Date: 21 November 2023 at 8:29:09 am AEDT
To: Undisclosed recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Nov 21
Revealed: the huge climate impact of the middle classes
Carbon emissions of richest 10% is up to 40 times bigger than poorest, and ignoring divide may make ending climate crisis impossible, experts say
On This Day
Ecological Observance
Climate Change
‘Where did I go wrong?’ The scientist who tried to raise the climate alarm
Fifty years ago, Australian researcher Graeme Pearman travelled the world with six flasks of air to help prove CO2 in the atmosphere was rising
World facing ‘hellish’ 3C of climate heating, UN warns before Cop28
‘We must start setting records on cutting emissions,’ UN boss says after temperature records obliterated in 2023
Twelve billionaires’ climate emissions outpollute 2.1m homes, analysis finds
Research shows impact from lifestyles and investments of likes of Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates and Elon Musk
Denial is over. Climate change is happening. But why do we still act like it’s not?
Celeste Young and Roger Jones
Climate-fuelled disaster is now front-page news, as record-breaking floods, fires, droughts and storms keep arriving.
If I was feeling hopeless about the climate, what of the scientists? So I asked them
Graham Readfearn
Our new series features interviews with three climate science pioneers – about their discoveries and what gives them hope
Billionaires are out of touch and much too powerful. The planet is in trouble
Rebecca Solnit
The 1% aren’t just the biggest climate wreckers, they also greatly influence how the world responds to the crisis
National
Major recall over ’deadly’ solar batteries
Aussies are urged to search their homes for ‘deadly’ solar batteries as thousands are urgently recalled.
Population, big builds send states on collision course with federal government
State premiers are seeking a bigger say on the country’s migration intake out of growing concern at the population pressures in the major cities.
Labor’s electric dreams running on empty [$]
Chris Bowen’s electric vehicle strategy is on track to fail after government department officials predicted fewer than a third of new car sales would be battery-operated by 2030.
Irate farmers hit back at greens’ ‘bullying’ tactics [$]
Conservation groups are conducting their own ‘crowdsourced’ investigations into alleged illegal tree clearing on farms. Farmers say they’re misinformed and called it out as intimidation.
ASIC to target dodgy sustainability claims and sham green funds [$]
The corporate watchdog will target dodgy sustainability claims and sham green investment funds that erode trust in the financial system, cause capital misallocation and could hinder the green energy transition.
AAP FactCheck: 30 pct UN land grab claim is 100 pct wrong
The UN is once again at the centre of misinformation in Australia with fresh claims it is eyeing up the country’s land and waters.
Primary industries built this nation but are now at risk [$]
Gina Rinehart
Primary industries now face more government-made problems than nature has ever thrown at us.
Bowen speeding up a blind alley with electric vehicles [$]
Australian editorial
The Albanese government’s green agenda to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 43 per cent by 2030 is in tatters.
The future of energy is community energy, and 100 per cent renewable
Heather Smith
Imagine the year is 2030. You are walking down your street. Your local newsletter just announced that your community is now running on 100% renewable energy.
New South Wales
Koala advocates disappointed as court throws out challenge to logging in bushfire-damaged forests
A legal bid to halt logging in two NSW state forests scorched during Black Summer has failed after the court ruled evidence about the impact on koalas could not be considered
Roadside electric chargers power up more Sydney suburbs
Drivers will be able to recharge their cars on the streets of another eight Sydney suburbs after the city mounted more electric vehicle charging stations on to its power poles.
Crossbench MPs take aim at ‘ornamental’ laws
The Minns government may need to accept amendments to pass its net zero emissions bill after crossbench MPs raised concerns the legislation is not strong enough.
NSW Forestry Corporation is losing money, risking the environment, yet logging continues
Suzanne Arnold
Forestry Corporation’s significant financial losses, costing taxpayers millions in subsidies, as well as eroding valuable native forests and damaging the environment.
ACT
Gas produced by landfill is being captured and turned into energy to power Canberra homes
Renewable energy generated from methane produced by Canberra’s Mugga Lane landfill is expected to power 10,800 homes and further cut greenhouse gas emissions under an expanded capture project.
