ABC News writes about the rise of digital sovereignty and grassroots efforts to build resilient, decentralized tech networks. Read more on ABC News.

As climate change increases the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, our reliance on centralized, foreign-owned digital infrastructure becomes a significant vulnerability. For Tasmania, building local resilience—whether through renewable energy or decentralized communication networks—is a key part of adapting to a changing climate.

The article highlights how community organizers are using tools like the Raspberry Pi to create local, renewable-powered servers. These 'hubs' could serve as a lifeline during power and internet outages, ensuring communities remain connected even when the main grid fails.

"It does require a little bit of people saying, 'I'm going to set a boundary here and say no to some of those less ethical options.'"

1. Digital Sovereignty: Taking control of your own hardware and software.
2. Resilience: Building systems that can function independently of massive, centralized providers.
3. Community-led: Moving away from surveillance capitalism toward ethical, local alternatives.

The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) has rounded up five recent good news stories for nature and climate that you might have missed. Read the full piece on the ACF website.

The highlights include:

1. The new national EPA shows it has teeth: It issued its first ever environment protection order, halting deforestation at Wombinoo Station in Queensland. ACF reported the case after its citizen scientists found more than 1,700 hectares of bulldozed forest and woodland. The EPA says further clearing could have sent more than 1,000 tonnes of fine sediment onto the Great Barrier Reef each year.
2. A win for the wrens: South Australia's Native Vegetation Council refused to amend a heritage agreement over Whalers Way. This effectively stops a rocket launch facility planned for the home of the endangered Eyre Peninsula southern emu-wren.
3. Bogong moths are bouncing back: Large numbers of moths are migrating to the Australian Alps again. Before the Black Summer bushfires, the population crashed by up to 99.5%. The moths are a key food source for the critically endangered mountain pygmy possum.
4. Community topples a coal giant in court: In Australia's first High Court case to consider climate change, Hunter Valley residents won against the Mount Pleasant coal mine expansion near Muswellbrook. The Court found that planning authorities must consider the emissions from burning fossil fuels overseas when approving projects.
5. A record year for the kākāpō: 90 chicks hatched this season, taking the population of Aotearoa's flightless parrot above 300 for the first time in 75 years.

For Tasmania, the High Court ruling matters most for climate action. It sets a precedent that fossil fuel approvals must count the emissions released when the coal or gas is burned overseas. The national EPA's first enforcement action is also an encouraging sign that stronger nature laws can protect forests in practice. That's worth watching closely given ongoing native forest and land clearing issues here at home.

The common thread is that everyday people made these wins happen by refusing to give up. ACF is now asking people to help protect Scott Reef from gas drilling. You can add your name to the petition.

The Climate Media Centre reports that the High Court of Australia has ruled in favour of the Denman Aberdeen Muswellbrook Scone Healthy Environment Group (DAMS HEG), a grassroots Upper Hunter community group. It is the first climate change case ever to reach Australia's highest court. Read the full release on Medianet Newshub.

The High Court upheld the unanimous NSW Court of Appeal ruling that the Independent Planning Commission broke a mandatory legal obligation when it approved the expansion of MACH Energy's Mount Pleasant coal mine. The Commission did not consider how emissions from the coal the mine exports (Scope 3 emissions) would affect the local region through more bushfire risk, drought, flooding and extreme heat. The expansion would have produced an extra 870 million tonnes of CO₂, 98% of it from coal burned overseas. The approval remains invalid, and the project must go back for proper assessment.

The ruling sets a binding precedent across the NSW planning system and directly affects 17 coal proposals now in the pipeline. According to the release, it is also expected to serve as a legal template in other states and in future climate cases. As DAMS HEG treasurer Tony Lonergan put it: "This isn't the end of coal overnight. But it is the end of coal mine approvals that look the other way on climate."

Why it matters: For years, Australian governments have argued that the climate damage from exported fossil fuels is someone else's problem. This judgment rejects that argument. Planning authorities now have to take into account how a project's emissions lead to real climate harm for local communities. Communities everywhere, including here in Tasmania, are already living with more fires, floods and heat, so this is an important step towards fossil fuel decisions that count their true cost.

This win also shows what persistent community action can achieve. A small group of locals, many of them retired farmers and teachers, took this case through three levels of court over four years. Congratulations to DAMS HEG, their lawyers at Johnson Legal, and everyone who supported them.

Tasmanian Country writes about the expansion of the Low Emissions Livestock (LEL) project into pasture-based beef operations. Read more on Tasmanian Country.

This project represents a practical step toward reducing agricultural emissions in Tasmania. By utilizing Asparagopsis (native red seaweed) in lick blocks, farmers can potentially reduce methane emissions by more than 20 per cent without compromising productivity.

The trials, involving Angus stud Landfall and Clovelly Tasmania, are using real-time monitoring to track both emission reductions and animal weight gain. This dual benefit—reducing environmental impact while maintaining economic viability for producers—is a crucial component of the transition to a lower-emissions livestock sector in Tasmania.

1. Key findings: Methane abatement via seaweed supplements.
2. Project partners: TasFarmers, Sea Forest, and the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture.
3. Goal: To support Tasmania's net zero targets through innovative, pasture-based solutions.