From: Maelor Himbury <M.Himbury@acfonline.org.au>
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 2026 at 8:36 am
Subject: Daily Links Oct 1
To:
Post of the Day
Over 90% of common household items contain hazardous plastic chemicals
Nearly 93% of known plastic chemicals used to wrap food and make clothes, toys, and other common household and personal care products pose a high risk to human health, according to a new investigation provided exclusively to CNN.
On This Day
Intercession of the Theotokos – Eastern Orthodox
Ecological Observance
International Raccoon Appreciation Day
Arbor Day – Northern Mariana Islands
National Arbor Day – Bolivia
Climate Change
Nepal’s dire warning to the rest of the world
Just days after a plea for global climate action, Nepal faces yet another disaster
Ocean heatwaves are hiding months of extra warming
Marine heatwaves may be hiding months of extra warming, causing scientists to dramatically underestimate the heat stress experienced by ocean ecosystems.
Evidence builds showing climate change could be intensifying El Niño events
Recent studies suggest that climate change is increasing the intensity of El Niños. A paper analyzing coral samples from the Galapagos Islands found that intensity has increased 36.5% in the last four decades.
Antarctic winter sea ice falls to third-lowest level on record as scientists warn of ‘now problem’
Coverage levels fall a million square kilometres short of the long-term average, with global heating likely driving losses
‘Digger’ is the year’s big climate movie. This climate reporter hated it.
Jake Bittle
Tom Cruise’s latest film is a crude parable about an unrepentant oil executive.
National
EV sales double in Australia as one in four new cars now electric
An electric car is being sold every 100 seconds in Australia, but there is still a long road ahead to decarbonise the country’s transport sector, according to the Electric Vehicle Council.
El Niño nears record levels as ocean conditions tilt in unfavourable direction for eastern Australia
BoM chart shows giant El Niño climate pattern in the Pacific is nearing record weekly levels.
Millions of Aussie websites could be caught up in a quiet shake-up
The country’s domain name governing body has outlined new rules that have industry experts concerned.
The 2026 BirdLife Australia photography awards – in pictures
Gliding king penguins, a sugar thief rosella and a bin brush turkey are among the winning and shortlisted photos in this year’s prize. Funds raised by the competition support bird conservation programs in Australia
Amid rising support for right‑wing minor parties, can David Shoebridge reinvigorate the Greens?
Nathan Fioritti and Narelle Miragliotta
New South Wales Senator David Shoebridge was elected Leader of the Australian Greens at a party room meeting organised prior to Senator Larissa Waters’ announcement that she was stepping down from the party leadership owing to health issues. Victorian Senator Steph Hodgkins-May was elected deputy leader, with whom Shoebridge ran on a joint ticket.
Labor’s Left has won the party. So what happened to the Left?
Stewart Sweeney
Labor’s Left has the prime minister, the numbers and formidable control of the party machinery. What it lacks is a program for changing Australia. After decades spent accumulating power, the bigger question is what that power is now for.
One Nation sparks coal, gas and nuclear’s return to the energy debate [$]
Patrick Gibbons
Australia may be pushed into becoming a more attractive destination for investment in the nuclear and fossil fuel power our major trading partners want.
Sophie Vorrath
Too many Australian households are being locked into high energy use, high bills and uncomfortable living, a new policy scorecard has revealed – but some states and territories are much worse than others.
The revolutionary methane detection technology that probably won’t fit into our regulatory box
Christopher Wright
Report suggests focus has shifted from how we can leverage rapidly improving emissions measurement technologies, to whether or not they will fit into a clunky, regulatory box.
Ellen Litchfield
When larger farming machinery and vehicles are fully electric and affordable, Australian farmers will grab the opportunity with open arms. But first we need some rule changes.
Foresights for future Australian home life
Emerging Technologies Research Lab
The report delivers new qualitative foresight about how Australians are likely to live in their homes in possible futures.
