‘More than just objects’: Australian booksellers raise alarm over ‘horrific’ destruction of rare titles to feed AI

1 August 2026 at 21:00

Secondhand booksellers believe they may have been caught up in the AI supply chain that sees old books scanned then destroyed

“Sometimes books tell you more than the content,” says Tim White, as he lines up carefully dust-jacketed books and pamphlets in plastic sleeves on temporary shelves in Melbourne University’s Wilson Hall.

He’s preparing his stall for this weekend’s Melbourne Rare Book Fair. For people like White, who runs independent bookshop Books for Cooks, the book as a physical object is just as important as what’s inside it.

‘Extremely effective’ organised campaigns against wind and solar undermining support for renewable energy

The Guardian - Energy

By: Graham Readfearn Environment and climate correspondent

29 July 2026 at 16:00

Clean Energy Council calls for a national, legislated scheme to funnel benefits of hosting renewables projects back to local councils

Organised campaigns against wind and solar energy have proved “extremely effective” in undermining community support for renewable energy but enthusiasm for electric vehicles has jumped after Donald Trump’s attack on Iran, according to a detailed snapshot of Australian attitudes to the clean energy transition.

The survey found levels of “deep support” for clean technologies were highest for home batteries and rooftop solar and also improving for major infrastructure projects such as transmission lines, which have been a target for critics of renewables.

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Mooted WA oil refinery ‘dinosaur technology’ amid clean energy transition, experts say

The Guardian - Energy

By: Krishani Dhanji and Graham Readfearn

29 July 2026 at 07:15

A feasibility study for the Western Australian project will show the project is uneconomic and requires government subsidies, experts say

Leading Australian climate policy experts say a new oil refinery in Western Australia would be an investment in “dinosaur technology” that would require public subsidy and do little to solve the country’s fuel security.

The Albanese government announced a $4m early-stage feasibility study with the WA government for a new oil refinery in the Pilbara region on Tuesday, but experts said the money would be better spent on green technology to reduce Australia’s reliance on fossil fuels.

Experts told Guardian Australia doing the feasibility study was not a bad idea, but would ultimately show the project would be uneconomic and would require government subsidies.

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Queensland and NT reject Labor’s push to ensure that power-hungry AI datacentres use renewable energy

The Guardian - Energy

By: Josh Butler

29 July 2026 at 04:19

Federal-state stoush comes as rating agency warns that electricity bills could skyrocket

Queensland and the Northern Territory have rejected the federal government’s plans to mandate that AI datacentres use renewable power, rubbishing Anthony Albanese’s proposals to regulate the booming technology as “underdeveloped ideas that hand increased power to Canberra”.

The latest federal-state stoush on energy comes as S&P Global, the economic rating agency, warns that power use from datacentres could rise five-fold by 2035 to 10% of Australia’s total consumption, and that a mismatch between delivery timelines for datacentres and renewable projects could lead to energy bills skyrocketing.

When the AI bubble bursts, what will Australia do with the tools it built? One man thinks he has the answer

The Guardian - Technology

By: Josh Taylor Technology reporter

26 July 2026 at 16:00

Journalist and author Cory Doctorow is coming to Australia to spread his message – humans will take their jobs back

When the AI bubble bursts, executives who enthusiastically replaced their staff with AI tools will learn that it takes a “really long time” to replace those lost skills, says Cory Doctorow, a science fiction author and journalist.

But those in creative fields should also be warned not to put all their faith in copyright as the best way to safeguard their work, Doctorow warns, just one week after the Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, promised to ramp up protection against AI companies who refuse to pay.

Locals fear for their children’s quality of life if the biggest coalmine extension in NSW is approved

The Guardian - Energy

By: Lisa Cox Climate and environment correspondent

25 July 2026 at 21:00

Minns government promised no new coalmines but permits expanding existing sites, despite being behind on climate targets

At Branxton community hall in the New South Wales Hunter Valley last week, local resident Janet Murray was given five minutes to speak about plans for the state’s biggest coalmine extension.

Before her were dozens of people, also there to share their views about whether the 19-year extension proposed by Hunter Valley Operations (HVO) should be allowed to proceed.

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