Post of the Day
This map shows every one of the world’s remaining coal power plants
There are more than 4,000 coal power plants globally. Now you can track every one and see if they’re closing—or if countries are adding more.
On This Day
Climate Change
Cheaper carbon capture is on the way
A new solvent captures carbon dioxide from power plants for as little as $47.10 per metric ton, marking a significant milestone in the journey to lower the cost of carbon capture.
Climate change may not expand drylands
New analysis highlights uncertainty about the future state of drylands
‘Like the end of the world’: Beijing choked by worst dust storm in decade
While Beijing often faces sandstorms in March and April due to its proximity to the massive Gobi Desert, the country’s weather service says this year’s weather is the “most intense sandstorm” in 10 years.
Climate crisis: recent European droughts ‘worst in 2,000 years’
Study of tree rings dating back to Roman empire concludes weather since 2014 has been extraordinary
Climate change: Will China take a ‘great leap’ to a greener economy?
A new five-year plan may signal a switch from fossil fuels, but economic worries could limit change.
How climate change worries affect young people’s mental health
As climate change becomes more evident, even those who are not physically affected can feel the effects mentally. It has real-world consequences.
Mathias Cormann ‘can’t wait’ to start OECD job and singles out climate as key challenge
Australia’s longtime finance minister wants to pursue a ‘global’ approach to help countries become carbon-neutral by 2050.
Experiencing climate change anxiety?
Larry Sleznikow
I think about the impending adverse consequences of climate change every day. Each time it brings me anxiety and I am not alone in feeling that way.
National
AEMC signs off on rules to prevent wind and solar plants deliberately cutting output
AEMC signs off on new rules to prevent wind and solar projects deliberately turning down their output to avoid low or negative electricity prices.
Murray Darling drying dramatically but water reforms not flowing
The Murray Darling Basin faces a dramatically drier future, with data indicating inflows to some major rivers will halve by 2060, as experts warn authorities are failing to keep pace with climate change.
AGL seals $2.7b wind power deal to help ‘orderly’ shift away from coal
A consortium involving AGL and Australia’s Future Fund has sealed a $2.7 billion takeover deal for wind farm operator Tilt Renewables as top power providers accelerate the shift away from coal.
Green infrastructure could help cities fight heatwaves
A new study has made the case for Australian governments to increase green infrastructure in urban areas to mitigate some of the effects of climate change, improve public wellbeing, and protect infrastructure.
Temperature check: greening Australia’s warming cities
Monash Climate Change Communication Research Hub
Heatwaves are particularly troublesome in cities, because cities are typically hotter than the surrounding countryside. Australia is the most urbanised nation on earth, with 60% of the population living in cities of one million people or more, which places our communities at significant risk of heat-related impacts.
‘Landcare’ on steroids needed for the Australia of the future
Vernon Graham
The carpet of mice which has covered wide areas of inland NSW farming districts in recent weeks is a reminder of how quickly pests can get out of control in Australia.
5 remarkable stories of flora and fauna in the aftermath of Australia’s horror bushfire season
Will Cornwell et al
Around one year ago, Australia’s Black Summer bushfire season ended, leaving more than 8 million hectares across south-east Australia a mix of charcoal, ash and smoke. An estimated three billion animals were killed or displaced, not including invertebrates.
Victoria
Traffic on Punt Road worse than before pandemic as public transport shunned
Traffic on Melbourne’s arterial roads is now more congested than it was before the coronavirus, with many commuters reluctant to take public transport.
Fruitcake Greens turn council into laughing stock [$]
Rita Panahi
Instead of worrying about vacant shopfronts or filthy streets, Yarra Council will be inspecting residents’ bins to make sure they’re properly folding their cardboard.
Yallourn power plant closure: way forward for coal-reliant communities
Tony Wolfe
As many of us in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley have been expecting, EnergyAustralia last week announced that it will be closing the Yallourn coal-fired power plant in 2028, four years earlier than scheduled.
New South Wales
Social licence emerges as critical issue for renewable energy zones, NSW says
The NSW government could wield new powers to block projects that lose community support, to preserve confidence in the state’s Renewable Energy Zones.
How to convince households to offer battery storage to boost the grid
Sydney start-up UPowr to apply behavioural science techniques in study into how to boost participation in solar and storage orchestration initiatives.
Environmental waste recovery initiative to clear Bushfire-Generated dangerous trees
Lithgow Council is working with the NSW Environment Protection Authority’s Bushfire-Generated Green Waste Clean-Up and Processing Program to assess remaining green waste generated by the 2019/20 bushfires.
Post-bushfire logging probe to be conducted out of public’s scrutiny
The Berejiklian government has been accused of seeking to downplay the 2019-2020 bushfires to allow its logging arm to cut down more trees after it called for the results of a study on the impact on state forests to be kept secret.
‘Expect the same thing’: NSW marine park review stokes conservation fears
The government is preparing a “network management plan” for marine parks stretching from Byron Bay to Batemans Bay, stoking fears from advocates of both conservation and recreational fishing about the possible outcomes.
There’s a better way to boost NSW jobs than building big expensive things that fail to deliver
Joanna Quilty
A vital industry that is crucial to our state’s prosperity is routinely overlooked.
