Australia extends three coal mines

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♻️ This week’s sustainability news

Coal mine extensions approved in Australia

What’s happening: The federal government has allowed three coal mines in New South Wales to keep running for another 30 to 40 years. The approvals are for MACH Energy's Mount Pleasant Optimisation project and the Ashton Coal Operations' Ravensworth Underground Mine, both near Muswellbrook, and the Narrabri Underground Mine Stage 3 Extension Project owned by Whitehaven Coal.

Why it’s happening: With government approval, MACH Energy can expand part of the Mount Pleasant mine, build a road, and keep the mine open longer. Earlier this year, a group of concerned community members couldn't stop the NSW Independent Planning Commission from approving the Muswellbrook mine. The approval for the Ashton coal mine allows it to do underground mining at the Ravensworth Mine Complex, build related infrastructure, and move coal, water, and gas to the Ashton Coal Project in Ravensworth. Whitehaven Coal can now expand its underground mine at Narrabri, although there are restrictions to protect habitats of threatened species.

Why it’s important: Carmel Flint, a spokeswoman for the environmental group Lock the Gate Alliance, told ABC News that she was surprised the minister decided to give the approvals just before the environmental conference ‘Global Nature Positive’ being held in just two weeks in Sydney. The Australia Institute think tank said the decision was "shocking," while the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) criticised the federal government for allowing the mines while also trying to address climate change. The approved coal mine extensions will generate more than 1.3 billion tonnes of lifetime emissions, which will undermine Australia’s stated goal of reaching net zero by 2050 according to the ACF.

New plastic bottle caps confound tourists in Europe

What’s happening: Since July, the plastic caps on water and soft drink (soda) bottles in Europe no longer fully come off. When the caps are screwed off, they remain fixed to the bottles and dangle from the top, bumping into the lips, noses, and cheeks of drinkers who are unfamiliar with how to to use them. This has caused some tourists to complain on social media over the last few months about the inconvenience of having to “learn how to drink again”.

Why it’s happening: The European Union introduced a new law to help reduce the amount of plastic waste caused by discarded bottle caps. They are one of the most found items on European beaches. Legislation was passed in 2019, giving beverage companies until this past July to keep caps attached to plastic bottles three litre or smaller. The hope is that because they remain attached to the bottles, the caps are less likely to end up in public spaces and instead remain with the bottles to be recycled.

Why it’s important: Coca-Cola has stated that they are reviewing whether the attached caps will be introduced to other markets where they “think it can be impactful”, while other beverage manufacturers declined to comment about possible international expansion. While reusable bottles are a better option to decrease the overall amount of plastic waste being produced, measures such as these can help to make a difference as the vast majority of people continue to purchase plastic bottles and invariably lose the caps while using them.

🌐 Travel responsibly

20 tips for easy sustainable travel

Travel positively with these green travel tips: Read our updated article to discover how we implemented these tips ourselves while travelling full-time around the world for nearly 18 months. While it’s not always easy, it’s definitely doable!

😇 People doing great things

Jimmy Carter celebrated his 100th birthday

A president decades ahead of his time: Friends, family, and fans of Jimmy Carter gathered in his hometown of Plains to celebrate his 100th birthday on October 1. He is the first former American president to reach the milestone. Carter's life journey took him from being a farmer's son during the Great Depression to becoming a US president and a Nobel Peace Prize-winning humanitarian. He was prescient on the environment, warning people 40 years ago of the dangers of climate change and the need for conservation. Through the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, he increased the size of the national park system and protected over 100 million acres of land, making it the largest expansion of protected land in US history. Carter also took political risks by talking straight to the American people, asking them to drive less, to reduce their dependence on foreign oil, and to focus on conservation and renewable energy. Carter's ideas were not only ignored but also ridiculed. On becoming the next president, Ronald Reagan infamously took down the solar panels Carter had installed at the White House, and portrayed environmental issues as something only fringe groups cared about. After the Democrat served his one presidential term from 1977 to 1981, he led The Carter Center for four decades, which he and his wife Rosalynn co-founded in 1982 to “wage peace, fight disease, and build hope.”

⭐️ Weekly inspiration

New York completes creation of ‘living’ breakwaters

After a decade of construction: Featuring eight partially submerged structures designed to break storm waves, decrease erosion, and serve as habitats for marine life, the project builds on New York’s climate change resilience efforts that aim for economy-wide carbon neutrality by 2050.

Cool roofs can save hundreds of lives during heatwaves

Painting roofs white or a light colour: If done across all of London, the measure could have prevented the deaths of an estimated 249 people or 32 per cent of the 786 heat-related deaths that occurred in London in June, July and August 2018, according to a new study, which also found solar panels on roofs can reduce heat while generating power.

Sales of cargo bikes boom in London

Replacing delivery vans and second cars: Many come with electric-powered motors and some models can carry up to 300 kilograms (661 pounds), with the switch making roads safer, improving air quality, and removing carbon emissions, in addition to being a budget friendly alternative to motor vehicles for both businesses and families.

Meta invests in startup decarbonising cement

CarbonBuilt aims to replace the industry-standard Portland cement: The investment will scale the production of ‘clean concrete’, helping to address the more than a third of all greenhouse gases produced globally each year due to constructing and using buildings, with about a fifth of these emissions coming from the building materials used.

Colorado to implement new methane measuring program

Across the state’s landfills and coal mines: The program, funded by a $129 million Climate Pollution Reduction Grant from the EPA, aims to reduce methane emissions equivalent to 1.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide by 2030 and could be a model for other US states to follow in the future.

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