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Date: 26 April 2024 at 7:49:24 AM GMT+9:30
To: Undisclosed recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Apr 26
Post of the Day
David Lindenmayer et al
Some reports and popular books, such as Bill Gammage’s Biggest Estate on Earth, have argued that extensive areas of Australia’s forests were kept open through frequent burning by First Nations people. Advocates for widespread thinning and burning of these forests have relied on this belief. They argue fire is needed to return these forests to their “pre-invasion” state.
On This Day
Theravada New Year ends – Buddhism
Ecological Observance
National Arbor Day – USA
International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day
Climate Change
MEPs vote to leave treaty used by investors to sue over climate policies
Coordinated withdrawal agreed after several member states and UK have quit energy charter treaty
How divestment became a ‘clarion call’ in anti-fossil fuel and pro-ceasefire protests
The divestment movement has a long history among US student activists, including in the overlapping movements of today
US seeing rise in climate-related power outages, report says
High winds, rains, winter storms and tropical cyclones accounted for 80% of power interruptions over the last 20 years
Young indigenous voices address climate change at UN forum
Indigenous youth leaders shared their unique challenges and solutions at this year’s United Nations forum on Indigenous issues.
New rule compels US coal-fired power plants to capture emissions – or shut down
New EPA directive will cut pollution equivalent to the emissions of 328m cars, but industry group decries it as a ‘reckless plan’
‘Outrageous’ climate activists get in the faces of politicians and oil bosses – will it work?
Oliver Milman
As the climate crisis has deepened, protesters have become more confrontational – and their ambitions have grown
National
Why have power bills skyrocketed when wholesale electricity keeps getting cheaper?
The wholesale price of electricity in Australia is three times cheaper than it was two years ago, according to new data from Australia’s energy regulator, but retailers are still jacking up their prices.
Flawed plan ‘to sink clean energy’
Former ACCC tsar Rod Sims says an ad hoc ‘Made in Australia’ approach to net-zero transition risks saddling the nation with high-cost solar panels and wind farms.
Can Pollination really become the next ‘green’ Macquarie? [$]
The fledgling investment bank has lofty ambitions and a high-profile roster of executives. But it also has plenty of competition for climate dollars.
Four states in firing line as more invasive fire ants nests found on army base
An outbreak of invasive fire ants in one of the largest catchments of the Murray-Darling Basin has experts worried four states could be affected if the pest spreads.
Data reveals surprising shifts in population
Australia’s immigration patterns and demographics have undergone a huge change across the previous decades, according to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Environment groups accuse MasterChef of greenwashing after gas sponsorship deals unveiled
Channel Ten show’s planned use of biomethane and hydrogen in cooking challenges ‘completely out of sync’ with changing attitudes, critics say
Tanya Plibersek rejects claims renewable projects are being held up by approval delays
The environment minister says she is approving windfarms at the fastest rate in history amid industry concerns about an ‘alarming’ slowdown
Lack of parts and outdated laws also contributing to long repair wait times and ballooning premiums
Abbott urges conservatives to hold their line [$]
Tony Abbott has warned centre-right parties against moving to the left to pick up voters, saying that climate and immigration had become modern-day ‘litmus issues’ for working people.
Fire ants attack a nest of green ants – video
Invasive fire ants can injure and kill Australian wildlife, such as koalas, echidnas and turtles, particularly defenceless hatchlings.
If you need someone to blame, look a little further than the minister
Amanda Vanstone
Headlines help sell papers and online subscriptions. They’re just clickbait you might say but they shouldn’t be dismissed so easily.
Nationals threaten to tear up wind and solar contracts as nuclear misinformation swings polls
Giles Parkinson
National leader David Littleproud has threatened to tear up contracts for wind and solar farm developments, in the latest broadside against large scale renewable energy from the federal Coalition.
Victoria
‘A stupid idea’: The council proposing to ban residents from pruning their own trees [$]
A council in Melbourne’s south-east is considering a new law that will clamp down on removing or pruning trees on private property.
Vic homeowners could be forced to buy ‘green’ appliances [$]
Victorian homeowners could be forced to fork out thousands of dollars to replace broken windows, heating and gas cooktops with energy efficient appliances in a major government crackdown.
Yarra Council admits it bungled own rules at golf course reno [$]
Red-faced Yarra Council bosses have confessed they didn’t follow their own rules when they chopped down more than 20 mature trees during the Burnley Golf Course redevelopment.
For teeny tiny sisters, big problems are best tackled in song [$]
How do you explain big topics like climate change to a young audience? For this Melbourne duo, the solution was simple: pair the information with chords and melodies, and put it in a song.
Anonymous
The government seems to want teams to go scoop up drug users and put them in treatment – whether they’re ready for it or not
Queensland
Scientist fears it might be ‘our last best chance’ to boost endangered species in the Mary River
The first extensive study in decades of one of Australia’s most unique rivers reveals the rare and endangered species that call it home aren’t bouncing back like they should.
‘Leave politics to the politicians’: why rural Queensland is a hotbed of renewable energy
Renewable energy developers are following tracks laid by the gas industry in the Western Downs – but they’re also making the same mistakes
South Australia
It’s Nuyts: Tour operator slams proposed camping ban on islands [$]
A prominent tourism operator says a proposed ban on overnight camping on a remote cluster of islands off the South Australian coast will destroy his business.
