Daily Links Aug 9

No longer water under the bridge, statistics yields new data on sea levels
Untraditional approach expected to save lives, businesses, and communities along East Coast shows rate accelerating at a pace in contrast to previously accepted data
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-08/asa-nlw080817.php

Warm periods in the 20th century are not unprecedented during the last 2,000 years
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-08/ioap-wpi080817.php

Americans already feeling effects of climate change, says report
Americans are already feeling the effects of climate change, according to a leaked US report.
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2143272-americans-already-feeling-effects-of-climate-change-says-report/

Censoring climate change won’t stop global warming.
Bill McKibben The Guardian
The US Department of Agriculture has forbidden the use of the words ‘climate change’. This say-no-evil policy is doomed to fail
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/-3246038150322334473

Newsweek’s climate change hypocrisy
Leo Barasi
The magazine’s climate change warning stinks of hypocrisy
https://newint.org/2017/08/08/newsweeks-climate-change-hypocrisy

Advocacy and ‘In Australia’ Concerns in DGR Reform – Philanthropy Australia
Peak body Philanthropy Australia says it has major concerns about new reporting requirements for charities undertaking advocacy, especially environmental charities, as well as the reintroduction of the ‘In Australia’ requirement, in its submission to the federal government’s discussion paper into deductible gift recipient status (DGRs) reform
https://probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2017/08/advocacy-australia-concerns-dgr-reform-philanthropy-australia/

Mitsui eyes renewables, storage
Japanese trading giant Mitsui says renewables and battery storage are its chief focus for growth in Australia.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/companies/mitsui-to-invest-aggressively-in-renewables-battery-storage/news-story/a6bdd1a132250ee11f766418d92032b3

Electricity gripes surge
ENERGY policy in Australia “is in a shambles” and both sides of politics are to blame, a former deputy prime minister says.
http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/national/electricity-prices-john-anderson-says-policy-is-in-a-shambles/news-story/d811861d3b86bc31045bf77be7eb85d1

Toxic time bomb
A LACK of laws surrounding the manufacturing and testing of agriculture chemicals is putting farmers and Australia’s reputation for clean food production at risk.
http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/national/agricultural-chemical-contamination-weak-laws-leave-crops-vulnerable/news-story/733a5bdff14e11cdb1933ae6ca97db36

Greens want electricity price regulation
The federal Greens are pushing for the re-regulation of energy prices across the eastern coast and South Australia to drive down the cost of energy
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/greens-want-electricity-price-regulation/news-story/7629ad346f0a5ddd90e8ec4ca734745b

Commonwealth Bank faces legal action over failure to disclose climate change risk
Two shareholders launch legal action against the Commonwealth Bank for allegedly failing to disclose the risk posed by climate change to the bank’s financial position.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-08/commonwealth-bank-legal-action-over-climate-change-disclosure/8786046

Regulator: It’s OK to charge customers more for energy
Giles Parkinson
IPART submission to energy price inquiry appears to suggest it’s OK to exploit consumers if they don’t have time or knowledge to search for discounts.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/regulator-ok-charge-customers-energy-36234/

Power to the people at last
Josh Frydenberg
Lower power bills will result from today’s meeting of energy retailers and the PM.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/power-to-the-people-at-last-energy-summit-heralds-lower-bills/news-story/c63745fdc3a4df29d917f367e22a144e

Electricity price justice — now
Telegraph editorial
It’s a high-powered summit on high power costs. In Canberra today Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will host a meeting of Australia’s biggest electricity retailers as part of the government’s attempt to deal with the nation’s various power issues.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/editorial-electricity-price-justice-now/news-story/3aada42fa827b6c0cbdd1f128a775e61

Drop the GST on electricity
David Leyonhjelm 
Electricity prices are skyrocketing, but there is something the government can do to alleviate the pain — it should make electricity GST-free
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/senator-david-leyonhjelm-make-electricity-more-affordable-drop-the-gst/news-story/df7662b3fe2949e7cc05d3159b24bab4

Murray-Darling plan not dead yet
Jan Davis
The Murray-Darling Basin Plan may face challenges, but it is not dead yet.
http://www.themercury.com.au/news/opinion/talking-point-new-water-theft-claims-highlight-ageold-problem/news-story/3e4bc79b4589ac0e6895c9e396bae7db

