Sts. Cyrilus and Methodius Day Bulgaria
More about May 11 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_11
National
Coalition accused of letting infrastructure spending ‘fall off a cliff’ in budget
Australian budget figures project a continuous slide in infrastructure spending after a peak in 2017-18
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/may/10/australia-federal-budget-2017-coalition-labor-infrastructure-scott-morrison
Native Title Act vote call
The Turnbull government has called on Labor to allow a Senate vote today on amendments to the Native Title Act.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/indigenous/call-for-labor-to-allow-senate-vote-on-native-title-act-changes/news-story/d632f6b4436383ea62e89999ffb32d75
New study informs a long-standing debate about how predators shape ecosystems
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/-995200128361624228
How dingoes could be shaping Australia’s landscape.
New study informs a long-standing debate about how predators shape ecosystems
How dingoes could be shaping Australia’s landscap
Turbine windfall for foreigners
Sixty per cent of existing wind farms are owned by foreigners, taking an estimated $1.7bn a year in subsidies offshore.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/foreign-owners-dominate-australian-wind-farm-developments/news-story/1b3a83bde7868ef4a70efa9a8c04af81
To get the ‘good debt’ tick, infrastructure needs to be fit for the future
Cynthia Mitchell, University of Technology Sydney; David Singleton, Swinburne University of Technology, and Jim Bentley, University of Auckland
If infrastructure is to meet the needs and challenges of an uncertain future, we need to move beyond the AAA ratings mindset and aim for net-positive social and ecological outcomes as well.
http://theconversation.com/to-get-the-good-debt-tick-infrastructure-needs-to-be-fit-for-the-future-77159
Senate inquiry told zero tax or royalties paid on Australia’s biggest new gas projects
Michael West
This week’s budget papers show the government spending A$33 billion on education this year, nearly the same amount that Australia’s five new offshore gas fields will make in sales each year when they are running at full capacity.
Unless prices spike higher, however, these five monster projects may never pay a cent in royalties or Petroleum Resource Rent Tax (PRRT).
http://theconversation.com/senate-inquiry-told-zero-tax-or-royalties-paid-on-australias-biggest-new-gas-projects-77479
Treasury gives budget warning on inland rail boondoggle
Bernard Keane
The government has been told its inland rail project will never make its money back, but has gone ahead and treated it as an investment anyway. So Treasury put a caveat in the budget.
https://www.crikey.com.au/2017/05/10/treasury-warns-on-inland-rail-boondoggle/
Nobody Mentioned It, But Do We Stand To Lose Our Best Defence Against Climate Change?
Anthony Sharwood
You’ve probably never heard of the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility. We hadn’t. And after reading the 2017 Federal Budget, the indications are we never will again.
Here’s why this matters
http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2017/05/10/nobody-mentioned-it-but-we-stand-to-lose-our-best-defense-again_a_22078630/
Federal budget has little for renewable energy programs, lots for expanding gas sector
Babs McHugh
The Federal budget includes a number of multi-million-dollar measures to ensure more gas is available and shore up east-coast supplies.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2017-05-10/federal-budget-2017-gives-gas-a-boost/8513832
Turnbull lets fig leaf droop and stands naked on climate policy
Giles Parkinson
Turnbull government’s budget had nothing to say on climate, and little on energy. The policy he once derided as a “fig leaf” for climate action is coming to an end, leaving the PM with nothing to meet climate targets, and no strategy to manage the energy transition.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/turnbull-lets-fig-leaf-droop-stands-naked-climate-policy-79879/
Turnbull’s budget ignores energy crisis and dodges climate
Matthew Rose
The second budget of the Turnbull Government continues their dire management of Australia’s energy and climate change policy.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/turnbulls-budget-ignores-energy-crisis-dodges-climate-24886/
Federal government backs wrong horse on energy
Nicky Ison
The politics of energy is best described as a four-horse race. Coal has been out in front for more than 150 years, with the inside track advantage, although over the past three decades Gas has been gaining ground. In 2001, energetic newcomer Renewables entered the race and with the introduction of a renewable energy target, began threatening the front runners. Now a filly known as Storage has appeared out of nowhere, forcing a major punter rethink
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/comment/federal-government-backs-wrong-horse-on-energy-20170510-gw1fcm.html
Victoria
Plan to use Yarra River for daily commute
A FERRY for commuters from Chapel St to the CBD and beyond may become a reality under a plan being hatched by a high-profile businessman Paul Little and Melbourne’s Lord Mayor.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/yarra-river-ferry-from-chapel-st-to-melbourne-cbd-docklands-plan/news-story/de1aadc703501eda8e3a200621f3327e
Wildlife you didn’t know lived in Melbourne
WE’VE all seen possums, foxes and kangaroos in Melbourne’s suburbs, but what about the furry, feathered or slippery friends also living nearby.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/melbourne-wildlife-animals-you-didnt-know-lived-in-our-suburbs/news-story/50d385b84e89b687b0fc09d981bf283b
Mill sale possible
AUSTRALIAN Sustainable Hardwoods says it is prepared to consider selling its Heyfield timber mill to the Victorian Government.
