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Date: 26 September 2023 at 8:44:36 am AEST
To: Undisclosed recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Sep 26
Post of the Day
Container deposit schemes reduce rubbish on our beaches. Here’s how we proved it
Kay Critchell and Michael Traurig
Our beaches are in trouble. Limited recycling programs and a society that throws away so much have resulted in more than 3 million tonnes of plastic polluting the oceans. An estimated 1.5–1.9% of this rubbish ends up on beaches.
On This Day
Ecological Observance
World Environmental Health Day
Johnny Appleseed Day – USA
International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons
Climate Change
Macron launches ‘ecological plan’ to end France’s use of fossil fuels by 2030
50-point plan also aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% and includes new offshore wind projects
‘Whatever it takes’: students at 50 US high schools launch climate initiative
Green New Deal for Schools demands districts teach climate justice, update buildings and plan for extreme weather
New research reveals extreme heat likely to wipe out humans and mammals in the distant future
A new study shows unprecedented heat is likely to lead to the next mass extinction, akin to when the dinosaurs died out, eliminating nearly all mammals in some 250 million years time.
The Gulf Stream transport of water through the Florida Strait has slowed by 4% over the past four decades, with a 99% certainty that this weakening is more than expected from random chance, according to a new study.
Gordon Brown
Petrostates like Saudi Arabia and Norway have made staggering oil and gas profits. A simple levy could funnel money to the countries that need it
How Germany, France and Italy compare on net zero emission targets
Ajit Niranjan
Politics get in the way as the EU’s three largest economies, also its biggest polluters, fall short of cleaning up their act
Inga Smith et al
After two seasons of record-breaking lows, Antarctica’s sea ice remains in dramatic decline, tracking well below any winter maximum levels observed since satellite monitoring began during the late 1970s.
National
Drought looms after record-low rainfall, but this extreme turn in the weather is not unusual
El Niño is back and drought is on the doorstep. Some farmers have been feeding livestock for months. Here’s what it might mean for the economy and food prices.
Green industry urged to club together in clean energy hubs and cut transmission spend
Clean energy hubs could save money and create jobs if clusters of businesses shared transmission lines and green hydrogen pipelines, independent research shows.
Is this the solution to Australia’s bushfire-fighting problem?
With Australia heading into bushfire season, will we have enough firefighters? One potential solution has been hailed as “ahead of the pack”.
‘Solar garden’ allows city dwellers to buy ‘plots’ in regional solar farms
Haven’t got access to a roof for solar? One group has set up a solar garden in order to sell plots to distant renewable energy enthusiasts.
NRMA to charge EV motorists to power up
One of Australia’s biggest electric vehicle charging networks will no longer be free to use with the NRMA revealing plans to charge motorists.
Hydrogen energy ‘needs a Plan B’ [$]
Anthony Albanese has been urged to consider a “plan B” to Labor’s plans for hydrogen to become a key part of its energy mix, with a leading expert warning the cost of the alternative energy source must “come down substantially before it can be used at scale”.
Feeling crowded? Population surge likely to have peaked
Australia’s population surge may have reached its peak and even exceeded its pre-Covid growth path, according to Westpac.
Nuclear overtakes coal as preferred energy source, but solar is king [$]
Nuclear energy has stronger support than coal-fired power and there is net public backing to at least allow it to be considered.
The lid has been lifted on the social lives of kangaroos. It turns out they are a lot like us
Researchers have found never-seen-before social characteristics in eastern grey kangaroos that show they may be more emotionally complex than previously thought.
Hoot hoot for the powerful owl – Full Story podcast
It is Australia’s largest owl and can be found in urban forests in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, where it’s at risk from cars, power lines and common household pesticides.
Regulators vs science: Why mulga exposes our carbon credits system as a rort [$]
Bernard Keane
The science of mulga regeneration is complex — but much of our carbon credit system depends on it. And the science says there’s just no basis to the assumptions behind ‘human-induced regeneration’.
Nuclear is a problem, but climate change is a much bigger one
Peter Boyer
Along with many of my generation, when conversations turn to matters nuclear I think of shattered cities, dark winters, scarce food, an uncivil, hostile world. That plus nuclear power’s toxic waste and the deadly consequences of a reactor accident.
Victoria
Gunditjmara ocean defenders call for whales to be protected
Gunditjmara ocean defenders organised against proposed gas exploration and seismic blasting of more than 55,000 square kilometers of the Otway Basin.
Wild dog protection date coming down to the wire [$]
Decision day for wild dog management across Victoria is rapidly approaching, with government keeping mum — for now.
New Wombat Forest firefight [$]
Environmentalists argue 600,000 tonnes of windblown trees left lying in Wombat Forest “are not considered” a major fire risk.
