Date: 28 February 2023 at 8:35:23 am AEDT
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Feb 28
Post of the Day
Listen: There’s no shortage of climate solutions — here’s how to tell which ones are legitimate
Some ideas to combat climate change are more realistic, and readily available, than others. We’ll highlight some rules of thumb for telling what’s what.
On This Day
Climate Change
UN chief slams ‘climate-wrecking’ firms at human rights meeting in Geneva
Antonio Guterres said fossil fuel producers and financial backers must understand ‘crucial truth: pursuing mega-profits when so many are losing lives and rights is completely unacceptable’.
Climate change is fuelling the rise of superbugs. What can we do to save ourselves?
Branwen Morgan
The next time you need to take antibiotics, they may not work. So you may be prescribed a different antibiotic, which also may not work. Maybe nothing works.
National
Hearing into Labor’s changes to the scheme told a 75% reduction in methane was possible using commercially competitive existing technology
The early signs Australian coal is back in demand in China
Bulk carriers bound for ports in China have begun returning to one of the eastern seaboard’s largest coal terminals, in the latest sign Beijing’s unofficial two-year ban on Australian shipments of the fossil fuel is easing.
Safeguard revamp will create investor certainty [$]
An Australian industry employer group is calling for bipartisan support for the draft safeguard mechanism reforms to provide the necessary policy framework for big emitters to invest in reaching net zero.
Carbon offsets ‘billions’ warning [$]
Anthony Albanese’s key climate policy could punch a multibillion-dollar hole in the federal budget, as crossbenchers prepare to hijack Labor’s proposed safeguard mechanism reforms.
Pressure for ban on silica [$]
Tony Burke is pushing the states and territories to crack down on silica products, asking how many thousands of workers have to die?
Cannon-Brookes backed fund to deliver “coal plant-worth” of big batteries
Fund backed by billionaire green energy supporter closes first tranche of new raising to bankroll long duration battery storage and help kick coal out of Australia’s grid.
States hit for ‘demonising’ gas [$]
Former Energy Security Board chairwoman Kerry Schott says gas has to be the stepping stone to renewable energy as coal exits the grid.
Australia has drastically underestimated coal and gas emissions: new analysis [$]
Julia Bergin
A reported miscalculation could potentially break the Albanese government’s safeguard mechanism.
The emperor’s new carbon credits
Rachel Withers
A parliamentary inquiry into the safeguard mechanism reveals how ludicrous the policy is
Let the kids help hold the reins
Peter Boyer
Young Australians have nutted out the implications of a failure to cut emissions, and now they’re agitating for more say in their long-term future.
Missing green opportunities on Australia’s front porch [$]
AFR editorial
A genuine green energy superpower should look beyond its shores and seize clean energy opportunities wherever they present themselves.
Threatened species recover in fenced safe havens. But their safety is only temporary
Katherine Moseby and John Read
If you want to see some of Australia’s most charismatic threatened mammals such as bilbies, boodies and stick-nest rats, chances are you’ll have to go to a zoo – or a safe haven.
The NEMs frequency behaviour – how is it going with all this new wind and solar?
Bruce Miller
Do wind and solar projects affect frequency in the main grid? And how to they compare to other technologies? A deep dive into an essential grid service.
Victoria
Warnings gas supply at a ‘pivot point’ in Victoria, with prices expected to spike in winter
Gas users in Victoria are bracing for a supply crunch that regulators warn could hit as soon as this winter as production from historic fields in the Bass Strait dramatically tapers off.
Visiting after a decade, I hoped to find Melbourne’s public transport at European standard
Tim Forster
Train-waits for 30 minutes, trams stuck in traffic and no-show buses. The best thing I can say about my car-free month in Melbourne is I had plenty of time to read.
New South Wales
Auditor-general warns NSW not preparing for climate change-fuelled fire risks
An audit of NSW’s rural firefighting resources has found the RFS has no overarching strategy guiding the distribution of its firefighting fleet and is failing to prepare for future fires.
REDcycle wound up by court over plastic
A court has ordered failed recycling scheme REDcycle be wound up following the discovery of tonnes of stockpiled plastic.
Bigger than Yosemite: NSW’s new park will push state’s total to 1 million hectares
Under the blistering sun 250 kilometres north-west of Bourke lies almost 437,4000 hectares which will form the state’s newest national park.
Low-profile electric vehicle chargers tested in Sydney [$]
The first pole-mounted electric vehicle charger in Sydney has launched as part of a plan by energy provider Ausgrid to install 30,000 stations throughout Australia over the next six years.
