Daily Links Jun 2

Trump dumps climate deal
Donald Trump has officially pulled the US out of the Paris agreement to curb climate change, saying it would kill US jobs.
http://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/trump-pulls-us-out-of-paris-climate-agreement/news-story/f5c30a07c595a10a81d67611d0515a0a

The Paris climate deal: How to understand Trump’s decision.
President Trump’s decision to exit the climate pact is a setback for the worldwide effort to combat global warming. Here’s a guide to what it means.
http://www.dailyclimate.org/t/2460133000468971858

Trump has pulled US out of Paris climate deal… So what happens now?
http://www.theage.com.au/environment/climate-change/paris-explainer-what-if-trump-pulls-us-out-of-global-climate-agreement-20170601-gwhz4g.html

GOP congressman on climate change: God will ‘take care of it’ if it’s real
http://religionnews.com/2017/06/01/gop-congressman-on-climate-change-god-will-take-care-of-it-if-its-real/

Huge ice age methane blowout is ill omen for glacier retreat
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2133397-huge-ice-age-methane-blowout-is-ill-omen-for-glacier-retreat/

Public confused by climate change messages
Experts, charities, the media and government confuse the public by speaking “different languages” on climate change, a new study says. The research team focussed on Colombia and likened climate change communication to a “broken phone”.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-06/uoe-pcb060117.php

Trump’s speech on the Paris climate agreement, in full
Video
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/video/2017/jun/01/trump-speech-paris-climate-agreement-video

Should the US stay in the Paris Agreement? A majority of Democrats and Republicans think so
Ed Maibach et al
http://theconversation.com/should-the-us-stay-in-the-paris-agreement-a-majority-of-democrats-and-republicans-think-so-77455

Trump’s exit from Paris climate deal signals end of American Century
Joe Romm
America’s time as leader of the free world is over. Now we’re the villain, thwarting the global effort to save humanity.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/trumps-exit-from-paris-climate-deal-signals-end-of-american-century-25509/

US will be the loser in a withdrawal from Paris agreement
Kate Mackenzie
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/comment/withdrawing-from-paris-agreement-hurts-the-us-more-than-anyone-20170601-gwi6xw.html

Climate change denial’s a bad joke
SMH editorial
A Paris Accord without the US will set back global efforts to limit temperature rises and is likely to inflame leadership tensions in the Turnbull government.
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-editorial/climate-change-denials-a-bad-joke-20170601-gwhtfg.html

Trump just passed on the best deal the planet has ever seen
David Suzuki
His rationale for abandoning the Paris agreement is outdated and false. Now, America forges its own, lonely path in being shackled to coal and fossil fuels
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jun/01/trump-paris-climate-deal-planet

The Paris deal pullout is more damaging to the US than the climate
Damian Carrington
The US abandoning the global climate deal brings risks, but the unity of the rest of the world and plummeting green energy costs are reasons for hope
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/01/donald-trump-paris-climate-deal-pullout-us-impact

Trump just cemented his legacy as America’s worst-ever president
Dana Nuccitelli
Trump is doing his best to ruin the world for our children and grandchildren
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2017/jun/01/donald-trump-just-cemented-his-legacy-as-americas-worst-ever-president

The US tried to derail climate action before – and it ended in humiliating defeat
Fiona Harvey
George W Bush failed in his attempt to block global action on climate change. His mistake – about to be repeated by Trump – was to imagine the UN process was weak
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/01/the-us-tried-to-derail-climate-action-before-and-it-ended-in-humiliating-defeat

Endeavour pushes into micro-grids as industry takes “360° turn”
Endeavour says network ownership could turn 360° and revert to local councils and communities, as it seeks tender for solar and storage micro-grid.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/endeavour-pushes-into-micro-grids-as-industry-takes-360-turn-84680/

Trump revives climate tensions
Donald Trump’s threats to pull out of the Paris agreement has seen tensions spill over in the Coalition over climate.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/climate/trumps-paris-threats-revive-coalition-climate-tensions/news-story/cdbb752341a5f95822b73c21de2a6bef

