Date: 25 March 2023 at 8:59:27 am AEDT
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Mar 25
Post of the Day
While you fight climate wars, we lose the climate battle
Penny Sackett and Chris Barrie
The real climate war threatens our lives and livelihoods. It must swiftly and unilaterally end. Nature will not negotiate.
On This Day
Feast of the Annunciation – Western Christianity
Ecological Observance
Earth Hour – 8:30pm local time
World Day for the End of Fishing
Climate Change
Climate change science pioneer Claude Lorius dies aged 91
Leading glaciologist Claude Lorius, whose discoveries in Antarctica in the 1980s helped prove humanity’s role in global warming, has died aged 91.
Top lawyers defy bar to declare they will not prosecute peaceful climate protesters
Six KCs among more than 120 mostly English lawyers to sign pledge not to act for fossil fuel interests
Climate freeloaders are destroying the planet
Governments are ignoring calls to stop fossil fuel expansion—despite there being little time left to avoid the worst effects of global warming.
Study: Marine heat waves can happen deep underwater
New research from the NOAA shows that marine heat waves, fueled by global warming, don’t just happen at the surface.
In Montana, it’s youth vs. the state in a landmark climate case
Sixteen young Montanans have sued their state, arguing that its support of fossil fuels violates the state Constitution.
Forget geoengineering. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. Right now
Rebecca Solnit
Pie-in-the-sky fantasies of carbon capture and geoengineering are a way for decision-makers to delay taking real action
IPCC: This is the last chance to avoid catastrophe [$]
Mike Seccombe
As Labor continues to pursue its flawed and inadequate safeguard mechanism, the IPCC says the world has one last chance to avoid climate catastrophe.
Alex Trembath, Vijaya Ramachandran
Climate activists who worry that the world has too many people are joining an ugly tradition.
As a climate solution, there are few things that can beat trees
Madeleine Para and Bruce Cooper
Trees play a critical role in our quest to preserve a livable world and prevent the worst consequences of climate change.
National
Wesfarmers takes a shine to carbon storage
Wesfarmers’ retail businesses – Bunnings, Kmart and Officeworks – may be relying on renewable power to hit net zero by 2030, but the conglomerate’s low-profile chemical business is banking on carbon capture and storage technology to reach the same goal by 2050.
Adam Morton
Some Greens want to pass the safeguard mechanism changes and keep fighting on fossil fuels while others want to attack it as a Coalition creation that can’t be redeemed
Insanity: governments betray what climate science demands
Andrew Glikson
No one knows what was on the mind of Labour leaders discussing emission limits while approving near one hundred new coal mines and gas wells, thus betraying future generations and eroding the life support systems of the planet.
Victoria
As fire crews battled a major blaze at a factory in Melbourne’s south-east, authorities had to act quickly to prevent resulting plastic contamination from wreaking havoc on the city’s waterways.
New South Wales
Koala ‘stronghold’ raises hope for endangered species amid changing climate
Blue Mountains koala numbers are believed to be on the rise despite the challenges the species is facing nationally. Scientists now believe the region will be crucial for the endangered marsupials’ survival.
Can the bush trust the Nats again? Rotting fish set the stage for a shock result last election
Four years ago, a mass fish kill was the backdrop for a massive upset in far-west NSW at the state election. Now, the Nationals are dealing with similar events as they try to reclaim the seat of Barwon.
Millions of dead fish, fears over drinking water. How did this small town get here?
Four years ago, millions of dead fish were found dead near Menindee, NSW. Now it’s happened again, with one expert pointing the finger at the state government.
ABC fact check: Did the Coalition make Sydney the ‘most-tolled’ city on Earth?
New South Wales Labor leader Chris Minns says Sydney is the “most-tolled city” in the world. Does that check out?
Far-west NSW community seeks answers after river catastrophe kills millions of fish [$]
Anton Nilsson
There are many unanswered questions after a fish kill filled a river with carcasses in Menindee, NSW.
Queensland
There’s a blue over Blue as gas miner wins approval for 530 new wells in Qld
Blue Energy has jumped the environmental hurdle for its central Queensland gas project with approval granted for up to 530 wells.
