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Date: 8 March 2023 at 8:37:53 am AEDT
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Mar 8
Post of the Day
How saving the rainforests could prevent the next pandemic
They set out to save rainforests — and stumbled upon a way to help prevent the world’s next deadly pandemic.
On This Day
Shushan Purim – Judaism
Mid-Shab’an (Lailat al-Baraa) – Islam
Holi – Hinduism
Hola Mohalla – Sikhism
Climate Change
COP28: Carbon market rules should protect rights
The expert group meeting in Bonn, Germany on March 7, 2023, should propose rigorous rules to ensure that the carbon market established under the Paris Agreement is strictly regulated to uphold rights, support climate action, and provide a remedy for any harm, Human Rights Watch said today.
China strengthens role of courts in meeting carbon targets
One of China’s top courts has encouraged judges to hear climate-related cases and weigh up carbon impacts to help the country achieve its emission reduction goals.
John Kerry sees U.S, China climate talks stall
U.S. climate envoy John Kerry says his work with China has stalled amid wider tensions between the world’s two largest greenhouse gas emitters.
Annual damage caused by flooding in the UK could increase by more than a fifth over the next century due to climate change unless all international pledges to reduce carbon emissions are met, according to new research.
National
The energy minister issues an ultimatum to federal parliament: Accept the government’s plan to make big polluters cut their emissions, or risk losing the entire deal.
Three quarters of institutional investors include fossil fuel bans in their climate policies
A survey of institutional investors with a combined $2.1trn under management finds net zero goals getting more ambitious, including forms of fossil fuel exclusion.
Wind and solar output hits new records as heat waves sweep across country
The spate of heatwaves across Australia has coincided with some wind and solar output records. So how much storage will we really need?
‘Thinking outside the box’: Could rewilding native animals include dingoes?
Scientists are starting to think outside the box when it comes to ‘rewilding’ — a practice of reintroducing native animals back into their habitat — but could bringing in predators like Tasmanian devils also help deal with foxes and feral cats on mainland Australia?
More greenwashing court cases to come, warns ASIC
The corporate regulator will be maintaining its strong focus on the issue of greenwashing in Australia, its chair says.
Coalition and Greens team up to force Labor to release emissions modelling
Government must produce forecasts under safeguard mechanism as treasurer adds pressure to stalled cross-party talks on limits to new gas and coal projects
Unlimited carbon offsets could harm agriculture, farmers warn
Farmers say the safeguard mechanism needs to limit carbon offsets, or polluters could buy up valuable farmland for carbon abatement projects and put small farmers out of business.
Energy transition is too big for private sector alone: CEOs [$]
The sheer size of the transition investment task means government funding will be crucial, but that doesn’t necessarily mean ownership of assets.
Energy giant launches electric vehicle subscriptions
Origin revealed a suite of electric car offers on Wednesday, which also included partnerships with automaker Audi and public charging network Jolt.
Supermarket giants announce return of soft plastics recycling by late 2023 despite lack of recyclers
Coles, Woolworths and Aldi are hoping to restart soft-plastics collection and recycling by the end of the year, but warn there are major obstacles to meeting that self-imposed deadline.
Safeguard Mechanism debate continues – video
There have been talks between the government and the Greens over Labor’s proposed revamp of the safeguard mechanism to reduce carbon emissions. But a key sticking point continues to thwart debate. The Greens want a ban on new coal and gas projects. Labor says it won’t budge on this, insisting gas will remain a feature of the renewable energy transition.
‘You can’t offset your way out of emissions’ – for once a Teal gets it right.
Tom Biegler
Imminent changes to the pricing rules for carbon offsets are reminders of a serious weakness in policies to encourage the exit from fossil fuels.
The teals are in a climate war. There’s no time for the bitter tears of Sally Von Won’t [$]
Guy Rundle
Virtue politics can turn into unending claims of individual rights. The teals need grassroots rural and left activists in their offices.
‘I warned them’: bushfires are back and Indigenous practitioners say prevention strategies need work [$]
Julia Bergin
Indigenous fire experts question why they’re still being overlooked and undermined by all levels of government.
Rachel Withers
With the Greens having shown a willingness to compromise, a failed climate bill will be on the government
US subsidies change the global energy game [$]
Jennifer Hewett
Business leaders warn the US has changed the rules of the clean energy game by luring capital, talent and innovation through hundreds of billions of dollars worth of subsidies. Can Australia really compete?
Solar power can cut living costs, but it’s not an option for many people – they need better support
Martina Linnenluecke et al
As the cost of living soars, many Australian households are turning to rooftop solar to cut their energy costs. A Pulse of the Nation survey last month showed about 29% of Australians have installed or are considering installing solar panels on their homes.
First look at the new settlement rule of Australia’s electricity market, has it worked?
Christina Nikitopoulos and Muthe Mwampashi,
You might not realise this when you flick your switch at home, but Australian electricity generators are forever locked in a bidding war. They compete for the right to supply electricity on the spot market. The cheapest bids win and electricity from those generators is supplied, or “dispatched”, to the grid in five-minute intervals.
Victoria
Japan commits $2.35 billion to hydrogen made from Latrobe Valley coal
Japan is pressing ahead with plans to make hydrogen from Victorian coal after a successful test last year, but an environment group has questioned its plans to handle the emissions.
Fuel loads soar in Victoria [$]
Forest Fire Management Victoria’s failure to reduce fuel loads means “accepting the same level of losses as Black Saturday”.
