Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Tanya Ha @tanyaha.bsky.social · 20h

www.smh.com.au/environment/...

Those sticky Halloween cobwebs are killing our native wildlife

Plastics now comprise about 30 per cent of the material found in birds’ nests, as experts warn fake Halloween cobwebs sold at supermarkets are fuelling the problem.

www.smh.com.au

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Reposted by Tanya Ha

Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 8d

There's a very nice new report from @climateanalytics.org on precisely this: "Hard to abate" has become its own form of subtle climate delay --->>

@billhare.bsky.social @cindybax.bsky.social

ca1-clm.edcdn.com/assets/Clima...

Conclusion
The persistent classification of iron and steel and cement as “hard-to-abate” sectors has
shaped both policy and industrial responses in ways that risk undermining the urgency
and effectiveness of global climate mitigation efforts.
While the technical and process-related challenges in these sectors are non-trivial, the
evidence presented in this report demonstrates that their decarbonisation is not only
possible but highly achievable with existing and emerging technologies—especially
when guided by integrated, whole-of-system approaches and supported by robust
policy frameworks.
A narrow focus on production-side constraints—such as process emissions in clinker
production or the fossil fuel dependence of BF-BOF steelmaking—has encouraged
decarbonization strategies put forward by the industry to rely heavily on CCUS and
offsetting as core mitigation strategies. This framing assumes that a substantial portion
of sectoral emissions are unavoidable, which justifies delayed action and continued
operation of high-emissions infrastructure. However, our analysis shows that much of
what is labelled “residual” or “unavoidable” emissions can, in fact, be abated at source
through a combination of clean technology deployment, material efficiency, and
demand-side reductions.
In the iron and steel sector, commercially available technologies—particularly electric arc
furnaces (EAFs) coupled with high scrap availability and direct reduced iron (DRI) using
green hydrogen—can replace the BF-BOF pathway. While steel production capacity is
long-lived and capital-intensive, studies show that aligning investment timelines with
early retrofit and decommissioning schedules could reduce cumulative emissions by up
to 66% over 2020–2050, compared to just 47% if low-carbon measures are delayed by
five years.

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Tanya Ha @tanyaha.bsky.social · 13d

Gorgeous!

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John Holmes @jhaue.bsky.social · 13d

This US government shutdown is different: what it means for science www.nature.com/articles/d41...

This US government shutdown is different: what it means for science

President Trump’s budget office lays out guidelines for mass lay-offs across the federal government.

www.nature.com

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The Australia Institute @australiainstitute.org.au · 14d

The Australia Institute presents Barrie, Bowers and Friends!

Barrie Cassidy and Mike Bowers (@mikepbowers.bsky.social) will be joined by @amyremeikis.bsky.social, with more friends to be announced soon!

Join us 6pm Monday 17 November at Sydney Town Hall.

🎟️ events.humanitix.com/barrie-bower...

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Tanya Ha @tanyaha.bsky.social · 16d

Solar + energy efficiency features lift the value of your home.

www.smh.com.au/property/new...

How to upgrade your home and add $23,000 to its value

www.smh.com.au

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Tanya Ha @tanyaha.bsky.social · 16d

www.theage.com.au/national/vic...

Melbourne’s east may be leafy, but these parts of the west have more green space

Some of the western suburbs are greener than their counterparts on the other side of Melbourne, but experts warn that their fragile native grassland needs to be protected from housing developments.

www.theage.com.au

Tanya Ha @tanyaha.bsky.social · 16d

“The data backs us up. We are not softer. Life is tougher,” - important story

‘Youth mental health crisis: What if social media isn’t to blame?’

www.smh.com.au/national/wha...

What if it’s not social media?

Young people around the world are in the middle of a mental health crisis. We want to blame Facebook and TikTok. What if we’re wrong?

www.smh.com.au

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Science in Public @scienceinpublic.bsky.social · 27d

Turn complex work into stories. Media training to help you translate complex ideas on camera. “Highly recommend,” 📷 Dr Monique Bax, Stem Cell Scientist. 📅 Adelaide 16 Oct; Melbourne 25 Nov; Sydney 11 Dec. www.scienceinpublic.com.au/training

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Science in Public @scienceinpublic.bsky.social · 22d

Simple stories travel further. We've been making videos for researchers with Jerome Pelletier (Stepping Stone Films), showcasing science for 10+ years. Want your breakthrough to show as well as tell?

