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Date: 26 February 2024 at 08:59:14 GMT+11
To: Undisclosed recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Feb 26
Post of the Day
Opinion piece: Proponents of nuclear power are peddling hot air
Dept of Climate Change, Energy, Environment & Water
Opponents of cleaner, cheaper renewables have used a particularly spectacular contortion of logic to claim the recent catastrophic storms in Victoria and the resulting power outages as evidence of the folly of acting on climate change and boosting renewables.
On This Day
Ecological Observance
International Day of Clean Energy
Climate Change
Early jacaranda bloom sparks debate about climate change in Mexico
Every spring, the streets of Mexico’s capital are painted purple with the flowering of thousands of jacaranda trees. Their spectacular colors not only attract the eyes of residents and tourists, but also birds, bees and butterflies that find food and shelter in them.
New study outlines key principles for effective natural climate solutions
A recent study highlights foundational and operational principles to guide the implementation of natural climate solutions, emphasizing sustainability and equity.
Cloud clustering causes more extreme rain
Scientists at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) and the Max-Planck-Institute for Meteorology published a new study in the journal Science Advances that uses a high-resolution global climate model to understand how the clustering of clouds and storms impacts rainfall extremes in the tropics. They show that with rising temperatures, the severity of extreme precipitation events increases.
Does LNG really fight climate change? 5 common LNG claims, examined
The LNG industry frames itself as a tool of foreign policy and a climate solution. Canary Media digs into the details.
US climate disclosure laws miss the mark
Jeff Luse
From federal agencies to state governments, climate disclosure laws are sweeping the nation. While these laws aim for transparency, mandated climate disclosures increase costs for businesses and consumers, inhibit environmental progress, and provide marginal benefits for investors. Lawmakers should refrain from following California’s lead and instead implement policies that reduce the cost of doing business.
National
Does the ‘drug dealer defence’ still hold up in climate law cases?
As Queensland environmentalists continue to fight looming coal mine approvals, Australia’s Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek is relying on arguments that have come under increasing scrutiny in climate litigation.
A koala rescued from Victoria’s recent fires points to a growing national challenge
As Victorian fires produce fresh reminders of the threat posed to wildlife, rescuers say not enough is being done to identify threatened species before big fires begin.
Majority support nuclear for energy security [$]
Most younger voters would back plans to replace coal-fired plants with small modular nuclear reactors, Newspoll figures show.
Aussies face ‘world-first recycling tax’ [$]
Australians face a new tax from July, as recycling companies warn they will be forced to pass on millions in extra costs to the community.
‘They ain’t seen nothing yet’: UN boss names climate change impacts coming to Australia
Top UN climate official Simon Stiell says Australia will be “front and centre in resettling entire national populations” if climate targets are not met.
Heatwaves and blackouts: Australia’s climate crisis is now
Gregory Andrews
As Western Australia endures another extreme heatwave, with temperatures soaring up to 47 degrees Celsius in the Pilbara, the reality of the impacts of climate change is becoming impossible for Australia to ignore. Escalating and unprecedented heat is harming our communities, ecosystems, and economy. Last week Victoria was battered by fires and storms that destroyed homes and infrastructure, leaving half a million people without power. These are stark reminders of the climate crisis’s immediacy and the urgent need for action.
Plibersek sidelined over gas project approvals [$]
Royce Kurmelovs
Hidden in legislation is a plan to give Resources Minister Madeleine King power to approve gas projects – taking the oversight away from Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek.
Sacrificial lambs on the altar of climate change [$]
Chris Kenny
Virtue-signalling is killing our country. It’s time Peter Dutton rescinded his party’s net-zero commitment.
Proponents of nuclear power are peddling hot air [$]
Chris Bowen
Arguments by ‘opponents of cleaner, cheaper renewables’ collapse faster than a tree in a lightning strike when exposed to the facts.
‘Delay tactic’: Bowen ignites nuclear war [$]
Geoff Chambers
Chris Bowen has attacked Peter Dutton’s zero-emissions nuclear push as a ‘triumph of culture wars over climate pragmatism’ and slammed the Coalition for using ‘distraction and delay’ tactics.
Dora Marinova and Diana Bogueva
Official dietary advice in Australia is set to warn of the climate impact of certain foods. The move has raised the ire of farmers, meat producers and others who branded it “green ideology” and a “war on meat”.
