#sprawl — Public Fediverse posts

"Diseases
today reveal our close ties to animals. Viruses leap from bats to camels to humans. Cats catch the flu, and tourists pass tuberculosis to elephants. In recent years, however, something has changed. Exploitation of the environment is causing more diseases to jump species than ever before — a threat to life that rivals climate change. The science is clear: the cause of this great acceleration is us."

"In Sentinels, Michael Dulaney takes readers from southern China to the Andes, from the Arctic to Australia, to tell the gripping stories of the people and animals at the forefront of this enormous change. Dulaney joins ecologists tracking flying foxes through Australia’s eastern forests, and frog hunters netting endangered species on Indonesian mountains. Along the way, we meet lemmings that resist global warming, coastal seals with bird flu, and genetically engineered disease-proof pigs."

"...Sentinels is an essential reckoning with our intimate connection to nature, and a call to build a fairer world for all." >>

#Sentinels When Diseases Spread Between Animals and Humans by Michael Dulaney >>
https://scribepublications.com.au/books/sentinels
#diseases #zoonosis #biodiversity #wildlife #sprawl #LandClearing #IndustrialMeat #HWI #Books

The role of ecological disruption in disease emergence.

* "Global commodity markets drive deforestation in Australia, one byproduct of which is the spillover of Hendra virus."

"More than one in five bat species globally are under severe threat from human pressures such as habitat loss and degradation, climate change, overexploitation and disease. Their population numbers and collective health, including the constellation of viruses they carry as a group, respond to these disturbances. Australian flying foxes are no different. The emergence of Hendra virus suggested that something had tipped the ecological balance."

A wildlife ecologist believes "that the virus was being driven out by rapid changes in bat ecology, specifically in the loss of trees that traditionally provided them with food."

"In the short history of European settlement in Australia, around half the woodlands and forests have been modified or removed for agriculture or urban development. At the turn of the century, the period when things began to change in the researchers’ accumulated data, Australia’s deforestation rate was the sixth highest in the world."

"It is no coincidence that, of all places, Hendra virus emerged in Queensland. Nowhere else in the country had seen more of its blossoming native trees removed.In some parts of subtropical Australia, more than 95% of their winter foraging area has been destroyed."

"This modified interface between people, horses and bats explain why the disease was being detected with a greater frequency." >>
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/aug/03/hendra-virus-australia-sentinels-book-extract-animal-to-human-disease-spread
#pathogens #LandClearing #DiseaseEmergence #bats #horses #sprawl #HabitatDestruction #wildlife #harm #destruction #extractivism #deforestation #beef #meat #logging #mining #roads #hendra #VirusSpillover #forests #HWI #Australia

Image: Cleared land and native vegetation in the Brigalow Belt in central Queensland. Photograph: Auscape/UIG/Getty Images/ Guardian

@da_667 gardening is great but tree hacking has good roi also if you have the space #lots on the outskirts #suburbia #sprawl

From dilapidated farm land to bird paradise along river systems

"Australians are all too familiar with the devastating environmental changes caused by extreme events such as floods, bushfires and cyclones. Yet gradual but consequential environmental changes brought about by urban expansion, the spread of invasive weeds and animals, and climate change often pass unnoticed."

"The park was established in 1984 on what was largely cleared farmland, bordered by a narrow strip of river red gums along the Yarra River. Since then, it has been transformed by extensive planting of trees and shrubs into a mix of woodland and open grassed areas for recreational use. Two ephemeral wetlands provide habitats for waterbirds."

"Urban environments, green spaces and parks, especially those connected along river systems, play a key role in conservation. They offer a variety of food, they facilitate bird movements through cities and towns, and they allow populations to spread into urban residential areas that otherwise have depleted bird communities." >>
https://theconversation.com/800-visits-to-a-suburban-park-inside-an-epic-40-year-birdwatching-quest-283593
#biodiversity #birds #habitat #UrbanExpansion #sprawl #CitizenScience #conservation #rivers #DilapidatedFarmLand #FarmingAU #LandMangement

Lingering loopholes in the new national environment laws

"The federal government says it fixed Australia's 'broken' environmental laws. Koala advocates disagree."

