Post of the Day
Global coal use is not declining — and may actually produce a record amount of planet-warming pollution by the end of the year.
On This Day
Climate Change
Tiny aerosols pose a big predicament in a warming world
Fossil fuels are rapidly heating the planet, but their aerosols also help cool it. Just how much, though, is a major uncertainty in climate science.
What you need to know about COP27
COP27 has failed to deliver in key areas, but one headline agreement is being celebrated.
The stories we tell ourselves about the future
Who were the worst climate polluters in the US in 2021?
The worst of the worst included a coal-fired power plant in Alabama, a coal mine in Pennsylvania and a nylon plant in Florida, recent EPA data shows.
How 2022 has substantially, and favorably, changed global climate outlook
Despite record fossil fuel pollution in 2022, plummeting clean technology costs and backlashes to Russia’s war in Ukraine leave open a path to meeting Paris climate targets.
Antarctic sea ice extent reaches record lows in latest State of the Climate report
Australia continues to warm, extreme heat days continue to become more frequent, fire weather continues to ramp up and sea levels continue to rise.
The U.S. and China hold the world’s climate future in their hands
The resumption of U.S.-China climate talks at the recent COP27 summit is a positive sign for global cooperation on climate change, but it’s not clear how both sides will now follow through at home to meet their climate commitments.
Badly injured developing nations promised palliative care at COP27
David Shearman
At COP27, oil and gas lobbyists triumphed, while badly injured developing nations were condemned to die with the promise of palliative care.
National
Farmers and conservationists say environment laws are flawed but a ‘tough’ EPA is on its way
The federal government says it will deliver “a tough cop on the beat” to enforce Australian law through a national Environment Protection Agency (EPA).
‘Credit banked but no payment delivered’: Basin boss sounds alarm on key water saving targets
The Murray-Darling Basin Authority’s new CEO warns a number of critical water-saving projects will not be delivered on time.
Electric vehicles set to become thousands cheaper after Labor, Greens strike deal
A federal bill to make electric cars cheaper is set to pass into law after the Greens struck a deal with the government.
Australia faces worsening extreme weather events latest BoM and CSIRO climate report finds
The continent is now 1.47C hotter than it was in 1910 and sea levels around the coastline are rising at an accelerating rate
‘The heating climate is coming’: Forrest calls on ‘lazy’ execs to join climate crusade
Fortescue chair Andrew Forrest lambasted the lack of climate action from the rest of Australia’s corporate leadership as either lazy or protecting vested interests.
$500m for low-emissions tech [$]
Businesses will be able to dip into a new $500m fund to develop ‘innovative projects and technologies’ that will reduce carbon emissions.
Murray-Darling water targets to be missed
Water-savings deadlines in the Murray-Darling Basin are unlikely to be met.
Mixed views on effectiveness of Murray-Darling Basin Plan – podcast
It’s been 10 years since the Murray-Darling Basin Plan was signed into law, with aims to restore the river system to health. Conservation groups are calling for more to be done, while farmers are pushing back against further government intervention.
ARENA maps out path for Australia’s ‘hard-to-abate’ alumina makers to reach net zero
A combination of renewables and new processes provides opportunities for Australia to lead in transition to zero emissions in energy-gobbling alumina-making industry.
Fossil Fibs: how the gas lobby gets away with cooking the planet, rooking its customers
Michael West
We expose five of the gas lobby’s big lies and the manipulation of governments and media which lends them licence to profiteer at the expense of every Australian.
The big green challenge that CEOs can’t control [$]
Eric Johnston
This week, almost 50 of the nation’s top bosses will meet to tackle the hardest part of their efforts to slash carbon output.
Everybody likes renewable energy, but not in their backyard [$]
Jennifer Hewett
There’s general community enthusiasm for Australia’s more rapid transition to renewable energy and decarbonisation of the economy. But there’s less appreciation of the scale, cost and urgency of building the necessary infrastructure to sustain that.
Victoria
Mercedes-Benz sued in class action over alleged diesel emission ‘cheat devices’
The action in the Victorian supreme court mirrors another in the US that was recently settled for $1.3bn
Cost of Suburban Rail Loop won’t be revealed before election [$]
Victorians will go to the polls not knowing the cost of the Suburban Rail Loop, despite the Andrews government promising to reveal the amount before the election.
New South Wales
Hunter MPs call for caution after explosive coal allegations aired in federal parliament
Claims about fraud in the coal export industry made by Independent MP Andrew Wilkie have rippled through the Hunter Valley coalfields.
Fumbles tarnish NSW government’s transport achievements
SMH editorial
Improving public transport is crucial for Sydney to fulfil its potential as a liveable city but delays hurt the government’s chances of using it as a vote winner in the March election.
ACT
‘Labor-Greens white elephant’: Lee says it’s difficult to see how light rail ‘stacks up’
Canberra Liberals leader Elizabeth Lee has declined to say whether her party supports the second stage of light rail in the ACT and later said in a parliamentary debate the project was a “Labor-Greens white elephant”.
