Daily Links Apr 11

Hotter, longer, more frequent — marine heatwaves on the rise
We know heatwaves over land have been increasing, but now new research reveals globally marine heatwaves have also been increasing in length, number and intensity over the past century. More intriguing still, this trend has accelerated markedly since 1982.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-04/uons-hlm040918.php

10 teams advance in international carbon dioxide competition
A $20 million international competition to make profitable products from a gas that otherwise would contribute to global warming has entered its final stretch.
https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/pollution-products-co2-competition-enters-final-round-54336940

Why Turnbull will “never” back renewables
Smart Energy Council CEO says PM Turnbull will never support a policy that boosts renewables, tackles climate, or rolls back the predominance of coal. Here’s why.
https://reneweconomy.com.au/why-turnbull-will-never-back-renewables-29545/

Frydenberg to warn Abbott allies against ‘extreme ideologies’ on energy
Energy minister says sensible, market-based solutions needed to stave off policy paralysis
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/apr/11/frydenberg-to-warn-abbott-allies-against-extreme-ideologies-on-energy

Coal industry and Coalition’s fear campaign against renewables gaining traction
New polling shows campaign by coal industry and Coalition against renewables is showing signs of gaining traction.
https://reneweconomy.com.au/coal-industry-and-coalitions-fear-campaign-against-renewables-gaining-traction-52298/

Too many cars, too few supermarkets: how Australia’s cities really stack up
Magazines may gush about the ‘liveability’ of Australian cities, but new data shows big disparities in transport, rents and health
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/apr/10/too-many-cars-too-few-supermarkets-how-australias-cities-really-stack-up-liveable

Holding pattern for climate change [$]
Long-term drought forced a re-think of farming methods
https://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/agribusiness/on-farm/climate-change-drought-forces-farming-methods-rethink/news-story/a4004a5e85fa742f8d5f44a7a6ac3128

Their sport is banned in three states. Meet a duck hunter
Dean Rundell knows many people think he and his duck hunting mates are just “bogans with guns” who celebrate animal cruelty. But what really motivates a man to shoot birds out of the sky?
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-11/duck-hunting-on-lake-connewarre/9591250

Fears ‘clean coal’ study just hot hair [$]
Barnaby Joyce’s push for a $5 million “clean coal” power station feasibility study is still being considered by Cabinet.
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/cabinet-still-to-approve-barnaby-joyces-5-million-clean-coal-power-station-feasibility-study/news-story/08ed5993acac5e90226a50c8dc2bb4d4

Why Australia’s wind and solar market could grind to a halt
Giles Parkinson
Recent surge in large scale wind and solar projects will quickly come to an end – regardless of policy – because Australia’s emissions reduction targets are so weak, and because the Coalition is so determined to defend coal.
https://reneweconomy.com.au/why-australias-wind-and-solar-market-could-grind-to-a-halt-22916/

The struggle for power [$]
Graham Lloyd
Australia needs a comprehensive national energy plan and less hot air.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/inquirer/the-struggle-for-power/news-story/bf0e4f2d517ffdd9d592834a9cc69b71

Energy-rich nation without a plan [$]
Australian editorial
Canberra and the states have failed to manage electricity.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/editorials/our-energyrich-nation-in-transition-without-a-plan/news-story/6fcfb5f14be0b41fd05a4e7d12243d0b

The ACCC and Liddell: Just opinion and no facts
 David Shearman
AGL is filling the role abdicated by the Turnbull Government and the ACCC by recognising the disastrous effects of coal on human health.
https://independentaustralia.net/environment/environment-display/the-accc-and-liddell-just-opinion-and-no-facts,11383

Government and opposition pledge more station parking
Both the state government and the opposition announced millions of dollars for more car spots at train stations.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/same-track-different-lines-state-government-and-opposition-pledge-more-station-parking-20180410-p4z8ph.html

South Melbourne market to ban plastic bags from Wednesday
The South Melbourne Market will ban single-use plastic bags on Wednesday, with customers told to bring their own.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/south-melbourne-market-to-ban-plastic-bags-from-wednesday-20180409-p4z8ms.html

