Daily Links Nov 22

Check the infographic on Adani’s Carmichael mine in The Conversation article.

Top Post
New global survey reveals that everyone loves green energy – especially the Chinese
Also everyone hates coal.
https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2017/11/20/16678350/global-support-clean-energy

Today’s Celebration
Buss und Bettag         Germany    Switzerland
Day of 1970 Invasion      Guinea
Feast of St Cecilia      St. Lucia
Independence Day       Lebanon
John F. Kennedy’s Assassination  United States of America
National Stop the Violence Day  United States of America
Go For A Ride Day       https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/go-for-a-ride-day/
More about Nov 22         https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_22

Climate Change
Study: Global warming likely to make thunderstorms larger, more frequent
Summer thunderstorms in North America will likely be larger, wetter and more frequent in a warmer world, dumping 80 percent more rain in some areas and worsening flooding, a new study says.
http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/nation-world/nation/article/Study-Global-warming-likely-to-make-12373017.php

Pioneering climate fund for developing world gets a boost at U.N. talks
The Adaptation Fund secured its future under the Paris Agreement and exceeded its 2017 fundraising target in Bonn
http://www.ehn.org/pioneering-climate-fund-for-developing-world-gets-a-boost-at-2511152544.html

Professor studies evolution of climate change activism
Climate change is a topic that is debated, doubted and covered by news outlets across the world. Luis Hestres, in the Department of Communication at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), is researching the evolution of climate change activism and how advocacy groups use digital platforms to mobilize.
http://www.enn.com/climate/article/53239

How carbon farming can help solve climate change
http://www.enn.com/agriculture/article/53222

Lobbying and sponsorships at COP23 corrupted climate talks
Rabiya Jaffery
The only way Parties to the UNFCCC can develop and implement real solutions to climate change is if those working on behalf of Big Oil, Coal, Gas and other Big Polluters aren’t allowed to weaken the guidelines world governments are currently developing for implementation of the Paris Agreement
http://www.ipsnews.net/2017/11/lobbying-sponsorships-cop23-corrupted-climate-talks/

National
State governments urged to sign off on National Energy Guarantee
Sixteen groups from across the political and social spectrum are urging state governments to sign onto the federal plan for a National Energy Guarantee to tackle “unsustainably high power prices and rising emissions”.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-11-22/state-governments-urged-to-sign-off-on-national-energy-guarantee/9177786

Australia to lead storage boom, as home batteries become “ubiquitous”
Australia has been named as one of eight countries expected to lead a massive boom in energy storage uptake that will see the global market double six times over between 2016 and 2030, to an installed total of 125GW/305 gigawatt-hours in 2030.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/australia-lead-storage-boom-home-batteries-become-ubiquitous-22221/

Conservatives attack storage report as “eco-evangelism”, Finkel responds
Conservatives says new report on battery storage is just “eco-evangelism”. This is what chief scientist Alan Finkel said in response.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/conservatives-attack-storage-report-eco-evangelism-finkel-responds-98341/

Big business winners from energy guarantee
http://www.afr.com/news/pressure-on-labor-to-back-energy-guarantee-plan-as-modelling-details-savings-20171120-gzphqn

AER to carry out energy retailer review as more users disconnected
http://www.theage.com.au/business/energy/aer-to-carry-out-energy-retailer-review-as-more-users-disconnected-20171121-gzpu5z.html

$120 put to energy guarantee
Australians will be promised a $120 boost to their household budgets from Malcolm Turnbull’s national energy guarantee.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/climate/turnbull-adds-120-to-energy-guarantee/news-story/f78fa0dbaeb1d01ab30b67571d0455d1

Cheap, clean, reliable energy soon
Josh Frydenberg
It’s time to put politics aside and work together on climate and energy policy.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/cheaper-cleaner-reliable-energy-within-our-grasp/news-story/fb79541507f53844546f90b0fe96335f

