In the News Jun 30

Oceans are warming rapidly, study says
More than 90% of the earth’s energy imbalance (EEI) in the climate system is sequestered in the ocean and consequently the ocean heat content (OHC) is increasing. Therefore, OHC is one of the most important indicators of global warming.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-06/ioap-oaw062917.php

Study: Climate change damages US economy, increases inequality
Severe costs ahead especially in south and lower midwest, pioneering analysis projects
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-06/ru-scc062317.php

For some US counties, climate change will be particularly costly
A highly granular assessment of the impacts of climate change on the U.S. economy suggests that each 1°Celsius increase in temperature will cost 1.2% of the country’s gross domestic product, on average.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-06/aaft-fsu062617.php

Paris deal ‘non-negotiable’: Merkel
German Chancellor Angela Merkel says the G20 summit will focus on furthering the aims of the Paris climate deal.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/paris-deal-nonnegotiable-merkel/news-story/3c17b77023b201e41fcc16d9a7c2e1a9

Measuring the health of the climate by how sick we aren’t.
Madeleine K. Scammell, Jonathan Levy, Wendy Heiger-Bernays Boston WBUR Radio
The challenge of climate change prevention is getting people to notice the catastrophe that has not happened.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/2460133000468987615

Consumers, PV and storage critical to low carbon grid: AEMO
AEMO underlines push on demand side of grid, wanting new market rules and regulations to facilitate rooftop solar, storage, energy efficiency and demand management. It marks major shift for the grid operator, and for the design of Australia’s grid towards consumers rather than generators.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/consumers-pv-storage-critical-low-carbon-grid-aemo-57582/

Coal entrepreneur pursues printed batteries on printed solar
Coal entrepreneur and RET critic Trevor St Baker chases technology to have sheets with solar on one side and storage on another ‘printed like newspapers.’
http://reneweconomy.com.au/coal-entrepreneur-pursues-printed-batteries-on-printed-solar-60334/

States betting on giant batteries to cut carbon
Some states and electric power companies are rolling out a new weapon against fossil fuels — giant batteries.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/states-betting-giant-batteries-cut-carbon-86165/

APVMA to publicise chemical recalls
THE Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority will publicise all chemical recalls on its website as part of a new policy.
http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/national/chemical-crop-contamination-apvma-to-publicise-recalls-on-its-website/news-story/55c990a8c8676b310bebb55beebf83b1

Morrison puts fracking clause on GST
TREASURER Scott Morrison has threatened state and territory governments with financial penalties if they limit fracking or other gas exploration.
http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/politics/gst-threat-financial-penalties-could-apply-if-states-ban-gas-exploration-scott-morrison-says/news-story/4ab968d644acbe23f2049ade45405a3d

Australia’s ‘no-go’ nuclear mindset is Abbott’s biggest regret as PM
In an 18-minute mea culpa speech on submarines, Tony Abbott describes as his “fears” for the Government’s $50 billion submarine program and repents for his self-recognised failure of “not more robustly challenging the nuclear ‘no-go’ mindset”.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-29/tony-abbott-regrets-not-challenging-australian-nuclear-mindset/8664482

Cutting back on our car parking addiction
Natalie Rayment
Australia’s largest car share service GoGet launched its biggest ‘pod’ within the Central Park development in 2014.
http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=19127

West Gate Tunnel traffic chaos forecast
THE $5 billion West Gate Tunnel Project will create chaos in suburban streets all day, every day and will involve losing almost 750 trees, according to a damning report.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/west-gate-tunnel-will-create-local-traffic-bedlam-all-day-every-day-melbourne-city-council-report/news-story/a902f74c0c2fcacd37852f3a22e4f441

Coal mine owner to stand trial over blaze
THE owner of Hazelwood coal mine is to face trial over the 2014 fire that blanketed Latrobe Valley in smoke for 45 days.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/hazelwood-coal-mine-owner-to-stand-trial-over-2014-blaze/news-story/7b08194b4160990d5b72420645d0945e

Airport rail link can open up new possibilities for the rest of Melbourne
Ian Woodcock, RMIT University and Iain Lawrie, University of Melbourne
A rail link is a big step towards transforming transport access and land use in ways that will enable a much bigger city to remain liveable. And Melbourne can learn from Sydney about this.
http://theconversation.com/airport-rail-link-can-open-up-new-possibilities-for-the-rest-of-melbourne-80203

VFF bid to shift vegetation rules
VICTORIAN farmers are negotiating with the State Opposition to strip native vegetation regulations out of the planning scheme and replant them in the Catchment and Land Protection Act.
http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/national/native-vegetation-vff-bid-to-shift-vegetation-rules/news-story/ffcbb1433e12e2c81ec7f868eba19f79

June set to be driest on record
IT’S official – Victoria is on the cusp of recording its driest June on record.
http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/weather/weather-victoria-june-set-to-be-driest-on-record/news-story/1b91da09de4500040509459908dcf436

Missing link even more vital
Michael Sukkar
IT’S five years since the Coalition committed to building the East West Link and the project is needed more than ever
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/five-years-on-missing-link-is-even-more-vital/news-story/2544e21b4761299e523493b1eb237f73

‘Leave energy to private sector’
The NSW Minister for Energy has warned against governments getting involved in providing new electricity generation.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/leave-energy-to-the-private-sector-minister/news-story/fa73ecd5185f0faae3c89c8c606a2bed

