Date: 11 December 2023 at 8:05:17 am AEST
To: Undisclosed recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Dec 11
Post of the Day
Carbon Captured: Santos emails reveal gas giant orchestrated “Environment Protection” laws
Rex Patrick
In the shadows of the COP28 Climate Summit in Dubai and mega-merger discussions between fossil fuel giants Woodside and Santos, a secret deal and public deceit have been revealed through documents quietly tabled in the Senate
On This Day
Ecological Observance
National Tree Planting Day – Malawi
Climate Change
Davaadorj and his family call the vast sand dunes of the Gobi Desert in Mongolia home and live off the land. But that delicate balance is shifting against them, as the terrain and the weather become even harsher and more volatile due to a rapidly changing climate
The amount of climate finance flowing to agrifood systems is strikingly low and continues to diminish compared to global climate finance flows, a new report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) warns.
Representatives Clash at COP18 over proposal to phase out fossil fuels – podcast
Representatives at the COP28 Climate summit in Dubai have disagreed over a proposed agreement to phase out fossil fuels. COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber says countries must work harder to collaborate, with just days of the United Nations climate conference remaining. And community leaders from the Pacific are calling on the Australian government to pledge its support for a Loss and Damage Fund at the conference.
Daniel Mercer
To the casual observer, this year’s UN climate talks in the United Arab Emirates could be interpreted as a stonking, resounding success. But underlying all of it was something far more difficult, and far more contentious
Cop28 is a farce rigged to fail, but there are other ways we can try to save the planet
George Monbiot
Inaction and self-interest are built into climate summits. Instead, we need a voting system that can’t be subverted by fossil fuel producers
Hot air: The COP climate conference is a fossilised racket
Ambrose Evans-Pritchard
The annual COP gathering has become an outdated concept that risks stopping the progress the world has made.
National
The head of the government watchdog for the NDIS swore and said she might have to resign after she discovered she had made a mistake in telling Four Corners the regulator had shut down a program where children with disabilities were abused, court documents allege.
‘Bringing migration to a sustainable level’: New strategy aims to cut Australian arrivals
The federal government is set to unveil a major new migration strategy that aims to dramatically cut Australia’s intake after a surge of arrivals after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Feeling the heat? Here’s how some of Australia’s most iconic animals keep cool
Snot bubbles, tree-hugging and flyby belly dipping are just some of the ingenious ways Australian animals keep cool during a heatwave.
How are rising temperatures and rates of domestic violence linked?
Australia is grappling with a severe heatwave, and a recent study suggests the complex link between hot weather and increased violence.
Australia’s climate minister says summit must aim to keep 1.5C goal alive so Pacific countries are not ‘swallowed by the seas’
Coalition MP talks up triple nuclear option at COP28
A Coalition government would sign a pledge to triple nuclear energy output at its first global COP talks and overturn the Australian nuclear energy moratorium, its energy spokesman said.
With better supply and affordable options, second-hand electric vehicles are set to become more popular in Australia. Here’s what you should know before getting one.
Fire ants are on the march. Here’s what happens when they sting
Darren Roberts
Red imported fire ants are a particularly nasty type of ant and they’re on the move in Australia.
The migration strategy won’t silence Dutton, but Labor is backing away from the feared Big Australia
Paul Karp
The Albanese government is reducing migrant intake as it seeks to make inroads to easing the population and housing squeeze before the next election
Amendment of the Climate Change Act will offer a future for young people
David Shearman
Since the industrial revolution, the health damage done to young people by fossil fuels, from the boy chimney sweeps to the household gas cooker amounts to negligence. Do we care?
Richard Hil
Last month, Chris Bowen, the Climate Change Minister, delivered the second Annual Climate Change Statement to the federal parliament. The Minister’s address was in part detailed – especially when it came to the government’s many policy achievements – but less so when it came to the question of climate heating and national security.
Winners and losers in end-of-year report card on Albanese ministers
Michelle Grattan
It’s not just kids who get report cards (PDFs these days) as school breaks up. So do government ministers, when parliament rises at year’s end.
Victoria
Historical protest poster exhibition highlights environmental fears
With protests seemingly becoming a fixture of contemporary Melbourne life, a new exhibition reflects on a formative era in Victoria’s protest history.
