Date: 10 March 2023 at 9:04:02 am AEDT
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Mar 10
Post of the Day
A tonne of fossil carbon isn’t the same as a tonne of new trees: why offsets can’t save us
Wesley Morgan
This week, the Albanese government is attempting to reform the safeguard mechanism to try to make it actually cut emissions from our highest polluting industrial facilities.
On This Day
Climate Change
Forget ‘managed retreat’: US climate migration will be chaos
In The Great Displacement, Jake Bittle follows families displaced by flooding, drought and other disasters as the “next American migration” begins in earnest.
Many coastal residents willing to relocate in the face of sea level rise
As seas rise, water is increasingly creeping into homes and neighborhoods. And over time, a growing number of coastal residents will need to decide whether to accept frequent flooding or move.
National
Greens deal blocks coal and gas from reconstruction fund, but stalemate sticks on Safeguard
Greens secure deal to block coal and gas projects from Labor’s $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund, but safeguard negotiations remain stalled.
How can a gas company be ‘carbon neutral’? The claim may not mean what you think it does
Climate Active is a government-backed carbon-neutral certification scheme which claims to offer one of the world’s “most rigorous” certification systems. But critics say it’s engaging in “greenwashing”.
How a corporate abbreviation could give Australian farmers a ‘ticket to play’ into the future
Some call it greenwashing, others transparent sustainability guidelines. Either way, ESG is trickling down to Australian farmers, changing the way food and fibre is produced
Indian green push gives Australia trade opportunity
Anthony Albanese is set to meet again with Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, when he’ll make the case that Australia can help with India’s decarbonisation push.
After three years and record rains, has La Niña’s reign finally ended?
After three, long, wet and cool years, La Niña’s demise, for now, is confirmed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, meaning hotter, drier times should be ahead for the country.
Explainer: What is the safeguard mechanism and could it stop catastrophic climate change?
The Albanese government claims its proposed legislation will be instrumental in reaching 2030 climate targets, but critics have raised concerns about its implementation.
Vehicle emissions cause 11,000 deaths a year but there is an easy fix
Melbourne Climate Futures research shows that health impacts from vehicle emissions may cause 11,105 premature deaths in Australian adults per year and more than 12,000 cardiovascular hospitalisations each year.
Rachel Withers
With Labor and Greens striking deals, the Coalition has only itself to blame
Australia can be world leader in green metals – or be left behind
Amalyah Hart
Australia needs to clean up its key manufacturing industries, including steel, aluminium and ammonia production – or be left behind in a net zero world.
Coal miners made a motza from the war in Ukraine. But what will they do next?
Andrew Gorringe & Simon Nicholas
What will Australian coal miners do with their bulging cash balances? Those considering opening up new capacity would do well to rethink their strategy.
The time for a climate trigger in Australia has hopefully, finally, belatedly come
Adam Morton
It could be part of the solution to the impasse over the safeguard mechanism. Even if it isn’t, the logic for it should be irresistible
To save suburbia, we’ll need to destroy much of it
Tone Wheeler
Can we reimagine suburbia? We must, to save it from itself, so let’s make this our Battle for the Burbs.
If we’re serious about cutting emissions, we’ll act now and adjust as we go
Kerry Schott
If we don’t lock in the proposed carbon safeguard mechanism by July 1, Australia will have no system for the biggest polluters.
Bandt-aid solution: say you’ve won as you wave white flag [$]
Geoff Chambers
Greens leader Adam Bandt is making a habit of claiming political victories that represent nothing more than retreat and capitulation.
Victoria
Metro Trains’ $6.3b contract extended, but trams up for grabs
Metro Trains will operate Melbourne’s rail network until at least mid-2026 after the Andrews government extend its contract for 18 months while it completes the Metro Tunnel project.
Fears for future of Latrobe Valley’s biggest employer [$]
Regional communities in Gippsland are bracing for more pain in what’s been described as a “botched plan that will leave a legacy of job losses”.
A field of endangered native wildflowers is damaged after a truck drives through a protected field in Melbourne’s outer west, sparking fears of extinction as the city’s sprawling population growth threatens grassland ecosystems.
New South Wales
A group of eight independents want changes to planning laws for gas pipelines and coal seam gas development in New South Wales.
NSW to grant coalmines licences for water from Sydney and Illawarra drinking catchments
Perrottet government quietly gazetted rules day before caretaker period commenced for election campaign
Coal mines made to pay after years of free access to Sydney drinking water
The government said the new rules would help mines remain accountable, but the mines will still be able to decide the amount of water they take.
‘It is ginormous’: bushfire in NSW’s central west puts rural communities on edge
Rural Fire Service says blaze north of Hill End could burn for weeks as locals struggle to save properties
Queensland
Queensland to convert coal and gas hub with giant battery, solar and hydrogen
Queensland advances plan to turn coal and gas generation facility into a green energy hub with battery storage, solar, and green hydrogen.
500mm deluge triggers emergency evacuations, unprecedented floods in outback Qld
Emergency situations are unfolding as never-before-seen floods inundate north-west Queensland and rivers rise to record levels.