NSW declares fifth renewable energy zone, with offshore wind and storage focus
NSW declares the fifth and so far final renewable energy zone, with the latest to focus on offshore wind, storage and green hydrogen.
Rezone more land to get more housing, NSW government says – but that could be a recipe for disaster
Anne Davis
Fast-tracking projects in the Macarthur region will give Sydney a massive new infrastructure challenge
ACT
‘Real hurdles’ to integrating public transport ticketing across ACT-NSW border
The ACT faces a series of barriers before its public transport ticketing system can integrate with NSW to offer seamless travel across the border, Transport Minister Chris Steel has said.
Queensland
Company appeals to extract 16 million litres of water near World Heritage-listed national park
A company denied permission to extract water near a national park on the Gold Coast that is home to a number of endangered species will have its appeal heard in the Queensland Planning and Environment Court from Monday.
Twiggy’s wind farm scales back as project admits even renewable energy costs wildlife
Energy mogul Andrew Forrest’s planned wind farm for the Upper Burdekin that has Apple as a crucial underwriter has dropped 56 turbines from the project to avoid environmental impacts.
Hydrogen a ‘smokescreen for shutting down Qld coal’: Canavan [$]
Queensland has an in-demand coal industry but only “a possible industry” in hydrogen that would be a risk to jobs and livelihoods, warns LNP senator Matt Canavan.
South Australia
SA’s cuttlefish coast wins national heritage listing
South Australia’s Giant Australian Cuttlefish breeding ground has won National Heritage listing, adding new protection to the region being scoped as a possible desalination plant site for the Upper Spencer Gulf.
Tasmania
Retired Baptist minister arrested at climate protest [$]
A retired Baptist minister associated with Extinction Rebellion was arrested on Monday morning for blocking traffic on the corner of Paterson Street and St John’s Street.
Salmon company Tassal tried to block release of report on antibiotic use, documents show
Tasmania’s largest salmon company, Tassal, sought to block the release of monitoring reports submitted to the state’s Environment Protection Agency after using more than two tonnes of antibiotics at two of its fish farms.
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory government is seeking to downplay growing doubts about how it will ensure all greenhouse gas emissions from fracking in the Beetaloo Basin are offset, with the federal government appearing to rule out providing any dedicated support.
Tiwi elder Therese Bourke says she felt like Santos was “sweetening up” community members at consultation meetings last month.
Western Australia
Alcoa’s expansion plans near Serpentine Dam referred to EPA [$]
WA’s environmental watchdog is being urged to conduct a full assessment of Alcoa’s latest five-year mining plan after contamination fears were raised for one of Perth’s biggest drinking water sources.
Sustainability
Thunberg joins indigenous protesters blocking energy ministry over wind farms
Climate activist Greta Thunberg joins protesters in Norway in bid to stop wind turbines being built on land traditionally used by indigenous Sami reindeer herders.
Plastic consumption on course to nearly double by 2050 – research
Plastic use in G20 countries is on course to nearly double by the middle of the century unless a comprehensive and legally binding global treaty to curb consumption is drawn up, according to research published on Monday.
What are ‘forever chemicals’ and how are they harmful?
Pollutants known as “forever chemicals”, which build up in the body, may be toxic and do not break down in the environment, have been found at significant levels at thousands of sites across the UK and Europe.
Coal plant pollution can be deadly — even hundreds of miles downwind
Even as coal declines, it is still keeping a deadly grasp on communities across the country, according to a new report from the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign.
Tiny homes made from shipping containers aren’t as sustainable as you think
Shipping containers are beloved for their aesthetic appeal and supposed sustainability. But the truth is a bit more complicated.
In 1996, the EPA was ordered to test pesticides for impacts on people’s hormones. They still don’t.
In 1996, Congress ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to test all pesticides used on food for endocrine disruption by 1999. The EPA still doesn’t do this today.
The EV revolution brings environmental uncertainty at every turn
As demand for electric vehicles ramps up, environmental stumbling blocks have emerged.
Fancy a Tassie tiger teriyaki? Food tech revolution to change the menu
Graham Phillips
Start-ups are developing an appetite for far-reaching technological innovations that will change what we eat and, they hope, help save the planet.
Nature Conservation
Research reveals climate crisis is driving a rise in human-wildlife conflicts
Changing habitats and behaviours lead to interactions with a negative outcome for wildlife and humans
Once scorned, birds are returning to farms
The Wild Farm Alliance is working with farmers across California and beyond to help farmers take advantage of birds as natural pest control.
What are wetlands, and why are they so critical for life on Earth?
These unique ecosystems have a small footprint but play a big role in providing habitat for wildlife, and protecting us against floods and pollution.
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