Hopes pipeline can finally put out peat fires in state’s south-west
It’s 74 hectares and is, in parts, seven metres deep. Now firefighters hope a four-kilometre pipeline will finally put out a peat fire that has been burning in the state’s south-west for almost a month.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/hopes-pipeline-can-finally-put-out-peat-fires-in-state-s-south-west-20180410-p4z8pt.html

How to avoid campsite violence: an expert’s guide to etiquette
Camping can be a relaxing time away with family but sometimes it goes horribly wrong
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/how-to-avoid-campsite-violence-an-expert-s-guide-to-etiquette-20180405-p4z7vt.html

The Menindee Lakes project: who loses and who really wins?
The Murray-Darling authority questions the plan to shrink Menindee Lakes and its impact on communities, the environment and those downstream
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/apr/11/the-menindee-lakes-project-who-loses-and-who-really-wins

Liddell closure: Power bills up $500 a year [$]
NSW consumers will be slugged an extra $500 a year for power when energy giant AGL shuts its coal-fired Liddell power station, modelling has shown.
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/liddell-power-station-closure-to-push-power-bills-up-by-500-a-year/news-story/4fae1f9d16d12d35d88dde5e6ee51e2c

Liddell must stay — power to the people [$]
Terry McCrann.
Last year the Victorian Labor Government allowed the Hazelwood power station to close and the wholesale price of electricity in Victoria promptly doubled and has stayed doubled ever since
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/business/terry-mccrann/terry-mccrann-liddell-plant-must-stay-to-give-power-to-the-people/news-story/98a1fe626144526e2481bd1b818f35dc

More power to people, please [$]
Telegraph editorial
‘So, are you with us?” asks a bearded fellow in AGL’s television commercials, promoting the ­energy giant’s move away from coal to a greater use of renewable power sources. It’s an interesting question, particularly in light of the latest assessment of future electricity prices in NSW.
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/the-daily-telegraph-editorial-more-power-to-people-please/news-story/dfad369bc7501e413dfd24233bee3450

The light rail’s a mess. It’s time to cut our losses [$]
Miranda Devine
We got rid of trams 70 years ago to ease congestion, so it makes no sense to continue with the disaster plagued light rail. It’s time to abandon this white elephant and get our streets back.
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/rendezview/the-light-rail-is-a-mess-its-time-to-cut-our-losses/news-story/5a8ae0853cdcd363930acf3fe2bfe096

‘Very rare’ win against gas company for serious harm sounds a warning
The successful prosecution of Linc Energy for serious environmental harm is “very rare” and puts Queensland industry firmly on notice, an environmental lawyer says.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-10/gas-company-court-ruling-sounds-a-warning-lawyer-says/9637874

Great Barrier Reef: conservationists campaign for net-free zone to protect dugongs
WWF-Australia wants to buy 600m net, which would effectively end gillnetting in area
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/apr/10/great-barrier-reef-conservationists-campaign-for-net-free-zone-to-protect-dugongs

‘Dancing around truth’ on Adani [$]
Environmentalist Geoff Cousins says Bill Shorten has ‘dodged’ questions about his stance on the coal mine.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/bill-shorten-dancing-around-truth-on-adani-geoff-cousins-says/news-story/d23e7d7e96cb43fc172aca82f46d4575

Graziers strive to help furry friends [$]
A rare gliding possum has been identified a key factor in helping improve grazing practices across the Wet Tropics region.
http://www.cairnspost.com.au/news/far-north-queensland-landholders-work-to-better-protect-the-endangered-mahogany-glider/news-story/0e4b1b263cf724159e6f06ebc055d324

Get lowdown on defeating yellow crazy ants [$]
A series of field sessions this month will assist local sugarcane growers to protect their crops against the spread of yellow crazy ants.
http://www.cairnspost.com.au/news/cane-growers-enlisted-in-fight-against-yellow-crazy-ants/news-story/7a186a12d806b8f820cbdd0550fccbea

