Post of the Day
These are the top 10 insights from climate science in 2020
Here’s what we learned in the last year about how we can steer our way out of the climate crisis.
On This Day
Mahayana New Year – Buddhism
Climate Change
These flashcards will help you memorize Biden’s climate team
An illustrated guide to Biden’s “climate Cabinet.”
How Biden’s climate ambitions could shift America’s global footprint
Serious efforts to address global warming might mean big changes for America’s trade, foreign relations and even defense strategy.
These are the top 10 insights from climate science in 2020
Here’s what we learned in the last year about how we can steer our way out of the climate crisis.
More central banks are taking on the financial dangers of climate change
Climate change is rising higher on the radar for central banks on both sides of the Atlantic.
Biden killed the Keystone Pipeline. Good, but he doesn’t get a climate pass just yet
Nick Estes
Democrats’ climate record is mixed – and it’s largely pressure from Indigenous and environmental groups that’s pushed them to act
National
Labor set for climate change shift as architect of emissions target Mark Butler is moved on
Labor’s long-serving climate spokesperson Mark Butler has been shifted from the portfolio as part of an Opposition reshuffle on the eve of Federal Parliament’s return.
Labor rejects claims it is backing down on climate policy
Labor leader Anthony Albanese says his decision to replace environment spokesman Mark Butler with the Labor right’s Chris Bowen has not weakened the party’s climate change stance, but instead shifted its focus to jobs growth.
Australia urged to overhaul environment laws and reverse ‘decline of our iconic places’
Graeme Samuel makes 38 recommendations to transform the EPBC Act, including new independent oversight bodies
‘Rio is still on notice’: native title groups say mining company’s reshuffle is mainly PR
National Native Title Council says it is disappointing announcement made no mention of Aboriginal heritage after Juukan Gorge demolition
Major test for government on its commitment to halt species extinction
In a review of the nation’s environment laws, Graeme Samuel said they need fundamental reform and warned the government not to shy away from it.
Hi-tech sensor could change future of firefighting [$]
It looks like a prop from the set of a Star Wars film but a hi-tech sensor could give Australia a new edge in tackling bushfires.
Regulator flags new reporting scheme to track carbon offsets from big emitters
Regulator contemplating new scheme to track voluntary carbon offsets bought by Australia’s biggest emitters.
Anthony Albanese knows he has a fight on his hands – and not just against Scott Morrison
Katharine Murphy
With Richard Marles in a super portfolio and Chris Bowen as a climate circuit breaker, the reshuffle reflects Labor’s desire to make the next election about what happens after Covid
Flawed logic behind a taxpayer-built gas generator
Lisa Zembrodt
We don’t need the additional 1000 megawatts of gas-fired electricity capacity that the federal government plans to build.
Energy market retreat as climate politics converge [$]
AFR view
A market framework remains the best way to drive private investment in the technology that cuts emissions and firms the power supply.
Albanese shuffles deckchairs in bid for ALP unity [$]
Australian editorial
Anthony Albanese tried to spin his frontbench reshuffle on Thursday, claiming it would ensure Australians “get the most out of Labor”.
Labor swings in the breeze on climate as Australia’s time runs out [$]
Bernard Keane
The NSW Liberals used smart politics to fight internal climate wars, but the ALP hasn’t shown that kind of shrewdness.
Scott Morrison needs to finally face reality on climate change
John Hewson
In the last few days, there have been a number of significant statements on the climate challenge.
PM’s Paris agreement ‘canter’ claim suspect
Canberra Times editorial
The Prime Minister’s oft repeated claim Australia would meet its Paris agreement emission reductions target “in a canter” lost a lot of paint this week.
Masters of the future or heirs of the past? Mining, history and Indigenous ownership
Clare Wright
In May 2020, the international mining giant Rio Tinto made a calculated and informed decision to drill 382 blast holes in an area of its Brockman 4 mining lease that encompassed the ancient rock shelter formations at Juukan Gorge in Western Australia’s Pilbara region.
How heatwaves and drought combine to produce the perfect firestorm
Jyoteeshkumar Reddy Papari
Long heatwaves during entrenched drought often trigger fears of bushfire. It’s easy to imagine rolling days of hot, dry weather desiccating leaves, bark and twigs, transforming them into a potent fuel.
Victoria
Calls for Victorian Government to set interim emissions reduction targets ahead of 2050
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is being urged to set emissions reduction targets for 2025 and 2030 to boost business confidence and prevent Victoria falling behind the rest of the world on climate action.
Refugees allegedly underpaid $200,000 by Victorian waste management company
A group of vulnerable migrant workers were allegedly underpaid hundreds of thousands of dollars in wages by a Victorian waste management company.
Activists cry fowl over duck shooting season [$]
The 2021 duck hunting season has caused a flap among animal rights activists, who raised questions over the approval process for the previous year.
Victorian kangaroo meat heading to supermarket shelves under expanded harvest
The Victorian Government increases the number of kangaroos allowed to be killed as part of its controversial kangaroo harvesting program by nearly 40,000.
