Daily Links Jun 16

States and industries face more climate court action.
http://www.dailyclimate.org/t/2460133000468974370

The Dutch have solutions to rising seas. The world is watching.
In the waterlogged Netherlands, climate change is considered neither a hypothetical nor a drag on the economy. Instead, it’s an opportunity
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/18530169838860747

Scientists just documented a massive recent melt event on the surface of Antarctica.
They fear that it’s a harbinger of the future.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/18530169838860750

Volcanoes under the ice: melting Antarctic ice could fight climate change
Silvia Frisia, University of Newcastle
Melting ice from Antartica could feed vast plankton blooms, trapping carbon in the ocean. To understand this complex mechanism, researchers looked at volcanoes deep under glaciers.
https://theconversation.com/volcanoes-under-the-ice-melting-antarctic-ice-could-fight-climate-change-79353

How should world leaders punish Trump for pulling out of Paris accord?
Wael Hmaidan
The international community must show Trump, and any other leaders that may follow suit, that other core diplomatic goals – such as Nato funding – will depend on honouring their climate commitments
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/15/how-should-world-leaders-punish-trump-for-pulling-out-of-paris-accord

‘No gas shortage’, says Santos boss
Santos CEO Kevin Gallagher says government intervention in the LNG industry is not addressing the causes of the east coast gas problem.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/business/breaking-news/santos-says-there-is-no-gas-shortage/news-story/71c61a481e40ee508230105b0f90c2af

Coalition wants wind, solar forced to match each MW with storage
Coalition may require new solar and wind farms to match each megawatt of capacity with a megawatt hour of energy storage to “level playing field”
http://reneweconomy.com.au/coalition-wants-wind-solar-forced-match-mw-storage-15465/

Australians aren’t buying electric cars: Three charts illustrate why
EV Council says most Australians want to buy electric vehicles, but a lack of policy support – and cars – is getting in the way.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/australians-arent-buying-electric-cars-three-charts-illustrate-why-78101/

Finkel to energise market: AEMO
AEMO CEO Audrey Zibelman says the Finkel blueprint for national electricity security is “spot on”.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/alan-finkel-report-spot-on-aemo-chief-audrey-zibelman/news-story/4cf5e765df33ca2d07c45d4023f5170a

Details cut off $90 power saving
Households will not receive a promised $90 annual saving from a clean energy target.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/climate/new-electricity-reform-details-cut-off-promised-90-saving/news-story/5991f423ba3f0549edffbf37bbed3652

EnergyAustralia follows AGL by announcing up to 20pc power price hike
A second major energy retailer has unveiled big price hikes in gas and electricity from next month, just one week after AGL announced increases of up to $600 a year for households in some states.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-15/energyaustralia-electricity-price-hikes-across-country-after-agl/8621204

Government flags tighter tax regime for green groups
http://www.afr.com/news/policy/tax/government-flags-tighter-tax-regime-for-green-groups-20170615-gwrixw

Cheap wind, solar will make Australia a magnet
http://www.afr.com/news/cheap-wind-solar-will-make-australia-a-magnet–bloomberg-20170615-gwrwat

Emissions on wrong trajectory to hit Paris goal: report
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/retrograde-emissions-on-wrong-trajectory-to-hit-paris-goal-report-finds-20170615-gwrii2.html

Who will pay for power back-up?
Robert Gottliebsen
Power planners are looking to cover the cost of renewables back-up investment by increasing service charges.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/opinion/robert-gottliebsen/renewable-energy-needs-investment-in-backup-but-who-will-pay/news-story/d3ab6b9e228e7e090a53e9b197dfa13c

Energy supply outlook for eastern and south-eastern Australia: June 2017
Australian Energy Market Operator
In its inaugural Energy Supply Outlook (ESO), the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) highlights a low risk of electricity shortfalls for an average summer in 2017/18, however the power system remains susceptible to extreme conditions.
http://apo.org.au/node/94611

Australian energy policy: getting the balance ‘right’
Geoff Carmody
At home, we need to focus much more on energy reliability and affordability. We’ve failed badly on these.
http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=19097

Turnbull should crash through on Finkel — he’s crashing anyway
Paula Matthewson
https://www.crikey.com.au/2017/06/15/tony-abbott-will-cost-malcolm-turnbull-the-next-election-so-turnbull-might-as-well-fight-for-renewable-energy/

In Christensen’s Soviet Union, coal-fired power burns you!
Bernard Keane
The only way back for coal-fired power is via government ownership — and Soviet-style command economics.
https://www.crikey.com.au/2017/06/15/george-christensen-wants-govt-to-use-your-money-to-build-coal-fired-power-stations/

Australians invested in US anti-Paris lobbying
Dan Gocher
Which ASX-listed company indirectly lobbied for the US to withdraw from the Paris Agreement? And what should investors do about it?
http://reneweconomy.com.au/australians-invested-us-anti-paris-lobbying-47895/

