Daily Links Jun 14

Understanding multi-decadal global warming rate changes
A long-standing mystery is that, despite the persistently increased greenhouse gases emissions throughout the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, the globally-averaged surface temperature has shown distinct multi-decadal fluctuations since 1900, including two weak global warming slowdowns in the mid-twentieth century and early twenty-first century and two strong global warming accelerations in the early and late twentieth century.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-06/ioap-umg061317.php

Winning Climate Strategy Demands Details
Examining the daily minutia of climate, not just temperature, but also sunshine, precipitation and soil moisture simultaneously all over a country gives a better …
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170612170930.htm

Science and climate face uncertain future in post-election UK
Michael Gove’s promotion and the need to rely on the DUP could make tackling global warming and listening to scientific advice low priorities for the UK’s new government
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2134472-science-and-climate-face-uncertain-future-in-post-election-uk/

The three-minute story of 800,000 years of climate change with a sting in the tail.
Video
Here’s a short video to put recent climate change and carbon dioxide emissions into the context of the past 800,000 years
http://www.dailyclimate.org/t/18530169838857784

Is Trump launching a new world order?
Michael T. Klare TomDispatch
Donald Trump is not only trying to obliterate the existing world order, but also attempting to lay the foundations for a new one, a world in which fossil-fuel powers will contend for supremacy with post-carbon, green-energy states.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/2460133000468973514

Don’t ignore young people – we’re key to fighting climate change.
Daisy Kendrick The Guardian
Young people are consumers, employees, employers and future leaders but few NGOs take full advantage of the best space to reach us – social media.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/2460133000468973513

Climate Trumped
Everald Compton
Governments must set pollution standards for the way in which we act in our homes, our workplaces, our places of entertainment and the way we travel. And we must be taxed until we comply.
http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=19091

How to get the public on board with killing feral animals
Scientists are constantly getting more inventive in the war against invasive pests. But should the public be consulted before new solutions, particularly ones involving GM technology, are rolled out?
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-13/should-invasive-pest-control-be-acceptable-to-the-public/8613070

Building a renewables empire in the midst of an energy crisis
More than a decade of stalled energy policy at the federal level has caused the cost of electricity in Australia to soar and the security of the natio…
https://www.lawyersweekly.com.au/biglaw/21271-building-a-renewables-empire-in-the-midst-of-an-energy-crisis

PM urged to pull party into line on energy
Chief Scientist Alan Finkel has rejected claims his energy reforms would block new coal power stations, saying permission is up to governments.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/pm-urged-to-pull-party-into-line-on-energy/news-story/792ddc1831b68a111ad2bc3da7d526e4

Minister hits back at LNG ‘threats’
Resources Minister Matt Canavan has hit back at a gas industry attack on his implementation of export control powers.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/matt-canavan-hits-back-at-lng-threats/news-story/ea3cd4e83b22acff4bd3726020530d60

Voters prefer low emissions target to carbon trading – Guardian Essential poll
People were less happy to consider coal generation with 100% capture and storage as a ‘low emission’ energy source
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/jun/14/voters-prefer-low-emissions-target-to-carbon-trading-guardian-essential-poll

Chemical chaos
A MAJOR herbicide recall is under way, sparking concerns Australia’s clean and green vegetable industry could be in jeopardy.
http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/national/chemical-crop-contamination-syngenta-recalls-60000-litres-of-gesagard/news-story/ffb6a2f17290a533aba10f6d07b1611f

Petrol, diesel and hybrid options fuel demise of LPG as gas trend tanks
LPG bowsers are disappearing from petrol stations across the country as customers and car manufacturers abandon the fuel that was to be the environmental and economical solution for powering cars.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-13/lpg-bowsers-in-decline-at-petrol-stations/8612570

Ministers’ criticism of terror sentencing a ‘coordinated attack’, judges say
The nation’s judges and magistrates criticise an attack by federal Coalition ministers on their Victorian colleagues and terror sentencing, calling it “unfounded, grossly improper and unfair”.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-13/federal-government-says-victoria-is-weak-on-terrorism/8612496

Why Australia can’t get at its huge gas reserves.
Perry Williams Bloomberg News
Unconventional gas drilling sparks water contamination fears.
http://www.dailyclimate.org/t/2460133000468973529

Five ways to improve Finkel’s energy blueprint
Giles Parkinson
The Finkel blue-print needs stress testing with real climate targets, a recognition of the shift to distributed generation, a smarter way to think about storage, and an assurance that asset-protecting incumbents will keep their mitts off the mechanism. And it needs to deliver bigger savings on bills.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/five-ways-to-improve-finkels-energy-blueprint-60985/

