Daily Links Oct 10

Climate change in the Caribbean – learning lessons from Irma and Maria
Increasingly unfamiliar and unpredictable weather events mean that business as usual is not an option for these islands to survive
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/oct/06/climate-change-in-the-caribbean-learning-lessons-from-irma-and-maria

Climate policy like goat sacrifice: Abbott
Former prime minister Tony Abbott has likened climate change policies to “primitive people once killing goats to appease the volcano gods”.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/climate-policy-like-goat-sacrifice-abbott/news-story/723c282b77a5339aa28a66da3d48d73e

Climate change ‘could be beneficial’ because people die
London: Tony Abbott says voters should beware the science of climate change but argues that higher temperatures “might even be …
http://www.examiner.com.au/story/4976718/climate-change-could-be-beneficial-because-people-die/?cs=7

Power to the people
Tony Abbott
We’ve made a false religion of carbon emissions but it’s time to put jobs first.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/amish-ways-good-for-some-the-rest-of-us-need-power/news-story/f247566009fb310c0111362d8e281e87

Energy chiefs urge the government to stick with the Clean Energy Target
http://www.afr.com/news/energy-chiefs-urge-the-government-to-stick-with-the-clean-energy-target-20171008-gywsvu

Turnbull ‘soft’ on energy
NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro has accused the PM of being “soft” in the energy debate and being too “pro-renewables”.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/nsw-deputy-premier-john-barilaro-lashes-pm-as-being-soft-on-energy/news-story/846a41c84f5461050d28644ca5ed1044

Australian defence force warned about toxic firefighting foam 30 years ago
Four Corners unearths 1987 report suggesting defence knew of contamination concerns earlier than thought
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/oct/09/australian-defence-force-warned-about-toxic-firefighting-foam-30-years-ago

Origin joins battle for the ‘smart home’
Origin Energy is trialling a new “smart home” app that allows homes to be controlled remotely via a mobile phone and potentially cut power bills.
http://www.smh.com.au/business/origin-joins-battle-for-the-smart-home-20171009-gyx524.html

No early relief on power prices
Electricity prices will remain at more than double traditional levels until at least the end of the decade.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/electricity-and-gas-prices-to-stay-high-until-end-of-decade/news-story/8924afea8dae0aa39bd984e77b7af86e

Government abandons Clean Energy Target, clearing the decks for war
Bernard Keane
The government is laying the groundwork for rejecting a Clean Energy Target, enabling it to continue to attack Labor over energy.
https://www.crikey.com.au/2017/10/09/government-abandons-clean-energy-target-clearing-the-decks-for-war/

Electricity politics
David Leyonhjelm
The best recipe for certainty is a contest of policies leading to the long term consignment of the party with the crazy policy to the opposition benches.
http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=19339

The case against Tesla and battery storage just hit peak stupid
Giles Parkinson
AFR’s Chanticleer column writes article about battery storage so absurd and stupid it beggars belief that it was published. Such is the state of the energy debate in Australia. It’s not just politicians and vested interests that are letting consumers down, it’s the media.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/the-case-against-tesla-and-battery-storage-just-hit-peak-stupid-33090/

CleanTech Index: Even the miners are supporting it now!
John O’Brien
Australia’s CleanTech Index outperformed the ASX in September and in Q1 of the financial year – just as it has over the last three years.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/cleantech-index-even-miners-supporting-now-43469/

Coalition wrestles with internal demons on clean energy target
Giles Parkinson
Coalition had sought to dodge CET because renewables were too costly, now it is arguing they are too cheap. But Frydenberg says renewables without storage are a “costly burden.”
http://reneweconomy.com.au/coalition-wrestles-with-internal-demons-on-clean-energy-target-69346/

Know your NEM: Frydenberg’s election losing speech
David Leitch
If a CET is abandoned, it will be NSW that will be thrown under a bus. Victoria and QLD have renewable share policies that incentivise new generation. NSW has no policy and despite being an energy importer is not getting its share of new generation investment.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/know-nem-frydenbergs-election-losing-speech-84322/

Batteries are energy on tap – but who owns the tap?
Mark Byrne
It’s been a bit of a free-for-all up till now, but the regulatory regime seems to be developing in a way that should benefit consumers and renewables in the long run.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/batteries-energy-tap-owns-tap-46109/

Lights on but no quick fix for energy users
Michael Smith
Australian Energy Market Operator chief executive Audrey Zibelman has a lot riding on her shoulders this summer.
http://www.afr.com/brand/chanticleer/lights-on-but-no-quick-fix-for-energy-users-20171009-gywxzs

Why the Clean Energy Target is dead
Jennifer Hewett
http://www.afr.com/opinion/columnists/why-the-clean-energy-target-is-goneski-20171009-gyx6nb

Imported LNG an answer for more than AGL
Matthew Stevens
http://www.afr.com/business/imported-lng-an-answer-for-more-than-agl-20171009-gyx8zi

