Date: 6 March 2024 at 08:49:22 GMT+11
To: Undisclosed recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Mar 6
Post of the Day
With the Coalition interested in replacing retiring coal plants with nuclear reactors, there are just a handful of regions that would be likely candidates under the opposition’s yet to be announced plans to go nuclear.
On This Day
Climate Change
Ice-free summers in Arctic possible within next decade, scientists say
Home of polar bears, seals and walruses could be mostly water for months as early as 2035 due to fossil fuel emissions
Financial toll of climate crisis hitting women harder, UN says
Rural households led by women lose about 8% more income to heat stress than male-led families, data shows
AAP FactCheck: No, natural cycles cannot explain post-Industrial revolution warming
Claims that Milankovitch cycles – long-term changes in the earth’s orbit – contribute to global warming persist in social media despite scientists having dismissed their impact.
AAP FactCheck: Scientists pour cold water on volcanic glacier melting claims
An old claim that volcanic activity is causing rapid ice melting in Antarctic glaciers has resurfaced on social media.
I’m glad I’ll be dead before the worst of it. I’m fearful for those who won’t
Ross Gittins
I fear for my five grandkids’ future but, to tell the truth, I’m glad I’ll be gone before the effects of climate change reach their worst.
National
Electric car company says Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries is running a ‘concerted public campaign’ by suggesting plan would push up price of popular cars
Author treads fine line teaching children that cute little rabbits need to be exterminated
A new book is hoped to battle complacency about Australia’s growing rabbit problem by enouraging children to spark conversations with their parents.
Australia’s ‘dirtiest’ car brands named
As the dispute over proposed fuel efficiency standards shifts up a gear, 2023’s highest polluting car brands have been revealed in new analysis.
Cars sold in Australia in 2023 emitted as much CO2 as 156 coalmines, analysis shows
Finding comes as public consultation for the proposed fuel efficiency standard closes, with advocates warning of a loophole for SUVs
Time and cash the crux of nuclear debate [$]
Rhiannon Down
Next-generation, large-scale reactors have this in common: they’re safer, more efficient, all faced major delays in construction and were prohibitively expensive to build.
Why a home battery is a good idea if you have rooftop solar – SwitchedOn podcast
With new penalties for exporting solar to the grid expected in July, sustainable energy advisor Norman Koslowski says, ‘buy a battery.’
Peter Dutton’s climate denial is morphing into a madcap nuclear fantasy. The ban should stay
Giles Parkinson
The energy tropes on social media are getting so bizarre it is sometimes hard to imagine how anyone would take them seriously.
How can nuclear fit into a renewable grid where base load can’t compete?
Alan Pears
The federal Coalition is enthusiastically advocating for nuclear energy to help when ‘the sun don’t shine and the wind don’t blow’. This approach is fundamentally flawed, not just for nuclear, but for any high capital cost base load generator.
Time for a properly costed plan on the nuclear option
Australian editorial
Federal government looking out of touch with modern energy world.
Dutton’s new form of climate denial
Noel Turnbull
When Twiggy Forrest, Private Eye, The Financial Times and Bloomberg all describe why nuclear power is not the answer you have to wonder why Peter Dutton can’t hear the message.
Spender calls for “People Power Plan” to get consumers out of fossil fuel trap
Allegra Spender calls for “People Power Plan” that will get households out of the fossil fuel trap with home electrification and rooftop solar.
Victoria
Bushfire that burnt through plantation causes timber giant’s biggest loss since Black Summer
A large volume of pine destined for mills is declared “unsalvageable” following an out-of-control blaze west of Ballarat last month.
Melbourne’s Southern Cross Station is a gateway for commuters and visitors to the city, but experts say secret data shows the air quality poses a health risk to workers and passengers.
Extinction Rebellion members jailed for blocking Melbourne’s West Gate Bridge in climate protest
Two environmental activists are jailed for 21 days for causing major traffic disruptions, after using a truck to block the busy West Gate Bridge.
How expensive is travel in each capital city? We ranked the cost of fuel and public transport
The Australian Automobile Association’s latest report reveals the cost of getting around capital cities and regional centres. We also zeroed in on essentials like fuel and public transport.
Jobs blown away by ‘anti-gas obsession’ [$]
Gas appliance manufacturer Jon Seeley says Victoria is ‘using taxpayers’ money to pay consumers to replace Australian-made gas heaters with imported reverse cycle systems’.