Rio Tinto’s NSW coal mines taken over by China-backed company
After an intense bidding war, Rio Tinto decides to sell its NSW coal mines to China-backed miner Yancoal, instead of Swiss-based Glencore, for $3.5 billion.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-29/rio-tinto-nsw-coal-mines-taken-over-by-china-backed-company/8664914

Foley’s power promise a flagrant test of voters’ credulity, his own credibility
James Robertson
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/comment/foleys-power-promise-a-flagrant-test-of-voters-credulity-his-own-credibility-20170629-gx0wld.html

Cyber attack on Qld’s water, power or public transport in next 10 years: expert
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/cyber-attack-on-qlds-water-power-or-public-transport-in-next-10-years-expert-20170629-gx14yw.html

Fifteen bilbies to leave theme park for life on the wild side
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/fifteen-bilbies-to-leave-theme-park-for-life-on-the-wild-side-20170629-gx1gyw.html

Farmers join fight against Adani coalmine over environmental concerns
More than 2,000 farmers and agriculture leaders express concern proposed Carmichael coalmine could affect groundwater, biodiversity and climate change
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/30/farmers-join-fight-against-adani-coalmine-over-environmental-concerns

What’s the economic value of the Great Barrier Reef? It’s priceless
Neil Perry, Western Sydney University
A full valuation of the Great Barrier Reef leads to a number so high it is essentially not worth considering in economic terms.
http://theconversation.com/whats-the-economic-value-of-the-great-barrier-reef-its-priceless-80061

Major issue but no plan for city’s system
Miles Hampton
Launceston is one of the few cities in Australia where stormwater was designed to flow into the sewerage …
http://www.examiner.com.au/story/4760160/major-issue-but-no-plan-for-citys-system/?cs=97

Stellata wins approval for 120MW solar farm, largest in W.A.
Perth-based Stellata Energy has won approval for a 120MW solar plant near Merredin, in Western Australia’s wheatbelt, adding to the growing queue of large scale renewable projects
http://reneweconomy.com.au/stellata-wins-approval-120mw-solar-farm-largest-w-56922/

Gabon pledges to protect forests in regional drive to save Congo Basin.
Gabon has signed an $18 million deal with donors to tackle deforestation and cut its carbon emissions by half as part of a wider plan to protect the tropical forests of the Congo Basin.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/2460133000468987606

Cellulosic Biofuels Can Benefit the Environment If Managed Correctly
Could cellulosic biofuels — or liquid energy derived from grasses and wood — become a green fuel of the future, providing an environmentally sustainable way of meeting …
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170629142848.htm

Exciting new material uses solar energy to remove man-made dye pollutants from water
Exciting new material developed by Swansea scientists uses solar energy to remove man-made dye pollutants from water
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-06/su-enm062917.php

Running Dry: Seeking Solutions to South Asia’s Looming Water Crisis
India and Pakistan are among the most heavily irrigated nations on earth, producing enough wheat, corn, and other crops to feed their combined populations of 1.5 billion. But in South Asia’s breadbasket, which includes the Punjab region, farmers have pumped water out of the ground so heedlessly for so long that scientists now estimate aquifers there could run dry by mid-century.
http://www.enn.com/climate/article/51675

GTM predicts 27% drop in solar prices by 2022
GTM highlights what is becoming an increasingly common refrain these days — solar prices continue to fall, and they’re not slowing down.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/gtm-predicts-27-drop-in-solar-prices-by-2022-2022/

Flagship ‘clean coal’ project abandoned, despite $10bn investment
In a major blow to proponents of ‘clean coal”’ technology, Southern Co, parent company of Mississippi Power, announced in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing today that it’s throwing in the towel on efforts to generate electricity from coal and will instead use only natural gas at its flagship Kemper County, Mississippi power plant.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/flagship-clean-coal-project-abandoned-despite-10bn-investment-84327/

Scientists investigate link between air pollution and type 2 diabetes
Researchers from University of Leicester and EarthSense examine associations of air pollution in Leicestershire, UK
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-06/uol-sil062917.php

Former executives face court as Fukushima nuclear disaster trial begins
Three former executives of the Tokyo Electric Power Company, known as TEPCO, will face trial today over their roles in the disaster at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in March 2011.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-30/former-executives-face-court-as-fukishima-disaster-trial-begins/8664712

Self-driving cars must learn trust and cooperation
Seng W. Loke
Self-driving vehicles will not only need to’see’ the world, they’ll need to communicate and work together.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/self-driving-cars-must-learn-trust-cooperation-19917/

Global forest network cracks the case of tropical biodiversity
Hyperlocal thinning by tree-specific enemies helps set the global pattern of forest biodiversity
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-06/wuis-gfn062317.php

Strongest evidence yet that neonicotinoids are killing bees
Studies in Europe and Canada show that controversial neonicotinoid insecticides have adverse effects on reproduction of honeybees and wild bees
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2139197-strongest-evidence-yet-that-neonicotinoids-are-killing-bees/

Common pesticides can harm bees, but the jury is still out on a global ban
Phil Lester
http://theconversation.com/common-pesticides-can-harm-bees-but-the-jury-is-still-out-on-a-global-ban-80267