STEP Matters Number 192 August 2017
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STEP Matters Number 192 August 2017 Sadly this newsletter has nothing to report that Sunday 8 October – Walk in Wyrrabalong could be described as good news. This is National Park symptomatic of the political malaise in Time: 9:45 for a 10 am start Canberra and the NSW government’s fixation Meet: end of Evans Road next to Heritage with development. August marks the date of Village and veteran’s retirement complex implementation of the Biodiversity Laws that Length: 7.5 km (about 4 h) will lead to greatly increased land clearing in Grade: medium: tracks are smooth and easy – rural and urban areas in NSW. Protests from no rocks, lots of ups and downs biodiversity experts have been ignored. Bring: snack or lunch, water, hat, camera, But the wildflowers are wonderful at the plant/bird i.d. books moment so great time to get out in the bush. Leader: John Martyn (0425 830 260) Book: register online so we can contact you if In this issue of STEP Matters we cover: we cancel due to bad weather STEP Events ..................................................................... 1 http://step.org.au/index.php/walks-talks Finkel Review on the Electricity Market – This walk is different to most STEP walks in What Happens Now? ...................................................... 2 being entirely through massive, forested Protect Sydney’s Green Spaces ........................................ 4 Quaternary age sand dunes. These rise to Tax Deductibility Status of Donations to Environment more than 40 m asl and form an isthmus Groups Under Threat ...................................................... 5 between Tuggerah Lake and the ocean. How Should the Flood Risk from the Hawkesbury Nepean be Managed? .......................... 6 The park is famous for its Sydney Red Gum Fifty Years of the NPWS but is Anyone Celebrating? ......... 9 forests, but also hosts a range of dune It isn’t Easy being Blue – Cost of Colour in Fairy-Wrens .. 10 swales with high water tables supporting STEP Information ............................................................ 11 swamp forest and endangered littoral Invitation to Participate in the Recent Climate-driven rainforest. This carries cabbage tree palm Ecological Change in Australia Project ......................... 12 forests, formidable vine thickets and Beautiful Scenery during Bobbin Head Walk on 20 Aug ... 12 supports trees like swamp mahogany, bangalay, corkwood, hard quandong and STEP EVENTS endangered magenta lillypilly. Sunday 17 September – Blue Gum Walk in October was chosen because of the flannel the Hornsby Valley flowers, which grow to chest height and carry Time: 9:15 for a 9:30 am start blooms up to 10 cm across, but there are many Meet: end of Rosemead Road, Hornsby other species in flower, and the scarlet new leaf Valley, next to the park growth on the corkwoods is striking too. If Length: 4 km (about 3 h) you're lucky you may spot a regent bowerbird Grade: medium, climbs are in stages and only in the rainforest. locally steep and rocky Bring: snacks, drink, hat, salt or repellent in Getting there case of leeches You can arrive from two directions but best by Leader: John Martyn (0425 830 260) far is up the M1 to Sparks Road (first Book: register online so we can contact you if interchange past the motorway service areas). we cancel due to bad weather Follow Sparks Road (and its name changes) http://step.org.au/index.php/walks-talks across the narrow neck bridge between This walk was previously scheduled for 18 June Tuggerah and Budgewoi Lakes. Pass through but the weather was too wet to proceed. The most of Toukley turning right at Evans Road location is remarkable for its scenic beauty and traffic lights (Aldi on opposite corner). Time for the vegetation contrasts between tall from North Shore roughly 1 h 10 min. Sydney Blue Gum forests, dry sandstone woodlands, tall sandstone valley forests and riparian rainforests. STEP Inc Community-based Environmental Conservation since 1978 [email protected] PO Box 5136, Turramurra, NSW 2074 ABN 55 851 372 043 www.step.org.au Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/STEP.Inc.Sydney Twitter: @STEPSydney Saturday 14 October – Walk Through Time: bear a greater share of the reduction. It is A Geo-cultural Tour of Sydney's Iconic easier to reduce emissions in the electricity Rocks District sector as many of the required technologies Geological Society of Australia walk – details already exist and reductions in other sectors available soon! like transport and land use are harder to achieve. The Climate Change Authority, the Sunday 5 November – Picnic to Celebrate government appointed advisory body, NPA’s 60th Anniversary suggested that electricity emissions should Time: noon to 4 pm reduce by two-thirds by 2030 and be zero by Meet: Tunks Hill picnic area, Lane Cove 2050. National Park (behind Eden Gardens) 2. Clean Energy Target STEP members will be leading a walk from a The Finkel Review proposes introducing a railway station to Tunks Park. See Clean Energy Target, which