Nuclear, gas fuel Dutton’s tilt at green madness [$]
Nick Cater
So much for Energy Minister Chris Bowen’s claim that the opposition is using nuclear power as a culture-war distraction. His argument collapses at the first brush with reality.
Voters open to nuclear power [$]
Australian editorial
Efficiency, not ideology, must shape the nation’s energy mix
Bushfire smoke affects children differently. Here’s how to protect them
Dwan Vilcins et al
Bushfires are currently burning in Australian states including Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia and South Australia. In some areas, fire authorities have warned residents about the presence of smoke.
Scientists warn logging will lead to extinction
Sue Arnold
Despite warnings from scientists, NSW and Tasmania continue catastrophic deforestation that is not only critically harming wildlife but also humans.
Victoria
Farmer avoids conviction over deaths of 70 koalas due to land clearing in Victoria
An elderly south-west Victorian farmer is fined $34,000 over the death or injury of more than 200 koalas during the clearing of a former blue gum plantation on his land during 2020.
The Victorian towns where Peter Dutton is considering going nuclear
The Coalition is pushing the prospect of nuclear energy in old coal-mining towns. But do Victorians actually want them?
‘Ball of red’: Vic communities on edge as huge fire day looms [$]
A farmer who “lost the lot” when a raging fireball tore through his Raglan property says it turned from daylight to dark in 15 minutes, as communities in Victoria’s west brace for a “a very dangerous” fire day on Wednesday.
Coal back-up needed: Energy CEOs warn transition falling behind [$]
Energy CEOs are losing hope of reaching 2030 climate targets as policies to drive more renewables into the market still leave major stumbling blocks.
Connor Tomas O’Brien
The vanishing of the plains-wanderer coincides, geographically and temporally, with the vanishing of the plains – and so, to trace backwards is to often find both bird and grassland in unexpected places, one in the presence of the other.
Above all else, bushfire survivors like me are fed up with shock jocks
Jo Dodds
Victorians are still reeling from the violent storms and bushfires that destroyed dozens of homes, and left thousands of people without power, and most tragically, took a life.
New South Wales
Protestor who dumped horse head outside National Parks office avoids conviction record
Rocky Harvey says he dumped the head outside the office in Jindabyne as an act of protest against culled brumby carcasses being left to pollute Kosciuszko National Park.
Nine Port Jackson fig trees vandalised at Sydney beach
Holes that may have been used to deliver pesticides were discovered this week after a resident reported seeing a man acting suspiciously in the area.
Sydney asbestos crisis: EPA ‘following up’ on whether second mulch supplier is involved
Agency says an unnamed supplier may have provided contaminated mulch at Cranebrook and Bardia
The Dunghutti people were forcibly removed when sand mining came to Crescent Head, but the site was later abandoned. After fighting for more than a decade to have area cleaned up, work is set to begin.
Straws, vapes and a lady’s sex toy: the Manly diver who’s spent 30 years clearing marine plastic
‘Tricky’ Nicholls has pulled decades’ worth of Sydney’s rubbish out of the sea by hand – but he still has hope for our oceans
Angry voters threaten Labor exodus over offshore wind
It’s one of Labor’s safest strongholds, but Illawarra residents are plotting revenge at the polls if party pushes ahead with offshore wind farms in their backyard.
Minns announces $275 million in clean energy grants
The Minns government will offer funding for small and medium-sized businesses to pilot new clean energy technology.
Malcolm and Lucy Turnbull sign on for major pumped hydro project in rural NSW
The former prime minister is making strides to build his own renewable energy project, with the New South Wales government backing early investigations into pumped hydro in the Upper Hunter.
ACT
ACT falling short in replacing bush capital’s ageing trees
A tree planting program will struggle to achieve a 30 per cent canopy cover over Canberra in the next two decades because sapling supplies and staff are limited, an audit has warned.
Queensland
$2.75b announced for Qld’s ‘next big rail project’ – but it will need much more
State funds have been earmarked for a key south-east rail link that will only be partly completed by 2032, and still requires a federal cash injection.
Greens refloat plan to ban new developments in flood-prone areas
Two years since the 2022 Brisbane floods, the party has also pledged a $20 million annual buyback scheme as part of its council election policy platform.
