Daily Links Jan 17

What kind of emoji do you need to talk about climate change?
Desperate times call for desperate emoji.
https://www.theverge.com/2018/1/15/16893288/climate-change-emoji-climojis-marina-zurkow

Miroslav Lajcák: Sustainable energy critical for achieving overall goals of Paris Climate Agreement
The Paris Agreement ushered in a new global approach to climate change.
http://www.ipsnews.net/2018/01/sustainable-energy-critical-achieving-overall-goals-paris-climate-agreement/

Projects ranging from saving the Reef to the Australian right whale and native frogs will be unveiled today
The southern right whale, threatened frogs and the effects of ship noise on marine animals will be among subjects of 50 new projects in the National Environmental Science Program.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/projects-ranging-from-saving-the-reef-to-the-australian-right-whale-and-native-frogs-will-be-unveiled-today/news-story/15dcb69f236e37e83fc39d3cc18355fb

Minerals Council says it makes political donations to gain access to MPs
Mining body says contributions ‘provide additional opportunities for the MCA to meet with members of parliament’
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/jan/17/minerals-council-says-it-makes-political-donations-to-gain-access-to-mps

Could parts of Australia become uninsurable?
It is getting harder for insurers to predict the severity of weather-related catastrophes, as the sector grapples with historic losses from man-made and natural disasters.
http://www.afr.com/business/insurance/zurich-says-insurers-struggling-with-natural-catastrophe-risks-20180116-h0j7w7

Climate action in 2018: expect same, same but different
Marc Hudson
http://www.theage.com.au/comment/climate-action-in-2018-expect-same-same-but-different-20180116-h0ivvo.html

We need to ‘climate proof’ our sports stadiums
Paul J Govind, Macquarie University
http://theconversation.com/we-need-to-climate-proof-our-sports-stadiums-90020

To end share-bike dumping, focus on how to change people’s behaviour
Conor Wynn, Monash University
If we’re going to intervene to stop the dumping of share bikes, we need to understand the bad behaviour in the first place, then design effective measures to change how bike users behave.
http://theconversation.com/to-end-share-bike-dumping-focus-on-how-to-change-peoples-behaviour-90016

Is Victoria’s power grid prepared for a heatwave?
http://www.theage.com.au/business/the-economy/is-victorias-power-grid-prepared-for-a-heatwave-20180115-p4yyhx.html

Leadbeater’s possum gets hi-tech tracking help
Hi-tech radio-tracking methods will be used to discover more about Victoria’s critically endangered animal emblem as part of a new scientific project.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/leadbeaters-possum-gets-hitech-tracking-help/news-story/2fdda9226188dabd6cb3b32a194eae6b

‘Breaking point’: $84m development plan for northern beaches golf course
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/sydneys-northern-beaches-divided-over-proposed-retirement-village-on-golf-course-20180115-h0id2d.html

Sydney’s biggest NIMBY councils
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/sydneys-biggest-nimby-and-developer-friendly-councils-20180111-h0h6z2.html

Wildlife in the fast lane: winners and losers in suburbia
Mark Eldridge
The spread of swamp wallabies throughout Sydney’s suburbs shows no sign of slowing.
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/opinion/wildlife-in-the-fast-lane-winners-and-losers-in-suburbia-20180116-h0j2id.html

Reckless South Australians lighting fires every day on average in bushfire danger season
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/south-australians-deliberately-lighting-a-fire-every-day-on-average-in-bushfire-danger-season/news-story/87da285efab1660dc53bfa8740688d3c

How a planned nuclear waste dump in the tiny SA town of Kimba impacts us all
Noel Wauchope
Should a remote farming community in South Australia be charged with the momentous decision of storing radioactive waste?
https://independentaustralia.net/environment/environment-display/how-a-planned-nuclear-waste-dump-in-the-tiny-sa-town-of-kimba-impacts-us-all,11102

Perth faces recycled rubbish problem
China is about to put a ban on the import of foreign waste.
https://thewest.com.au/news/wa/perth-faces-recycled-rubbish-problem-bc-5712572372001