Queensland
Felling of Logan forest declared ‘critical’ habitat stumps objectors
On the city’s fringes, developers are clearing land for urban sprawl – even bushland recognised as being “critical to the survival” of endangered wildlife.
Coal tax hike ‘hurting Japan ties’
Billions of dollars of future investment into hydrogen and critical minerals in Australia may be at risk after the Palaszczuk government hiked its coal royalty tax to 40 per cent.
South Australia
‘We get nothing’: The Murray town that says it’s been hung out to dry [$]
The locals who remain said their council promised them help, but now they fear they’re being left alone as the water rises.
Tasmania
Why locals are seething over proposed new UTAS development [$]
Residents of a Hobart suburb have expressed concern over a significant development planned for their area, saying the University of Tasmania project would have an unnecessarily negative impact on the environment.
Conservationist claims ratepayer felled view-impeding tree [$]
A environmental conservation group has accused homeowners at a popular coastal holiday spot of illegally cutting down protected trees that were allegedly impeding their ocean views.
Northern Territory
As islands are ‘eaten away’ Torres Strait leader fears only getting ‘crumbs’ after COP27 deal
A leader says a deal to compensate developing countries for climate damage will not help their region, which is on the “frontline”.
Sereako Stephen (Jr) et al
A unique opportunity for all Australians to walk together is provided by a momentous decision in September 2022
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services has warned Peel residents to prepare early for as the summer bushfire season approaches.
Southern suburbs at risk from TOXIC water contamination
Toxic chemicals have seeped into the water supply of a suburb in Perth’s south, forcing residents to rely on bottled water for drinking, cooking and cleaning.
Controversial inner-city highway plan scrapped after negative public feedback
The plan unveiled by WA’s road authority just last month is scrapped after negative public feedback opposing the demolition of up to 100 properties in Perth’s inner-city suburbs.
Big miners tip $750 million into fund to pay for ‘legacy’ infrastructure and social projects
Mark McGowan establishes an investment trust funded by the state’s most prominent resource companies to realise ‘legacy projects’.
‘It’s irreversible’: The fight to save millenia-old rock art on WA’s Burrup Peninsula
An independent reporter is visiting the region to see what impact industrial emissions are having on the rock art, and whether it can be moved.
Sustainability
Nigerian teens create fashion from trash to fight pollution
Teenage climate activists in Nigeria’s largest city are recycling trash into runway outfits for a “Trashion Show.”
Toyota just released a new Prius. But the company isn’t as environmentally friendly as people think
Climate advocates call ‘greenwashing’ as Toyota touts its eco-credentials at the same time that it lobbies against clean air regulations behind the scenes.
These cities have the best public transit systems
A new report ranks post-pandemic transportation — and who’s best prepared for getting residents around town in the future.
Coastal communities around the world contend with the toxic legacies of pulp and paper mills.
Beijing is tackling its air pollution problem. Why can’t New Delhi?
The return of smog season in India’s capital has again left residents asking why nothing has changed. The answer may be largely political.
Salt levels in drinking water could be near tipping point
Salt is in the food we eat, on the pavement under our car tires in winter, and in the powdered laundry detergent we use to wash our clothes.
Plastics tsunami: Can a landmark treaty stop waste from choking the oceans?
As nations meet this week to negotiate an agreement on plastics pollution, researchers warn that a lack of information will make it hard to enforce any agreement.
23,000 Kenyans die annually from cooking with kerosene, firewood
At least 23,000 Kenyans die annually as a result of household air pollution from cooking with fuels such as kerosene and firewood.
World in ‘largest energy crisis since the 1970s’, says OECD [$]
Spending on electricity, natural gas, oil and coal has soared to almost 18 per cent of collective GDP, meaning global economic growth is forecast to slow.
Make ecocide an international crime and other legal ideas to help save the planet
Steven Donziger
A list of the five most promising legal steps we can take to help fight climate change
Circular engineering: Renewable energy transition is only half the climate story
Ali Abbas
We need a radical shift in how we design, manufacture and use materials. And that includes solar panels.
Nature Conservation
Here’s what you need to know about COP15
Thousands of people will soon converge on Montreal for the United Nations’ biodiversity conference, the world’s big chance to agree on a path forward to save nature — and ourselves.
Large parts of national parks in England and Wales off limits, data shows
Campaigners call for more access after analysis reveals public cannot access huge chunks of many parks
How floating wetlands are helping to clean up urban waters
As cities around the world look to rid their waterways of remaining pollution, researchers are installing artificial islands brimming with grasses and sedges. The islands’ surfaces attract wildlife, while the underwater plant roots absorb contaminants and support aquatic life.
Endangered status sought for manatees as hundreds starve
Manatees that are dying by the hundreds mainly from pollution-caused starvation in Florida should once again be listed as an endangered species, environmental groups said Monday in a petition seeking the change.
The other COP you need to know about
Kelly Oshanassy
COP15, a United Nations conference that focuses on the nature crisis, starts in Montréal, Canada, on December 7.
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