|
|
Date: 20 September 2023 at 8:39:10 am AEST
To: Undisclosed recipients:;
Subject: Daily LInks Sep 20
Post of the Day
Beyond politics: Why battle to rein in climate change can only be decided in our courts
Dennis Atkins
We are facing a summer when global extreme climate change will be the unavoidable topic. Dennis Atkins says young people are demanding action now, and are prepared to use the courts to make their point.
On This Day
Ecological Observance
National Canal Conservation Day – Thailand
Climate Change
Understanding El Niño, the most consequential climate driver on Earth
It was Peruvian fishermen, hundreds of years ago, who first noticed and named El Niño. Little did they realise at they had named one of the most consequential climate drivers on earth. This is how it works.
Calls to extend use-by, best-before dates to reduce waste
Supermarkets reaping big profits are slow to support the removal of unnecessary use-by-date labels as Australian food waste soars, according to information gathered by The Australia Institute.
El Nino announcement comes with grim climate warning
Months after other nations’ weather bureaus announced this was an El Nino year, Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology has declared an El Nino event is under way.
Global heating made Greece and Libya floods more likely, study says
Report says climate change made rainfall heavier but human factors turned extreme weather into humanitarian disaster
Climate action must respond to extreme weather driving health crisis, says WHO
Melting ice caps and rising sea levels are urgent but people care more about the floods, wildfires and droughts that are here now, New York summit hears
National
ACCC forecasts gas supply increase, shortage fears disappear
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) says there will be a stable gas supply for Australian homes next year and an increase in gas exports, in a report that belies recent fears of shortages.
‘Missing half the equation’: scientists criticise Australia over approach to fossil fuels
Prof Lesley Hughes and others says there is ‘cognitive dissonance’ between Labor’s stated commitment to the climate crisis and its policies
‘Everything we do now matters’: climate report’s catastrophic warning
Australia’s climate is heading for catastrophe unless urgent action is taken to reach net-zero emissions by 2035, the latest report from the Climate Council warns.
Deal to drive discount EV loans for Aussie drivers
Australia’s biggest bank is partnering with the country’s most popular electric vehicle manufacturer in a bid to speed up adoption of low-emission cars.
‘Greenwashing’ crackdown sinks green investing claims
John Collett
Asset managers are winding back unsubstantiated claims of investing ethically, which is good news for Australian retail investors.
Back to the future? The hype around small modular nuclear reactors
Liam Mannix
Nuclear power is back in the headlines with new estimates of what it might cost to replace Australia’s coal-fired power stations with small modular reactors. But how do these reactors work and are they safe?
Revolution is needed to save the dying River Murray
David Shearman
Many rivers around the world are dying from overuse, pollution, the effects of dams, river barriers and global warming; governmental failures and political squabbles are often paramount. How then do we save the Murray?
We don’t need a nuclear renaissance. We need a solid plan on renewables [$]
John Quiggin
The Peter Dutton-inspired waffle about replacing coal-fired power with nuclear energy deflects serious conversations about decarbonisation.
Rachel Withers
Will this be the summer that finally shakes us from our collective reverie?
Facing the flames of complacency
Kate Parkins et al
Extreme heat and fires in the Northern Hemisphere should be a loud wakeup call for an Australia in El Niño and on the brink of a difficult fire season
Victoria
Zero-emissions buses running late [$]
The Andrews government is refusing to explain where multiple missing zero-emissions buses are after promising they would be rolled out in Melbourne’s west in March this year.
‘It’ll be the end of me’: Wombat Forest legal stoush [$]
Mum and dad firewood cutters have become the latest victims of an environmental group’s green lawfare, with one couple expecting to be served this week.
New South Wales
‘Extreme’ fire danger warnings for Sydney, Hunter regions as record hot weather persists
A day after El Niño was formally declared by the Bureau of Meteorology, fire bans are in place as hot and dry conditions are forecast across New South Wales.
