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Date: 18 March 2024 at 08:28:41 GMT+11
To: Undisclosed recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Mar 18
Post of the Day
Peter Martin
Australia’s top economists are pressing Prime Minister Anthony Albanese not to ape US President Joe Biden’s “think big” approach to clean energy.
On This Day
Ecological Observance
Climate Change
Climate activists across Europe block access to North Sea oil infrastructure
Blockades at facilities in Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, with protests in Scotland and action expected in Denmark
The Bee Sting’s Paul Murray: ‘Climate worry is the unavoidable background for being alive in the 21st century’
The Irish author, whose novel won the inaugural Nero Gold Prize, believes that no book can ignore the subject
Max Planck Society presents climate action plan
The research organisation aims to halve its emissions by 2029 compared to 2019 The Senate of the Max Planck Society
UK doctors involved in climate protests face threat of being struck off
GPs with convictions over protests face tribunals to determine whether they can keep licence to practise
Climate change’s widespread health impacts
Global warming poses a dire threat to public health, with effects ranging from extreme heat deaths to increased disease spread, says the director of The Lancet Countdown. But policies designed to combat climate change while protecting public health can build resilience.
National
Why are there so many ‘lithium-ion battery-related fires’ now?
Lithium-ion batteries are a key aspect to transitioning to greener energies, but they’re also contributing to a spate of fires across the country. One problem is the type of products they’re in.
Tuvalu prime minister calls on Australia for sovereignty ‘guarantees’ over treaty
Feleti Teo tells the Guardian Tuvaluans fear last year’s treaty may give Australia too much say over the Pacific nation’s security
Electric vehicles threaten to overtake hydrogen promise
The popularity of hydrogen cars halved in Australia last year but their fall was far from dramatic.
Suburbs ‘burning money’ as heatwaves spike
With the number of 35C-plus days set to become more frequent in the next 55 years, a new report has found the massive economic cost of climate change.
Nuclear question Dutton won’t answer
After Australia’s peak science body called out the Opposition Leader, Peter Dutton has failed to answer one question on nuclear.
Tax on gas companies focus of potential parliament showdown
A political showdown over the government’s push to increase taxes on gas companies is set to come before parliament this week, as Anthony Albanese spruiks Australia’s critical minerals future.
Labor urged to learn lessons from scrapped NZ penalties on petrol and diesel cars
New Zealand’s vehicle industry says ambitions to encourage electric vehicles have to be balanced with practicality.
Could ‘HECS-for-solar’ slash power bills and save climate goal? [$]
Scientist Saul Griffith has a bold plan that could slash your power bill by $5000 a year, cut a quarter of household emissions, and employ thousands of people. Politicians on both sides are listening. Could it work?
The Attorney, the World Court and climate accountability
Rex Patrick and Philip Dorling
Australia is about to intervene in a legal case of global significance relating to the obligations of countries to protect the earth’s climate system.
Getting to net zero without nuclear means poverty [$]
Chris Kenny
Want to know what a perilous, zero-emissions environment looks like? Just ask South Australians.
7.30 pushes usual buttons in all-out nuclear attack [$]
Gerard Henderson
Sarah Ferguson’s exchange with shadow energy spokesman Ted O’Brien sets a new bar – even for the ABC – for number of interjections in an interview.
Why the next election will be a debate about nuclear [$]
Peta Credlin
As Peter Dutton is determined to end a nuclear ban the Albanese government is all for, the next election is going to be a battle over nuclear energy.
The government must stop helping the fossil fuel industry today [$]
Ebony Bennett
The Coalition’s culture wars are now getting hazardous for your health. From her air-conditioned Sky News studio, this week Peta Credlin whinged about a “leftist” council in Melbourne cancelling the Moomba Parade due to extreme heat, accusing the council of “trying to reinforce notions of a climate catastrophe” – as though getting heatstroke is a failure of character, rather than a life-threatening medical emergency.
When Australia’s first environment ambassador helped save Antarctica from mining
Caitlin Byrne et al
Australia has had a special Ambassador for the Environment since 1989, and without that first appointment, Antarctica might’ve been open to commercial mining
‘The most beige person’: The man behind the Coalition’s nuclear plans [$]
Mike Seccombe
Colleagues describe Ted O’Brien as nice and benign. He is also the architect of the Coalition’s controversial plan to build large nuclear reactors across the country – arguably to slow transition from coal.
A new generation is talking nuclear power. It’s unlikely to happen
Caitlin Fitzsimmons
Voters seem more open to nuclear power, but experts warn the support will quickly evaporate, and the risk is that the debate could delay the renewables rollout.
Chalmers’ low bow to fossil fuels [$]
Royce Kurmelovs
As Treasurer Jim Chalmers promises reforms to ‘streamline’ the approvals process in a bid to ‘cut red tape’, environment activists and Indigenous groups are alarmed by a bill that would change the regulatory regime for major gas projects.
