Daily Links May 31

Climate change could make cities 8C hotter – scientists
Combination of carbon emissions and ‘urban heat island’ effect of concrete and asphalt gives rise to worst-case scenario by end of 21st century
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/may/30/climate-change-could-make-cities-8c-hotter-scientists

Economist wants truth on real cost of fossil fuel.
A renowned German economist says the world should reject lies about carbon emissions, pricing them to show the real cost of fossil fuel.
http://www.dailyclimate.org/t/2460133000468969769

John McCain urges action on Great Barrier Reef and Paris climate deal
Speaking in Sydney, US senator says he is ‘afraid about what the world is going to look like for our children’
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/may/30/john-mccain-urges-action-on-great-barrier-reef-and-paris-climate-deal

Endorsing the Paris Agreement is Trump’s best opportunity for a big win
Joseph Robertson
A 21st-century American infrastructure agenda depends on the Paris Agreement
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2017/may/30/endorsing-the-paris-agreement-is-trumps-best-opportunity-for-a-big-win

The US quitting the Paris climate agreement will only make things worse
Jonathan Pickering, University of Canberra
Some experts say it’s better for the US to leave the Paris Agreement than white-ant it from within. But that ignores the damage that a US withdrawal would do to the fabric of global multilateralism.
http://theconversation.com/the-us-quitting-the-paris-climate-agreement-will-only-make-things-worse-78531

Carbon capture signed off
Business welcomes an overhaul of the ‘green bank’ to allow the funding of carbon capture and storage.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/climate/carbon-capture-and-storage-signed-off-for-green-bank-investment/news-story/15fa64df1454ea7213bc4c7a2941b23c

Future of existing Indigenous Protected Areas uncertain
Ranger groups push the Government for certainty about the Indigenous Protected Areas, which cover 65 million hectares of Australia.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2017-05-30/future-of-existing-indigenous-protected-areas-uncertain/8557532

Gas buyers question price impact of LNG limits
http://www.afr.com/business/energy/gas/gas-buyers-fear-prices-still-unaffordable-with-lng-export-controls-20170530-gwg6k1

Telstra in solar power play
Telstra lifts veil on new energy strategy, which includes a $100m solar farm as part of a play to protect itself from soaring power prices.
http://www.afr.com/business/energy/solar-energy/telstras-solar-contract-part-of-bigger-power-play-20170530-gwg0ul

Government renews bid to axe carbon tax welfare payment
Social Services Minister Christian Porter will reignite a debate over stalled savings measures today by re-introducing plans to cut a carbon tax compensation payment for new welfare recipients.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-31/government-to-axe-carbon-tax-compensation-scheme/8574048

Report of the high-level commission on carbon prices
http://apo.org.au/node/91651

Coalition tries to push CEFC into carbon capture and storage
Giles Parkinson
Coalition wants CEFC to be able to invest in carbon capture and storage, despite no evidence that it can cut emissions and lower costs as claimed.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/coalition-tries-to-push-cefc-into-carbon-capture-and-storage-74894/

Who tilts at windmills? Explaining hostility to renewables
Marc Hudson
Studying the catastrophe that has been Australian climate and energy policy these past 30 years is thoroughly depressing. Why were we so stupid, so unrelentingly shortsighted?
http://reneweconomy.com.au/tilts-windmills-explaining-hostility-renewables-42601/

Why getting the green bank to look at CCS isn’t so wacky
Peter Hannam
http://www.theage.com.au/environment/climate-change/captured-why-getting-the-green-bank-to-look-at-ccs-is-not-so-wacky-20170530-gwg8up.html

Move to strip councils of DA powers slammed as a ‘backward step’
NSW Opposition Leader Luke Foley has accused the Berejiklian government of sidelining local communities following revelations of a move to strip councils of the power to determine development applications above a particular value.
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/move-to-strip-councils-of-da-powers-slammed-as-a-backward-step-20170530-gwgg3w.html

Adani coal mine back on track after royalties agreement
Adani and the Queensland Government strike a deal over royalties for the proposed Carmichael mine, after days of uncertainty raised doubts over whether the $16 billion project would proceed.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-30/adani-coal-mine-back-on-track-after-royalties-agreement/8573558

Adani: director on board that will consider $900m loan says project is ‘vital’
Karla Way-McPhail, who runs mining labour and equipment companies, will not say whether she will recuse herself from Carmichael decision
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/may/31/adani-director-on-board-that-will-consider-900m-loan-says-project-is-vital

Coral bleaching on Great Barrier Reef worse than expected, surveys show.
Surveys taken throughout 2016 show escalating impact from north to south, with 70 percent of shallow water corals dead north of Port Douglas.
http://www.dailyclimate.org/t/-4426583696647303328

The Un-Material Girl: Fast fashion addict now an upcycling activist
While many young Australians just reach for what’s on the rack at their favourite fashion stores, one twenty-something is upcycling second-hand clothes to stay on trend.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-30/the-unmaterial-girl-fast-fashion-addict-now-upcycling-activist/8569566

Manufacturers warn of more Glencore type decisions
Australia will be denied new investment and will watch more of its refineries and smelters close unless the price and security of energy can be resolved, business leaders warn.
http://www.afr.com/business/manufacturing/manufacturers-warn-of-more-glencore-type-decisions-20170530-gwge5i

Does Queensland really want Adani’s dirty, black lung inducing jobs?
David Shearman
Will the re-emergence of black lung due to government regulatory incompetence be the final nail in Adani’s Carmichael mine coffin?
https://independentaustralia.net/life/life-display/does-queensland-really-want-adanis-dirty-black-lung-inducing-jobs,10348

