Daily Links Sep 14

Post of the Day 

Earth ‘well outside safe operating space for humanity’, scientists find 

First complete ‘scientific health check’ shows most global systems beyond stable range in which modern civilisation emerged 

On This Day 

September 14 

Exaltation of the Cross – Western Christianity 

Death of Prophet Muhammad and Martyrdom of Imam Hasan – Iran 

Climate Change 

Meet the shadowy global network vilifying climate protesters 

For decades, the Atlas Network has used its reach and influence to spread conservative philosophy—and criminalize climate protest. 

Devastatingly low Antarctic sea ice may be the ‘new abnormal’, study warns 

Edward Doddridge and Ariaan Puric 

For most of us, Antarctic sea ice is an abstraction – something far away we may have seen on a documentary. But the radiant white sheets of ice floating on the seas around the snowy continent are a crucial component of Earth’s climate processes. 

We just blew past 1.5 degrees. Game over on climate? Not yet 

Ailie Gallant and Kimberley Reid 

July 2023 was the hottest month ever recorded. And now we know something even more alarming. This week, the European Space Agency announced the July heat pushed the global average temperatures 1.5℃ above the pre-industrial average. 

How rising water vapour in the atmosphere is amplifying warming and making extreme weather worse 

Kevin Trenberth 

This year’s string of record-breaking disasters – from deadly wildfires and catastrophic floods to record-high ocean temperatures and record-low sea ice in Antarctica – seems like an acceleration of human-induced climate change. 

National 

Market manipulation: How big business gamed the Murray-Darling Basin 

Media focus on foreign ownership of water hides corporate profiteering by banks and traders 

Solar, batteries and microgrids essential for disaster-prone communities, study finds 

Losing power after a disaster is devastating for communities, a new report suggests this can be mitigated by distributed and renewable energy resources. 

Are Australians ready to give up their cars? Urban planners warn home buyers might not have a choice 

Apartment owners could share cars as parking-free housing is introduced to curb major cities’ traffic congestion. 

The Australian birds putting their stamp on the urban environment 

Australia Post’s release of new bird stamps reflects the country’s changing urban landscapes and highlights little-known habitat loss 

Explained: What Australia’s energy efficient future looks like [$] 

What does the future hold for Australia as it confronts the carbon emissions challenge head on? 

Dissolvable plastic touted as solution to huge environmental problem 

As the plastics flooding into the world’s oceans threaten to outweigh the fish that live in them, Australian scientists could be on the cusp of a breakthrough. 

Albanese to outline his future energy vision [$] 

Anthony Albanese will be the headline speaker at Friday’s Future Energy forum and outline his vision for Australia’s transition to renewable energy. 

Environment care ‘boosts farm production’ [$] 

Farmers who look after the soil, plants and wildlife on their farms are up to 20 per cent more profitable, new research finds. 

INTERVIEW: ‘Missing in action’: Former Defence chief says government lacking over climate change – podcast 

Former Defence Force Chief Admiral Chris Barrie, from the Australian Security Leaders Climate Group, tells SBS’s Biwa Kwan that while he was pleased when there was a change of government in in May last year, he’s been pretty disappointed with their performance so far regarding climate change. 

The great urban mobility challenge 

Ross Elliott   

Sounds a lot like a personal car doesn’t it? This probably also explains why they have proven so successful in meeting community needs. But what are the other options in the future? 

Our unsung farm dams provide vital habitat to threatened species of frogs 

Martino Malerba et al 

Frogs are in trouble. While many of the world’s animal species are now at risk from habitat loss, climate change and other human pressures, frogs are particularly at risk. 

We urgently need $100bn for renewable energy. But call it statecraft, not ‘industry policy’ 

Elizabeth Thurbon et al 

This week, a diverse group of organisations called on the Australian federal government to establish a A$100 billion, ten-year policy package to turbocharge Australia’s green energy transition. 

A wildlife catastrophe staring us in the face [$] 

Rachel Lowry  

The federal government has declared war on feral cats including the roaming household moggy as part of its plan to stop native wildlife extinctions. 

Wilful ignorance drives civilisation collapse 

John Coulter 

In May 1971, I published a full-page letter in The Australian addressed ‘To Those Who Shape Australia’s Destiny’.  

Victoria 

You call this living? Dutch ‘cycling professor’ has some tough advice for Melbourne 

Professor Marco te Brömmelstroe scoffs at Melbourne’s frequent ranking as one of the most liveable cities in the world.      

