Post of the Day
Some say we can ‘solar-engineer’ ourselves out of the climate crisis. Don’t buy it
Ray Pierrehumbert and Michael Mann
What could go wrong with this idea? Well, quite a lot
On This Day
Saint George’s Day – Catholicism
Climate Change
‘The US is back’: Joe Biden pledges to cut American emissions in half by 2030
Joe Biden has pledged to slash US greenhouse has emissions in half by 2030, amid an American-brokered Earth Day summit featuring leaders from 40 countries across the globe.
Climate achievements mean more than promises, says Scott Morrison [$]
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has told world leaders that actual achievements in reducing carbon dioxide emissions were more important than promises about the future, in a speech at President Joe Biden’s virtual climate summit that was notable for resisting a global push, led by the US, to announce new, stricter targets.
EU scientists say 2020 was Europe’s hottest year on record
Europe experienced its hottest year on record last year, while the Arctic suffered a summer of extreme wildfires partly due to low snow cover as climate change impacts intensified, the European Union’s observation service says.
Greta Thunberg berates US politicians over climate change policies
Teen climate activist Greta Thunberg berated top US politicians to their faces today, upset at their lack of action to address climate change.
World’s oceans changing as currents show new patterns
The world’s ocean currents are altering, particularly along Australia’s eastern seaboard and around Antarctica.
US will probably exceed emissions-cut pledge: Kerry [$]
The US is likely to surpass its promise to halve pollution to 52 per cent by 2030 compared with 2005 levels, climate envoy John Kerry said.
US: Include maternal health in climate change action
The administration of United States President Joe Biden should take concrete action to ensure that the country’s maternal health crisis, dominated by racial inequities, is a central focus of US domestic climate policy, a coalition of 54 organizations said today in a letter to President Biden.
The good news about climate change: There’s still hope
With warming environments, landscapes are shifting. But life is still abundant.
Biden wants to cut U.S. climate pollution in half – here’s how
After a four-year hiatus, the United States is officially taking climate change seriously again.
The U.S. has a new climate goal. How does it stack up globally?
President Biden’s new pledge to cut emissions at least 50 percent below 2005 levels by 2030 is one of the more aggressive near-term targets among advanced economies.
17 young people on the moment the climate crisis became real to them
From watching ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ to living through Superstorm Sandy.
Memo to the Biden administration: What not to do on climate
As the United States lays out its climate plans, here’s 12 false climate solutions, faulty patterns, and harmful omissions to avoid.
Changes to giant ocean eddies could have ‘devastating effects’ globally
Swirling and meandering ocean currents that help shape the world’s climate have gone through a “global-scale reorganisation” over the past three decades, according to new research.
UN climate chief urges rich countries to step up funding: ‘Climate change is a multiplier’
The United Nations’ top climate chief, Patricia Espinosa, called on the world’s richest countries to fulfill their climate financing goals, as global leaders gathered for a virtual climate summit hosted by the White House.
Climate change has altered the Earth’s tilt
Earth’s poles are moving – and that’s normal. But new research suggests that within just decades, climate change and human water use have given the poles’ wandering an additional nudge.
Climate change will force us to rethink migration and asylum
Extreme weather is already the leading cause of forced displacement worldwide, and as climate change accelerates, environmental catastrophes will increasingly drive migration.
Canada’s new climate target falls short
While Canada has been at pains to present itself as a climate leader and ally alongside the US, with the new target of 40-45 percent Canada continues to lag far behind its peers.
Leaders’ meagre steps on climate are walking us to catastrophe
Greenpeace media release
Despite a raft of announcements, the Leaders Summit on Climate has left us stranded in a world of rising tides, melting glaciers, and deforestation.
Climate change is destroying my homeland of Tonga and my home in Australia. Let’s act now
Alimoni Taumoepeau
While sea level rise is hurting my homeland, I am not escaping the impacts of climate change in my adopted home of Western Sydney.
Some say we can ‘solar-engineer’ ourselves out of the climate crisis. Don’t buy it
Ray Pierrehumbert and Michael Mann
What could go wrong with this idea? Well, quite a lot
Technology is crucial to cutting emissions, but only part of the story
Nick O’Malley
“The analogy would be if John F Kennedy had announced in 1961 that we were going to go to the moon and we are going to let NASA take its own sweet time figuring out how to get there.”
In the absence of a seat at the table, Pacific voices must be heard at Biden’s climate summit
Joseph Moeono-Kolio
The Pacific has been wearing the cost of climate inaction for years
PM’s moving the dial on climate, despite the hecklers [$]
Phillip Coorey
Scott Morrison is doing more to reduce carbon emissions than Kevin Rudd and Malcolm Turnbull could as the politics shift inside the Coalition.
Why Biden’s climate summit is overhyped
Rich Lowry
And who’s going to hold China accountable for its climate pledges, and how precisely?
