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Date: 22 November 2023 at 7:53:11 am AEDT
To: Undisclosed recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Nov 22
Post of the Day
Leading energy modellers forecast temperature rises will be kept within 2C of pre-industrial levels thanks to rapidly advancing clean technologies.
On This Day
Ecological Observance
Arbor Day – British Virgin Islands
Climate Change
What endures after a climate activist’s suicide: grief, anger and hope
Five years ago, David Buckel violently ended his life in a public park in Brooklyn. People who knew him were shocked and angry. Yet they refused to give up.
Our scorecard of what the most powerful factions of countries will be fighting over at the climate summit — and the obstacles they face.
Antarctica’s ozone hole may not be mending as well as we thought: study
New Zealand researchers say changing weather dynamics could be influencing the formation of larger holes in Antarctica’s ozone layer, but others debate the new study’s findings.
Andrew King
What we’re seeing is not runaway climate change. These are daily spikes, not the long-term pattern we would need to say the world is now 2 degrees hotter than it was in the pre-industrial period.
Want to fight climate change? Triple global renewables target to 11TW by 2030
Rachel Williamson
Governments shouldn’t coast using fat wind and solar pipelines when they could achieve so much more, says a new report.
Climate change is an existential threat [$]
Canberra Times editorial
It has become fashionable for many on the right to use the wars in Ukraine and Gaza to play down the existential threat to humanity posed by climate change.
Who is the world’s worst carbon foot prince? We name and shame! – cartoon
First Dog on the Moon
Who emits more greenhouse gas, is it 1.8 million cows or the average billionaire?
Call for review of Australian Conservation Foundation’s charitable status
Nationals Leader David Littleproud is calling for a review of the charitable status of the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF).
Huge fire levies could “really hurt” wind, solar and battery projects, investors warn
CEIG warns proposed property fire levies could add millions of dollars a year in extra running costs to big solar, wind and battery projects in state with 95 per cent renewables target.
Biggest emitter AGL warns of delays to decarbonisation
AGL has warned of delays to decarbonising the electricity grid from red tape and local opposition to the transmission required to supply Australia with clean energy.
Australian electricity networks raked in $2bn in ‘superprofits’ from customers, thinktank says
The takings amounted to between $80 and $400 for each customer, including $2bn in the 2022 fiscal year alone
Australian farmers back EU decision to extend approval of controversial herbicide glyphosate
The decision comes as a landmark class action against the manufacturer of glysophate weedkiller Roundup is before the federal court
Chris Bowen also says climate disaster fund will need to be bankrolled by broader-than-expected range of countries in speech ahead of Cop28
Minister defends ‘incremental’ climate progress but flags tougher curbs
Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen says the nation’s climate goals will extend beyond its renewable energy ambitions to other sectors of the economy.
Three-step plan to help you save on your power bills [$]
A “customer council” of experts has written to governments and regulators calling for immediate action in three areas to help drive down the cost of electricity bills.
End of the road trip: Aussies drive less to save fuel
Most Australian motorists are driving less, ditching road trips and considering switching to an electric car to avoid rising fuel costs, according to new research.
Reduce car trips and get fitter, happier, study shows
Australians are happier, more active, less stressed and better connected to their communities when they replace car trips with alternative modes of transport, a study has revealed.
Why batteries need an end of life plan – SwitchedOn podcast
Gavin Collis from the CSIRO discusses the future of Australia’s battery recycling industry.
Victoria
Dolphins found living with world’s highest reported PFAS levels near Melbourne, Gippsland
A study finds the critically endangered Burrunan dolphins have up to 10 times the times the amount of PFAS chemicals that would normally cause health issues in their bodies.
Melbourne Water probes manager after millions in work went to company linked to wife
Niru Gosavi left Melbourne Water under a cloud last month, with investigators looking into whether he declared a serious conflict of interest over construction contracts.
New South Wales
Farmers take water buyback fight to the streets to keep communities alive
Irrigators who have for more than a decade been fighting “death by 1,000 cuts” water buybacks say it won’t just be those on farms who are hurt by proposed changes to the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.
NSW seeks to thread a path for renewable “backbone” through Hunter Valley
NSW threads a path in and around Hunter Valley mines and wineries as it seeks to build a major new “backbone” for transporting wind and solar into major demand areas.
