCUs will deliver a ‘paradigm shift’ for Australia’s carbon market, says report.
Scientists urge non-violent civil disobedience against climate catastrophe
Scientist Rebellion Australia launched a new campaign urging people to engage in non-violent civil disobedience to expose the severity of climate change.
The race to make diesel engines run on hydrogen
Ordinary diesel trucks could be converted to a hydrogen-diesel mix, according to researchers
Does Australia recycle anything? And does it matter?
Russell Marks
The suspension of REDcycle’s soft plastics collection program has prompted questions about the state of recycling
Why carbon offsets should be the last resort [$]
Ebony Bennett
We are on the road to 2030 and the clock is ticking on Australia’s emissions reductions targets. There’s just 83 months until Australia needs to cut its emissions by 43 per cent by 2030, as Minister Chris Bowen is fond of reminding us (and rightly so).
More mental health support needed in climate disasters
Michelle Slater
People impacted by extreme weather disasters are finding it too difficult to access mental health support, according to a new report released by the Climate Council and Beyond Blue.
Energy policy confusion reigns [$]
Australian editorial
Emblematic of a campaign based on ideology rather than facts.
There’s nothing very Australian about capping prices [$]
AFR editorial
Meddling with prices and keeping resources in the ground goes against the ethos of a country built on taking big risks in global commodity markets.
When does donation become dumping? [$]
Jo Stubbings
Saturday evening is usually when it happens. Or Sunday afternoon when the streets are empty.
Lockdown ‘field trip’ reveals whereabouts of Australian grasshoppers
Michael R. Kearney and Anwar Hossain
Using old field notes and new technology, researchers used COVID lockdowns to retrace the steps of pioneering Australian insect surveyors, virtually
New South Wales
Why we trash tonnes of ‘unaesthetic’ produce
Did you know that making a frittata could help the planet? One NSW MP thinks so.
ACT
$37.4m in funding for Brindabella Road repairs doesn’t include ACT [$]
Funding to repair an interstate road locals call dangerous and pothole-ridden, will not extend to the ACT.
Queensland
‘Toadzilla’ found in Qld national park
Stunned park rangers on a north Queensland walking trail have discovered a mega toad weighing in at close to three kilograms.
Tasmania
Hunter adamant every duck shot gets devoured [$]
A Tasmanian duck hunter says all the shooters he knows eat every bird they shoot and very few, if any, would take home their allowed daily limit of 10 during the hunting season.
Western Australia
‘Continuation of his legacy’: McCubbin descendant lauds Woodside protesters
The great, great-grandson of the Australian artist, himself an art expert, praised the use of the iconic painting to protest controversial gas project plans.
Port Hedland’s Spoilbank Marina reaches major milestone [$]
Port Hedland’s new Spoilbank Marina, which is expected to transform the previously-dull Hedland coastline, has reached 50 per cent competition and is on track to be operational by the end of 2023.
Sustainability
King Charles pledges to give back billions in wind farm profits
Under agreements announced this week, the Crown Estate will lease sites for six new offshore wind projects that are capable of generating enough green electricity to power more than seven million homes by 2030.
Fact check: Gas stove study tweet cooked up as heart health scare
A tweet about a study linking gas burners to child asthma has been bizarrely changed to say they cause heart issues.
Renewables projected to soon be one-fourth of US electricity generation. Really soon
The latest EIA report shows renewable generation is about to cross the 25 percent mark, while coal and natural gas lose ground.
Plant-based meat’s mistake: Focusing too much on the real thing?
Companies invested hugely in plant-based meat alternatives. But human psychology is stubborn.
Six environmental justice policy fights to watch in 2023
This year will begin to test whether new federal policies and massive investments focused on climate will actually benefit the low-income families and communities of color.
Violence in Brazil’s Amazon are also crimes against humanity, lawyers tell international court
Three organizations, including Greenpeace Brazil, filed a case with the International Criminal Court (ICC) pressing for the investigation into a network of politicians, law enforcement and business executives they suspect are responsible for systematic attacks against land defenders.
Nuclear danger is strong but landmark agreement offers hope
Marianne Hanson, Margaret Beavis
January 22 marks the two-year anniversary of the entry into force of the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), a landmark agreement that made nuclear weapons illegal on the basis of international humanitarian law. Yet the potential for nuclear war remains as great as ever.
Rajkishore Nayak
Ever considered the carbon footprint of manufacturing your favourite shirt?
Nature Conservation
Loggers warned to steer clear of newly mapped old-growth forest patches in central B.C.
Mapped areas follow watchdog investigation that found biodiversity may be at ‘high risk’ in Prince George timber area.
Climate change is threatening Madagascar’s famous forests – our study shows how serious it is
Climate change is a huge threat to Madagascar’s four forest types – urgent action is needed to ensure they don’t disappear completely.
British government falling ‘far short’ on environmental targets
An independent watchdog warns that England is facing a ‘deeply concerning decline in biodiversity’.