Daily Links Feb 10

Sea temperature changes contributing to droughts
Fluctuations in sea surface temperature are a factor in causing persistent droughts in North America and around the Mediterranean, new research suggests.
http://www.enn.com/articles/51880-sea-temperature-changes-contributing-to-droughts

Maybe $400 billion in fossil-fuel subsidies isn’t so bad for the planet
Robinson Meyer
A new study says it depends who’s writing the check.
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/02/maybe-cutting-fossil-fuel-subsidies-wouldnt-do-much-good/552668/

Summer of change in energy supply
Our new look grid is slowly taking shape with investment in renewables becoming a force unto itself.
http://www.afr.com/news/ret-is-met-but-wind-and-solar-wave-continues-20180208-h0vr7h

For electric cars, we just need someone to turn on the lights
Alan Finkel
Instead of the problems with electric cars, look at the potential – low emissions, lifestyle, convenience and price. Experience them and we won’t regret it.
http://www.theage.com.au/comment/when-it-comes-to-electric-cars-we-just-need-someone-to-turn-on-the-lights-20180209-h0vty7.html

Hidden depths: why groundwater is our most important water source
Emma Kathryn White, University of Melbourne
https://theconversation.com/hidden-depths-why-groundwater-is-our-most-important-water-source-91484

Dispatchable wind and solar: They’ll be the death of coal and gas
Giles Parkinson
It’s been a year since the last South Australia blackout and when the Coalition brandished a lump of coal in parliament. And the progress since then has been remarkable – on the cost front, on storage, and the emergence of dispatchable renewables.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/dispatchable-wind-and-solar-theyll-be-the-death-of-coal-and-gas-45032/

So that’s where all your energy money has been going!
Glenn Dyer
AGL told the ASX yesterday that its profit had nearly doubled to $622 million from $325 million a year earlier.
https://www.crikey.com.au/2018/02/09/so-thats-where-all-the-money-youve-spent-on-energy-has-been-going/

Confronting energy realities
Tristan Prasser
In tackling Australia’s energy crisis, politicians and policy makers need to find the courage and conviction to confront key energy realities and develop real policy.
http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=19559

Residents fear over-development in new Anglesea masterplan
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/residents-fear-over-development-in-new-anglesea-masterplan-20180209-p4yzua.html

World-first genetic analysis reveals Aussie white shark numbers
Rich Hillary, CSIRO; Russ Bradford, CSIRO, and Toby Patterson, CSIRO
New research has used genetic analysis in a world-first effort to accurately estimate Australian and New Zealand white shark numbers.
https://theconversation.com/world-first-genetic-analysis-reveals-aussie-white-shark-numbers-91479

This is how WestConnex can deliver Sydney a better city centre
Rob Roggema, University of Technology Sydney and Craig Allchin, University of Technology Sydney
One potential benefit of WestConnex, which remains untouched, is that it could relieve Sydney’s city centre from cars and make it more pedestrian-friendly.
https://theconversation.com/this-is-how-westconnex-can-deliver-sydney-a-better-city-centre-90171

Shutting down the Adani port
Last month, protesters locked themselves to the Abbot Point coal terminal, shutting down its operation. One of the group explains the action.
https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/politics/2018/02/10/shutting-down-the-adani-port/15181812005792

Qld mining council calls for Adani support
The peak mining body advocating for resources development in Queensland has called on Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s government to unequivocally back Adani.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/qld/a/38893361/qld-mining-council-calls-for-adani-support/

Election shaper: The mine at the centre of politics
The battle over Adani’s controversial $16.5 billion Carmichael mine has been a decade in the making.
http://www.afr.com/news/politics/how-adani-became-the-lightning-rod-for-activists-in-their-war-against-coal-20180208-h0vr8o

Adani boss warns Australia
Union chiefs turn screws on Labor leader as the Indian giant’s man on the ground hits back over ‘fake jobs’ claim.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/foreign-affairs/australia-at-foreign-investment-crossroads-warns-adani-boss/news-story/2d159aa9e0223352a89142efaa4296b1

Labor’s Adani blunder
The party’s Batman mask does it no favours in the Queensland heartland.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/inquirer/adani-folly-puts-labor-in-a-bind/news-story/d760ab697abe9ffce2ecec44a2b19dfb

I travelled 11 hours with my two-year-old to tell our leaders: stop Adani
Marnie Cotton
Having children made me realise the urgency of climate change action. Why can’t politicians see it?
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/feb/09/i-travelled-11-hours-with-my-two-year-old-to-tell-our-leaders-stop-adani

Adani coal mine: Matt Canavan’s symbolic war that went wrong
Richard Denniss
The Adani mine has become a symbol of the Coalition’s ideological confusion.
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/opinion/adani-coal-mine-matt-canavans-symbolic-war-that-went-wrong-20180125-h0oizp.html

