‘Massive damage': monster storms to slam into east coasts of US, China

A surge in storm activity in the northern hemisphere has spawned "monster" Hurricane Florence in the North Atlantic, super Typhoon Mangkhut in the north-west Pacific and a string of other dangerous tropical tempests.

Hurricane Florence and Super Typhoon Mangkhut.

More than a million people have been ordered to be evacuated along a 500-kilometre stretch of the US Atlantic coast to prepare for Florence's expected landfall as a category 3 or 4 storm on Friday, local time.

Read Peter Hannam’s story from The Age -“‘Massive damage': monster storms to slam into east coasts of US'Massive damage': master stems to slam into East coasts of US, China China.”

As e-biking grows, U.S. cities consider easing rules on where the machines may be used

A surge in the use of electric bicycles throughout the United States is prompting cities to revise regulations that restrict their use, including bans against riding them on sidewalks and trails.

JUMP, one of five dockless bike operators in the
District, brought its e-bikes to the city last fall,
and it has become one of the most popular
services, officials said.

The nation’s capital and other Washington-area jurisdictions are among those taking steps to modernize and streamline policies advocates say are outdated, set unrealistic restrictions and confuse riders of bikes that can be run on electric power as well as by pedalling.

“The number of bicyclists in the U.S. is growing, in part because of the rise of e-bikes, but it is difficult for people to know where they are allowed to ride them,” said Morgan Lommele, with the cycling advocacy group PeopleForBikes. “The laws are all over the place for electric bicycles.”

Read The Washington Post story by Luz Lazo - “As e-biking grows, U.S. cities consider easing rules on where the machines may be used.”

AEMC admits, reluctantly, the renewables will push prices down

Australia’s principal rule maker, the Australian Energy Market Commission, has belatedly admitted that the much delayed surge in investment in wind and solar will cause wholesale electricity prices to fall in Australia, but it is clearly not happy about it.

In a report that appears to be deliberately misleading about the impacts of wind and solar, the costs of coal generation, and the impacts on wholesale prices, the AEMC says that rises in consumer bills this year, due to the jump in wholesale prices, should be reversed in the next couple of years.

The fall in wholesale prices from the influx of renewable energy has long been predicted by most analyses, but its impact has been delayed because of attempts – supported by the AEMC – to kill the renewable energy target, causing an effective three-year investment strike.

Read the RenewEconomy story by Giles Parkinson - “AEMC admits, reluctantly, the renewables will push prices down.”

Inaction on climate change is costing lives

As we head into another scorching summer, many health professionals anxiously anticipate a surge in heat-related and respiratory illnesses, driven by our warming climate. As temperatures rise, so too does the amount of ground level ozone in our cities and neighbourhoods. The biggest risk this poses for us is the irritation to our airways, making it harder for many people to breathe easily. 

It’s not just a problem for children and the elderly – even healthy young people can experience respiratory difficulties from ground level ozone. But the most threatening components of air pollution are those we cannot see. Tiny dirty particles – measuring about 1/30 of a human hair in diameter – can pass into our bloodstream via our lungs, where they risk causing heart attacks and strokes in otherwise healthy people.

While our politicians continue to delay effective action on climate change, people’s health and well-being is being put at risk. Lives are being lost. 

Read The Border Mail story by Fiona Armstrong - “Inaction on climate change is costing lives.”

‘Desultory': Wind farm complaints aren't keeping up with surging industry

The surge in new wind farm developments has failed to produce an upswing in complaints, with just nine of the 79 projects operating in Australia receiving any formal objections, Andrew Dyer, the National Wind Farm Commissioner, has said. 

Lining up: Few operating wind farms in Australia attract complaints.

As of the end of October, the commission had received 54 complaints, for existing projects, with all but two resolved. Four people had relocated as part of the resolution process.

"There are no complaints for recently completed wind farms," Mr Dyer told Fairfax Media.

Victorian wind farms have attracted the bulk of objections, accounting for 31 of the 54, while SA and NSW had 16 and seven complaints, respectively. Operating wind farms in other states have not triggered any complaints, Mr Dyer said.

Read Peter Hannam’s story in today”s Melbourne Age - “‘Desultory': Wind farm complaints aren't keeping up with surging industry.”

Queensland land clearing could become 'tsunami', say conservation groups

A dramatic land-clearing surge in Queensland could turn into a “tsunami” in the coming year, say conservationists, the rate of notifications of planned clearing rising 30% in the past year compared with the previous three-year average.

 Queensland is already marked as a global deforestation hotspot. 

If that translates to a 30% jump in land clearing, Queensland – a region already marked as a global deforestation hotspot – could experience rates of land clearing seen just twice since detailed observations began in the 1980s.

Since July last year, 1,608 properties in Queensland have notified an intention to clear a total of almost 945,755 hectares of land. Almost all of it is “remnant” forest or bushland – a term used to describe forest that hasn’t previously been cleared. There was also an additional 80,200ha of “high-value agriculture” land approved for clearing, making a total of 1.02m hectares of clearing in the pipeline.

If it goes ahead it would undo the work of more than $1bn the federal government has spent paying other landholders not to clear their land, in order to cut carbon emissions under the Coalition’s Direct Action policy.

Read The Guardian story - “Queensland land clearing could become 'tsunami', say conservation groups.”

Solar Batteries: Australians see energy storage as the future, poll finds

As power prices continue to surge, Australians believe household solar storage batteries are the key to cheaper and more reliable energy, according to a new poll of 2,000 households.

Murray Green installed a solar battery
in his Sydney home last year.

The Climate Council found nearly three-quarters of those surveyed believe batteries, coupled with solar systems, would become commonplace within 10 years.

Of those who already had solar systems, 68 per cent were considering adding a household storage battery.

Most said the primary motivation for buying a solar battery was to reduce power bills.

Read the ABC News story by consumer affairs reporter Sarah Farnsworth and the National Reporting Team's Rebecca Armitage - “Solar Batteries: Australians see energy storage as the future, poll finds.”