Daily Links Apr 20

NOTE: Sunday is Earth Day

Low-carbon investment is moving too slowly to rein in warming, U.N. warns
Growing recognition of climate change’s economic threat has not stymied fossil fuel investments
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/low-carbon-investment-is-moving-too-slowly-to-rein-in-warming-u-n-warns/

The climate and the cross – video
An internal battle is simmering among US Christians over whether climate change is a call to protect the Earth, the work of God to be welcomed, or does not exist at all.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2018/apr/13/the-climate-and-the-cross-us-evangelical-christians-tussle-with-climate-change

The Commonwealth can kickstart a global offensive on climate change
Jacinda Ardern
The task ahead is immense, but New Zealanders know it can be achieved. We have a proud history of this kind of leadership.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/apr/18/commonwealth-global-climate-change-new-zealanders

New frontier in energy: Solar power for renters [$]
Welcome to the new frontier in the booming rooftop solar market – rental homes.
http://www.afr.com/news/new-frontier-in-energy-solar-power-for-renters-20180419-h0z009

Sparks fly over energy guarantee [$]
Major Australian companies and small businesses are struggling to cope with record electricity price hikes.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/sparks-fly-over-energy-guarantee-as-power-costs-soar/news-story/9b9636a7bf02958add0723188165e4d0

No plastic straw ban for Australia [$]
Malcolm Turnbull says plastic bans are mainly a matter for Australian states after the United Kingdom announced plans to ban plastic straws.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/no-plastic-straw-ban-for-australia/news-story/18543906f732fd352b875bab81ee44e3

Time to develop an effective recycling industry
Toby Hutcheon
The Ipswich council decision to send recyclables to landfill should prompt us to come up with a better rubbish solution.
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/time-to-develop-an-effective-recycling-industry-20180419-p4zaln.html

The recycling crisis in Australia: easy solutions to a hard problem
Ian A. MacKenzie, The University of Queensland
Ipswich residents have been told their recycling waste will now be dumped into landfill because it is too expensive for the local council to recycle.
https://theconversation.com/the-recycling-crisis-in-australia-easy-solutions-to-a-hard-problem-95231

Research Check: can baby wipes cause childhood food allergies?
Jennifer Koplin et al
In Australia, up to one in ten babies and one in 20 older children have a food allergy. In children with a food allergy, allergic reactions can be severe, and lead to hospitalisation and even, occasionally, death.

Five red line items that need to be fixed before NEG is agreed
Giles Parkinson
“Even if the Energy Security Board gives Malcolm Turnbull a Rolls Royce model of energy policy, it’s not going to be of much use to the country if he immediately seeks to put it in the garage and lock it up for 10 years.”
https://reneweconomy.com.au/five-red-line-items-that-need-to-be-fixed-before-neg-is-agreed-51224/

Is the NEG just an EIS in disguise, but with added costs?
Bruce Mountain
The NEG seeks to obscure the most valuable information obtained from a market – the price of emissions. Needless complexity and cost arises.
https://reneweconomy.com.au/neg-just-eis-disguise-added-costs-26236/

End the energy farce [$]
Kane Thornton
It is a bizarre situation where the rump of the Liberal party that is supposed to champion business is calling for energy socialism.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/opinion/energy-end-the-farce-and-get-serious-about-longterm-policy/news-story/9dcf8c1a02c68f50b5752ceb56d4def4

Chance to end climate wars: Can the NEG get up?
Peter Hannam and Cole Latimer
All you need to know about the National Energy Guarantee as state and federal ministers meet to debate its detail.
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/environment/climate-change/chance-to-end-climate-wars-can-the-neg-get-up-20180419-p4zaiu.html

CCS: Throwing good money after bad pollution could be improper use of public funds
Bronya Lipski
Given the known failures of carbon capture and storage, investing in such technologies could amount to improper use of public funds.
https://reneweconomy.com.au/ccs-throwing-good-money-after-bad-pollution-could-be-improper-use-of-public-funds-63594/

