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Date: 3 March 2023 at 8:54:56 am AEDT
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Mar 3
Post of the Day
10 of the best climate change documentaries to see in 2023
Daisy Simmons
What happens when you watch 20 or so documentaries that grapple with climate change and its many impacts — all in a row? I set out to find out at the 21st annual Wild and Scenic Film Festival, held in February in Nevada County, California.
On This Day
Ecological Observance
Climate Change
Carbon dioxide emissions reached a record high in 2022
Communities around the world emitted more carbon dioxide in 2022 than in any other year on records dating to 1900, a result of air travel rebounding from the pandemic and more cities turning to coal as a low-cost source of power.
‘Hot lightning’ that sparks wildfires can surge due to global heating, study warns
A warming planet could lead to more “hot lightning” strikes in many parts of the world, a form of lightning bolt that is much more likely to spark wildfires.
CO2 emissions may be starting to plateau, says global energy watchdog
IEA records rise of less than 1% from energy use in 2022, but 7% reduction needed every year this decade to meet emissions goal
Leaders gather in Panama to halt threats against oceans
Leaders were set to gather in Panama on Thursday to discuss the world’s oceans and the multiple threats they face, from climate change and pollution to overfishing and mining.
Fossil fuel companies donated $700m to US universities over 10 years
Funding at 27 universities can shift not just research agendas, but also policy in the direction the industry prefers, report says
National
Australia backs climate change obligations neither the US or China wants to go near
Neither of the world’s two largest emitters, China and the United States, have signed on as co-sponsors for the motion, which could be up for a vote at the United Nations later this year.
‘Cooked from above’: How rising heat, energy costs and rents are taking their toll on renters
Renters in substandard housing are too scared to complain to landlords about uncomfortable heat in their home, because they fear a rent hike or eviction.
Bowen to use special powers against Greens [$]
Chris Bowen will use ministerial powers to ensure Labor’s crackdown on the biggest-emitting facilities starts on July 1
David Pocock wants urgent action on carbon credit system ahead of vote on key climate policy
Crossbench senator’s support is crucial if government is to introduce planned revamp of safeguard mechanism
PM’s battery dream ‘admirable’ but unlikely: CEOs [$]
Critical minerals producers reckon there is little chance Prime Minister Anthony Albanese can achieve his goal of establishing a domestic battery industry. But we could be a leader in battery chemicals.
Electrifying ignites more debate on cost [$]
Grattan Institute energy expert Tony Wood has endorsed gas industry analysis that suggested electrifying the nation would cost upwards of $60bn.
The green betrayal: Consumers and investors are being duped
Elizabeth Knight
Companies are adroit at capitalising on the consumer desire to do their part in improving the environment.
Act now or miss green energy boom time [$]
Pradeep Philip and James Boyle
Call it Lucky Country syndrome, but Australia is acting as if ‘green energy superpower’ status will fall in our laps, when in fact we are falling behind other nations.
Victoria
Construction starts on first of six fast-tracked solar and storage projects in Victoria
Construction begins on the first of six big solar and battery storage projects to be fast-tracked through Victoria’s second renewable energy auction.
Morrison-era road fund earmarked 80% of projects for Liberal seats
A breakdown of more than 160 projects promised under the $5 billion Urban Congestion Fund shows 83 per cent of them were aimed at Liberal-held seats.
Fact check: Smart city ideas generate dumb dystopian fears
A Facebook post attempts to paint plans to improve urban planning in Victoria as a sinister way to control people’s lives.
New South Wales
Climate activist cleared of ‘traffic’ charges
Climate activist Richard Boult was found not guilty of all charges brought by NSW Police for stepping onto a road during a climate protest last June.
NSW government slams brakes on high-speed rail plans after spending $100m on studies
Perrottet government backs away from building Sydney-Newcastle fast rail link by itself
Media’s censorship of major issue in pre-election NSW appalling
Sue Arnold
Mainstream media is censoring a major NSW election issue as industrial logging of NSW native forests continues to gather dust in political closets.
ACT
New Canberra homes connected to gas despite looming ban and high conversion costs
Gas plumbing is still installed in about 80 per cent of new ACT homes, imposing tens of thousands of dollars in future electrification costs on owners.
Ban on new gas connections expected across all residential zones
The ACT government is pushing its no-new-gas-connection legislation forward.
