Daily Links Jun 22

It’s so hot in the US planes can’t leave the ground
An extreme heatwave that has pushed temperatures to almost 50C in parts of the south-west United States has made it so hot, planes literally cannot take off from the runway.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-21/extreme-us-heatwave-grounds-arizona-las-vegas-flights/8637278

Accelerating Rate of Temperature Rise in the Pyrenees
The Iberian Peninsula is undergoing climate change, with temperatures on the rise, and mountain ranges are not exempt from this trend. A team of scientists has analyzed …
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170621103158.htm

Role aerosols play in climate change unlocked by spectacular Icelandic volcanic eruption
Cloud systems ‘well buffered’ against aerosol changes in the atmosphere, research shows
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-06/uoe-rap061917.php

Climate change label leads to climate science acceptance
On the heels of President Donald Trump’s decision to pull the United States out of the Paris climate agreement, a new Cornell University study finds that labels matter when it comes to acceptance of climate science.
The U.S. public doubts the existence of “global warming” more than it doubts “climate change” – and Republicans are driving the effect, the research shows.
http://www.enn.com/climate/article/51594

Al Gore: battle against climate change is like fight against slavery
Former US vice-president says green revolution is bigger than industrial revolution and happening at faster pace than digital revolution
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/21/al-gore-battle-against-climate-change-like-fight-against-slavery

The ocean predicts future Arctic climate
A new study in the journal Nature Communications by researchers from Geophysical Institute, University of Bergen and Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, Norway, and University of Oxford, UK, demonstrates that there is a clear potential for practical and useful predictions of northwestern European and Arctic climate based on the state of the ocean.
http://www.enn.com/climate/article/51596

A cold climate for science
Michael Asten
We are rejecting the idea that global warming be exposed to research.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/a-cold-climate-for-science/news-story/f82f4126477b029feb76dbff2fdf467d

Power plays: time to think about buying back the grid
Rob Campbell
Electricity is just a symptom of the perils of populous governments. The only solution is to nationalise the lot.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/power-plays-time-think-buying-back-grid-26989/

Stations ‘costs more than wind, solar’
Building new coal-fired power stations would be more expensive than the cost of new wind and solar, research shows.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/building-coalfired-stations-costs-more-than-wind-solar/news-story/7952ac695b438fad1630496f4b09b07b

New coal power ‘not a conflict’
Alan Finkel says there is ‘no inconsistency’ in both a clean energy target and a push for new coal power stations.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/climate/finkel-new-power-station-not-a-conflict-with-clean-energy-target/news-story/40b5aadd1a2e74072d6e66accdfc6240

New catalyst paves way for carbon neutral fuel
Australian scientists have paved the way for carbon neutral fuel with the development of a new efficient catalyst that converts carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air into synthetic natural gas in a ‘clean’ process using solar energy.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-06/uoa-ncp062117.php

Finkel: Investors prefer wind, solar because they cheaper than coal
Finkel says it clear investors prefer wind and solar because they are cheaper to build than traditional generation such as hydro and coal.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/finkel-investors-prefer-wind-solar-cheaper-coal-97790/

Energy body pushes for wood-fired power to replace coal
http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/clean-energy-finance-corporation-lobbying-for-woodfired-power-to-replace-coal-20170621-gwvn2f.html

Energy regulator warns against government meddling
http://www.afr.com/news/energy-regulator-warns-against-govt-meddling-in-market-20170621-gwvrdt

Get in on the ground floor: how apartments can join the solar boom
Bjorn Sturmberg
While there are now more solar panels in Australia than people, the many Australians who live in apartments have largely been locked out of this solar revolution by a minefield of red tape and potentially uninformed strata committees.
https://theconversation.com/get-in-on-the-ground-floor-how-apartments-can-join-the-solar-boom-79172

Review of Finkel Report
Dennis Jensen
Require that the government then, in a contract with the generators, have a penalty clause in place if the government, subsequent to the decision and approval, retrospectively adds requirements.
http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=19105

Turnbull and Trump both demonising renewables for no reason
Giles Parkinson
Turnbull’s pursuit of “baseload dispatchable” power has all the hallmarks of the Trump administration’s campaign against renewables. But data shows that countries with lots of wind and solar have better energy security.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/turnbull-trump-demonising-renewables-no-reason-39272/

Australia, deep in climate change’s ‘disaster alley’, shirks its moral responsibility
Ian Dunlop
A government’s first responsibility is to safeguard the people and their future well-being. The ability to do this is threatened by human-induced climate change, the accelerating effects of which are driving political instability and conflict globally
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/comment/australia-deep-in-climate-changes-disaster-alley-shirks-its-moral-responsibility-20170621-gwvhs6.html

Canavan offers to fund gas exploration, but what do we get in return?
Michael West
Federal Resources Minister Matt Canavan is not only espousing a A$1 billion taxpayer leg-up for Indian coal magnate Gautam Adani to build a rail line but has now called for public money to be deployed for gas exploration in southeast Australia.
https://theconversation.com/canavan-offers-to-fund-gas-exploration-but-what-do-we-get-in-return-79767