Protest rally on new laws [$]
Far North Queensland farmers and industry leaders will step out to voice their concerns about the Palaszczuk Government’s proposed vegetation management laws by holding a rally in Cairns on Friday.
http://www.cairnspost.com.au/news/cairns-rally-to-call-for-flawed-vegetation-laws-to-be-rejected/news-story/2dcbbd56c75e913ff950f314112ec829

Tensions run high over soaring road bill [$]
Michael Wray
As commuters cry out for a fix on the M1, our politicians can’t work out who pay
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/insight/m1-pacific-motorway-funding-breakthrough-means-hope-at-hand/news-story/8a821b36562259696c9e73ad999e72cb

SA bracing for severe bushfire risk
South Australia is bracing for a day of high fire risk on Wednesday with severe conditions in at least 10 districts.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/south-australia-on-bushfire-alert/news-story/a4595171d894f31a49f29b18dbf6e9b2

86,000 native animals culled in one year [$]
Tens of thousands of native animals causing a nuisance for farmers, councils, businesses and the public are being put down.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/sas-rare-and-endangered-native-wildlife-culled-by-86250-in-20162017/news-story/98d84202ba9cb976b591f0bb9a558736

A nuclear dump? Show us the money first [$]
The Federal Government needs to provide more information on financial rewards and jobs before Kimba locals approve a radioactive waste facility, the town’s mayor says.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/nuclear-waste-dump-proposed-for-eyre-peninsula-town-kimba-but-mayor-says-money-and-job-information-needed-before-approval/news-story/73cc24418b2fe9d13e40f58dbcf58aa2

Questions over plans for luxury heli-fishing venture in Tasmania’s Central Highlands
Anglers and the Wilderness Society are raising questions about plans for a luxury “heli-fishing” venture on Halls Island in Tasmania’s Central Highlands.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-11/tas-anger-over-fly-fishing-proposal-in-wha/9636466

Housing to swallow yet another of Perth’s threatened banksia woodlands
Western suburbs residents are gutted that yet another swathe of woodland nationally listed as ‘threatened’, home to species nationally listed as ‘endangered’, faces the developer’s bulldozer.
http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/housing-to-swallow-yet-another-of-perth-s-threatened-banksia-woodlands-20180409-p4z8n0.html

Perovskite technology is scalable, but questions remain about the best methods
As perovskite solar cells set efficiency records and the nascent technology becomes more stable, another major challenge remains: the issue of scalability, according to researchers at the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-04/drel-pti041018.php

High efficiency solar power conversion allowed by a novel composite material
A composite thin film made of two different inorganic oxide materials significantly improves the performance of solar cells.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-04/indl-hes040918.php

Your future home might be powered by car batteries
It was a light-bulb moment for a tinkerer in the countryside outside Dublin.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-08/cities-running-on-car-batteries-just-so-crazy-it-might-work

South Florida nuclear site to expand despite sea level rise projections
Sea level rise projections show the Turkey Point facility could be in danger, but the South Florida nuclear site will expand anyway.
https://weather.com/news/news/2018-04-09-turkey-point-nuclear-reactor-expansion-homestead

Coal Baron: Subsidize coal ‘to make sure Grandma doesn’t die on the operating table’
Bob Murray, who has heavily influenced the Trump administration’s energy stances, said climate change is only an issue of “political correctness.”
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bob-murray-bne_us_5acc1ef1e4b09d0a1196b85e?fufd

Is plastic waste poisoning our seafood?
The massive amounts of plastic trash in marine environments may be leading to toxic metals entering the food chain.
https://psmag.com/environment/is-plastic-poisoning-our-oci

Uranium threat: Green activists detained by cops in India
A team of environment and human rights activists led by senior chemical scientist and environment expert Dr K Babu Rao was invited by locals for support.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/amaravati/uranium-threat-green-activists-detained-by-cops/articleshow/63692078.cms

Plan needed to get children back outside
Examiner editorial
Gone are the days where children play outside until the street lights come on.
http://www.examiner.com.au/story/5334184/plan-needed-to-get-children-back-outside/?cs=97

WSU project could save honey bees from collapse
Honey bees have a brighter future, thanks to promising research at Washington State University.
http://www.king5.com/article/news/local/wsu-project-could-save-honey-bees-from-collapse/281-536742867