ACT
More lead dust found in ACT schools as sustainable demountable classrooms trialled [$]
Lead dust has been found in more ACT schools as the Education Directorate rolls out new sustainable demountable classrooms.
Canberra research paves way for drought-resistant plants
Drought-resistant plants and crops are now one step closer to being a reality, thanks to a new breakthrough from Canberra researchers.
Queensland
Shale company joins renewable hydrogen rush, so it can process oil
QEM, the developer of the Julia Creek shale oil project in Queensland, wants to use green hydrogen to process raw oil into usable fuel.
UK developer eyes Gladstone for big solar, hydrogen, and storage project
London-based developer plans to leverage its proposed Raglan solar project near Gladstone to add a big hydrogen electrolyser and battery storage facility.
While his workers complain of poor conditions, Adani’s wealth grows at furious pace
Gautum Adani’s port-to-power business has proved more valuable this year than Elon Musk’s Tesla or Jeff Bezos’ Amazon.
Tasmania
‘Cats the size of dogs’: The tiny island’s plan to fix its feral problem
For years, Bruny Island, off Tasmania’s south-east coast, has had a feral cat problem — but there’s hope a new facility on the island will help stop native species becoming “a banquet for cats”.
Tasmanian devils are an icon in need of protection
Outrage is easy to come by when it comes to Tasmanian Devils.
When it was revealed this week that 30 of the iconic and endangered animals had been killed on remote roads, the anger was predictable.
Calls mounting to stop logging in prime biking forests [$]
A small Tassie town has boomed with visitors coming to ride the stunning mountain bike trails. But logging is putting millions of tourist dollars in jeopardy, a community group says.
Northern Territory
Indigenous-owned recycling company partners with Coles for sustainability
An Indigenous-owned recycling company has partnered with Coles to promote sustainability in the Northern Territory.
Government calls for advice on reducing greenhouse emissions [$]
The Northern Territory government is calling on businesses to provide expert advice and practical steps on how to make our government buildings and assets more energy efficient, and help reduce our greenhouse gas emissions
Western Australia
Fortescue to produce green hydrogen from 2023, and targets green steel
The iron ore billionaire says he wants to start making emissions-free steel in Australia, and will be carbon neutral by 2030.
Sustainability
Behind New Zealand’s ‘100% pure’ image lies a toxic truth
New Zealand’s dramatic and pristine landscape has been a magnet for tourists and Hollywood directors. But the country is facing a growing pollution crisis.
Environmental rights push could boost youth climate cases
State lawmakers across the US are trying to amend their constitutions to guarantee residents the right to a healthy environment. It could propel a flurry of legal cases against Big Oil.
This map shows every one of the world’s remaining coal power plants
There are more than 4,000 coal power plants globally. Now you can track every one and see if they’re closing—or if countries are adding more.
Could plastic roads make for a smoother ride?
From lower carbon emissions to fewer potholes, there are a number of benefits to building a layer of plastic into roads.
How the oil industry is shifting to offshore wind
The offshore wind industry is poised to spend hundreds of billions of dollars in the next 10 years to install a new generation of turbines around the world.
Michail Georgiou and Sebastien Chastin
So far, studies show that people living near water have a lower risk of premature death, a lower risk of obesity, and generally report better mental health and wellbeing.
Sumgilbar people in PNG triumph over foreign mining company
Duncan Gabi
A mining company’s withdrawal from mining sands in Papua New Guinea is a testament to local activism and solidarity.
The shift to renewable energy can give more power to the people
Bill McKibben
We shouldn’t give up on the idea of democratizing energy ownership as much as possible.
Jerks, dweebs, nerds, misfits and villains
Peter Dykstra
Why do so many people distrust scientists? Just take a look at the characters that represent scientists in TV and movies.
‘Reducing global warming matters for freshwater fish species’
The habitats of freshwater fish species are threatened by global warming, mainly due to rising water temperatures. A 3.2-degree Celsius increase in global mean temperature would threaten more than half of the habitat for one third of all freshwater fish species. The number of species at risk is ten times smaller if warming is limited to 1.5 degrees.
Heavy pollution turns Delhi’s Yamuna river black
Foam floating on the Yamuna River, the main source of water in the Indian capital, has turned the river black and reduced it to a drain.
Revealed: seafood fraud happening on a vast global scale
Guardian analysis of 44 studies finds nearly 40% of 9,000 products from restaurants, markets and fishmongers were mislabelled
Threatened Australian shark and skates at ‘extreme risk’ of being wiped out
Urgent protections sought as report finds some species, which get caught in trawl nets, may never recover
Antarctica is running out of wilderness
The continent is crammed with “ghost” stations—just one sign of how this empty, icy place is becoming more crowded.
There’s a global plan to conserve nature. Indigenous people could lead the way
Dozens of countries are backing an effort that would protect 30 percent of Earth’s land and water. Native people, often among the most effective stewards of nature, have been disregarded, or worse, in the past.
UN spotlight on killing of South African environmental defender
Katharina Rall and Billy Mnqondo
It is almost five months since an environmental activist, Mama Fikile Ntshangase, was gunned down in her home in Somkhele in KwaZulu-Natal province, after raising concerns about a coal mine in the area.
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