Government urged to set 'more aggressive and ambitious' climate goals.

The Morrison government has been urged to up its climate goals to protect the country's international reputation and for global humanitarian reasons.

Save the Children chief executive Paul Ronalds, who returned from
 Bangladesh this week, said "thousands and thousands" of climate
 refugees were pouring into the capital, Dhaka.

Kylie Porter, the executive director of United Nations affiliate Global Compact Network Australia, said the federal government must set "more aggressive and ambitious" climate targets before the 2020 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow in November.

"If we don't come up with some pretty strong policy before the next international climate change conference ... it's highly likely that Australia's reputation will get worse," Ms Porter said.

Australia drew international criticism at last year's UN climate talks when it avoided tougher emissions reduction targets by banding together with a small group of nations to oppose a measure that would have stopped it using controversial "carry-over credits" to meet its climate goals.

Read the story from The Age by Mike Foley  - “Government urged to set 'more aggressive and ambitious' climate goals.”

Government ditches $10m promotion blitz amid Great Barrier Reef furore

The Morrison government has abandoned plans for a $10 million campaign promoting the Great Barrier Reef's promising future, after a public backlash over its failure to address climate change and protect the natural wonder.

The Morrison government has abandoned a $10
million public relations campaign to raise hopes
 about the future of the reef.

An eminent reef scientist has also slammed as "not scientifically credible" claims by a charity gifted $444 million for reef conservation efforts that it will "climate-proof" the tourism icon.

Fairfax Media has learned the government has scrapped the $10 million reef communication campaign outlined in this year's federal budget.

Read the story from The Age by Nicole Hasham - “Government ditches $10m promotion blitz amid Great Barrier Reef furore.”

Federal budget: Half-a-billion dollars for the Great Barrier Reef

The Turnbull government will deliver the largest single environmental protection package in Australian history by committing half a billion dollars to protect the Great Barrier Reef from climate change and pollution.

The Great Barrier Reef, the largest living structure on the planet.

The investment, to be detailed in the May budget, will aim to shore up support in key Queensland seats ahead of an election in the next year, as the Coalition tries to balance environmental concerns with its pro-mining jobs focus through the Adani coal mine.

Read the story by Eryk Bagshaw from The Age - “Federal budget: Half-a-billion dollars for the Great Barrier Reef.”

(Don’t fall for this, it is political and rhetorical trickery. If the Federal Government was serious about saving the Great Barrier Reef it would tell Mr Adani to take his money, return to India and leave the coal he was so anxious to exploit in the ground. Climate change is the main player in the destruction of the reef and if Mr Frydenberg and his coalition counterparts were serious in their intentions to save the reef they would make climate change mitigation its first priority and that means an immediate shift from the use of any fossil fuels - Robert McLean)

Plastic waste reduced by up to 30 per cent with help from game-changing farmers' invention

Two brothers have taken on the fight to reduce plastic by inventing a solar shrink mulch film to help farmers minimise costs, wastage and to protect the environment.

Mark and Robert Trenchard launched their product
in 2015 and hope to tap into overseas markets.

Brisbane's Hydrox Technologies co-founders Robert and Mark Trenchard's patented solar shrink mulch film invention was named in the top 10 new agricultural products for 2018 at the world's largest agricultural show, The World AG Expo, in California earlier this year.

The film has a solar-powered shrinking action, allowing it to shrink and tighten at low temperatures as soon as it is exposed to the sun, reducing farmers' plastic usage by up to 30 per cent.

Fruit and vegetable growers use the film to control weeds. It stops weeds coming through the soil and taking up nutrients the plants require.

Read the ABC Rural News story by Jessica Schremmer - “Plastic waste reduced by up to 30 per cent with help from game-changing farmers' invention.”

Colombia’s top court orders government to protect Amazon forest in landmark case

BOGOTA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Colombia’s highest court has told the government it must take urgent action to protect its Amazon rainforest and stem rising deforestation, in what campaigners said was an historic moment that should help conserve forests and counter climate change.

In their ruling on Thursday, the judges said that Colombia - which is home to a swathe of rainforest roughly the size of Germany and England combined - saw deforestation rates in its Amazon region increase by 44 percent from 2015 to 2016.

“It is clear, despite numerous international commitments, regulations ... that the Colombian state has not efficiently addressed the problem of deforestation in the Amazon,” the supreme court said.

The ruling comes after a group of 25 young plaintiffs, ranging in age from seven to 26, filed a lawsuit against the government in January demanding it protect their right to a healthy environment.

Read Anastasia Maloney’s story from Reuters - “Colombia’s top court orders government to protect Amazon forest in landmark case.”

Thousands protest development of parks in Melbourne's leafy north-east

Battle lines are being drawn in Melbourne's leafy north-east suburbs between those who want to protect green space and those who want recreational infrastructure built to meet the needs of a growing population.

Thousands of Eltham residents protest against
the proposed sell-off of public space.

Thousands protested against Nillumbik Shire's proposed sale of public land in Eltham on Sunday, with organisers warning the identity of an area whose council slogan is "the green wedge" was under threat.

Read Joe Hinchliffe’s story from The Age - “Thousands protest development of parks in Melbourne's leafy north-east.”

Paris on flooding high alert as swollen River Seine set to rise further

Hundreds of people have been evacuated from their homes along the swollen Seine as the river kept rising after it burst its banks in Paris, engulfing scenic quays and forcing part of the Louvre museum to close to protect its priceless artworks from floodwaters.

The flooding Seine River has caused innumerable troubles in Paris.

The river had reached 5.75 metres (19.9 feet) at 8 pm local time on Saturday, more than four metres above its normal height, and was set to hit a peak on Sunday night at around six metres.

Seemingly interminable rains in France over the past couple of weeks caused the river to rise inexorably, leading city authorities to shut down all boat traffic on the Seine in Paris, keeping tourists off the capital's famed sightseeing Bateaux Mouches.

Read Rory Mulholland’s story in The Telegraph - “Paris on flooding high alert as swollen River Seine set to rise further.”

Loy Yang B failure sends prices soaring, triggers supply safeguards

The Australian Energy Market Operator has kicked off emergency measures to protect power supply after Victoria's Loy Yang B brown coal-fired power station failed on Thursday afternoon, sending electricity spot prices soaring.

As temperatures rose around southern Australia Loy Yang B's generators failed at around 4pm, instantly taking around 528 megawatts of energy out of the state’s grid.

Read Cole Latimer’s story in today’s Melbourne Age - “Loy Yang B failure sends prices soaring, triggers supply safeguards.”

The Real Question for Agricultural Sustainability

Sustainable Agriculture is the production of food, fiber, or other plant/animal products using farming techniques that protect the environment, human communities, public health and animal welfare.

The United States, for the geographical nerds out there, is surrounded and protected by two massive bodies of water: The Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. Very strategic and the core for the Manifest Destiny of the 19th century.

The essence of agricultural beauty, resources and overall protection from land invasion by a neighboring nation was the main idea for the Manifest Destiny. This article is not to litigate the main purpose of that 19th century idea, but to rather bring to light one of the main pillars for that manifestation: agriculture and crops.

Read Ahmed Maneeb’s story on The Startup - “The Real Question for Agricultural Sustainability.”