Victoria
Biggest discount does not equal cheapest power bill, watchdog warns
Customers need to be very careful of “meaningless” discount deals, Victoria’s Essential Services Commission warns, as gas and power bills continue to rise.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-11-21/energy-prices-continuing-to-rise-in-victoria-report-says/9175004

Snowy Hydro sell shock
One of the jewels in the irrigation industry’s crown — Snowy Hydro — will be sold to fund the upgrade of 55 Melbourne intersections if the Coalition wins next year’s Victorian election.
http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/national/snowy-hydro-sell-shock-irrigators-stunned-by-coalition-pledge/news-story/312d94e34d86fea8585b1c4ba2c94508

John-Michael Howson for ‘stupid’ comments
John-Michael Howson has outraged fellow broadcasters after suggesting anti-coal campaigners jump in front of a tram or take rat poison.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/neil-mitchell-lashes-3aw-colleague-johnmichael-howson-for-stupid-comments/news-story/126cbebf0206b52b7da8c8a3d74d8d95

When it comes to skyrail, Opposition’s no-politics pledge lasts less than a day
In what appears to be a brazenly political push, Opposition Leader Matthew Guy has moved to derail a $187 million train storage facility.
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/when-it-comes-to-skyrail-oppositions-nopolitics-pledge-lasts-less-than-a-day-20171121-gzps93.html

Is this underpass plan under-developed?
Alan Davies
The promise by the Opposition in Victoria to grade-separate 55 congested intersections is likely to be politically appealing, but the case hasn’t been made it’s a sensible policy
https://blogs.crikey.com.au/theurbanist/2017/11/21/underpass-plan-under-developed/

New South Wales
University switches on 6,000 solar panels in ‘significant milestone’
A university in southern NSW installs Australia’s largest rooftop solar power system so far in a project it says is a significant milestone for the renewable energy industry in Australia.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-11-21/uni-installs-australias-largest-rooftop-solar-system/9176034

Koala sculpture hits the road as ambassador for threatened species
With koala numbers in decline across Australia, a sculpture of the animal is now being used at national parks in NSW to raise awareness about threatened species.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-11-21/painted-koala-hits-road-raise-awareness-endangered-species/9174806

Brace yourself NSW – you can expect a return to the bad old days in light of ICAC revelations
Geoffrey Watson
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/comment/brace-yourself-nsw–you-can-expect-a-return-to-the-bad-old-days-unless-icacs-funding-is-fully-restored-20171120-gzpian.html

Queensland
Drone to go on croc watch in far north Queensland
Fatal crocodile attacks prompt Surf Lifesaving Queensland to try a new approach to policing the reptiles at beaches, with a trial of high-tech drones that are programmed to detect the animals.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-11-21/drone-to-keep-an-eye-on-crocs-in-far-north-qld/9176790

Anti-Adani protesters defy council, police in last-ditch action before election
http://www.smh.com.au/queensland/anti-adani-protesters-defy-council-police-in-last-ditch-action-before-election-20171121-p4yx57.html

‘Just build it’: Palaszczuk tells Adani
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has called on Indian company Adani to “get on with it” and build its $16.5 billion Carmichael mine.
http://www.afr.com/news/politics/just-build-it-annastacia-palaszczuk-tells-adani-20171120-gzpg7o

Queensland renewable energy jobs double in four months
http://www.smh.com.au/queensland/queensland-renewable-energy-jobs-double-in-four-months-20171121-p4yx54.html

LNP, One Nation would force Queensland energy prices up; Greens, ALP down
New report says LNP and One Nation support for uneconomic coal fired power station would force prices up in Queensland, and add to system security risks.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/lnp-one-nation-would-force-queensland-energy-prices-up-greens-alp-down-50071/

Excessive power bills force regional businesses to shed jobs
Businesses in regional Queensland are being slugged up to 30 per cent more for their power than those in the southeast, a consumer group claims.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/excessive-power-bills-force-regional-businesses-to-shed-jobs/news-story/d5c4c03f1ff7b2964fb99e626b0fb31d