Queensland
Rain set to assist as bushfires continue to burn
Rain is set to assist firefighters as blazes continue to burn across Queensland.
$50m boost to repair land around Great Barrier Reef [$]
An extra $50m in funding will help repair land around the Great Barrier Reef, supporting landowners, traditional owners and environment groups.
Concern for the Great Barrier Reef can inspire climate action – but the way we talk about it matters
Yolanda Lee Waters and Angela Dean
There’s no doubt you’ve heard the Great Barrier Reef is under pressure. The main culprit? Climate change. The main solution? An urgent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a shift away from fossil fuels.
South Australia
Royal recognition for our beloved national park
Cleland National Park will today be recognised alongside some of the world’s great natural wonders after being added to the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy (QCC), a royal conservation initiative.
New Mid North national park step closer
A plan to convert an environmentally significant 1000-hectare site near Burra into a national park has reached a significant milestone after the signing of an agreement to transfer ownership of the land to the State Government.
Tasmania
Massive budget blowout for TasNetworks’ energy game changer [$]
A vital, once-in-a-generation upgrade of Tasmania’s energy network is facing ballooning costs of nearly 90 per cent, figures released by TasNetworks show.
“Hard to fathom:” Six wind farms in doubt in Tasmania as transmission plans change
“At least” six wind farms proposed for development in Tasmania face major delays, or worse, in the fallout from the decision to cut the MarinusLink project in half.
Ferries, electric transport: small steps on a long journey
Peter Boyer
It has been a long and anxious wait, but last week produced two signs that the Tasmanian government is now on board with the notion that being committed to climate change is more than just saying so.
Western Australia
Kimberley pastoral company faces allegations of mass animal cruelty, unlawful waste disposal
Industry members say a pastoral company’s negligence led to the deaths of hundreds of cattle and the dumping of abattoir waste in an unfenced paddock that other cattle have access to.
November hot spell set to smash records in Perth
Starting on Tuesday a week-long blistering heatwave will hit Perth with day time temperatures expected to be up to 14 degrees above normal.
Sustainability
Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant completes third water release
The release of a third batch of treated radioactive wastewater from Japan’s damaged Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean ended safely as planned, its operator says, as the country’s seafood producers continue to suffer from a Chinese import ban imposed after the discharges began.
Exposure to widely used insecticides linked to lower sperm concentration, study confirms
A comprehensive analysis of 20 studies from around the world confirmed that exposure to pesticides is strongly associated with lower sperm concentration in men, according to a recent study published in Environmental Health Perspectives.
Weeklong negotiations for landmark treaty to end plastic pollution close, marred in disagreements
Negotiators at United Nations-led talks in Nairobi, Kenya have failed to agree on how to advance toward the development of a global treaty to end plastic pollution.
In charts: How electricity is changing around the world
Renewable electricity is rising quickly, but the world’s power mix remains fossil fuel-heavy — for now.
Can we feed the world without starving the planet?
Agriculture feeds 8 billion people every day, but also threatens wild animals and plants because of the resources needed to raise our food, especially meat. The AP reported from five continents to better understand this protein problem – and learn about ways innovators are trying to solve it.
From ‘peak oil’ to ‘peak energy’: What might the world expect?
Philippe Benoit
The International Energy Agency now projects oil, gas, and coal use will all peak this decade. This constitutes a dramatic shift from the last 150 years when the thirst for fossil fuels persistently rose. But now this growth is nearing its end sooner than many expected, driven in part by a surge in renewables.
Nature Conservation
A vision for global nature conservation
The Ethical Conservation Alliance (ECA) is inspiring a growing collaborative movement towards ethical nature conservation across the world’s lands and oceans. Dedicated to changing the way conservation is practiced, this global alliance is establishing new standards to make conservation more equitable, just and effective.
Maelor Himbury | Library Volunteer
Australian Conservation Foundation | www.acf.org.au
p | 1800 223 669 t | @AusConservation
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