Senator tackles penis climate claim
ONE Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts has asked the nation’s top scientists about a research paper that claimed “penises cause climate change”.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/one-nation-senator-malcolm-roberts-asks-top-scientists-about-penis-climate-change-research/news-story/ef678601034db10d4cd4dd555aca9937

LNG feels the heat over carbon risks
Angela Macdonald-Smith
http://www.afr.com/business/energy/gas/investment-climate-lng-feels-the-heat-over-carbon-risks-20170601-gwhtgp

Turnbull to be tested by Trump, Finkel
Laura Tingle
http://www.afr.com/opinion/columnists/laura-tingle/malcolm-turnbulls-political-fortunes-swing-on-donald-trump-and-alan-finkel-20170601-gwiams

Explainer: how much landfill does Australia have?
Bernadette McCabe, University of Southern Queensland and William Clarke, The University of Queensland
Australia sends 20 million tonnes of garbage to landfill every year. With thousands of sites across the nation, it’s hard to track exactly how many there are, where they are, and what’s filling them.
http://theconversation.com/explainer-how-much-landfill-does-australia-have-78404

Desal plant delivery shy of government order
THE trouble-plagued desalination plant is “unlikely” to meet the government’s water order of 50 gigalitres by its June 30 deadline, Water Minister Lisa Neville has conceded.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/desal-plant-unlikely-to-meet-state-governments-water-order/news-story/c6682d0b5a4ec2024c613d898e2495f1

Timber offer raised to embattled mill
THE Victorian Government has increased its timber supply offer to the embattled Heyfield mill, a parliamentary inquiry has heard.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/heyfield-mill-victorian-government-increases-timber-supply-offer/news-story/bdd7664fa23977d0c5b73296aa9be4a0

Our suburbs are only going to get more cramped, crowded and overbearing
James Newbury
Villagers are getting restless everywhere as yellow stickers with dire intentions proliferate.
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/our-suburbs-are-only-going-to-get-more-cramped-crowded-and-overbearing-20170531-gwh5t0.html

How our research is helping clean up coal-mining pollution in a World Heritage-listed river
Ian Wright Western Sydney University
http://theconversation.com/how-our-research-is-helping-clean-up-coal-mining-pollution-in-a-world-heritage-listed-river-74253

Regulators’ wake up call: Fossil fuel majors are gaming markets
Regulators issue grim warning about power of big fossil fuel generators to game energy markets, forcing up prices. They say the price surge to “unprecedented” highs in coal-dependent Queensland is being driven by market concentration and the lack of large-scale wind and solar.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/regulators-wake-up-call-fossil-fuel-majors-are-gaming-markets-18995/

Ergon Energy’s ‘biggest’ home battery trial underway in Cairns
A testing laboratory built by Queensland utility Ergon Energy to host one of Australia’s biggest residential battery storage trials has been opened in Cairns.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/ergon-energys-biggest-home-battery-trial-underway-cairns-90967/

Qld taxpayers to pay for solar scheme
http://www.afr.com/news/politics/qld-taxpayers-to-keep-on-paying-for-solar-feedin-scheme-20170601-gwhwul

Rescue bid for predators
A PROPOSAL to keep these predators off Australia’s threatened species list will impact commercial fishers take of hammerhead sharks in Great Barrier Reef waters.
http://www.cairnspost.com.au/news/cairns/take-limit-proposed-for-hammerhead-shark-on-barrier-reef/news-story/159bc7021df83e6569c2eac2b9ba1fda

Adani fix will fall short of full Mabo revisit
http://www.afr.com/business/legal/adani-fix-will-fall-short-of-full-mabo-revisit-hearsay-20170526-gwe1u0

Adani royalties deal ‘could hold back $253m’
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/business/mining-and-resources/deferred-royalties-on-adani-could-hold-back-253m-from-government-20170601-gwi4cn.html