Bigger networks, bigger Snowy: Silver bullets or white elephants?
Alan Pears
This summer has exposed yet another aspect of the fragility of our traditional electricity grid, with several failures in local distribution networks—the so-called ‘poles and wires’.
https://reneweconomy.com.au/bigger-networks-bigger-snowy-silver-bullets-white-elephants-71309/

My town is so green there’s no plastic, so why is my tree covered in it?
Brigid Delaney
When my editor asked me to live without plastic, I knew it would be easy. Except for the mystery of my tree
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/apr/19/my-town-is-so-green-theres-no-plastic-so-why-is-my-tree-covered-in-it

Frydenberg presses forward against energy snipers [$]
Phillip Coorey
The energy minister has tirelessly pushed for a bipartisan end to a long-running policy disaster movie. That’s irritated his fellow conservatives.
http://www.afr.com/news/frydenbergs-big-energy-moment-bucketed-by-abbott-and-credlin-20180418-h0ywzt

Frydenberg’s big day out [$]
Jennifer Hewett
Mark your calendars. Can Australia finally start the long climb out of the morass that has characterised Australia’s energy policy for well over a decade?
http://www.afr.com/opinion/columnists/why-the-electricity-industry-is-willing-josh-frydenberg-on-20180419-h0yyu9

We need power, let’s have passion [$]
David Leyonhjelm
NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro is right … nuclear energy is inevitable in Australia.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/australia-is-the-only-g20-country-without-nuclear-power-why/news-story/311cf10e814a504df9b04d0f0e5bda56

Wind ‘powers’ just national insanity [$]
Terry McCrann.
South Australia’s and Victoria’s wind power generators might have the capacity to contribute, but Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg and other fans are foolish to think it’s significant
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/business/terry-mccrann/terry-mccrann-wind-turbines-delivering-next-nothing-to-grid-despite-hysteria/news-story/5dd26bbd13bce8a322077498633074f3

Wild dog trap restrictions attacked as a threat to stock [$]
Wild dog controllers have been banned from using large-jawed traps, which farmers say will hamper their ability to capture some of the state’s worst sheep and cattle killers.
https://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/national/wild-dog-trap-restrictions-attacked-as-a-threat-to-stock/news-story/7ca3bf01f456b8270a195f281ca55106

Push for controversial waste-to-energy centre at Fishermans Bend
Melbourne could be burning its waste for energy within a decade, as a booming population and China’s ban on accepting recycling combine to force more drastic steps to tackle the city’s mounting rubbish problem.
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/push-for-controversial-waste-to-energy-centre-at-fishermans-bend-20180419-p4zaly.html

We can afford better public transport – if we stop building freeways
Daniel Bowen
There was a time not so long ago when Melbourne’s CBD was largely dead outside working hours. Nowadays, the CBD is booming every day.
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/comment/we-can-afford-better-public-transport-if-we-stop-building-freeways-20180419-p4zaj0.html

Container deposits killing cross-border shops [$]
NSW retailers dotted along the border of the state are suffering under the container deposit scheme, which is encouraging their customers to drive across the border to buy cheaper drinks and then stock up on groceries.
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/business/container-deposits-killing-crossborder-shops/news-story/40c12d91ce2abcb86d7b4dff293dba9a

National Capital Authority concerned over light rail stage two route
Canberra’s iconic Parliament House vista could become a giant bottleneck if two lanes of traffic are permanently closed for light rail, the National Capital Authority has warned.
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/national-capital-authority-concerned-over-light-rail-stage-two-route-20180419-p4zakx.html

Recycling centre employing people with disabilities fears for jobs amid import ban
A Bundaberg recycling centre that employs 27 people with disabilities says jobs are on the line because it cannot find a buyer for its product, including 100 tonnes of soft plastic that is now headed for landfill.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-19/recycling-ban-begins-bite-with-stockpiles-and-job-loss-fears-qld/9676400

Ipswich could stockpile its recycling instead of sending to landfill: Trad
The Queensland government is bringing forward its waste levy, which will be included in the budget, to deal with recycling saga sparked by China’s ban.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/queensland/ipswich-could-stockpile-its-recycling-instead-of-sending-to-landfill-trad-20180419-p4zako.html

