Post of the Day
James Fitzsimons
Protected areas have been the cornerstone of efforts to conserve nature for more than a century. Most countries have some form of protected areas, national parks being the best-known examples. A key element of protected areas is that they are dedicated, through legal or other effective means, to long-term conservation of nature.
On This Day
Ecological Observance
Climate Change
World’s coal power capacity rises despite climate warnings
Increase of 2% last year driven by plant expansion in China and slowdown in US and Europe closures
World Bank must take ‘quantum leap’ to tackle climate crisis, UN expert says
Simon Stiell calls for reform at development banks to enable governments to provide more climate finance to developing world
Biden’s latest climate initiative aims to bolster US infrastructure
The Biden administration has earmarked $830 million for infrastructure projects across the nation to combat the effects of climate change.
More than half a million global stroke deaths may be tied to climate change
Stroke-related deaths on rise in regions with high temperatures
On cognitive dissonance, and courage
Gabrielle Kuiper
I have flashes of climate grief, recognition in photographic bursts: Pakistani cotton farmers walking through knee-deep water trying to salvage a few white puffs of income off blackened plants; precious graves of ancestors being inundated by the sea in Fiji, the Torres Strait Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Samoa, the Marshall Islands; the view of fire-ravaged forests, white smoke sky and black trunks in Yosemite National Park, Namadgi National Park, so many places that should be verdant.
National
Farmers, politicians unite to fight carbon capture ‘science experiment’ in Great Artesian Basin
Peak farming bodies say a mining giant’s proposal to store waste carbon dioxide in Australia’s biggest underground freshwater system puts the nation’s food production system at risk.
Wedge-tailed eagles are being tracked by satellite to see if they are a threat to lambs
Tracking devices on wedge-tailed eagles help scientists change the way farmers view Australia’s largest bird of prey.
Australia could reach an ‘ambitious’ emissions cut of up to 75% by 2035, advisers tell Labor
Climate Change Authority says goal could be achievable if more action is taken by governments, business, investors and households
Wind and solar, coupled with batteries and pumped hydro deliver the lowest cost transition. Nuclear would be slower and vastly more expensive, modelling shows.
Carbon price should be set at $70 a tonne and rise six-fold by mid-century, says AEMC
Australian Energy Markets Commission set interim value for cutting emissions that should reach $420/t CO-e by 2050
Nuclear lobby manipulates ABC’s 7.30
Noel Wauchope
An ABC report on nuclear energy presented a one-sided viewpoint, dominated by the pro-nuclear lobby.
The cost of needless secrecy on nuclear. What’s the scam?
Rex Patrick
The Defence Department and the ADF should keep secrets important to protect our national security. But that doesn’t mean everything they do should be secret.
Jane Norman
Australians will be paying more for energy in the future and they’re not yet prepared for that reality, says Alinta CEO Jeff Dimery.
“Ambitious and visionary:” Praise and some skepticism greets green manufacturing Act
Sophie Vorrath
There is plenty being said about Albanese’s Future Made in Australia Act. We round up the reactions to the PM’s speech in Queensland.
Victoria
Victorian households have the highest gas usage in the country — will they turn it around?
Victorian households have the highest gas usage in the country, but now the state government is urging people to make the big switch.
Watchdog rubbishes call for asbestos task force
Victoria’s environment regulator is tamping down a push to establish an asbestos task force to combat the growing crisis.
New housing development gets green light. But there is one problem [$]
In recent decades this small marsupial has been lost in Melbourne’s sand-belt suburbs. Now, researchers fear a series of townhouses that just got the green light in Cranbourne will render it more vulnerable.
The bonus encouraging Melbourne developers to build offices – during a housing crisis
Parkland, affordable housing and commercial office spaces earn developers bonuses to build in the CBD. The code was meant to be reviewed but it hasn’t been touched.
Blame game hides truth of asbestos contamination saga [$]
Annika Smethurst
As a resident and the mother of a toddler, I have been concerned, like many others, about the lack of straight answers on the contamination of Melbourne playgrounds.