http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/national/heyfield-timber-mill-sale-possible/news-story/fd1e5d7315094bb50c797b323bacd8c5
Budget plan could see 3000 more homes on a toxic site in city’s west
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/treasurers-plan-would-see-3000-extra-homes-go-up-on-toxic-maribyrnong-site-20170510-gw1twj.html
‘They can forget it’: Stoush erupts over Snowy sale
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/victoria-wont-be-dictated-to-on-how-to-spend-snowy-cash-20170510-gw1xj3.html
Let’s do a deal on regional rail
Darren Chester
IT’S time to do a deal on regional rail
http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/opinion/darren-chester-lets-do-a-deal-on-inland-rail/news-story/9516254b02e33a4a3168df837312c383
New South Wales
Could Badgerys Creek airport be built cheaper and faster? One man thinks so.
The man behind the Wellcamp Airport says Badgerys Creek could be open after three years of hard but determined work, and for a fraction of the money.
https://www.crikey.com.au/2017/05/10/john-wagner-says-badgerys-creek-airport-could-be-built-faster-and-cheaper/
South32 curbs coal output
South32 shares have fallen 4pc after it flagged its Illawarra mines would miss an annual coal production target.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/companies/south32-curbs-coal-output-after-gas-buildup-in-appin-mine/news-story/38d082ad97f9bc7a3d486efa114703c5
‘Cow paddock’: Sydney rail failure can’t be repeated, says minister
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/housing-will-need-to-follow-budget-spending-on-rail-in-western-sydney-says-angus-taylor-20170510-gw1pn3.html
ACT
Auditor to investigate ACT government’s buy-up of farms
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/auditor-to-investigate-act-governments-buyup-of-farms-20170510-gw1wr2.html
$20m budget boost for invasive species research centre in Canberra
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/environment/budget-delivers-20-million-for-new-invasive-species-research-centre-in-canberra-20170510-gw1865.html
Queensland
Record state gas exports likely
Queensland’s gas exports rose for the third straight month in April and could hit fresh records this month.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/queensland-gas-exports-set-to-hit-record-high/news-story/8313a04f53176e609f17549d297aaf37
South Australia
ExxonMobil criticised over response to Bass Strait oil spill
Investigation finds failure to properly respond to spill near drilling platform posed ‘significant threat to the environment’
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/may/10/exxonmobil-criticised-over-response-to-bass-strait-oil-spill
Energy reset to keep lights on — but Kouts says SA ignored
CASH will be splashed on a big energy projects that the Coalition hopes will keep the lights on in SA — but the State Government says we’ve been “completely ignored” in infrastructure spending.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/business/jobs/federal-budget-2017-energy-investment-has-big-implications-for-sa-and-the-next-state-election/news-story/50565bf91d16380802f76933526351e0
Sunny forecast for Port Augusta solar jobs
A SOLAR thermal energy plant at Port Augusta was given a huge boost in the Federal Budget with a commitment of up to $110 million, while another announcement has big implications for Moomba.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/business/jobs/federal-budget-2017-port-augusta-solar-thermal-plant-gets-major-investment-boost/news-story/2c55e8aa3ba3929d1e118daf1eeefc93
Tasmania
New research will save water
New Tasmanian research finds a way for farmers to reduce water usage by up to 30 per cent.
http://www.examiner.com.au/story/4654149/new-research-will-save-water/?cs=5312
Western Australia
Roe 8 workforce redeployed to three new road projects
http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/roe-8-workforce-redeployed-to-three-new-road-projects-20170510-gw1jiz.html
Sustainability
Nine dead in Amazon’s worst land-related killings in decades
Hit men attacked a remote Brazilian settlement where deforestation, land grabbing and violence go unpunished
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/may/10/nine-dead-in-amazons-worst-land-related-killings-in-decades
Putting sustainable development under a microscope.