Police arrest 72 climate protesters in heart of Melbourne for failing to obey traffic direction
Police arrest and fine Extinction Rebellion demonstrators for failing to obey traffic directions when staging a rally in the middle of the road outside Flinders Street Station.
Hundreds of trees die on Victorian floodplain as governments clash over water policy
Victoria’s floodplain restoration projects have stalled after the state and federal governments reached a stalemate over the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.
No more helmets? Five lessons from the Dutch to get people cycling
The Netherlands is a cyclists’ paradise and offers some easy takeaways that could be adopted in Melbourne.
‘Excessive’ beer price rise after Vic’s container deposit scheme launch [$]
Victorian beer drinkers have reported “excessive” price increases for a slab of beer with fears companies are trying to profit from the state’s container deposits scheme.
New South Wales
Crews control blaze started by coal train derailment in New South Wales
Remote Area Firefighters are at work near Bylong where a grassfire sparked by a train derailment on Wednesday has been controlled.
Watching water go to waste while waiting for the shower to get hot sparked an idea that high school student Rani East-Jeffs hopes can help save thousands of litres of the precious resource. It’s also caught the attention of Australia’s inventors.
Stuck for a Christmas tree? Here’s an alternative to plastic or fresh varieties
As New South Wales works towards a target of reducing plastic waste by 30 per cent in the next two years, recycled Christmas trees are growing in popularity.
The invasive pest being mistaken for beloved Christmas beetles
The famous Christmas beetle usually comes out in force at this time of year, but one scientist is noticing a surge in sightings of another not-so-welcome bug.
Son of farmer who murdered environmental officer ordered to pay $405k land-clearing fine
The son of a farmer who shot and killed an environment officer involved in land-clearing prosecutions is ordered to pay $405,000 by the New South Wales Land and Environment Court in Sydney.
Hundreds of jobs on horizon after green light for first-of-its-kind energy project
While the future of one of Broken Hill’s major mines is still uncertain, a green energy storage project to be built in the coming years may provide employment opportunities for some of the displaced workers.
What air quality data can tell you about where you live
University of Technology Sydney students went street by street with air quality monitors and found big differences over short distances.
‘Very dangerous’: The best and worst spots to cycle in Sydney revealed
A dangerous shared path along Epping Road, a “missing link” in the CBD and the infamous set of stairs to the Harbour Bridge are among the worst spots for cycling in Sydney, according to a new survey of the city’s bike riders.
New housing rules ‘only way to stop Sydney becoming a ghetto for the rich’
The City of Sydney will vote on new planning rules to stop property developers bulldozing residential blocks in inner-city suburbs to create luxury developments.
Not all states experience climate drivers equally. So, is your home in for a scorching summer?
Kimberley Reid
You’ve probably heard El Niño brings hot and dry weather to the eastern states, but what about the rest of Australia? Are we all in for a scorcher this summer?
‘It’s all about entitlement. Simple’: the rampant acts of tree vandalism on Australia’s foreshores
Paul Daley
Trees are a public asset. When they are illegally destroyed in pursuit of better views or property prices, the losses are many and profound
ACT
The next stage of Canberra’s light rail project is a 1.7-kilometre extension to Commonwealth Park. By the time it opens, it will have been more than eight years since the last stage was completed.
Density bonus for developers who plan sustainable buildings: report [$]
Developers who plan sustainable buildings should be allowed to increase the density of their projects, the Property Council has proposed.
Do koalas live in the ACT? Ecologists are on a mission to find out [$]
In the Kowen Escarpment Nature Reserve, bird calls echo throughout the hilly forest.
ACT needs to get bold if it wants to rein in big emitters [$]
Shane Martin
You cannot escape this simple fact: buildings account for more than 50 per cent of Australia’s electricity use and 23 per cent of all emissions.
Queensland
Queensland puts millions on the table for solar battery rebate scheme
The exact date the scheme will commence is yet to be announced, but the government has hinted that it will be rolled out next year.
While deputy premier is considered the frontrunner, suggestions his two rivals may team up would make vote ‘incredibly close’
Greens roll out ambitious bus policy in bid for City Hall
The Greens’ bid for City Hall has stepped up a gear, with mayoral candidate Jonathan Sriranganathan to promise 15 new high-frequency bus routes.
