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Date: 16 February 2024 at 08:50:39 GMT+11
To: Undisclosed recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Feb 16
Post of the Day
Confronting the climate crisis can also advance socio-economic rights
Data confirms that the impacts of the climate crisis fall hardest on countries and people who are already struggling and who have contributed the least to climate change. But the right policies can both confront the climate crisis and protect and improve people’s social and economic rights.
On This Day
Climate Change
Climate change poses severe health risks in British Columbia
A recent report from Vancouver Coastal Health highlights the urgent and diverse health risks posed by climate change in British Columbia, with specific concerns for vulnerable populations.
Biden’s climate bill impacts global green energy race
A small Norwegian town’s struggle to become a green energy hub highlights the broader impact of the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act on the global race for clean energy, reshaping the competitive landscape as industries pivot toward American subsidies.
Michael Mann repudiates the climate emergency
Graham Young
‘But breathless claims of imminent climate-driven ‘human extinction’ and ‘runaway warming’ are both scientifically unsupportable and unhelpful.’
National
Origin Energy, Australia’s biggest energy retailer, has doubled underlying earnings to $1.995 billion in the first half, taking advantage of higher bills and lower coal costs, but remains coy about the future of the Eraring coal generator and the pace of its transition to green energy.
‘Tipping point’ for house designs as homebuyers seek climate-proof comforts
Architecture expert Anthony Burke says the fallout of climate change has “landed squarely in the living room of the average Australian”, and that’s dictating new home designs.
Birdwatch: On the trail of the shy albatross in Australia
On an oceanic quest in the southern hemisphere, our writer encounters the only albatross species endemic to Australia
Rival power plays ignite Canberra energy wars [$]
The ‘climate wars’ will be revived as Labor and the Coalition prepare radically different pathways to net-zero, with Anthony Albanese promoting green jobs to win back working-class voters.
‘Coal plants perfect for reactors’, says Coalition [$]
Coalition MPs want nuclear power plants built on coal-fired power station sites, to minimise environmental impacts of massive renewable projects.
‘Think big’: PM plans cash splash on green fund [$]
The government is planning a “think big” multibillion-dollar initiative to try to compete with the US Inflation Reduction Act and similar schemes.
One in four Aussies consider an electric vehicle next [$]
One in every four motorists will consider swapping their main vehicle for an electric car and one in three are weighing up whether to buy a low-emission vehicle, according to a new study
Why do we need change? What happens next? Australia’s emissions questions answered [$]
What does the future hold for Australia as it confronts the carbon emissions challenge head on?
Justine Dandy and Zoe Leviston
Big environmental changes mean ever more Australians will confront the tough choice of whether to move home or risk staying put.
‘No renewables in my backyard’: The next climate roadblock is energy NIMBYism [$]
Benjamin Clark
We need a lot of renewables to reduce emissions — and misinformation is fuelling a backlash we can’t afford to pander to.
‘Climate wars are over’, says the mining lobby. Let us behold the ways! [$]
Bernard Keane
Are the climate wars over? The Minerals Council says they are — while continuing to pursue them out of sight.
Rival power plays ignite Canberra energy wars [$]
Geoff Chambers
The ‘climate wars’ will be revived as Labor and the Coalition prepare radically different pathways to net-zero, with Anthony Albanese promoting green jobs to win back working-class voters.
Libs’ policy has potential to electrify debate [$]
Simon Benson
Peter Dutton will take a policy to the election that is based on a starkly different alternative to what the Coalition claims is Labor’s renewables fantasy.
Voters deserve stable government [$]
Australian editorial
Nothing has changed – ‘Greens in government’ is an oxymoron. The party exists to protest, to denounce good policies for not being perfect.
We can’t escape a carbon tax, which is good news, not bad
Ross Gittins
In their own polite way, Professor Ross Garnaut and Rod Sims this week spoke out against the blatant self-interest of our fossil fuel industry.
Theo Evans and Bruce Webber
A new pest attacking Perth’s trees threatens to spread across Australia, damaging crops and native forests as well as our urban forest. To control its spread, the Western Australian government is chopping down hundreds of established trees. But these losses may be in vain.
We need to talk about Gina and Andrew
Martyn Goddard
Natural resources are owned by the people of Australia, but mining companies don’t like paying us for the resources they take out of the ground. And when they look like having to pay more, their response is swift and brutal.
Labor’s carbon tax will raise the price of a new car by $9k [$]
Matt Canavan
New car buyers will face price rises up to $9000 for the most popular models under a Federal Government carbon tax.
Victoria
Distribution powerline towers are built to last, so why do they fall over in a storm?
More than 65,000 kilometres of powerlines stretch across Victoria via more than 100,000 towers. But the aging system is not immune from freak weather events.
Hundreds of transmission towers are rusty and at risk of damage
Almost one-in-seven of Victoria’s 13,000 electricity transmission towers have patchy or extensive rust, with experts warning the network is vulnerable to extreme weather.
‘Embarrassing’ offshore wind paper pulled [$]
The 2022 paper predicted Victoria would need to use ‘up to 70pc’ of its agricultural land for wind and solar farms unless it opted for the offshore alternative.
New South Wales
Labor went to the NSW election promising to enforce marine sanctuary zones. But almost a year later, amnesties that allow fishing remain in place
Premier fears hundreds of sites across Sydney contaminated with asbestos, maybe including homes
The NSW government launched a task force to investigate asbestos found in mulch at numerous sites across Sydney, with homes now potentially included in contaminated sites.