Energy policy: Vale the plan, all await the cunning plan
Laura Tingle
The tolerance for a policy vacuum is never very high in modern politics. In the area of energy and climate policy – after a decade of dithering and backflips – it is non-existent.
http://www.afr.com/news/vale-the-plan-all-await-the-cunning-plan-20171009-gyx6fv

Australians won the Nobel peace prize! No thanks to the weasels
First Dog on the Moon
Ian the Climate Denialist Potato starring in Nuclear Holocaust, Australia’s friend
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/oct/09/australians-won-the-nobel-peace-prize-no-thanks-to-the-weasels

Ditching CET a first step to sanity
Terry McCrann
AT least, and at last, federal Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg is moving towards putting your money where their mouths are
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/business/terry-mccrann/ditching-cet-a-first-step-to-sanity/news-story/6008706ad15f8c63dda758ea4e7461a1

Expert views make way for political expediency in climate debate
Nicole Hasham
http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/expert-views-make-way-for-political-expediency-in-climate-debate-20171009-gyx1ec.html

Peace prize an opportunity to revisit disarmament
Canberra Times editorial
It would make sense for Australia, which also has good relations with China and other countries in South East Asia, to push for the urgent negotiations that represent the best hope of resolving this crisis.
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/comment/ct-editorial/icans-nobel-prize-an-opportunity-to-revisit-disarmament-and-the-us-alliance-20171009-gyx953.html

The road to cheaper energy
Judith Sloan
It is time renewable energy generators felt the wrath of the level playing field.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/columnists/judith-sloan/clean-energy-target-a-nonstarter-on-road-to-affordable-energy/news-story/a4a9e8923b589a2f6e8de6129179675c

Clean break on doomed policy
David Crowe
The divide on energy will run all the way to the next election.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/opinion/a-clean-break-on-policy-that-would-fail/news-story/08774af553d389b06eca35ffb740e356

PM to give clear energy choice
Australian editorial
Renewable subsidies are failing as price and reliability suffer.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/editorials/turnbull-shaping-to-give-voters-clear-energy-choice/news-story/8e6a934ccb92daccad76c1facbae797b

Power will be the key to power
Telegraph editorial
Labor leader Bill Shorten and his team are massively confident of winning the next federal election, and few could blame them, …
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/editorial-power-will-be-the-key-to-power/news-story/484711d7a7348f0967c7dbbfb6981b68

Scared into gas ban
VICTORIA’s Coalition was “scared to lose seats” when it called for a 2020 ban on ­onshore conventional gas, the Nationals’ former Upper House leader has said.
http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/national/onshore-conventional-gas-victorian-coalition-scared-into-gas-ban/news-story/da9b64122ec070cffbedd5569c98b9fd

Camp fee fear
FREE camping along the Murray River in northern Victoria is at risk from a new parks management plan, according to the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party.
http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/national/shooters-fishers-and-farmers-partys-murray-river-camp-fee-fear/news-story/00c03d09b795a552855c7d92237aa499

How Melbourne activists launched a campaign for nuclear disarmament and won a Nobel prize
Tilman Ruff, University of Melbourne and Dimity Hawkins, Swinburne University of Technology
http://theconversation.com/how-melbourne-activists-launched-a-campaign-for-nuclear-disarmament-and-won-a-nobel-prize-85386

Sydney catchment water contamination deadline nears for mine owner
Boral has just days to tell the environment watchdog what it will do about zinc, nickel and manganese leaching into a river
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/oct/10/sydney-catchment-water-contamination-deadline-nears-for-mine-owner

Premier faces challenge from allies on gas stance
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/premier-gladys-berejiklian-faces-challenge-from-own-base-on-gas-stance-20171009-gyx5zs.html

Damage to Sydney’s water masked by government move
http://www.theage.com.au/environment/government-move-foils-effort-to-reveal-coal-mine-damage-environment-groups-say-20171009-gyx2ym.html

Why Sydney can’t pull up the drawbridge
Chris Johnson
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/comment/why-sydney-cant-pull-up-the-drawbridge-20171009-gyx1no.html

Sydney full? No – it just feels that way
SMH editorial
If Sydney is to grow, become more dense and stay livable it needs good, fast public transport. Motorways are not the answer.
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-editorial/sydney-full-no–it-just-feels-that-way-20171009-gyx91f.html

The heat’s on everyone this summer
HOUSEHOLDS and businesses may be told to set airconditioners to 26 degrees in the middle of summer under a suite of extraordinary measures drawn up by the State Government’s Energy Security Taskforce.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/power-restriction-plan-to-affect-all-queenslanders-this-summer/news-story/e71320f7b036fd88d69962c5e42e78aa

Miners hit industrial kill laws
Queensland’s resources industry threatens to campaign against the state government at the looming state election.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/miners-hit-out-at-industrial-kill-laws/news-story/0ae87fd6f6ad6cd93cd89ab004ce2960

Council weighs up plan
RECYCLING bins could be placed beside half of the public bins in the city-centre and Palm Cove as Cairns Regional Council weighs up its environmental responsibilities.
http://www.cairnspost.com.au/lifestyle/decision-coming-on-cairns-cbd-recycling-bin-proposal/news-story/d4c23c9ffca8f50bef5c2d95d1ad8dd7