‘Monumental step’ as Japanese firms throw weight behind Australian-first biofuel plantation
An environmental group is set to produce biofuels for the Japanese aviation industry by establishing a commercial pongamia plantation in Queensland.
‘Bigger than coal’: Sugar’s sweet deal to power new biofuture
The sugar cane grown along Queensland’s coast could one day be turned into alternative protein, aviation fuel, bioplastic and green chemicals, with Mackay Mayor Greg Williamson declaring its value to the economy will be ‘bigger than coal’.
Queensland could morph from big polluter to green industry leader: report
A transformation of Queensland’s mining and industrial sector would create major economic opportunities for the state making it a leader in industrial innovation, according to a report from the Climate Council.
South Australia
Zen Energy unveils big battery plans, with a first project ready to go on its home turf
Ross Garnaut-led retailer announces plans to develop a big battery, after buying up a partly developed project near Gawler in South Australia.
‘Thousands’ of reasons SA faces a new nuclear dilemma [$]
There will be “thousands and thousands” of jobs created if SA’s submarine dream comes true. But that presents new problems, leaders say.
Tasmania
Tugboat-sinking ship allowed back after ban to protect ‘human life, environment’ is revoked
A ship banned from Tasmanian waters in order to preserve “the protection of human life, marine assets and the environment” has been re-admitted, less than a year after being involved in the sinking of two tugboats.
More than 19,000 Tasmanians with an energy bill debt
The Office of the Tasmanian Economic Regulator in a new report has stated there are more than 19,000 Tasmanians with a debt to an energy company
Southern councils taking control of waste
Media release – Southern Tasmanian Regional Waste Authority (STRWA),
Last year, the 12 southern councils* established the Southern Tasmanian Regional Waste Authority (STRWA) to ensure there was a more effective and efficient coordination of waste management and resource recovery in the south.
Scott Bell back in Launceston after 12 arrests
Media release – Extinction Rebellion
After 12 arrests, Scott Bell is back, once again challenging himself and our society, for love of life on Earth.
Penguin paradise and geological freak: why Macquarie Island deserves a bigger marine park
Ian Cresswell et al
Macquarie Island, around 1,500km southeast of Tasmania, is more than just a remote rocky outcrop. In fact, it’s the only piece of land on the planet formed completely from ocean floor, which rises above the waves to form peaks that teem with penguins and other bird species, some of them found nowhere else on Earth.
Western Australia
Ecotourism — and beef jerky — the latest hopes for jobs when Collie’s coal-mining goes
A multi-million dollar riverside resort is on the cards for the WA south-west town but there are calls for the state’s $600 million spending to come under more scrutiny.
Sustainability
Rising temperatures in tropics to lead to lower coffee yields and higher prices, study suggests
Climate crisis to deliver ‘ongoing systemic shocks’ to production as hot conditions become more frequent, researchers say
Fossil fuels received £20bn more UK support than renewables since 2015
One-fifth of money given directly to fossil fuel industry was to support new extraction and mining
A long overdue moment? The UK greens pushing for the nuclear option
Growing numbers of environmentalists in northern Europe are embracing technology to combat the climate crisis, but in Britain ‘ecomodernist’ ideas have had a so-far frosty reception
Flat plate bow covers pave way for more economical shipping by improving ship aerodynamics
Computational fluid dynamics simulations reveal that flat plate bow covers can decrease up to 42% of the wind drag on the hull of ships
Nuclear meltdown fears as Ukraine pummelled ‘like never before’
Russia has unleashed a wave of hypersonic missiles for the first time since the start of the conflict, triggering meltdown fears at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.
Over 1.3 million people in Thailand suffering air pollution-related diseases
About 1.32 million people in Thailand were affected by air pollution-related diseases between the beginning of the year and March 5th. A specialist in respiratory diseases and tuberculosis is warning that PM2.5 dust can also affect unborn children, if pregnant women are exposed to excessive levels of the fine dust.
Gas stoves pose health risks. Are gas furnaces and other appliances safe to use?
The public debate over burning natural gas in homes has largely ignored gas-powered furnaces, water heaters, and other appliances, but they also create health and environmental challenges.
Why are women more affected by plastic pollution (and how can they be protected)?
“Plastic pollution is now a public health issue that particularly affects women’s health. Why?” Rosalie Mann, president of the No More Plastic association, explains why on International Women’s Day.
Struggles loom as Bolivia prepares new plan to clean up its mercury problem
Bolivia’s failure to combat illegal gold mining led to international outcry last year, as deforestation and mercury pollution continued to run rampant.
Nature Conservation
Dwarf elephants? Giant rats? Strange island creatures at high risk
They were examples of the “island effect,” a rule in evolutionary biology describing how large-bodied species tend to downsize on islands while small-bodied species upsize. These island dwarfs and giants – a menagerie also including pint-sized hippos, buffaloes and wolves – long have faced an elevated extinction risk that, according to a new study, is intensifying, imperiling some of Earth’s most unique creatures.
The business case for reversing extinction
Biodiversity affects the global economy more than people realize.
First Cop15, now the high seas treaty: There is hope for the planet’s future
Many agree that strides have been made in protecting biodiversity and the oceans – but much remains to be done.
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