Miners receive twice as much in tax credits as Australia spends on environment
Analysis shows federal and state environment spending cut while industry awarded $2.5bn in fuel tax credits
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/feb/02/miners-receive-twice-as-much-in-tax-credits-as-australia-spends-on-environment
Today’s Celebration
Groundhog Day Canada United States of America
Candlemas Christianity Paganism
Working Naked Day https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/working-naked-day/
World Wetlands Day http://www.environment.gov.au/water/wetlands/world-wetlands-day
More about Feb 2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_2
Climate Change
‘Silver bullet’ to suck CO2 from air and halt climate change ruled out
Scientists say climate targets cannot be met using the technologies, which either risk huge damage to the environment or are very costly
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/feb/01/silver-bullet-to-suck-co2-from-air-and-halt-climate-change-ruled-out
Coastal Water Absorbing More Carbon Dioxide
Continental shelves are an increasing global sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide.
https://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/53802
Carbon-sucking technologies unlikely to help hold climate line – scientists
“We cannot trust technology to come to the rescue” and emissions cuts are needed instead, scientists say.
http://news.trust.org/item/20180131230026-lfxkd/
Earth’s temperature could spike above a key Paris Agreement target by 2022
Within the next five years, global average surface temperatures may temporarily breach a key guardrail set out by the Paris Climate Agreement, according to a new report from the U.K. Met Office.
https://mashable.com/2018/01/31/uk-met-office-climate-warms-above-paris-climate-target/#HYAyRu0kckqX
Climate change is impacting some women’s decisions to have children
Climate change is creating yet another debate – this time largely among women who are wondering what it means for their reproductive future.
http://wgntv.com/2018/01/31/climate-change-is-impacting-some-womens-decisions-to-have-children/
Warmer Climate Can Give Europe Dengue Fever
Large parts of Europe can suffer from the dreaded dengue fever unless climate change is attenuated.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180201092227.htm
Bernie Sanders: Trump’s ‘days are numbered’ for ignoring climate change
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said President Trump’s “days are numbered” for ignoring climate change in his State of the Union address and supporting fossil fuels over cleaner sources of energy.
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/bernie-sanders-trumps-days-are-numberd-for-ignoring-climate-change/article/2647770
It’s not okay how clueless Donald Trump is about climate change
Dana Nuccitelli
We’ve come to accept Trump’s ignorance, but it’s often dangerous
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2018/feb/01/its-not-okay-how-clueless-donald-trump-is-about-climate-change
Climate change and a looming insurance crisis
Thomas Elias
Climate change, if you ask most state experts, has already created a wildfire crisis in California. In the process, it’s causing a fire insurance predicament.
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/pomerado-news/opinion/editorial/so-cal-focus/sd-cm-pow-edit-elias-0201-htmlstory.html
Warming past 1.5°C: Quantifying our Faustian bargain with fossil fuels
David Spratt
The climate system will heat well past 1.5 °C and perhaps up to 2°C without any further fossil fuel emissions, new research finds.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/warming-past-1-5c-quantifying-our-faustian-bargain-with-fossil-fuels-24784/
National
Miners receive twice as much in tax credits as Australia spends on environment
Analysis shows federal and state environment spending cut while industry awarded $2.5bn in fuel tax credits
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/feb/02/miners-receive-twice-as-much-in-tax-credits-as-australia-spends-on-environment
Energy guarantee protects coal sector from renewable competition – analysis
Report says NEG will also undermine efficiency of renewable investment
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/feb/02/energy-guarantee-protects-coal-sector-from-renewable-competition-analysis
Tim Costello compares Coalition’s foreign donation ban to Putin’s crackdown on dissent
World Vision Australia chief advocate says bill is part of a ‘zeitgeist of a silencing and gagging of civil society’
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/feb/01/tim-costello-compares-coalitions-foreign-donation-ban-to-putins-crackdown-on-dissent
Powershop signs huge deal for solar, wind projects – “stunned” by low prices
Energy retailer Powershop signs up for new 200MW solar farm and two major wind projects and says it was “stunned” by the low prices offered. It will also buy three hydro generators, but will need to more than double customers to match output.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/powershop-signs-huge-deal-for-solar-wind-projects-stunned-by-low-prices-11533/
New rules on energy welcomed
Industry advisers have welcomed Scott Morrison’s new regime for foreign investment in electricity assets.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/energy-morrisions-new-regime-for-foreign-investment-welcomed/news-story/5cdc144e95c13ac48a4d390ceec7cf1e
Coal on the rise again
His obituary has been written many times, so whisper it quietly: King Coal seems to be making a comeback.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/surging-power-demand-keeps-coal-in-the-game/news-story/a2e43283a31e2594f3760e1422a7dfd1
Confidence amongst Australia’s mining leaders on the rise
David Hand
The Mining Business Outlook Report 2017-18 features interviews with 50 mining leaders this year reveals strong signs of revival for Australia’s mining sector.
