Aussie Enviro
- australiainstitute.org.au Offsetting into oblivion with George Monbiot
By relying on uncertain and unethical carbon offsets to combat the climate crisis, society is setting itself on a path to destruction, George Monbiot says.
George Monbiot and hosts Ebony Bennet and Polly Hemming get stuck into neoliberalisms insidious effect on climate, the folly of carbon offsets, and why incrementalism will never lead to systemic change.
As Ebony Bennet says, the discussion leaves you hopeful change could be just arpund the corner.
- theconversation.com Enough, already: why humanity must get on board with the concept of ‘sufficiency’
Sufficiency is a new approach to solving humanity’s consumption problems. It’s about using less, ensuring wellbeing for all humans, and staying within planetary boundaries.
>Humanity’s rapacious consumption is more than Earth and its climate can handle, which is driving an ecological crisis.
>Australians are the worst offenders per person due to our excessive resource use.
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Has a Plan to Fight Wildfires Gone Up in Smoke? By Alun Salt
botany.one Has a Plan to Fight Wildfires Gone Up in Smoke?Surprising findings challenge common beliefs about fire prevention in Mediterranean landscapes.
Published: 27 September 2024
Protected areas, drought, and grazing regimes influence fire occurrence in a fire-prone Mediterranean region
Máire Kirkland, Philip W. Atkinson, Sara Aliácar, Deli Saavedra, Mark C. De Jong, Thomas P. F. Dowling & Adham Ashton-Butt
Abstract
Background
Extreme fire seasons in the Mediterranean basin have received international attention due to the damage caused to people, livelihoods, and vulnerable ecosystems. There is a body of literature linking increasingly intense, large fires to a build-up of fuel from rural land abandonment exacerbated by climate change. However, a better understanding of the complex factors driving fires in fire-prone landscapes is needed. We use a global database based on the MODIS Fire CCI51 product, and the Greater Côa Valley, a 340,000-ha area in Portugal, as a case study, to investigate the environmental drivers of fire and potential tools for managing fires in a landscape that has undergone changing agricultural and grazing management.
Results
Between 2001 and 2020, fires burned 32% (1881.45 km2) of the study area. Scrublands proportionally burnt the most, but agricultural land and forests were also greatly impacted. The risk of large fires (> 1 km2) was highest in these land cover types under dry conditions in late summer. Areas with higher sheep densities were more likely to burn, while cattle density had no apparent relationship with fire occurrence. There was also a 15% lower probability of a fire occurring in protected areas.
Conclusion
Future climatic changes that increase drought conditions will likely elevate the risk of large fires in the Mediterranean basin, and abandoned farmland undergoing natural succession towards scrubland will be at particularly high risk. Our results indicate that livestock grazing does not provide a simple solution to reducing fire risk, but that a more holistic management approach addressing social causes and nature-based solutions could be effective in reducing fire occurrence.
- reneweconomy.com.au “Shocking, shameful, abhorrent:” Coal mine approvals slammed for reckless disregard of climate
Federal Labor green lights three major thermal coal mine expansions, in a move that lays bare the blatant disregard of climate change in Australia's environmental laws.
> The Albanese government has given the green tick to three major thermal coal mine expansions in New South Wales, in a move that critics say lays bare the blatant disregard of climate change in Australia’s federal environmental laws.
> But it is the “reckless disregard” for the effects of catastrophic climate change that has been the most jarring, with the three projects estimated to lock in as much as 1.5 billion tonnes of lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions – more than double Australia’s total annual emissions.
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Rising Tide environmental activists stop coal train near Newcastle to protest federal approval of NSW mine extensions
www.abc.net.au Coal train stopped by activists protesting federal approval of NSW mine extensionsRising Tide protesters have climbed onto a coal train near Newcastle, calling for the federal government to reverse its approval for three coal mines to extend their operations for another three to four decades.
> In short: > > A group of Rising Tide protesters have stopped and climbed onto a coal train at Sandgate near Newcastle. > > The group is protesting over federal approval of three coal mine expansions in NSW. > > The company behind one of the expansions says it will support hundreds of regional jobs.
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Australia's largest night parrot population may be protected by dingoes, but mining in remote WA habitat planned
www.abc.net.au Australia's largest night parrot population may be protected by dingoes, but mining is planned for their desert homeAround half of the nation's total known night parrots live in a patch of the Great Sandy Desert in Western Australia. While dingoes appear to protect them, the potential effects of a proposed road are less clear.