The fault lines of society [$]
Peter Doherty
Being, at times, an over-aggressive commentator on anthropogenic climate change, I’m sometimes told to ‘butt out, it’s not your field’. But as a biomedical scientist with some public profile, commenting on climate change is not only within my area of expertise, it’s an obligation.
Peter Dutton wanted a plebiscite on marriage equality. Why not hold another on his nuclear fantasy?
Paul Karp
What better way to test if Australians are up for nuclear energy than by asking them: Do you support removing the current ban? Would you support a reactor in your area?
AUKWARDUS: Peter Dutton’s Albo nuclear wedge will cost us hundreds of billions
Rex Patrick
Peter Dutton’s proposal for Australia to adopt nuclear power is a dumb idea, but it’s good politics. Anthony Albanese’s AUKUS hand-cuffs neutralise his response. As Parliament gears up for another sitting week Rex Patrick reports on a nasty political wedge.
Dutton’s nuclear spin is an alibi, not a policy
Sean Kelly
Rather than offer a genuine solution on energy, the opposition leader is attempting to avoid two fights: one with Labor, the other within the Coalition.
Battery storage can make wind and solar dispatchable, but it still needs help
Simon Corbell & Stephanie Bashir
As the Australian electricity system transitions away from fossil fuel generation a “firming” technology is needed to make variable energy sources, such as wind and solar, “dispatchable”.
Victoria
Powerlines have started numerous bushfires, including the Black Saturday catastrophe. Malcolm Hackett lost his home in the inferno and hopes new research into powerlines will help others survive.
Victoria first state to ban dingo killing on private land to protect species ‘at risk of extinction’
In an Australian first, dingoes are now protected on private and public land in north-west Victoria, but farmers worry it will lead to more attacks on livestock.
Climate protest ties Melbourne traffic in knots
Victoria Police have made multiple arrests after climate-change activists descended on Melbourne’s CBD and snarled city traffic.
If a tree falls in the forest, let the fallen log lie, say conservationists
Debate is raging about whether trees that have been blown over in windstorms should remain in Victorian forests or be carted away for timber or firewood.
Heat pump demand red hot, batteries just warming up – Solar Insiders Podcast
Solar Victoria CEO Stan Krpan talks rebate milestones, red hot heat pump demand and home battery uptake. Plus rooftop solar crackdowns and a battery business in trouble.
Victoria’s new habitat law fails to protect a tiny endangered species
Eddie Tsyrlin and Ary Hoffmann
A critically endangered wingless stonefly in Australia could face extinction after the government went against scientific advice
New South Wales
Continued logging of NSW koala habitat is ‘a profound tragedy’, conservationist says
Another campaigner says state environment minister ‘refuses to do anything’ ahead of koala protection summit in Sydney
Harbour Bridge two-way toll needed to fix Rozelle Interchange: Allan Fels
The former competition watchdog chairman warns the $6.7 billion Western Harbour Tunnel is at risk of becoming a white elephant.
300 complaints on first day: Disputed flood report may cost community millions
Residents claim a council study into flood risks sucked millions of dollars out of the community in lost property values and hiked insurance premiums in Sydney’s south.
‘Greener, safer, calmer’: The plan to discourage drivers from central Sydney [$]
To transform Sydney into a walkable city and discourage drivers from the CBD, the city council wants to narrow roads, widen footpaths and push for lower speed limits.
One in four state schools requires monthly checks for buried asbestos
There are 569 public schools under the Department of Education’s current site-specific asbestos management plans after contaminated was detected in soil.
Build homes over rail lines, starting with Newtown and Burwood
Philip Vivian
If we really want affordable housing, a big part of the answer can be found in the thin air above our railway lines.
ACT
The bonkers banksia wrapped in ACT government red tape [$]
When a shrub becomes a tree and grows so rogue it generates problems that push you out of your own home, it’s a sure-fire recipe for an angry ACT resident.
Cyclists want separate bike-only paths on Canberra’s ‘most dangerous’ road [$]
Canberra’s peak cycling body is renewing a campaign for a separate bike-only path on Northbourne Avenue, hoping to make it an election issue.
Queensland
LNP retains Brisbane City Council as Greens take votes from Labor
Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner has been re-elected to the city’s top job, with a lower than expected swing to the Greens coming at the expense of the ALP.
Mass coral bleaching event stretching to waters off Brisbane alarms marine scientists
They’re not as famous as the iconic Great Barrier Reef, but vibrant and bustling coral reefs between Bundaberg and Moreton Bay, off Brisbane, are equally under threat with signs they’re “starving to death”.