RFS chief says ‘still a lot to be done’ to prepare for NSW fire season
Fire authorities are working to upgrade firetrucks and complete hazard reduction burns as hot summer looms
NSW remains on severe heat alert, with 63 fires burning across the state
Australia in the grip of an El Nino weather event after Sydney recorded its hottest September day in 23 years.
Signs to capture motorists’ attention in koala kill zones [$]
Two new signs will be placed in known “kill zones” along Heathcote Rd to protect koalas in mating season, after 10 furry marsupials were killed in the past year.
Bungled NSW trains project blows out by $826 million [$]
The cost of a fleet of new Spanish-built trains for NSW has blown out by $826 million due to a dispute with the manufacturer over design changes to the fleet and inadequate planning.
ACT
How the ACT has prepared for the summer bushfire season [$]
Canberra is likely to experience an average level of bushfire danger over the summer period, but officials believe the ACT is better prepared to respond to emergencies in 2023 than in any other year, the Emergency Services Minister has said.
Queensland
Workers at the Kogan Creek power station will take industrial action with warnings it could threaten power supplies ahead of summer.
Dozens of bushfires burning across Queensland
Dozens of bushfires are burning across Queensland as state braces for worsening conditions.
New Hope’s $1 billion profit puts renewables on the table for new vision
After fighting for 15 years to get a thermal coal project approved, New Hope Group has revealed plans to potentially enter the renewable energy sector with a huge scheme involving pumped hydro, wind and solar.
Green coal: Qld mine giant signs major renewable energy deal [$]
BHP Mitsubishi Alliance operates nine metallurgical coal mines in Queensland’s Bowen Basin. It also owns and runs the Hay Point Coal Terminal near Mackay.
South Australia
What is the exotic pest threatening Australia’s plantation industry?
This suburban park in Adelaide’s north-east used to resemble a small forest, filled with hundreds of well-established pine trees — but it has been left decimated thanks to an exotic pest.
Tasmania
Plan to tackle cow farts and burps catches attention of Prince William-backed prize
A Tasmanian company developing seaweed supplements to reduce cow farts and burps is recognised by a prestigious environmental prize set-up by Prince William and Sir David Attenborough.
Northern Territory
A tale of two sides of the highway: the impact of Indigenous regimes in the Barkly fires [$]
Julia Bergin
On the west of the Stuart Highway is a patchwork burn. To the east is a 2m-hectare blanket burn. The difference is largely due to Indigenous fire regimes.
Western Australia
WA signs $1 billion deal for renewable energy batteries
The West Australian government has signed one of the nation’s largest renewable energy deals to purchase two massive battery storage systems worth more than $1 billion.
Council invests in cycling projects across the city
The Shire of Murray and City of Mandurah have vowed their commitment to maintaining the safety of cyclists despite recent concerns raised in a survey.
‘Still too much uncertainty’ with Aboriginal heritage laws [$]
Opposition Leader Shane Love has warned the State Government may be heading for ‘another damaging episode’, saying proposed legislative changes still left landholders with too much uncertainty.
Sustainability
UN Summit: Asia-Pacific greenhouse emissions rising despite lofty ambitions
John Thwaites
Leaders from around the world are meeting in New York this week for the UN Climate Ambition Summit. The purpose is to check on progress towards a “more equitable renewable-energy based, climate-resilient global economy”.
What are ‘planetary boundaries’ and why should we care?
Katherine Richardson and Xuemei Bai
As far as we know, there is exactly one planet in our Solar System – and the galaxy – which hosts life. And you’re on it.
The world has a big problem with its most important fuel
Stephen Bartholomeusz
Diesel powers the global economy but the world is running low on it. And fears are growing about what the future holds.
Maelor Himbury | Library Volunteer
Australian Conservation Foundation | www.acf.org.au
p | 1800 223 669 t | @AusConservation
This email and any files transmitted with it may be confidential and legally privileged. If you are not the intended recipient of this email, you must not disclose or use the information contained in it.
If you have received this email in error, please notify us by return email and permanently delete the document.
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of this country and their continuing connection to land, waters and community.
We pay respect to their elders past and present and to the pivotal role that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to play in caring for country across Australia.