> In short: > > The largest known population of night parrots, around 50 birds, is believed to live in a remote Indigenous Protected Area in Western Australia. > > A new study suggests the rare parrots may be protected by dingoes. > > What's next? > > Change is coming to the region with the first piece of industrial development in the area, a potash mine and 350-kilometre sealed haul road, seeking environmental approval.
- glamadelaide.com.au Experts plead, don't move the Echidnas!
As we settle into the first few weeks of spring, local echidnas are becoming more active and visible
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The Ferals
YouTube Video
Click to view this content.
> The time has come to introduce our uninvited guests. We're looking at the top 10 most destructive introduced animals (and plants) in Australia. But why are they so devastating? And how did they end up here? All this and more will be explored as we delve into the world of the ferals.
- www.abc.net.au Coal protester wins appeal against three-month jail sentence for blocking Newcastle-bound trains
A 22-year-old woman charged over her involvement in blocking coal trains in the Hunter Valley is "relieved" after successfully appealing against her jail sentence.
> In short: > > Laura Davy was sentenced to three months in jail for her involvement in coal protests that blocked trains from reaching the Port of Newcastle. > > She lodged an appeal and was granted bail. > > What's next? > > The appeal was upheld on the condition Davy does not re-offend.
- www.abc.net.au PM offers to water down planned environmental watchdog to secure Coalition support
The federal government has signalled it is willing to make its proposed environmental protection agency more business-friendly, in a major concession designed to win Coalition support that environment groups have branded a "betrayal."
- westernindependent.com.au An owl-ful situation
Perth’s owl population is in peril due to harmful rodenticide poisoning.
A (student) article reminding people to rethink using the baits.
What kinds of traps do people use?
I'll out myself as using a medieval wooden snap trap, with a peanut butter bait. Its nasty, but i've not had much luck with humane traps, and baits are awful in so so many ways. It is used inside the house only.
- theconversation.com ‘It’s time to give up on normal’: what winter’s weird weather means for the warm months ahead
Earth’s climate has become dangerously unstable, and it’s only a matter of time before somewhere in Australia erupts in uncontrollable fire.
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15 upvotes and this becomes the new banner image for Aussie Enviro
Slightly modified version of the original banner---see if you can spot the difference!
- reneweconomy.com.au Households will produce more energy than they consume by 2040, and AEMO is paying attention
Rooftop solar, home batteries and other consumer energy resources have been listed alongside large-scale renewables and storage as critical to reliable supply – but work needs to be done to coordin…
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Bees 'starving' for pollen as native flowers fail to bloom - ABC News
www.abc.net.au Honey supply under threat in Australia as native flowers fail to bloomAfter four consecutive dry winters, beekeepers in Western Australia are warning of diminished hives and biodiversity loss as fewer flowers bloom and pollen dries up.
In today's news of a continually deteriorating environment (depressing story before this was more roads being built)
>The native bushland on Western Australia's central coast would normally be bursting with springtime blooms but after four years of increasingly dry winters, only a handful of plants are starting to bud.
- theconversation.com ‘Humanity is failing’: official report warns our chance to save the Great Barrier Reef is fast closing
Humanity risks losing the beautiful, complex reefs that have existed on Earth for millennia. Governments and officials have now acknowledged this devastating fact.
> > > The Great Barrier Reef will continue to deteriorate, largely to climate change, and the window to secure its future is rapidly closing. That is the sobering conclusion of a major new report into the state of the reef. > > > > The report was released by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. It confirms what scientists have long known: humanity is killing the Great Barrier Reef, and other reefs around the world, by failing to curb the greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming. > >
- reneweconomy.com.au “Purely phenomenal:” AEMO says world is watching as rooftop PV leads surge to 100pct renewables
AEMO says world is watching as Australia leads in the penetration of wind and solar in the grid and addresses the engineering challenges.
- www.abc.net.au SunCable receives environmental approval from Albanese government for Australia-Asia Power Link
SunCable's Australia-Asia Power Link project in the remote Northern Territory has received crucial approval from the Commonwealth government.
- www.theguardian.com Glass, plastic, roof insulation, oyster shells: what Australian consumers found in garden soil products
People who bought top dressing and potting mix from major retailers say poor regulation and a lack of labelling makes it impossible to trace the source of contamination
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The bandicoot bandits causing a truffle kerfuffle
> The unlikely gourmands are pilfering thousands of dollars of farmed black truffles a night, but a PhD student has been working to get them to change their ways.