Community battery “solar sponges” to be trialled across Melbourne network
Community-scale batteries to be installed across inner-city suburbs of Melbourne in joint venture between CitiPower and Yarra Energy Foundation.
ACT
DNA database to track bushfire impact to local wildlife
The impact of the devastating Black Summer bushfires on native plants and wildlife will be able to be tracked, thanks to a new database being created in Canberra.
Queensland
Koala habitat destroyed in Redlands after 100-year-old gumtrees bulldozed
A koala habitat with 100-year-old gum tress on private land in the bayside suburb of Ormiston, east of Brisbane, is bulldozed to the ground, with locals saying the destruction was preventable and shows the council and Queensland Government value development over conservation.
South Australia
“World first”: South Australia achieves 100pct solar, and lowest prices in Australia
South Australia now boasts cheapest grid power in Australia, thanks to its dominant share of wind and solar, and a world-first milestone of having solar meet all its electricity demand.
Tasmania
City of Launceston council reiterates its place in fixing kanamaluka/Tamar River
The City of Launceston council wants to reiterate it does not have authority over the kanamaluka/Tamar River, it is only a member of the Tamar Estuary Management Taskforce which is made up of all levels of government and other stakeholders.
Why city congestion ‘will only get worse’ in Hobart City Deal [$]
Bob Cotgrove
Hobart is the only capital city in Australia where all road traffic heading to destinations beyond the CBD is forced to use the central city street system. And the new City Deal is only going to make it worse, an expert says.
‘End the agony’: Let this year’s shoot be the last [$]
Jan Davis
The RSPCA wants an end to Tasmania’s annual autumn duck shooting season, when many non-target and targeted birds die a painful death.
Let there be dark for our night life [$]
Peter McQuillan
Leave some dark hilltops for creatures of the night, because artificial light turns the lives of insects and other creatures upside down.
Northern Territory
The Sun Cable project, on track to be built in the Northern Territory, aims to supply up to 15 per cent of Singapore’s energy by 2027, but the city-state has concerns about reliability and has not yet signed any agreements.
Territorians to pay hiking fees from mid-year [$]
Territorians and visitors will have to start paying fees to do multi-day hikes in NT National parks from mid-year.
Western Australia
McGowan defends $1 price tag for East Perth power station despite $26m Landgate value
Details of the agreement between the government and billionaires Kerry Stokes and Andrew Forrest remain shrouded in secrecy.
Sustainability
Coal exports soar as Indonesia cashes in on Australia-China trade tensions [$]
With millions of his fellow Indonesians unemployed by the pandemic-induced economic slump, coalminer Bambang Sunarjo is grateful for his country’s booming coal exports to China, which have shored up his job and kept his extended family afloat.
Satellite data reveals bonds between emissions, pollution and economy
Burning fossil fuels has long powered world economies while contributing to air pollution and the buildup of greenhouse gases. A new analysis of nearly two decades of satellite data shows that economic development, fossil-fuel combustion and air quality are closely linked on the continental and national scales, but can be decoupled at the national level, according to scientists.
Doomsday clock says world remains ‘100 seconds’ from disaster
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists said the clock’s position would remain unchanged from 2020, when its hands were set as close as they had ever been to a catastrophic “midnight.”
Speaking of Water: China’s water challenges in 2021
Domestically, the country’s leaders will respond to record-breaking floods in the southern provinces, advocate for water-absorbing “green” infrastructure, and contend with polluted water.
Solar material can ‘self-heal’ imperfections
A material that can be used in technologies such as solar power has been found to self-heal, a new study shows.
Five green ways to help keep your cool this summer
People living in urban locations are especially vulnerable to the negative impacts of increased temperatures, but here’s how greener cities can help us beat the heat
A mild way to upcycle plastics used in bottles into fuel and other high-value products
Plastic is ubiquitous in people’s lives. Yet, when plastic-containing items have fulfilled their missions, only a small amount is recycled into new products, which are often of lower quality compared to the original material. And, transforming this waste into high-value chemicals requires substantial energy. Now, researchers have combined a ruthenium-carbon catalyst and mild, lower-energy reaction conditions to convert plastics used in bottles and other packaging into fuels and chemical feedstock.
Do you drink bottled water? Read this
Adrienne Matei
Bottled water is atrocious for the environment. You’re better off buying a water filter for healthier, tastier water
Avoiding a ‘ghastly future’: Hard truths on the state of the planet
Carl Safina
A group of the world’s top ecologists have issued a stark warning about the snowballing crisis caused by climate change, population growth, and unchecked development.
Invasive mussels now control a key nutrient in the American Great Lakes
The spread of quagga mussels across the American Great Lakes has transformed the supply of phosphorus – a key biological nutrient – to the ecosystem.
What a Biden presidency means for the National Parks
From day one, the new administration has showed itself to be in favor of protecting the wild spaces and species we love.
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