Daily Links Aug 18

Global warming ‘is causing the Alps to crumble.’
The Alps’ permafrost – soil, sediment, or rock that stays frozen for at least two years – is thawing rapidly, causing rock avalanches and floods.
http://www.dailyclimate.org/t/-3246038150322315090

Another climate-change nightmare: 91 new volcanoes beneath Antarctica’s ice.
Volcanoes don’t react well to melting ice
http://www.dailyclimate.org/t/2460133000469005342

Investigating the Enigma of Clouds and Climate Change
Clouds perform an important function in cooling the planet as they reflect solar energy back into space. Yet clouds also intensify warming by trapping the planet’s heat and radiating it back to earth. As fossil fuel emissions continue to warm the planet, how will this dual role played by clouds change, and will clouds ultimately exacerbate or moderate global warming?
http://www.enn.com/climate/article/52189

Study validates East Antarctic ice sheet to remain stable even if western ice sheet melts
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-08/iu-sve081717.php

The drowning isles: A story of climate change in the South Pacific.
The Solomon Islands are an archipelago filled with idyllic beaches and perfect waves, but as temperatures and sea levels rise, much of their pristine coast is disappearing.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/-3246038150322315096

Why flooding in Nigeria is an increasingly serious problem.
 Andrew Slaughter, Nelson Odume
Rainstorms are getting more intense, sea levels are rising and infrastructure can’t cope.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/-3246038150322316077

CEFC backs IoT tech to help consumers control energy use, costs
Clean Energy Finance Corporation makes two new investments in companies focused on one of the easiest ways to reduce consumer power bills.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/cefc-backs-iot-tech-to-help-consumers-control-energy-use-costs-82288/

Origin rides high power price wave – but says it has to stop
Origin results show its retail division made the most of a “transitioning energy market.” But CEO says further power price rises “bad for everyone.”
http://reneweconomy.com.au/origin-rides-high-power-price-wave-but-says-it-has-to-stop-74839/

Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility may be investigated by auditor general
NGOs urge audit following Wayne Swan’s warning Naif risks ‘misallocating billions of dollars’ in loan for Adani’s mine rail link
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/aug/17/northern-australia-infrastructure-facility-naif-may-be-investigated-by-auditor-general

Millions of renters, unit owners locked out of solar savings
A growing number of Australians can’t lower their power bills by accessing solar energy due to red tape and the rise in apartment living and rentals.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-17/millions-of-residents-locked-out-of-solar-benefit-to-power-bills/8813664

Wrong end of stick on temps
There are fresh doubts over temperature records after a post office worker read a thermometer at the wrong end.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/climate/fresh-doubts-over-bom-records-after-thermometer-read-at-wrong-end/news-story/8b7fd6ae4fc27b2b6f2429b016be21ef

The trials of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan
David Leyonhjelm
There was an almost religious belief that the environment simply needed more water…despite the fact that water can do more harm than good…
http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=19227

Cardboard box and recycling giant Visy launches lawsuit against its workers
http://www.theage.com.au/business/workplace-relations/cardboard-box-and-recycling-giant-visy-launches-lawsuit-against-its-workers-20170817-gxyipl.html

Mammoth effort to remove Stawell’s toxic tyre mountain
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/inside-the-epas-mammoth-effort-to-remove-stawells-toxic-tyre-mountain-20170817-gxy8cl.html

Electrical storms hang over Spring St
Matt Johnston
VOTER anger over power bills is a problem causing uncertainty in Spring St, but doing nothing is not an option
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/matt-johnston-electrical-storms-hang-over-spring-st/news-story/ae0468072b01fb7f3963e85b123a1513

Sydney leads with smart poles to charge electric cars
Blacktown motorists will be the first in Australia who can recharge electric cars at smart poles.
http://www.afr.com/business/infrastructure/roads/sydneys-blacktown-leads-with-smart-poles-to-charge-electric-cars-20170817-gxyi8l

