Daily Links May 16

Changing climate to wreak havoc on Mediterranean soils.
Soil organic carbon is predicted to plummet over next 60 years lowering agricultural productivity.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/-995200128361614450

Eyes show that stress reduces climate concern.
An eye-tracking study reveals that stress levels affect how much attention people pay to climate change imagery, even if they are supportive of environmental issues.
http://www.dailyclimate.org/t/-995200128361614453

Varied increases in extreme rainfall with global warming
Intensification of extreme rainfall varies from region to region, study shows
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-05/miot-vii051517.php

UK faces sharp rise in destructive wind storms due to global warming
If climate change heats world by more than 1.5C, damaged buildings are likely to increase by over 50% across Midlands, Yorkshire and Northern Ireland
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/may/15/uk-faces-sharp-rise-destructive-wind-storms-global-warming

Just how big should Australia be?
The population of Australia is expected to reach 40 million by the middle of the century. Immigrants will account for half of this growth. What does this mean economically?
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-15/whats-the-perfect-immigration-scenario-for-australia/8521760

Water is cheaper than land, so why don’t we build on it?
As property and land prices soar, could oceans and lakes be a viable solution to the Australian housing affordability crisis?
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-15/water-is-cheaper-than-land-so-why-dont-we-build-on-it/8521564

Heat on for Australia’s Great Barrier Reef When Global Temperatures Hit 1.5C
Scientists have modeled how extremes in precipitation, drought, extreme heat and ocean temperatures will change in Australia …
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170515111552.htm

Wild Weather and Climate Change: Scientists Are Unraveling the Links
Southeast Australia just had its hottest summer on record: temperatures in some areas hit 35 degrees C more than 50 days in a row. And climate change, researchers with the World Weather Attribution project have been able to say, was probably to blame.
http://www.enn.com/climate/article/51265

Miners’ clean coal wishlist
The mining sector pushes for more funding for the development of clean coal technologies.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/state-politics/nsw-minerals-council-pushes-for-more-funding-for-clean-coal-technologies/news-story/1a37d858e03cd20432b3ab45863d2b97

War on Waste
Craig Reucassel is on a mission to uncover how much waste we produce as a nation and learn what we can about it.
http://www.abc.net.au/tv/programs/war-on-waste/

Fact check: Is Australian coal really cleaner than Indian coal? And does it even matter?
Michael Barnard
If India uses coal from Adani’s Carmichael coal mine in Australia, how much less CO2 will be emitted? And is this even relevant in a market that is shifting so rapidly to renewables?
http://reneweconomy.com.au/fact-check-is-australian-coal-really-cleaner-than-indian-coal-and-does-it-even-matter-76430/

Know your NEM: Looking to the future of energy prices
David Leitch
Futures market indicate steady fall in wholesale electricity prices as new renewable generation comes online.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/know-nem-looking-future-energy-prices-60162/

Coalition attempts to rewrite history on support for wind, solar and RET
Giles Parkinson
The Coalition is again feigning selective amnesia about the country’s climate and clean energy policies, and the party’s key role in delivering rising prices and a weakening, less stable electricity system. History tells another story.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/coalition-attempts-to-rewrite-history-on-support-for-wind-solar-and-ret-63198/

Australia’s biggest emitters opt to ‘wait and see’ over Emissions Reduction Fund
Jayanthi Kumarasiri, Swinburne University of Technology and Nava Subramaniam, RMIT University
A survey of executives in high-emitting industries such as mining and electricity generation suggests they are not engaging with the government’s flagship policy to cut greenhouse emissions.
http://theconversation.com/australias-biggest-emitters-opt-to-wait-and-see-over-emissions-reduction-fund-77160

Why do some graziers want to retain, not kill, dingoes?
Euan Ritchie
http://theconversation.com/why-do-some-graziers-want-to-retain-not-kill-dingoes-77457

The disastrous omission of the environment from Budget 2017
Sue Arnold
The Turnbull Government has officially eradicated the environment from the 2017-2018 Budget and from policy. 
https://independentaustralia.net/environment/environment-display/the-disastrous-omission-of-the-environment-from-budget-2017,10294