Mining scandals: Rio Tinto’s governance fiasco
Elizabeth Knight
http://www.theage.com.au/business/mining-and-resources/rio-tintos-governance-a-fiasco-as-director-charged-with-fraud-20170621-gwvk04.html

Tiny mouse-like mammal fights back from extinction at Sydney’s North Head
The Tasmanian devil, bilby or maybe the quoll springs to mind when people they think of Australian marsupials – but another species that might not make the list is the antechinus, driven to extinction from Sydney’s North Head decades ago.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-21/brown-antechinus-mammal-released-at-north-head-after-extinction/8637666

Tipping fees fuelling asbestos dumping black market: ICAC
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/tipping-fees-fuelling-asbestos-dumping-black-market-icac-20170621-gwvmy9.html

Foley pledges to ‘increase’ rooftop solar if elected
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/luke-foley-pledges-to-massively-increase-rooftop-solar-if-elected-20170621-gwvo3i.html

Adani launches ‘megamine’ jobs portal
MINING giant Adani has launched a new online tool for job seekers looking for work related to the proposed Carmichael coal mine.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/business/adani-launches-megamine-jobs-portal/news-story/4933bae1304d86654e34489fa209ac45

Idea for solar on dam left in dark
A FLOATING solar farm proposed for Copperlode Dam was shot down before ever being considered by Cairns Regional Council, and at least one city official is not impressed.
http://www.cairnspost.com.au/business/friction-in-council-over-rejected-copperlode-dam-solar-farm/news-story/def540cc85d26a41973686c3bb5a5f14

Company faces massive fine over 15-tonne Great Barrier Reef oil spill
A shipping company is charged and faces a fine of up to $17 million for allegedly spilling about 15 tonnes of oil but experts say it could prove difficult to enforce a fine even if the prosecution is successful.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-22/panama-company-faces-massive-fine-over-great-barrier-reef-spill/8633984

‘Godfather of Coral’ urges Adani approval rethink following reef bleachings
The man known as the “Godfather of Coral” is calling on the Federal Government to revoke its environmental approval for Adani’s $16-billion coal mine, arguing two bleaching events on the Great Barrier Reef have happened since the decision was made.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-22/godfather-of-coral-urges-adani-mine-approval-rethink/8639082

‘Ocean Elders’ urge Malcolm Turnbull to reject Adani coalmine
Prominent oceanographers and global leaders write to Australian prime minister and Queensland premier
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/22/ocean-elders-urge-malcolm-turnbull-to-reject-adani-coalmine

Queensland calls for ‘open mind’ on power generation
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/queensland-calls-for-open-mind-on-power-station-20170621-gwvc7h.html

‘Tassal’s pulp mill moment’: the battle over Tasmania’s $30m salmon farm
More than 1,000 people, spread across 300 boats, protested against the shallow-water fish farm at Okehampton Bay
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/jun/21/tassals-pulp-mill-moment-the-battle-over-tasmanias-30m-salmon-farm

Uranium miners hail green light
WA Mines Minister Bill Johnston will not stand in the way of four uranium mines approved by the Barnett government.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/miners-hail-uranium-call-as-activists-rail-against-green-light/news-story/50217adb72348a3d21c9b657f65d760e

Uranium firms bullish on five-year window to develop WA mines
Uranium firms are unfazed by a potential five-year deadline to get their projects up and running in WA, after the State Government would not guarantee approvals on existing projects would be extended.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-21/uranium-firms-bullish-on-five-year-window-to-develop-wa-mines/8640170

WA island at frontline of climate change battle
http://www.afr.com/technology/wa-island-to-become-frontline-in-battle-against-climate-change-20170621-gwvdyz

WA national park taken off-grid by local network
Horizon Power’s stand-alone power project taking Fitzgerald River National Park off-grid with solar, battery storage and back-up diesel.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/wa-national-park-taken-off-grid-local-network-39200/

Gorgon LNG project to show business case for carbon waste storage
The start-up of Chevron’s $2 billion carbon capture and storage project anticipated later this year should help put to rest arguments that the process is too expensive to be used commercially, according to Brad Page, head of the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute.
http://www.afr.com/technology/gorgon-lng-project-to-show-business-case-for-carbon-waste-storage-20170618-gwtpk6

Epidemics pose risk in bush
Some areas of regional WA are “extremely vulnerable” to human epidemics, disaster planning reveals.
https://thewest.com.au/news/wa/epidemics-pose-risk-in-bush-ng-b88511124z

Perth’s newest suburb keeps two thirds as bush
http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/perths-newest-suburb-turns-an-old-rifle-range-into-a-treechange-community-20170621-gwvgn2.html

How Perth’s water policy is keeping Perth green
Daniel Mercer
https://thewest.com.au/opinion/how-perths-water-policy-is-keeping-perth-green-ng-b88508678z