Whitehaven’s $405m profit miracle
Paul Flynn’s counter-cyclical courage has turned Whitehaven into a cash machine for its hardy investors.
http://www.afr.com/business/whitehavens-405m-profit-miracle-20170817-gxykdf

Incinerator boss defends pollution record
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/incinerator-boss-ian-malouf-defends-pollution-record-20170817-gxyh9t.html

Jobs windfall as turbines wind up
AN $850 million wind farm with 123 turbines will be built not far from Brisbane, creating hundreds of jobs during construction.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/business/agl-commits-to-building-australias-biggest-wind-farm-at-coopers-gap/news-story/8e033e95d8a4c325aa41a8347b525c20

Giant freshwater crayfish gets boost as governments sign recovery plan
Tasmania’s iconic giant freshwater crayfish scores a big win with a recovery plan for the unique species released, but the Wilderness Society warns the next steps need to be implemented.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-17/recovery-plan-announced-for-tasmanian-giant-freshwater-crayfish/8817478

Regional Forest Agreement extended
The Tasmanian Regional Forest Agreement will be extended for 20 more years.
http://www.examiner.com.au/story/4862727/regional-forest-agreement-extended/?cs=95

With planning, sky’s the limit
Dion Lester
Citizens must get involved in policy not just react to projects.
http://www.themercury.com.au/news/opinion/talking-point-with-planning-skys-the-limit/news-story/cbccfb404275034b4844d236a052a79e

Forrest wins case against miners
Dozens of mining licences in WA are under a cloud after Andrew Forrest won a case against two would-be miners.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/forrests-court-win-puts-dozens-of-mining-licences-in-doubt/news-story/09fe79f9c85a8a9b397e7c541af6b7eb

On the Colorado, the lowest water use in 25 years.
Yes, a good snowpack helped us this year in the Colorado River. But the numbers are clear – reductions in water use made a far larger contribution to the good news on the river this year.
http://www.dailyclimate.org/t/-3246038150322315093

How much should major polluters pay? A case against DuPont provides a model.
A biologist traced mercury from a company spill to contamination in songbirds, and devised a new way to hold polluters financially accountable.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/-3246038150322316087

Potato waste processing may be the road to enhanced food waste conversion
With more than two dozen companies in Pennsylvania manufacturing potato chips, it is no wonder that researchers in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences have developed a novel approach to more efficiently convert potato waste into ethanol.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-08/ps-pwp081717.php

Freeze-dried foam soaks up carbon dioxide
Rice University materials scientists have created a light foam from two-dimensional sheets of hexagonal-boron nitride (h-BN) that absorbs carbon dioxide.
http://www.enn.com/energy/article/52187

Heavily used pesticide linked to breathing problems in farmworkers’ children
Elemental sulfur, the most heavily used pesticide in California, may harm the respiratory health of children living near farms that use the pesticide, according to new research led by UC Berkeley.
http://www.enn.com/pollution/article/52186

All work, no pay: the plight of young conservationists
Qualified graduates are struggling to find paid jobs and many give up to pursue a different career. The result is a net loss for conservation work, reports Mongabay
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/aug/17/all-work-no-pay-the-plight-of-young-conservationists

Why Climate Change Isn’t Our Biggest Environmental Problem, and Why Technology Won’t Save Us
Richard Heinberg
Our core ecological problem is not climate change. It is overshoot, of which global warming is a symptom.
http://www.postcarbon.org/why-climate-change-isnt-our-biggest-environmental-problem-and-why-technology-wont-save-us/

Revitalize the world’s countryside.
Cities and villages are an organic whole. Both must be developed sustainably to support each other.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/-3246038150322316107

South Africa rivers in deep water.
A quarter of major rivers are ‘critically endangered.’
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/-3246038150322315098

Deaf salmon could compromise wild restocking programs
About half of commercially farmed Atlantic salmon are deaf because of the accelerated growth rates in the aquaculture industry, new research shows.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-17/aquaculture-practices-send-farmed-salmon-deaf-study-shows/8815230