A two-speed response to climate change
Peter Boyer
GOOD work is being done at state and local levels.
http://www.themercury.com.au/news/opinion/talking-point-a-twospeed-response-to-climate-change/news-story/2170ba61f190a2aef052cf4567d04cb5

After Chevron, the $420b ATO question
Neil Chenoweth
http://www.afr.com/news/policy/tax/after-chevron-the-420-billion-ato-question-20170515-gw561r

Why 2 degrees of global warming is much worse for Australia than 1.5
Andrew King, University of Melbourne; Ben Henley, University of Melbourne, and David Karoly, University of Melbourne
Global warming of 2 degrees, the higher of the two Paris targets, would see current record-breaking temperatures become the norm in the future, potentially bringing heatwaves to both land and sea.
http://theconversation.com/why-2-of-global-warming-is-much-worse-for-australia-than-1-5-77548

Where’s the toilet?
Alan Davies
The location of a humble toilet block in a park might seem a minor issue, but it’s big news in inner suburban Melbourne and highlights some larger issues
https://blogs.crikey.com.au/theurbanist/2017/05/15/where-toilet/

Uni Newcastle team tests “printed solar” panels in Australian first
Australia’s own solar roof? University of Newcastle team launches first large-scale demonstration of its flexible, lightweight printed solar panels.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/uni-newcastle-team-tests-printed-solar-panels-in-australian-first-50301/

Sydney bus privatisation plan sparks accusations of betrayal
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/sydney-bus-privatisation-plan-sparks-accusations-of-betrayal-from-drivers-20170515-gw56i3.html

‘Solar goldmine’: Sydney tapping just 1 per cent of a stellar resource
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/energy-smart/solar-goldmine-sydney-tapping-just-one-per-cent-of-a-stellar-resource-20170515-gw530t.html

Crunch May Turn This Export Loser Into a Winner
Missing out on Australia’s natural gas export boom may be the best thing that happened to Arrow Energy Ltd.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-14/gas-export-boom-loser-poised-to-win-from-australia-supply-crunch

Adani may be forced to revamp Carmichael coalmine clean-up plans
Reforms touted by Queensland government would mandate targets and ratios for progressive rehabilitation of land
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/may/15/adani-may-be-forced-to-revamp-carmichael-coalmine-clean-up-plans

Good intentions in TasWater takeover
Peter Gutwein
The Hodgman government’s plan to take control of TasWater raises an important question – why does the government …
http://www.examiner.com.au/story/4662510/good-intentions-in-taswater-takeover/?cs=97

Woodside’s Browse a $34b lifeline
Woodside Petroleum chief executive Peter Coleman is planning a $US25 billion development of the Browse gasfields.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/woodsides-browse-plan-a-34bn-lifeline/news-story/87274ae882857735a11747163b1698f4

New WA coastal mapping shows risk to prime waterfront real estate
http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/new-wa-coastal-mapping-shows-risk-to-prime-waterfront-real-estate-20170515-gw5288.html

As the world cuts back on coal, a growing appetite in Africa.
New coal plants in Africa are largely being paid for by China and developed countries that are turning away from the technology at home. Here’s why
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/-995200128361614456

Sorry, Tesla owners, but your electric car  isn’t as green as you think it is.
It takes a lot of carbon to build and power an electric vehicle
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/-995200128361615765

Everyday chemicals may affect brain development, including foetal IQ.
Barbara Demeneix
These endocrine disruptors, as they are called, include ubiquitous chemicals such as pesticides, plastifiers, flame retardants and surfactants, all of which are found in our food, non-stick pans, furniture, cleaning products, clothes and cosmetics.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/-995200128361615266

World lags on clean energy goals.
It may be the 21st century but more than three billion people still use fire for cooking and heating. Of those, one billion people have no access to electricity despite a global effort launched at the 2011 Vienna Energy Forum to bring electricity to everyone on the planet.
http://www.dailyclimate.org/t/-995200128361615769