The Perfect Fit
For the founder of HERO Condoms, a social enterprise which aims to save lives and fight HIV/AIDS in developing countries, combining business smarts with the heart has become the perfect fit.
https://probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2017/06/the-perfect-fit/

Domestic appliances guzzle far more energy than advertised – EU survey
In echo of ‘defeat device’ scandals, one TV increased energy consumption by 47% when tested in real-world viewing
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/21/domestic-appliances-guzzle-far-more-energy-than-advertised-eu-survey

Top global banks still lend billions to extract fossil fuels
Analysis of world’s lenders reveals many claim green credentials while still financing fuels like tar sands, oil and coal
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/21/top-global-banks-still-lend-billions-extract-fossil-fuels

Feeling stressed? Bike to work
A Concordia study shows how a pedal-powered commute can set you up for the whole day
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-06/cu-fsb062117.php

New material could filter water contaminants that others miss.
A new material can pull a toxic, hard-to-degrade industrial chemical from drinking water more effectively than current methods
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/2460133000468979732

Small steps to save energy exhaust political will for bigger actions.
A study in Japan finds that after people unplug appliances and turn down the A-C, they are more resistant to nationwide climate change measures.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/2206158589390233376

Compromising on coal: Asia Bank creates path for clean energy
AIIB will play highly influential role in Asia’s future development. On energy, this may include unlocking finance to catalyse a clean energy revolution.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/compromising-coal-asia-bank-creates-path-clean-energy-98825/

South Korea to scrap coal and nuclear power
South Korea move marks first major new international commitment away from coal since Trump pulled out of Paris climate agreement.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/south-korea-scrap-coal-nuclear-power-67479/

The heated politics of renewable energy.
As cities vow to meet the Paris climate commitments, rival researchers debate the true costs of going 100-percent renewable.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/-1435255718294199800

Tiny biodegradable spheres could replace plastic microbeads.
Researchers from the University of Bath in England have developed biodegradable, plant-based microbeads that could one day replace the plastic version in a variety of consumer products.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/2460133000468979550

Global banks reduce lending to dirtiest fossil fuel companies by billions in 2016
World’s largest banks lent $87bn to oil, coal and LNG companies in 2016 – a 22% drop from a collective $111bn worth of lending in 2015
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/21/global-banks-reduce-lending-to-dirtiest-fossil-fuel-companies-by-billions-in-2016

World population to hit 8bn in 2023, says new UN survey
New findings show more men than women and that there will be 1bn over-60s next year for the first time
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2017/jun/21/world-population-to-hit-8bn-in-2023-says-new-un-survey

Trump trashes environmental studies but they stave off disaster
David Michaels
President Trump dramatically dropped thick binders filled with Environmental Impact Statements to the floor of Department of Transportation, calling them “nonsense” and declaring they “could be replaced by just a few simple pages” when announcing his infrastructure plan.
http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/energy-environment/338560-trump-trashes-environmental-studies-but-they-stave-off

Batteries vs pumped storage hydropower – a place for both?
Donald Vaughan & Nick West
Two very different storage technologies – one old, one new; one that takes years to build, one that can be built ‘within 100 days (or it’s free)’. How else do they differ, and is there a place for both?
http://reneweconomy.com.au/batteries-vs-pumped-storage-hydropower-place-87554/

Investing trillions in electricity’s sunny future
Nathaniel Bullard
Bloomberg New Energy Finance has just published its fourth annual New Energy Outlook, a comprehensive forecast of the power industry from now to 2040. And every year, it is full of wonders.
First among them for 2017 is an extraordinary showing for solar energy technology. Electricity’s future is sunny — and windy, too — to the tune of trillions of dollars of new investment.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/investing-trillions-electricitys-sunny-future-92868/

Are towers inherently wrong for public housing?
Alan Davies
St Louis’ famously demolished Pruitt-Igoe public housing project has a lesson for the debate over high-rise stemming from the Grenfell Tower fire; it’s not really about the architecture
https://blogs.crikey.com.au/theurbanist/2017/06/21/towers-intrinsically-wrong-public-housing/

What Really Happens After Societal Collapse
Rebecca Onion
Apocalyptic visions tell us it’ll be every man for himself, but some historians suggest The Walking Dead has it all wrong.
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2017/06/what_really_happens_after_societal_collapse.html

Beyond Medicare levies: joining the dots to create places that are good for our health
Susan Thompson, Gregory Paine
https://theconversation.com/beyond-medicare-levies-joining-the-dots-to-create-places-that-are-good-for-our-health-79115

LA’s endangered pumas to be saved by a $60m bridge over highway
Pumas in Santa Monica are trapped in small areas bisected by big roads, on which many die – but an ambitious wildlife crossing promises to change that
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2138268-las-endangered-pumas-to-be-saved-by-a-60m-bridge-over-highway/

Australia blasts new Japanese whaling laws
Australia has blasted new whaling laws passed by Japan, believing them a clear indication the country is lurching towards outright commercial operations
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/australia-blasts-new-japanese-whaling-laws/news-story/d223b15e1e4ffe4958b09fc670cc4e3d