Daily Links Dec 15

2016’s record heat not possible without global warming, study says
In a first, an American Meteorological Society annual report found certain extreme weather events could not have happened without human-caused CO2 emissions.
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/13122017/extreme-weather-heat-harvey-climate-change-attribution-american-meteorological-society

It’s all about money as global investors drive low-carbon transition
Emma Herd
The last decade saw climate space occupied by activists, scientists, denialists and fossil fuel companies, but investors looking to de-risk portfolios will set stage for a very different 2018 and beyond.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/money-global-investors-drive-low-carbon-transition-53306/

Coal comfort as Origin vows to halve emissions by 2032
Origin Energy locks in “science-based” target of 50% emissions reduction by 2032. Critics note this is also when its last, ageing coal plant is due to shut.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/coal-comfort-as-origin-vows-to-halve-emissions-by-2032-2032/

Laser tech for cheap power
Low-cost hydrogen electricity is within reach ­because of advances in laser technology, an Australian-led research team claims.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/climate/laser-tech-advances-hailed-as-way-to-clean-cheap-electricity/news-story/f37b20cc807aa43fb55e4f5511bfeef8

MinRes in gas power plan
Mineral Resources has detailed plans for a network of gas-fuelled plants that will generate an estimated $1.4bn a year.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/mineral-resources-plans-14bn-gaspowered-plant-network/news-story/48d16e40e2ac43f70cc9f055678efb70

Biggest game-changer on network spending approved – a decade late
Giles Parkinson
Regulator finally approves demand management incentive scheme, encouraging networks to invest in battery storage and micro-grids, rather than poles and wires. Had it come a decade earlier, it might have negated the climate and energy wars.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/biggest-game-changer-on-network-spending-approved-a-decade-late-25198/

Instead of congratulating ICAN on its Nobel Peace Prize, Australia is resisting efforts to ban the bomb
Ramesh Thakur, ANU
https://theconversation.com/instead-of-congratulating-ican-on-its-nobel-peace-prize-australia-is-resisting-efforts-to-ban-the-bomb-88940

Cobden locals defending their airport from Naroghid Wind Farm
Cobden residents will stage a protest on Saturday in a last-ditch effort to save the town’s airport.
http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/national/cobden-locals-defending-their-airport-from-naroghid-wind-farm/news-story/8bb1c96de859441faefc7e0c84710717

Another big blaze at a Vic recycling plant
A large blaze that started in a pile of shredded rubbish at a Melbourne recycling centre is being investigated after a damning audit found the state’s dumps are ill-equipped to prevent fires.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/another-blaze-at-a-vic-recycling-plant/news-story/a2d2c099d7d6eddf8271123085b57612

Transurban won’t hit ‘super-profits’ thanks to West Gate Tunnel deal
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/transurban-wont-hit-superprofits-thanks-to-west-gate-tunnel-deal-20171214-h04utb.html

Level crossing removals poor value for money: Auditor-General
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/level-crossing-removal-program-poor-value-for-money-auditorgeneral-andrew-greaves-20171214-h04ed0.html

Managing the level crossing removal program
Victorian Auditor-General
This report examines whether the level crossing removal project is cost-effective in terms of whether it has improved, or is expected to improve, the safety and efficiency of the state’s road and rail network.
http://apo.org.au/node/123651

Sydney’s closer to being a zero-carbon city than you think
Rob Roggema, University of Technology Sydney
Sun, wind, waste biomass, geothermal, tides and waves: all these energy sources in Sydney’s backyard add up to a zero-carbon energy solution for the city.
https://theconversation.com/sydneys-closer-to-being-a-zero-carbon-city-than-you-think-85976

AGL turns the government down
SMH editorial
The Coalition must accept that climate change makes other change inevitable.
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-editorial/agl-turns-the-government-down-20171214-h04r9s.html

Glass is more than half full for water bodies as they reveal their financial position
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/glass-is-more-than-half-full-for-water-bodies-as-they-reveal-their-financial-position/news-story/d05186407d154514b5bf104e88d6da25

