Daily Links Oct 21

New talks on Paris climate pact are set, and that’s awkward for US.
International delegates will gather next month to discuss implementing the Paris agreement, and American negotiators will be there even though the United States has said it will quit the pact
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/5804014920699824603

Power ‘needed to be sorted out’
The chairwoman of the Energy Security Board has rejected claims the National Energy Guarantee could raise power prices.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/climate/power-just-needed-to-be-sorted-out-says-kerry-schott/news-story/e8f11f6a4e6d1163ccb7164b456db5d8

No carbon trading here: PM
Malcolm Turnbull has denied his revamped energy plan represents a form of carbon trading despite concerns from MPs.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/climate/no-carbon-trading-here-turnbull-assures-coalition-sceptics/news-story/d3d6c675cf2c09e4d7acff78c06718f5

Gas prices to remain high: UBS
East coast gas prices are unlikely to fall any time soon, despite intervention to boost domestic supplies, analysts warn.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/gas-prices-to-remain-high-warns-ubs/news-story/259ce84a7c62727e9d065844f9612374

The Coalition’s national energy guarantee
Karen Middleton
While the government’s proposed national energy guarantee has been criticised as being more about saving Malcolm Turnbull’s leadership than good policy, has the prime minister smuggled in a carbon price under the noses of his conservative colleagues?
https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/politics/2017/10/21/the-coalitions-national-energy-guarantee/15085044005380

Nervous energy on power plan
Paul Bongiorno
Craig Kelly, the of the Liberal Party’s backbench environment and energy committee, had a very uncomfortable night on Monday.
https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/opinion/topic/2017/10/21/nervous-energy-power-plan/15085044005371

Energy guarantee fails the test
Chris Kenny
The policy’s middle road approach unfairly penalises consumers and harms the economy.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/inquirer/nice-try-but-turnbulls-national-energy-guarantee-fails-the-test/news-story/7a31253bd5c72bdfcfc7e73dcd90e875

Cheap power? There’s an answer
Judith Sloan
There’s a simple way to bring down energy prices, but the Coalition’s policy isn’t it.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/inquirer/national-electricity-guarantee-an-exercise-in-politics/news-story/35874ade853b47a505b0380f21d728fa

Tortuous path to energy policy
Andrew White
Politics has dominated the debate over how to keep the lights on in Australia.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/torturous-path-to-an-energy-policy/news-story/42d99ad9a96fab6827e24ca10e9a01e8

Josh Frydenberg’s diabolical power problem
Jacqueline Maley
http://www.theage.com.au/good-weekend/can-wannabe-tennis-pro-turned-politician-josh-frydenberg-ace-australias-energy-crisis-20171010-gyxs0l.html

Bright sparks on energy leave Abbott in the shadows
Peter Hartcher
http://www.theage.com.au/comment/bright-sparks-on-energy-leave-abbott-in-the-shadows-20171020-gz55zy.html

Don’t let Turnbull bore you out of the debate
Richard Denniss
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/comment/national-energy-guarantee-dont-let-malcolm-turnbull-bore-you-out-of-the-climate-debate-20171020-gz55sk.html

Energy report points way out of our crisis
Rob Murray-Leach
If you haven’t noticed, Australia’s energy system is a train-wreck. However, a major new report from the International Energy Agency shows us how to get on the path to affordable energy bills
http://www.examiner.com.au/story/4999435/energy-report-points-way-out-of-our-crisis/?cs=97

The energy plan doesn’t end the climate wars, but it provides rules of engagement
David Lipson
If Federal Labor ends up backing the National Energy Guarantee, as expected, they will have very different ideas about to implement it — and that’s the real breakthrough
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-10-20/neg-doesnt-end-the-climate-wars,-but-provides-framework/9070350

Will the National Energy Guarantee hit pause on renewables?
 Frank Jotzo, Salim Mazouz
The federal government’s new National Energy Guarantee (NEG) proposal looks likely to put the brakes on renewable energy investment in Australia.
https://theconversation.com/will-the-national-energy-guarantee-hit-pause-on-renewables-85978

