Daily Links May 17

China, India to reach climate goals years early, as US likely to fall far short.
While Trump administration rolls back emission controls, the other top emitters are moving quickly to fight climate change by cutting coal and boosting renewables.
http://www.dailyclimate.org/t/-995200128361613461

Inaction on climate change make or break for the Marshall Islands
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/marshall-islands-president-calls-for-unity-on-paris-climate-agreement-20170516-gw5sw0.html

How a melting Arctic changes everything.
Eric Roston, Blacki Migliozzi Bloomberg News
The Arctic story is a tale of sweeping geologic change catalyzing a sweeping geopolitical contest.
http://www.dailyclimate.org/t/-995200128361613135

Sidelining God: why secular climate projects in the Pacific Islands are failing
Patrick D. Nunn, University of the Sunshine Coast
What does God have to do with climate change? A lot, if you want to engage with communities in the Pacific Islands, where almost everyone goes to church and religious leaders are hugely influential.
http://theconversation.com/sidelining-god-why-secular-climate-projects-in-the-pacific-islands-are-failing-77623

NY Times’ Stephens can’t see the elephant in the room on climate change
Dana Nuccitelli
Hint: the elephant is the obstructionist political party’s symbol
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2017/may/16/ny-times-stephens-cant-see-the-elephant-in-the-room-on-climate-change

12 from 12: ARENA’s big solar plans take off across the country
ARENA says its large-scale solar program brought down costs to match wind energy five years ahead of expectations.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/12-from-12-arenas-big-solar-plans-take-off-across-the-country-81918/

Make sale water-tight
IRRIGATORS are calling on the Federal Government to ensure the $5.2 billion purchase of NSW and Victoria’s shares in Snowy Hydro goes back to Murray Darling Basin water infrastructure and communities.
http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/water/murray-darling-basin-make-snowy-hydro-sale-watertight/news-story/074db89af51f7fb713deece5303ea39b

Plateau: Orica sees domestic gas prices topping out by early 2020s
http://www.theage.com.au/business/energy/orica-sees-gas-prices-topping-out-by-early-2020s-20170516-gw5sgs.html

New marine species below ocean surface
MORE than 40 scientists are heading into the unexplored depths of a mystery abyss off the Australian coast stretching from Launceston to Brisbane.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/worldfirst-voyage-to-uncover-life-in-australias-eastern-abyss/news-story/be6b604cc53d6293248b3d13401e1c5e

Large-scale solar industry takes off as 12 new plants secure finance
Support from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency has helped put large-scale solar on a solid footing despite cuts to its own funding
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/may/16/large-scale-solar-industry-takes-off-12-new-plants-finance

How cheap is solar? Cheap enough to cool the air outside
Giles Parkinson
Solar is cheap enough for homeowners to use it to power air conditioners to cool outdoor verandahs. The big challenge, ARENA says, is integration into the grid. The technology is there, but rules, regulations and business models will have to change.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/how-cheap-is-solar-cheap-enough-to-cool-the-air-outside-85335/

Unite to fight our feral pests
Jan Davis
This environmental menace is invisible to many.
http://www.themercury.com.au/news/opinion/talking-point-unite-to-fight-our-feral-pests/news-story/fa2fd665caa862fb4e6a0c6c60fbf8f7

Victoria’s indigenous fire management program underway
Aboriginal traditional burning practices are incorporated into forest fire management in central Victoria.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-16/reconciliation-at-heart-of-central-victoria-indigenous-fire/8530412

More jobs to go in Morwell as timber mill faces closure
About 160 timber mill workers in the Latrobe Valley are set to lose their jobs, just weeks after the nearby Hazelwood power station shut down, because of a sawlog supply shortage blamed on the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-16/morwell-timber-mill-jobs-to-go/8529634

Three of Melbourne’s most crowded rail lines to get more services
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/new-timetable-will-ease-peakhour-crush-but-more-trains-needed-critics-say-20170516-gw67dx.html