Bolivar power plant puts foot on the gas
The Government’s nine emergency diesel turbines will officially become one gas-fired power plant in Adelaide’s northern suburbs from 2019.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/sa-governments-nine-emergency-generators-to-become-stateowned-power-plant-at-bolivar/news-story/ad8daf70df571beace7f6d98829f7d0e

Man of Steel vows to power up the state
Arrium saviour Sanjeev Gupta believes the nation’s energy costs are “the biggest debacle in Australian history” — but the good news is he’s here to help fix the problem. The British billionaire has revealed more about his extraordinarily ambitious plans to transform our state.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/business/arriums-saviour-sanjeev-gupta-says-his-power-plans-will-transform-the-south-australian-energy-market/news-story/e910378d68c43f17f90800810dd6aefe

Promising power to the people
Blair Richards
The Liberals put forward a positive narrative around energy this week in an effort to put to bed any lingering worries from the energy crisis.
http://www.themercury.com.au/news/politics/promising-power-to-the-people/news-story/783825237d5e2580fcbc6f67d761c96d

Shark attack risk ‘no worse in WA’ than east coast beaches
Fisheries Minister Dave Kelly says WA beachgoers are at no more risk of shark attack than people on the east coast, despite a groundbreaking CSIRO report concluding WA’s coast has twice the number of great white sharks.
https://thewest.com.au/news/wa/shark-attack-risk-no-worse-in-wa-than-east-coast-beaches-ng-b88739989z

‘Blight on landscape’: More ‘realistic’ plan urged for Freo’s iconic power station
http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/blight-on-landscape-more-realistic-plan-urged-for-freos-iconic-power-station-20180209-h0vusz.html

The tradeoff between cleaner ship fuels and global warming
A new study shows that cleaner, low-sulfur shipping fuels should reduce the number of air pollution-related deaths around the world by around a third. It will also bring down childhood asthma cases by more than half. The health benefits might bring a climate tradeoff though.
http://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2018/02/cleaner-ship-exhaust-could-save-thousands-of-lives-but-increase-global-warming/

Congress extends tax breaks for clean energy — and carbon capture
Environment groups worry the carbon capture credits will just boost fossil fuels. The ‘tax extenders’, meanwhile, cut some nuclear, solar and geothermal costs.
http://www.ehn.org/congress-extends-tax-breaks-for-clean-energy-and-carbon-capture-insideclimate-news-2532761899.html

Despite some improvement, Israel’s estuaries remain seriously polluted
Increased levels of pollution reported in the Poleg and Alexander rivers from sewage and agricultural fertilizer.
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-despite-some-improvement-israel-s-estuaries-remain-seriously-polluted-1.5805878

Polluted air can generate power
Researchers from the University of Antwerp and KU Leuven have succeeded in developing a process that purifies air and, at the same time, generates power. The device must only be exposed to light in order to function.
http://www.enn.com/articles/51194-polluted-air-can-generate-power

Stand-Alone System to Produce Drinking Water by Means of Solar Energy
Researchers in applied electrochemistry and electrocatalysis have developed a stand-alone system for desalinating and treating water through electrodialysis. The system is directly powered by solar …
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180209114226.htm

Human Activity has Polluted European Air for 2000 Years, Study Finds
A new study combining European ice core data and historical records of the infamous Black Death pandemic of 1349-1353 shows metal mining and smelting have polluted the environment for thousands of years, challenging the widespread belief that environmental pollution began with the Industrial Revolution in the 1700s and 1800s.
http://www.enn.com/articles/51407-human-activity-has-polluted-european-air-for-2000-years,-study-finds

Germany’s new government: Same old story for environment?
The coalition set to govern Germany finally has its action plan. But what does it mean for the environment? Climate, energy, mobility, agriculture: DW analyzes the results in four key fields.
http://www.dw.com/en/germanys-new-government-same-old-story-for-environment/a-42499675

Sustainable shopping: your guilt-free guide to flowers this Valentine’s Day
Jennifer Lavers, University of Tasmania and Fiona Kerslake, University of Tasmania
Australians import millions of flowers for Valentine’s Day. Let’s consider some ways to be eco-friendly.
https://theconversation.com/sustainable-shopping-your-guilt-free-guide-to-flowers-this-valentines-day-91387

Trump’s environmental good news
Mark Silk
The good news out of Washington is that the White House has withdrawn the nomination of Kathleen Hartnett White to head the President’s Council of Environmental Quality.
https://religionnews.com/2018/02/06/trumps-environmental-good-news/

Polluted air makes us more likely to commit crimes
Researchers from Columbia Business School in New York suggest air pollution drives up crime rates because exposure to contaminants makes us more anxious.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5367691/Polluted-air-makes-likely-commit-crimes.html

Arctic birds, seals and reindeer killed by marine plastics
Researchers say the concentration of plastic waste in the European Arctic is now comparable or even higher than in more urban and populated areas.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-09/marine-plastics-killing-arctic-creatures/9417270