How 1.5 degrees became the key to climate progress
Bill McKibben
The number has dramatically reorganized global thinking around the climate.
National
Fiery words are exchanged on Q+A as Minister for Resources, Water and Northern Australia Keith Pitt comes under fire from Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young and former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull.
Angus Taylor says Australia won’t ‘declare war’ on industry to cut emissions
A senior minister says there’s one thing Australia won’t do as calls for the country to commit to a net zero emissions target by 2050 grow.
Australia has been talking up its climate credentials – but do the claims stack up?
The government is under pressure to do more to tackle global heating but critics say the PM has instead employed ‘Trumpian misrepresentation’
Australia’s first green home loan records double the expected uptake
There is appetite from households to improve the energy efficiency of their homes. Now the big banks are being asked to follow.
Australia’s Prime Minister refuses to bow to pressure from the US to use a global climate summit convened by President Joe Biden to announce an increased target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Net zero emissions: what it means and how long it will take Australia to reach global goal
The Government has gone from barely talking about a key global issue to mentioning it a lot. But in a key area, Australia is still being left behind.
Banks could dump climate-change exposed clients, regulator says
The banking regulator says lenders may need to limit their exposure to customers at most risk from climate change, or even consider dumping some of these clients, as it pushes the industry to sharpen its focus on climate risks.
Big boost for battery storage in new rules that reward fast response on grid
New rules will create a market that favours the fast response of battery storage, wind and solar plants, helping the transition away from coal and gas generators.
Waking the sleeping dragon – why Safeguard Mechanism may soon be tightened
The recent trend has been to relax guidelines on the safeguard mechanism, but that may soon change with a net zero emissions target.
Taylor expected to release ESB vision for future energy market next week
Key energy market reforms, that could recommend a scheme to subsidise coal and gas generators, expected to be proposed next week.
No, Australia isn’t beating other countries on climate
Australia’s government keeps claiming that is it beating a selection of other countries on climate. We decided to check the numbers.
Australia lags as the world looks to new 2030 climate targets – Please Explain podcast
Today on Please Explain, Jacqueline Maley speaks with National Environment and Climate Editor Nick O’Malley about Australia’s emissions reduction and energy policy.
Morrison stuck in the middle of a bromance that he could have seen coming
Michelle Grattan
Scott Morrison understands he must pivot the government’s climate policy, but he’s like a boy on a skateboard, navigating an awkward change in direction
PM’s snarky emissions about city voters could cost him vital seats
David Crowe
The strategy is to appeal to the bush, but the Prime Minister’s cheap shots at inner-city voters raise questions about his sincerity on climate action.
Scott Morrison is being exposed by US president Joe Biden on climate action
John Hewson
It’s not just that Scott Morrison doesn’t get it. It’s that he doesn’t want to get it when it comes to the magnitude, severity and urgency of the climate challenge.
Questioning Angus Taylor’s sci-fi emissions plan
Andrew P Street
A glance at Angus Taylor’s track record somewhat explains the lunacy behind his latest plans for climate action.
Australia’s economy can withstand the proposed European Union carbon tariff — here’s what we find
Philip Adams
The European Union has committed to very significant emission cuts — 55% on 1990 levels by 2030, and zero net emissions by 2050.
Brendan O’Reilly
What I have issue with, is people, who push the case for rail transport to the point of advocating projects that clearly have no hope of ever being economic.
Morrison finds shameless new way to fake climate action as world steps up
Ketan Joshi
As major emitters took major steps to enhancing climate action, Scott Morrison figured out a stunning new way to fake emissions reductions.
David Pope’s view: Fans of Earth United
Victoria
Axed Belt and Road deal won’t derail North East Link [$]
The cancellation of Victoria’s Belt and Road agreement will not derail plans for the $15.8bn North East Link.
Albo weighs in on Vic EV charge [$]
Anthony Albanese has hit out at the “absurdity” of states going their own way on contentious electric vehicle taxes despite his party pushing ahead with its own local scheme in Victoria.
Electric vehicle tax undermines Daniel Andrews’ talk on climate
Annika Smethurst
The Victorian government’s plan to tax electric vehicle drivers may raise some serious cash but it risks changing the behaviour of motorists, steering them away from cleaner vehicles which will help reduce the state’s emissions.
Victorian Government ignorant towards Darley desecration
Darren Edwards
Tensions are erupting across Victoria’s volcanic plains as a battle to protect State Significant Landscape from a proposed 500kV overhead transmission network heats up.
New South Wales
Water regulator starts crackdown after finding two-thirds of irrigators breaking new law
The NSW water regulator says it will be investigating NSW irrigators after finding two-thirds are breaking a new water law, mandatory from December for producers to be compliant.
Popular Sydney beach closed for two weeks after asbestos discovery
A beach in Sydney’s eastern suburbs will close for two weeks from Monday after asbestos was found on its surface eight months ago with Randwick Council saying it is “continuing” to find more.
