Novak Djokovic Wins the Australian Open
On January 29, Novak Djokovic defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in the men’s Australian Open final. Moreover, he did this in straight sets: 6-3, 7-6, 7-6. This is the tenth Australian Open that Djokovic has won.
After the match, Djokovic said, “This has been one of the most challenging tournaments I have played in my life. What a journey it has been for my family, my team, and myself.”
“I try to pinch myself and really live through these moments. Only the team and the family knows what we have been through in the last four or five weeks.”
In 2022, Djokovic wasn’t allowed to play in the Australian Open due to refusing to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
To make matters worse, Djokovic’s 2023 Australian Open run has also been hit by controversy. In Melbourne Park, his father, Srdjan Djokovic, posed with a Russian flag that was overlaid with a pic of Vladimir Putin. This event was also attended by supporters of Russia’s illegal war on Ukraine. To a lot of folks, Srdjan’s actions were interpreted as an endorsement of Putin.
After this incident, Srdjan decided that he wouldn’t attend the Australian Open’s semi-finals or finals.
Srdjan also said, “I was outside with Novak’s fans as I have done after all of my son’s matches to celebrate his wins and take pictures with them. I had no intention of being caught up in this. My family has lived through the horror of war, and we wish only for peace.”
The Greens vs the Offset Emissions Scheme
Carbon offsetting: The act of counterbalancing the amount of carbon damage you’ve done to the environment by planting a bunch of trees. Or doing another green activity. In theory, carbon offsetting should be used by companies as a transitional programme as they attempt to hit net zero.
However, some believe that carbon offsetting is used by gas companies to pretend that they’re greener than they actually are. And one such person is Greens’ Leader, Adam Bandt. Furthermore, Bandt is opposing the Federal Government’s plan to support gas companies’ carbon offsetting.
This plan is being referred to as ‘changes to Australia’s safeguards mechanism.’
“All the big corporations [will] have to do is buy a few tree-planting permits,” said Bandt. “It is greenwashing of the highest order.”
“We are shooting past 1.5 degrees with no sign of stopping at two. But under Labor’s safeguard mechanism, pollution from gas will continue to go up.”
Related: The Results of the Carbon Credit Scheme Review
Related: What’s The Difference Between Carbon Neutral and Carbon Offsetting?
An Aussie Plant Has Been Rediscovered
In some rad news, a Western Australian plant has been photographed for the first time since the 1850s. This plant is a carnivorous sundew named Drosera rubricalyx.
Thilo Krueger, a PhD student at Curtin University’s School of Molecular and Life Sciences, is stoked that this plant survived the 1800s.
“No one has ever photographed or collected this particular species again until a citizen scientist with a smartphone came across them and posted pictures on the internet, which I think is quite an amazing story,” said Krueger.
So, if you’re walking past some strange plants you don’t know, maybe take a few cheeky pics of them. Who knows, you might be making the scientific advancement of our lifetime.
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