|
|
Date: 13 February 2024 at 09:02:05 GMT+11
To: Undisclosed recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Feb 13
Post of the Day
Rural Australia believes in self-sufficiency, so let’s set the terms of the renewable energy boom
Gabrielle Chan
The consultation and planning around the energy rollout has been lacking – so let’s knock the edges off and get investment that works for our communities
On This Day
Shrove Tuesday (Mardi Gras) – Christianity
Climate Change
Revealed: the 1,200 big methane leaks from waste dumps trashing the planet
The huge leaks of the potent greenhouse gas will doom climate targets, experts say, but stemming them would rapidly reduce global heating
New study sheds new light on forests’ role in climate and water cycle
Forests, which cover a third of Earth’s land surface, are pivotal in carbon storage and the water cycle, though the full scope of their impact remains to be fully understood. In a new study, researchers provide new insights into the complex role forests play in the climate system and water cycle.
Great Lakes average ice cover drops to 6%, one of lowest levels ever recorded
Scientists say global heating is driving ice loss and warmer water, as ice cover falls short of 50-year average of 18%
Climate simulation raises alarm over potential ocean circulation collapse
A recent study by René van Westen showcases how melting Arctic freshwater could disrupt the Atlantic Ocean’s circulation, potentially leading to abrupt climate changes.
One of NZ’s most contentious climate cases is moving forward. And the world is watching
Vernon Rive
In recent weeks, New Zealand’s Supreme Court has delivered a landmark decision on a case brought by Māori elder Mike Smith against a group of New Zealand’s largest corporate greenhouse gas (GHG) emitters.
Climate chaos: world overheats while Europe faces a new Ice Age
Julian Cribb
The hottest January ever recorded in human history has passed, with barely a nod from governments worldwide and international media. For a full year, the Earth has now exceeded the +1.5 degrees danger level set by the Paris Agreement in 2015. And 2024 may be hotter still, US scientists are warning.
National
The Commonwealth and state governments are doubling down on a half-billion-dollar program that’s so far failed to stop the spread of the red imported fire ant.
Australian red meat industry’s net zero target based on land-clearing data that is ‘not reliable’
Meat and Livestock Australia says it has reduced emissions by 65% on 2005 levels but analysis of land-clearing data suggests figures underpinning claim are ‘erroneous’
Row over funding of green legal body [$]
The government has paid $3m to the EDF but won’t commit to pausing payments despite an ongoing investigation into the body.
Time for radical tax reform on climate change, housing affordability – podcast:
In the first of Pearls and Irritations’ new podcast series, Peter Martin interviews Ross Gittins on 50 years at the Sydney Morning Herald and the radical tax reform necessary to address climate change and Australia’s housing affordability crisis.
As car executives meet to discuss the government’s new Vehicle Efficiency Standard, Hyundai, Volkswagen and Kia are among the car brands lining up behind the government’s plan to cut car industry emissions.
Electricity prices are crashing, but don’t expect cheaper bills anytime soon
Ian Verrender
With wholesale power prices falling, you would be forgiven for thinking relief from high electricity bills is on the horizon — but the complexities that exist in our power supply industry mean we’ll be waiting a while yet
Green the grid before racing ahead with cleaner cars
Kristian Kolding
The New Vehicle Efficiency Standard appears to be good news. But climate policy fatigue is well and truly alive and risks a smooth energy transition.
Amanda Lilleyman et al
Australia’s First Peoples have a strong and continuing connection to the land. Their determination to maintain this connection provides important opportunities for conservation.
John Woinarski et al
What does it mean to save threatened species? How often do we achieve it? And how often do we fail? Our new research answers these questions for Australian birds.
Vision 2024: aim to “make Australia a better quarry” … and a CO2 dump
Rex Patrick
Successive governments have been happy to have Australia as the world’s quarry. But now there’s an additional role for us as the world’s CO2 dump. Rex Patrick reveals the secret plans.
Victoria
Fire authorities have warned that Victorians must brace for a ‘catastrophic’ fire danger rating on Tuesday, with parts of the state urged to be ready to evacuate.
Schools, parks close as catastrophic conditions tipped in Victoria
Schools and national parks will close as parts of Victoria face the first catastrophic fire conditions since the Black Summer of 2019-20.
Businesses flee soaring energy prices [$]
Victorian Labor’s gas policy is driving business from the state, and there are fears its unintended consequences could be felt for years.
Premier fumes over rail loop probe [$]
Jacinta Allan has responded angrily to a looming investigation into the “secrecy” of the federal government’s Suburban Rail Loop funding pledge.
Giant four-hour battery lands “biggest”debt financing for an Australia big battery
Owners of a giant four-hour battery project on the outskirts of Melbourne say they have closed the “largest” non-recourse debt financing package for an Australian grid scale battery.
New South Wales
Close to 600 domestic violence offenders arrested in ‘successful’ NSW police operation
A NSW police operation has led to the arrest of 590 high risk domestic violence offenders, and involved officers from every area command and district in the state.