If Glencore wants cheap energy for Mt Isa, it should go solar
Giles Parkinson
Glencore says future of Mt Isa, and 2,000 jobs, is at risk due to rising energy prices. But it only has itself to blame, because it stupidly chose gas over renewables when given the option in 2011.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/glencore-wants-cheap-energy-mt-isa-go-solar-25999/

Resource-rich state’s coal comfort for citizens
Nathan Vass
WHY is Queensland, one of the richest energy resource regions in the world, once again facing electricity price hikes that will further stretch business and family budgets?
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/opinion/opinion-why-power-prices-are-rising-in-our-resourcerich-state/news-story/8fd35ef22bf4eb487dcce9cfaef88d1a

Officer’s murder raises questions on gun vigil
Courier Mail editorial
THE most critical issue to stem from the tragic slaying of a Queensland cop is how the perpetrator obtained what was believed to be a semiautomatic weapon.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/opinion/editorial-officers-murder-raises-questions-on-gun-vigil/news-story/76f19475fe50c2ce3002403d39e3b95a

Increase in dog poisonings linked to rat bait as rodent numbers explode in SA
Pet owners are being warned about a spike in the number of dogs being poisoned by rat and mouse baits on Adelaide’s northern fringe, as rodent numbers reach plague proportions.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-30/increase-in-dog-poisonings-linked-to-rat-and-mouse-bait/8571850

The 30-year plan for greater Adelaide: 2017 update
Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure
http://apo.org.au/node/91911

Ben Wyatt’s Pilbara thought bubble a bust
Matthew Stevens
The four-day war between very big iron ore and a neophyte Western Australian government is almost certainly over.
http://www.afr.com/business/wyatts-pilbara-thought-bubble-a-bust-20170530-gwgg41

PNG coffee industry under threat from berry borer beetle
Papua New Guinea’s coffee industry is crying out for help, after discovering an insidious pest in some of its most productive growing areas.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-30/png-coffee-industry-under-threat-from-berry-borer-beetle/8558142

Can we save the planet with ancient Japanese philosophy?
Could the idea of mottainai — a Japanese approach to the concept of waste — provide the west with a philosophical answer to environmental crises?
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-30/mottainai-can-we-reduce-waste-with-ancient-japanese-philosophy/8553928

Reading: ‘Energy, finance and the end of growth.’
A prescient 2013 analysis predicts Trump’s rise—and explains why his promises of endless growth can’t happen.
http://bit.ly/2qBygDk

Could the future of mining be in space?
The mining boom on Earth may be over, but in space it could be set to soar, with exploration companies looking to launch expeditions to asteroids in just a few years.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-30/asteroid-mining-part-of-industrial-space-age/8572250

‘We have been poisoning ourselves’: has ice analysis revealed the truth about lead?
Ice cores and records from the Black Death show lead entered the air from human activity – and scientists claim “natural background” levels are zero
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/may/30/we-have-been-poisoning-ourselves-has-ice-analysis-revealed-the-truth-about-lead

In Africa, valuing water beyond the money.
Amid the worst drought in a century, South Africans are kick-starting a global consultative process to agree on the values of water in a bid to ensure more equitable use of the finite resource.
http://www.dailyclimate.org/t/-4426583696647303317

Robert Llewellyn’s quest to spur a green energy revolution in his village
Actor’s efforts to persuade Temple Guiting to generate its own electricity captured in BBC4’s Great Village Green Crusade
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/may/30/robert-llewellyns-quest-to-spur-a-green-energy-revolution-in-his-village

Around the world, environmental laws are under attack in all sorts of ways
Bill Laurance, James Cook University
Legislation designed to protect wildlife is being rolled back or ignored in all sorts of ways in all sorts of places, according to a new global database of attacks on green tape.
http://theconversation.com/around-the-world-environmental-laws-are-under-attack-in-all-sorts-of-ways-77590

Plastic pollution doesn’t just make for an ugly beach day. It’s contaminating our food chain.
Julie Andersen Los Angeles Times
There’s a big lie about plastic — that you can throw it away. But that’s not true; there is no “away.”
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/-4426583696647303301

Climate Change can Alter the Impact of Forest Pathogens in Trees
New research on projected climate changes from the University of Helsinki indicates that climate change has an alarming potential to increase the damage caused to Norway spruce trees by a naturally circulating disease spreading fungus.
http://www.enn.com/agriculture/article/51389

Amazon rainforest may be more resilient to deforestation than previously thought
http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/51391

See-through frog has heart you can see beating through its chest
The beautiful Hyalinobatrachium yaku is a previously unknown glass frog from Ecuador, but its habitat is threatened by oil exploitation
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2132668-see-through-frog-has-heart-you-can-see-beating-through-its-chest/

Corals in peril at a popular Hawaiian tourist destination due to global climate change
Despite state protected status, nearshore corals at the Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve on O’ahu, Hawai’i are at risk as the global trend in warming seawater temperatures continues
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-05/p-cip052417.php

More Frequent Extreme Ocean Warming Could Further Endanger Albatross
As scientists grapple with the behavioral, ecological and evolutionary impacts of extreme climatic events, new research articles explore what is known on the topic and pioneer new approaches to this ..
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170530140735.htm

Hunting can help European ecosystems
Hunting as an outdoor activity is underrated in how it helps nature and society to regulate problem animal overpopulations
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-05/s-hch053017.php

A fix for national parks? How a risk to the environment could do some good.
Chicago Tribune editorial
There is something to be said for using funds derived from operations that pose a risk to the environment to do some real good for the environment.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/-4426583696647302821