From: Maelor Himbury <M.Himbury@acfonline.org.au>
Date: Fri, 25 Sep 2026 at 8:32 am
Subject: Daily Links Sep 25
To:
Post of the Day
Peter Hannam
Dan Tehan’s attempt to win the climate wars carried a whiff of napalm – dropped on the Opposition itself, and of course the industry.
On This Day
Feast of Saint Nicholas of Flüe – Switzerland
AFL Grand Final Celebration – Melbourne
Daslakshana ends – Jainism
Ecological Observance
Arbor Day – US Virgin Islands
Climate Change
Fossil-fuel firms in line for billions in benefits after answering Trump’s donation call
Senators’ report says taxpayers face higher bills after ‘bargain’ between president and major polluters
Democrats must show links of climate shocks to ‘kitchen table’ issues, California governor says
‘Eat the rich, save the planet’: climate protesters call out big tech’s disconnect from reality
Activists gathered outside the OpenAI offices on Monday during climate week in New York City
The Arctic sea ice melt season grew longer for decades, but something strange happened around 2010
The Arctic sea ice melt season is roughly 40 days longer than it was in 1979, yet its rapid expansion unexpectedly leveled off around 2010.
Scientists say a critical Atlantic Ocean current is weakening and the effects could be global
A major Atlantic current system that helps regulate Earth’s climate has been weakening for nearly 20 years, raising concerns about future shifts in weather and sea level.
Earth’s tides are shaped by more than the Moon. And they’re changing as the planet warms
Luwei Yang and Callum Shakespeare
In some parts of the world, the sea barely rises and falls with the tides. In others, the difference between high and low tide is dramatic. Along Western Australia’s Kimberley coast, for example, it can exceed ten metres – roughly the height of a three-storey building.
National
Bush landscape transformed into ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ flower experience
Australia’s bushland is brimming with life and colour thanks to consistent rainfall events through autumn and winter.
Researchers uncover hidden dangers in rainwater tanks
Rainwater tanks are a popular way for Australians to save water, but new research has found they can also harbour potentially harmful bacteria and metals that could pose health concerns.
Coal miners demand renewables sector reveal net-zero progress [$]
Coal Australia has called on Labor to force operators to report on jobs, taxes and how they are reducing energy bills, accusing it of double standards.
The Coalition says it wants cheaper power, not ideology. But its evidence-free plan is all ideology
Adam Morton
The reheated plans to scrap renewable schemes, boost fossil fuels and revive nuclear are transparently Trumpian
Victoria
Famous Maremma guardian dog penguin project under threat
Warrnambool’s Maremma guardian dogs, as seen in the movie Oddball, have not stayed a night on Middle Island for two years.
Victoria’s koala crisis hidden behind questionable numbers
Sue Arnold
A long-awaited report on Victoria’s koalas has exposed alarming health problems and raised serious questions over population estimates and …
New South Wales
NSW Planning fails to consult key agencies over data centre gas plant
The NSW Department of Planning has admitted it made an error when it skipped consultation with key agencies regarding a proposal for a major gas plant to power data centres.
Scientists probe connection between deadly frog disease and coal wastewater
A study on the impact of chytrid fungus disease in Royal National Park frogs raises questions about regulation of coalmine wastewater.
How fight over valuable Sydney land will shape a future train line [$]
Confidential government documents reveal tensions between senior bureaucrats over how far an extended rail line for double-decker passenger trains should go.
Queensland
Coal mine owners walk away and leave rehabilitation to state
Liquidators surrender the leases of a central Queensland coal mine, with questions around who will manage and pay for the rehabilitation of the site.
Qld council says costs prevent it hitting recycling targets
As fuel prices soar, many regional local governments are struggling with the cost of transporting recyclables hundreds of kilometres for processing.
Hervey Bay’s dugongs make positive start on slow road to recovery
A small but positive increase in the number of dugongs spotted in coastal areas in south-east Queensland has researchers feeling cautiously optimistic about the vulnerable marine mammal achieving population revival.
‘Pooling’: Gross reason eco-resort hit with environmental order [$]
A Sunshine Coast ecocamp has received an environmental enforcement order after a broken pipe leaked onto a walking trail, forcing its closure.
Qld wind, solar projects approved in face of Coalition ‘chainsaw’ threat [$]
Days after the Coalition vowed to “take a chainsaw” to renewables, two massive Queensland clean energy projects have won federal approval, creating up to 1000 construction jobs.
South Australia
Legal action lodged over SA government’s MotoGP circuit plans
Designs for the $96 million street circuit, which will require the removal of nearly 400 trees from the eastern parklands, were released in August.
Tasmania
More Tasmanian campsites to require bookings to address ‘ghost camping’
About 30 campgrounds at 10 national parks and conservation areas in Tasmania are part of a new online booking system that will launch from November 3.
Northern Territory
NT Labor fracking stand-off emerges as caucus members voice opposition
Four of Labor’s six politicians in the Northern Territory parliament are personally opposed to fracking, contradicting the opposition’s official position.
First road opens in $70m Kakadu access revamp [$]
Kakadu National Park closed two of its top attractions entirely this year – now a $70 million road overhaul has delivered its first completed upgrade.
Western Australia
Australian gas giant and Traditional Owners locked in $300 million compensation battle
Negotiations over a decades-long agreement between Woodside and the Ngarluma Yindjibarndi Foundation are understood to have stalled.
Sustainability
An AI model has found a new ‘CRISPR‑like’ biological system. Here’s what it means for science
Dimitri Perrin
Anthropic announced today that its Claude artificial intelligence (AI) system identified a previously unknown biological system in the DNA of viruses that infect bacteria.
Dirty tricks: Why is Congress voting to scrap California’s clean air protections?
Dori Chandler
Just last week, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to revoke a federal waiver that allows California to protect its residents from cancer-causing pollution released by ships, most of them foreign, docking at the state’s ports.
Nature Conservation
Big-eyed bugs and praying mantises: climate crisis drives new visitors to UK shores
Britain has seen an explosion of migrating insects – in some cases from as far as northern Africa
Scientists find two tiny new snails with shells that close like doors
Scientists discovered two tiny new snail species in Montenegro, showing that even Europe still holds animals unknown to science.
Sacred Bears Ears lands face mining claims after Trump cuts protections
Mining claims have been lodged across land removed from Bears Ears National Monument just two months after Tribal leaders warned President Donald Trump’s cuts could expose sacred lands in Utah to reso…
Farmed salmon taken off menu as top Tassie chefs join global boycott [$]
More than 100 of the world’s top chefs, including Tasmanian culinary leaders, have co-signed an open letter in the New York Times boycotting ocean-farmed Atlantic salmon.
Mass sardine die-off pits survival of South Africa’s penguins against fishers’ livelihoods
Known as the ‘energy bars of the sea’ the fish are a key food source for many species, but closing fisheries to allow numbers to recover would cost millions
Sharks often swim across national borders. Our conservation efforts must travel with them
Diego Bezerra et al
Almost 11,000 kilometres. That’s how far one white shark swam while travelling from South Africa to Western Australia, before turning around and returning home.
Maelor Himbury | Library Volunteer
Australian Conservation Foundation | www.acf.org.au
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