would effectively https://npansw.org/what-we-do/celebrate- replace the current Renewable Energy Target 60/picnic-day-and-volunteer-awards/. from 2020. Gas and coal (with carbon capture and storage) would qualify under the Clean FINKEL REVIEW ON THE ELECTRICITY Energy Target, as well as renewable energy. MARKET – WHAT HAPPENS NOW? The Clean Energy Target would set a certain The information in this article is sourced from target amount of new ‘clean’ electricity the Climate Council’s commentary called (expressed as GWh or % of electricity) based Unpacking the Finkel Review. on the required emissions reductions for the electricity sector. The Finkel Review leaves the The Chief Scientist, Dr Alan Finkel, was asked target baseline and emissions trajectory to by the Council of Australian Governments 2030 and beyond for politicians to decide. (COAG) to undertake an independent review of the national electricity market (NEM) that: Technologies with lower emissions, like delivers on Australia’s emissions reduction renewables, would receive higher benefits than commitments those with higher emissions, like gas and coal (which would still be required to be below a set provides affordable electricity emissions intensity level to receive any benefit). ensures a high level of security and New coal stations that do not meet the target reliability can still be built without penalty, increasing the This was complicated task that needed to take emissions reduction burden from ‘clean’ into account: electricity. the closure of ageing coal-fired power The Clean Energy Council website explains this stations mechanism in more detail. Modelling escalating extreme weather events (like undertaken for the Finkel Review (based on heatwaves, bushfires and storms) driven by 28% emissions reduction for the electricity climate change that test the resilience of the sector) indicates the Clean Energy Target system mechanism (and an emissions intensity increasing gas prices scheme) would result in lower costs to rapidly declining costs of wind, solar and households and businesses compared with no battery storage action at all (business as usual). The modelling It also had to be politically palatable for the shows renewable power continuing to grow, up federal and state governments. to 42% of electricity supply by 2030 (58% still comes from fossil fuels by then, with no further The energy users, the general public and brown coal closures), in contrast to business as industry just want long-term policy certainty. usual of 35% renewable electricity. The major points made by the review and the Power generated by renewable energy in 2030 Climate Council’s view are summarised below. under the proposed Clean Energy Target – at 1. Emission Reductions 42% – is far too low. Under the Clean Energy The minimum target for reducing emissions in the Target, electricity supply from large scale electricity sector should be a 28% emissions renewable energy would only increase 9% from reduction below 2005 levels by 2030. While it 2020–30 (about the same increase as has places responsibility for more aspirational targets occurred in the past ten years, a decade to 2030 and beyond with government(s), the marked by significant climate and energy policy review cautions higher targets could have ‘larger uncertainty). consequences for energy security’ and 3. Renewable Energy Reliability ‘implications should be re-examined’. The Finkel Review recommends a new This target is consistent with the commitment requirement on new wind and solar power made by Australia at the Paris Climate Change plants to provide a certain level of conference but the electricity sector needs to ‘dispatchable’ capacity (this was called a 2 Generator Reliability Obligation). Dispatchable At current gas market conditions, it observes capacity is electricity that is available on call, as that battery storage may be more cost effective and when needed. New wind and solar would than gas in providing security and reliability in be required to provide a certain amount of the near future. However, the Finkel Review battery storage or gas generation as paradoxically urges government and industry to determined by energy market bodies so that prioritise gas exploration and development. power is available with certainty, for example, See STEP Matters Issue 190 for more details when the wind isn’t blowing and other sources on the issues with gas powered electricity. cannot provide sufficient power. Government Response There was no equivalent requirement placed on new, or existing ageing gas or coal generation, The Turnbull government has supported all the despite the failure rate of ageing power stations recommendations except the Clean Energy increasing. For instance, in early February Target. They can’t get away from the vested 2017, a severe heatwave across much of interests of the coal industry. There are even Australia’s south east and interior caused rumours that they would consider providing supply issues for the South Australian and financial support for a new ‘clean’ coal-fired NSW energy systems at a time of peak power plant.