Government body grilled on conflicts of interest in $900m Adani loan
The Minister for Northern Australia defends the appointment of a Queensland businesswoman to a fund deciding on a $900 million loan to mining giant Adani, despite concerns of a conflict of interest.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-02/naif-grilled-over-members-conflict-of-interest-in-adani-loan/8582052

Pauline Hanson says no to Adani train line
Pauline Hanson has told the Turnbull government to build the billion-dollar Galilee Basin coal line itself, announcing she …
http://www.examiner.com.au/story/4703129/pauline-hanson-says-no-to-adani-train-line/?cs=7

Government body grilled on conflicts of interest in $900m Adani loan
The Minister for Northern Australia defends the appointment of a Queensland businesswoman to a fund deciding on a $900 million loan to mining giant Adani, despite concerns of a conflict of interest.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-02/naif-grilled-over-members-conflict-of-interest-in-adani-loan/8582052

Anglican church in Carmichael mine heartland to divest from fossil fuels
Diocese of Rockhampton, which covers Queensland gas and mining towns, votes to sell coal seam gas and thermal coal assets
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/02/anglican-church-queensland-carmichael-mine-heartland-divest-fossil-fuels-australia-adani

Matt Canavan on Adani
Politics podcast
http://theconversation.com/politics-podcast-matt-canavan-on-adani-78674

Why green energy will be a win-win for us
Ross Garnaut 
OF the many challenges facing South Australia, it’s hard not to look past how the state plans to deal with a more secure and affordable electricity supply.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/opinion/ross-garnaut-sa-has-little-choice-over-green-energy-and-can-be-a-low-carbon-superpower/news-story/1de5289d11018f29eefa271b913b118f

NT aboriginal community to get 1MW solar plant, cut reliance on diesel
Nauiyu community set to be powered by a 1MW solar plant during the day, relegating its diesel generators for use only at night and as back-up.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/nt-aboriginal-community-get-1mw-solar-plant-cut-reliance-diesel-59838/

Fire breaks out at BHP’s Mt Whaleback mine
BHP has confirmed a fire has broken out at its Mt Whaleback mine near Newman in the Pilbara.
https://thewest.com.au/business/mining/fire-breaks-out-at-bhps-mt-whaleback-mine-ng-b88494777z

Our future ‘way past worst case scenario’
EXPERTS predicted Hurricane Katrina, the Boxing Day tsunami and the rise of Islamic State. Their predictions for the future are much worse.
http://www.news.com.au/technology/science/evolution/the-scary-future-predictions-we-cant-ignore/news-story/3a4882ae3a70dffa7ce74bb9d968778e

Penn State study links Three Mile Island nuke accident to thyroid cancer.
The study marks the first time the partial meltdown of Unit 2’s reactor can be connected to specific cancer cases, the researchers have said.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/18530169838836157

Cheaper solar in India prompts rethink for coal projects.
India’s coal-power plant developers are growing more pessimistic about their projects after a plunge in the cost of electricity from solar panels improved the economics of renewable energy.
http://www.dailyclimate.org/t/18530169838836136

The country adopting electric vehicles faster than anywhere else.
Fueled by cheap power and government subsidies, Norway is racing to ditch the “fossil car.”
http://www.dailyclimate.org/t/18530169838836141

What’s Powering Your Devices?
Americans, regardless of whether they’re Democrats or Republicans, want to power their homes with renewable energy, according to a new …
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170601151818.htm

Thoughts on power markets? Executives have a few.
To explore where the electric discussion is heading, E&E News compiled takes from some of the industry’s most prominent observers.
http://www.dailyclimate.org/t/18530169838836104

‘Instantly rechargeable’ battery could change the future of electric and hybrid automobiles
A technology developed by Purdue researchers could provide an “instantly rechargeable” method that is safe, affordable and environmentally friendly for recharging electric and hybrid vehicle batteries through a quick and easy process similar to refueling a car at a gas station.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-06/pu-rb060117.php

