Post of the Day
How to tackle climate change? A new book has answers
Anilla Cherian, an independent global climate change and clean energy expert, looks at why we have found little success so far in her new book—Air Pollution, Clean Energy and Climate Change. The book argues that while the link between the three is well-established, there is no integrated approach to tackle the same; it is all happening in silos.
On This Day
Martyrdom of Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq – Iran
Climate Change
Dozens of ‘frost quakes’ that shook Finland on single day triggered by climate crisis
The rare weather phenomenon known as “frost quakes” that had struck Finland in 2016 are likely becoming more frequent due to the climate crisis, a new study suggests.
Climate change first ‘went viral’ exactly 70 years ago
Marc Hudson
We have grown so used to many things. To the pictures of wildfires and cremated animals, to the ice sheets calving into the ocean, to the promises of world leaders that they will heed the “last chance” warning of the scientists.
National
Class action suit alleged commonwealth did not adequately prevent toxic chemicals from firefighting foam contaminating soil and groundwater
‘Do your job’ protesters tell Tanya Plibersek, as she approves new coal mine
Protesters converged on Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek’s electorate office after she approved a new coal mine in Central Queensland’s Bowen Basin.
Bowen says $2bn hydrogen plan just a start as Australia seeks to dodge “Kodak” moment
Bowen says green hydrogen support just the start as he compares Australian reliance on coal and gas in the future to the collapse of Kodak.
‘They’ve gotten away with murder’: $132.7m payout from Commonwealth over toxic PFAS
Residents are calling for more compensation after the Commonwealth stopped short of admitting liability in a class action settlement that will see $132.7 million split among 30,000 claimants.
“Our energy highways are at gridlock:” AEMO in new push for “unglamorous” transmission
AEMO says network in gridlock and unable to shift enough wind and solar, as Bowen says regulator decisions need to be about more than pure economics.
Big call on nuclear power’s arrival
Australia’s chief nuclear regulatory body has told a parliamentary inquiry how long it would take to legislate and build a nuclear power plant.
Banana appeal: Australia’s first genetically modified fruit sent for approval
Cavendish made to resist fungus threatening variety worldwide is seen as safety net for growers if industry wiped out
Natasha can pull apart and recycle 97 per cent of your TV, but e-waste is still swamping Australia
A recycling program has found a way to divert tonnes of discarded electronic devices and huge amounts of precious metals and other components from landfill, while also providing disability employment.
Labor wants to help gas giants ‘scale up’ carbon capture potential
The federal government will work with the oil and gas industry to expand carbon capture and storage, putting it on a collision course with the Greens.
John Quiggin
The outcry was loud and swift last week after Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek approved a new coal mine in central Queensland. It’s the first coal mine Labor has approved since coming to power a year ago.
Three new coal mines and a coal extension get environmental approval. What’s the scam?
Callum Foote
No coal mine will be left behind! Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek waited until media mayhem of the Federal Budget aftermath last Tuesday to approve three new coal mines and a coal mine extension.
The heat is on: Labor must stop handing taxpayer dollars to the fossil fuel industry [$]
Letters
Crikey readers light a gas burner under the Labor government over its subsidies for coal, oil and gas while Australians can’t afford to heat their homes.
Rachel Withers
Even Tanya Plibersek sounded unconvinced by her feeble defence of the Isaac River coalmine
Why a $4400 payout doesn’t scratch the surface in forever chemicals court deal
Carrie Fellner
As residents share in the spoils of a landmark settlement, the prime minister became the first federal official to voice concern about the health impacts of PFAS.
Target the big-emitting regions to speed up decarbonising [$]
Meg O’Neill
Most hard-to-abate industries are clustered together in specific places. We should make them a priority for CCUS projects.
Victoria
Physical myki cards to tap out as Victoria gives ticketing contract to new company
It’s the end of the line for many physical myki cards, with Victorian commuters to be able to pay for public transport with their debit and credit cards in trials starting in 2024.