$85 for a cheap piece of plastic? Push to overhaul green government scheme 

Victorian businesses have pocketed $178 million in carbon credits this year for installing LED light bulbs and cheap plastic door and vent covers. 

Wild dog program at risk of collapsing [$] 

Victoria’s wild dog control program is under threat, with an order declaring dingoes unprotected to expire in October. 

Victorians warned to brace for high risk fire season [$] 

A warm and dry spring means Victorians should prepare for an earlier fire season but while the threat is elevated compared to recent years, it won’t be as bad as in Hawaii and Greece. 

Pine trees create a $10K clean-up bill every year for this tennis centre. But they also feed an endangered cockatoo 

Wodonga’s tennis players could secure the match point this month in their fight to have a nearby row of pine trees home to messy cockatoos removed. But not all residents are cheering. 

New South Wales 

Two electric vehicles caught fire in Sydney this week. Here’s what experts say you should know 

More and more drivers are opting for electronic vehicles over conventional cars. After two unrelated battery fires in Sydney in a week, experts say combustions are still rare.   

Fat bikes boom in popularity in Sydney, leading to dozens of complaints 

Parents say they’re driving less and that their kids are enjoying the freedom afforded by e-bikes, but others have voiced concerns about safety. 

$4 billion upgrade of NSW dam scrapped amid warnings environmental impact would be ‘catstrophic and irreversible’ 

Announced in 2019 by the former state and federal Coalition governments the expansion would have doubled the dam’s capacity to improve water security and flood management along the Lachlan River.  

An ancient solution to a modern problem – podcast 

Smoke sweeps through the treetops as a fire consumes the dense undergrowth of the Australian winter bush. To the uninitiated, this fire might appear to be dangerous, but it is actually a controlled, ‘cultural fire’, preparing the vegetation ahead of a looming bushfire season 

ACT 

All parties supported this bus upgrade. They still found a way to stop it [$] 

All three parties in the Legislative Assembly agreed the bus connection between Belconnen and the city centre ought to be improved but none could agree on the wording of a motion that would compel the government to take action. 

Queensland 

Proposed Gulf of Carpentaria gillnet ban catches out commercial fishers who warn it’s unviable for business 

Queensland fishers say the proposed gillnet ban across parts of the Gulf of Carpentaria will result in less locally caught fish for consumers and more imports, but conservationists say the country has an internationally responsibility to protect the critically endangered sawfish. 

Rare cockatoo known as the Ringo Starr of the bird world also a ‘master sculptor’, researchers find 

A rare and endangered bird that fashions drumsticks from wood and seed pods also has a flair for individual design, according to Australian National University researchers at work in Far North Queensland. 

Bravus, formerly Adani, accused of attempting to block traditional owner from sacred site near Carmichael mine 

Queensland police investigating complaint from Wangan and Jagalingou man Adrian Burragubba 

They don’t make disasters like they used to: How bill for Queensland’s catastrophes is getting bigger 

A re-evaluation of Queensland’s worst natural disasters has shown the cost of them occurring today would blow out by almost $30 billion, according to the Insurance Council. 

Sunshine Coast opts for central park lake, prepares beach for climate change 

The Sunshine Coast is undergoing dramatic changes to its urban landscape with tenders called for major works at a popular beach and its emerging city centre likely to create a “central park lake” and change the site of its key elements. 

Grim recession prediction as population growth, fossil fuel fragility hit Qld [$] 

Slow population growth coupled with a declining international appetite for fossil fuels will create significant economic headwinds for Queensland’s economy, a leading economist has warned. 

Door ajar for coal royalty changes [$] 

Queensland Liberal National Party leader David Crisafulli said he would not release the LNP’s tax plan until next year.  

Recycled water is necessary debate [$] 

Courier Mail editorial 

Dozens of cities around the world are now using purified recycled water to supplement their drinking supplies, writes the editor. With that, it’s still a fair question to ask, but is it really safe? 

South Australia 

South Australia slashes red tape for new wind, solar and hydrogen “gold rush” 

South Australia is aiming to cut red tape to pave way for what it expects to be a new wind, solar and green hydrogen “gold rush”. 

Radioactive materials scattered across SA with no long-term storage plan 

South Australia’s environment safety regulator has revealed how many sites across the state house radioactive materials with no long-term solution after plans for a national waste facility at Kimba were dumped. 

Tasmania 

Labor, Liberals vote down Greens’ free Metro fares Bill [$] 

Government and Opposition members have voted down a Greens Bill that would have made Metro Tasmania bus services free. 

