Daily Links Oct 14

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And was the book thrown at these protestors? Outrageous that they disrupt citizens going about their business.

From: Maelor Himbury <M.Himbury@acfonline.org.au&gt;
Date: 14 October 2024 at 8:54:25 AM GMT+11
To: Undisclosed recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Oct 14

Post of the Day
Global wildlife populations have declined by 73% over the past 50 years, primarily due to habitat destruction, a WWF report reveals.
 
On This Day
Intercession of the Theotokos – Eastern Orthodox
 
Ecological Observance
 
Climate Change
When Hurricane Milton formed, it met with waters “as warm as a hot tub”. As the world continues to burn fossil fuels and ocean temperatures climb, cyclonic storms feed off the heat and become bigger, faster and nastier.
Scientists warn that Earth is entering a dangerous phase of the climate crisis, with record temperatures, emissions and population growth increasing the risk of societal collapse.
Andrew Dowdy et al
Tropical cyclones, known as hurricanes and typhoons in other parts of the world, have caused huge damage in many places recently. The United States has just been hit by Hurricane Milton, within two weeks of Hurricane Helene. Climate change likely made their impacts worse.
 
Observer editorial
We are losing in the fight against global warming, it is time to put effort into controlling what we pump into the atmosphere
 
George Monbiot
The supposedly green project – brainchild of the previous Tory government – will increase emissions, not reduce them
 
National
Australia is facing one of the hottest summers on record according to the Bureau of Meteorology’s weather modelling which tips well above average temperatures across the country.
 
Fortescue says the Albanese government should consider tying lucrative fuel tax credits to decarbonisation efforts for Australia’s mining giants.
 
The ABC has begun its quest to find out which native six-legged marvel is Australia’s most popular insect for 2024. Six experts have selected their finalists for an online poll.  
 
While the federal government wants to reduce emissions to net zero by 2050, the cremation sector is on track to almost double its carbon emissions in the same timeframe.
 
The energy giant is pushing on with three projects, despite growing worries about high costs and a lack of customers.
 
A remarkable first for coal power in Australia gave the beleaguered industry hope recently. But news this week might have snuffed it out again.
 
The keen birdwatcher encourages others to take 20 minutes out of their day, describing the experience as ‘meditative’
Every electric vehicle should arrive in Australia with a battery passport, an inquiry has heard, and manufacturers should be made to pay to recycle batteries at the end of their driving lives.
 
Billions of dollars of cost blowouts in transmission announced so far this year have fuelled worries about rising electricity bills for households and business.
A new report by the Australian Security Leaders Climate Group has outlined how the government’s risk and security agenda fails to include climate change, leaving the country and the population vulnerable.
 
Julia Baird
Tim Winton’s sobering, grimly-compelling new book, Juice, is a reminder that knowledge is power — if we can do something with it. Eco-anxiety can only fester if we feel we are unable to effect change.
 
Peter Hannam
Alerts to possible power shortfalls have become a familiar occurrence. But experts say it won’t be long before the opposite is common
 
Vikki Campion
A venomous snake should never be approached, and a gigantic hydrogen tank that will be 10 times the size of the biggest on the planet should never be built on the doorstep of one of our cities.
 
Vince Scappatura
A monumental transformation: There has been a great deal of public criticism of Australia’s decision to acquire a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines (SSNs) via the AUKUS security partnership. The criticism has been both broad and deep, spanning political and industrial challenges, budgetary consequences, safety and environmental concerns, strategic risks, and the erosion of national sovereignty.
 
Parnell Palme McGuinness
The greatest regret with energy is that we didn’t start yesterday. We were too busy burning our personal energy on turning a technical discussion into a divisive debate.
 
Milad Haghani and Hadi Ghaderi
Battery electric vehicle sales in Australia have flattened in recent months. The latest data reveal a sharp 27.2% year-on-year decline (overall new vehicle sales were down 9.7%) in September. Tesla Model Y and Model 3 cars had an even steeper drop of nearly 50%.
Ebony Bennett
It’s like an episode of Utopia or Yes Minister – just a week out from the government’s Global Nature Positive Summit, Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek approved three whopping coal mine extensions in NSW.
 
Michael Pascoe
They may be short on detail, but Opposition Leader Peter Dutton is charging ahead with two policies that may swing the Teals to Labor and deliver Albanese a second term as PM.
 