Politicians must see bigger picture over power supplies
John Hewson
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/comment/john-hewson-politicians-must-see-bigger-picture-when-debating-power-supplies-20170614-gwrg4v.html

We can’t afford energy debacle
Telegraph editorial
IT NOW turns out that earlier energy bill increases were not that onerous after all — especially compared with the gigantic price rises ­consumers and businesses can expect in the very near future.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/editorial-we-cant-afford-energy-debacle/news-story/a306016b510882de96f1011405fb4691

Trump’s climate snub: hold the outrage, we’re just as bad
Sarah Gill
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/comment/trumps-climate-snub-hold-the-outrage-were-just-as-bad-20170613-gwq5ab.html

The Finkel plan will test Malcolm Turnbull’s ability to deliver significant reform
Michelle Grattan
On the basis of the polls, this could well be Turnbull’s last term. So his attention must be turning to what he would leave behind for the writers of political history.
https://theconversation.com/grattan-on-friday-the-finkel-plan-will-test-malcolm-turnbulls-ability-to-deliver-significant-reform-79530?utm_source=TractionNext&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Worm-Subscribe-160617

The world of reptiles it is not so simple, UC research finds
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/reptile-sex-goes-wild-when-things-heat-up-uc-research-finds-20170615-gwrmoj.html

Adani mine loses majority support of traditional owner representatives
Wangan and Jagalingou representative who had backed an Indigenous land use agreement now says he opposes the mine
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/15/adani-mine-loses-majority-support-of-traditional-owner-representatives

Linc clean-up cost blows out to $38m
THE bill to clean up a huge swath of land allegedly contaminated by Linc Energy has climbed to more than $38 million as prosecutors prepare to launch their case against the company next month.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/linc-energy-cleanup-cost-blows-out-to-38-million/news-story/3fe750513a0af62c88e1121ae55d8317

Energy amendments introduced
RENEWABLE energy amendments have been introduced to State Parliament in an attempt to stop consumers footing the bill for $1 billion in extra payments from the Solar Bonus Scheme.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/queensland-government/queensland-parliament-renewable-energy-amendments-introduced/news-story/431d3e0d35a990ce5515970bd30b11a8

Power price hike blamed on lack of coal
AN electricity retailer with 120,000 customers in Queensland has announced a $130-a-year price hike and blamed closing coal-fire power plants, as MPs dig in their heels on the Finkel report.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/energy-australia-to-put-up-prices-as-coalition-remains-divided-on-finkel-report/news-story/6a65814e0c488d890826cec8831399f2

185 places that could secure SA’s electricity supply
The state’s electricity supply could be secured without a new interconnector by adopting pumped hydro storage technology, according to researchers.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/pumped-hydro-power-storage-185-possible-sites-in-sa-which-could-secure-electricity-supply/news-story/a48af47d153675bc030635bedbf2702e

How South Australians dumped a nuclear dump
Jim Green
Last November, a Citizens’ Jury rejected “under any circumstances” plans to import nuclear waste as a money-making venture. So is the dump dead?
http://reneweconomy.com.au/how-south-australians-dumped-a-nuclear-dump-70197/

End shocks, give us power price relief
Advertiser editorial
SOUTH Australian electricity consumers, already saddled with expensive and unreliable supply, are about to be hit by more price rises.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/opinion/editorial-end-shocks-give-us-power-price-relief/news-story/b0f52474182f13ccdb944804ccfb7ff7

New timber mill would run on plantations
A NEW timber mill to process plantation-grown wood could be up and running near Burnie by the end of next year if a Victorian operator decides to relocate.
http://www.themercury.com.au/business/new-timber-mill-at-burnie-would-use-wood-only-from-plantation-forests/news-story/be6004d530766a9013c85af670dc0dc2

Wombat protection boost
Three crop protection permits for wombats in the West Tamar have been revoked to protect the population.
http://www.examiner.com.au/story/4733112/wombat-protection-boost/?cs=5312

Greens cast no-confidence net
ANOTHER day, another no-confidence motion — this time over Primary Industries Minister Jeremy Rockliff’s handling of fish farming.
http://www.themercury.com.au/news/politics/greens-cast-noconfidence-net-over-tasmanian-governments-handling-of-fish-farming-issue/news-story/5a8494ae7fe8c5bbb6a0d025d5d2733d

Compromise a big risk in high-rise debate
Andrew Edwards
Planners must back current building guidelines for developments in Hobart.
http://www.themercury.com.au/news/opinion/talking-point-compromise-is-a-big-risk-in-hobarts-highrise-debate/news-story/b24801429e92f1348d12e34310fc6cfa