Victoria’s second offshore wind zone slashed to a fifth
The Albanese government’s decision raises questions about whether the state’s can meet ambitious renewable energy targets.
‘Anti-children’: Parents angry over plans to revamp two more parks in Yarra
The council faced a backlash when it redesigned a reserve in Collingwood. It has two more parks in its sights for makeovers and parents have something to say.
Major parties’ election spending may be curbed in bid to level playing field
Labor and the Coalition could be barred from using cash donated by their investment organisations to help fund election campaigns.
New South Wales
Fire ant Senate inquiry hears NSW farmers ‘infuriated’ at ‘chronic failures’ in managing pest
The head of a peak NSW farming body calls for practical biosecurity solutions to deal with fire ants, instead of “people swanning around” on overseas research trips and theoretical chats.
Lord Howe island faces ‘major’ coral bleaching as ocean temperatures continue to break records
Fears coral bleaching moving south to Lord Howe, Norfolk islands after southern Great Barrier Reef experiences worst heat stress since 1985
ACT
Make public transport free if ticket system upgrade delayed: Libs [$]
Public transport should be made free if a ticketing system cannot be replaced before a 3G network the system partially relies on is shut down, the Canberra Liberals say.
Queensland
Land clearing: two million hectares of Queensland forest destroyed in five years, new analysis shows
Research finds almost all land cleared in the state between 2016 and 2021 in areas where threatened species habitat ‘likely to occur’
Roads, rates, rubbish, and the reasons to run for mayor
Brisbane Times put the leading lord mayoral candidates on the spot with 20 questions ahead of the March 16 election. Their responses are uncensored.
Significant decrease in gas supply for Qld region after explosion [$]
Gas is set to be rationed in parts of regional Queensland following an underground pipeline explosion that witnesses said sounded like a ‘huge roar like a jet’.
South Australia
Dead koala footage sparks calls for logging halt
Claims that koalas are being killed in droves by logging operations on Kangaroo Island have prompted calls for an immediate halt to protect the marsupials.
KI koala carnage sparks fears tourist trade will pay price for scandal [$]
Kangaroo Island’s blue chip tourism sector could be facing a severe backlash over a scandal sparked by video of loggers ripping through trees as koalas cling on.
Tasmania
The art of Earth dyeing: Intimate workshop connecting people to nature [$]
In the lead up to International Women’s Day on March 8, visitors and locals have undertaken “earth dyeing” workshops, learning the process of dyeing using sustainable and cultural resources around them.
Northern Territory
NT government flags possibility of buying idle solar farms from private operators
Northern Territory Chief Minister Eva Lawler says her government remains open to purchasing solar farms from private operators, but has refused to detail the estimated cost to taxpayers.
Government eyes more large batteries to boost capability of aging power grid [$]
The NT Government has announced a second large scale battery storage project for the Darwin-Katherine power grid before the first batteries have been tested, which are expected to be running by the end of the year the Chief Minister says.
Torres Strait Regional Authority celebrates women rangers
The Torres Strait Regional Authority is recognising remarkable women in celebration of International Women’s Day – 8 March – which includes a notable increase in the number of female rangers and board members.
Western Australia
City getting crabby over illegal fishing
The City of Mandurah will advocate for more government intervention to address illegal crabbing after a councillor put forward a motion to stop illegal fishers “raping and pillaging” the estuary of crabs.
Sustainability
When you think about plastic recycling, you probably picture plastic being converted into shiny new bottles, boxes and bags.
France’s political shift on agricultural chemicals
France’s far-right has moved from a stance against agrochemicals to ]advocating for them, signaling a major shift in their environmental policy.
Harnessing urban stormwater could revolutionize city water management
Cities in the United States have the untapped potential to capture a significant amount of stormwater, which could lead to more sustainable water resource management.
Solar energy brings a new dawn for Amazonian communities
In the depths of the Ecuadorian Amazon, solar panels are casting light on new sustainable lifestyles for Indigenous communities.
Nature Conservation
Michael Hewson
Africa, Asia, Australia, Antarctica, North and South America, Europe – and the Maritime Continent. Never heard of the last one? That’s because it’s not a continent made of land. In fact, it’s the largest warm tropical sea in the world, lapping against the shores of Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and smaller countries.
Maelor Himbury | Library Volunteer
Australian Conservation Foundation | www.acf.org.au
1800 223 669
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