What is going on in Queensland with recycling?
As the Ipswich council, west of Brisbane, announces all recycling for the city will be sent straight to landfill, both the industry and the Queensland Government are worried the move could undermine people’s faith in recycling. What’s the problem and what needs to change?
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-20/ipswich-dumps-recycling-so-what-is-going-on-in-queensland/9677560

Councils vow to continue recycling [$]
Southeast Queensland’s biggest councils have vowed to continue their recycling operations following Ipswich’s shock decision to scrap their yellow top bin recycling program
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/major-queensland-councils-vow-to-continue-recycling-operations/news-story/b9552b86e9cec1af26bb22b8b3513884

Keeping Ipswich’s recycling program would cost ratepayers 59c extra per week
Ipswich City Council said it needed to dump its yellow-lid recycling into landfill, or ratepayers could face an up to 2 per cent rate rise.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/queensland/keeping-ipswich-s-recycling-program-would-cost-ratepayers-59c-extra-per-week-20180419-p4zai5.html

State intervenes in recycling plan [$]
The Qld government will reintroduce a waste levy to help pay for recycling programs after Ipswich council stopped its own.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/ipswich-council-defends-dumping-recycling/news-story/9f4fb6a61da334b4e330ac6895488c00

Why we’re confused about pizza boxes [$]
Ipswich City Council’s decision to end recycling and take waste from yellow-top bins to landfill has left many confused about what exactly can be recycled. Pizza boxes: yes or no?
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/queensland-council-stops-recycling-and-now-were-all-confused/news-story/caa80fa81fe0845fea8700061569d670

Stop Adani protesters target Q&A [$]
Meanwhile, Adani has stopped any public announcements on the setting of deadlines for its Carmichael coal project to avoid giving activists an opportunity to target the company’s activities.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/queensland-government/stop-adani-protesters-target-qa/news-story/9c0139964936af25ae85a91505bdd56f

Great Barrier Reef corals can survive global warming for another century
Corals in the Great Barrier Reef have enough genetic variation to adapt to and survive rising ocean temperatures for at least another century, or more than 50 years longer than previous estimates have suggested.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-04/uota-gbr041318.php

Since 2016, Half of All Coral in the Great Barrier Reef Has Died
A new study warns it has become a “highly altered, degraded system.”
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/04/since-2016-half-the-coral-in-the-great-barrier-reef-has-perished/558302/

SA “plastic eating” invention could ease recycling crisis
As nations around the globe search for new ways of handling waste following China’s decision to stop processing the world’s rubbish, a South Australian man is searching for investors to help build a commercial system that converts waste plastic into biogas.
https://indaily.com.au/news/business/2018/04/19/sa-plastic-eatinginvention-ease-recycling-crisis/

Senator’s call to open the Coorong to ocean [$]
The Coorong “is dying”, Senator David Leyonhjelm has told the Productivity Commission, adding that it is “stagnant, highly saline and stinking”.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/controversial-senator-david-leyonhjelm-claims-the-coorong-is-dying-and-we-should-give-up-on-the-murray-mouth/news-story/95a5dbb7a749239b56dc6d150dc299e9

Fire Danger Season extended in Mount Lofty Ranges [$]
An unseasonably hot and dry Autumn has prompted the CFS to extend the fire danger season in the Mount Lofty Ranges by 15 days.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/fire-danger-season-extended-in-mount-lofty-ranges/news-story/f83808a674788e023842fb9bb0198cc4

$1m grant to brewery has nothing to do with Tasmanian cable car, Government says
The Greens’ linking of a $1 million grant to the Mount Wellington cable car project is a “wacky conspiracy theory”, the Tasmanian Government says.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-19/greens-raise-questions-over-cub-grant/9675234

Recycling ‘crisis’ could see rates rise across state: LGAT
China’s new ban on certain types of recyclable waste could cost Tasmanian councils “many hundreds of thousands of dollars”, slugging ratepayers in the process, the state’s peak local government body says.
https://www.examiner.com.au/story/5352409/recycling-crisis-could-see-rates-rise-across-state-lgat/?cs=95

‘People are scared’: NT residents given bottled water after lead found
Indigenous residents in the Northern Territory mining town of Borroloola are calling on the Health Department to blood test families, amid revelations their water supply has been contaminated with lead.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-20/borroloola-water-supply-tests-positive-to-lead-contamination/9677638

