Daily Links Jul 5

What will incumbents do next? ‘I expect them to go broke’
Asked what he expected incumbents to do next in their war against renewables, Garth Heron’s assessment was blunt: ‘I expect them to go broke.’
http://reneweconomy.com.au/will-incumbents-next-expect-go-broke-95869/

Infrasound and fury
Graham Lloyd
Researchers may be closer to resolving so-called wind turbine syndrome.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/inquirer/wind-turbine-syndrome-infrasound-and-fury/news-story/e37355190a3c4c262f78ec166582cf02

The biggest job in Australia
Graham Richardson
Forget being PM, Josh Frydenberg has landed the unenviable task of building a reliable energy system for Australia.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/columnists/graham-richardson/frydenberg-lands-biggest-job-in-australia/news-story/66f8878e0d3a6ad9a9907daf63836f01

How Australia bungled climate policy to create a decade of disappointment
Mark Butler
Unlike the UK, Australia has never had climate consensus – and it’s been costly, argues Labor frontbencher Mark Butler in an extract from his book, Climate Wars
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/jul/05/how-australia-bungled-climate-policy-to-create-a-decade-of-disappointment

Turnbull faces decisive test on energy policy
Paul kelly
Anybody thinking the Turnbull-Abbott showdown has reached its zenith is deluded — this clash is about identity and policy, and it is heading towards a greater escalation over the Finkel report recommendation for a clean energy target.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/columnists/paul-kelly/turnbull-faces-decisive-test-on-energy-policy/news-story/1fd697257c9996add75a4c6f6d56a97c

Is Melbourne’s pollution getting worse?
WE’VE got a growing population and more cars on the road. But does that translate to worse air quality in Melbourne?
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/epa-says-melbourne-is-becoming-less-polluted-despite-growing-population-and-increased-cars-on-the-road/news-story/85a42c6a1a8d4409f4b04be6e1c568d1

Timber jobs fear despite govt takeover
HEYFIELD timber millers fear up to 100 jobs will be lost despite an unprecedented government move to buy the Gippsland sawmill. Premier Daniel Andrews said today he would fight for every job.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/victorian-government-to-buy-heyfield-timber-mill/news-story/e3c09edd479123c3f78ba8c4a1118471

Heyfield workers push for greater supply despite fears forests ‘running out of wood’
CFMEU’s national president says job losses are avoidable and interim wood supply offer is not enough
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/jul/05/heyfield-workers-push-for-greater-supply-despite-fears-forests-running-out-of-wood

Full to capacity: Metro warns of commuter crush
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/metro-warns-of-capacity-crunch-within-two-years-on-some-train-lines-20170704-gx4giy.html

Contain the rage: Western suburbs group rails against empty container ‘scourge’
More than 10,000 shipping containers a day are whipped around Melbourne’s inner west on the back of trucks, and almost half are empty – bound for a dozen empty-container parks dotted around Yarraville, Brooklyn and West Footscray.
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/contain-the-rage-western-suburbs-group-rails-against-empty-container-scourge-20170703-gx3t4b.html

VFF has 1800s mindset on farm trees
Matt Ruchel and Bruce Lindsay
RIDDING farms of big trees hastens biodiversity decline
http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/opinion/paddock-trees-vff-has-a-19th-century-mindset-on-farm-trees/news-story/781d62236c49ffe5276f9a8103bafc2e

Airport rail: it won’t happen overnight, but it will happen
Michel Masson
News that the Federal Government has confirmed funding to develop a business case for a Melbourne Airport rail link is a welcome development.
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/airport-rail-it-wont-happen-overnight-but-it-will-happen-20170629-gx0zko.html

Gina’s Queensland mine a step closer
THE next potential Galilee Basin megamine jumped a major hurdle yesterday with recommendations from the Land Court to approve its mining lease and environmental authority
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/next-potential-galilee-basin-megamine-jumps-major-hurdle-after-land-court-findings/news-story/d56a7dc845513aab27cdbf91d9d7dc32

Grassroots Labor demands green projects
A LABOR rank-and-file movement is demanding the State Government start spending billions of taxpayer dollars on the development of renewable energy.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/labor-rankandfile-demands-state-government-spend-billions-on-development-of-renewables/news-story/88b9a03d0249990a23a51500bcfdc416

Adani funding reportedly in doubt as Palaszczuk rules out loan for mine
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/business/mining-and-resources/adani-funding-reportedly-in-doubt-as-palaszczuk-rules-out-loan-for-mine-20170704-gx4bxv.html

The Great Barrier Reef, the Precautionary Principle and $56 billion
Neil Perry
While the economic value of the Great Barrier Reef has been estimated at $56 billion, it is actually a priceless asset that cannot be measured.
https://independentaustralia.net/business/business-display/the-great-barrier-reef-the-precautionary-principle-and-56-billion,10468

EPA boss defends Tassal waste capture system approval
The director of Tasmania’s environmental watchdog defends his decision to personally approve salmon farming giant Tassal’s faecal capture system without independent verification, saying he witnessed it in operation “first hand”.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-04/wes-ford-epa-defends-tassal-salmon-waste-system-decision/8675972

Dry spell forces Hydro to fire up gas station
HYDRO Tasmania has been forced to fire up its gas-powered Tamar Valley power station and import electricity to shore up energy storage amid a dry autumn and winter.
http://www.themercury.com.au/news/tasmania/dry-spell-forces-hydro-to-fire-up-gas-station-and-import-energy-via-basslink/news-story/5153079ac8d414f3a04226b4b2089355

Hands off TasWater or watch raiders march in
Miles Hampton
A takeover of TasWater by the State Government poses big risks.
http://www.themercury.com.au/news/opinion/talking-point-hands-off-taswater-or-watch-the-money-raiders-march-right-back-in/news-story/f428e42d55e4da9cc75e5ad1435ba7cb

Progress on world hunger has reversed.
World hunger has increased, reversing years of progress, said a UN specialised agency.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/-2621786372544283551

GM ryegrass staggers
THE dairy industry’s greatest innovations in a generation — genetically modified high-energy ryegrass and virus-resistant clover — have still not been released after almost 20 years of research.
http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/agribusiness/dairy/gm-ryegrass-consumer-opposition-stalls-nextgen-fodder-release/news-story/50af488754867b11ac327f685116a887

Is inequality bad for the environment?
Danny Dorling The Guardian
From buying stuff to eating meat to wasting water, there is growing evidence that countries with a bigger gap between rich and poor do more harm to the planet and its climate.
https://www.theguardian.com/inequality/2017/jul/04/is-inequality-bad-for-the-environment

I pick up plastic waste to save it from landfill. It’s lonely but worth it
Andrew Mayers
In my single-handed fight I have collected 180,000 items – 50 pieces of litter a day for 10 years. If only the world didn’t find this weird
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jul/04/i-pick-up-plastic-waste-save-from-landfill-lonely-but-worth-it

Which is the world’s most biodiverse city?
From Brazil to Mexico to South Africa, diverse and delicate ecosystems are somehow holding on in the face of rampant urbanisation.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/-2621786372544283556