What a noteworthy juxtaposition! The Queensland and first SA articles are both about water – but they are so different, one too much, one not enough. Get used to it folks, not only will climate change not go away, it is going to get worse. Thank you (not), fossil fools and your servants in media and government.
From: Maelor Himbury <M.Himbury@acfonline.org.au>
Date: 12 February 2025 at 8:37:41 am GMT+11
To: Undisclosed recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Feb 12
Date: 12 February 2025 at 8:37:41 am GMT+11
To: Undisclosed recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Feb 12
Post of the Day
Peta Ashworth and Ehsan Pashajavid
Large power grids are among the most complicated machines humans have ever devised. Different generators produce power at various times and at various costs. A generator might fail and another fills the gap. Demand soars in the evenings and on hot days. In Australia, eastern and southern states trade power across borders. Meanwhile, Western Australia has two grids and the Northern Territory has several.
On This Day
Climate Change
Research on climate policy is growing exponentially. Of the approximately 85,000 individual studies ever published on policy instruments for mitigating global heating, a good quarter are from 2020 or later. A study using machine learning methods now shows how this vast knowledge is distributed — by instrument, country, sector and policy level — and identifies research gaps.
New research has found exposure to outdoor air pollution and extreme temperatures during pregnancy may increase the risk of prolonged pregnancy, offering new insights into the impact of climate change on maternal health.
National
Billions of dollars in support are expected to flow to the green hydrogen and critical minerals sectors — if they actually produce it. Here’s what the new tax credit scheme looks like.
With warnings the current model is not sustainable, councils are considering their options as pressure grows to find available land and the funds to maintain perpetual gravesites.
Uranium processing will not receive further incentives from Labor’s flagship decarbonisation fund in a bid to prevent the establishment of nuclear power.
Endangered waves: why Australia’s iconic surf spots could soon reach a breaking point
Research reveals surf breaks are on the frontline of threats that could undermine access to and enjoyment of our famous beaches
Doctors have warned of no “safe” level of radiation from a proposed network of nuclear reactors as battlelines are drawn for the federal election.
Emissions reduction has flat-lined since the government was elected, due in part to a bounce-back from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The final piece of Labor’s signature Future Made in Australia legislation to support green industries has passed through parliament without Coalition support. The government looks set to land a deal to change electoral law, as time runs out for lobbying before the election.
Judith Sloan
It’s surely strange that the Albanese government would crow about ramping up the Safeguard Mechanism on our largest greenhouse gas emitters and then complain about the Trump administration imposing a 25 per cent tariff on steel and aluminium?
David Van
Weaknesses in governance, planning and economic efficiency in the NEM are historic, but completely inadequate for the revolutionary transition to green energy.
Australian editorial
If the mainstream parties are to join forces to rid Australian politics of the Greens’ high-tax, anti-development, anti-business, anti-Israel and anti-gas policies, lessons should be learned from the party’s loss of the Victorian state seat of Prahran.
Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (Australia)
This strategy outlines the actions the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water will take to progress reconciliation within the organisation. Its five key outcomes seek to incorporate the expertise of First Nations people into the department’s policy, program and regulatory work while creating a culturally supportive environment for First Nations staff.
Victoria
The bright-green bridge over Footscray Road and a rainbow bridge at Dynon Road remain fenced off by the West Gate Tunnel Project, forcing cyclists to continue riding on dangerous truck-laden roads.
New South Wales
George Khouzame came to the spotlight when a home he built suddenly collapsed. But that was only the start of it.
Public transport experts say industrial action planned for Sydney’s train network could shift public opinion about driverless trains, as some delays are paused on the city’s rail network.
Queensland
There is a risk of more flooding in the state’s already saturated north, but a vital supply route has reop
South Australia
Rainwater tanks, dams, and springs are running dry in Adelaide Hills and Fleurieu Peninsula while water carriers say they are struggling to meet the demand from both farmers and households.
Adelaide business owners say the city council is ostracising motorists through its proposals to reduce parking on busy streets and turn the road west of Light Square into green space.
Tasmania
Fires continue to burn in Tasmania’s west, with multiple aircraft and ground crews involved in the effort to contain them — with authorities saying they “continue to liaise” with people who have stayed in the area.
Grants are now available to assist small beverage producers to transition to Tasmania’s container refund scheme ‘Recycle Rewards’.
Northern Territory
The Environment Centre NT and Arid Land Environment Centre have condemned their sudden funding cut as ‘pathetic’, ‘weak’ and the sign of a government ‘scared of scrutiny’.
Western Australia
WA Labor has been talking up the clean energy transition ahead of the state election. But industry experts say a lack of transmission and generation is slowing progress.
A cyclone warning has been issued in parts of WA’s north in preparation for strong winds and heavy rain as a tropical low approaches the coast, expected to intensify into a cyclone as early as Wednesday.
The Cook government’s decision to lobby against the Albanese government’s Nature Positive plans have caused headaches for Labor in at least one WA heartland seat.
Backer of massive proposed green hydrogen hubs in W.A. – with nearly 100 GW of planned capacity – says newly passed production tax credit will be a “game changer.”
Sustainability
As Japan grapples with new crises, nuclear power is once again being seen as the energy of the future.
More than 1,100 people in the UK developed lung adenocarcinoma in 2022 due to air pollution, according to a new analysis by the World Health Organization’s cancer agency.
Scientists are uncovering how PFAS, chemicals found in everyday products, may alter gene expression and increase cancer risk, especially in firefighters and children exposed from birth.
Julian Cribb
This year, more than 400 million people are in search of new homes, of food, water and family security.
Charles Hemmings
Despite it never having been done anywhere before, we were promised clean, green and cheap energy, but reliability was not promised.
Nate Hagens, Leo Trasande, Linda Birnbaum and Christina Dixon take on the plastic pollution crisis: We cannot recycle our way out of this problem.
Nature Conservation
While the restoration of natural areas is high on political agendas, a comprehensive new study shows that — after more than two decades — biodiversity growth has stalled in restored Danish wetlands.
Maelor Himbury | Library Volunteer
Australian Conservation Foundation | www.acf.org.au
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