Top UK fund manager divests from fossil fuels
Archbishop of Canterbury plays crucial role in BMO Global Asset Management’s decision to dump £20m of shares in firms such as BHP Billiton
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/may/15/top-uk-fund-manager-divests-from-fossil-fuels

‘Switchable’ Smart Windows Reduce Energy Consumption Significantly
Smart windows that act as blinds in the summer and let all the sunlight through in the winter. That’s the idea of the reflective windows that are able to reflect invisible …
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170515101207.htm

A Better Sustainable Sanitary Pad
Students have developed a new, 100-percent biodegradable feminine maxi pad that is made of all natural materials and is much thinner and more comfortable than other similar products.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170515122219.htm

Hanford nuclear site accident puts focus on aging U.S. facilities.
The collapse of a tunnel used to store radioactive waste at one of the most contaminated U.S. nuclear sites has raised concerns among watchdog groups and others who study the country’s nuclear facilities because many are aging and fraught with problems.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/-995200128361615774

Photovoltaics and Batteries: An Expensive Combination
Solar power can cover up to 40% of the electricity needs of a typical household. Going beyond that level becomes really expensive: using batteries coupled with solar panels would be twice as …
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170515092614.htm

Producing Fertilizer from Air Could Be Five Times as Efficient
Scientists bring the prospect of farmers producing their own fertilizer from only air closer with a revolutionary reactor that coverts nitrogen from the atmosphere into NOx, the raw material for …
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170515095230.htm

Self-healing tech charges up performance for silicon-containing battery anodes
Researchers at the University of Illinois have found a way to apply self-healing technology to lithium-ion batteries to make them more reliable and last longer.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-05/uoia-stc051517.php

Invention produces cleaner water with less energy and no filter
The same technology that adds fizz to soda can now be used to remove particles from dirty water. Researchers at Princeton University have found a technique for using carbon dioxide in a low-cost water treatment system that eliminates the need for costly and complex filters.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-05/pues-ipc051217.php

Diesel vehicles produce 50 per cent more nitrogen oxide than originally thought
A study, published in Nature, has shown that laboratory tests of nitrogen oxide emissions from diesel vehicles significantly underestimate the real-world emissions by as much as 50 per cent.
http://www.enn.com/pollution/article/51258

Remote Pacific island found buried under tonnes of plastic waste
A tiny, otherwise pristine island is smothered by our blast from the past: vast amounts of decades-old plastic from around the world
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2131051-remote-pacific-island-found-buried-under-tonnes-of-plastic-waste/

Trump hasn’t destroyed the environment — yet. So the fight is on.
Los Angeles Times editorial
Listening to reason isn’t Trump’s strong suit, so perhaps the better tack would be to appeal to his business sense.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/-995200128361615257

A world without petrol cars could be close
Ambrose Evans-Pritchard
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/comment/the-end-of-petrol-cars-could-be-just-eight-years-away-20170515-gw50m3.html

Scientists may be ‘vastly’ underestimating the extinction risk facing some species.
A new Columbia University study is challenging the accuracy of methods used by the IUCN to determine conservation status
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/-995200128361615254

Drylands greener with forests than previously thought.
Satellite imagery indicates that forest cover on dry parts of the planet is substantially higher than earlier estimates, potentially affecting our understanding of carbon cycling and pointing to new opportunities for conservation
http://www.dailyclimate.org/t/-995200128361616270

Code of Conduct Needed for Ocean Conservation, Study Says
A diverse group of the world’s leading experts in marine conservation is calling for a Hippocratic Oath for ocean conservation — not unlike the pledge physicians take to …
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170515150703.htm

Importance of Marine, Coastal Cultural Ecosystem Services
Cultural ecosystem services reflect physical and cognitive interactions between humans and nature, and are increasingly recognized for providing experiences, capabilities and many other benefits to …
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170515095437.htm

New Study Upends Established Models of Forecasting Coextinction in Complex Ecosystems
Many species may not be as susceptible to coextinction events as once thought, new research suggests. This new understanding hinges on how dependent …
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170515111833.htm