Queensland
‘Like a little dragon’: new gecko species discovered on rugged Queensland island
The carnivorous Phyllurus fimbriatus is only found in the wettest, rockiest pockets of Scawfell Island
Undercover sting reveals fears of Qld recycling scheme going broke
An “agent provocateur” was sent in to a Brisbane recycling depot as part of a covert operation sparked over concerns huge bales of cans could force the whole scheme into insolvency.
Weevil scheme: Why scientists have put bugs in south-east Queensland’s water supply
A tiny insect is the key top stopping an invasive species that has caused havoc in waterways in south-east Queensland and around the country, experts say.
South Australia
Tesla says South Australia is blueprint for batteries to replace coal and gas “one plant at a time”
Tesla says South Australia and grid and distributed battery storage shining path to replace coal and gas “one plant at a time” and reach 100 pct renewables.
SA rollout for electric car charging network
Adelaide, the Hills and South-East will host 12 “fast-charge” electric vehicle charging stations under a $12m state government grant, with plans to expand the rollout to 140 stations across the state by the end of next year.
Tasmania
A Tasmanian devil has tested positive to the devil facial tumour disease in part of north-west Tasmania previously thought to be disease-free.
Activites of Tassie’s wildlife captured on camera [$]
Wildlife researchers using one of the most sophisticated camera trap networks in the world are lifting the lid on the activities of animals in Tasmania’s rugged bushland.
Northern Territory
The apparently undescribed species of Trogidae beetle, which is believed to feed on snake excrement, was found by an entomologist during a national park fauna survey near Uluru.
Lee Point housing project in limbo after Gouldian finch intervention [$]
The federal government is continuing to hold up a significant Northern Territory residential development as it impinges on the habitat of an at-risk vital native bird.
Western Australia
Rio Tinto offers $4 million towards rebuilding flood-ravaged Fitzroy Crossing in WA’s north, as payment for the painstaking search to find a tiny radioactive capsule it lost last month.
Regulator orders Alcoa to clean out toxic pipeline which runs across drinking water dam
US bauxite miner Alcoa has been ordered to urgently clean out a pipeline likely filled with toxic chemicals it illegally built over a southwest drinking water dam.
Woodside claims its emissions are falling – but only by using the ‘last resort’ of offsets
Graham Readfearn
A detailed reading of the company’s climate change report reveals a different picture from that of its headline claims
Sustainability
Musk says electric world that kicks out fossil fuels will cost less than combustion economy
Musk says world can dump fossil fuels and move to an electric economy, and save money and energy. “I’m shocked by how few people realise this.”
Fact check: US train disaster fires up toxic land-grab claims
Social media posts are spreading misinformation about the UN’s sustainable development goals leading to government’s seizing polluted land.
Good news: Some toxic insecticides are vanishing from the atmosphere
Some once-common insecticides linked to harmful human health impacts are disappearing from the air in the Great Lakes region, though others still persist, according to new research.
Kids’ glyphosate exposure linked to liver disease and metabolic syndrome
Over the last decade, Dr. Charles Limbach noticed something strange in his family medicine practice in East Salinas, California.
Taylor Krause et al
How US Treasury guidance on a new tax credit could shape the clean hydrogen economy, the future of American industry, and orient the power sector for full decarbonization.
Thinking of having a baby as the planet collapses? First, ask yourself 5 big ethical questions
Craig Stanbury
Do you want to have a baby? But, on a planet rocked by the climate crisis, ecosystem collapse, famine and poverty, is having one just adding to the problem – and therefore unethical?
Modi government green-lit ‘inappropriate’ Adani coal deals [$]
Emma Elsworthy
A damning investigation that shows a legal loophole let Gautam Adani keep mining despite a Supreme Court ruling is the latest headache for the billionaire tycoon.
Nature Conservation
Hundreds of lynx to be hunted in Sweden following biggest ever wolf cull
Conservationists condemn latest cull as ‘trophy hunting’, while hunters admit it is ‘about the excitement’
Study reveals global algae blooms are growing, and warming waters may be to blame
Swirling green blooms of phytoplankton along ocean coasts may be happening more often and getting bigger, according to new research published in Nature, raising concerns about the impacts of climate change on the world’s oceans.
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