Big switch: Distributed energy to overtake centralised power by 2018
Giles Parkinson
Distributed energy additions like to overtake centralised plant in 2018, with 320GW large scale fossil fuel plants now not likely to be …
http://reneweconomy.com.au/big-switch-distributed-energy-to-overtake-centralised-power-by-2018-2018/

Know your NEM: Why Finkel’s energy storage thought bubble needs bursting
David Leitch
This week delivered two reviews and one federal court decision… and a thought bubble on energy storage that will almost certainly increase consumer costs.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/know-nem-finkels-energy-storage-thought-bubble-needs-bursting-47176/

Finkel review reveals coal fetishists’ struggle with basic maths
Bernard Keane
https://www.crikey.com.au/2017/06/13/finkel-review-reveals-coal-fetishists-struggle-with-basic-maths/

Finkel, Turnbull and compromising at the planet’s expense
Mungo MacCallum
The Finkel Report has little if anything to do with the real issues around climate change, it is all about satisfying the Coalition party room.
https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/mungo-maccallum-the-finkel-report-turnbull-and-compromising-at-the-planets-expense,10395

Rethink on Finkel vital
Dennis Shanahan
The Prime Minister has burnt Bill Shorten’s Clean Energy Target olive branch to a crisp.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/columnists/dennis-shanahan/rethink-on-finkel-review-vital-if-coalition-is-to-survive/news-story/fce0a2662fec2fc9b942b9b9594860cb

Climate question hangs over Turnbull’s leadership
Mark Kenny
http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/finkel-question-hangs-over-malcolm-turnbulls-leadership-20170613-gwq8mo.html

Murray’s migratory monsters
HIDDEN tales are emerging from the Murray River’s murky depths as researchers track ageing golden perch or the spawning run of a metre-long Murray cod.
http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/national/electrofishing-scientists-tracking-perch-cod-in-murray-river/news-story/9a8e4b51676bfa858c00e8bd5447bce9

Revamped E-class trams on track to curb passenger injuries
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/new-safer-eclass-trams-on-track-to-curb-passenger-injuries-20170613-gwpzf6.html

Should Doncaster Bus Rapid Transit be a priority?
Alan Davies
A private proposal to build and operate a Bus Rapid Transit system in Doncaster looks promising but taxpayers will ultimately pay for it; so it’s vital to make sure it’s a high priority
https://blogs.crikey.com.au/theurbanist/2017/06/13/doncaster-bus-rapid-transit-good-idea/

St Kilda Road treescape will take decades to recover
Margaret Fitzherbert
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/comment/st-kilda-road-treescape-will-take-decades-to-recover-20170612-gwpmcc.html

Light rail is Gladys’ heavy load
Andrew Clennell
THE Premier may face serious snarls when the Randwick-city tramline opens — just in time for the next state election
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/andrew-clennell-light-rail-is-gladys-heavy-load-to-pull/news-story/12ad9f4394d545505483fe03190c4b25

$1b to be spent fixing Brisbane roads
A THIRD of the Brisbane City Council’s upcoming $3 billion budget will be dedicated to improving the city’s road network.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/brisbane-city-council-budget-2017-1b-to-be-spent-fixing-local-roads/news-story/ac8cd497f222fa675bdebbfe1d9a8c9e

Budget spend for environment a ‘band-aid solution’: Queensland Greens
While the Queensland Government is talking up a “record environment budget”, the Greens say the failure to curb land clearing undermines all other efforts to help the Great Barrier Reef.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-14/budget-spend-for-environment-a-band-aid-solution,-greens-say/8615176

LEAN push on renewable energy
LEAN is pushing for Queensland to build, own and operate 3GW of renewable energy
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/climate/lean-leads-queensland-push-on-renewable-energy/news-story/4679f25c4586d7c96ed4c41e5c71e385

New toxic tests start at airport
A NEW round of soil and water testing is underway at Cairns Airport to determine the extent of contamination of chemicals from a toxic firefighting foam.
http://www.cairnspost.com.au/news/cairns/new-report-to-reveal-contamination-levels-at-cairns-airport/news-story/babb6cb93edf275f01f50c8df68033e2

Adani’s ‘pit-to-plug strategy’ is fraying at both ends
Tim Buckley
‘Defer, delay and pray’ appear to be the unspoken new watchwords for the company that would build the Carmichael Coal Project.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/adanis-pit-plug-strategy-fraying-ends-86291/

Why Marcia Langton is wrong on Adani
Tom Allen
For all her powerful and peerless leadership of Aboriginal rights, Professor Marcia Langton has it wrong on Adani.
https://independentaustralia.net/business/business-display/why-marcia-langton-is-wrong-on-adani,10396

