#fish farming

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1. City trees absorb much more carbon than expected

“[A new measurement technique shows that trees in LA absorb] up to 60% of daytime CO₂ emissions from fossil fuel combustion in spring and summer[….] Beyond offering shade and aesthetic value, these trees act as silent workhorses in the city’s climate resilience strategy[….]”

2. #AltGov: the secret network of federal workers resisting Doge from the inside

“Government employees fight the Trump administration’s chaos by organizing and publishing information on Bluesky[…. A group of government employees are] banding together to “expose harmful policies, defend public institutions and equip citizens with tools to push back against authoritarianism[….]””

3. An Ecuadorian hotspot shows how forests can claw back from destruction

“A December 2024 study described the recovery of ground birds and mammals like ocelots, and found their diversity and biomass in secondary forests was similar to those in old-growth forests after just 20 years. [… Some taxa recover] “earlier, some are later, but they all show a tendency to recover.””

4. Over 80 House Democrats demand Trump rescind gender-affirming care ban: 'We want trans kids to live'

“[89 House Democrats signed a letter stating,] "Trans young people, their parents and their doctors should be the ones making their health care decisions. No one should need to ask the President’s permission to access life-saving, evidence-based health care." "As Members of Congress, we stand united with trans young people and their families.”“

5. Boosting seafood production while protecting biodiversity

“A new study suggests that farming seafood from the ocean – known as mariculture – could be expanded to feed more people while reducing harm to marine biodiversity at the same time. […] “[… I]t’s not a foregone conclusion that the expansion of an industry is always going to have a proportionally negative impact on the environment[….]””

6. U.S. will spend up to $1 billion to combat bird flu, USDA secretary says

“The USDA will spend up to $500 million to provide free biosecurity audits to farms and $400 million to increase payment rates to farmers who need to kill their chickens due to bird flu[….] The USDA is exploring vaccines for chickens but is not yet authorizing their use[….]”

7. An Innovative Program Supporting the Protection of Irreplaceable Saline Lakes

“[… T]he program aims to provide comprehensive data on water availability and lake health, develop strategies to monitor and assess critical ecosystems, and identify knowledge gaps to guide future research and resource management.”

8. EU to unveil ​‘Clean Industrial Deal’ to cut CO2, boost energy security

“The bold plan aims to revitalize and decarbonize heavy industry, reduce reliance on gas, and make energy cheaper, cleaner, and more secure. […] By July, the EU said it will ​“simplify state aid rules” to ​“accelerate the roll-out of clean energy, deploy industrial decarbonisation and ensure sufficient capacity of clean-tech manufacturing” on the continent.”

9. Oyster Restoration Investments Net Positive Returns for Economy and Environment

“Researchers expect the restored oyster reefs to produce $38 million in ecosystem benefits through 2048. “This network protects nearly 350 million oysters[….]” [NOAA provided] $14.9 million to expand the sanctuary network to 500 acres by 2026 […] through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.”

10. Nations back $200 billion-a-year plan to reverse nature losses

“More than 140 countries adopted a strategy to mobilize hundreds of billions of dollars a year to help reverse dramatic losses in biodiversity[….] A finance strategy adopted to applause and tears from delegates, underpins "our collective capacity to sustain life on this planet," said Susana Muhamad[….]”

"They are plagued by sea lice and disease, suffer from stressful handling and treatments, and live a monotonous life in barren, crowded cages."

My boyfriend did a class in high school (AT A PUBLIC SCHOOL) where he literally flew a plane and I couldn't even get an English class that actually prepared me for university academic writing?? We didn't even learn how to use REFERENCING STYLES in English 3, and my teacher was great and did the best she could but there are people who had access to classes where they learn how to do research-style academic writing in high school before they start having to do it at uni where the expectation is that we already know, and I had to learn on the fly and desperately try to catch up, I feel so ripped off

I hate that it's either live in a populated mainland area or pay through the nose to send your kids to public school if you want them to be adequately prepared for tertiary level study, the government loves to shit on tradies and talk about how 'everyone should finish year 12 and be prepared for uni' but neglects to mention how poorly the school system actually prepares us for uni

It's SO HARD to learn how to write, research, and even READ academically, let alone how to use citation styles like Australian Harvard or APA 7th. How hard would it be to have a class that covers research skills and study design and writing academic reports? We have fragments of these concepts throughout the sciences, English lit, and other specialty classes like health studies, but there is no cohesive 'University preparation English' class. Surely we should be providing that for students instead of solely focusing on analysing fiction? It has its place but when that's all we learn there's a massive knowledge gap.

How is the government (both state and federal have been doing this for YEARS, no matter which party is in government) going to pressure people to finish year 12 and devalue non-university pathways but simultaneously fail to provide the funding and resources for students outside of like, three major cities to actually be adequately prepared for university? Not to mention how incredibly expensive it is to even do tertiary study and the downwards spiral of tertiary education quality that has only intensified post-COVID??

That's not even to mention the way that K-12 schools and the students and staff have been absolutely left for dead in my state. I can't speak for other states but we have some wonderful teachers that work hard to implement best practice that are bearing the brunt of the state government being a bunch of idiots and the federal government fucking FORGETTING WE EXIST until it's politically convenient for them (see: salmon farming) which means our schools have NO funding and NO support for the kids that need it.

I'm not even going to get into the salmon farming thing because I'll just get angry but I will say that I love how the government can rush through changes to environmental protection laws to make themselves look good and allow chunks of dead rotting fish to wash up on our beaches and disrupt our ecosystem but they can't lift any real finger about the housing crisis because 'ooooh its too hard you're asking for too much', they can't do shit about the state of the healthcare system, they twiddle their thumbs about climate change, they won't crack down on big businesses taking advantage of Australians and worsening the cost of living crisis.... shall I fucking go on?? The 120 jobs that they're so vocal about protecting will not continue to exist long-term with the number of farmed fish that are dying and diseased. The farming that's going on is not being done responsibly or sustainably and is being done in the only existing habitat of the Maugean skate (literally ONLY the Macquarie and Bathurst harbours), despite the fact that all these companies have salmon farms in many other areas around the state that are just as suitable, and what's actually being halted is an inquiry to find out if the farming is actually being done properly (if it was we wouldn't be seeing this scale of mass casualty, escapee, and biosecurity issues going on). If they're really doing things so safely and sustainably then why are they so keen to avoid any kind of scrutiny or inquiry into their practices? These aren't small local businesses either, all three salmon producers in Tasmania are large foreign-owned corporations, and I think it's fair enough that we're pissed off about our environment being damaged so that big corporations can come in and make a quick buck.