Daily Links Feb 3

Study confirms carbon pollution has ended the era of stable climate
We have rapidly warmed past the warmest periods of the last 11,000 years.
https://thinkprogress.org/carbon-pollution-has-ended-era-of-stable-climate-that-enabled-modern-civilization-fbc0e4a5e476/

As climate changes, we need the arts more than ever
Richard Heinberg
In tumultuous times, art can and must express the turmoil and help us process what’s going on.
https://ensia.com/voices/arts/

We can battle climate change without Washington DC. Here’s how
Bill McKibben
Global warming is an immediate battle with enormous consequences. We dare not wait for Washington to return to sanity – nor do we have to.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/feb/01/climate-change-action-trump

Is there anything good to say about NEG? New report says no
New report says Turnbull government’s proposed National Energy Guarantee would fail in all of its stated goals, particularly that of boosting energy system security. On this, it says the approach proposed in the NEG “has no precedent in any power system anywhere, ever.”
http://reneweconomy.com.au/anything-good-say-neg-new-report-says-no-21489/

House energy ratings face being overtaken by a warming climate
Australia’s minimum energy standards for new homes are based on climate data that is decades old, overestimating their true performance as weather conditions in many parts of the nation warm.
http://www.theage.com.au/environment/climate-change/house-energy-ratings-face-being-overtaken-by-a-warming-climate-20180201-h0sdhd.html

Designing a more reliable National Electricity Market
Gratta Institute
Australia is seeking to design a ‘reliability mechanism’ as part of the Turnbull Government’s National Energy Guarantee. This working paper provides analysis and suggestions on how to design the mechanism and how it might work.
http://apo.org.au/node/130786

Stick with Basin plan or communities will suffer
David Littleproud
If the plan is wrecked, water wars erupt and certainty for communities is destroyed.
https://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/agribusiness/the-ag-show/david-littleproud-stick-with-basin-plan-or-communities-will-suffer/news-story/3371fdda179345aab91a323270a4f33a

Energy bill shock shouldn’t be surprising at all, take a look at our houses
Peter Hannam
http://www.theage.com.au/environment/climate-change/the-real-cost-of-mcmansions-20180130-h0qy5w.html

Total Eren has approval for huge battery at 200MW Victoria solar project
New player in Australian renewables market backed by one of world’s oil majors has big plans for solar and storage.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/total-eren-approval-huge-battery-200mw-victoria-solar-project-78998/

Adani denies pollution cover-up
Adani has denied covering up the extent of contamination around its north Queensland port during last year’s Cyclone Debbie.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/adani-denies-covering-up-pollution-at-abbot-point-coal-port/news-story/35ea1920a34e1897f10f9948abac5aa3

Divers break record, culling almost 47,000 crown-of-thorns starfish
Volunteer divers kill almost 47,000 crown-of-thorns starfish on the southern Great Barrier Reef in just seven days, breaking a record in the process.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-02/crown-of-thorns-starfish-killed-great-barrier-reef/9382378

Scientific fails and the Great Barrier Reef
Peter Ridd
The ‘Replication Crisis’, well-reported in peer reviewed articles, shows that when scientific papers are checked around 50% of recently published science is wrong.
http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=19546

Shorten goes colder on Adani coal mine as the battle for Batman begins
Michelle Grattan
https://theconversation.com/shorten-goes-colder-on-adani-coal-mine-as-the-battle-for-batman-begins-91151

A Labor win could be a loss
David Speers
Labor MPs have each been bombarded with 5000 emails in the past few days, urging them to block the giant mine, in a campaign organised by the Australian Conservation Foundation. But while the Adani mine may be hugely unpopular in a seat such as Batman, it’s still seen as an essential jobs generato
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/david-speers-a-labor-win-could-be-a-loss/news-story/935e4dc9e15245a15c8105d4998db1b0

Chile declares start of coal power phase-out
President Michelle Bachelet says Chile will not build new coal plants without carbon capture and begin talks to replace existing capacity with cleaner sources.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/chile-declares-start-coal-power-phase-77874/

Venezuela: Can a failing state protect its environment and its people?
As Venezuela sinks into chaos and violence, Pres. Maduro rushes to salvage its sinking economy by selling off the nation’s natural legacy in the Orinoco Mining Arc
https://news.mongabay.com/2018/02/venezuela-can-a-failing-state-protect-its-environment-and-its-people/

Was your seafood caught with slave labor? New database helps retailers combat abuse
Many seafood lovers use the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s ratings to choose sustainable fish. Now it has rolled out a tool to help corporations assess the risk of human trafficking in seafood supply chains.
https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/01/31/582214032/was-your-seafood-caught-with-slave-labor-new-database-helps-retailers-combat-abu?live=1

It’s up to us to keep children safe from toxics
Philip J. Landrigan and Mary M. Landrigan
Children in the world today are exposed to thousands of environmental toxics, and these toxic chemicals are making our children sick.
http://www.ehn.org/keeping-children-safe-from-toxics-2530542237.html

Former national monuments shrunk by Trump to be opened for mining claims
Presidential order reduced protections for land once part of Utah’s Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante monuments
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/feb/02/former-national-monuments-shrunk-by-trump-to-be-opened-for-mining-claims

In new park, China creates a refuge for the imperiled Siberian tiger
As part of a new national park system, China is setting aside a vast territory that is home to small numbers of Siberian tigers and Amur leopards along the Russian and North Korean borders. Officials hope it will bolster populations of the endangered big cats.
http://e360.yale.edu/features/china-carves-out-a-park-for-the-imperiled-siberian-tiger

Ecuador: Deforestation Destroys More Dry Forest Than Climate Change
Tropical forests all over the world are at risk. Two of the main threats are the deforestation for arable land and climate change. Scientists from Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Thünen-Institute compared the losses due to deforestation with those that would result in extreme climate change scenarios in Ecuador. Although global warming is likely to change the distribution of species, deforestation will result in the loss of more dry forests than predicted by climate change damage.
https://www.enn.com/climate/article/53815

These drones can plant 100,000 trees a day
It’s simple maths. We are chopping down about 15 billion trees a year and planting about 9 billion. So there’s a net loss of 6 billion trees a year.
https://www.enn.com/sci-tech/article/53813