Canonical URL: https://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/the-bandicoot-bandits-causing-a-truffle-kerfuffle-20240806-p5jzyv.html
- www.theguardian.com Dutton praises Canada to sell nuclear plan. But does Ontario really have cheaper power? | Temperature Check
Opposition leader’s argument is puzzling given Canadian provinces dominated by renewables pay less for electricity
- reneweconomy.com.au Nuclear too slow to replace coal, and baseload “simply can’t compete” with wind and solar, AEMO boss says
AEMO boss says nuclear too slow to replace coal, and confirms that “notion of baseload” will not compete with grid powered by cheaper renewables.
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Native vegetation loss potentially 'devastating' after record dry autumn, botanist warns
www.abc.net.au Farmers report high numbers of dying, distressed native trees after record dry autumnDying and starving native trees are becoming more common across South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania after months of little rain.
>Dr Moore said while Australian natives were resilient and well-adapted to harsh conditions, recent seasonal changes led to more dying out.
>"It's often becoming a bit warmer in these places," he said.
>"It's drier and when the rain falls, it's sometimes falling in the drier months, so that water evaporates as well.
- reneweconomy.com.au South Australia locks in federal funds to become first grid in world to reach 100 per cent net wind and solar
South Australia locks in funding deal with Canberra to ensure it can become first grid in world to reach 100 per cent net renewables via wind, solar and storage.
- www.abc.net.au First-of-its-kind survey of the ocean floor discovers 'submarine canyons' full of unique marine life
Ever wondered what the ocean floor around Australia's coast looks like? A first-of-its-kind survey has uncovered new information about underwater canyons.
- www.theguardian.com Tesla won’t free up use of its batteries, leaving owners unable to reap full benefits
Exclusive: Experts say Tesla should be excluded from rebates for disabling function on its batteries in Australia that would let users alter power usage remotely
- reneweconomy.com.au Batteries the key as cell prices plunge and wind and solar ramp up towards 50 pct share
Australia’s main grid is heading to 50 per cent renewables in two years, and batteries are moving from a sideshow to centre stage as cell prices plunge.
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Santos uses new tactic to fight climate change movement after traditional owners lose court challenge against Barossa gas project
www.abc.net.au 'Litigate you to death': Gas giant uses new tactic which could sink environmental dissentersSantos is pursuing the climate movement through the courts after winning a challenge brought by traditional owners against a massive gas project. Experts warn it could help spell the end of public interest litigation in Australia.
- www.abc.net.au Waste sector fears 'catastrophic' electric vehicle battery fires, as first wave of EV batteries reach end-of-life
Isolated incidents of EV batteries landing in the tip will become more common as the first wave of electric vehicle batteries reaches its end-of-life, the sector says, posing more risk of a "catastrophic" landfill fire.
I'm not sure how we're supposed to believe that disposal of nuclear waste won't be a problem when we can't manage systems to properly deal with the waste we are creating now.
- www.theguardian.com Gina Rinehart-backed company gets approval from Tanya Plibersek for coal seam gas project
Environment minister gives go ahead for Senex Energy to develop and operate up to 151 new coal seam gas wells in inland Queensland
So.much for climate change :(
Ffs, Vote Green
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Coal-free in 14 years as renewables rush in: new blueprint shows how to green the grid – without nuclear
theconversation.com Coal-free in 14 years as renewables rush in: new blueprint shows how to green the grid – without nuclearThere’s no mention of nuclear in Australia’s latest energy transition roadmap – because our energy market operator can only model power sources legal in Australia.
- www.abc.net.au Behind the grand plans for nuclear is a potentially fatal flaw. And it's on millions of roofs
The Coalition wants nuclear to be the Yin to rooftop solar's Yang. But some experts say the technologies make terrible bedfellows.
- www.theguardian.com Only 60% of Australians accept ‘climate disruption’ is human-caused, global poll finds
Exclusive: French survey of 26 countries finds fewer Australians than global average agree that climate change is the greatest health threat facing humanity
>Australia has one of the lowest rates of people acknowledging that 'climate disruption' is caused by humans
Colour me not suprised
- www.theguardian.com CCTV should be mandatory in Victorian piggeries, parliamentary inquiry finds
State opposition says the inquiry’s 18 recommendations include ‘extreme restrictions’ that should concern all primary producers