Internal Labor Party divisions emerge over NT fracking decision
Labor Senator Malarndirri McCarthy says her office has been inundated with angry constituents, who did not have a chance to respond to the inquiry’s recommendation that fracking could be done safely.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-19/labor-divisions-emerge-over-nt-fracking-decision/9674702

Water price fight looming [$]
Putting a price on water for one industry could have unintended consequences including starting bidding wars disadvantaging the NT’s agricultural sector, the Chief Minister warns
http://www.ntnews.com.au/news/northern-territory/fears-that-fracking-decision-may-lead-to-water-bidding-war/news-story/e9714f0d175b06682ab2e2105b35e549

Questions raised over McGowan Government renewable energy deal
Paul Murray
If an investment fund owned by trade unions which oppose the privatisation of publicly owned assets buys some from a Labor government which was elected on the promise it would not sell off its energy assets, is it still privatisation?
https://thewest.com.au/opinion/paul-murray/questions-raised-over-mcgowan-government-renewable-energy-deal-ng-b88808929z

The world is sending tons of illegal, electronic waste to Nigeria: Report
Thousands of tons of pollution-filled e-waste are shipped illegally to Nigeria each year, and most of it is coming from Europe, according to a study released today.
http://www.ehn.org/how-much-e-waste-is-shipped-to-nigeria-2561214315.html

How the world made macro strides in curbing microbeads
Before a U.S. ban on the tiny plastic exfoliants, an estimated 3 trillion microbeads found their way into American waterways and other habitats each year. Britain, Canada, and New Zealand have since passed similar bans.
https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Progress-Watch/2018/0418/How-the-world-made-macro-strides-in-curbing-microbeads

Report finds offshore wind turbines not as dangerous for seabirds as thought
The risk of seabirds colliding with offshore wind turbines is less than half what was previously thought, according to a landmark new report.
https://www.scotsman.com/news/environment/report-finds-offshore-wind-turbines-not-as-dangerous-for-seabirds-as-thought-1-4726627

Israel minister seeks end to coal, diesel and gasoline by 2030
Israel’s energy minister unveiled an ambitious plan to end all coal-fired production of electricity and halt imports of gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles by 2030 in a bid to eradicate most of the country’s air pollution.
https://www.bna.com/israel-minister-seeks-n57982091179/

Scientists discover moss that filters arsenic out of water, making it safe to drink
Scientists in Sweden have discovered a moss that purifies water contaminated with poisonous arsenic so successfully that it becomes safe to drink.
https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/moss-arsenic-environment-sweden-mining-stokholm-maria-greger-phytofiltration-a8311311.html

Sustainable shopping: tap water is best, but what bottle should you drink it from?
Trevor Thornton, Deakin University and Simon Lockrey, RMIT University
We all know that tap water is better than buying bottled water, from an environmental standpoint at least. But what should you drink it out of? A single-use bottle, used multiple times, might be best.
https://theconversation.com/sustainable-shopping-tap-water-is-best-but-what-bottle-should-you-drink-it-from-92931

Cities and Communities in the US Losing 36 Million Trees a Year
Nationally, urban/community tree cover declined from 42.9 percent to 42.2 percent between 2009-2014. This translates to losing an estimated 36 million trees or approximately 175,000 acres of tree …
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180418141323.htm

Why this insurer wants to put the spotlight on growing ‘ocean risk’
Chip Cunliffe, director for sustainable development at XL Catlin, a global insurance and reinsurance group, explains why his company is hosting the first-ever Ocean Risk Summit in May and what it hopes to accomplish.
https://www.newsdeeply.com/oceans/community/2018/04/19/why-this-insurer-wants-to-put-the-spotlight-on-growing-ocean-risk

Amazon reef is huge — and under threat from Total oil drilling
A reef at the mouth of the Amazon is almost six times larger than initial reports, scientists say — meaning the recently discovered site is threatened by proposed oil drilling.
http://www.dw.com/en/amazon-reef-is-huge-and-under-threat-from-total-oil-drilling/a-43432754