Katrina King
If we integrate the financial costs of greenhouse gas emissions into our investment decisions, we can figure out what opportunities this opens up for making money.
 
Victoria
Investors could fund the creation of Victorian forests under a radical plan hatched by conservationists.
 
The City of Melbourne has a plan to reduce the dominance of plane trees, but some lord mayoral candidates say it needs to go further, and faster.
 
New South Wales
In the long term, Hunter Valley Operations is proposing to extract a further 400 million tonnes of coal by 2050.
 
Indigenous artist Nyree Reynolds, whose application led to a gold mine in Blayney being put on ice, submitted her own paintings as evidence the mine should be blocked.
 
Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has given the reasons for a decision that has stalled a $1bn NSW gold mine, finding “permanent loss” of cultural heritage outweighed the financial cost of stalling the project.
 
Rainforest trees at Nightcap national park have not evolved to deal with bushfires, leaving the landscape vulnerable for years after major burns
 
This weekend a convoy travelled from Narrabri, via the Upper Hunter to a rally in Newcastle, opposing Santos’ $3.6 billion gas developments in the Pilliga in northern New South Wales.
 
The Environment Minister cited a Bathurst Post Office mural to back up a Dreaming story that the Orange Land Council says should not be used to veto Regis Resource’s gold mine at Blayney.
 
Queensland
Sawfish have a shark-like body behind an extended nose resembling a saw. A study collecting fishers’ knowledge hopes to discover more about the endangered species.
 
Steven Miles says law requires a referendum be called if the commonwealth is likely to build a ‘prohibited nuclear facility’ in the state
 
Opposition Leader David Crisafulli has vowed the LNP can build a dam in southeast Queensland in a decade.
 
South Australia
Bespoke eco-friendly stays have popped up right across regional South Australia. Industry bodies say they are vital for reinvigorating the tourism industry after a drop in visitor numbers.
 
South Australia will bid to host one of the largest global events in 2026, with an estimated economic benefit of $500m.
 
Set the private jets to standby as The Advertiser shores up the celebrity guest list for COP31, helping our eco-friendly A-listers find their way around Adelaide.
Tasmania
A complaint made by two supporters of native forest logging who alleged they were discriminated against based on their political beliefs after being denied entry to a Bob Brown documentary sixteen months ago have had their case dismissed.
 
A plan to trial the removal of about 50 car park spaces in Hobart’s CBD to make way for bike lanes has received an “overwhelmingly negative” response from the public, the Tasmanian government says — announcing it has pulled $170,000 from the project.
 
Di Spotswood, one of eight people elected last month to the Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania, says it is a “continual fight” with the state government to negotiate land returns. 
 
A 16-month long discrimination case filed by logging supporters against the Bob Brown Foundation has been dismissed. What the anti-discrimination commissioner had to say.
 
Independent Member for Clark, Andrew Wilkie, has delivered a speech, written by 15-year-old work experience student Hannah from Hobart, imploring the Government to act on saving the Maugean Skate from extinction.
 
Western Australia
Scientists from the University of Western Australia are investigating the anti-cancer properties of sea sponges found under Busselton Jetty in Western Australia. 
 
Activists targeting a plan to drill for gas in WA’s Kimberley region have vowed to push ahead with their campaign after the company said it would present a new plan to federal regulators.
 
The opposition has demanded the state government come clean on a cash splash to rebrand its flagship Metronet rail project.
 
Tensions surrounding the controversial Trigg to Scarborough boardwalk are heating up with fresh opposition and illegal signage igniting the feud.
Braedan Taylor et al
How can a desert burn? Australia’s vast deserts aren’t just sand dunes – they’re often dotted with flammable spinifex grass hummocks. When heavy rains fall, grass grows quickly before drying out. That’s how a desert can burn.
 
Sustainability
Ahead of Hurricane Milton making landfall in Florida, fears swirled about EVs bursting into flames if inundated by a storm surge. We examine the facts.
New Zealand’s Defence Minister has condemned the online trolling of a female naval captain whose ship sank last weekend. The minister says New Zealand servicewomen are being abused in the street following the incident.
 

Maelor Himbury | Library Volunteer

Australian Conservation Foundation | www.acf.org.au
1800 223 669

     

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