"Environmentalists believe the EPBC Act has (Australia's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation) allowed habitat to be gradually lost, with multiple projects approved within the same area. Habitat loss on the Redlands coast has contributed to an 80 per cent drop in koala numbers over the last 25 years." >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-16/brisbane-koala-advocates-question-national-environment-laws/106748658
#EPBCAct #biodiversity #LandClearing #laws #regulation #sprawl #koalas #extinction

Koalas are once again experiencing population declines across Australia.

"Koala numbers crashed across Australia 100,000 years ago. Global glacial cycles are likely to blame." The koala "is now listed as endangered in Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. "

"...Recent declines have generated a similar bottleneck over a much shorter time window, due to the historical and continued removal of suitable koala habitat. This is made worse by other threats such as hunting, disease, vehicle strikes, feral dog attacks and bushfires." >>
https://theconversation.com/koala-numbers-crashed-across-australia-100-000-years-ago-global-glacial-cycles-are-likely-to-blame-284558
#biodiversity #wildlife #koalas #habitat #NSW #NSWLogging #sprawl #cars #dogs #pets #RoadKill #FossilFuels #climate

Welcome to Australia,
where you can have a wealthy private school or
koala habitat but not both,
First Dog on the Moon >>
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2026/jun/03/welcome-to-australia-where-you-can-have-a-wealthy-private-school-or-koala-habitat-but-not-both

Image: First Dog on the Moon, Guardian
#biodiversity #wildlife #koalas #values #trees #sprawl #bulldozing #Australia

Koalas at risk of death once seven-day temperatures rise beyond 27C
Nutritional and climate refugia for koalas

"Extreme heat is a major factor in the number of deaths and hospitalisations of Australians every year....An analysis of 11,862 koala rescue admissions to NSW animal hospitals found the marsupials were more likely to die when the seven-day average maximum temperature was greater than 27 degrees Celsius."

"Dr Mella said water stations could be left out as well as shade structures built for koalas in hot regions like north-west NSW. We do that for cattle and we do that for animals that we use for our needs, so we really should be doing it for wildlife as well."

When koalas rests low to the ground in the shade trying to beat the heat they are usually chased and injured by dogs and car. >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2026-05-27/koala-deaths-linked-to-a-few-extra-degrees-of-heat/106722276
#Koalas #refugia #FossilFuels #heatwaves #drought #climate #cars #sprawl #dogs #NSW #MassMortalities #widllife #extinctions #DomesticAnimals #HeatRelatedRisks #biodiversity

Crashes at Lavenders Bridge, North Bellingen

* Just a short time ago two women were killed and another seriously injured after a motorist 'lost control' near the notorious Lavender Bridge and smashed into two cars parked at the riverside swimming spot. >>
https://coffscoast.newsofthearea.com.au/a-woman-has-tragically-died-in-a-crash-at-bellingen-on-thursday-afternoon

* Today there was another serious incident involving two e-bikes. An ambulance was seen at the crash zone. An injured person was seen lying on the ground. (The ambulance is visible on the Kombu Flood Camera at 2026-05-24 11.26 ) >>
https://kombuwholefoods.com.au/floodcam/

* The long road to a bike-friendly Australia >>
https://mastodon.au/@Bellingen/116626357349183983

* In the design of the new 'Lavenders Bridge Replacement' bikes and foot traffic do not seem to be a feature. A lot of bitumen was smeared over the river banks to facilitate the convenience for cars (parking).

Image: North Bellingen, Lavender Bridge Black Spot by design

#MobilityDesign #LavendersBridge #cars #motorists #infrastructure #climate #ActiveTransport #footpaths #SharedStreet #cyclists #ProtectedBikeLanes #dehumanisation #sprawl #suburbia #traffic #aggression #RoadRage #RoadTrauma #CarDependency #FossilFuels #BellingenShire #accidents #crash #pedestrians

The long road to a bike-friendly Australia
and the dehumanisation of cyclists

* "At the rate Australian cities are building cycling networks, a cohesive system is probably decades away. What’s taking so long?

"NSW wants to double active transport trips in 20 years...But at the rate Australian cities are building cycling networks, a cohesive system is probably another 50 years away, experts speaking to The Fifth Estate warned. Progress is slow. (One bike bridge was recently installed in Melbourne after 37 years of lobbying and discussion.)"