South Australia
SA flood flows help toothy fish travel 825km in annual migration
Water flows from South Australia’s floods are helping the lamprey travel more than 800 kilometres from the Goolwa Barrage to New South Wales.
Farmers consider ‘locking the gate’ on mineral sands mining company after environmental breaches
Chinese-owned company Murray Zircon has stopped work on a mineral sands mine in SA’s Mallee following a direction from the state government after farmers complained of environmental breaches to their lease agreement.
Adam Smith and Nathan Cook
The widespread demise of coral reefs due to climate change is now a certainty. But what role does art have in our future for coral reefs?
Tasmania
Just like these drawings, the animals depicted face erasure
Tasmanian artist Lucienne Rickard could have made about $100,000 from selling her detailed drawings of animals. Instead, she hopes erasing her work will enhance the creatures’ chance of survival.
How Kirsha Kaechele brought the logging industry’s most powerful players together
Everyone is curious about Mona founder David Walsh and his American wife Kirsha Kaechele, an artist and curator. As word got out that she was planning a conference about the logging industry, people were immediately intrigued.
Western Australia
From time immemorial, the river that runs from the hills of the east Kimberley to the mouth of King Sound in Western Australia has been the setting of stories and events that have shaped the country. But now it’s the subject of much discussion.
Wildlife carers say help is needed as animals suffer in Kimberley heatwave
Wildlife carers across Western Australia’s Kimberley are scrambling to help animals hit by sweltering conditions.
Planning approval given for Australia’s biggest battery to soak up solar and replace coal
Planning approval given for 2,000 MWh battery in Collie that could double in size and will be used to soak up solar and shift it to the evening peaks, replacing coal.
Sustainability
In the UAE desert, a mysterious beacon looms large. Experts say it could help Australia go green
This solar thermal plant in the United Arab Emirates could harness enough of the Sun’s rays to power a city the size of Brisbane for a year but being able to run one in Australia could prove difficult.
Fund for nuclear waste exposure victims in limbo as Congress balks at cost
Bipartisan efforts to extend and expand a program granting compensation to victims of government-caused nuclear contamination are faltering. It is set to expire in June.
Saving the world, one suburb at a time
Mark Beeson and Fiona Argyle
Privileged people trying to save the world shouldn’t be dismissed as bourgeois virtue signalling. There are worse things to signal and it could make a difference.
Environment: Health, budgets and the environment, all damaged by food and plastic waste
Peter Sainsbury
Food loss and waste harm the environment, human health and wallets. Chemical recycling of plastic not living up to its promise. Concerns about dead solar modules are unfounded.
Climate, health, and the Rising Tide
Deanna Hayes
“Climate activists are sometimes depicted as dangerous radicals. But the truly dangerous radicals are the countries that are increasing the production of fossil fuels. Investing in new fossil fuel infrastructure is moral and economic madness” – Antonio Guterres
Media cannot ignore facts on fossil fuels [$]
Chris Mitchell
The failure of some journalists to report what is really happening globally in fossil fuel consumption and renewable energy generation is a scandal.
Nature Conservation
It’s one of the loudest sounds in the ocean, but is it killing whales?
Environmentalists say whales could go deaf during seismic surveys for offshore oil and gas. The reality is more complicated.
Deforestation falls for 8th straight month in the Amazon rainforest, but rises in the cerrado
Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has decreased for the eighth consecutive month, but damage is rising in the cerrado, a tropical woody grassland that’s adjacent to Earth’s largest rainforest.
Thailand tries nature-based water management to adapt to climate change
A new report assesses the efficacy of two nature-based approaches to water management in Thailand, which represent a step away from the country’s typically top-down, hard-engineering approach and present several benefits to the environment and communities.
Once they were pets. Now giant goldfish are menacing the Great Lakes
Released into the wild, the humble goldfish can grow to a monstrous size and destroy habitats for native species. Canadian researchers are tracking the fish, so that they might be culled.
How much can forests fight climate change? A sensor in space has answers
A new NASA program is helping researchers more accurately calculate how much planet-warming carbon protected areas are storing. It’s a lot.
How to help protect the Amazon rainforest
Washington Post editorial
People don’t just need to be encouraged to chop down the forest less. They also need to be encouraged to save what is left.
Maelor Himbury | Library Volunteer
Australian Conservation Foundation | www.acf.org.au
p | 1800 223 669 t | @AusConservation
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