$2 million centre to boost Brisbane’s reputation as koala capital
http://www.smh.com.au/queensland/2-million-centre-to-boost-brisbane-s-reputation-as-koala-capital-20171009-p4ywde.html

Almost a third of Brisbane’s ibises have gone and we don’t know why
http://www.smh.com.au/queensland/brisbane-s-ibis-population-has-decreased-by-30-per-cent-20171009-p4ywdi.html

Power to the people is more than just a catchy election slogan
Courier Mail editorial
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/editorial-power-to-the-people-is-more-than-just-a-catchy-election-slogan/news-story/0dad2042856d0230339a24f85d1665ea

S.A. tender attracts 60 proposals for “next-gen” renewables and storage
S.A. gets 60 proposals for batteries, bioenergy, pumped hydro, thermal, compressed air and flywheel technologies in response to its tender for next-gen renewables and storage.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/s-tender-attracts-60-proposals-next-gen-renewables-storage-76381/

Council allowed to build path through Dreaming site
AN Adelaide council will be bound to strict conditions as it builds a walking and cycling path through a beachside Aboriginal Dreaming site.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/messenger/west-beaches/holdfast-bay-council-allowed-to-build-walking-and-cycling-path-through-tjilbruke-spring-dreaming-site/news-story/7f9440a8b7c9f99257e725cc50f10ca7

Baby joy for giant lobster breeders
A COMMUNITY-run refuge for Tasmania’s endangered giant freshwater lobster has recorded a significant milestone, with the discovery of more than 30 babies bred in captivity.
http://www.themercury.com.au/news/tasmania/breakthrough-as-tasmanian-giant-freshwater-lobsters-bred-in-captivity/news-story/f4c0574b4ec6e178f225a120c704f8a8

State’s dumping issues
TASMANIA has a waste and recycling dumping problem on the scale of Queensland because of low to none landfill levies, an industry participant claims.
http://www.themercury.com.au/news/politics/tasmania-has-a-widespread-waste-and-recycling-dumping-problem-senate-inquiry-told/news-story/c1c7c3e67373416ecdb2fbbc36b27dcb

Doubling of renewables could drive 66% storage cost reduction by 2030
Battery storage technology used in stationary applications could be as much as 66% cheaper by 2030 provided the current capacity of renewable energy installed globally doubles, finds a new report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
http://reneweconomy.com.au/doubling-renewables-drive-66-storage-cost-reduction-2030/

Secrecy around air pollution controls in cars faces legal challenge
New EU rules that allow car firms to keep their emissions control systems secret from the public risk another dieselgate and should be made illegal, say environmental lawyers
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/oct/09/secrecy-around-air-pollution-controls-in-cars-faces-legal-challenge

We can reduce breast cancer by reducing pollution.
Francis Koster Salisbury Post
It is time to recognize that prevention is far cheaper than curing—and that if our society regulated pollution more, we would spend less on healthcare.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/1195107355338417076

Trump’s plan to bail out failing fossil fuels with taxpayer subsidies is perverse
Dana Nuccitelli
Coal can no longer compete in the free market, so the Trump administration wants to prop it up with taxpayer subsidies
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2017/oct/09/trumps-plan-to-bail-out-failing-fossil-fuels-with-taxpayer-subsidies-is-perverse

Should we be having fewer children for the sake of the planet?
Vicky Frost The Guardian
Supporters’ contributions to our podcast on population and climate change show exactly why we need to talk about this issue.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/1195107355338417077

Radioactive wild boar spark concerns in Sweden 31 years after Chernobyl.
Fears are growing in Sweden over packs of radioactive wild boar moving north across the country.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/1195107355338417095

Scientists complete conservation puzzle, shaping understanding of life on earth
Wildlife map reveals urgent conservation concerns
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-10/uoo-scc100617.php

Establishing a Conservation Breeding Program to Save the Last Saola
The saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis), a primitive wild cattle endemic to the Annamite mountain range in Vietnam and Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR), is in immediate danger of extinction.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/10/171009092918.htm

Disease-Carrying Mosquitoes Abound in Deforested Lands
UF scientists synthesized and examined data from prior studies that had looked at how many pathogen-carrying mosquito species made their homes in forested lands vs. …
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/10/171009093247.htm

Global Kids Study: More Trees, Less Disease
A study of 300,000 children in 35 nations says children whose watersheds have greater tree cover are less likely to experience diarrheal disease, the second leading cause of death for kids under the …
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/10/171009084403.htm

Evolution’s rules mean life on Earth isn’t that varied after all
While there are millions of species on Earth, many of them have almost identical lifestyles, suggesting nature is more regular and rule-based than we thought
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2149843-evolutions-rules-mean-life-on-earth-isnt-that-varied-after-all/

Columbus Day: Not a day of hope for the environment.
The Columbus mindset is the same one that is driving our global civilization toward environmental catastrophe.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/1195107355338417084