Hiding to nothing
SKINS from tens of thousands of Victorian kangaroos are being wasted while processors wait for government permission to export them, threatening the viability of a wildlife management trial farmers say is badly needed.
http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/national/kangaroo-skin-export-ban-eats-into-earnings/news-story/ab518edaebd74b421488b184b155849b

Roo skin denials wear thin
Weekly Times editorial
IF YOU’RE going to kill an animal, don’t waste it
http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/opinion/kangaroo-skin-export-denials-wear-thin/news-story/58a1d9a4ab9efd8fdf13cdbc9856b7a9

Is an airport train to the CBD the whole story?
Alan Davies
The Victorian and Federal governments have different strategies for Melbourne Airport rail but there’s a lot more to the transport task than a train to the CBD
https://blogs.crikey.com.au/theurbanist/2017/05/16/airport-train-cbd-whole-story/

Sydney’s true 30-minute suburbs revealed
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/the-sydney-suburbs-with-the-best-access-to-jobs-shops-and-services-20170516-gw60je.html

The Sydney Barrier Reef: engineering a natural defence against future storms
Rob Roggema
http://theconversation.com/the-sydney-barrier-reef-engineering-a-natural-defence-against-future-storms-76862

Clans get their spaceport back
Pristine Cape York land will today be handed back to the Aboriginal clans.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/indigenous/problem-solved-houston-cape-york-clans-get-their-spaceport-back/news-story/8d180eb077d0d2a8abf14ac31507d75c

$1 coalmine brings jobs bonanza
IT LAST sold for just $1, now Queensland’s oldest coalmine is set to reopen — and bring with it hundreds of jobs.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/business/blair-athol-coalmine-to-reopen-bringing-600-jobs-to-central-qld/news-story/5d88de23c9be67a1ebf87138726e3c2e

KAP bid for croc cull hits barrier
TRADITIONAL owners of Cairns are vehemently opposed to a plan to cull crocodiles in local waterways.
http://www.cairnspost.com.au/business/traditional-owners-to-shut-down-proposed-crocodile-cull-for-cairns/news-story/8cf9e7649303eaf0a554b635938334a5

Bishop dives into backing the Reef
AUSTRALIA’S Great Barrier Reef can “survive and thrive” with no threat of any “in-danger” World Heritage listing.
http://www.cairnspost.com.au/business/foreign-minister-julie-bishop-says-great-barrier-reef-can-survive/news-story/cf0812796e0d2a07437f8fe9cf043fa2

Kokoda veteran Bill Ryan takes up the fight against Adani, targets Downer
Bill Ryan, a veteran of the Kokoda campaign against the Japanese, says Australia’s future depends on winning the battle against the giant coal mines proposed by Adani and other miners in Queensland’s Galilee Basin.
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/kokoda-veteran-bill-ryan-takes-up-the-fight-against-adani-targets-downer-20170516-gw5oex.html

What we need is a croc swimming up and down the Brisbane River
Bill O’Chee
While George Street may not realise it, the Labor Party government needs to cull crocodiles before the LNP’s crocodile policy culls Labor.
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/comment/the-hermit/what-we-need-is-a-croc-swimming-up-and-down-the-brisbane-river-20170516-gw6bkg.html

SA worst hit by power station closures
THE nation’s energy supply is now less reliable because coal and gas power stations are being pulled from the grid — and the impact has been worst in South Australia, a report reveals.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/national-energy-supply-less-reliable-due-to-closure-of-coal-and-gas-power-stations-with-south-australia-the-worst-hit/news-story/c94d937256cff10d10fd0c786f12c652

How to reduce water waste around the family home
Water is widely regarded as our greatest natural resource yet many of us are unware how wasteful we are.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-16/top-tips-for-reducing-water-waste-around-family-home/8529384

Tailpipe pollution 50 percent higher than government tests show, study finds.
Pollution from diesel trucks, buses and cars globally is more than 50 percent higher than levels shown in government lab tests, a new study says.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/-995200128361613459

