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Date: 27 April 2023 at 9:09:43 am AEST
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Apr 27
Post of the Day
EPA report details the ways climate change endangers children
Climate change will spur cascading risks to children in the coming decades as a warming planet stunts learning, threatens physical health and upends housing security, a new Environmental Protection Agency report found.
On This Day
Ecological Observance
Climate Change
Tuvalu says the impacts of climate change have forced it to create a digital copy of itself in the metaverse. But in the real world, not everyone’s convinced.
Afghanistan, Central America among regions most at risk from heat waves, study says
Unprecedented heat, coupled with growing populations or limited health-care and energy resources, puts some parts of the world at the most risk, including Afghanistan, Papua New Guinea and countries in Central America.
Climate protesters call out US banks for funding fossil fuel projects
Offices of Citibank in New York and Wells Fargo in San Francisco targeted by activists urging shareholders to act
National
CEFC triples funding for mini solar in Cannon-Brookes-backed Infradebt
Funding for small and medium solar projects is rare in Australia, which makes it a good fit for the government’s green bank.
How Australia was overtaken in the electric vehicle race as global sales go ‘exponential’
The latest snapshot of global EV uptake shows “explosive” growth in sales in China, Europe, the US and the UK, while Australia is at risk of being left behind.
Gas price caps due to be extended until mid-2025
Controls on gas prices will be extended to mid-2025 in an attempt to take the sting out of spiralling energy bills for cash-strapped households and businesses.
Electric vehicle hotspots include 131 regional towns
Electric vehicle drivers will get a boost from another 117 fast-charging locations along major Australian highways over the next two years in a $78.6 million deal designed to address “known black spots”.
The Aussie tackling an ocean-spanning seaweed ‘monster’
A gigantic belt of seaweed that can be seen from space has bloomed in the Atlantic since 2011. An Australian woman wants to turn it into plastic.
Labor U-turns on gas price rules but supply fears linger [$]
Concerns about an investment freeze have forced the government to backflip its plan to impose a “reasonable price” limit on east coast gas producers.
Spinach has created a startling campaign for the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) featuring the demolition of the Sydney Opera House.
How to build a future where we have somewhere to live
Letters
There are three missing voices in the current housing debate: the voice of design, the voice of community amenity, and the voice of environmental impact
Price caps won’t get more gas out of the ground [$]
Eric Johnston
Energy Minister Chris Bowen is offering more dysfunction and has missed his chance to create a sustainable gas market.
The messy retreat on gas prices starts now [$]
Jennifer Hewett
The Albanese government is suddenly keen not to be blamed for stopping further investment in Australia, having belatedly discovered how complicated the gas market is.
We need a ‘lemon law’ to make all the homes we buy and rent more energy-efficient
Trivess Moore et al
A long-awaited increase in energy-efficiency requirements for new homes is part of revised Australian construction standards taking effect on May 1. All new homes must achieve a minimum 7-star whole-of-home energy rating from October, following a six-month transition period.
‘Smoke and mirrors bullshit’: Woodside CEO’s speech denounced by critics [$]
Emma Elsworthy
Meg O’Neill’s speech at the National Press Club defending the gas industry has been slammed as being riddled with ‘misleading nonsense’.
Victoria
AEMO claps back against “reckless” claims made in scathing critique of VNI West
The Australian Energy Market Operator has hit back at claims that the VNI West transmission upgrade planned for Victoria will be costly, dangerous and “useless” to the build-out of new renewables, describing them as “reckless,” and “at odds” with industry and other expert analysis.
What lawyers need to know about clean energy and decarbonisation
As new developments advance within clean energy, decarbonisation and battery projects, the legal implications of the energy transition are extensive — and lawyers working in this space need to “seize the opportunity”, not only to be abreast of any challenges but also to become leaders in the field.
Victoria is virtually a one-party state – that’s bad for us
Premiers and governments that feel impervious to opposition are more likely to overreach. For disturbing evidence of this, look no further than the latest IBAC report and Daniel Andrews’ contemptuous reaction to it.
Tonight, Barry Jane will cook ducks he shot. It could be his last supper of this kind
A parliamentary inquiry into the future of recreational native bird hunting could see the end to duck shooting in the state.
New South Wales
Energy Minister offers fresh assurances Liddell Power Station’s closure will not lead to blackouts
With NSW’s 52-year-old Liddell coal-fired power generator going offline this Friday, Climate Change and Energy Minister says the government is “playing a catch-up game” to provide clean energy.
Water testing after the Menindee fish kill shows a ‘chronically sick’ river
New test results from the Darling-Baaka River show the system is ‘supercharged with nutrients’, expert says
‘Nimbys’: Business identity hits back at recycling yard critics [$]
A Sydney business identity is pushing ahead with plans to build a new scrap metal recycling yard in the northern suburbs after the proposal sparked furious backlash from residents.