Scientist building a reef garden rejects claims project is futile
A scientist behind a new project that aims to restore damaged coral on the Great Barrier Reef via underwater gardening has rejected suggestions it is a futile effort.
http://www.cairnspost.com.au/news/cairns/scientist-building-a-reef-garden-rejects-claims-project-is-futile/news-story/8e76789ccf546988a6be0bd507d8d0a7

Palaszczuk to flex new parliamentary muscle with tougher land-clearing laws
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/dec/15/palaszczuk-to-flex-new-parliamentary-muscle-with-tougher-land-clearing-laws

Glenalta man fights little-known SA development rule allowing trees to go with no consultation
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/messenger/east-hills/glenalta-man-fights-littleknown-sa-development-rule-allowing-trees-to-go-with-no-consultation/news-story/3782415d3594337baf5d21eb8407c2a4

New allegations River Murray water stolen by upstream irrigators in NSW and Queensland
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/new-allegations-river-murray-water-stolen-by-upstream-irrigators-in-nsw-and-queensland/news-story/56dff6b2ede03a19c267bfd19c1ddba5

Secret cost of diesel generators
The secret cost of South Australia’s diesel generators will be revealed to the public next week.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/state-politics/weatherill-forced-to-reveal-secret-cost-of-diesel-generators/news-story/eba7d2ea8b5e5683cd520305b23b23d4

Murray deal can’t be sold down river
Advertiser editorial
THE historic agreement to return more water to the River Murray is on the brink of a crippling impasse as New South Wales and Victoria fall behind on a critical aspect of the plan.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/opinion/the-advertiser-editorial-december-14-2017-murray-deal-cant-be-sold-down-river/news-story/9746653749493244fdb47796ab07cd7f

A quicker trip means more time for family
Rene Hidding
Tasmania is in a much better place since the election of the Hodgman Liberal Government with more than 10,000 new jobs created, our economy booming, and population growing at the fastest rate since 2011, with the South-East in particular enjoying its share of the growth
http://www.themercury.com.au/news/opinion/talking-point-a-quicker-trip-means-more-time-for-family/news-story/ebc0380b576a889fb2e66e353a647f88

The first major evidence that fracking harms human health
A child born very close to a well is likely to be smaller and less healthy than a child born farther away.
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/12/data-from-11-million-infants-suggests-fracking-harms-human-health/548315/

A new kind of soft battery, inspired by the electric eel
The animals inspired the design of the very first battery. Two centuries later, they’re at it again.
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/12/a-new-kind-of-soft-battery-inspired-by-the-electric-eel/548261/

The environmental cost of internet porn
So many people watch porn online that the industry’s carbon footprint might be worse now that it was in the days of DVDs and magazines.
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/12/the-environmental-cost-of-internet-porn/548210/

Can blockchain ensure Unilever’s tea farmers produce a fairer brew?
Imagine being able to trace the exact origins of your cup of tea: where and how it was made, whether organic soil was used and if the workers were treated fairly.
http://news.trust.org/item/20171213163250-gu8do/

Climate Conditions Affect Solar Cell Performance More Than Expected
Researchers can now predict how much energy solar cells will produce at any location worldwide. Surprisingly, they identified that two types of solar cells can vary in energy …
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/cu-tfo121317.php

The vengeful sea devouring Albania’s coast
Asim Krasniqi watches anxiously as the Adriatic Sea creeps ever closer to his beach bar in Albania, a country faced with an alarming pace of coastal erosion.
http://www.emirates247.com/news/world/the-vengeful-sea-devouring-albania-s-coast-2017-12-13-1.662919

After years of toxic oil spills, indigenous Peruvians use tech to fight back
Armed with territorial knowledge, rubber boots, smartphones and drones, indigenous Amazonians in Peru are doing what state and private oil companies have long failed to do: report oil spills that have been polluting their corner of the rainforest for decades.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/14/after-years-of-toxic-oil-spills-indigenous-peruvians-use-tech-to-fight-back

Visitor Patterns and Emerging Activities in National Parks Revealed by Social Media Posts
Researchers from the Digital Geography at the University of Helsinki have been studying whether social media data could be used to understand visitor’s activities in national parks
http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/53455

Study: Forest resilience declines in face of wildfires, climate change
The forests you see today are not what you will see in the future.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/tuom-sfr121317.php