Menindee Lake’s first drink in five years [$]
Water flushed into Menindee Lake in far-western NSW on Thursday, with the opening of the floodgates marking its first drink in five years and new hope for residents.
Shenhua coal deal points to mining policy on the run
Peter Hannam
The $100 million Shenhua agreement to end the plans for coal mines on the Liverpool Plains reveals a muddled mess of mining plans in NSW.
Queensland
Power play: Queensland set to mothball generators as renewables take control
Two of Queensland’s biggest electricity generators are facing temporary shutdowns of their generator units or even early closure in response to massive changes in the market brought about by renewable energy.
UQ battery breakthrough would mean cars, phones charging 70 times faster
A rechargeable battery that has significant benefits over lithium-ion has been developed by the University of Queensland.
Rubber hits the road: World first trial sees recycled tyres turned into asphalt
A new generation of asphalt that recycles 10 used tyres into every tonne of the road surfacing product, is being laid on Gold Coast streets in a world-first trial.
Coal miners say they’ve cracked carbon capture code with $100m plan
The coal industry claims to have found the answer to carbon capture and storage and has pledged $100 million for a carbon hub in the Surat Basin.
South Australia
Your final footprint could be green, gas giant BOC says in looking at opportunities for hydrogen – while Coles picks SA for its power.
Bold plan to restore biodiversity in Adelaide’s south [$]
Land in Adelaide’s south would be rezoned for restoration as part of a conservationist’s bold plan.
Freeway fail: How SA’s transport planners ignored the obvious
David Washington
Adelaide’s epic traffic jam this week is a reminder of how the state’s policy-makers continue to ignore the ramifications of rapid growth in the Hills.
Tasmania
‘It’ll wreck our tourist industry’: Freycinet locals concerned over sewage alert
Signs warning swimmers about possible faecal contamination will soon be put up near some of the most photographed beaches in Tasmania — and locals are fearing for their safety and for the tourist industry.
Tasmanian political parties miss the mark on marine parks, diver says, as debate deteriorates again
A group advocating for more marine protection areas is disappointed that discussion on the issue quickly deteriorated once again, saying the Greens lacked enough detail in their policy, and the Liberals were being misleading.
Tasmanian government kept salmon expansion plans secret: Flanagan
The state government is harbouring secret plans to allow the salmon industry to further expand into Bridport and some of the most picturesque parts of the North-West Coast, accclaimed Tasmanian novelist Richard Flanagan says.
Jack Davenport
lutruwita/Tasmania has punched well above its weight in the sciences – with world class facilities and leading industry minds seeking out solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. Yet science is under attack in lutruwita/Tasmania.
Northern Territory
Inpex wants lead role in Darwin carbon capture storage hub idea [$]
INPEX Australia wants to take a leading role in the Territory government’s plan for Darwin to be a carbon capture storage and energy hub.
$28 million pledged to help improve water security [$]
The NT Government has pledged $28 million to improving water security in Aboriginal communities across the NT.
Jewel of Kakadu Twin Falls to open this Dry but there’s a catch
A Parks Australia spokesman said access would be limited to operators only to access the Twin Falls Escarpment walk under special permits.
Many remote Territorians’ drinking water contains above the recommended levels of minerals
In many of the NT’s remote Aboriginal communities water supplies contain above recommended levels of minerals such as uranium, iron, manganese and nitrate. Now the government plans to spend millions improving it.
Sustainability
Earth Day: sustainable fashion brands – in pictures
From rented jeans to pineapple leather and buttons made from ‘vegetable ivory’, these 10 brands are at the vanguard of ethical innovation
The scary climate assumptions driving Toyota’s go slow on electric cars
Toyota’s go slow on the rollout of pure battery electric vehicles appears based on the assumption of a climate catastrophe.
Shocking new study finds 4 out of every 10 Americans live in areas with unhealthy air pollution
About 40 percent of Americans are living in places with unhealthy air quality, according to the American Lung Association’s most recent issue of its State of the Air report.
Earth Day 2021: Looking back at an unprecedented year for the planet
This day last year, the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, was supposed to be complete with international summits, events, and celebrations.
How to travel more sustainably
Don’t skimp on doing your own research, and be aware that ‘green’ certificates aren’t always all they’re cracked up to be.
Four steps this Earth Day to avert environmental catastrophe
Simon Lewis
With political pressure and these smart policy goals, a new sense of the common good could be within reach
Bolsonaro’s sudden pledge to protect Amazon met with scepticism [$]
Brazil’s President wants the international community to pledge billions of dollars to pay for his uncharacteristic conservation initiatives.
Joe Biden’s billions won’t stop Bolsonaro destroying the Amazon rainforest
Marina Silva and Rubens Ricupero
Funds offered to persuade Brazil’s ruinous government to stop deforestation are meant well, but badly misjudged
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