South Australia
Discovering Eyre’s flock: water is life for fabled inland sea [$]
The hunches of our early explorers were correct: Australia does have an inland sea after vast volumes of water dumped by Cyclone Kirrily finally reached their destination
Tasmania
‘Get rid of Earth destroyers’: Rally calls for end to logging in Tasmanian native forests
Less than a week from Tasmania’s state election, thousands of people march in Hobart in protest against the logging of native forests, with veteran campaigner Bob Brown saying “our job is to get rid of the Earth destroyers”. The Liberals vow they will ramp up the timber harvest if re-elected.
Explainer: What environmental promises are Tasmania’s major parties making?
Tasmania trades heavily on its reputation for having an unspoilt environment, with tourists told to: “Come down for air.” So, at the upcoming election, what is being promised to protect that?
Environmental protesters storm through city with election message [$]
Protesters flooded Hobart with green message, meanwhile revelations a memo was sent before Paul Reynolds’ funeral warning a minister of child-sex allegations.
‘We don’t want huts all over the place’: Greens’ aim for wild places
A pakana woman has spoken about a new Greens policy to put the brakes on high-impact tourism developments, while Labor pledges to break the cycle from Ashley to Risdon.
The City of Hobart has launched a competition to find out what people love about its green open spaces and how they could be improved – parks, gardens, bushland reserves, cycling and walking tracks, and even city pocket parks.
What will make more Tasmanians catch public transport [$]
A majority of Tasmanians don’t catch public transport, but could be persuaded to do so if more option were available.
Environmental protesters storm through city with election message [$]
Protesters flooded Hobart with green message, meanwhile revelations a memo was sent before Paul Reynolds’ funeral warning a minister of child-sex allegations.
Northern Territory
Wild-caught barramundi is a dining table favourite, but can it continue?
Northern Australia’s commercial wild-caught barramundi industry says it’s in a fight for its future as concerns are raised about the sustainability of certain fishing methods.
Territory Labor Government progresses with Joint Management in Central Australia
The Territory Labor Government has released the draft Joint Management Plans for Mac Clark (Acacia peuce) Conservation Reserve and Kuyunba Conservation Reserve for public comment. This is an opportunity for the community to have a say on the future management of the two reserves.
Western Australia
Should WA’s uranium be used to help the world go nuclear, or is it too risky?
WA Liberals say they will legalise uranium mining, overturning a ban, if they win the 2025 election. Supporters of the ban say it’s a dangerous commodity that should be left in the ground.
Audacious bid to dump old WA oil rigs in Bass Strait
Enough material to build 110 Sydney Harbour Bridges is built into Australian offshore oil and gas rigs, and experts are now grappling with how to safely recover it.
Company group behind NSW offshore gas plan yet to clean up abandoned wells in WA
A company seeking to drill for gas off the NSW coast and another with abandoned wells in WA are both owned by a firm with questions over its financial viability.
Radical ANSWER to dwindling sea lion population
The sea lions that call Australia home are part of a species that exists nowhere else in the world, and with population levels down, they are at risk of extinction.
Two dolphins found dead near Bunbury as advocates warn people not to ‘love them to death’
It can be tempting to dive into the ocean when a dolphin is spotted, but wildlife authorities in Bunbury want people to take some simple steps to avoid harming the curious creatures, and to always dispose of rubbish and fishing lines properly.
Sustainability
Plastic chemicals are more numerable and less regulated than previously thought: Report
Fewer than 6% of more than 16,000 chemicals associated with plastic production are regulated worldwide, according to a new report from PlastChem.
Exploring the health risks of car brake pollution
Recent research highlights potential health risks associated with particles released from car brakes, raising questions about their impact.
Information overload is a personal and societal danger
We are all aware of the dangers of pollution to our air, water, and earth. In a recently published letter, scientists are advocating for the recognition and mitigation of another type of environmental pollution that poses equivalent personal and societal dangers: information overload.
Ali Pourmousavi Kani and Rui Yuan
Billions of dollars are being spent worldwide to modernise electricity grids with smart meters. These meters promise to save households money by making it easier for us to understand and manage our energy use. However, our new research suggests these promises might not be fully delivered due to a lack of access to high-resolution, real-time energy data.
Taylor Brydges
Since the 1990s, fast fashion has enabled everyday people to buy the latest catwalk trends. But the sheer volume of garments being whipped up, sold and soon discarded is contributing to a global sustainability crisis.
Environment: Oil and gas making massive profits now but stormy waters ahead
Peter Sainsbury
Shrinking demand signifies rocky times ahead for many individual oil and gas producers but the industry will survive for decades yet. Emissions from farming and forestry aside, Australia’s emissions have been stagnant for 20 years. Feral pigs are destroying our wetlands and rivers.
Nature Conservation
Diverse habitats help salmon weather unpredictable climate changes
Restored salmon habitat should resemble financial portfolios, offering fish diverse options for feeding and survival so that they can weather various conditions as the climate changes, a new study shows.
Maelor Himbury | Library Volunteer
Australian Conservation Foundation | www.acf.org.au
1800 223 669
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