Coal from Newcastle. The port blockade that aims to stop it.
Wendy Bacon
This weekend thousands of protesters are planning to block the world’s biggest coal port in Newcastle. The organisers have vowed to stage the largest civil disobedience action in Australia’s history by stopping coal ships leaving or entering Newcastle Port for 30 hours.
ACT
X
Queensland
Acid-spitting invasive ants have overrun Delmar’s home and it’s a race against time to stop them
Yellow crazy ants are one of the world’s worst invasive species, and authorities are fighting on the ground and in the air to stop them spreading in north Queensland where they’re at risk of devastating communities and ecosystems.
Clash of the titans: farm and mine sectors race for climate solutions
The farming and mining industries were heading for a clash as they try to deal with climate change and offsets, according to a report by Queensland University of Technology academics.
Radiation fear: Reversing The Simpsons effect
Tony Hooker
Misunderstanding about radiation, even among science teachers, needs to be addressed to ensure South Australia’s science curriculum is fit for purpose.
Tasmania
Known unknown: TasWater can’t say cost of vital Mac Point move [$]
The cost of moving the TasWater wastewater treatment plant from Macquarie Point will not be known until the new year and the timeline remains uncertain, a parliamentary committee has heard.
Media release – Josh Willie MLC, Shadow Minister for Transport
The bus-full of problems laid bare in today’s Metro Tasmania GBE scrutiny hearings show Michael Ferguson has been asleep at the wheel as the Minister in charge of Tasmania’s largest public transport provider, and Tasmanians are paying the price.
Northern Territory
5B begins work on solar and battery project to get Tiwi Islands to 50 pct renewables
Construction has begun on a 1.1MW solar farm and 3MWh battery storage project that aims to take the Tiwi Islands to 50 per cent renewables.
Western Australia
Fortescue presses go on more than $1.1 billion of green hydrogen and iron projects
Andrew Forrest’s Fortescue Metals Group has announced three of the first green hydrogen deals to reach a final investment decision in the United States and Australia.
Storm alert as Perth melts through unprecedented November heatwave
A wind storm is expected to hit Perth on Wednesday morning on the second day of a week-long blistering heatwave with maximums up to 14 degrees above normal.
Why we’re still breathing dirty indoor air
The pandemic and recent wildfires have shown how unhealthy indoor air can be. But scientific and governmental inertia have slowed the necessary remedies.
Sustainability
Existing consumption and production systems, which use natural resources to meet societal needs for food, shelter, energy and health, are unsustainable. Although researchers from different disciplines have long investigated how these systems can become more sustainable, scientists from socio-technical and socio-environmental research communities are now seeking to join forces.
New Delhi’s struggle with hazardous air pollution continues
New Delhi grapples with severe air quality issues, leading to school closures, traffic restrictions, and a surge in air purifier sales.
South American nations struggle with enforcing environmental cleanup laws
A review of Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, and Bolivia’s environmental laws highlights a “lack of political will” for enforcement.
Small victories and major frustrations mark latest round of plastics treaty negotiations
“Intransigent” negotiators stalled efficient progress, raising questions about the path forward.
‘We didn’t know we were poisoning ourselves’: the deadly legacy of the US uranium boom
The Diné helped dig the raw materials to build the US’s nuclear arsenal, but were never told of the danger.
Nature Conservation
Coastal river deltas threatened by more than climate change
Worldwide, coastal river deltas are home to more than half a billion people, supporting fisheries, agriculture, cities, and fertile ecosystems. In a unique study covering 49 deltas globally, researchers have identified the most critical risks to deltas in the future.
In a dark, unexplored layer of ocean, a hidden cache of fish might play an unexpected role in our climate’s future. It seems like a bad time for a new fishery.
Wildebeest and wolves: The secret weapons against climate change
When scientists examined the effect just nine groups of animals have on the climate the results were startling. So what would happen if we did more to protect them?
Australian Conservation Foundation | www.acf.org.au
p | 1800 223 669 t | @AusConservation
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Australian Conservation Foundation | www.acf.org.au
p | 1800 223 669 t | @AusConservation