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Date: 20 February 2024 at 08:38:53 GMT+11
To: Undisclosed recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Feb 20
Post of the Day
New ecosystems, unprecedented climates: more Australian species than ever are struggling to survive
Frédérik Saltré and Corey J. A. Bradshaw
Australia is home to about one in 12 of the world’s species of animals, birds, plants and insects – between 600,000 and 700,000 species. More than 80% of Australian plants and mammals and just under 50% of our birds are found nowhere else.
On This Day
Climate Change
Coastal women in Bangladesh face health issues due to climate change
Women living in Bangladesh’s coastal regions are severely affected by climate change-induced salinity, leading to various health complications.
Journalist Ross Gelbspan, a voice against climate denial, passes at 84
Ross Gelbspan, a journalist who exposed the financial interests fueling climate change denial, has died, leaving behind a legacy of advocacy for truth in environmental reporting.
Climate migration concerns surpass fears of Russian aggression in Europe
A new survey reveals that European citizens are increasingly concerned about climate change-driven migration, even more than the threat from Russia.
Disputes among wealthy nations stall progress on climate change victim fund
Internal disagreements among rich countries are hindering the establishment of a crucial global fund aimed at aiding victims of climate change.
National
EnergyAustralia says meeting its green hydrogen target for a new gas power plant in NSW is becoming more challenging.
Bill also criticised by Greens and Environmental Defenders Office who claim it will help fast-track offshore gas developments
UTS researchers say firms including Coles, Woolworths, Telstra, Rio Tinto and Qantas have no ‘comprehensive, independently verified and fully costed plan’ to reduce emissions
Solar scheme risks repeat of batts debacle [$]
Labor has been warned it risks repeating the deadly home insulation scheme unless there is a crackdown on unqualified workers.
Eating green ideology: Official diet advice to warn of climate [$]
The government’s official dietary guidelines will soon recommend foods based on more than just their nutritional value. Their impact on the environment will also be considered.
ACT and Queensland now testing mulch for asbestos as contamination concerns spread
Asbestos, it seems, is everywhere around Sydney at the moment. 7.30 went to industry insiders to find out why. The answer according to someone else who owns a similar business is a “major let-down in processes”.
What’s behind the collapse in the price of nickel and how can the industry survive?
Mohan Yellishetty
Australia’s nickel industry has been granted access to billions of dollars in federal funding as well as relief from royalty payments after a collapse in the global price of nickel that threatens thousands of jobs.
Climate whiplash – a 21st century disorder
Peter Boyer
Whiplash is the most common road trauma injury, caused by the head moving suddenly one way and back the other. It’s also a fitting description for what climate change is doing to people’s minds.
Green tape set to tangle up operations on family farm
Australian editorial
As the experience with the China-Indonesia nickel boom shows, other countries are less concerned about green dreams and well prepared to leave Australia in their economic wake.
If we’re serious about net zero, we need to lift nuclear prohibition [$]
Michael de Percy
The push for renewables is taking longer and costing more than planned.
Garnaut-Sims power plan is big on ambition, short on logic [$]
Richard Holden
The $100 billion carbon tax proposal would penalise Australians, deter greener energy switches in Asia, and would be impossible to implement.
Bring on our Green Industrial Revolution – But watch for white elephants
Ralph Evans
Bravo to Ross Garnaut and Rod Sims for their effort at the National Press Club on 14 February to overturn the whole national debate on climate, energy, productivity and tax. But the Green Industrial Revolution may not fall easily into Australia’s lap.
Victoria
Ageing Victorian energy network faces fresh inquiry after blackouts
Victoria’s opposition is gathering support for an inquiry into the state’s ageing electricity infrastructure after transmission lines came down and half a million homes lost power in heavy winds.
Blackouts a glimpse of future in climate-change obsessed Victoria [$]
Steve Price
As Victoria’s energy grid collapsed on Tuesday afternoon, 530,000 homes were left with no power, train lines were shut down, schools closed and we lost 550 sets of traffic lights. Welcome to the brave new world of energy transition.
New South Wales
Asbestos confirmed at fifth school as sites grow
Asbestos has been confirmed at more sites across Sydney as three schools wait on results.
Identifying the presence of asbestos in mulch relies on the human eye
Asbestos, it seems, is everywhere around Sydney at the moment. 7.30 went to industry insiders to find out why. The answer according to someone else who owns a similar business is a “major let-down in processes”.