Queensland land-clearing shown in aerial and satellite images
Google Earth reveals a property on which hundreds of hectares of previously untouched forest have been cleared
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/nov/22/queensland-land-clearing-shown-in-aerial-and-satellite-images

Cross River Rail all but ruled out under an LNP government
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland-election-2017/cross-river-rail-all-but-ruled-out-under-an-lnp-government-20171121-p4yx56.html

Uni reef row heads to court
A professor has been forced to take action to defend an interview with Alan Jones, in which he queried Great Barrier Reef science findings.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/james-cook-university-slapdown-of-reef-science-critic-heads-to-court/news-story/2be5ccecca2cab24a93662663655b13c

Coughing up for coal-fired power
James Whelan
If Australian tax payers are made to cough up for a new coal plant in north Queensland, locals will also be coughing up – literally.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/coughing-up-for-coal-fired-power-44903/

Infographic: here’s exactly what Adani’s Carmichael mine means for Queensland
Michael Hopkin, Madeleine De Gabriele and Wes Mountain
https://theconversation.com/infographic-heres-exactly-what-adanis-carmichael-mine-means-for-queensland-87684

Quality infrastructure planning requires disconnecting from electoral cycles
Steve Abson
Earlier this year, we surveyed the community about their attitudes to infrastructure, including their vision for Queensland.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/opinion/opinion-quality-infrastructure-planning-requires-disconnecting-from-electoral-cycles/news-story/a0bbeeec3b69d05c48a373667c4cc21c

South Australia
SA pulls support for Murray-Darling Basin Plan changes, threatens royal commission
The South Australian Government says it will not support changes to the $10 billion Murray-Darling Basin Plan and is now considering a state royal commission.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2017-11-21/water-ministers-square-off-over-murray-darling-threats/9176588

State of play: Adelaide’s top parks and playgrounds
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/messenger/lovelocal/state-of-play-adelaides-top-parks-and-playgrounds/news-story/93ebfcc7de5abe60847a87e9a4824e2a

Northern Territory
Kakadu seed collection proposal
An indigenous organisation is renewing its permit with Kakadu National Park to collect seed pods from native plants.
http://www.ntnews.com.au/business/kakadu-seed-collection-proposal/news-story/f951acdedae74eaae9e06a15d7e4e927

Western Australia
Yara plans solar ammonia plant
Fertiliser giant Yara International is poised to spend millions trialling a renewable ammonia pilot plant in the Pilbara.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/yara-plan-for-renewable-outback-ammonia-plant/news-story/9aaa1a50ca6861db29f14455019768ff

Why scientific monitoring of the effects of industry on our priceless WA rock art is inadequate
John Black, University of WA
https://theconversation.com/why-scientific-monitoring-of-the-effects-of-industry-on-our-priceless-wa-rock-art-is-inadequate-86317

Sustainability
Used coffee beans to help power London buses
Waste coffee grounds from high street chains and factories will be used to help fuel some of London’s buses, two companies reveal, in a bid to curb carbon emissions.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-11-21/london-buses-to-be-powered-by-waste-coffee-grounds/9174660

The Monsanto Papers, Part 2 — Reaping a bitter harvest
In order to save glyphosate, the Monsanto corporation has undertaken an effort to destroy the United Nations’ cancer agency by any means possible.
http://www.ehn.org/monsanto-takes-on-world-health-organization-2509721283.html

A troubling look at the human toll of mountaintop removal mining
For years, the coal industry has dismissed the idea that mountaintop mining adversely affects people living nearby. But research by Indiana University’s Michael Hendryx provides stark evidence that this widespread mining practice is leading to increases in disease and deaths in Appalachia.
http://e360.yale.edu/features/a-troubling-look-at-the-human-toll-of-mountaintop-removal-mining