http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=19539
NAIF: Any port in a storm
David Barnden
NAIF’s first loan – to the oil and gas industry – is an effective subsidy to accelerate climate change.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/naif-any-port-in-a-storm-25535/
The era of nuclear decommissioning
Jim Green
After a growth spurt from the 1960s to the ’90s, then 20 years of stagnation, the Era of Nuclear Decommissioning is upon us.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/era-nuclear-decommissioning-13370/
Victoria
Victorian recycling crisis hitting regions in hip pocket
Regional councils fear it could be cheaper to dump recycling in landfill than pay increased removal costs following China’s decision to ban imports of recycled goods.
https://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/politics/victorian-recycling-crisis-hitting-regions-in-hip-pocket/news-story/d87d91f1301cec9d51cececdc3ec83af
Addicted to cheap trash: the roots of our recycling crisis
http://www.theage.com.au/national/addicted-to-cheap-trash-the-roots-of-our-recycling-crisis-20180201-p4yz7u.html
West Gate Tunnel: Council’s last-ditch bid to save 744 trees, ease peak-hour traffic
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/west-gate-tunnel-council-s-last-ditch-bid-to-save-744-trees-ease-peak-hour-traffic-20180201-p4yz83.html
Victoria’s Hazelwood power plant is up for grabs on online marketplace Alibaba
http://www.theage.com.au/business/the-economy/victoria-s-hazelwood-power-plant-is-up-for-grabs-on-online-marketplace-alibaba-20180201-p4yz6q.html
Electric vehicles ‘must pay way’
Pressure is mounting for a new road user charge to apply to electric vehicles
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/bleeding-obvious-ev-owners-must-pay-their-way-says-barnaby-joyce/news-story/4036b076760e0946566164c3904d2ace
New South Wales
Australia’s first solar farm co-located with wind formally opened
Australia’s first large-scale solar farm co-located with a wind farm was formally opened on Thursday, the first of more than a dozen projects likely to follow suit within the next few years.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/australias-first-solar-farm-co-located-with-wind-formally-opened-80272/
Calls for review of fish farm after 20,000 kingfish hit marine park
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/calls-for-independent-review-of-port-stephens-fish-farm-after-20000-kingfish-hit-marine-park-20180201-h0s90l.html
NSW Coalition government hints at Liddell intervention. Seriously?