Even in countries that have made a lot of progress, measuring sustainable development at the neighborhood level exposes the inequality within cities
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/-995200128361624209
New Method Can Selectively Remove Micropollutants from Water
Engineers have developed a new way to get toxic micropollutants, including pesticides and pharmaceuticals, out ..
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170510115219.htm
Can the Motion of Checking Your Smartwatch Charge It?
Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are small devices that convert movement into electricity, and might just be what bring us into an era of energy-harvesting clothes and implants
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170510131934.htm
Is the South finally fed up with the nuclear option?
While developers and utility companies promise clean, cost-effective energy by 2021, local ratepayers are tiring of decade-long projects beset by mismanagement and delays.
http://www.dailyclimate.org/t/-995200128361624713
Harnessing geometric frustration to tune batteries for greater power
A new generation of higher-powered batteries for phones and cameras could result from ground-breaking research led by scientists at the University of Kent.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-05/uok-hgf051017.php
New breakthrough makes it easier to turn old coffee waste into cleaner biofuels
Future Americano, cappuccino and latte drinkers could help produce the raw material for a greener biofuel that would reduce our reliance on diesel from fossil fuels.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-05/lu-nbm051017.php
Power plants could cut a third of their emissions by using solar energy
Led by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, the COMBO-CFB project has developed a new innovative concept to increase solar energy production in the energy system. According to this research, the concept can reduce fuel consumption and emissions stressing the climate by more than 33 per cent. The concept is based on the combination of concentrated solar power (CSP) technology and a traditional power plant process into a hybrid plant which produces electricity on the basis of consumption.
http://www.enn.com/energy/article/51216
India sets new solar tariff low, now beating domestic coal generation
Giles Parkinson
India solar prices fall again, now at a record low for the subcontinent and cheaper than the cost of domestic coal generation.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/india-sets-new-solar-tariff-low-now-beating-domestic-coal-generation-89213/
Centralised vs distributed generation: tailor-made energy models
David Leitch
Two renewables penetration studies: One takes a centralised grid approach, the other takes a distributed approach. Here’s what they found.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/centralised-vs-distributed-generation-tailor-made-energy-models-67727/
Why we should be pushing for e-bikes
Christian Haag
THE e-bike makes cycling easy for old or young, inexperienced or novice cyclists.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/opinion/head-of-bike-sa-christian-haag-says-the-ebike-electricassisted-bicycle-is-the-future-of-urban-transport/news-story/5a84572733c7c45e640e0a4f7039e6d7
A smart city works for you. So what do you want?
Nick Falkner
WHAT do we mean when we say “smart city”? A smart city offers a good quality of life, job and study opportunities, and makes good use of technology.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/opinion/nick-falkner-a-smart-city-works-for-you-so-what-do-you-want/news-story/127867e8ba26ba7ed9131cb2bbe7bc2a
Nature Conservation
Rising Temperatures Threaten Stability of Tibetan Alpine Grasslands
A warming climate could affect the stability of alpine grasslands in Asia’s Tibetan Plateau, threatening the ability of farmers and herders to maintain the animals that are …
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170510075541.htm
Paul Allen’s high-tech quest to save the world’s most endangered animals.
The Microsoft co-founder is fighting poachers with the help of sensors, drones, and luxury resorts
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/-995200128361624399
African lions under same threats as extinct sabre-toothed tigers faced
The seven big cats that went extinct towards the end of the last Ice Age, including several sabre-toothed cats, are those which lost the greatest proportion of their prey, according to an international team of scientists who believe the African Lion and Sunda clouded leopard are next on the list.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-05/uos-alu051017.php
How to catch ‘target’ sharks without killing other marine life
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/drum-lines-catch-more-sharks-than-nets-do-new-department-of-primary-industries-data-20170510-gw1eip.html
Bandits kill park ranger in Democratic Republic of the Congo
An armed group ambushed a convoy of rangers from the Itombwe reserve fatally injuring one and holding two others ransom, including a French national
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/may/10/bandits-kill-park-ranger-democratic-republic-congo
Scientists have mapped the DNA of tea – and it could stave off a pending crisis.
Chungui Lu
Sequencing the tea plant’s genome could help scientists breed new varieties that thrive in the degrading soil of tea farms.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/-995200128361625528
Maelor Himbury