South Australia
SA government signs hydrogen deal with Whyalla steelworks in move away from coal
The South Australian government has signed an agreement to sell hydrogen to a company that owns the Whyalla steelworks in the state’s Upper Spencer Gulf.
Tasmania
State won’t pay for Marinus Link project under Labor, White says ][$]
Labor in government will pull Tasmania out of the Marinus Link project, party leader Rebecca White says.
Greens energy relief plans for low-income Tasmanian households [$]
The Greens have pledged to ensure all new public housing properties are fitted with solar panels and existing properties retrofitted should it hold the balance of power after the state election.
Small business backs energy credit proposal, Labor unconvinced [$]
A small business owner in the state’s North believes the Liberal’s re-election promise for energy bill credits will be a “massive help” to his Launceston eatery while Tasmanian Labor says it’s “too little too late”.
Salmon farming potential solution to fuelling giant kelp forests [$]
Giant kelp sucking up the nutrients of fish farming could be the solution to restoring forests, with early research results revealing 10 times the growth rate.
Northern Territory
A Top End coastal reserve is set to become a national park, but not everyone is pleased
The NT government is starting the process of turning a beloved Top End coastal reserve into a national park, but the protected land won’t include the controversial Defence Housing Australia development next door.
Western Australia
Section 18 was the controversial mechanism that led to the destruction of caves at Juukan Gorge in 2020, and this application is among the first since the WA government changed the law in response to the incident.
As gas shortage fears grow, is energy giant Woodside on a collision course with WA government?
Daniel Mercer
With energy prices skyrocketing, Western Australia’s policy to keep gas for the domestic market is the envy of the nation. But as demand outgrows supply, the spotlight is on the tension between the companies that develop Australia’s finite resources and the states — on behalf of the public — that own them.
Anthony Ham
By failing to take Indigenous knowledge seriously, a scientific paper speculating on the origin of WA desert ‘fairy circles’ misses the mark
Sustainability
Botanical gardens ‘most effective’ green space at cooling streets in heatwaves
Researchers hope the findings will inform policymakers planning cities for a warming world
Air pollution’s link to Alzheimer’s signs highlighted in a new study
Inhaling high concentrations of air particulates, particularly from traffic pollution, has been associated with increased signs of Alzheimer’s disease in the brain, a recent study reveals.
Rewriting air pollution’s effects on the economy
A new analysis reveals the staggering cost of air pollution, equating a year of human life to a substantial monetary value.
The switch to electric vehicles is a breath of fresh air for children near highways
A new study highlights the potential for electric vehicles (EVs) to significantly reduce childhood asthma attacks and other health issues caused by exhaust exposure, particularly in low-income, urban areas.
AI’s environmental toll: a growing concern
Generative AI’s rapid expansion raises environmental alarms, with its significant energy and water usage drawing scrutiny from policymakers.
Environment: The wealthy cause climate change; the poor suffer its consequences
Peter Sainsbury
Richest 1% produce as many greenhouse gases as the poorest 66%. Climate denialists have a new lyric: ‘sure, it’s happening – so what?’ but Australians are concerned about climate change and want action. No, it’s not OK to shoot a hippo.
Why a circular built environment makes economic and environmental sense
Anis Nassar and Sebastian Reiter
By 2050 around 68% of the global population, opens new tab will live in cities. Delivering the new construction needed to house these populations requires building a New York-sized city every 40 days. That is the challenge of the century: to sustainably meet the demand, opens new tab for accelerating urbanization and population growth.
Nature Conservation
Cinnamon frog species in ‘perilous state’ successfully bred in UK
Froglets from species classed as near-threatened arrive for the second time at Cotswolds wildlife park
Biodiversity campaigner Isabella Tree says wild areas work ‘hand in glove’ with food production as her Sussex estate boasts return of endangered species
New bill proposes moratorium on mining near Okefenokee Swamp
A Georgia lawmaker introduced a bill for a three-year pause on new mining permits near the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.
Duke University’s decision to close major plant collection sparks outrage
Duke University has announced the closure of its herbarium, a significant blow to biodiversity research.
Global warming increases the diversity of active soil bacteria
Warmer soils harbour a greater diversity of active microbes, according to a new study from researchers at the Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science (CeMESS) at the University of Vienna.
Maelor Himbury | Library Volunteer
Australian Conservation Foundation | www.acf.org.au
1800 223 669
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