Tasmania
The endangered Australasian bittern likes to keep a low profile and experts think there may be fewer than 1,000 left in Australia, but it’s now been spotted with chicks in unique wetlands still recovering from damming in the 1960s.
Northern Territory
‘Every 50 to 100 metres’: Why an explosion in crocodile numbers is leading to a mass removal
Less than a year since a 67-year-old tourist was bitten at a popular Top End swimming spot, the NT government has upped its annual quota for saltwater croc harvest by 900.
Why plans to power this outback town with renewable energy are ‘ahead of the game’
A new report has outlined four pathways to help power Alice Springs by 50 per cent renewable energy within six years, providing a roadmap to put the town years ahead of Darwin, Katherine, and the national energy market.
The Lawler Government and CDU have refused to explain how the university can provide the necessary independence to undertake monitoring of the gas industry’s fracking operations in the Beetaloo Sub-Basin, after its vice-chancellor told a Senate inquiry the university regularly accepts money and gifts from the industry, with other integrity issues at the highest levels of the university remaining unresolved.
‘Grave concern’: Toxic metals rising in Darwin fishing spots [$]
A spike in heavy metal readings across Darwin Harbour in 12 months has been recorded. Find out why it’s got an environmental group concerned.
Aussie rock legend calls out plans for Kakadu [$]
An Australian rock legend has claimed “people will be ready to rally from every corner of the nation” if a uranium licence is extended in Kakadu National Park.
Western Australia
‘Ignoring the science’: Woodside shareholder revolt sees climate plan rejected
Woodside is being forced to defend its climate transition plan, with the gas giant’s shareholders rejecting it.
Dumped goldfish grow into hefty ferals, but their days in this murky river paradise are numbered
Some of the world’s largest feral goldfish have been found in a river flowing through a popular WA tourist town. Now, the dumped pets are being removed.
Emergency warning issued as ‘deliberately lit’ bushfire threatens WA properties
An emergency warning is in place as a bushfire burns in “parched” bushland near Western Australia’s south coast.
Twenty six whales dead after mass stranding
Authorities are rushing to save more than 100 whales from a mass stranding at a beach in Western Australia’s southwest with more than two dozen already dead.
Woodside to pay $18b for hydrocarbon projects despite climate rebuke [$]
This massive outlay comes as investor opposition to the oil and gas giant’s climate plan has grown over the past two years.
Woodside meeting shows power of climate change resolution
Glenda Korporaal
Woodside’s annual meeting shows how climate change resolutions at AGMs can push companies for faster action.
Why Goyder survived even though his climate plan was panned
Elizabeth Knight
For large investors such as pension and superannuation funds, a vote against what climate activists and experts and some shareholders believe is a vague and feeble plan to reduce emissions in line with the Paris Agreement is a no-brainer.
Perth’s brutal summer just the beginning without more trees [$]
Albert Jacob
This summer was one of the hottest in Perth’s history, with February breaking the record for the most days over 40 degrees.
Sustainability
Survey finds that 60 firms are responsible for half of world’s plastic pollution
Study confirms Philip Morris International, Danone, Nestlé, PepsiCo and Coca-Cola are worst offenders
Unhealthy air pollution affects nearly 40% of Americans, report reveals
A recent American Lung Association report states that climate change and wildfires are reversing progress on air pollution, impacting 131 million Americans with unhealthy air.
Indigenous concerns about the environmental and social costs of the green transition
Leaders from across the globe gathered in New York at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. A report presented on the first day of the forum argue that the green economy perpetuates extractive practices, often ignoring Indigenous rights.
Shipping industry seeks sustainable fuel alternatives
The shipping sector is moving away from heavy fuel oil to greener alternatives in response to stringent global regulations.
International team inspects Fukushima treated water
A team of experts from the UN nuclear agency has inspected the tsunami-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant for a review of its discharge of treated radioactive wastewater into the Pacific.
This salt battery harvests osmotic energy where the river meets the sea
Estuaries — where freshwater rivers meet the salty sea — are great locations for birdwatching and kayaking. In these areas, waters containing different salt concentrations mix and may be sources of sustainable, ‘blue’ osmotic energy. Researchers report creating a semipermeable membrane that harvests osmotic energy from salt gradients and converts it to electricity. The new design had an output power density more than two times higher than commercial membranes in lab demonstrations.
Nature Conservation
Scientists declare animals conscious [$]
Scientists have issued a declaration that animals should be considered as conscious beings – and even bees can play like us
Shoreline model predicts long-term future of storm protection and sea-level rise
Researchers have created a coastal evolution model to analyze how coastal management activities on barrier islands, meant to adapt to sea-level rise, can disrupt natural processes that are keeping the barrier islands above water. Replenishing beaches and clearing over-washed roads may not be the best long term strategy.
Noise from traffic stunts growth of baby birds, study finds
Researchers also find zebra finches 20% less likely to hatch from eggs if exposed to noise pollution
Labour says UK nature under threat and pledges to halt decline
Shadow minister Steve Reed vows to uphold targets on biodiversity loss and protecting land and sea
Longer-lasting ozone holes over Antarctica expose seal pups and penguin chicks to much more UV
Sharon Robinson et al
Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink.
Granting legal ‘personhood’ to nature is a growing movement – can it stem biodiversity loss?
Viktoria Kahui
Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing.
Maelor Himbury | Library Volunteer
Australian Conservation Foundation | www.acf.org.au
1800 223 669
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