EnergyAustralia’s big gas bet arrives [$]
EnergyAustralia has started up its Tallawarra B gas plant south of Sydney, with CEO Mark Collette saying gas will play a vital role to keep power supply secure.
Darling River oxygenation trial hopes to avoid future mass fish deaths like Menindee
Tens of millions of native fish have perished along the Darling River over the past five years following a series of mass kills. In an attempt to mitigate future deaths the NSW government are trialling technology that pumps pure oxygen into the water.
Asbestos in mulch? Here’s the risk if you’ve been exposed
Peter Franklin
Mulch containing asbestos has now been found at 41 locations in New South Wales, including Sydney parks, schools, hospitals, a supermarket and at least one regional site. Tests are under way at other sites.
Shocking air quality on rail network threatens passengers and staff
SMH editorial
Anyone using Sydney’s underground train network system is exposed to poisonous air containing more than twice the safe daily limits for particle pollution – and they’ve have been kept in the dark for years.
ACT
Future of food production in Canberra set to be studied [$]
Canberra’s food producers and agricultural sector will be studied as part of efforts to boost local production and diversify farming practices.
Potentially asbestos-contaminated mulch was sold in Canberra [$]
Mulch potentially contaminated with asbestos, which has been linked to more than 40 affected sites in NSW, was sold in Canberra, the ACT government has confirmed.
Queensland
Dingoes bite two women within hours on K’gari, rangers warn of dangerous months ahead
There have already been nine “high-risk” interactions on the island this year and authorities say the danger may intensify during autumn.
The air in Brisbane is cleaner than other cities, but change is coming
While heavy industry is no longer polluting the air, there is still friction between people and the environment in south-east Queensland.
Politicians urged by Qld coalminers to have ‘grown-up policy contest’ in election campaign [$]
With Queensland’s royalty revenue cash grab from coal tipped to double to $12.8bn this financial year, the miners’ peak body has flagged “real uncertainty around the policy environment” before this year’s state election.
Why the premier’s Climate Change Bill appears to be relying on a lot of hot air
John McCarthy
When Premier Steven Miles introduced a new emission reduction Bill to Parliament last week, Labor was congratulating itself on leading the way in dealing with climate change, but it was really nothing more than an election year magic act.
Tasmania
Bob Brown arrested at protest defending Tasmania’s giant trees, banned from forests
Veteran environmentalist Bob Brown says he’s been banned from all state forests after being charged over a protest in defence of Tasmania’s giant trees.
Cloud of anxiety over region left reeling from mine closure [$]
A significant ripple effect impacting the West Coast has been predicted if aquaculture is removed from Macquarie Harbour, with the region already suffering the blow of job losses.
Western Australia
West Australians warned of extreme fire danger
Firefighters preparing for dangerous fire conditions in parts of Western Australia.
Climate voters get Chaney on board with net-zero future
The teal independent for Curtin, who is glad to be free of “party ideologies”, says her constituents’ action and work will help her advocate for them at a federal level.
REVEALED: Proposed location for WA offshore wind farms [$]
A swathe of ocean roughly 20 kilometres off of a coastal WA city has been earmarked as the preferred spot for offshore wind farms.
Sustainability
Philadelphia jury delivers historic verdict in Roundup cancer case
In a landmark decision, a Philadelphia jury awards $2.25 billion in a lawsuit linking Roundup weed killer to cancer, marking a significant turn in ongoing litigation.
Who will survive to write the obituary for Gaia?
David Shearman
As I talk to a friend, a picture on the television screen flashes past my eyes and engulfs my mind. It’s the war in Ukraine, mothers and children escaping from bombs in concrete shelters. They hold each other in terror.
Nature Conservation
Amazon rainforest at risk of significant transformation by mid-century, study indicates
The critical balance between human activity and the Earth’s natural climate regulators is beginning to tip — and not in a good way.
Arctic wildlife faces dire challenges amid record heat and ecosystem changes
The Arctic’s rapid warming is causing significant shifts in ecosystems, posing severe threats to the region’s wildlife.
Investing in nature’s intrinsic value
Imagine a market where nature’s preservation, not destruction, is profitable.
Scientists shocked to discover new species of green anaconda, the world’s biggest snake
Bryan G. Fry
The green anaconda has long been considered one of the Amazon’s most formidable and mysterious animals. Our new research upends scientific understanding of this magnificent creature, revealing it is actually two genetically different species. The surprising finding opens a new chapter in conservation of this top jungle predator.
Maelor Himbury | Library Volunteer
Australian Conservation Foundation | www.acf.org.au
1800 223 669
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