PM’s power play likely to fizzle
Ross Gittins
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/comment/malcolm-turnbulls-tiny-chance-of-keeping-energy-bills-under-control-20170808-gxrgft.html

Wildlife experts provide tips on unexpected visitors
WILDLIFE experts are arming Victorians with tips about what to do when animals make an unexpected appearance at home.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/wildlife-experts-arm-victorians-with-tips-about-unexpected-animal-visitors/news-story/df5d2d2c9d0eb1d519b4eec890e3a8d4

CityLink reaps $1.88 million every day
ROAD tolls extracted from Melbourne drivers using CityLink soared to an eyewatering $687 million last financial year. Now infrastructure giant Transurban has set its sights on the North East Link.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/victorian-drivers-pay-188m-a-day-to-transurban-for-citylink-tolls-in-melbourne/news-story/fc79728976fe28c131277891c782a132

Which of the four North East Link route options is best?
After years of talk and millions of dollars spent on planning, four route options for Victoria’s highest-priority road project have been released. We’ve looked at each to see how they stack up.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-08/north-east-link-four-corridor-options-compared/8782898

This is how regional rail can help ease our big cities’ commuter crush
Michael Buxton, RMIT University
Victoria offers lessons in the benefits of integrating metropolitan and regional planning, using regional rail to shrink distance and ease the pressures of growth on our big capital cities.
http://theconversation.com/this-is-how-regional-rail-can-help-ease-our-big-cities-commuter-crush-81902

A regional rail fantasy map
Alan Davies
Here’s master mapmaker Adam Mattinson’s vision of what a high quality regional rail network could look like in Victoria. Sheer fantasy, you say?
https://blogs.crikey.com.au/theurbanist/2017/08/08/regional-rail-fantasy-map/

Lobbyists call for NSW landfill inquiry
Lobbyists are calling on the NSW government to ensure further waste is not dumped at a Central Coast landfill it says is harming the region’s water supply.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/lobbyists-call-for-nsw-landfill-inquiry/news-story/af00194745f96b0e59a4c8792fd54b86

Large rubbish piles of Canberra glass ‘should be shipped back to ACT’
Locals at Bywong, just outside Canberra, are calling for more to be done about a large dumping ground of the ACT’s glass, which they say has been a blot on their landscape for years.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-09/large-rubbish-piles-of-canberra-glass-should-be-shipped-back/8787406

Secret recording reveals NSW EPA director joking about interstate waste transfer
Four Corners can reveal a damning recording of a closed-door meeting between prominent waste industry figures and the NSW EPA’s director of waste management, chief regulator Steve Beaman.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-09/interstate-waste-trade-joked-about-by-nsw-epa-boss-steve-beaman/8786440

New coal power plants are great – if you don’t have to pay for them
Tristan Edis
Tomago smelter wants a new coal generator, subsidised by the government. If it really wants coal power, why doesn’t it write out a contract itself?
http://reneweconomy.com.au/new-coal-power-plants-great-dont-pay-60618/

Water, water, everywhere washes up Nats
Andrew Clennell 
ALLEGATIONS of sweetheart deals between politicians and irrigators could leave the government all wet
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/andrew-clennell-water-theft-allegations-hit-nats/news-story/6c21a999009b3d2e7bb1d1e58a4e1f1f

Sinking Seqwater hurts bills
SOUTHEAST Queensland’s water bills could go up following an investigation into the financial security of Seqwater.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/higher-fixed-water-bills-ruled-out-as-seqwater-given-more-time-to-pay/news-story/49daf02f4748a3603ea6471bfcf5e949

Water release could hurt crops
THE fruit touted as the highest value crop on the Tablelands for the next 12 months could suffer from a ”bizarre” move to release water from Lake Tinaroo.
http://www.cairnspost.com.au/news/cairns/booming-avocados-could-pay-price-for-lake-tinaroo-water-release/news-story/8b87c9bc75ce5734088242266651acc2

Adani coal rail line money would be better spent supporting agriculture, analysis says
Study finds investment in transport for agriculture, water projects and disaster prevention would create 632 full-time jobs
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/aug/09/adani-coal-rail-line-money-would-be-better-spent-supporting-agriculture-analysis-says

