Post of the Day
Plastic is far more toxic than we thought
You know that phthalates and flame retardants are toxic. But a new study finds that a quarter of all chemicals in plastics could be equally harmful to you.
On This Day
Climate Change
Christopher Hedemann et al
If you read the scientific literature, there seem to be countless pathways and scenarios that might lead us to global deep decarbonisation by 2050, allowing us to meet the 1.5°C target. “It’s still possible,” is the message, “if only we have the political will”.
National
AEMC proposes to reject bid for greater market control over small generators
AEMC moves to reject bid by large-energy market incumbents to centralise the control of medium-scale wind and solar projects.
Coalition fails to meet endangered species targets to stem decline of birds, mammals and plants
Ecology experts say failure to hit five-year goals concerning although feral cat progress promising
Emission impossible: Barnaby Joyce’s power play fires up the Nationals
The decision to re-elect Barnaby Joyce as leader marks a hardening of the Nationals’ opposition to climate action. But are they paying attention to changing attitudes in the bush?
Political leaders must ‘cut loose’ men who behave badly with impunity
Labor stalwart Jenny Macklin and new MP Kate Thwaites are furious about a parliamentary culture they say has allowed men to behave badly without fear of punishment.
Barnaby Joyce’s return puts focus on realities of emission targets
Gerard Henderson
There is a wise saying known to participants in, and observers of, leadership challenges that take place within the Westminster political system. Namely, the only colleagues whose promises can be trusted are the ones who readily declare that they will be supporting someone else. They have no reason to deceive or fudge.
Why farmers want action on climate – Energy Insiders podcast
“So many opportunities”. Anika Molesworth represents farmers who want action on climate. But Barnaby is back.
Aaron Simmons et al
Soil carbon is in the spotlight in Australia. A key plank in the Morrison government’s technology-led emissions reduction policy, it involves changing farming techniques so soils store more carbon from the atmosphere.
Net-zero targets can be good – here’s what should be demanded for Australia
Ketan Joshi
There’s little chance Australia’s government will make a high-quality net zero target, but increasingly there is work showing exactly what a good target looks like.
Business is leaving politics behind on carbon [$]
AFR editorial
The voluntary market for carbon credits is just one example of business picking up the 2050 challenge by themselves.
As the Delta COVID variant jumps the fence, Morrison seems only able to offer new branding
Laura Tingle
The PM’s absence this week, when the government’s assertion it had nailed the national COVID response seemed to be crumbling alongside any semblance of unity in the National Party, was unfortunate to say the least
Victoria
Melbourne’s birth destroyed Bunurong and Wurundjeri boundaries. 185 years on, they’ve been redrawn
In a historic step, Bunurong and Wurundjeri traditional owners agree on a boundary through the heart of Melbourne, asserting their rights as custodians of land now engulfed by a city that’s home to more than 5 million people.
Calls for contaminated West Gate Tunnel soil to be treated and not dumped in landfill
A scientist has questioned plans to send the contaminated soil to landfill, and says a more sustainable method should be adopted for future infrastructure projects.
New South Wales
Meet Australia’s ‘frog whisperer’
This 70-year-old biology professor and conservationist at the University of Newcastle in Australia’s New South Wales has mastered imitating and understanding the numerous shrills, croaks and whistles of frogs to locate them in the wild. Now he fears the frogs are more at risk of going quiet.
ACT
Canberra students have ACT government support to attend protests
Canberra school students now have the ongoing support of the ACT government to participate in peaceful protests, but the opposition has warned about the risk of increasing anxiety of young children or exposing them to “offensive” messages.
Queensland
Electric super highway charging outback Queensland
Distance will soon be no barrier to road trippers, with outback Queensland set to join the electric super highway by adding 18 new charging stations.
Water quality failure despite huge government spend on Great Barrier Reef
Reef scientists say Australian governments are behind on addressing key threats to the Great Barrier Reef, but farmer groups worry unrealistic targets have been set on water quality.
Federal government must audit Adani’s water plans
The Australian Conservation Foundation has called on Environment Minister Sussan Ley to conduct an audit of the Adani mine’s water sources to make sure they all comply with national environment law.
Queensland government won’t look into Adani’s undisclosed new water source
The company’s Australian chief executive has described the Carmichael mine’s water plans as ‘legal’ but ‘commercial in confidence’
Adani strikes Carmichael coal, but does the world even want it?
Adani’s Carmichael project struck coal this week, 10 years behind schedule. It must now try to flog one of the dirtiest of fossil fuels to a world that has moved on.
Adani accuses banks of acting against national interest
Adani has claimed the nation’s banks and insurance companies were boycotting the industry and should be regulated with a national interest test as well as be prohibited from targeting any industry.
Judge rules on whether activist can view confidential Adani documents
The decision of whether confidential documents kept from activist Ben Pennings in Adani’s case against him will be released next week after a judge delivered her ruling to lawyers in court.
