Sunset on the Gulf of Carpentaria.
From: Maelor Himbury <M.Himbury@acfonline.org.au>
Date: 19 July 2024 at 8:44:33 AM GMT+10
To: Undisclosed recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Jul 19
Date: 19 July 2024 at 8:44:33 AM GMT+10
To: Undisclosed recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Jul 19
Post of the Day
Genevieve Guenther’s book, The Language of Climate Politics, claims fossil fuel talking points have permeated climate discussions, skewing public perception and action.
On This Day
Ecological Observance
Climate Change
Polyphenols are generally toxic to microorganisms. In peatlands, scientists thought microorganisms avoided this toxicity by degrading polyphenols using an oxygen-dependent enzyme, and thus that low-oxygen conditions inhibit microbes’ carbon cycling.
When it comes to diatoms that live in the ocean, new research suggests that photosynthesis is not the only strategy for accumulating carbon.
A Republican sweep in upcoming elections could mean a dramatic shift in U.S. climate policy, undoing many of Biden’s key environmental initiatives.
Former President Trump’s environmental policies, including exiting the Paris Agreement and rolling back more than 100 regulations, continue to influence climate efforts both in the U.S. and internationally.
A NATO report reveals that climate change is increasingly complicating global security and NATO’s operational capabilities.
National
Canadian experts say it’s not too late for Australia to build a nuclear power industry. But should we?
Chilly temperatures below average have led to record energy demand.
Twiggy Forrest’s announcement of job cuts affecting his ambitious green hydrogen project shows the failure of the government’s energy plan, the coalition says.
The ACCC gives Coles, Woolworths and Aldi the okay to push on with their soft plastics recycling program after the collapse of REDcycle.
Second-hand electric car sales have more than tripled over the past year, according to a major vehicle reseller, despite a recent slowdown in new EV sales
Leading nuclear experts have rejected Murray Watt’s claims that nuclear power stations would take water from farmers and put cropping and grazing land at risk of accidents.
Households need information, not just discounted ‘green finance’ – SwitchedOn podcast:
CEFC’s Grace Tam on how green finance can turbo charge household electrification – and why access to service providers and information is just as important.
Leanne Wiseman
Australians have a love affair with household appliances. The national household appliance market is projected to reach A$13 billion in 2024 – a figure that grows each year.
Graham Readfearn
Those pushing the nuclear option are making some questionable claims about the capacity of renewable energy
David Heard
Labor’s tax incentive scheme maintains the habit of describing identical molecules with colours of the rainbow. It is out of step with Australia’s competitors and customers
Australian editorial
Fortescue provides lesson in high stakes of trying to pick winners.
New South Wales
Leading e-waste processor will add solar recycling to its repertoire after getting financial backing to reboot a panel processing facility in NSW.
The $8 million project, funded through a state government grant, will reignite tensions over the 61-hectare site sometimes called “the jewel of the inner west”.
Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital has been tackling a massive surge in hospitalisations, with “urban sprawl” named as the biggest threat vulnerable native animals are facing.
A fight to save a south coast forest and its threatened inhabitants has come to a head, with a regional council set to vote on its fate next week.
Hugh Possingham et al
The laws designed to protect the environment in New South Wales are completely ineffective, according to the scathing Henry Review in 2023.
ACT
Residents of West Belconnen believe the decision to propose a sprawling 165-hectare solar farm in NSW, right on the north-west border at Wallaroo, was made to take advantage of the ACT’s inability to intervene in the process.
Queensland
CS Energy’s attempts to expand into renewable energy were knocked back by the state government ahead of catastrophic incidents at Callide Power Station.
South Australia
Zen Energy signs MoU to help power huge magnetite mine with firmed renewables, in move to underpin South Australia green iron production
We meet passionate environmentalist and educator Danielle Roselt to find out how she’s working with communities to take care of South Australia’s precious River Murray region.
Fortescue’s green hydrogen ambitions have met a premature end, but the state government won’t change its own plans as the Opposition claims the Whyalla plant is $73 million over-budget.
Professional shooters would be able to target kangaroos in the Adelaide foothills and national parks for the first time, under proposed changes to the commercial harvest zone.
Tasmania
Representatives of the Tasmanian Conservation Trust, Planning Matters Alliance Tasmania, Australian Coastal Society and Environment Tasmania believe that the Government’s draft legislation is designed solely to guarantee the approval of the wharf required to construct the proposed Robbins Island wind farm but is being disguised as a solution to a much bigger problem that doesn’t exist.
Western Australia
Mining executive Andrew Forrest has denied he is abandoning his ambitions for green hydrogen, saying the fuel is imperative for combating climate change.
Fresh building works tendered for Penguin Island during the breeding season could be the killing blow for the already diminished population, scientists say.
Sustainability
Monsanto has withdrawn its lawsuit challenging Mexico’s 2020 decree banning glyphosate and genetically modified (GM) corn, marking a victory for the country’s health and environmental policies.
Recent findings debunk the optimistic view that Mediterranean seagrasses can effectively combat marine plastic pollution, revealing more harm than help.
The Biden administration is backing two projects that use clean hydrogen, not coal, to make iron. A new analysis estimates just how much renewable energy those facilities will need.
Greenhouse workers face extreme heat and humidity, risking their health in structures designed to protect plants, not people.
The materials in car cabins can release high levels of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) – a group of potentially endocrine disrupting chemicals – into the surrounding air, according to a new study published in Science of the Total Environment.
EV adoption will help cut CO2 from cars, but the heavy, battery-laden vehicles could make tire pollution worse. Better tires can help.
Nature Conservation
The most threatened reef fishes are also the most overlooked by scientists and the general public.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is pushing for a reduction to the animal’s protection status, while France has reported its first population drop in nearly 10 years.
Driven out by hunting and habitat loss, the birds are now nesting and breeding in a few pockets in England
Researchers have analysed data from 127 studies to reveal ‘thresholds’ for when logged rainforests lose the ability to sustain themselves. The results could widen the scope of which forests are considered ‘worth’ conserving, but also show how much logging degrades forests beyond the point of no return.
Maelor Himbury | Library Volunteer
Australian Conservation Foundation | www.acf.org.au
1800 223 669
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