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Sarah Emily Duff @sarahemilyduff.bsky.social · Sep 13

‘The anti-vax movement isn’t simply a grassroots network of concerned parents. It’s an industry. … It operates on a simple premise: if you’re not vaccinating your kids, you need to protect them somehow, and here’s a bunch of things you can buy to do that.’
Excellent writing in @macleans.bsky.social

Confessions of an Ex-Anti-Vaxxer - Macleans.ca

I spent years spouting conspiracy theories about vaccines. Now, as measles rages in my home of Alberta, I’m trying to convince vax-hesitant parents to inoculate their kids.

macleans.ca

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Tanya Ha @tanyaha.bsky.social · Sep 10

Hearing about a successful girls/women in engineering program in the Philippines that had been affected by USAID cuts 😢

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Tanya Ha @tanyaha.bsky.social · Sep 9

We will walk carefully and joyfully on your country 😊 - CAETS 2025 MC Mikaela Jade FTSE

Reposted by Tanya Ha

Mrs. Betty Bowers @mrsbettybowers.bsky.social · Sep 4

I once toured Atlanta’s 175-year-old Oakland Cemetery with a friend. Were struck by how many families lost multiple children within days of each other. We realized it was due to the lack of vaccines.

And this kooky, lying moron wants to take us back to those days. RFK Jr. should resign.

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Adam Morton @adammorton.bsky.social · Sep 4

ABC news angle: The Business Council warns a 2035 emissions reduction target of 70+% could lead to loss of $100+m in exports.

But... they're fossil fuel exports. A problem. We're committed to losing - and replacing - them. BCA supports this, right? Q is when.

Benefits of action? Not modelled.

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Tanya Ha @tanyaha.bsky.social · Aug 29

www.nytimes.com/2025/08/29/o...

Opinion | Trump Is Ruling by Willful Blindness

www.nytimes.com

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Prof Ros Gleadow FAA @rgleadow.bsky.social · Jul 21

We will see a lot more disputes about informal sea walls and beach erosion as sea levels rise - we must reduce emissions to stop the situation getting worse www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07...

Building individual seawalls 'doubles the erosion next door', experts say

As sea level rises threaten coastal infrastructure, erosion is becoming a growing threat for communities across Australia.

www.abc.net.au

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Scott Hamilton @sdhamiltonvic.bsky.social · Jul 21

#SmartEnergySA2025 @smartenergycouncil.bsky.social Conf & Expo on in Adelaide today ‼️‼️‼️ #SmartEnergySA #COP31 #auspol

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Laura Helmuth @laurahelmuth.bsky.social · Jul 10

Do you ever stop and think about how there used to be pterosaurs? A fun new study shows that pterosaurs used to eat plants (they'd been expected to be carnivores) & like modern birds, they had stones in their gullets called gastroliths that help break down plants 🧪 @science.org

Pterosaur died with belly full of plants—a fossil first

New discovery confirms the long-debated hypothesis that the ancient winged reptiles ate plants

www.science.org

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National Indigenous Times 🤖 (unofficial) @nit-bot.bsky.social · Jul 11

Narungga artist and PhD candidate Brad Darkson has been awarded the prestigious 2025 John Mulvaney Fellowship, supporting vital research into First Nations approaches to Sea Country management.

Brad Darkson awarded John Mulvaney Fellowship for Sea Country research

Narungga artist and PhD candidate Brad Darkson has been awarded the prestigious 2025 John Mulvaney Fellowship, supporting vital research into First Nations approaches to Sea Country management.

nit.com.au

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Tanya Ha @tanyaha.bsky.social · Jul 11

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07...

Doctors face Islamophobia in Australian healthcare 'crisis'

A major study reveals concerning levels of Islamophobia and discrimination experienced by Muslim healthcare professionals in Australia. Experts are calling it a hidden crisis.

www.abc.net.au

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National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia @ausstemcell.bsky.social · Jul 4

Applications for two $60,000 #MetcalfPrizes for Stem Cell Research Are now open.
Do you know a rising star of Australian stem cell science? Encourage them to apply.
Please share widely. #MetcalfPrizes
stemcellfoundation.net.au/metcalf_prizes

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Jackie Frank @jmfrank.bsky.social · Jul 6

As Floods Hit, Key Roles Were Vacant at Weather Service Offices in Texas www.nytimes.com/2025/07/05/u...

As Floods Hit, Key Roles Were Vacant at Weather Service Offices in Texas

www.nytimes.com

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Aimee Hulbert @aimeeh.bsky.social · Jul 6

Im sorry but banning male childcare workers from changing nappies is performative nonsense that causes way more problems than it solves.

Worker to kid ratios need to be introduced and make it so no adult is ever left alone with kids- regardless of gender.

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Tanya Ha @tanyaha.bsky.social · Jul 5

www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

‘We don’t want contact because you are bad’: loggers close in on uncontacted people in Peruvian Amazon

Logging, drug trafficking and the climate crisis endanger the world’s largest isolated Indigenous group, on the border with Brazil

www.theguardian.com

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