If you build it, we will swim: Footscray residents would dig a new lake
Developers may have their eyes on the site of a former public hospital in Melbourne’s inner west, but some locals have their own plan – and it involves a swimmable lake.
Emails reveal Melbourne Water ignored conflict advice before flood inquiry scandal
The emails also show the state government has been involved with Melbourne Water’s response from behind the scenes, despite repeated insistence that the water authority’s inquiry is independent.
‘For approval’: How one statement has revealed so much about flood inquiry
Clay Lucas
Documents reveal behind the scenes ministerial intervention let Melbourne Water carry the blame for the flood inquiry process going off the rails.
New South Wales
NSW farmer Alastair McLaren has lost hundreds of thousands of dollars due to contamination from PFAS chemicals, but he’s not one of the 30,000 people who will be compensated.
NSW’s chief scientist is aware his team will need to overcome distrust from some Menindee locals as it begins a review into the cause behind a mass fish kill in the Darling River during March.
Warragamba Dam walls may need to be raised for ‘safety reasons’ despite Labor’s vow to drop plan
Controversial plan to raise wall at Sydney’s main reservoir threatens to spill over into Minns government’s first term
‘Lost forever’: Push for park at embattled bowlo site [$]
After a legal challenge stalled the transfer of an eastern suburbs bowling club to indigenous owners, a community group has renewed its push for the rare green space to be protected as parkland.
ACT
‘Half a job’: Pollution solution not expected to prevent rubbish flowing into Molonglo
Infrastructure built to trap pollution within a Denman Prospect pond has been found to be failing and in need of replacement, but critics say the current proposed solution will do little to prevent rubbish continuing to flow into the Molonglo.
Queensland
Move to take billionaire’s abandoned island
The Queensland Government has launched forfeiture action against the Hong Kong owner of Double Island, near Cairns.
Can’t see the forest for 20 million trees, but planting plan turns out to be a failure
A much-touted scheme to plant 20 million trees nationwide was driven by cost factors not outcomes for threatened species, a new study has found.
UQ bus ban puts ‘giant handbrake’ on city’s public transport: experts
A transport expert says UQ’s “through campus” bus ban should be revoked immediately.
Treaty talks to include mine veto [$]
Indigenous corporations will push for the power to veto mines in culturally sensitive areas as part of landmark treaty negotiations.
South Australia
Interstate rivals challenge Premier’s global hunt for hydrogen dollars
Queensland and Western Australia are fighting for their own share of hydrogen investors as the Premier works on his big sell to build a $593 million hydrogen plant in Whyalla, announcing new rules to attract potential punters in Europe.
Carbon capture pushed as Santos project progresses [$]
Santos says there’s a growing consensus that carbon capture and storage will be integral to net zero ambitions, as its Moomba CCS project ticks off another milestone.
Why a giant outback carbon reservoir may be key to the future of gas [$]
There’s a lot riding on the Moomba CCS project – if Santos can boot it up smoothly, it could unleash a wave of investment decisions on dozens of projects.
Land rights win for South Australian Nauo people [$]
The Nauo people of the Lower Eyre Peninsula have claimed a milestone victory after the federal court granted their land rights claim, ending a 30-year fight.
Tasmania
Tasmania green hydrogen hopeful signs with possible first customer
Renewable hydrogen hopeful with electrolyser plans for Tasmania says it may have found a transport customer.
Plibersek’s pledge for no new extinctions on thin ice as endemic Tasmanian ray population plummets
Researchers say Tanya Plibersek’s pledge of no new extinctions is under serious threat as the only known population of an endangered ancient Tasmania ray continues to nose dive.
Hydrogen handshake deal on track to making milk fleet “emission-free” [$]
One of the state’s large-scale logistics and transport companies has signed on for an “emission-free fleet” in a state-first deal with renewable energy project developer Countrywide Hydrogen.
