Date: 5 January 2023 at 8:43:15 am AEDT
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Jan 5
Post of the Day
‘Boys will be boys’: why consumers don’t punish big polluters for greenwashing lies
Adam Austen Kay
Stigma is an awful burden for business. But what if – for some companies – stigma is an asset?
On This Day
Guru Gobind Singh’s Birthday – Sikhism
Ecological Observance
National Bird Day – USA
Climate Change
Why 2023 is a cliff for climate rules
The Biden administration is behind schedule on a slate of carbon regulations that could be undermined by the courts or the next president.
With 8 billion people, is overpopulation fueling climate change?
Concern about overpopulation and climate change is widespread. An Arizona State University researcher outlines another solution.
How climate change impacts the Indian Ocean dipole, leading to severe droughts and floods
Researchers now have a much better understanding of how climate change can impact and cause sea water temperatures on one side of the Indian Ocean to be so much warmer or cooler than the temperatures on the other — a phenomenon that can lead to sometimes deadly weather-related events like megadroughts in East Africa and severe flooding in Indonesia.
Climate risk insurance can effectively mitigate economic losses
Global warming is expected to lead to an accumulation of particularly intense hurricanes in the United States. This may substantially increase the economic losses caused by these storms. Better insurance could effectively mitigate the climate change-induced increase in economic losses. This is shown in a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research examining the effectiveness of climate risk insurance in the US.
Why methane matters – podcast
The potent greenhouse gas remains in the atmosphere for just over a decade, but cutting methane emissions is a critical step in slowing short- and long-term global warming.A climate change sceptic claims global sea levels won’t change if all the ice in Antarctica were to melt.
Media war metaphors mistake Mother Nature as the real enemy
Binoy Kampmark
Sensational reporting of a war where nature is the enemy distracts from our own accountability in fueling the climate crisis.
4 reasons to give up defending fossil fuels
William S. Becker
There are at least four reasons that businesses, asset managers, individual investors and governments should avoid fossil fuels
Call for new e-scooter rules after crashes
A ‘patchwork’ of different e-scooter laws is creating confusion for riders and could fuel more serious accidents, experts are warning.
Flutes, synths, a human voice – how should electric vehicles sound?
As Australia looks to the US and Europe on electric vehicle safety rules, carmakers are experimenting with sounds that will effectively warn pedestrians
Australia’s floods on the way out, but bushfires could be next
The weather bureau says the intense storms brought on by La Nina are diminishing, but there’s a chance the climate cycle could flip by the end of the year.
Dodgy ‘green credentials’ spruikers force watchdog into action
A jump in public complaints about dubious environmental claims in Australian advertisements has prompted the peak industry body to overhaul the Environmental Claims Code.
Generators in dark over coal compo plan as PM negotiates with states [$]
Company insiders have cast doubt on the estimates coal-fired generators could receive up to $500m amid confidentiality around contracted coal prices
Australian coal exporters rally amid China reports [$]
Shares in big exporters surged on reports a two-year ban on Chinese companies importing could be about to end, in a further sign of a thawing of trade tensions.
How to feed your garden birds if you want to attract and support native species
Daria Erastova et al
As vegetation is removed to make way for urban development, wild species experience a dramatic loss of habitat, making it more difficult for city dwellers to interact with wildlife.
Victoria
Melbourne to overtake Sydney as Australia’s largest city by 2031
After a pandemic-induced population exodus, Melbourne is set to overtake Sydney as Australia’s largest city in nine years.
Sky rail coming to these Melbourne suburbs [$]
The Andrews government’s announcement of more elevated rail bridges and road closures has sparked community backlash.
Anger at Victoria’s ‘barbaric’ roo slaughter plan [$]
A secret report has revealed how many kangaroos will be killed under a state government program that’s been described as “appalling” and “shameful”.
If you’ve noticed brown water and a stink around Melbourne’s bay, there’s a reason for that
Water quality in Port Phillip Bay hits a near-decade low in the wake of record rainfall, but is quickly bouncing back, environmental authorities say.
New South Wales
NSW forests could become net carbon emitters in coming decades, report finds
Declining soil organic carbon could undermine state’s commitment to net zero emissions by 2050
Sydney’s population forecast to hit 6.1 million by 2033
NSW is expected to gain a million new citizens over the next decade, principally from overseas, boosting the state’s stagnant population, new data shows.
Council was asked about ‘danger’ signs on Collaroy Beach. Within hours they had disappeared
Northern Beaches Council has abruptly removed signs warning people of dangerous rocks in the sand and water at Collaroy Beach, where a controversial seawall was damaged a year ago.
Minns fired up on coal compo [$]
NSW Labor leader Chris Minns has questioned the state and federal governments’ more than half-a-billion-dollar compensation package for coal-fired energy stations.
