Post of the Day
Doomsday Clock is the closest it has ever been to midnight
Atomic scientists have set the “Doomsday Clock” closer to midnight than ever before.
On This Day
Ecological Observance
World Environmental Education Day
Climate Change
How climate change threatens our books [$]
Libraries are vulnerable to floods and fire, which are becoming more frequent threats.
Why Tanzania needs tougher steps to combat climate change effects
The need for creative thinking, widespread cooperation and radical climate solutions is more than ever as this year is expected to bring about another round of climate-related calamities.
Hundreds of millions of people to be affected by sea level rise, new modelling suggests
Updated elevation models of coastal areas show that more than twice as much land could be covered by water due to climate change-linked sea level rises than previously thought.
Is it time to call time on the Doomsday Clock?
It’s been ticking down the seconds to nuclear apocalypse for three-quarters of a century, but it’s not so helpful when it comes to climate change.
National
‘Australia’s energy sector is undergoing momentous legal change’: Part 2
The energy sector is reportedly set to be one of the biggest areas of growth in 2023. Here, four energy lawyers discuss what’s in store for the legal profession as the space continues to boom within the Australian economy.
AEMO report confirms wind and solar best cure for fossil fuel hyper-inflation
Coal and gas are in a long structural terminal decline, renewables are booming and pushing expensive, unreliable, polluting fossil fuels out of the market.
Renewable transition faces critical moment as ministers decide on transmission access
Stephanie Bashir
The Energy Security Board’s board favoured solution to grid access is widely opposed. Energy ministers must tell it to move on and focus on something useful.
Finding gas for tomorrow counts [$]
Australian editorial
Feds must not compound the mistakes of state leaders on energy.
Victoria
Woodside warns drilling for more gas ‘hard to justify’ due to government intervention
Energy giant Woodside has warned that it will struggle to justify exploring for more gas off Victoria’s coastline and can’t yet resume east-coast gas sales talks for 2024 amid ongoing uncertainty about the federal government’s gas market intervention.
New South Wales
Coal miner accused of ‘overestimating’ economic value of plan to expand NSW mine
The Australia Institute says allowing another 40 million tonnes of coal to be mined in the NSW central west does not stack up economically or environmentally.
ACT
Canberra’s first electric bus zips into permanent service
The sound of travelling by public transport in the ACT has changed, with the warning sounds of an electric bus a new element to the cacophony of Canberra’s roads.
Queensland
Powering up: State plans to take over $2.4 billion CopperString project
The State Government has admitted it was moving to take over the development of CopperString project, a $2.4 billion electricity generation scheme that was expected to open the vast north west of the state to minerals development and renewable energy.
Brisbane bus safety dispute makes stop at industrial umpire
The union representing Brisbane council bus drivers has filed a complaint with the state’s industrial umpire in an ongoing dispute about the nighttime safety of passengers and those behind the wheel along two southside routes.
Palaszczuk announces Australia-first critical minerals facility for battery storage
Queensland says $75 million facility represents a “Eureka” moment for the shift to critical minerals to support renewables and battery storage.
South Australia
“Glimpse of the future:” South Australia peaked at 91.5 pct wind and solar when links were down
South Australia reached an “extraordinary” 91.5 pct wind and solar even when its main transmission links were down, in what AEMO says is a “glimpse of the future.”
Tasmania
One of Australia’s longest-running ferry services could be saved thanks to green hydrogen
Previously described as unsafe and unsustainable and thought to have made its final trip, Tasmania’s Spirit of Devonport ferry service could be back on the water this year.
EPA releases report on Plenty River health monitoring
Media release – Environment Protection Authority (EPA)
The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) engaged the Water Management and Assessment Branch (WMAB) of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania (NRE Tas) to undertake river health monitoring in the Plenty River in September 2020 following a pollution spill event from landspreading activities adjacent to a commercial composting facility in the Plenty River catchment.
Northern Territory
Santos ordered to pause Barossa project pipeline construction after watchdog’s surprise inspection
In another setback for Santos’ $4.7 billion Barossa gas project, the national regulator has ordered the company to pause construction of its pipeline over concerns about its potential impact on Indigenous cultural sites.
Western Australia
WA has new ‘landmark’ climate laws on the way. But what will they change?
WA is set to legislate emissions reduction targets in its push towards net zero, but there are warnings it could be business as usual for the state’s big polluters for at least the next decade.
Sustainability
What is the Doomsday Clock and why have atomic scientists just moved it closer to midnight?
The clock now sits the closest to midnight it has ever been.
‘Largest con in corporate history’: Adani loses billions after short-seller report
A prominent short-seller has released a scathing research report on the conglomerate of Asia’s richest person, sending shares plunging.
New research provides evidence that some types of natural environments are associated with a decreased risk hospitalization for neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.
Residential green space is associated with higher birth weight
Research assessed associations between maternal exposure to natural environments and birth outcomes in 11 birth cohorts from nine European countries
How plants are inspiring new ways to extract value from wastewater
Scientists are drawing inspiration from plants to develop new techniques to separate and extract valuable minerals, metals and nutrients from resource-rich wastewater.
The single oil spill that can disrupt the global energy supply
A maritime area three times the size of the city of London holds the highest risk for oil spills in the Gulf which can have devastating consequences locally and globally.
Nature Conservation
Plastic works its way up the food chain to hit fishing cats, study shows
During a dietary study on fishing cats living near Colombo, Sri Lanka, researchers made an unexpected finding: Some scat samples collected contained plastics.
Amazon freshwater stingrays gain much-needed protection — will it be enough?
Two little-known and rarely studied species of freshwater stingrays — yes, such a thing exists — just gained enhanced international protections, but will it be enough to save them?
Silencing science: How Indonesia is censoring wildlife research
Under President Joko Widodo, Indonesia has gained international praise for its conservation policies. But now the government is clamping down on scientists who are questioning official claims that the country’s endangered orangutan and rhino populations are increasing.
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