Daily Links Mar 4

‘Women would design better cities’: expert [$]
Australian cities would be safer, healthier and more friendly if designed by women, a UQ urban planning expert says. Dr Dorina Pojani is calling for more female urban planners in her new report “Sexism and the city”.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/future-brisbane/university-of-queensland-expert-says-women-would-design-better-cities/news-story/e30e3da8d771dd79b15ed26e460e4ac6

Australia’s Energy Fiasco: How do we extract ourselves from a deep hole?
Alan Pears
A diversified and distributed energy systems is feasible, but attractive – except to powerful incumbent interests and those whose thinking is trapped in the past.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/australias-energy-fiasco-how-do-we-extract-ourselves-from-a-deep-hole-11355/

Will Turnbull’s Snowy Hydro continue its war against battery storage?
Giles Parkinson
Turnbull’s purchase of Snowy Hydro means he is now both utility owner and policy maker. More concerning is that the newly purchased Snowy Hydro has a strong economic interest in preventing the battery storage market from taking off.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/will-turnbulls-snowy-hydro-continue-its-war-against-battery-storage-22125/

Airport rail plan tipped to start ‘gold rush’ [$]
A north-south rail link will be constructed from St Marys to Bringelly via western Sydney airport under a joint federal and NSW government deal to be unveiled today.
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/turnbull-and-berejikian-sign-deal-with-councils-for-north-south-rail-link/news-story/9cf0b145f41ad36fb70c2cfd23b1eb7e

Danger ruling leaves lakes site in limbo [$]
It was to be a jewel in the western Sydney landscape — a waterworld of lakes, beaches, parkland and thousands of homes created from a former quarry site. But public access to Penrith Lake is now in doubt.
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/public-denied-access-to-secret-beaches-at-penrith-lake/news-story/d215265be476cc99587a1b5d9475ef7e

Lake Tuggeranong already closed twice this year
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/lake-tuggeranong-already-closed-twice-to-algae-outbreaks-this-year-20180302-h0wx0s.html

What have the major parties been promising ahead of SA’s election
The South Australian election is fast approaching and the Labor Party, Liberal Party and Nick Xenophon’s SA Best have all been announcing policies for months. We take a look at what’s been promised so far.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-03/sa-election-what-major-parties-are-promising-ahead-of-march-17/9460654

The battle for Rapid Bay [$]
It’s a natural wonder and a site of major historical significance. Rapid Bay is also home to a quarry some would rather see the back of.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/bignell-backs-call-to-clean-up-rapid-bays-brighton-cement-limestone-mine/news-story/9bcbdd50bdd21d1998b2f40cf84230c7

Major U.S. solar company blames job cuts on Trump’s solar import tariff
SunPower has already begun a series of layoffs.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/major-u-s-solar-company-blames-job-cuts-trumps-solar-import-tariff-25439/

Trump wants a chemical industry insider to oversee the clean-up of toxic sites
The US President’s pick, Peter C. Wright, would oversee the emergency response to hazardous spills and clean-ups of the nation’s most toxic sites, many of which companies he worked with are responsible for creating.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-03/donald-trump-nominates-chemical-industry-insider-to-run-the-epa/9505726

Drought inflicts mounting losses to crops in South Africa’s Western Cape
A severe drought afflicting South Africa’s Western Cape province is expected to cut agricultural output by 20 percent this year, decimating the wheat crop and reducing apple, grape and pear exports to Europe, officials said on Thursday.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-safrica-drought/drought-inflicts-mounting-losses-to-crops-in-south-africas-western-cape-idUSKCN1GD4KJ

Smarter ideas for feeding more people and helping the environment
More food for the hungry, less space taken in landfills, less air pollution and more energy — that’s a recipe for success.
https://www.newsday.com/opinion/editorial/food-waste-new-york-state-legislature-1.16982385

Payments to protect carbon stored in forests must increase to defend against rubber
Efforts to protect tropical forests in Southeast Asia for the carbon they store may fail because protection payments are too low.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-03/uoea-ptp030118.php