Daily Links May 11

It’s very hard to defend the Stage 3 tax cuts, particularly when there are structural problems in the budget and revenue must increase. It’s not just our biodiversity that gets dudded. Tell jobseekers, renters and NDIS recipients that a Labor government can’t help because high-income people need tax relief and then tell them the light on the hill still shines brightly and they won’t believe you.

https://theconversation.com/if-the-budget-ditched-the-stage-3-tax-cuts-australia-could-save-every-threatened-species-and-lots-more-205305

From: Maelor Himbury <maelor@melbpc.org.au&gt;
Date: 11 May 2023 at 9:03:42 am AEST
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links May 11

Post of the Day

If the budget ditched the Stage 3 tax cuts, Australia could save every threatened species – and lots more

Sarah Bekessy et al

The Albanese government has made bold environmental promises over the last year. Given the parlous state of nature in Australia, these commitments are important.

 

On This Day

May 11

 

Ecological Observance

Hairy Nosed Day

 

Climate Change

Viruses could reshuffle the carbon cycle in a warming world

Viruses may have unanticipated consequences for ecosystem responses to climate change

 

Atmospheric research provides clear evidence of human-caused climate change signal associated with CO2 increases

Claims that climate change is natural are inconsistent with atmospheric temperature trends

 

Proxy season: Climate-minded shareholder proposals are on the rise, and so is the backlash

Every year, hundreds of shareholder resolutions are introduced with public companies, a way for investors to influence corporate direction. Many are withdrawn after agreements are struck with companies; others are brought for a vote at a company’s annual shareholder meeting.

 

The solutions needed to address climate change already existFear and Wonder podcast

One of the key findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Synthesis Report is that there are solutions available right now, across all sectors of the economy, that could at least halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

 

National

‘They screwed up’: Economists say the PRRT is broken and the budget doesn’t really fix it

Economists and energy experts say the government is short-changing Australians with planned changes to the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax that will only raise an additional $2.4 billion over five years.

 

Green hydrogen subsidies set to benefit billionaire Andrew Forrest

The government has injected $2 billion into green hydrogen through the federal budget amid fears Australia is falling behind in the race to become a renewable energy superpower. 

 

Find out if you’re eligible for the government’s $500 energy bill relief payment with this state-by-state breakdown

The federal government had to negotiate different agreements with each state and territory, so it’s a little complicated. Let’s look at how much you might get slashed off your bill, depending on where you live. 

 

Coles to run down supply of soft-plastic bags as it prepares to stop selling them

Coles has promised to phase out soft-plastic shopping bags in-store and online by the end of next month. It follows the demise of plastic recycler REDcycle.

 

Black summer bushfires may have caused rare ‘triple dip’ La Niña, study suggests

Smoke aerosols from the fires interacted with clouds to cool the south-eastern Pacific, helping the wet weather pattern to form, scientists believe

 

Australia needs to set date to end petrol car sales to speed up EV transition, energy experts say

Governments urged to roll out chargers, reduce prices and recruit celebrities to mobilise public as one in four new vehicle sales predicted to be electric by 2025

 

Labor’s hydrogen pledge a ‘great start’ but more needed to become global player, experts say

Australian Hydrogen Council welcomes $2bn funding but MP Sophie Scamps calls it ‘a drop in the ocean’ compared with US

 

Australia joins global race for green investment, but gas is still key

While Australia made a $2 billion “down payment” on a strategy to ensure a slice of booming green energy markets, Chris Bowen reiterated the need for gas in the transition.

 

Budget’s energy bill relief and home retrofit funding is a good start, but dwarfed by the scale of the task

Trivess Moore and Ralph Horne

The quality and performance of our housing have big impacts on the environment, cost of living and our health and wellbeing. The 2023-24 federal budget’s announcement of $1.6 billion for energy-saving upgrades to housing recognises the broad importance of retrofitting Australian homes.


Labor’s budget is good for climate and renewables – and great for the gas cartel

Tim Buckley

The Labor budget lacks ambition to leverage massive decarbonisation opportunities – and fails to deliver substantial social dividends through gas tax reform.

 

Victoria

Victorian energy minister faces Supreme Court challenge over fast-tracked order to build transmission lines

The Moorabool and Central Highlands Power Alliance says an order by Minister Lily D’Ambrosio to fast-track major transmission line projects is not valid.

 

How AI is tracking the ‘surprise’ dingo, koala, potoroo recovery from Black Summer bushfires

Wildlife experts are surprised to see animal populations recovering across eastern Australia following the devastating Black Summer bushfires. 

 

Federal funding for every Victorian infrastructure project – bar Rail Loop – in doubt

The billions of dollars set aside for Airport Rail, Geelong Fast Rail, North East Link and the M80 Ring Road will still stay in Victoria, even if a new review recommends scrapping them.

 

Melbourne’s bike lane expansion to be fast-tracked [$]

The City of Melbourne has voted to speed up the delivery of 44km of bike lanes around the city in a bid to tackle the climate emergency.

 

Melbourne’s hard rubbish etiquette has been trashed [$]

Alice Coster

Melbourne has seriously lost the hard rubbish plot — and I blame the good people of Brighton.

 

New South Wales

Hundreds of endangered seahorses released into the wild off NSW coast

White’s seahorse used to be a common sight in the waters off Sydney and Newcastle, but numbers have declined dramatically over the past 20 years. Scientists hope that might be starting to change.


Construction complete at biggest battery in Australia’s biggest coal grid

Construction is complete at the biggest battery complex to be built so far in NSW, with testing and commissioning to begin soon.