Electricity cost dissections: do they reveal – or conceal?
Geoff Carmody
What’s the ‘official family’ feeding the punter about cost increases within the National Electricity Market (the NEM)?
http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=19364

He’s not the Green messiah, he’s a very naughty boy
Gary Johns
The Coalition has begun to restore a modicum of rationality to the electricity market in Australia. There is more to do. They must assault the green mindset.
http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=19365

Electricity the sticking point as policymakers strain to see wage rises
Bernard Keane and Glenn Dyer
Electricity prices are likely to drive inflation up, making the challenge of stagnant wages more acute for policymakers
https://www.crikey.com.au/2017/10/20/electricity-the-sticking-point-as-policymakers-strain-to-see-wage-rises/

Turnbull to rely on state schemes he once rubbished as reckless
Giles Parkinson
Anger deepens over politicisation of Energy Security Board and design of National Energy Guarantee that could reinforce dominance of incumbent utilities, stop large scale renewables, maintain status quo and fail emissions targets. But some say it does have potential.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/turnbull-to-rely-on-state-schemes-he-once-rubbished-as-reckless-85061/

Electric cars given the power up they need in NSW
If you have an electric car, you would be hard pressed to take it on holiday, with only 50 charging stations across the country. But it’s about to get a whole lot easier in NSW under a new plan.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-10-20/investment-in-more-electric-car-charging-stations-around-nsw/9068906

Huon eyes onshore farm
HUON Aquaculture will spend $65 million this financial year on its futuristic salmon farming vision, encompassing land-based and sea-cage farming.
http://www.themercury.com.au/news/tasmania/huon-eyes-onshore-farm/news-story/ed8f5a1ca3a49e7fd6949ec2944a9264

Antarctic ice hole may affect our weather
A GIANT hole in the sea ice off the coast of Antarctica close to the size of Tasmania could change weather systems in Australia, a Hobart researcher says.
http://www.themercury.com.au/news/tasmania/antarctic-ice-hole-about-the-size-of-tasmania-may-affect-australias-weather/news-story/b3b497bbd1b5d0d5caf632b67839f98d

Swift parrots need protection from sugar gliders, but that’s not enough
Dejan Stojanovic, Australian National University; Matthew Webb, Australian National University, and Rob Heinsohn, Australian National University
Tasmania’s swift parrots are in trouble. Scientists are aiming to help them by keeping them safe from predators, but without better habitat protection, the species may go extinct.
https://theconversation.com/swift-parrots-need-protection-from-sugar-gliders-but-thats-not-enough-85906

Truth lurks below surface of global push
Simon Bevilacqua
Former Tasmanian premiers Paul Lennon and Robin Gray, and ex-Gunns boss John Gay, are often put forward as the architects of the disaster that was this state’s woodchip industry.
http://www.themercury.com.au/news/opinion/truth-lurking-beneath-surface-of-global-push/news-story/0fc822bddabe48168bdc471de810954b

Here’s a (crazy?) plan to bribe crows to clean up cigarette butts.
Tossed cigarette butts are a huge litter problem. Crows are highly intelligent animals that can be trained to perform tasks for rewards. Can this possibly work? And is it even ethical?
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/5804014920699824610

Could fungi provide an alternative to palm oil?
A biotech startup in the U.S. thinks it has found an alternative to palm oil – fungus that can be grown on food waste.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/-6303715699622896128

The future for financing Africa’s renewable energy.
Lack of energy access presents a formidable challenge to Africa and lack of access to financing has been singled out as the biggest reason why over 620 million people living on the continent are stuck in energy poverty.
http://www.dailyclimate.org/t/-4566925153911784769

Cool Roofs Have Water Saving Benefits Too
The energy and climate benefits of cool roofs have been well established: By reflecting rather than absorbing the sun’s energy, light-colored roofs keep buildings, cities, and even the entire planet cooler. Now a new study by the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has found that cool roofs can also save water by reducing how much is needed for urban irrigation.
http://www.enn.com/energy/article/52909

Citizen scientist scuba divers shed light on the impact of warming oceans on marine life
Madeleine De Gabriele
https://theconversation.com/citizen-scientist-scuba-divers-shed-light-on-the-impact-of-warming-oceans-on-marine-life-85970