Date: 11 July 2023 at 8:36:41 am AEST
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Jul 11
Post of the Day
Kerryn Brent et al
The Australian Labor government has introduced a bill to regulate “marine geoengineering” – methods to combat climate change by intervening in the ocean environment.
On This Day
World’s war on greenhouse gas emissions has a military blind spot
When it comes to taking stock of global emissions, there’s an elephant in the room: the world’s armed forces.
Drop carbon offsetting-based environmental claims, companies urged
New guidance says carbon credits should only be used to contribute to climate mitigation
How can scientists better explain climate risks?
Climate scientists have long struggled to find the best ways to present crucial facts about future sea level rise to policymakers, stakeholders, and the general public, according to a new study.
AI is starting to predict the weather. Can it process climate change?
For decades, morning weather reports have relied on the same kinds of conventional models. Now, weather forecasting is poised to join the ranks of industries revolutionized by artificial intelligence.
Solastalgia and the crossing of legal boundaries
Peter Boyer
King George V and Queen Mary were cheering on their stallion, Anmer, in the Epsom Derby on Saturday 13 June 1913 when a woman ran on to the track and was struck by the horse as it raced past. She was knocked out and died four days later.
National
Australia joins the Climate Club alliance, pushing for net zero emissions by 2050
The Climate Club was formed last year and is an initiative of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and includes the United States, UK and France.
Ancient enemy unleashed against one of Australia’s worst aquatic weeds
A weevil smaller than a grain of rice has been released into waterways infested with cabomba weed, a South American plant that has been wreaking havoc in several states and territories.
Developers aren’t paying enough to offset impacts on koalas and other endangered species
Jonathan Rhodes and Shantala Brisbane,
Developers are commonly required to “offset” their impacts on biodiversity. They can do this in two ways.
Virtue signalling wastes energy [$]
Australian editorial
Boosting and stabilising the power grid is a priority.
What is Labor’s 2030 back-up energy plan? [$]
AFR editorial
The government needs to set aside the potential political embarrassment of admitting its climate targets may be unreachable and order a robust assessment of where the troubled energy transition is at.
Wind and solar eat fossil fuels in Europe and US, but it’s a slow burn in Australia
David Leitch
The pace of change in some of the world’s biggest grids is accelerating, but in Australia the transition is facing problems for governments and agencies.
Victoria
Legal action forcing Victoria to gain federal approval for planned burns risks setting a precedent that could stop the practice.
VicForests job losses loom [$]
VicForests’ 163 staff, from Hamilton to Orbost, have been left in limbo as the Andrews government prepares to axe native forest logging.
Farmers slam energy operator over power line ‘dirty tactics’ [$]
Victorian farmers say Australia’s energy operator is using “dirty tactics” to force them to sign over access to their land to make way for new transmission lines.
New South Wales
New harbourside park completes ‘last piece of the puzzle’ at Barangaroo
The Harbour Park restores public access to half of the currently empty site in Central Barangaroo, and will feature Indigenous culture, interactive art, water play areas and ponds.
ACT
ACT road millions better spent on active travel works: Pedal Power [$]
More than $100 million earmarked for a short road duplication would be better spent on pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, a cycling advocacy group has said.
ACT can’t stop extinction if federal govt keep destroying habitat: Minister
The ACT’s Environment Minister has called on the federal government to halt projects that would destroy koala habitats and better co-ordinate conservation efforts.
Queensland
Queensland identifies ‘renewable energy zones’ as part of $62bn ‘super grid’ plan
Plans for transition to renewables include establishing local consultation groups and expert panels across 12 state-wide zones
Queensland slammed for bespoke demands on inverters in controversial rule change
The state’s draft connection rules have thrown up another gem, but this one will upend the state’s inverter market.
South Australia
Timber! Greens MP to cut down trees for property development [$]
Greens deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi’s plans to subdivide her investment property – and bulldoze up to 20 native trees – have been approved by council.
Clean-up to last for days at rubbish-filled river [$]
Heavy rain has washed rubbish and debris down the River Torrens, with the clean up expected to last for days. Have your say on the state of one of Adelaide’s most beloved spots.
Tax-backed private school Taj Mahals eat the public’s parklands
Peter Goers
Why should ratepayers and taxpayers fund grand private developments on public land? We need green space not monoliths.
Tasmania
Northern waterways given passing grade in water report [$]
A new chapter in monitoring the health of the region’s waterways has begun after a report card on local freshwater river systems was published.
Alternative vision proposed for Battery Point walkway [$]
The idea is one which has been around for a decade: a walkway connecting Battery Point and Sandy Bay. Now, two residents want to bring it to life and they have a new vision to share.
Northern Territory
Ngalurrtju Aboriginal Land Trust unveil groundbreaking “two-way map”
The Ngalurrtju Aboriginal Land Trust, located in the Northern Territory, now has a unique map created in collaboration between traditional owners and conservationists.
Western Australia
‘Small steps’: State offers free electricity
Those doing it tough will get free electricity during non-peak times to help with power bill stress at a time when “everything is going up.”
‘She didn’t walk this land’: Decision to honour Queen brings tree-planting event to a halt
A representative for an Indigenous family in Western Australia’s Midwest has disputed a claim that a Jubilee event was stopped because of recently implemented cultural heritage laws.
WA’s feral cat baiting program exposes feline opinion divide
Lynne Bradshaw
The adage tells us to never discuss politics or religion in polite company. In recent times there’s another topic that I have added to the list. Cats.
Sustainability
Uganda: Oil pipeline project impoverishes thousands
The French fossil-fuel giant TotalEnergies’ planned oil pipeline in East Africa has devastated thousands of people’s livelihoods in Uganda and will exacerbate the global climate crisis.
The U.S. will send depleted uranium munitions to Ukraine
A health physicist explains their military, health and environmental effects.
How to remove PFAS — aka forever chemicals — from drinking water
A new study detected PFAS in 45 percent of the country’s tap water supply. Here’s what you can do.
1.3 billion people worldwide projected to have diabetes by 2050
Nearly 10 percent of people worldwide would have diabetes by 2050, according to the study’s projections.
‘It’s not climate change, it’s everything change’: Sci-fi authors take on the global crisis
Margaret Atwood and Cormac McCarthy led the way. Now a new crop of novelists is putting the heating emergency at the forefront of their plots.
Food industry giants must fix their plastic pollution
Ashka Naik
McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and other major brands are creating massive amounts of plastic waste. Their initiatives are not enough and they need to be held accountable for the plastics crisis.
Nanoplastics: Small material causing huge problems
Erica Cirino
Plastic is in the air we breathe, the food we eat and the water we drink. How does it get there and what does it mean for human health?
Why PFAS have no place in everyday products, including paint
Teresa McGrath
When I talked to my doctor about starting a family, she ran tests and found that my thyroid hormone levels were so low I would have a difficult time conceiving.
Cities in mortal danger foreshadow the human fate
Julian Cribb
Often seen as marvels of the human ascendancy, the world’s great cities are in mortal danger as the resources that keep them alive stagger, dwindle and give out.
Nature Conservation
10 reasons humans kill animals – and why we can’t avoid it
Benjamin Allen
As long as humans have existed, they’ve killed animals. But the necessity of some types of animal killing are now questioned by many. So can humans ever stop killing animals entirely? And if not, what’s the best way forward?
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