"A 2024 report by The Australia Institute points out that less than 1 per cent of federal road funding goes to active transport infrastructure."

"Richter was one of 49 bike riders who died on Australian roads last year, up on the average of around 38 deaths per year between 2012-23. (Thousands more were hospitalised with serious injuries during that period.)." >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05-24/active-transport-cycling-bikes-cities-safety/106710436

* Dehumanization of cyclists predicts self-reported aggressive behaviour toward them: A pilot study >>
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1369847818308593?dgcid=author

#MobilityDesign #cars #motorists #infrastructure #climate #ActiveTransport #footpaths #SharedStreet #cyclists #ProtectedBikeLanes #dehumanisation #sprawl #suburbia #traffic #aggression #RoadRage #RoadTrauma #CarDependency #FossilFuels #Australia

IMAGE: Children on scooters on a 'normal' Bellingen bitumen streetscape lacking a footpath or a cycle path. Nothing is protecting the flesh and blood from metal and steel.

1999: Is Charlottesville's petition to revert to town status valid? #cville #WhiteFlight #sprawl https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/va-supreme-court/1335669.html

The state of young Australians
A crisis of social reproduction

* “Many Australian children struggle with their mental health. Recent data shows around one in seven children (13.9%) aged 4–17 experiences a diagnosable mental illness.”

“…We estimated that reducing factors such as parental psychological distress, hostile parenting and partner violence could potentially prevent up to 40% of severe and persistent mental health problems in young Australians.” >>
https://theconversation.com/to-improve-childrens-mental-health-start-by-supporting-their-parents-271944

* Young Australians kept in the dark
Australia’s social media ban preventing teenagers from accessing the news, research finds >>
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/may/19/australias-social-media-ban-preventing-teens-from-accessing-the-news-research-finds

* Sydney mum reveals the huge cost of the school run (Young people's socialisation into (car) dependency)
"She would easily spend $170 a week on petrol, and drives between 80km and 90km often six or seven days a week, depending on what’s on. In 2024, the average household should budget between $10,000 and $25,000 a year to own car." >>
https://www.drive.com.au/caradvice/scool-run-australia-cost-2024/
#SocialReproduction #StateRetreat #CareDeficit #MentalHealth #anxiety #children #parenting #carers #family #DomesticViolence #violence #suburbia #sprawl #cars #MobilityDesign #CarDependency #work #WageStagnation #inequality #housing #instability #DoubleBurden #financialisation #outsourcing #SocialMedia #MSM #independence #citizens

Die #Sprawl Trilogie von William Gibson wirkt in 2026 aktueller denn je. Klar klinkt man sich immer noch nicht mit dem Gehirn ins Netz, aber die Dynamiken des "High tech, low life" und die dystopische Zukunft mit der Menschlichkeit entrückten Superreichen und der Hegemonie von Mega-Firmen ist näher, als sie es noch 1984 war. #bookstodon

Sprawl, cars and climate
Transport set to be Australia’s top-emitting sector by 2030, private cars (SUVs) still dominate.

“If you’re in suburbia or regional Australia and you’re trying to make a journey, often you’ll find public transport is just not a viable option and you have no choice but to drive."

"Experts have pointed towards an Australian love for US-style SUVs as a contributing factor to the rising death toll on roads nationwide, which has climbed every year since the pandemic, with NSW the highest of any state." >>
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/may/07/sprawling-city-public-transit-work-sydney-right-track
#sprawl #cars #SUVs #DeathToll #transport #climate #PublicTransport #NSW #MobilityDesign

Platypuses need threatened species recognition in NSW, researcher says

"The species was only "hanging on, not thriving" in NSW and the Murray-Darling Basin."

"There's no state or national monitoring framework for platypuses...Dr Bino said platypuses had survived Australia's natural cycles for millions of years, but were now struggling to adapt to human-driven changes. We've been disrupting the natural flow regime and fragmenting and isolating platypus populations."