Cities Need to ‘Green Up’ to Reduce Impact of Air Pollution
The harmful impact of urban air pollution could be combated by strategically placing low hedges along roads in a built-up environment of cities instead of taller trees, a new study has ..
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170516104745.htm

Entrepreneur spreads sustainable fashion across globe
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/qld-young-achiever-travelling-the-world-promoting-sustainable-fashion-20170516-gw6d98.html

Yassmin fires up
Yassmin Abdel-Magied tells oil and gas executives that the Deepwater Horizon disaster could have been avoided.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/yassmin-abdelmagied-calls-for-greater-diversity-in-oil-and-gas-industry/news-story/d4ea11f631e60256ab465a0649b91597

Family TV viewing and SMS texting could help cut internet energy use
Scrapping automatically-playing videos in apps and reversing trends of instant messaging and on-demand services could be key to cutting the growing energy demand of the Internet.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-05/lu-ftv051617.php

Mountains of waste could lead to new US manufacturing, jobs
Waste material from the paper and pulp industry soon could be made into anything from tennis rackets to cars.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-05/taac-mow051517.php

Big solar passes 100GW global milestone, Australia in reach of top 10
Global big solar installed capacity sailed past 100GW at the end of March, as even Australia approaches the global Big League, if it can overtake Thailand.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/big-solar-passes-100gw-global-milestone-australia-reach-top-10-40378/

Oil market rebalancing as production cuts take effect: IEA
The latest report from the International Energy Agency has found OPEC’s deal with Russia to cut oil production could see demand outstrip supply later this year.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-17/oil-market-getting-back-to-balance-says-iea/8531796

SE Asian future powered by coal
Clean coal will prove critical to providing affordable and reliable electricity to South East Asia, a report says.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/south-east-asian-future-powered-by-clean-coal-technology/news-story/e9fd34462c999a7d5d52196d0273f4a0

Rescue old data before it’s too late.
Elizabeth Griffin
If we don’t act soon to preserve past records, invaluable knowledge will be lost
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/-995200128361611032

The case for nuclear (or, how I learned to stop worrying about renewables and love uranium)
Geoff Russell
Politicians and journalists alike seem reluctant to discuss nuclear as a viable (and actually scalable) alternative to wind and solar
https://www.crikey.com.au/2017/05/16/the-case-for-nuclear-energy-in-australia/

Industry meltdown: Is the era of nuclear power coming to an end?
Fred Pearce Yale Environment 360
From Europe to Japan to the U.S., nuclear power is in retreat, as plants are being shuttered, governments move toward renewables, and key companies face financial troubles.
http://www.dailyclimate.org/t/-995200128361613456

Why meat eaters should think much more about soil
John Sauven
If over-grazing continues to cause soil degradation, we won’t be able to feed people in the future. The answer? Eat grass-fed sustainable meat – or none at all
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/may/16/meat-eaters-soil-degradation-over-grazing

Drug money destroying swaths of forest in Central America: Study.
Cocaine traffickers’ efforts to launder profits by creating agricultural land results in loss of millions of acres, researchers say.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/-995200128361613482

Protecting Peru’s River Dolphins
River dolphins and Amazonian manatees in Peru will benefit from new protection thanks to a newly developed …
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170516080802.htm

‘Nature is your lover, not your mother’: Meet ecosexual pioneer Annie Sprinkle.
The porn star-turned-sex educator is at the vanguard of a new queer movement combining sex and ecology that is all about being at one with the Earth
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/-995200128361613480

Chinese appetite for totoaba fish bladder kills off rare porpoise
Only 30 vaquita are left in Gulf of California as pirate fishermen net them when fishing for highly valued totoaba maws
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/may/16/chinese-appetite-totoaba-fish-bladder-threatens-rare-vaquita

What do you care about?
Tormod V. Burkey MAHB
For me, the most important reason to care about environmental destruction and anthropogenic climate change is the terrible effects these will have on other species.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/-995200128361613452