Six Michigan officials criminally charged over Flint water crisis
Six current and former Michigan officials are criminally charged for their roles in the Flint water crisis that caused at least 12 deaths, the state’s attorney-general says, with five of the accused facing counts of involuntary manslaughter.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-15/six-michigan-officials-criminally-charged-in-flint-water-crisis/8619188

‘A reckoning for our species’: the philosopher prophet of the Anthropocene
Timothy Morton wants humanity to give up some of its core beliefs, from the fantasy that we can control the planet to the notion that we are ‘above’ other beings. His ideas might sound weird, but they’re catching on.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jun/15/timothy-morton-anthropocene-philosopher

The cost of clean: Disinfectants cause birth defects in baby mice.
Ordinary cleaning compounds—used in ordinary amounts—create long-lasting risks of spinal and brain defects in a lab study.
http://bit.ly/2tpQycw

A new link between hair dye and breast cancer? Maybe, says Rutgers study.
In the hunt for the causes of breast cancer, Rutgers researchers say they may have found two new possible culprits: Hair dyes and relaxers.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/18530169838862195

There may be a green future for Britain’s Victorian sewers.
Recovering heat from waste water could provide enough heat for more than a third of London each year.
http://www.dailyclimate.org/t/18530169838860744

Diesel was supposed to be the future.
Is the highly efficient fuel doomed?
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/2460133000468974377

Illinois researchers explore ‘self-healing’ for energy storage batteries.
Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are exploring the potential for “self-healing” energy storage batteries that could respond to deterioration after wear and tear.
http://www.dailyclimate.org/t/18530169838862189

The pipeline feeding billions to Putin … evading sanctions on the way.
Nord Stream 2 will transport gas from Russia to Europe, endangering habitats, fuelling climate change and funding Putin’s regime for decades.
http://www.dailyclimate.org/t/18530169838860720

Could carbon capturing make ‘clean coal’ a reality?
Coal is still very much at the center of the debate on the future of energy. For some, the holy grail is a new type of technology that captures some coal carbon emissions.
http://www.dailyclimate.org/t/2460133000468974374

Taking Circular Economy to the Next Level
While principles of a circular economy have been adopted by businesses, governments and NGOs, leading researchers say it’s time to take the discussion and analysis to the next ..
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170615100636.htm

Billion-dollar dams are making water shortages, not solving them
Dams are mitigating climate change impacts for certain populations, but the overall effect of such interventions may be increased drought
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2134785-billion-dollar-dams-are-making-water-shortages-not-solving-them/

The ‘future cave’ man saving the world
Eco-warrior Joost Bakker is on a mission to nourish the planet, starting with our homes.
http://www.afr.com/brand/luxury/how-ecowarrior-joost-bakker-wants-to-change-our-lives-one-scrap-at-a-time-20170422-gvqfm3

Development of low-dimensional nanomaterials could revolutionize future technologies
Javier Vela, scientist at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory, believes improvements in computer processors, TV displays and solar cells will come from scientific advancements in the synthesis of low-dimensional nanomaterials.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-06/dl-dol061517.php

Analysis: Coal Is a dinosaur and so is the growth economy.
Richard Heinberg
The only realistic solution to our climate crisis is not to put so much carbon in the atmosphere in the first place
http://www.dailyclimate.org/t/2460133000468974378

Even BP recognises that reduced coal use is slashing emissions
Lauri Myllyvirta and Sandler Clarke
BP data shows impact of reduced coal use in emissions, including China. Australia, however, joins smaller emerging economies in lifting emissions.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/even-bp-recognises-reduced-coal-use-slashing-emissions-97520/

How your job can wreck your health.
Ronesh Sinha Politico
Fancy benefits can’t work if your workplace is part of the problem
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/18530169838860742

Air pollution is bad for business.
Brian Moench Deseret News
Since taking office, President Donald Trump and his Environmental Protection Agency chief, Scott Pruitt, have been busy waging a “breathtaking” (literally) war on environmental regulations.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/18530169838860737

The lesson from Grenfell is simple: stop building residential towers
Simon Jenkins
High-rise blocks are wholly out of place and character. Rather, a modern, sociable city needs neighbourhoods
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jun/15/lessons-grenfell-tower-safer-cladding-tower-blocks

UN announces 23 new nature reserves while US removes 17.
New UNESCO Biosphere Reserves protect sites across the world, while the U.S. and Bulgaria withdraw sites from the well-known program
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/2460133000468974386

Inside Amazon reserve, high-end chocolate thrives with forest.
Brazilian grandmother Maria Nobre de Oliveira thinks high-end chocolate will help end the epidemic of deforestation ravaging Amazon communities like hers
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/2460133000468974380

Women could be a key to great ape conservation in the Congo.
Empowered women are working with environmental groups to help conserve gorillas, bonobos and chimpanzees in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/18530169838860719