‘Appropriate’ process for tourism camps in Freycinet National Park [$] 

The Greens say regulations covering commercial tourism in national parks remain “as murky as ever” after raising questions about approval processes for a development at Freycinet. 

Marinus Link is a renewable energy game-changer 

Guy Barnett 

The key to Tasmania’s clean energy future is more supply to meet the increasing demands of industry and the domestic market, energy security and ensuring we continue to have among the lowest power prices. 

Northern Territory  

Bushfire jumps containment lines near Tennant Creek as SA crews join firefighting effort 

A large bushfire has jumped containment lines to the north and south of the Northern Territory town of Tennant Creek, authorities say. 

Fracking health impacts talk at NT hospital abruptly cancelled due to ‘possible bias’ 

Health staff have questioned the decision to cancel the event, which was made just days before and without explanation. Organisers have since said there’s a “need for a balanced presentation”. 

Revealed: Michael Gunner’s ‘censored’ hydrogen speech [$] 

A transcript of the speech reveals Michael Gunner labelled his new employer ‘a major source of global greenhouse gas emissions’. 

Why one small component on your rooftop solar panels is causing a rise in housefires 

A spike in fires caused by DC isolators has alarmed the NT’s workplace safety watchdog, as figures show most other jurisdictions are also recording fires from the devices. 

Western Australia 

WA government consults on revised Aboriginal cultural heritage laws 

The WA government is one step closer to repealing its controversial Aboriginal cultural heritage legislation, releasing the regulations which contain the details of its replacement. 

Magistrate fines self-declared ‘prince’ of Abrolhos Islands $4,600 for fisheries offences 

Kristin MacDonald was convicted of eight charges but acquitted of nine others after pleading not guilty to accessing protected waters surrounding what he claimed was a “micronation” off the coast of Western Australia. 

Violent offenders to have guns taken away under new WA laws 

About 1000 West Australian gun owners subject to a violence restraining order or convicted of a serious crime will have their licenses revoked under new laws. 

Billion-dollar desalination plant plan trickles closer 

 A billion-dollar project set to shore up Perth’s water supply for decades has trickled one step closer. 

Beachside suburb FINALLY gets underground power 

Thousands of residents and business owners are set to benefit from underground power in a beachside suburb with the completion of a $20 million project. 

Tougher rules on solar waste [$] 

WA’s Environmental Protection Authority flagged the tougher regulatory process as it approved Woodside big solar farm on the Burrup Peninsula. 

Sustainability 

Tory plans to rip up river pollution rules in tatters after two defeats in Lords 

Labour’s move to oppose erosion of EU-derived laws welcomed by environmental groups 

Battery cell prices plunge in August, close to tipping point for the end of ICE vehicles 

Price of battery cells plunges in August, taking it close to the “tipping point” where the cost of building battery-powered EVs can match that of internal combustion engine cars. 

‘A lifeline for dirty cars’: EU backs new air pollution limits, but not until 2035 

MEPs vote for WHO guidelines on several substances, but centre-right backlash puts implementation back five years 

A viable alternative to conventional lawn? Cornell may have found it 

Cornell Botanic Gardens is testing sustainable options for replacing your backyard grass. The bonus: They don’t need to be cut more than twice a year. 

Companies are claiming to be ‘plastic neutral.’ Is it greenwashing? 

Plastic credits can help fund waste cleanup, but they can also justify making more plastic. 

The new model powering faster flood predictions 

Niels Fraehr et al 

A new simplified hydrodynamic model provides a practical and effective solution to predict flooding quickly – reducing forecasting time from days to seconds 

BP needs a new chief executive not a slower strategy towards net zero 

Nils Pratley 

Oil firm should get out and argue the case for sticking to the transition timetable as Bernard Looney’s successor is sought 

Fossil fuel companies have a secret weapon. Here’s how Britain can help take it away from them 

Cleodie Rickard 

Eleven countries have already pledged to exit the disastrous international charter treaty. We must join them 

The global food system is failing small-scale farmers — here’s how to fix it 

Alexa White 

I held her as she wept into my shirt while my lab mate ran across the coffee field to get tissues. 

Nature Conservation 

Hundreds of oil spill sites threaten Amazon Indigenous lands, protected areas 

Contaminants close to water sources threaten both human and environmental health, as well as agricultural areas that communities depend on for their foods. 

Can agroforestry chocolate help save the world’s most endangered rainforest? 

Ecuador’s Jama-Coaque Reserve, home to a vibrant cloud forest ecosystem, is part of what may be world’s most endangered tropical forest, of which only 2.23% remains.