Seals, swimmers, bat carers – exploring the world of the pale brown, oft-maligned Yarra River
Ian A Wright
Author Harry Saddler’s book on Melbourne’s Yarra River is an engaging account of his years exploring its native species and human communities. He acknowledges the river’s First Nations name of Birrarung, writing with a boyish enthusiasm. At times I felt his emotion jumping out of the pages, almost channelling David Attenborough’s passion for species and the environment.
New South Wales
‘Koalas are going to burn’: Loggers’ grave bushfire warning [$]
Timber workers living in small communities near the proposed Great Koala National Park fear the summer bushfire season could be catastrophic should logging be halted and they aren’t around to help fight blazes.
NSW Government’s non-compliance with international standards threatens forest protection
Suzanne Arnold
The recent NSW budget rejected any funding for a mandatory monitoring program of forestry operations. This is also contrary to internationally recognised standards that Australia is meant to adhere to, but doesn’t.
ACT
We can never be too bushfire-ready [$]
Canberra Times editorial
What would it take to get Canberrans to really sit up and start worrying about bushfire season?
Queensland
Campers cop $600 fines after ignoring fishing bans at endangered cod breeding site
Fisheries officers say they have ramped up enforcement against fishing in Mary River cod breeding grounds as the species slowly recovers from the brink of extinction.
South Australia
Hydrogen boom gets green light as Whyalla tipped to become centre of renewable ‘superpower’
A future hydrogen terminal tipped to work in tandem with the Whyalla steelworks has secured funding commitments from the state and federal governments, with expectations of “large-scale” global exports by 2030.
New 300MWh battery in South Australia applies for generation licence
Generation licence sought for the first battery in a planned major renewable and storage hub in South Australia.
Neoen gets approval for first massive battery in hydro-dominated Tasmania
Neoen’s Great Lakes Battery is in a proposed renewable energy zone that hopes to host the island’s first utility-scale solar.
Company behind Freycinet camps hits back at online ‘misinformation’
The pioneering eco-tourism operator behind a controversial proposal to reinstate two ‘standing camps’ in Freycinet National Park has hit out at online “misinformation” about its plans.
World Heritage Committee adopts ‘Universal Values Statement’ for TWWHA
Transcript of media conference with Vica Bayley, Greens MHA for Clark, Tom Allen (The Wilderness Society), Nick Sawyer (Tasmanian National Parks Association), Dan Broun (Fishers and Walkers Tasmania) at Parliament Square, Hobart, 25 September 2023.
Western Australia
Trashed fortunes and favour lost: Inside the ‘madness’ of a state’s energy woes
Once a source of pride and prosperity, a foreign-owned Australian coal mine is now a byword for debt and despair. Observers say it’s also a time bomb that’s set to explode on energy users.
Traditional owners left to ‘pick up the pieces’ after sacred rock shelter damaged in Rio Tinto blast
Full extent of incident near Nammuldi iron ore mine in the Pilbara still unknown, Muntulgura Guruma representative says
Sustainability
Copper-based catalysts efficiently turn carbon dioxide into methane
Copper-based catalysts developed by materials scientists help speed up the rate of carbon dioxide-to-methane conversion.
Rivers contain hidden sinks and sources of microplastics
New research represents the first combined analysis of microplastics in water, sediment and air around a major river system. It found significant quantities of microplastics trapped in riverbed sediments, and also found they were being transported through the air and the flow of the river.
How can the use of plastics in agriculture become more sustainable?
It is impossible to imagine modern agriculture without plastics. 12 million tons are used every year. But what about the consequences for the environment? An international team of authors addresses this question in a recent study. The research shows the benefits and risks of using plastics in agriculture, and identifies solutions that ensure their sustainable use.
What’s in your go bag for the apocalypse?
Emma Beddington
With more and more people prepping for Armageddon, the answers to this question are revealing – whether it’s Babybels, cash, crossbows or toilet paper
Indigenous women are showing us how to fight for environmental and human rights
V (formerly Eve Ensler)
During a recent trip to Brazil, I saw how Indigenous women activists there have completely changed the political landscape
Nature Conservation
Waterfleas hold key to cleaner environment and better human health
Tiny waterfleas could play a pivotal role in removing persistent chemical pollutants from wastewater — making it safe to use in factories, farms and homes, a new study reveals
Brazil Supreme Court quashes time frame proposal in win for Indigenous rights
Brazil’s Supreme Court voted against the highly controversial time frame proposal, a legal challenge that would have stripped Indigenous rights and opened up traditional territories to mining and agribusiness.
Ocean acidification makes ecologically important seaweed species fragile
Ocean acidification will likely almost triple by the end of the century — a drastic environmental change that could impact important marine species like fleshy seaweeds, algae that grow vertically and promote biodiversity in more than a third of the world’s coastline.
Can wildlife crossings save America’s most endangered feline?
Maelor Himbury | Library Volunteer
Australian Conservation Foundation | www.acf.org.au
p | 1800 223 669 t | @AusConservation
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