Wombat Warriors call for end to cull
THE State Government has been asked to stop issuing permits for healthy wombats to be culled by landowners as the species continues to struggle with mange.
http://www.themercury.com.au/news/politics/wombat-warriors-call-for-culling-permits-to-be-scrapped-in-tasmania/news-story/092ffcb51a7da9c8b5633dd906f0e545

‘A devious grab for assets’
A former Liberal local government minister has blasted the Liberal state government’s planned TasWater takeover as a “devious …
http://www.examiner.com.au/story/4726153/a-devious-grab-for-assets/?cs=5312

Water levels ‘enough’
Despite a dry Autumn, water levels in Tasmania’s storages are sufficient to keep the state off water restrictions.
http://www.examiner.com.au/story/4727754/water-levels-enough/?cs=5312

Lead levels in Perth drinking water
In the wake of problems at the new children’s hospital, we decided to check other sites
https://thewest.com.au/news/today-tonight/lead-levels-in-perth-drinking-water-bc-5469109129001

Even Republican mayors are rejecting Trump’s energy policies.
From Aspen to Abita Springs, cities are committing to running on 100 percent renewable energy.
http://www.dailyclimate.org/t/2460133000468973515

India has enough coal without Adani mine, yet must keep importing, minister says.
India’s energy minister, Piyush Goyal, says the country would be self-sufficient in coal, except that power plants had been designed to run only on imports.
http://www.dailyclimate.org/t/18530169838857757

Adani coal ‘welcome’ part of India’s future electricity supply
India’s Power Minister reluctantly says he will support Adani’s plan to import coal if it means cheaper power but blames past governments for putting the nation in a position where it is dependent on foreign imports
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-13/adani-coal-imports-relunctantly-welcomed-in-india/8611970

A seaweed derivative could be just what lithium-sulfur batteries need
Berkeley Lab researchers’ surprising discovery is a major advance for low-cost, high-energy batteries
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-06/dbnl-asd061317.php

Ammonia on-demand? Alternative production method for a sustainable future
Surface proton hopping is the key to synthesizing NH3 at low temperature
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-06/wu-aoa061317.php

Emphasizing individual solutions to big issues can reduce support for government efforts
Following the shutdown of the Fukushima power plant, which endured one of the worst nuclear accidents in history in 2011 due to a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunami, Japan began a national initiative that encouraged saving electricity. This created an opportunity for Seth Werfel, a graduate student in political science at Stanford University, to investigate how recognition of individual efforts to improve energy usage might affect support for government-based solutions.
He found that the more people said they curbed energy use on their own, the less they supported a tax increase on carbon emissions.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-06/su-eis061317.php

‘Big Food’ companies have less power than you might think
Progress toward sustainability slowed by limited knowledge and influence on the farm
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-06/dc-fc060917.php

Electric motorcycles: Evangelical BS, or the future incarnate?
Nigel Morris Are electric bikes just an early adopter pipe dream? Are they decades away from dominance?
http://reneweconomy.com.au/electric-motorcycles-evangelical-bs-future-incarnate-63738/

Green China: In pursuit of rebuilding as ‘an ecological civilization.’
Julian Cribb MAHB
Capitalizing on failures of U.S. leadership, China is emerging as a potential ‘great green power’ of the 21st century.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/2460133000468973519

Solar Technology And The Sands Of Time
Geoff Russell
Harnessing the energy of the sun is not a new concept. It’s also not our saviour.
https://newmatilda.com/2017/06/13/power-less-solar-technology-and-the-sands-of-time/

New threats to public lands endanger America’s unique wildlife corridors.
Mule deer, pronghorn and other animals rely on unbroken migration routes for food and survival, a necessity now in jeopardy as Trump pushes for development
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/18530169838857767

Tropical peat forests risk turning from carbon ‘drains’ to emitters.
Peat bogs in tropical forests, long key outlets for greenhouse gases, could dry up due to farming and global warming, further accelerating climate change and putting more pressure on wetlands.
http://www.dailyclimate.org/t/2460133000468973501

Late-Nesting Birds, Bees Face Habitat Threat
Bird and bumblebee species that nest late in the year are suffering more from the destruction of habitats, new research suggests.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170612124411.htm

PNG deports Catholic missionary assisting locals with logging legal fight
Catholic missionary and lawyer Doug Tennent is deported by the PNG Government after he tried to help villagers who took legal action against a giant Malaysian logging company.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-13/png-deports-catholic-missionary-over-logging-legal-fight/8615042