Victoria
Why a new Werribee park sparked a $50m court showdown [$]
What was promised as a major win for Melbourne’s outer west has descended into a Supreme Court brawl after a compulsory land grab left the state government and local owners at a bitter stalemate.
North East Link: The mega Bulleen Interchange — and why it’s the ‘epicentre’ of the $26bn project [$]
Bulleen is seeing a massive transformation with a multi-level interchange, green land bridge, and major road tunnel connections as part of the…
The things we’re missing about snake season in Melbourne
Kylie Soanes
Urban sprawl and climate change mean ‘snake season’ isn’t as simple as a date on the calendar. Our new Map of the Month tells you what you need to know to shed your snake bias
Airport rail: This is what pork barrelling looks like on a multibillion-dollar scale [$]
Chip Le Grand
There is only one person in the Victorian government who thinks a new train station at Keilor East is a priority. He happens to be running the state.
New South Wales
‘Profound consequences’ predicted as mega coal mine expansion approved
The NSW Independent Planning Commission approves plans that will allow Hunter Valley Operations to continue coal mining at a site near Singleton until 2045.
Marring Country nursery set to grow jobs, native plant supply
Marring Country has opened a new native plant nursery on the NSW South Coast, creating local jobs and supporting the supply of native plants across Australia.
Coal pays for the clean energy dream, like it or not [$]
Chanticleer
A football team that runs hot and cold isn’t enough to sustain NSW’s Hunter region.
We must plan for coal mine closures, not approve them because we lack a plan [$]
Darryl Best
I spent all my working life in coal mines before retiring in 2020. Since then I have become a passionate advocate for establishing renewable industries in areas where coal mines will close.
Queensland
Emergency water restrictions for Queensland town following pump failure
Clermont residents are still being urged to conserve water, while storage levels are critically low due to multiple pump failures.
Janetzki breaks ranks with federal Coalition on nuclear energy [$]
Treasurer David Janetzki has ruled out nuclear energy for Queensland, reaffirming an existing road map of coal, gas and private renewable investment.
South Australia
Hundreds of jobs in peril as SA mine stalls [$]
Around 200 workers at South Australia’s Buzzard iron ore mine have been placed on unpaid leave after negotiations broke down, leaving the mine’s future uncertain.
Tasmania
$200 million package announced for Bell Bay Aluminium smelter
The Commonwealth and state governments say the future of the Bell Bay Aluminium smelter has been secured, with a power deal reached and a $200 financial package announced.
Northern Territory
Tourism flash sale offers lifeline to struggling industry [$]
Territory tourism operators are battling floods, fuel crises and the threat of losing backpacker workers – but there’s hopes a snap sale will offer a much-needed boost.
Western Australia
Mammoth effort to move 31t whale carcass
A mammoth effort is underway to remove a 31-tonne whale carcass from a popular beach, after multiple sharks began to circle close to shore.
WA pollution watchdog assigned hundreds of cases to ex-employees
The Auditor General has released a scathing report into the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation’s assessment of contaminated sites.
Sustainability
Two million people in England unaware their properties are at risk of flooding
Environment Agency warns residents of 6m at-risk properties to prepare for wet and windy three months ahead
UK banks are Europe’s biggest coal financiers, report finds
Study says UK-based banks provided $8.3bn in coal financing in four years, with Barclays and HSBC leading rise
Heatwaves, wildfires expose a third of world to extreme ozone pollution
Heatwaves and wildfires helped expose 34 percent of the world’s population to “extremely poor” ozone air quality in the first eight months of 2026, according to a European Union report published Wednesday. Asia recorded the highest exposure, while ozone pollution remained difficult to curb despite decades of progress in reducing other harmful emissions.
Jesse Kearse
Many cities around the world are sinking because too much water is extracted from the groundwater reservoirs beneath them.
Nature Conservation
Insects play critical role in ecosystems beyond just providing food, new research shows
Insects provide protection, sanitation and even shelter to vertebrates, making them a priority for conservation efforts
Maelor Himbury | Library Volunteer
Australian Conservation Foundation | www.acf.org.au
1800 223 669
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