"Platypus are pretty much wiped out from the mainland in South Australia. They used to occur all along the Murray but that's no longer the case." >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04-27/platypuses-should-be-threatened-species-in-nsw-researcher-says/106520128
#platypuses #conservation #habitat #rivers #NSW #monotremes #MDB #ThreatenedSpecies #biodiversity #water #pollution #sprawl #ImperviousSurfaces #roads #runoff #drowning #WipeoutAU

Oh, and of course, I knew once #AmazonCorp announced plans to build a warehouse in #GorhamME, the #GorhamConnector would rear its ugly head again... And even though #JanetMills' brother #PeterMills is no longer in charge of #MDOT doesn't mean the new director won't be pushing this... Instead of a light rail system or rapid bus transit on the existing roads (and / or safer bike lanes. I knew friends who used to bike from Gorham to Portland, but it got too dangerous because of a lack of dedicated bike lanes and speeders).

#MDOT will launch new examination of traffic issues west of Portland

The state study will focus on Gorham, #ScarboroughME, #SouthPortlandME and #WestbrookME.

Robert Lowell, April 22, 2026

Excerpt: "The announcement of the new study comes just days before Amazon goes to the Gorham Planning Board on May 4, seeking approval for a warehouse and distribution center on Main Street (Route 25). Traffic will likely be one issue fueling concerns about the Amazon project.

"The study also comes in the aftermath of plans the Maine Turnpike Authority shelved last year for a four-lane toll road connector to Gorham. The connector was aimed at reducing commuter rush-hour traffic in the routes 22 and 114 commuter corridor [which the #Maine Legislature failed to make go away!]

"A connector would have linked the roundabout at South Street (Route 114) and the southerly end of Gorham’s Bernard Rines Bypass with the turnpike’s Exit 45 in South Portland. The connector proposal was met with a public outcry because it called for cutting a swath through #SmilingHillFarm in #WestbrookME."

Read more:
https://www.pressherald.com/2026/04/22/mdot-will-launch-new-examination-of-traffic-issues-west-of-portland/

Archived version:
https://archive.md/Rh3bH

#MainePol #InducedSprawl #Maine #RuralLife #SaveTheFarms #SaveRedBrook #MainersForSmarterTransportation #Maine #MaineNews #GorhamBypass #GorhamSpur #Maine #RapidTransit #SaveTheFarms #ProtectTheForest #InducedDemand #Sprawl #SaveRedBrook #ProtectTheWetlands #BrookTrout #SaveTheForest #Wildlife #HuskyLine #RapidBusTransit

Malnourished and sick kangaroos, isolated by urban sprawl on New South Wales's Mid North Coast

"...The kangaroos were chronically malnourished because they could not find enough to eat in an area bordered by ocean, the nearby Emerald Beach settlement, and the Pacific Highway. Our theory is that ongoing development … the M1 being upgraded and an increase in suburban dwellings, that this population is isolated." >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04-24/sick-kangaroos-coffs-coast-look-at-me-now-headland/106597450

First the thylacine, the others a bit later...

#biodiversity #wildlife #EasternGreyKangaroos #habitat #kangaroos #marsupials #CoffsCoast #CoffsHarbour #LookAtMeNowHeadland #EmeraldBeach #sprawl #tourism #PacificHighway #roads #harm #MidnorthCoast #StarvingWildlife

Image: Coastal sprawl - No place for endemic wildlife on the Mid North Coast of NSW

It is not a fuel crisis,
it is a fossil fuel crisis!

Oh dear, We forgot to transition our mobility system
Go e-anything now without the matching active mobility infrastructure.

This fuel crisis could last for a while. It’s time for a new approach to fuel use – end it. >>
https://theconversation.com/this-fuel-crisis-could-last-for-a-while-its-time-for-a-new-approach-to-fuel-use-end-it-280454

#MobilityDesign #FossilFuels #CarDependency #oil #war #CarMinds #HabitFormation #idling #speeding #EnergyTransition #infrastructure #machinery #ActiveMobility #sprawl #walkability #bikepaths #EMobility #ClimateCrisis

Is this an urban planning dilemma or an easy choice:

Do we support the easy option of earmarking more fields and hedgerows for development expansion or the bolder step of turning existing concrete and tarmac surfaces to homes that don't cost the earth?

There is still time. If you contact your local councillors to encourage them to vote *against* sprawl and *for* sustainable communities.

#carrickmines #glenamuck #dingleglen #housing #sprawl