 

City and state should join forces to give Sydney the public square it deserves

SMH editorial

If you arrange to meet somebody in Sydney’s CBD, where do you start? A cafe, perhaps, or a bar. Maybe on the steps of Town Hall, or in Pitt Street Mall, or beside the light rail at Circular Quay.

 

Queensland

‘Need to move quickly’: Big opportunity for ‘new coal’ jobs

Hydrogen could become the new coal, in terms of jobs and exports, for regional Queensland, but we’ll need to move quickly, the experts say.

 

Harry Popper’s Container of Secrets [$]

More than $500,000 was spent on an glossy advertising campaign urging Queensland schoolkids to return poppers for recycling, despite the state being unable to recycle them.

 

South Australia

Power bill relief ‘most significant cost of living package’ in SA history

More than 420,000 South Australian households will pay less for power under a $254 million state and federal government agreement which the Deputy Premier describes as “the most significant cost of living package in the state’s history”.

 

Citizen science projects let tourists give back to nature

The Australian Citizen Science Association SA and COSMOS magazine are holding an information evening on Thursday to encourage South Australians to get involved in helping scientists with their conservation and ecology studies.


Tasmania

Environment protester accused by Magistrate of ‘giving a finger to the entire judicial system’ over bail breaches

After a Tasmanian judge accuses an activist of wanting to be “a martyr” in court, the activist fires back, saying she’s “upholding the laws of nature”.

 

Tassie first hydrogen facility keeps 2023 target [$]

A new hydrogen refueling infrastructure pitched for George Town has taken the next steps to become a reality as its timeline remains to be commercially viable by the end of this year

 

Citizen science campaign invites Tasmanians to survey endangered Wedge-tailed Eagles

A project from citizen science group NatureTrackers has called upon Tasmanians to search the skies in May to survey Wedge-tailed Eagles, a threatened species in Tasmania.

 

Yoav says these trees hold clues to our past, but a fire could destroy them. So he is saving them one leaf at a time

A collection preserving physical specimens from Tasmania’s tallest forest grove of flowering plants will help ensure opportunity for future research of the ancient giants.

 

Northern Territory

NT opposition leader hits out at rank-and-file over no-confidence motion

Lia Finocchiaro says members of the CLP’s Litchfield and Alice Springs branches reportedly circulating no-confidence motions in her leadership won’t distract her from opposition leader duties.

 

Water allocation plan which includes Singleton Station is disastrous for environment, culture: CLC

The NT Government’s Western Davenport draft water allocation plan, which covers an area including Singleton Station, has no provisions to prevent permanent damage to the environment, wildlife, and cultural sites, the Central Land Council chief executive Les Turner has said.

 

Western Australia

Glowing white eyes of new demon catshark species could unlock ‘different evolutionary pathway’

The newly discovered species was found off the coast of WA’s Kimberley region.

 

Former Wittenoom families seek clarity over access to relatives’ graves as asbestos town gets demolished

The town is being demolished by the state government but it is not clear whether families will have ongoing access to the existing cemetery.

 

Alcoa given deadline to fix toxic PFAS risk at South West mine site

The bauxite miner has been given a month to avoid heavy winter rain causing stored contaminated water to overflow into surrounding forest and water catchment.

 

More than 27,000 people urge WA government to protect Martuwarra Fitzroy River

Kimberley Traditional Owners and conservation groups have delivered a petition signed by 27,632 Australians calling for the Martuwarra Fitzroy River to be protected.


WA to fund Australia’s biggest battery as part of $2.8bn renewable and storage plan

WA to fund country’s biggest battery – a 2,000MWh facility at the coal town of Collie – as part of a multi-billion budget package supporting renewables and storage.

 

Sustainability

Cleanup of inactive Gulf of Mexico wells estimated at $30 billion

Waters off Alabama, Louisiana and Texas are home to 14,000 nonproductive wells

 

Plastic can drift far away from its starting point as it sinks into the sea

In a new study in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology, one team used computer modeling to study how far bits of lightweight plastic travel when falling into the Mediterranean Sea. Their results suggest these particles can drift farther underwater than previously thought.

 

Air pollution from oil and gas production responsible for $77 billion in annual US health damages, contributes to thousands of early deaths, childhood asthma cases nationwide

These health impacts affected communities in states with high oil and gas production, as well as states with limited or no gas activity, underlining the need for comprehensive regulatory action to protect Americans from pollutants.

 

More frequent dust storms could be in our future

A combination of climate change and unsustainable agricultural practices could lead to Dust Bowl–like conditions.

 

US support for nuclear power soars to highest level in a decade

As the country looks to decarbonize, nuclear’s popularity continues to climb.

 

How renewable energy sources like wind, solar farms could use less land

The renewable energy industry is causing land conflicts and faces local opposition. A new study offers ideas for how solar and wind farms could use less space.

 

Nature Conservation

UK tops list for fossil fuel sites in nature protected areas

Globally, fossil fuel extraction and exploration is taking place at almost 3,000 sites in conservation areas, analysis shows

 

Small wildlife surveys can produce ‘big picture’ results

Small-scale wildlife surveys can reveal the health of entire ecosystems, new research shows.

 

Indigenous tribes were pushed away from the Colorado River. A new generation is fighting to save it

As climate change diminishes flows in the Colorado River, regional leaders are negotiating its future and Indigenous people want that to include establishing their full access to the water.

 

Aruba considers enshrining the ‘rights of nature’ in its constitution

If lawmakers and the Kingdom of the Netherlands sign off, the ecologically rich island would become the second country to recognize that nature has inherent legal rights.

 



Maelor Himbury
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