Gas can’t compete with wind, solar and storage, even in world’s biggest market
Latest cost assessment from Lazard shows that wind, solar and storage win against gas in every metric – including firming – in world’s biggest market.
On This Day
April 15
Holy Saturday – Eastern Christianity
Ecological Observance
Environment Day – Ukraine
Climate Change
Banks say they’re acting on climate, but continue to finance fossil fuel expansion
Two new reports say banks are not shifting away from fossil fuels fast enough. While lending declined last year, it was likely because oil companies were “swimming in profits.”
Plant pandemics threatening global food supplies, scientists warn
Climate change, globalisation and armed conflict are facilitating the spread of plant pandemics and threatening the production of food on which billions rely, scientists have said.
As Earth warms, more ‘flash droughts’ suck soil, plants dry
Climate change is making droughts faster and more furious, especially a specific fast-developing heat-driven kind that catch farmers by surprise, a new study found.
AAP fact check: Climate sceptics on wrong side of thermodynamics law
Social media posts claim a scientific rule discovered in the 1800s proves global warming is a myth
Wind and solar deal killer blow to fossil fuels – Energy Insiders podcast
Dave Jones from Ember Climate on new study that shows fossil fuel generation will finally peak this year.
It is not possible to speak of climate change without racial and gender justice.
Francia Márquez Mina is a renowned land defender and the first Afro-Colombian to be elected Vice President of Colombia.
Net-zero burns down the village to save it
Chris Nicholson
Activists often appeal to the claim that climate risk is investment risk. But the expected cost of climate change is likely lower than net-zero advocates claim, and the cost of slashing fossil fuel use is most likely higher than they acknowledge.
Big news in the close-knit and secretive climate change community!
First Dog on the Moon
Many of these record-breaking climate events go unnoticed because it’s too much for our tiny brains so nobody ‘clicks’ on them any more
National
Why beekeepers need to report varroa mite surveillance results
The Queensland Beekeepers’ Association warns the future could be “catastrophic” for Australia’s multi-billion-dollar honey industry unless all apiarists take part in a national biosecurity blitz.
Green propose gas tax “with teeth” that could deliver $95bn in revenue
The Greens say a gas tax that “actually works” could raise $94.5 billion in the coming decade, in new push for reform of the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax.
“Bad faith:” Gas lobby’s desperate attacks on electrification don’t stack up
A new attack on electrification by Australia’s increasingly desperate gas lobby has been slammed as a “bad faith exercise” designed to mislead consumers.
Why Australia’s green hydrogen export plans could be all about ammonia
A recent report weighs up the best strategies for storing and transporting hydrogen, with some important notes for Australia’s export superpower plans.
Mercury rising in BOM probe row [$]
FOI documents show record temperature claims by the Bureau of Meteorology might be wrong.
Temperature data must be public [$]
Australian editorial
A probe is needed into all Bureau of Meteorology weather records.
Gareth Hutchens
Australia’s mining sector has generated windfall profits over the past two years, the result of dramatically higher prices for fossil fuel energy, but has it driven inflation?
The soft-plastics recycling debacle [$]
Mike Seccombe
The collapse of the country’s main soft-plastic recycler exposes vast hidden stockpiles of waste, and leaves supermarkets tasked with curbing the millions of tonnes of plastic that ends up in landfill each year.
Victoria
How a late planning switch led to retiree homes being built on a former floodplain
Elderly residents left homeless by the Maribyrnong River flood have learnt for the first time that a controversial planning change was originally meant to be dramatically stricter.
Flood review labelled ‘waste of time’ as racecourse submission invokes disappointment
Decades-old flood modelling will be upgraded after Melbourne Water failed to predict a major deluge.
Melbourne Water takes aim at bureau over Maribyrnong flood disaster
Melbourne Water has pointed the finger at the weather bureau over the Maribyrnong flood disaster.
‘Act now’: Coroner calls for urgent change after cyclist’s death at risky intersection
A coroner investigating the death of cyclist Angus Collins in Footscray this year has called on Victoria’s transport department to urgently address dual green light configurations at intersections.
Major blow to state’s airport rail link [$]
The state government has paused construction on the long awaited airport rail link, just months after works began
20km/h speed limit trial for the CBD’s ‘little streets’ [$]
To stop through traffic on the Melbourne City’s “little streets”, the council is looking at dialling back speed limits to 20km/h for zones shared by pedestrians. But some businesses aren’t happy.
Small hope from Maribyrnong flood inquiry submissions
Age editorial
Melbourne Water’s inquiry into the Maribyrnong River floods has a long way to go, but residents whose homes were inundated last October initially may feel doubtful that they will get the answers and reassurances they are looking with submissions to the review released yesterday.
New South Wales
Turning out the lights: what is the legacy of the Liddell power station?
In the first of a two-part report, we look at the successes – and the costs – of what once was Australia’s largest power station
Sydney Water’s hefty fine after fatal sewage spill [$]
A huge untreated sewage spill the size of two Olympic sized swimming pools led to a fish kill in Sydney’s inner west. Find out how much Sydney Water must pay after a pipe ruptured.
Macquarie solar breakthrough gives Aussie researchers unexpected recycling win
A better way to “cook” solar cells leads Macquarie Uni researchers to an unexpected recycling benefit for which the group has a patent pending.