ACT
Upgrades planned for ‘tired’ Commonwealth Park after heavy use leaves a mark [$]
The National Capital Authority plans to revitalise Commonwealth Park this year, citing landscape degradation, tired amenities and the impacts of hosting major events such as Floriade.
This is how big Canberra will be in 10 year’s time [$]
Almost 100,000 more people will be living in the ACT in a decade’s time on the back of a student-led rebound in overseas migration, a new report predicts.
860 tonnes of recycling already ‘stockpiled’ at Mugga Lane tip since fire [$]
A definitive cause of the fire which gutted a major recycling facility in Hume last week may not be established in ongoing investigations, the ACT government says.
Queensland
Storm leaves south-east Queenslanders without power
South-east Queenslanders are waking up without power this morning after a summer storm brought down trees and put on a spectacular light show.
Hungry fish fight for food in reef bleaching [$]
Fish that have lost food because of mass coral bleaching are getting into more unnecessary fights, causing them to expend precious energy and potentially threatening their survival, a study shows.
South Australia
New fines for Murray flood sightseers on levees
Fines of $1000 can now be issued to people climbing onto levees holding back the flooding River Murray after State Coordinator and Police Commissioner Grant Stevens signed an Emergency Management Direction.
Tasmania
West Coast mine owner reveals big plans
A revived West Coast mine’s owner wants to ramp up storage of waste rock material underground as environmentalists continue to urge MMG Limited to bury tailings at its Rosebery Mine.
Northern Territory
‘Only aesthetic’: Territorians face discoloured water after monsoonal weather
Territorians could have discoloured water from their kitchen and bathroom taps after monsoonal weather stirred up a Top End dam.
Western Australia
Flood warnings extend to Broome as ex-cyclone unleashes on the Kimberley
Flooding in the Fitzroy River catchment area continues to smash records with the river expected to peak at 15.8 metres.
Two decades of Perth’s water use: Incredible number in Fitzroy flood
The volume of water surging through the river has astounded the Bureau of Meteorology, with the flow rate estimated to be about 60,000 cubic metres per second.
Sustainability
‘Old faithful’ reefer vessels will be forced out by new pollution rules
Reefer ships that played a critical role in shipping perishables during the pandemic could be forced into retirement by new International Maritime Organization pollution regulations.
How can we stop the super-rich from polluting the planet?
From Roman Abramovich’s yacht and Taylor Swift’s private jet to the sprawling warehouses of Jeff Bezos’ Amazon, the lifestyles and business interests of billionaires are baking the planet.
Revitalizing downtown Winnipeg using natural infrastructure
Taking cues from innovative projects like downtown Edmonton’s Warehouse Park, a focus on nature-based solutions could breathe new life into Winnipeg’s core.
Because of climate change, we need new food crops that can withstand heat and drought and increase yields. Conventional propagating methods are lengthy and expensive. The CRISPR gene scissors promise rapid success. But is the process safe?
Cheap, sustainable hydrogen through solar power
Withstanding high temperatures and the light of 160 suns, a new catalyst is 10 times more efficient than previous sun-powered water-splitting devices of its kind
Scientists develop a cool new method of refrigeration
Ionocaloric cooling may help replace refrigerants and provide safe, efficient cooling and heating for homes
A step towards solar fuels out of thin air
Chemical engineers have invented a solar-powered artificial leaf, built on a novel electrode which is transparent and porous, capable of harvesting water from the air for conversion into hydrogen fuel. The semiconductor-based technology is scalable and easy to prepare.
From the road to the plate: lettuce takes up toxic additives from tyre wear
Researchers at the Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science (CMESS) at the University of Vienna have investigated whether chemicals released from tyres find their way into lettuce plants and could ultimately end up on our plates.
Researchers detect fluoride in water with new simple color change test
Cell-free sensor could be used in water — and maybe one day the human body — to determine safe levels of fluoride and other contaminants
Dr. Shanna Swan on chemicals, hormones and our reproductive health – video
Dr. Shanna H. Swan, one of the world’s leading environmental and reproductive epidemiologists, joined animation specialists, After Skool, to talk about the impact of endocrine-disrupting chemicals on our reproductive health and our planet.
Nature Conservation
Is it safe? Why some animals fear using wildlife crossings
Research on deer and elk could point the way toward crossing structures that are more effective for all species
Nature conservation needs to incorporate the human approach
An international study led by the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB) stresses the need to apply a biocultural approach in nature conservation programs.
Biodiversity loss: A needed prescription for environmental survival
David Shearman
Like Australia, the U.S. must face one of its most important threats — not war or crumbling democracy — but the demise of biodiversity.
Elizabeth Leane et al
As the summer sun finally arrives for people in the Southern Hemisphere, more than 100,000 tourists will head for the ice. Travelling on one of more than 50 cruise ships, they will brave the two-day trip across the notoriously rough Drake Passage below Patagonia, destined for the polar continent of Antarctica
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