Sophie Vorrath & Giles Parkinson
NSW Premier suggests intervening in Liddell closure as way of “guaranteeing cheap and reliable electricity” for state.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/nsw-coalition-government-hints-at-liddell-intervention-seriously-22444/
Queensland
Suspicions Adani altered lab report while appealing fine for Abbot Point coal spill
Original report said to have showed more pollution flowed into sensitive Caley valley wetlands than company had alleged
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/feb/02/suspicions-adani-altered-lab-report-while-appealing-fine-for-abbot-point-coal-spill
Adani rail link: Aurizon’s request for Naif loan ‘has not been withdrawn’
Inquiry told freight operator’s request still ‘active’, placing Queensland government in a difficult position
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/feb/01/adani-rail-link-aurizons-request-for-naif-loan-has-not-been-withdrawn
Adani’s coalmine, the climate trigger and other ways Labor could kill off the project
The environmental movement hopes to persuade Bill Shorten’s party to adopt a legal strategy to stop the mine
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/feb/01/adanis-coalmine-the-climate-trigger-and-other-ways-labor-could-kill-off-the-project
Feds wedge Palaszczuk on loan
The federal ALP has declared no taxpayer funds should go to any Galilee Basin rail line.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/state-politics/federal-labor-wedges-palaszczuk-on-galilee-loan/news-story/6a3bcffdccfd45b10b0c68246ac4f69c
Boat noise could be distracting young reef fish and getting them eaten
http://www.smh.com.au/queensland/boat-noise-could-be-distracting-young-reef-fish-and-getting-them-eaten-20180201-p4yz71.html
Mankind might not be the Great Barrier Reef’s worst enemy
Noelle Neff
Though there are dissenting opinions, the global scientific community is optimistic that the damage to many of the world’s largest reef systems can be …
https://independentaustralia.net/environment/environment-display/mankind-might-not-be-the-great-barrier-reefs-worst-enemy,11147
South Australia
Stay prepared as the issues of extreme heat and livability in SA won’t go away
Trevor Nottle
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/opinion/trevor-nottle-stay-prepared-as-the-issues-of-extreme-heat-and-livability-in-sa-wont-go-away/news-story/1f2ce9561856bb743c010cbcc8d25cd7
Tasmania
Treatment plants to be rolled out as part of TasWater initiative
http://www.examiner.com.au/story/5203290/treatment-plants-to-be-rolled-out-as-part-of-taswater-initiative/?cs=95
Hobart has equal hottest January on record
Warm nights and an Australia Day long weekend heatwave were part of Hobart’s equal-hottest January on record.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/hobart-has-equal-hottest-january-on-record/news-story/e254d3ff61849bf2e7c90df7579638b3
State Election 2018: Liberals would extend fracking moratorium for another five years
http://www.themercury.com.au/news/politics/state-election-2018-liberals-would-extend-fracking-moratorium-for-another-five-years/news-story/e995a9534ed1433f9714910813687bd9
State Election 2018: Liberals commit to beef up state’s biosecurity
http://www.themercury.com.au/news/politics/state-election-2018-liberals-commit-to-beef-up-states-biosecurity/news-story/06f71bdfdb09c7b55c3f638247b958ef
Tasmanian state election: Greens promise $40m parks boost
http://www.themercury.com.au/news/politics/tasmanian-state-election-greens-promise-40m-parks-boost/news-story/0ccbb89dd4cffbdcdd3ae6f9b28244cd
State Election 2018: Liberals unveil policy to bust traffic snarls
A re-elected Liberal government would build an underground transit mall in Hobart and wrest control of the city’s busiest streets from the council in a bid to bust the capital’s traffic congestion.
http://www.themercury.com.au/news/politics/state-election-2018-liberals-unveil-policy-to-bust-traffic-snarls/news-story/c8a6515326343a138a47c796667c513e
Northern Territory
NT satirists join fracking fight for hearts and minds
A collective of cheeky and politically astute satirists are heaping pressure on the Northern Territory Government not to allow fracking to resume with a new art exhibition.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-01/top-end-satirists-join-fracking-fight-for-hearts-and-minds/9380862
Western Australia
Albany bushfire downgraded but lives and homes still at risk
A bushfire threatening lives and homes about 13 kilometres to the west of the major South West WA town of Albany is downgraded to a watch and act.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-01/bushfire-emergency-in-albany-lives-and-homes-at-risk/9385044
Sustainability
Vanuatu craft makers hoping to capitalise on plastic bag ban
Vanuatu’s ban on single-use plastic bags comes into effect today but there are concerns an influx of much cheaper imports from Asia may hit the local handicraft sector.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-01/vanuatu-craft-makers-hoping-to-capitalise-on-plastic-bag-ban/9378286
India’s farmed chickens dosed with world’s strongest antibiotics, study finds
Warning over wider global health impacts after findings reveal hundreds of tonnes of colistin – the ‘antibiotic of last resort’ – are being shipped to India’s farms
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/feb/01/indias-farmed-chickens-dosed-with-worlds-strongest-antibiotics-study-finds
Sustainable shopping: take the ‘litter’ out of glitter
https://theconversation.com/sustainable-shopping-take-the-litter-out-of-glitter-91063
We knew fertilizer contaminates water. It turns out it contaminates air, too
A dangerous pollutant that comes out of car tailpipes comes out of fertilized farm fields, too. That’s not good.
