Adam Morton

Thirsty work: how the rise of massive datacentres strains Australia’s drinking water supply The demand for use in cooling in Sydney alone is expected to exceed the volume of Canberra’s total drinking water within the next decade

Thirsty work: how the rise of massive datacentres strains Australia’s drinking water supply

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Datacentres demand huge amounts of electricity. Could they derail Australia’s net zero ambitions? Banks of servers operating 24/7 generate massive amounts of heat, requiring power to run and cool them

Datacentres demand huge amounts of electricity. Could they derail Australia’s net zero ambitions?

- by @petrastock.bsky.social and @joshtaylor.bsky.social

www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Who are the Australians trying to shut down the world’s biggest coal port? Climate activists from the Rising Tide organisation have stopped coal ships from reaching Newcastle port – for a day or two. What’s their real objective?

This is a significant story, imo - building community action over an issue central to public debate and all of our futures. Some news media seem to have missed it. Wonder why.

Recommend this by @jordynbeazley.bsky.social

Rising Tide protest: climate activists stop three ships from entering world’s largest coal port in Newcastle NSW police arrest 141 people as campaigners demand federal government cancel planned fossil fuel projects and tax existing operations at 78%

Rising Tide protest: climate activists stop three ships from entering world’s largest coal port in Newcastle

NSW police arrest 141 as campaigners demand govt cancel planned fossil fuel projects + tax existing operations at 78%

By @jordynbeazley.bsky.social

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

The superb parrot breeding season has just wrapped but the field season still hasn’t finished - gang gangs are up next! The team is getting pretty tired🫠

As the attention caravan quickly rolls on, some weekend reading possibilities on the national environment laws passed by the Aus parliament this week.

More in the 🧵

bsky.app/profile/adam...

Australia’s ‘protestival’: kayaks, music, a push for climate change action – and the risk of arrest Fossil fuel protesters are making their annual pilgrimage to the NSW city of Newcastle to draw attention to climate policy failure. Police will be there too, with a ‘zero tolerance approach’

Australia’s ‘protestival’: kayaks, music, a push for climate change action – and the risk of arrest

www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Scroll up in the thread for more coverage and commentary on the nature laws (should you feel so inclined).

Australia finally acknowledges environment underpins all else. That’s no small thing | Ken Henry In what are dangerous times for democracies around the world, parliament’s overhaul of nature laws in the EPBC Act shows ambitious reform remains possible

Ken Henry (former Treasury secretary and chair of the Australian Climate and Biodiversity Foundation) on the environment law overhaul
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Fear Santos gas plan may start fracking rush that poses ‘major risk’ to NT water supply Fossil fuel company plans to expand exploration in Beetaloo basin

Fear Santos gas plan may start fracking rush that poses ‘major risk’ to NT water supply

by @donnadlu.bsky.social

www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Keeping this thread going for a bit

Inside the 72-hour rush that ended the long fight to fix Australia’s nature protection laws Labor hailed ‘a new era for the environment and productivity’, Greens say they landed ‘some tough blows’ and the Coalition claimed ‘dirty deal’ was done

Inside the 72-hour rush that ended the long fight to fix Australia’s nature protection laws

www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Australia projected to miss 2035 emissions reduction target ‘by a country mile’ unless it ramps up climate policies Climate change minister Chris Bowen acknowledges ‘additional work’ needed to meet 2035 goal

In the same building today, but elsewhere:

www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

There will be more on this on Guardian Australia in the morning.

Labor’s nature law overhaul contains wins – but we should watch for gremlins in the details | Adam Morton The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act changes are an improvement, but the rush to pass them was purely political

Also - a Clear Air column on what Labor-Greens deal means - or at least what it could mean. A complicated beast:

Labor’s nature law overhaul contains wins – but we should watch for gremlins in the details

www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

The rewriting of Australia’s nature laws comes as a relief, yet I can’t help feel a sense of foreboding | Georgina Woods The minister says quick approvals can happen while protecting the environment, but my experience tells me that haste brings unintended consequences

Worth reading this by Georgina Woods from Lock the Gate

- The rewriting of Australia’s nature laws comes as a relief, yet I can’t help feel a sense of foreboding

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Seven ways Australia’s nature laws are changing after Labor’s deal with the Greens Legislation to reform the EPBC Act runs to hundreds of pages – here are the main changes

An explanation of what it all means by @lisacox.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Labor strikes deal with Greens on nature laws overhaul amid criticism ‘dirty deal’ being ‘rammed through’ Deal to rewrite the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act marks end to five-year struggle to fix broken system

Some news on the nature laws deal between Labor and the Greens here www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Big day.

I think it’s a government press release reference rather than in the report itself. Will be interested in your thoughts.

Australia’s emissions from fossil fuels down as electricity from renewables passes 40% While greenhouse gas emissions fell 2.2% or 9.9m tonnes last financial year, new policies are needed to meet the 2035 target

Australia’s emissions down 2.2% last financial year.

Govt says it is the biggest annual drop in gross emissions recorded (ie not counting land/forests).

This has been put out ahead of a dump of climate documents and Chris Bowen making his annual climate statement.

Labor strikes deal with Greens to pass long-awaited overhaul of nature protection laws The deal to re-write the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act marks an end to a five-year struggle to fix the broken system

Deal done. More coverage to come.

www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

John Kerry urges Australia to take ‘hard-nosed’ approach with world’s biggest fossil fuel-producing countries at Cop31 Exclusive: Former US secretary of state calls for more demanding steps from Australia as it takes over presidency of next year’s UN climate summit

John Kerry urges Australia to take ‘hard-nosed’ approach with world’s biggest fossil fuel-producing countries at Cop31

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

last year was a bill primarily to create an EPA. This is a broader set of amendments to the act. So some quite different terrain.

Labor’s nature laws risk collapse with deal yet to be struck on eve of parliament’s final sitting day Greens expected to sign on to 11th-hour compromise after Labor offers new concessions

Deal not done. Might still be done.

www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

a man is talking about being entirely successful . Alt: a robot is is talking about not being entirely successful .

It's funny to have to make this case but tbqh we don't make it enough: human efforts to counter fossil fuel use have had *at least some* effect on total greenhouse gas emissions since the signing of the Paris Agreement in 2015, and there's some evidence to back up this position

A lil thread 🧵

‘Now is the hour’: Labor urged to speed up fossil fuel phase-out to justify Cop30 pledge Despite Australia signing the Belem declaration, Albanese rejected suggestion Labor shouldn’t develop new gas fields

‘Now is the hour’: Labor urged to speed up fossil fuel phase-out to justify Cop30 pledge

www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

What sheep know about the benefits of wind turbines that Australia's National Party doesn't

‘Now is the hour’: Labor urged to speed up fossil fuel phase-out to justify Cop30 pledge Despite Australia signing the Belem declaration, Albanese rejected suggestion Labor shouldn’t develop new gas fields

‘Now is the hour’: Labor urged to speed up fossil fuel phase-out to justify Cop30 pledge

www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...