School kids lead air quality fight in pollution study [$]
More than 300 students from Melbourne’s western suburbs will take up roles as citizen scientists in the fight to improve air quality
How much Yarra residents will pay under new bin tax [$]
The City of Yarra will sting residents a controversial fee to cover the cost of emptying public bins – and the tax won’t be subject to rates caps.
Big news for Victorian energy market — but it’s not all good
Darren Edwards
In a push towards a clean energy revolution, the Andrews Labor Government has made some major announcements but there are still a few kinks to be ironed out.
New South Wales
NSW Labor may buy Australia’s biggest coal generator to keep it open
NSW Labor threatens to take state’s energy industry back to the dark ages by suggesting it may buy the country’s biggest coal generator in order to keep it open.
Fires continue to burn in NSW but heatwave set to ease
Residents in NSW Central West on alert as fires continue to burn.
Queensland
CopperString costs jump to $5 billion as Government takes over energy project
The State Government will take over the CopperString transmission project at a $5 billion cost as it seeks to unlock the vast potential wealth of north west minerals province and renewable energy in areas like Hughenden.
‘Biggest artery’: How $5bn energy project will help renewables flow [$]
The state government’s beefed up version of North Queensland’s energy backbone is akin to upgrading an “unsealed road” to a “six-lane highway”— but why does it cost so much?
Tasmania
Wind war sparked by ‘disappointing’ EPA approval of $1.6b energy farm
An environmental war is waging again in Tasmania as a clean energy company fights to save its $1.6-billion wind farm project, while opponents say “half-baked” EPA conditions don’t go far enough.
BBF appeals Robbins Island wind farm approval
Bob Brown Foundation has lodged an appeal in TasCAT against the flawed and incomplete planning approvals for the Robbins Island Wind Farm.
‘Very concerned’: Wind farm plan heads to court
The courts will decide the fate of the Robbins Island windfarm proposal, in what the developer is describing as a test case for the industry’s future in Tasmania.
TWS call for halt to Maydena logging
The Wilderness Society Tasmania has written to Jeremy Rockliff MP in his capacity as Minister for Tourism and Felix Ellis MP in his capacity as Minister for (Forest) Resources about logging due to take place at Maydena.
Restore Pedder campaign lobbying in Canberra
Media release – Lake Pedder Restoration Inc
From Paddling on the Pedder Impoundment to Federal Parliament; the message to Restore Pedder is gaining rapid momentum
Western Australia
Aboriginal elders left feeling ‘sick’ and ‘heartbroken’ by FMG’s Pilbara operations, court hears
The Federal Court has heard evidence as part of a long-running dispute between traditional owners and Andrew Forrest’s resources company.
Sustainability
This startup turns electric water heaters into grid batteries
Shifted Energy is tapping water heaters in lower-income communities to create virtual power plants that help balance the grid, starting in Hawaii.
Explainer: Is hydrogen really a clean enough fuel to tackle the climate crisis?
Backers say hydrogen projects should be first in line for almost $26bn in US taxpayer money – but should we believe the hype?
Listen: EPA contemplates tougher air pollution standards – podcast
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is considering stricter standards for soot, one of the deadliest air pollutants. We talk two doctors — one from Viroqua, one from Milwaukee — about how this type of pollution affects humans.
Analysis: What it will take for the EU to be a model for safe chemicals
The European Union has a new strategy to deal with the vast amounts of chemicals we are exposed to each day.
A mixture of trees purifies urban air best
Conifers are generally better than broad-leafed trees at purifying air from pollutants. A new study shows that the best trees for air purification depend on the type of pollutant involved.
Cheap charcoal air filters offer improvements to in-vehicle air quality
A cheap charcoal air filter can reduce nitrogen dioxide (NO2) inside vehicles by as much as 90%, compared to levels outside the vehicle.
Study into global daily air pollution shows almost nowhere on Earth is safe
Study of daily ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has found that only 0.001% of the global population are exposed to WHO safe levels
A wholly sustainable plastics economy is feasible
A new study shows what it will take for the plastics industry to become completely sustainable: lots of recycling combined with the use of CO2 from the air and biomass. It is also the image of plastics that need to change.
Here’s the good and bad news on the US clean energy transition
A comprehensive new report from BNEF lays out 2022’s mixed bag of wins and losses on EVs, emissions, energy storage, climate disasters and much more.
Restoring societal values that make a better future for all
Eva Cox
Can we really believe that the power structurers of human societies in 2023 are setting policies and programs that are doing the best for our future?
Nature Conservation
The creeping threat of the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt
Visible from space, an explosion of harmful seaweed now stretches like a sea monster across the ocean. Could robots save us from it – and store carbon in the process?
Protecting sagebrush habitat can help wildlife and the climate
About 1.3 million acres of sagebrush habitat are lost each year to development and other threats, releasing stored carbon and contributing to climate change.
Increasingly large and intense wildfires hinder Western forests’ ability to regenerate
A new study suggests that reducing forest fire severity in the next few decades could make all the difference for future generations of trees in the West.
Phone-based measurements provide fast, accurate information about the health of forests
Researchers have developed an algorithm that uses computer vision techniques to accurately measure trees almost five times faster than traditional, manual methods.
We now have a treaty governing the high seas. Can it protect the Wild West of the oceans?
Sarah Lothian
It took almost 20 years. but the world has finally agreed on the so-called High Seas Treaty to better protect marine life in unregulated waters
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