Toxic mulch fears: Asbestos found at hospital, school shut down ][$]
Schools and hospitals have been added to the expanding list of sites contaminated with asbestos-laced mulch. An ongoing investigation has found more than a dozen sites across Sydney.
First look at rail link for cyclists, walkers [$]
It was a rail line that once serviced animal slaughter facilities but a proposed 2km path aims to transform an abandoned corridor into a pedestrian and cyclist drawcard.
ACT
Noticed more rabbits lately? Pesky creatures keep finding new digs [$]
Canberra’s furry pest population has been booming and finding new places to call home
Queensland
Breakfast Creek Green Bridge opens, question mark hangs over two others
The first of Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner’s promised green bridges officially opened on Saturday, but funding doubts remain over two others.
Mistakes, missteps, conflict: Inside the Paradise Dam disaster [$]
This is the inside story on the project which has been dubbed ‘one of the biggest infrastructure fails in Queensland’.
South Australia
What is the risk of wind turbine fires? And how dangerous can they be?
A fire in a wind turbine that sent smoke billowing over the Mid North of South Australia has sparked worries that such a blaze could result in a bushfire on a hotter and windier day.
Carbon monoxide exposure cases increase to 42 after ice rink exhaust fumes leak
The number of cases of carbon monoxide exposure at an Adelaide ice skating rink has increased to 42, South Australia’s public health chief Nicola Spurrier says.
South Australia enjoyed 82 pct wind and solar for entire December quarter. So it can be done
Giles Parkinson
South Australia reached a record average of 82 per cent renewables in the December quarter, establishing a stunning blueprint for the way the entire Australia grid could reach the federal government’s current national target for 2030.
Tasmania
Exporting native forest logs on Spirit ‘clearly compromises our rep’ [$]
Transporting native forest logs on the Spirit of Tasmania ferries is at odds with the state’s environmentally-aware tourism brand, the Greens say. Government rejects the claims.
Takayna wilderness in Tasmania
Drone footage of rainforest at the southern edge of Tasmania’s Takayna wilderness. By Rob Blakers
Western Australia
Local shire and contractor charged under first test case of amended Juukan Gorge laws
Western Australia’s newly amended cultural heritage laws are being put to the test for the first time, six months after the state government was forced to backflip on its decision to introduce controversial sweeping legislative changes.
Woodside’s climate aspirations ‘hoodwink’ communities: report
The Australian Conservation Foundation released modelling that detailed a rise in greenhouse gas emissions.
Sustainability
Global Environment Facility approves new FAO-led projects and programs benefiting 46 countries
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has greenlighted 48 FAO-led projects worth about $2.9 billion -$294 million in project financing and $2.6 billion in co-financing- that will play a pivotal role in fostering a sustainable agrifood systems transformation to end hunger and conserve the environment.
Certified natural gas is ‘dangerous greenwashing scheme’, US senators say
Group of progressive senators led by Ed Markey call for crackdown on certified natural gas in letter to US federal regulators
Lockdowns lead to a significant drop in asthma emergencies due to cleaner air
A study from Oxford reveals a notable decrease in asthma-related hospital admissions in 2020, linking it to the reduction of air pollution amid COVID-19 lockdowns.
India’s warrior moms battle against air pollution
In India, a group of mothers, known as the “Warrior Moms,” are taking a stand against the country’s severe air pollution.
The lingering afterlife of fossil fuels
Peter Boyer
Australia and Canada have a lot in common. As products of British colonisation the two countries have a vaguely similar recent history. In land area and population, Canada is bigger, but not much.
‘Litigation terrorism’: the obscure tool that corporations are using against green laws
Arthur Neslen
Investor-State Dispute Settlements are legal, huge and often hush-hush – and fossil fuel firms and others are using them to hold the planet to ransom
Nature Conservation
From turtles to fruit bats, migratory species increasingly under threat, says UN
Migrating animals are at risk from pollution, the spread of invasive species and the climate crisis, first report of its kind reveals
England brings in biodiversity rules to force builders to compensate for loss of nature
From this week, developments must result in more or better natural habitat than before, in a move hailed as one of the world’s most ambitious
Alien invasion: Non-native earthworms threaten ecosystems
Analysis reveals imported earthworm species have colonized large swaths of North America, and represent a largely overlooked threat to native ecosystems. The researchers warn of the need to better understand and manage the invaders in our midst.
Apex predators not a quick fix for restoring ecosystems
An experiment spanning more than two decades has found that removal of apex predators from an ecosystem can create lasting changes that are not reversed after they return — at least, not for a very long time. The study challenges the commonly held belief that the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park restored an ecosystem degraded by their absence
Air pollution’s destructive impact on moth pollination
Car exhaust byproducts are disrupting moth pollination by degrading the floral scents essential for attracting these nocturnal pollinators, according to a new study published in the journal Science.
Richard Fuller et al
In 1875, trillions of Rocky Mountain locusts gathered and began migrating across the western United States in search of food. The enormous swarm covered an area larger than California. Three decades later, these grasshoppers were extinct.
Maelor Himbury | Library Volunteer
Australian Conservation Foundation | www.acf.org.au
1800 223 669
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.