Nationwide, oil pipeline spills are a near-daily reality
As Nebraska OKs Keystone XL route, a look at U.S. oil spills since 2015.
http://www.hcn.org/articles/infographic-as-nebraska-regulators-ok-keystone-xl-decision-a-look-at-oil-spills

A civil rights ’emergency’: Justice, clean air and water in the age of Trump
The Trump administration is peeling away rules designed to protect clean air and water, fueling a growing urgency around the struggle for environmental justice, say political leaders, academics and activists.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/nov/20/environmental-justice-in-the-age-of-trump

The haves and have-nots: four cities in crisis
On the surface, Ulaanbaatar, San Francisco, Calais and Jerusalem could not be more different – but for the people squeezed out by political upheaval or prohibitive rents, the urban 21st century looks disturbingly uniform.
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/nov/21/haves-have-nots-cities-crisis-david-levene-san-francisco-ulaanbaatar-jungle-jerusalem

New global survey reveals that everyone loves green energy – especially the Chinese
Also everyone hates coal.
https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2017/11/20/16678350/global-support-clean-energy

Russia reports radioactivity 986 times the norm after nuclear accident claim
Moscow says ‘extremely high’ levels of ruthenium-106 discovered as Greenpeace urges inquiry into possible cover-up.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/nov/21/russia-radioactivity-986-times-norm-nuclear-accident-claim

Population growth affects all 50 states, and predictions are discouraging
Joe Guzzardi
Unsustainable population growth shouldn’t be a partisan issue. Slower growth benefits all.
https://www.noozhawk.com/article/joe_guzzardi_population_growth_affects_all_50_states_20171119

Darth Vader or not, the Tesla truck changes everything
Giles Parkinson
With the Tesla truck, Elon Musk has torn down the final frontiers of the campaign against the clean energy transition: cost. And it matters little whether Tesla itself can pull it off – it has already turned two trillion-dollar industries upside down.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/darth-vader-or-not-the-tesla-truck-changes-everything-28011/

Nature Conservation
As oceans warm, the world’s kelp forests begin to disappear
Kelp forests – luxuriant coastal ecosystems that are home to a wide variety of marine biodiversity – are being wiped out from Tasmania to California, replaced by sea urchin barrens that are nearly devoid of life.
http://e360.yale.edu/features/as-oceans-warm-the-worlds-giant-kelp-forests-begin-to-disappear

Diving scientists report ‘big changes’ beneath Antarctic ice shelf
Climate change may be leading to shifts in the communities of sea life beneath an Antarctic ice shelf.
https://www.livescience.com/60980-big-changes-beneath-antarctic-ice.html

Why is Fiji selling out its coastlines?
A mining project at the mouth of Fiji’s second biggest river undermines the government’s stated commitment to green development.
https://psmag.com/environment/cop23-why-is-fiji-selling-out-its-coastlines

Refining Pesticides to Kill Pests, Not Bees
Pyrethroid pesticides are effective. Sometimes too effective.
http://www.enn.com/agriculture/article/53233

Study Pinpoints Arctic Shorebird Decline
A new study co-authored by WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) addresses concerns over the many Arctic shorebird populations in precipitous decline. Evident from the study is that monitoring and protection of habitat where the birds breed, winter, and stopover is critical to their survival and to that of a global migration spectacle.
http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/53219

‘Brazil Nut Effect’ Helps Explain How Rivers Resist Erosion
Geophysicists have found that granular segregation helps explain the tendency of riverbeds to be lined by, or ‘armored’ with, a layer of relatively larger …
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171121095215.htm

Poland faces €100,000-a-day fines over illegal logging in Bialowieza forest
Poland is given two weeks to end its destruction of the Unesco-protected forest in a landmark ruling by the European court of justice
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/nov/21/poland-faces-100000-a-day-fines-over-illegal-logging-in-biaowieza-forest

Maelor Himbury