https://qz.com/1194589/weve-been-severely-underestimating-a-dangerous-type-of-air-pollution/
China puts finishing touches to three-year smog crackdown plan
China is drawing up plans for tougher curbs on smog during the three years to 2020, an environment ministry official said on Wednesday, after a five-year crackdown on pollution helped it attain air quality targets last month.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-pollution/china-puts-finishing-touches-to-three-year-smog-crackdown-plan-idUSKBN1FK095
Beware China’s ‘anti-smog tower’ and other plans to pull pollution from the air
China has a skyscraper-sized air-purification tower, London has NO2-eating paint. But are tech pollution solutions any good, or a handy distraction from the deeper issues – one that suits governments and industry alike?
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/beware-chinas-antismog-tower-and-other-plans-to-pull-pollution-from-the-air-a8179061.html
Coffee should come with cancer warnings, California lawsuit says
At least 13 companies, most recently 7-Eleven, will provide labels in their businesses.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/01/31/coffee-shops-might-display-cancer-warnings-california/1082274001/
Trump’s environmental rollbacks were fast. It could get messy in court
Legal experts say many were made without fully considering the laws and procedures governing changes, making them vulnerable to legal challenges.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/31/climate/trump-zinke-environmental-rollback.html
New method could open path to hydrogen economy
Technique efficiently generates hydrogen from water
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/wsu-nmc013118.php
Wastewater injection depth important trigger for induced quakes
A new study aiming to provide a better understanding of how injection wells in the U.S. influence earthquake activity cites wastewater injection depth, not purely rate or volume, as a critical factor.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/aaft-wid012918.php
From Cape Town to Kabul: Taps run dry in crisis cities
Water scarcity already affects more than 40 percent of the world’s population and is expected to rise due to global warming. Cities are at the forefront of the problem, as population growth increases pressure on reserves.
http://news.trust.org/item/20180131175029-qezh7/
White House seeks 72 percent cut to clean energy research, underscoring administration’s preference for fossil fuels
Document also suggests substantial cuts to Energy Department staffing.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/white-house-seeks-72-percent-cut-to-clean-energy-research-underscoring-administrations-preference-for-fossil-fuelsv/2018/01/31/c2c69350-05f3-11e8-b48c-b07fea957bd5_story.html?utm_term=.5d492a454e72
For the First Time, Renewables Produce More Electricity in the EU Than Coal
Driven by rapid growth in renewable energy in the UK and Germany, the European Union generated more electricity last year from renewable sources of energy than coal, according to a new report.
https://www.enn.com/energy/article/53797
Nature Conservation
Polar bears find it hard to catch enough food, even in the good times
A unique window into the lives of nine polar bears in the Arctic wilderness shows many bears are finding it hard to catch enough food to sustain them even in prime hunting season.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2018-02-02/polar-bears-finding-it-hard-to-catch-food-in-the-arctic/9376356
Amazon to California: Work with us on climate change
Asking about a product’s source helps curb deforestation, indigenous leaders heading for Jerry Brown’s climate summit say.
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/california-forum/article197720359.html
The disappearance of common species
Insect die-off: Even common species are becoming rare
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/tuom-tdo013118.php
Maelor Himbury