Sydney asbestos crisis: largest EPA probe ever with hundreds of sites potentially contaminated
More than 130 people working on criminal investigation into mulch supplied by Greenlife Resource Recovery. The company denies any wrongdoing
Sydney asbestos sites: map and full list of locations where it has been found
Hundreds of sites are being investigated amid the growing asbestos crisis across NSW. This map shows contaminated parks and other locations
Residents in Yass, Murrumbateman, Bowning, and Binalong are told they should not drink tap water until further notice, and should use caution when bathing children.
The hi-tech bunker trying to keep Rozelle Interchange moving [$]
A tradie peak and a commuter peak have been identified as two key issues behind the blighted Rozelle interchange – here’s how you can avoid them.
Why it’s an undeniable truth that Sydney hates bikes
Nigel Gladstone
A few days after my 30th birthday, I was on my way to a new job at a film production company. The sun was shining, and my brand-new bike was a joy to ride as I turned into the bike lane on Baptist Street, Surry Hills. The next thing I remember was screaming and a bus coming toward me as I slid along the bitumen on my back.
A taskforce to track asbestos contamination of Sydney parks is welcome
SMH editorial
The taskforce to oversee the investigation of asbestos-contaminated parks and other sites around Sydney is a welcome response to a problem that has lain dormant for years.
ACT
Tough restrictions imposed to prevent fire ants getting to Canberra
Tough new import restrictions will be placed on material entering the ACT that risks bringing fire ants, one of Australia’s worst imported species, to the territory.
Queensland
‘Where does the one-upmanship game end?’ [$]
It’s the emissions plan that some believe will go up in smoke – will Steven Miles’ reduction target work, or is it just a distraction?
Heyday nostalgia amid developer’s plans to reopen Whitsundays’ abandoned Lindeman Island resort
After rotting away for more than a decade, the tide may be turning for a once iconic Whitsundays holiday spot with whispers Lindeman Island will be back in action by 2025.
Tasmania
Out of control bushfire at Waterhouse
Tasmania Fire Service and Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service are responding to an out of control bushfire near Waterhouse Conservation Area, Tomahawk in the state’s north east.
Northern Territory
NT government releases ‘highly precautionary’ water plan for wet season flows
The NT government has reduced the amount of water industry can take during the wet season in a policy that has support from recreational fishers and farmers.
Three solar power stations built four years ago were finally connected to the grid late last year, but two are still unable to generate power to the grid, with the other one providing only 25 per cent of its capacity, while the Lawler Government will not say when they will be operating at full capacity or if it is in talks to purchase the solar farms.
Western Australia
Experts, citizen scientists move 40 trapdoor spiders in mass relocation
A team of conservationists and volunteers successfully relocate 40 trapdoor spiders across WA’s Great Southern.
Aboriginal Elders give WA council green light to return park to Indigenous name
Aboriginal Elders in Boorloo (Perth) have given a Western Australian council permission to change a reserve back to its original First Nations name.
Animal experts are concerned rising temperatures will have a dire impact on Australian wildlife. But there’s something simple you can do to help at home.
BHP threat drains battery charge [$]
WA premier Roger Cook flagged the state could provide royalty relief in an effort to keep the remaining nickel mines in production
Harmful algal blooms could be a thing of the past thanks to a new clay spray
Algal blooms harmful to humans and fish could be a thing of the past thanks to the development of a new clay modified to target the algae’s food source.
Nickel shutdown a wake-up call on risk of going green [$]
Australian editorial
Overly optimistic assumptions about the future price of commodities such as nickel and lithium are leading to billions of dollars in losses as markets shift to new deposits.
Sustainability
Why is this largely unknown pesticide showing up in our bodies?
Researchers found chlormequat — a little-known pesticide with potential concerning health impacts — in 77 out of 96 people tested, according to a new study.
DDT exposure linked to changes in sperm that could be passed to future generations
Exposure to DDT is associated with changes to the sperm epigenome (which controls how DNA functions) that could potentially be passed to future generations, according to a recent study published in Environmental Health Perspectives.
Uranium’s renaissance brings big opportunities for investors [$]
A global push to deliver a faster and cheaper clean energy transition is tipped to push uranium prices even higher as governments embrace the nuclear fuel to meet aggressive carbon emission reduction targets.
Government scrutiny of anti-pipeline activists revealed in FBI documents
Newly released FBI documents uncover early government surveillance of Keystone XL pipeline protesters, highlighting a decade-long campaign against environmental activism.
Hybrid vehicles remain competitive in the evolving electric car market
Amid the growing popularity of electric vehicles, hybrids continue to play a significant role in the automotive industry.
Nature Conservation
Ill-judged tree planting in Africa threatens ecosystems, scientists warn
Research reveals area size of France is under threat by restoration projects taking place in unsuitable landscapes
Pesticides to help protect seeds can adversely affect earthworms’ health
While pesticides protect crops from hungry animals, pesky insects, or even microbial infections, they also impact other vital organisms, including bees and earthworms.
You probably imagine Antarctica is just covered snow and ice, but parts of the frozen continent are home to lush beds of green moss that chart changes over thousands of years.
Louisiana’s coastal wetlands face critical threat from rising sea levels
A recent study highlights the perilous state of Louisiana’s coastal wetlands, with a majority facing “drowning” due to unprecedented sea level rise, posing significant risks to the region’s natural defenses and ecosystem.
Maelor Himbury | Library Volunteer
Australian Conservation Foundation | www.acf.org.au
1800 223 669
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