ACT
‘We will do better’: Evoenergy CEO apologises for handling of power surge [$]
Evoenergy’s chief executive officer has apologised to Farrer residents whose appliances were wrecked in a significant power surge in January.
Canberrans powerless in the face of costly stuff-ups [$]
Canberra Times editorial
Up against government or big business, the individual can feel a sense of powerlessness when things go wrong.
Tasmania
Aboriginal heritage sites ‘destroyed’ by 4WD users, conservation group says
An Indigenous group and conservationists claim Aboriginal heritage sites on Tasmania’s northwest coast have been damaged by off-road 4WD use.
‘Transformational’: When major new bridge will open to traffic [$]
At just 26, Vivian Lee is working to ensure the new Bridgewater Bridge – the biggest transport infrastructure project in Tasmania – becomes a reality.
Shots fired: Deer kill ‘poorly planned, inhumane and unacceptable’ [$]
The Tasmanian arm of a pro-gun rights political party says a looming operation to kill 300 feral deer could be considered “inhumane” and was “poorly planned” – but Parks has fired back.
Northern Territory
‘Deceiving’: Mining company amends exploration licence application after saying it was withdrawn
Mining company Bacchus Resources told the ABC and residents last week that it had withdrawn its licence application, but exploration maps made publicly available this week reveal its application has been amended, not withdrawn.
Warty beast mission: Top End cane toad cull [$]
Hundreds of cane toads are set to be bagged and binned as teams of wildlife warriors and equestrians team up to stop the warty pests in their tracks.
Clean-up begins after Tropical Cyclone hits Northern Australia – video
There’s a great sense of relief for many – as major towns in Tropical Cyclone Ilsa’s path have escaped the worst of its impact. But there is despair for others – who are now confronting the damage caused by the severe weather system.
Barossa is Santos’ big bet on dirty gas that keeps backfiring
Peter Milne
Massive emissions with a questionably viable solution, construction delays, Indigenous culture clashes, a dispute with a US oil major – Santos Barossa project is generating heat well before it produces any gas.
Cyclone Ilsa hits Western Australia as category-five storm, breaking Australian wind speed record – podcast
Australia’s most cyclone-prone region, the Pilbara in Western Australia, has seen the impact of a category-five cyclone. The system set a wind speed record but has spared populated areas from heavy damage.
Andrew Forrest grabs land for proposed refinery and big battery metals play
Andrew Forrest secures land for proposed battery metals joint venture that seeks to break China’s dominance of the key sector.
Sustainability
EPA proposes air pollution reforms for industrial facilities
The EPA has proposed tougher air pollution rules for chemical plants and other industrial facilities after ProPublica found an estimated 74 million Americans near those sites faced an elevated risk of cancer.
Germany quits nuclear power, ending a decades-long struggle
The last three plants in Germany are scheduled to shut down by Saturday, while other European countries are looking to expand nuclear energy.
Half of PFAS in drinking water not monitored by EPA: Study
Of the PFAS found in drinking water samples collected across 16 states, nearly half are not monitored by the EPA, according to a recent study.
Can regenerative wool make fashion more sustainable?
Regenerative wool: it’s the new green buzzword in the fashion industry – but can wool ever be fully sustainable?
No evidence COVID came from animals: ex-China CDC head [$]
There is no evidence that the COVID-causing virus came from animals, the former head of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says.
White House proposes strict new auto emission limits to boost electric vehicle sales
In a statement, EPA administrator Michael Regan called the new regulations the “the most ambitious pollution standards ever for cars and trucks.”
Fast fashion goes to die in the world’s largest fog desert. The scale is breathtaking
Some of the developed world’s favorite brands lie in discarded heaps in Chile’s Atacama desert. How they got there tells the story of modern fast fashion.
This fungus has been making plastic disappear, and scientists have high hopes for it
Two types of fungi commonly found in backyards can be used to break down one of the world’s most stubborn plastics — and scientists say this discovery could be a significant step in addressing the recycling crisis.
Chart: US clean energy backlog balloons to unprecedented 2 terawatts
Eric Wesoff, Maria Virginia Olano
The huge figure shows that developers are ready to build renewables, but it also underscores a key problem: The country doesn’t have enough transmission capacity.
Before we invest billions in this clean fuel, let’s make sure it’s actually clean
Leah C. Stokes
If the Biden administration botches tax credit rules, it could unintentionally create a dirty hydrogen monster.
The world desperately needs a fairer economy – here’s how we can make that happen
Mia Mottley and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
Inflation and the climate crisis are hitting developing economies hardest. Trade is the key to helping them
Can we overcome the hurdles for nuclear power revival?
William Fletcher and Craig B. Smith
New nuclear power plants can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is worth trying. However, it would take a long time, be expensive and may not be successful.
G7: Liquefied natural gas is a bridge fuel to climate disaster
Leah Qusba
The eyes of the world are on Sapporo, Japan this weekend as energy ministers of some of the world’s largest economies, the G7, meet to discuss global climate and energy policy.
Nature Conservation
Gran Chaco: Will a new road improve or destroy the ‘green hell’?
Work is under way on a transnational highway through the Gran Chaco, a unique ecosystem in South America.
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