Dbytes #430 (17 June 2020)

Info, news & views for anyone interested in biodiversity conservation and good environmental decision making


“Imagine if fossil fuel miners decided they could destroy the heritage values of coral reefs too……. oh, wait…..”
Terry Hughes commenting on the ‘Default setting stuck on destroy’: FMG’s plan to blast 60,000-year-old site
[and see items 3, 5 and 7]

In this issue of Dbytes

1. Mr Morrison, you can cut ‘green tape’ without harming nature – but it’ll take money and gumption
2. Faster, further, fairer: Putting people at the heart of tackling the climate and nature emergency
3. Unesco urged to declare Great Barrier Reef ‘in danger’
4. Biodiversity Stewardship Program for farmers
5. Ocean geoengineering tests on the GBR violate UN convention: green groups
6. Two background papers on fire in Australia: Cultural burning practices & hazard reduction
7. Techno-fixing the Reef and other dangerous delusions

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1. Mr Morrison, you can cut ‘green tape’ without harming nature – but it’ll take money and gumption

Prime Minister Scott Morrison yesterday announced environmental approvals for 15 major infrastructure projects will be fast-tracked to accelerate investment as Australia emerges from the COVID-19 lockdown. Under the current system, proponents must seek both state and federal approvals for big developments. The new “single touch” approvals process will involve teams of state and federal officials assessing the projects jointly.

This is by no means the first attempt by governments to streamline environmental approvals. Morrison says the latest push will be informed by a ten-year review of the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity (EPBC) Act, which has also been framed around cutting so-called “green tape” that slows developments. An interim report is due this month.

https://theconversation.com/mr-morrison-you-can-cut-green-tape-without-harming-nature-but-itll-take-money-and-gumption-140732

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2. Faster, further, fairer: Putting people at the heart of tackling the climate and nature emergency

The Environmental Justice Commission was founded with the recognition that action to address the climate and nature crises need not be about staving off the worst, but can instead be about imagining a better world which we can build together. A future where people and nature can thrive, centred on good jobs and meaningful work, low carbon businesses, and where inequalities are reduced and opportunities offered to all. A future where progress is measured by the quality of life, security and wellbeing of all citizens as well as the health of our natural world.

https://www.ippr.org/research/publications/faster-further-fairer

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3. Unesco urged to declare Great Barrier Reef ‘in danger’

Environmental groups say Australian government is violating legal obligations to protect reef from global heating and UN committee should hold it to account.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jun/11/unesco-urged-to-declare-great-barrier-reef-in-danger?CMP=share_btn_tw

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4. Biodiversity Stewardship Program for farmers

The Australian National University will use a $3.4 million grant to develop a monitoring, reporting and measuring framework for the Agriculture Biodiversity Stewardship Pilot Program. Payments for biodiversity projects could help farmers diversify their businesses and take advantage of new revenue streams. The ANU will build robust and credible methods for measuring biodiversity that support this program.

The Agriculture Biodiversity Stewardship Pilot Program is part of the Australian Government’s $34 million Agriculture Stewardship Package. The pilot will run alongside the development of Agriculture Biodiversity Policy and the pilot of the Australian Farm Biodiversity Certification Scheme.

https://minister.awe.gov.au/littleproud/media-releases/anu-biodiversity-stewardship-program-farmers

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5. Ocean geoengineering tests violate UN convention: green groups

Experimental geoengineering schemes to protect areas such as Australia’s Great Barrier Reef are “distracting technofixes” that violate an international moratorium on the largely untested tech projects, a coalition of nearly 200 environmental groups said Monday. On the occasion of World Oceans Day, the Hands Off Mother Earth (HOME) Campaign urged communities and governments to “vigorously oppose” marine geoengineering projects that it said could imperil Earth’s already vulnerable sea ecosystems.

https://www.etcgroup.org/content/geoengineering-threatens-oceans

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6. Two background papers on fire in Australia: Cultural burning practices & hazard reduction

Cultural burning practices in Australia
https://naturaldisaster.royalcommission.gov.au/publications/background-paper-cultural-burning-practices-australia

Hazard reduction
https://naturaldisaster.royalcommission.gov.au/publications/background-paper-land-management-hazard-reduction-literature-review

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7. Techno-fixing the Reef and other dangerous delusions

Science is telling us coral reefs are dying. Politicians, while ignoring and denying the science on climate change, are telling us science is going to save the Great Barrier Reef. It’s called the techno fix, and it’s one of the oldest tricks around.

https://sustainabilitybites.home.blog/

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About Dbytes

Dbytes is a weekly eNewsletter presenting news and views on biodiversity conservation and environmental decision science. From 2007-2018 Dbytes was supported by a variety of research networks and primarily the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions (CEED). From 2019 Dbytes is being produced by David Salt (Ywords).

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