Unesco says ‘in danger’ listing would be ‘call to action’ on Great Barrier Reef
UN body rejects claim by Australia and 11 supporters that process wasn’t followed over reef’s world heritage ‘in danger’ recommendation
‘Political bleaching’ is killing the Great Barrier Reef [$]
Crispin Hull
English needs a new word to describe the feeling for the first time you surface from diving on an extensively bleached part of the Great Barrier Reef.
Peter Ridd’s High Court case [$]
Kieran Pender
An employment dispute has become a test case on climate denial, cancel culture and academic freedom.
South Australia
SA gets a new national park the size of Singapore
The South Australian outback has a new national park containing the oldest animal fossils on Earth that will also help protect threatened native animals.
Two more reservoirs to open for hiking and picnics [$]
The next two reservoirs on the fringes of Adelaide to be opened to the public for outdoor activities have been announced.
Tasmania
Tasmanian Greens push for laws to keep cats ‘mandatorily confined’ to properties
Tasmanian cat owners could cop a fine of up to $1720 if a cat is found roaming outside their property if a bill tabled in Parliament by the Greens this week gets support.
Greens Move for an Independent EPA
Rosalie Woodruff
Tasmania should have an independent environmental monitoring body that strongly enforces the law to protect biodiversity and environmental values.
Are the Tamar’s natural values a problem or an asset?
Examiner editorial
The tidal prism and mud flats of the kanamaluka/Tamar have long been considered a “problem” that needs to be solved, and for many years, 160,000-cubic-metres of sediment was removed annually.
Could Australia’s richest man change the Tassie fishing industry?
Charles Wooley
Could Australia’s richest man be a game-changer for the Tasmanian aquaculture industry? Charles Wooley asks the question following the publication of images showing the brutalisation of seals at local fish farms.
Northern Territory
‘A new chapter’: NT town to be returned to traditional owners today [$]
The NT town of Jabiru will today be handed over from uranium miners to indigenous traditional land owners in a milestone move that will end one of Australia’s longest running native title wrangles.
Western Australia
Ancient Eastern Guruma artefacts ‘ended up in the bin’
The Wintawari Guruma Aboriginal Corporation has made a powerful submission to the federal parliamentary inquiry into the destruction of ancient rock shelters at Juukan Gorge in the Pilbara.
Sustainability
Amid troubles for fossil fuels, has the era of ‘peak oil’ arrived?
For years, analysts have predicted that world oil consumption would peak and start declining in the coming decades. But with recent setbacks for big oil companies and the rapid advance of electric vehicles, some now say that “peak oil” is already here.
Plastic is far more toxic than we thought
You know that phthalates and flame retardants are toxic. But a new study finds that a quarter of all chemicals in plastics could be equally harmful to you.
Silicon Valley is trying to ‘cure’ old age. Is that a good idea?
Scientific developments and big tech investment might be bringing us closer to immortality. But some people are concerned about the implications of an extended human lifespan.
Environmental claims of new EU farm subsidy policy are questioned
‘Eco schemes’ to be supported are undefined and three-quarters of €387bn CAP budget will go to intensive farming, say critics
FMG confirms population of elusive night parrot at WA mine
The mysterious endangered bird has only been sighted a handful of times, in two states, in the past 100 years, so FMG’s recordings represent a major breakthrough.
Water of death: How arsenic is poisoning rural communities in India
‘A crisis is brewing’, experts warn, with contaminated water exposing villagers to increased risk of cancer and affecting children’s brain development.
The secret of home energy efficiency? Don’t talk about home energy efficiency
Residential retrofit startups agree: Energy savings must pay for quality-of-life improvements to grow business and bring in lower-cost capital.
Rising sea levels threaten Bangladeshi capital Dhaka
Rising sea levels in coastal cities around the world, such as Venice and Jakarta, risk going under water in just a few decades.
Fire, tsunami, pandemic: how to ensure societies learn lessons from disaster – podcast
In this episode of The Conversation Weekly: when catastrophes like a pandemic strike, how do we make sure societies learn – and implement – lessons from disaster? We talk to three researchers coming at this question in different ways.
Yellowstone: report reveals extent of climate threat to oldest US national park
Researchers say temperatures, already the highest in the past 20,000 years, could increase by up to 10F by 2100
Indigenous memories can help scientists save species from extinction
From Canada to the Amazon, scientists are trying to learn from Native knowledge before it’s too late
Despite massive effort, spotted owl populations at an all-time low
A threatened owl could disappear from much of its range unless old-growth forests are protected and invasive barred owls are controlled.
How the American embargo impacts environmental conservation in Cuba
Conservationists say it’s time for change
Arctic tundra will see an earlier green-up and longer growing seasons, study says
As the Arctic warms, plants will sprout and flower earlier and hold their leaves longer, expanding the growing season.
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