New South Wales
‘Absolute nightmare’: NSW farmers count cost after 12th flood in four years
Shoalhaven farmers are facing “massive” damage bills after intense rain triggered flash flooding. It’s a particularly bitter blow after several tough years.
ACT
Extreme heatwave trouble spots have been found right around Canberra
The large tract of East Canberra which takes in Symonston, Beard, the HMAS Harman naval base, the Mugga Lane tip, and expansive grasslands has been rated as the highest health risk to people in the ACT under extreme heat conditions.
Queensland
$14b Borumba project ‘waits’ for missing environmental report [$]
Qld Hydro has denied reports the $14billion Borumba Pumped Hydro project near Gympie had been “paused” or put on hold because it had failed to deliver a detailed report on how it planned to mitigate environmental impact.
Final cost of pumped hydro may exceed our wildest estimates [$]
Michelle Landry
Queenslanders have been denied the chance to ask how a project of such magnitude will impact their hip pockets.
Northern Territory
‘A circus’: Coalition says Middle Arm inquiry should never have happened [$]
Conservative pollies have presented a united front in support of Middle Arm, criticising public hearings they say have given voice to those ‘hellbent on destroying the NT’s future’.
Western Australia
Ecologists warn of second ‘forest collapse’ event in WA as record dry spell continues
It’s been likened to coral bleaching, but on land — and experts are fearful dry conditions have Western Australia on the brink of another devastating ‘forest collapse’ event.
Enviro-activist protest targets Premier’s base [$]
Environmental activists have vandalised the electorate office of WA Premier Roger Cook in the latest protest action against Woodside Energy’s Burrup Hub gas project.
Home owners concerned about silica dust from proposed sand mine
Bob Horsfall thought the fight was over after the proposal near his Boyanup property was rejected last year, but a revised plan is being reviewed, renewing his concerns.
Why we should celebrate the climate stoush at Woodside [$]
Chanticleer
An adult, active and thoughtful debate about Woodside’s climate transition plan is precisely what we want to see in corporate Australia.
Sustainability
China has the world’s fastest train but it wants to push speeds even higher. It has recently run a train through a low-vacuum tube at speeds of more than 600 kph — but the designers want it to ultimately reach a blistering 4,000 kph.
Cancer is striking the young, perplexing scientists
A global surge in early-onset cancer cases, especially gastrointestinal cancers in adults under 50, has alarmed the medical community and spurred an international $25 million research effort to uncover causes and solutions.
Chemicals stored in home garages linked to ALS risk
These included chemicals present in gasoline and gasoline powered equipment, lawn care products, pesticides, pain and woodworking supplies
Flame retardant chemicals linked to increased risk of cancer-related death
Higher exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), a group of dangerous chemicals commonly used as flame retardants, is associated with an increased risk of death from cancer, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open.
A microbial plastic factory for high-quality green plastic
Engineered bacteria can produce a plastic modifier that makes renewably sourced plastic more processable, more fracture resistant and highly biodegradable even in sea water.
Nature Conservation
A turtle’s ordeal leads to a global fight against plastic straws
A video capturing the painful removal of a plastic straw from a turtle’s nostril became a catalyst for worldwide action against single-use plastics.
Scientists create octopus survival guide to minimize impacts of fishing
Scientists have created a step-by-step aging guide for octopus to ensure fisheries remain sustainable, protecting the longevity of this ancient animal while guaranteeing the world doesn’t go hungry.
Ants in Colorado are on the move due to climate change
Ant species living in Boulder’s foothills have shifted their habitat over the last six decades, potentially affecting local ecosystems, suggests a new study.
Forests could also be potential bulwarks against climate change. But, increasingly severe droughts and wildfires, invasive species, and large insect outbreaks — all intensified by climate change — are straining many national forests and surrounding lands in the United States.
Maelor Himbury | Library Volunteer
Australian Conservation Foundation | www.acf.org.au
1800 223 669
This email and any files transmitted with it may be confidential and legally privileged. If you are not the intended recipient of this email, you must not disclose or use the information contained in it.
If you have received this email in error, please notify us by return email and permanently delete the document.
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of this country and their continuing connection to land, waters and community.
We pay respect to their elders past and present and to the pivotal role that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to play in caring for country across Australia.