Council silent on risks after lead contamination closes parks [$]
A popular children’s playground and a dog park in Brisbane have been closed after lead contamination was found, with locals claiming council left them in the dark.
‘Sovereign citizen’ activist rapper charged over Adani assault [$]
An anti-coal activist and rap musician who declared himself “head of state” of land on a Central Queensland mine has been charged after allegedly attacking a security guard and a ranger.
South Australia
Envy of the world: Nuclear subs shipyard work starts now [$]
Early work on a new nuclear submarine shipyard at Osborne, tipped to become the envy of the world, will start this year.
Tasmania
Struggling quolls to get a top-up [$]
After the extinction of thylacines and decimation of Tasmanian devils, a new project aims to shore-up another troubled Tassie carnivore – eastern quolls – and mastermind their return to mainland Australia.
Would you swap parking spaces for more trees on your street? These residents did
In a time when off-street parking is more valuable than ever, one group of residents in Hobart has made an unconventional choice.
Central Highlands logging protest continues
Media release – Bob Brown Foundation
Today forest defenders have returned to the ancient forest of Tasmania’s highlands where logging continues.
EDO: SoE report needs $1.5m for government to fulfil legal obligations
Media release – The Australia Institute Tasmania
Today the Environmental Defenders Office (EDO) and the Australia Institute Tasmania have written to Tasmanian Treasurer Michael Ferguson requesting the release of at least $1.5 million to enable the Government to fulfil its legal obligation to produce a State of the Environment Report in the 2023-24 Tasmanian Budget.
Sustainability
UK farming causes over a quarter of cities’ particle pollution, study finds
Innovation in agricultural sector is needed if cities are to solve air pollution problems, say scientists
As enforcement lags, toxic coal ash keeps polluting U.S. water
Despite rules requiring remediation, only a few of the nearly 300 U.S. power plants storing toxic ash — the residue of burning coal — have started cleanups or have plans to do so. Many of these sites are polluting groundwater, putting the drinking water for millions at risk.
Duck, duck, rice: Vermont farm models diverse method of raising sustainable grains
One rice farm in Vermont has successfully implemented the agroecology method of “aigamo,” where ducks are introduced to rice paddies to provide weed and pest control, plus free fertilizer, to the grains.
Feel your blood boil when you’re near a busy road? A new study explains why
Ever feel your blood boiling when you’re walking along a busy road? You’re not imagining it. According to new research, road noise causes your blood pressure to spike.
Crypto is mostly over. Its carbon emissions are not.
The environmental toll of Bitcoin could be even higher this year than last.
Researchers say newly posted analysis supports natural origin for COVID-19 pandemic
Swabs collected from stalls and equipment at the Huanan Market in Wuhan, China, that tested positive for traces of the virus that causes COVID-19 also, in some cases, contained traces of DNA from animals known to be susceptible to infection, according to a new analysis.
How will we feed 10 billion people by 2050? Ask the Netherlands
The Netherlands’ hyper-efficient food system is both a triumph and a cautionary tale.
Report: Texas isn’t holding polluters accountable for unexpected emissions
A new report found that companies in Texas have had 21,000 unexpected pollution releases that emitted 400,000 tons of air pollution over six years, but only 1% of them prompted action by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
UN warns of ‘draining humanity’s lifeblood’ amid worsening water scarcity
Secretary general urges countries to tackle ‘vampiric overconsumption’, water guzzling industries and climate crisis.
Get phthalates, parabens out of the bathroom drawer to reduce breast cancer risk: Study
Switching to phthalate and paraben-free personal care products could reduce the risk of developing breast cancer, according to new research.
Toxic churn: The legacy of long-gone industry pollutes U.S. cities
Government data doesn’t capture it. Regulators aren’t paying attention to it. But contamination from the past harms people in the present.
Nature Conservation
They planted a forest at the edge of the desert. From there it got complicated
Trying to judge the success or failure of Yatir, Israel’s largest human-made forest, depends on the way you define success. And the person you’re asking.
Fish kills leave Kenya’s Lake Victoria farmers at a loss, seeking answers
Scientists attribute the fish kills to reduced levels of dissolved oxygen likely due to a natural phenomenon called upwelling, which can be exacerbated by climate change and extreme weather.
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