Happy Easter!
Here is the enviro news for this week :):)
Himalayas visible without normal air pollution
For the first time in decades, the Himalayas are visible from India due to a reduction in air pollution linked to the COVID-19 lockdown. The average Air Quality Index for Indian cities dropped from 115 to 75 and improvements were seen as early as the first day of the 21-day lockdown on March 22. With far fewer vehicles on the road and many businesses closing, the air quickly cleared and some residents saw the mountains from their rooftops for the first time.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-09/himalayas-visible-india-pollution/12136856
NT revokes incentive for solar panel installation
A tariff allowing generous payment for residents generating renewable energy and feeding it back into the grid has been revoked by the NT government. While this had boosted solar uptake in the territory, the tariff is making way for a $30 million project to construct a large-scale battery to support the Darwin and Katherine areas. These projects are all part of the territory’s plan to move to 50% renewables by 2030.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-09/nt-scraps-one-to-one-solar-power-feed-in-tariff-renewables/11928988
Cities are struggling to cultivate urban green space and canopy cover
Research conducted by Melbourne scientists has revealed the global struggle to boost urban tree cover amid development and construction pressures. In Melbourne, a net gain in street tree cover was observed but this came with a loss of trees in parklands and private spaces. Young trees were the most common trees to be removed and 20% of trees removed were within 10m of development sites. While growing canopy cover on urban streets is a huge positive, the data highlights the need to manage the demands of development and find ways to protect trees in parklands.
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-52231899
Tasmanian kelp forests have disappeared
Giant kelp forests that once thrived off the coast of Tasmania have died due to warmer waters brought by climate change. These forests were some of the largest of their kind in the world but following the mass bleaching of 2015-2016 and with increasingly warmer water, these magnificent forests are completely gone. Destructive sea urchins have moved in from the North and are eating all the marine left - now all that remains is barren rock. Read this feature from The Guardian to find out more.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2020/feb/24/the-dead-sea-tasmanias-underwater-forests-disappearing-in-our-lifetime
Antarctica’s previous life as a rainforest uncovered
Scientists collecting soil samples from Antarctica have discovered evidence for the rainforest that existed on the continent 90 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period. They obtained soil from 27 meters below the seafloor using a drill rig which revealed that the yearly average temperature for the region would have been an exceptionally warm 12-13 degrees celsius. Contained within the soil was clay bearing fossils of root systems which allowed the scientists to identify ferns and flowering plants that would have lived alongside dinosaurs and flying reptiles.
https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/evidence-90-million-year-old-rainforest-uncovered-beneath-antarctic-ice-n1175021
Here is the enviro news for this week :):)
Himalayas visible without normal air pollution
For the first time in decades, the Himalayas are visible from India due to a reduction in air pollution linked to the COVID-19 lockdown. The average Air Quality Index for Indian cities dropped from 115 to 75 and improvements were seen as early as the first day of the 21-day lockdown on March 22. With far fewer vehicles on the road and many businesses closing, the air quickly cleared and some residents saw the mountains from their rooftops for the first time.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-09/himalayas-visible-india-pollution/12136856
NT revokes incentive for solar panel installation
A tariff allowing generous payment for residents generating renewable energy and feeding it back into the grid has been revoked by the NT government. While this had boosted solar uptake in the territory, the tariff is making way for a $30 million project to construct a large-scale battery to support the Darwin and Katherine areas. These projects are all part of the territory’s plan to move to 50% renewables by 2030.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-09/nt-scraps-one-to-one-solar-power-feed-in-tariff-renewables/11928988
Cities are struggling to cultivate urban green space and canopy cover
Research conducted by Melbourne scientists has revealed the global struggle to boost urban tree cover amid development and construction pressures. In Melbourne, a net gain in street tree cover was observed but this came with a loss of trees in parklands and private spaces. Young trees were the most common trees to be removed and 20% of trees removed were within 10m of development sites. While growing canopy cover on urban streets is a huge positive, the data highlights the need to manage the demands of development and find ways to protect trees in parklands.
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-52231899
Tasmanian kelp forests have disappeared
Giant kelp forests that once thrived off the coast of Tasmania have died due to warmer waters brought by climate change. These forests were some of the largest of their kind in the world but following the mass bleaching of 2015-2016 and with increasingly warmer water, these magnificent forests are completely gone. Destructive sea urchins have moved in from the North and are eating all the marine left - now all that remains is barren rock. Read this feature from The Guardian to find out more.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2020/feb/24/the-dead-sea-tasmanias-underwater-forests-disappearing-in-our-lifetime
Antarctica’s previous life as a rainforest uncovered
Scientists collecting soil samples from Antarctica have discovered evidence for the rainforest that existed on the continent 90 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period. They obtained soil from 27 meters below the seafloor using a drill rig which revealed that the yearly average temperature for the region would have been an exceptionally warm 12-13 degrees celsius. Contained within the soil was clay bearing fossils of root systems which allowed the scientists to identify ferns and flowering plants that would have lived alongside dinosaurs and flying reptiles.
https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/evidence-90-million-year-old-rainforest-uncovered-beneath-antarctic-ice-n1175021