The threat to global civilisation is from leaders who are the walking versions of the dark triad, “narcissism, psychopathy and Machiavellianism”. “Trump is a textbook nascissist, Putin is a cold psychopath and Xi Jinping … a masterful Machiavellian manipulator”. Meanwhile, in our world of inequality, we Cassandras watch on as we move almost inexorably towards self-destruction. Wow!
|
|
From: Maelor Himbury <M.Himbury@acfonline.org.au>
Date: 5 August 2025 at 8:52:36 am GMT+10
To: Undisclosed recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Aug 5
Date: 5 August 2025 at 8:52:36 am GMT+10
To: Undisclosed recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Aug 5
Post of the Day
Plastic production has increased more than 200 times since 1950 and hits health at every stage from extraction to disposal, says review in the Lancet
On This Day
Climate Change
Brazil is resisting calls to move the global COP30 climate summit, scheduled for November, out of Belem, even as it faces mounting pressure over soaring accommodation prices in the Amazonian city.
Hundreds of thousands of people under siege in the Sudanese army’s last holdout in the western Darfur region are running out of food and coming under constant artillery and drone barrages, while those who flee risk cholera and violent attacks.
Glacial retreat on pristine world heritage-listed island as temperatures warm could endanger unique plant life
Scientists record longest streak of temperatures higher than 30C in region in records going back to 1961
Globally connected early warning systems help us prepare for extreme weather events. Now those systems are under a cloud.
This New York City island was once a military base. Now it’s becoming a climate solutions hub – in pictures
Governors Island, a 172-acre island in New York Harbor only accessible by ferry, attracts nearly a million visitors each year. More recently, it has evolved into an educational hub and incubator for solutions to facing the city’s climate and environmental challenges
National
After surrendering its dominance of Australian electric vehicle sales, Tesla is also now also rapidly losing ground in the home battery market.
Australian homes could be rated on their vulnerability to bushfires, floods and other climate risks in a move that would keep buyers from uninsurable properties.
Australia faces widespread blackouts by 2027 unless 55,000 new electrical apprentices are recruited to meet surging demand from the renewable energy transition.
South Australia and Tasmania will give least $130 million in funding to save smelters in Hobart and Port Pirie ahead of a national strategy to help the industry.
While green-hydrogen hype is starting to deflate globally, climate, energy and finance experts say there are still plenty of reasons to pursue production of the zero-emission fuel in Australia.
The Productivity Commission’s suggestions are at odds with the government’s Future Gas Strategy and AEMO’s own forecasts, industry representatives said.
Rewiring Australia has criticised the Productivity Commission’s interim report on climate and energy, arguing it has missed the biggest productivity opportunity available to the nation; rapidly replacing fossil fuel machines with clean, efficient electric alternatives.
Greg Sheridan
As even The Economist magazine abandons net-zero by 2050, the Coalition needs to find a politically saleable way of telling the truth on policy.
Robert Gottliebsen
Australia’s governments would do well to learn a thing or two from our most trusted brand.
Bernard Keane
There’s been a conspiracy of silence on climate ahead of the government’s productivity and tax summit this month. But the Productivity Commission has an idea.
Benjamin Clark
Globally, many right-wing movements are adopting pro-natalist policies to undermine the left’s electoral advantage on family policies.
Jennifer Hewett
The Productivity Commission’s second of five interim reports offers a confusing new acronym but little that is concrete.
Ronald Mizen
The influential union, a key backer of Jim Chalmers, has long advocated for an east coast gas reserve that would force LNG producers to put away gas for locals.
Victoria
Solstice Energy says it will switch off its gas pipelines across 10 regional Victorian towns, including Swan Hill and Lakes Entrance, by the end of next year.
New South Wales
One of the most powerful energy storage batteries in the world has been designed to back up NSW’s grid.
More than two years after Chris Minns pledged to “declare war” on toll road administration fees, his government has yet to fulfil its promise to reduce the fees that toll road operators levy on drivers who fail to pay to use their roads
ACT
‘We are extremely disappointed’: Controversial airport road in earless dragon habitat to go ahead [$]
A controversial road on the edge of Canberra’s airport has been approved despite community concerns over the critically endangered Canberra grasslands earless dragon.
The ACT government has confirmed it will not purchase Ginninderra Falls after the controversial property was listed for sale almost 10 months ago.
Queensland
The Brisbane City Council expected to double the number of green bins in Brisbane in the next four months, saving up to $2 million for ratepayers next year.
Queenslanders may have saved millions thanks to 50c fares, but the LNP has just revealed how much its costing the budget
Michael McKenna
Andrew Forrest captivated politicians in 2022, when he outlined plans to turn Queensland into an exporter of hydrogen energy. Three years on, a $1bn pipeline is set to be completed with not a single customer.
South Australia
Adelaide’s River Torrens has battled pollution and an image problem over the decades — but there is now a proposal to bring back swimming to the waterway.
A tidal pool at an SA tourism hotspot has been closed after the harmful algal bloom and storm damage left the popular swimming spot unsafe for public use.
Tasmania
Ruth Forrest
If you’re fossicking through the Marinus Whole of State Business Case (WoSBC) to find a collective tick of approval for the project, don’t bother.
It’s not there.
Bruce Mountain
Almost 20 years ago I advised the fund that bought Basslink from the (British) National Grid Company. NGC (and Macquarie) had run rings around the representatives of the Tasmanian people, and it was time to monetise the rivers of gold those hopeless representatives had provided.
Western Australia
Australia is sinking billions of dollars into an uncertain bid to become the world’s leading green hydrogen exporter, but it already has the ingredients to become a renewable energy superpower, a Canadian physician-turned-nuclear evangelist says.
Sustainability
Last year, more than one in five new cars sold globally were electric. But how does this vary worldwide? This share is shown across a selection of countries in the chart (more are available here).
Hellen Huang
Unchecked production fuels oil demand, drives climate change
Guardian editorial
To counter attacks on net zero, challenges including the need for grid upgrades will have to be grasped
Damian Carrington
An epic analysis of 5,000 years of civilisation argues that a global collapse is coming unless inequality is vanquished
Stephen Lezak
During the cold war, the US and Soviet Union were locked in a desperate race to develop cutting‑edge technologies like long-range missiles and satellites. Fast forward to today and the frontiers of global technology have pivoted to AI and next‑generation energy.
Nature Conservation
Citizen Zoo to map habitats in the capital and consult boroughs and the public about reintroduction of the birds
A licence to dig in the Cajas region has been welcomed by some as an answer to economic woes. Yet many fear it will devastate a fragile ecosystem and set the tone for further projects in the country
Lauren A. Siegel
It’s no secret that social media has changed travel. Holidaymakers increasingly seek to imitate images posted by influencers and their peers on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. In our increasingly digital world, travellers now chase the perfect shot like treasure hunters. That can mean navigating crowds, long lines and sometimes even danger – all for content from the world’s most “Instagrammable” spots.
Author
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.