With the climate crisis and coronavirus bearing down on us, the age of disconnection is over

Everything is connected. It’s hard to imagine right now that, just weeks ago, the truism of ecological politics was treated as hippy nonsense by mainstream politics.

‘What started to become clear thanks to the fires was
rammed home by Covid-19. We are only as healthy
as the least healthy among us’

Announcing the statutory review of the commonwealth’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC) last October, the Morrison government pitched it as an opportunity to weaken the Howard era laws even further and make it easier still for environmentally destructive projects to be approved. And, regardless of clear statements from scientists and strong advocacy by campaign groups, it looked like it would get away with it because, back then, we were still living in the age of disconnection when the environment and the economy could be seen as separate things, in competition with each other.

But then the summer arrived, delivering one after the other two massive wake-up calls. In the age of consequences, with the climate crisis and a deadly pandemic bearing down on us, it’s impossible to pretend that we are separate from each other and from the natural world.

Read the story from The Guardian by Tim Hollo - “With the climate crisis and coronavirus bearing down on us, the age of disconnection is over.” 

Australians will have to get used to drinking recycled water

Drinking treated sewage has always been on the nose in Australia.

Experts say demand for water as our population grows
 means more recycled water will have to be used for drinking.

The "ick" factor has led successive state governments across the country to rule it out as an option and was a key reason desalination plants were built in many capital cities.

But you're going to have to get over it because once population booms and climate change bites, most Australians will be drinking recycled water, according to urban water experts.

"I believe it will happen in the next decade for one of our capital cities on the east coast," Water Services Association of Australia executive director Adam Lovell said.

Read Jessica Longbottom’s story from The Age -“Australians will have to get used to drinking recycled water.”