Many believe Adani passes muster
Gary Johns
It may be that Alan Jones is out touch with the working people to his north.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/columnists/gary-johns/many-queenslanders-believe-adani-mine-does-pass-muster/news-story/87f94bc13630cb9717827ca4821027fb

Why the sudden trash talk, Premier?
Kylie Lang
THE dumping of waste in Queensland from NSW is old news. The Courier-Mail reported it back in 2012.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/opinion/opinion-annastacia-palaszczuks-reaction-to-dumping-ground-story-is-rubbish/news-story/5969103de91cb547a676f02e94e49811

Hydrogen to be injected into Adelaide’s gas grid in ‘power-to-gas’ trial
Surplus renewable energy could soon be converted to hydrogen and injected into Australia’s gas networks to help decarbonise the nation’s gas supply, if a trial in Adelaide proves successful.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-08/trial-to-inject-hydrogen-into-gas-lines/8782956

Tesla, Zen, Lyon slam S.A. energy security target as industrial “relic”
Tesla, Zen, Lyon and others slam South Australia’s proposed energy security target, saying it lacks technical expertise and will deliver windfall profits to incumbent gas generators, and not encourage new technologies like battery storage.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/tesla-zen-lyon-slam-s-a-energy-security-target-as-industrial-relic-17228/

‘Carelessness’ in lead up to Moomba gas leak
EPIC Energy failed to meet international safety standards or address the risk of “significant social disruption” before the 2015 Moomba gas pipeline leak, court documents allege.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/law-order/epic-energy-accused-of-acting-without-due-care-in-leadup-to-2015-leak-that-hit-mid-north-gas-supplies/news-story/39648db342579d71add2bb19a09da195

Let’s switch price power to consumers
Advertiser editorial
IN the early days after ETSA’s privatisation, electricity price wars were predicted to drive down prices and usher in better deals for householders.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/opinion/the-advertiser-editorial-august-8-2017-switch-price-power-to-consumers-golden-inspiration/news-story/d76cecaaeb2c6f42464fe0a07cfbd969

Beer bottle reefs make ideal home for endangered handfish
Reefs of discarded beer bottles on the bed of the River Derwent are believed to have a role in helping to save the critically endangered spotted handfish from extinction.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-08/handfish-favour-beer-bottle-reefs-in-river-derwent/8782958

Longer wait for energy report
THE State Government appears in no hurry to release a long-awaited report on energy security.
http://www.themercury.com.au/news/tasmania/the-state-government-has-had-the-energy-security-taskforces-final-report-for-more-than-six-weeks/news-story/11e906ca04147e034ee9c0ba74b5b132

Internal EPA documents show scramble for data on Monsanto’s roundup herbicide.
The documents raise questions about how and why regulators for years have failed to require robust testing on what is the world’s most widely-used weed killer.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/-3246038150322334492

The battle for villages and forests in Germany’s coal country.
In August, thousands of activists will take part in anti-coal demonstrations in western Germany, as mines and plants continue to operate and expand. DW looks at the impact of coal mining on people and nature there
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/-3246038150322333176

Researchers discover potentially harmful nanoparticles produced through burning coal
Environmental scientists led by the Virginia Tech College of Science have discovered that the burning of coal produces incredibly small airborne particles of a highly unusual form of titanium oxide with the potential to be toxic to humans
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-08/vt-rdp080217.php

From greenhouse gas to 3-D surface-microporous graphene
Tiny dents in the surface of graphene greatly enhances its potential as a supercapacitor. Even better, it can be made from carbon dioxide.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-08/mtu-fgg080717.php

Annual wind report confirms tech advancements, improved performance, low wind prices
Prices offered by newly built wind projects in the United States are averaging around 2¢/kWh, driven lower by technology advancements and cost reductions.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-08/dbnl-awr080817.php

New battery is activated by your spit
Saliva-powered battery could be helpful in extreme conditions
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-08/bu-nbi080817.php

Hello Humanity, it’s me, Technology. We need to talk.
Video
We rarely consider the negative impacts of technology on our most profound social and environmental problems, like climate change, overpopulation, and biodiversity loss
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/-3246038150322333979

Swedish researchers and global fishing companies form coalition for sustainable seas
The initiative marks the first time that companies from Asia, Europe and the US have joined forces to work on a clear agenda and commitment for change, and illustrate how sustainability scientists can actively engage as change makers.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-08/su-sra080817.php