Reform of Sydney’s troubled bus system must be a priority [$]
SMH editorial
The revelation that the previous Coalition government signed contracts with private bus companies worth nearly $5 billion, which may prevent reform of the long-troubled Sydney bus system, suggests a touch of incompetence, if not bloody-mindedness, and raises serious questions about the integrity of process.
Queensland
Claims thousands of Qld jobs ‘on the line’ if gas cap extended
Senator Matt Canavan says extending the temporary price cap on gas will freeze investment and put thousands of Queensland resources jobs on the line.
Cattle farmers worried about climate change take matters into their own hands
Queensland cattle farmers like Adam Coffey are doing everything they can to make their practices more environmentally friendly.
South Australia
AGL charges up Torrens battery for first time as it closes another Liddell unit
AGL charges up its biggest battery to date as it readies to close the last of its remaining units at the Liddell coal plant.
Tasmania
Choppers to conduct eagle nest count in coming months [$]
Northern residents can expect the sound of helicopters in the sky when Sustainable Timber Tasmania will conduct its annual Eagle Nest Searching Program.
Northern Territory
NT solar farms still sitting idle after three years, now a consultant has been called in
NT utility calls for consultant to advise on if, and when, the first solar farms – built three years ago – can be allowed to send power to the grid.
Australia’s top 20 super funds hit with human rights complaint over Santos gas investment
Traditional owners from across Australia have travelled to the Tiwi Islands to lodge a human rights complaint against the top 20 superannuation funds over their investment in gas giant Santos.
Western Australia
Ancient rock art removal to start for $6.4b fertiliser plant
WA Premier Mark McGowan has pledged to stop any further industrial development of the Burrup Peninsula — beyond a $6.4 billion fertiliser plant that has begun construction.
Scientists create tougher coral in race to future-proof reef
With bleaching events expected to increase to once a year by 2046, researchers in Western Australia hope coral crossbred to survive in higher temperatures will help save the Ningaloo Reef.
Sustainability
Ethiopia: Companies long ignored gold mine pollution
The company operating an Ethiopian gold mine and the refinery that sourced its gold took no action over concerns about pollution from the mine for years.
Progress in alternative battery technology
It is not easy to make batteries cheap, efficient, durable, safe and environmentally friendly at the same time. Researchers have now succeeded in uniting all of these characteristics in zinc metal batteries.
EVs to capture one-fifth of global market this year amid ‘explosive growth’
Electric vehicles are on track to capture nearly one-fifth of the global market this year, according to a new report detailing the “explosive growth” of plug-in cars.
Millions of people are getting sick from this country’s toxic air
In Thailand, 2.4 million people have sought treatment at hospitals for health problems linked to air pollution since the start of the year, health officials said last week, as toxic smog has smothered some northern provinces for months.
How bankruptcy helps coal industry avoid environmental liability
Jeff Hoops built Blackjewel into the nation’s sixth largest coal company by acquiring bankrupt mines. When it declared bankruptcy, he pivoted to other ventures, leaving polluted streams and mud-shrouded roads in his wake.
Group cyclists urged to spread out as it can affect exposure to vehicle emissions: Study
The notion that in a group of cyclists, the person in front of the group is always the most exposed to harmful vehicle pollutants has now been debunked.
Climate change: How can we make flying greener?
Biofuels, alternative flight routes and newer, green aircraft technology can make flying better for the environment. How close are we to introducing these climate-friendly alternatives?
Bitcoin is terrible for the environment – can it ever go green?
Cryptocurrency mining uses huge amounts of energy, but activists are urging for a change in its code to reduce its environmental impact
ProSocial World: How the principles of evolution can create lasting global change
Knowing how cultural evolution happens also means we can harness it for the larger good, creating a more just and sustainable world, according to a new article.
Earth day betrays its philosophical founders
Tom Harris
Many of these space pioneers would be appalled to know what Earth Day and indeed the whole environmental movement has become.
Nature Conservation
Coral reefs are in crisis. Could a controversial idea help?
To preserve habitat for fish and benefits for humans, some scientists suggest we need to explore the need for assisted migration.
Under solar panels, desert restoration gets a leg up
Delicate biocrusts are used to restore drylands; instead of cultivating them in high-tech greenhouses, researchers are growing them under solar farms.
How species are responding to climate change – and how humans can help – Fear and Wonder podcast
Around half of all life on Earth is on the move because of climate change, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Many species’ habitats are changing, forcing them to move, while others are fleeing harm’s way as new predators move in.
Africa’s oceans are being protected to serve the interests of big foreign corporates
Ifesinachi Okafor-Yarwood and Freedom C. Onuoha
Africa’s valuable ocean resources have drawn the interest of foreign nations, particularly those in the West and Asia. How they exploit these resources can be problematic.
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