Replacing coal with solar can save lives and money
Tens of thousands of Americans die prematurely each year from air pollution-related diseases associated with burning coal. By  transitioning to solar photovoltaics (PV) in the US, up to 51,999 American lives would be saved at $1.1 million invested per life.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-06/mtu-rcw060117.php

Exxon shareholders approve climate resolution: 62% vote for disclosure.
ExxonMobil shareholders voted Wednesday to require the world’s largest oil and gas company to report on the impacts of climate change to its business—defying management, and marking a milestone in a 28-year effort by activist investors.
http://www.dailyclimate.org/t/2460133000468970281

Low cost, scalable water-splitting fuels the future hydrogen economy
Fossil fuels still power transportation, heating and cooling, and manufacturing, but a team of scientists from Penn State and Florida State University have come one step closer to inexpensive, clean hydrogen fuel with a lower cost and industrially scalable catalyst that produces pure hydrogen through a low-energy water-splitting process.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-06/ps-lcs060117.php

Ultra-stable perovskite solar cell remains stable for more than a year
Perovskite solar cells promise cheaper and efficient solar energy, with enormous potential for commercialization.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-06/epfd-ups053117.php

China is getting serious about fighting climate change at home. Abroad, its investments tell a different story.
Jonathan Kaiman Los Angeles Times
China has signed billions of dollars in agreements with Pakistan to help the country alleviate its chronic energy shortages, primarily by burning coal.
http://www.dailyclimate.org/t/18530169838836174

The womb is no protection from toxic chemicals.
Frederica Perera New York Times
Chemical exposures, infectious diseases and air pollution all threaten the brain development of babies
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/18530169838836133

China-built port in Uruguay threatens to damage precious ecosystem.
Already highly vulnerable, the South Atlantic marine ecosystem could collapse if a Chinese-funded fishing port in the Uruguayan capital of Montevideo goes ahead as planned, conservationists fear.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/2460133000468970280

The supplement industry is devastating the environment. Can algae fix it?
Qualitas Health, a Texas-based nutrition company, just inked an expansion deal that will triple their algae production capabilities, and position their omega-3-rich products as a more sustainable alternative to nutrients derived from fish and animals
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/18530169838836162

A call for a code of conduct in creating marine protected areas.
Scientist Nathan Bennett explains why he and other marine experts are calling for a Hippocratic Oath for ocean conservation to ensure that local communities benefit from newly created marine reserves.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/18530169838836161

Subsidies promote overfishing and hurt small-scale fishers worldwide
Large-scale fisheries receive about four times more subsidies than their small-scale counterparts, with up to 60 per cent of those subsidies promoting overfishing.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-06/uobc-spo053117.php

Sea level rise may force coastal nesting birds to extinction
A team of international researchers have found rising sea levels and more frequent flooding events could drive coastal nesting birds around the world to extinction.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-02/sea-level-rise-may-drive-coastal-nesting-birds-to-extinction/8580102

Stony corals more resistant to climate change than thought, Rutgers study finds
Researchers show how corals create rock-hard skeletons
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-06/ru-scm052517.php

Pollution ‘devastating’ China’s vital ecosystem, research shows
The startling extent to which man-made pollution is devastating China’s vital ecosystem’s ability to offset damaging carbon emissions has been revealed.
http://www.enn.com/pollution/article/51414

Trump’s eyes on Alaskan riches
The Trump administration has ordered a review of oil reserves and production on Alaska’s vast public lands.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/wall-street-journal/donald-trumps-eyes-on-alaskan-oil-and-gas-reserves/news-story/fc0c6b41c5e2f07deb7441a6ebd5f8bd

Factcheck: Whale strandings and offshore windfarms
Simon Evans
Offshore wind farms have been blamed by conservative media in the UK for the deaths of three whales – despite not a shred of evidence.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/factcheck-whale-strandings-and-offshore-windfarms-38230/