Darwin’s first big battery completes construction, but it won’t be operating until 2024
Construction complete at the first big battery in the Northern Territory, although it won’t be in full service until next year.
Tanami mine expansion continues against the odds [$]
Despite a tough couple of years, Newmont’s Tanami mine is continuing at pace.
Western Australia
First battery on WA grid ready to go in “boost for rooftop solar PV”
WA’s main grid enters the big battery era with the official launch of its first battery, to be quickly followed by two even bigger storage projects.
Ningaloo is a World Heritage treasure, but there are fears it will one day be paradise lost
Ningaloo’s sparkling turquoise waters and whale sharks are well known to many, but this World Heritage treasure extends to the land, too – and conservationists fear for its future.
Critically endangered sawfish likely killed for saw trophies, marine professor says
An aquatic ecosystems expert at Murdoch University compares the “illegal” and “cruel” killing of four fish to poaching rhinos and elephants for their ivory.
Sustainability
Sustainable funds fall foul of ‘greenwashing’ rules [$]
Research shows that just 4 per cent of the funds with the word ‘sustainability’, or some variation, comply with the requirements set by regulators in Britain, Europe or the US.
Chemical weapons: Protect integrity of global ban
Governments should protect the integrity of the international treaty banning chemical weapons by fully carrying out its provisions and by ensuring accountability for any violations, Human Rights Watch said today.
Plastics Treaty: Phase out fossil fuels to end pollution
Governments negotiating a Global Plastics Treaty should ensure that it addresses the role of fossil fuels in plastic production and includes human rights protections, Human Rights Watch said today.
Why some countries find it hard to move away from fossil fuels
Trinidad and Tobago is the No. 2 exporter of liquefied natural gas in the Americas. Its output has been falling, but it remains committed to fossil fuels.
As the harms of hydropower dams become clearer, some activists ask, ‘is it time to remove them?’
In North Carolina, an effort to tear down a century-old dam has galvanized a community while highlighting aspects of hydroelectricity that aren’t clean energy at all.
A simple way to prevent heaps of methane pollution: Composting
Landfills spew millions of tons of methane. A new study says composting could slash their emissions by as much as 84 percent.
How to change our collective mindset to tackle ecological crisis?
Jane Goodall
“We have a sense that we are about to face immense upheavals,” Maja Göpel writes, and we need to find ways to tackle multiple problems at once. The context for this statement is an account of a 2019 incident staged by Extinction Rebellion protesters in a London tube station.
Universities and the future of humanity
David Shearman
The University Accord has yet to address a future which recognises the huge health and environmental threats to society. It should provide a vision of the university as “A centre of learning to ensure the sustainability of the planet and the human race”.
Nature Conservation
Firefighting goats protecting Chilean forests from deadly blazes
In the southern Chilean city of Santa Juana, hit hard by wildfires earlier this year, locals have a special task force helping them fight blazes — and its members have four legs and horns.
Intensive farming is biggest cause of bird decline in Europe, study says
Use of pesticides and fertilisers identified as most significant factor behind loss of 550 million birds from skies
Oyster reef restoration as a climate solution is taking off
Oyster reefs clean water, repair ecosystems, and help prevent flooding. But a lack of shells is forcing restoration projects across the country to seek out alternative structures.
Light pollution may trigger coral reefs to spawn
A dark side effect of the electricity that helps society run around the clock is the pollution caused by our increasing numbers of lights at night. Light pollution can obscure stargazing, confusing sea turtles when they hatch, and also could be harming coral reefs.
Climate change is making crabs lose their sense of smell — and seafood may never be the same
Climate change is altering acidity levels in the ocean — and when crabs pay the price, so do humans
Amazon deforestation down 40 percent so far this year
So far this year, deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon is down 40 percent from the same period in 2022, according to government data. The drop comes as a win for President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who has promised to curb forest less.
Michael F. Braby
How old are butterflies, and where did they evolve? And perhaps more importantly, how and when did they reach the isolated continent of Australia?
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