Indigenous women are ‘seed guardians’ in Latin America hunger fight, says U.N.
Indigenous women in Latin America must be at the center of efforts to adapt agriculture to deal with the threat of climate change and help tackle hunger and poverty, said a top U.N. food official.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-food-women-indigenous/indigenous-women-are-seed-guardians-in-latin-america-hunger-fight-says-u-n-idUSKBN1F42EJ

Turning water into fuel
Advances in electrolysis technology bring seawater one step closer as the fuel of the future.
https://www.hakaimagazine.com/news/turning-water-into-fuel/

Shale gas is one of the least sustainable ways to produce electricity
http://www.enn.com/energy/article/53672

New catalyst for hydrogen production is a step toward clean fuel
Carbon-based nanocomposite with embedded metal ions yields impressive performance as catalyst for electrolysis of water to generate hydrogen
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-01/uoc–ncf011618.php

Insulating Bricks With Microscopic Bubbles
The calculation is simple: the better a building is insulated, the less heat is lost in winter – and the less energy is needed to achieve a comfortable room ..
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180115121637.htm

Slow ‘hot electrons’ could improve solar cell efficiency
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-01/uog-se011218.php

New process could slash energy demands of fertilizer, nitrogen-based chemicals
Nitrogen-based synthetic fertilizer forms the backbone of the world food supply, but its manufacture requires a tremendous amount of energy. Now, computer modeling at Princeton University points to a method that could drastically cut the energy needed by using sunlight in the manufacturing process.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-01/pues-npc011218.php

Commentary: Farming for a small planet
People yearn for alternatives to industrial agriculture, but they are worried.
http://www.ehn.org/organic-farming-agroecology-feed-world-2525808903.html

What does it take to turn a city green?
Chris Woods
The Republican mayor of Lancaster, California, is showing that it’s possible for a city to thrive amid the Green revolution, even if it takes some light fascism.
https://www.crikey.com.au/2018/01/16/lancaster-parris-turn-a-city-green/

We can’t wait any longer to redefine our relationship with plastic
Will Dubitsky
The only obstacles are political will and the plastic industry lobbies.
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/will-dubitsky/we-cant-wait-any-longer-to-redefine-our-relationship-with-plastic_a_23330096/

Cars and trucks are America’s biggest climate problem for the 2nd year in a row
Umair Irfan
Overall emissions are falling, but not fast enough to hit international targets.
https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2018/1/11/16874696/greenhouse-gas-co2-target-2017-paris-trump

Hawaii false alarm: a nuclear wake-up call
Eric Schlosser
Ever picked the wrong option on a drop-down menu? Apparently it’s that easy to set off a nuclear war panic.
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/opinion/hawaii-false-alarm-a-nuclear-wakeup-call-20180116-h0j4lz.html

New hope for critically endangered Myanmar snub-nosed monkey
Eight years after the discovery of a new primate species in Myanmar, scientists have released a new report revealing how the ‘snubby’ is faring
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-01/dpp-nhf011118.php

Food justice requires land justice
Savi Horne, director of the Land Loss Prevention Project, discusses how protecting access to land will strengthen food justice efforts.
https://civileats.com/2018/01/15/food-justice-requires-land-justice/

European parliament votes to end electric pulse fishing
Campaigners hail movement towards prohibiting the controversial practice but warn other measures will leave European waters in a worse state
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jan/16/european-parliament-votes-to-end-electric-pulse-fishing

Warming Signs: How Diminished Snow Cover Puts Species in Peril
http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/53675

Europe’s lost forests — study shows coverage has halved over six millennia
Using pollen analysis from more than 1,000 sites, scientists showed that more than two thirds of central and northern Europe would once have been covered by trees.
http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/53670

Indonesian villages see virtually zero progress in program to manage peatlands
Of the nearly 3,000 villages located within peatlands throughout Indonesia, only one is permitted to manage the forest — a glaring omission that the government has been slow to address through its “social forestry” program.
https://news.mongabay.com/2018/01/indonesian-villages-see-virtually-zero-progress-in-program-to-manage-peatlands/