Daily Links May 27

Scientists track major freshwater change
“What we are witnessing is major hydrologic change,’ they said. Over 14 years, Earth’s wet land areas got wetter. Dry areas got drier.”
http://earthsky.org/earth/satellites-map-14-years-global-freshwater-change

Emails show cooperation among EPA, climate-change deniers
Newly released emails show senior Environmental Protection Agency officials working closely with a conservative group that dismisses climate change to rally like-minded people for public hearings on science and global warming, counter negative news coverage and tout Administrator Scott Pruitt’s stewardship of the agency.
https://apnews.com/amp/64cd37b0503440c0b92e6ca075f87dd4?__twitter_impression=true

Taking stock of climate change impacts: how many Puerto Rican lives did Hurricane Maria take?
The 2018 hurricane season is now upon us, even while millions of people residing in hurricane alley – the large swath of ocean stretching from Africa to North America – are still recovering from the hyperactive, catastrophic 2017 hurricane season
http://www.climatesciencewatch.org/2018/05/24/taking-stock-of-climate-change-impacts-how-many-puerto-rican-lives-did-hurricane-maria-take-we-dont-know-for-sure-and-the-death-toll-is-still-climbing/

Commuters next to light rail route more likely to travel to Civic
The light rail may be months away, but Gungahlin and inner north residents already are more likely to commute along the corridor than to anywhere else.
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/national/act/commuters-next-to-light-rail-route-more-likely-to-travel-to-civic-20180524-p4zh83.html

Barilaro’s sympathy for brumbies is misplaced
Canberra Times editorial
While it is not hard to see where Deputy NSW Premier, Steve Barilaro, is coming from with his decision to abandon plans for the controlled culling of brumbies in the Kosciusko National Park that doesn’t mean he is right.
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/politics/act/barilaro-s-sympathy-for-brumbies-is-misplaced-20180525-p4zhk4.html

Pet dogs could soon be banned from areas near Queensland koala habitats
Dogs could be banned around some Queensland koala habitats if the recommendation from a panel of experts is adopted by the state government.
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/pet-dogs-could-soon-be-banned-from-areas-near-queensland-koala-habitats-20180524-p4zhbw.html

Government allocates $1m to eradicate Far North Queensland’s feral pig threat to banana industry [$]
A $1 MILLION blitzkrieg on the Queensland feral pig will begin in a few weeks as the State Government moves to protect the nation’s banana crop from a potentially devastating biosecurity threat.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/queensland-government/queensland-government-allocates-1m-to-eradicate-far-norths-feral-pig-threat-to-banana-industry/news-story/7134df37e13dd93996ac1b2ed71a0d27

‘Carpinator’ hits back at the carping [$]
The “Carpinator”, entrusted with ridding the River Murray of the invasive European carp, has hit back at claims his strategy will lead to greater problems.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/aussie-scientist-in-charge-of-carp-control-dismisses-research-predicting-carpageddon/news-story/ba8909390585726f1bced24172d2dc6aous

Burn-off program defended in wake of major WA bushfires
Bushfires in WA’s south spark a blame game between farmers and authorities with many questioning why prescribed burns were conducted, despite an unfavourable weather forecast and multiple warnings that conditions were about to change.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-26/albany-bushfire-burn-off-defended/9802094

Great Southern fires: University professors say WA needs ‘total rethink’ on prescribed burning
A group of WA university professors has called for a total overhaul of the State’s prescribed burning program, claiming the practice of broad-scale burn-offs was endangering biodiversity and lives.
https://thewest.com.au/news/wa/great-southern-fires-university-professors-say-wa-needs-total-rethink-on-prescribed-burning-ng-b88847349z

Calls for scepticism on self-driving cars amid bus firm roll-out
The safety benefits of autonomous vehicles have been overstated, with a widely-held belief that the technology will avoid 90 per cent of road deaths yet to be proven, a new report warns.
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/calls-for-scepticism-on-self-driving-cars-amid-bus-firm-roll-out-20180524-p4zhdp.html

McDonald’s shareholders vote to keep plastic straws
A proposal asking for a report about the business risks of using plastic straws was voted down at the shareholders’ meeting on Thursday.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2018/05/24/mcdonalds-shareholders-vote-keep-plastic-straws/640916002/

Rebooting food
Welcome to the brave new world of food, where scientists are battling a global time-bomb of climate change, water scarcity, population growth and soaring obesity rates to find new ways to feed the future.
http://news.trust.org/shorthand/rebooting-food/

British entrepreneur hopes to fight plastic pollution
A British entrepreneur is hoping to help fight plastic pollution in oceans, by developing a water bottle made from paper which will break down within hours, leaving no harmful substances. 
https://news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d414f796b6a4e77457a6333566d54/share_p.html

Tanzania’s biggest wildlife reserve under threat
Despite major backlash from conservationists, the Tanzanian government plans to start building a hydropower dam inside a UNESCO-protected wildlife reserve this July. More than 2.6 million trees face the chop.
http://www.dw.com/en/tanzanias-biggest-wildlife-reserve-under-threat/a-43902762

Unmapped roads raise risk to Southeast Asian rainforests: study
Forests in parts of Southeast Asia face greater threats than previously thought because researchers often rely on data that ignores new roads, which are precursors to deforestation and development, a study shows.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-asia-deforestation-roads/unmapped-roads-raise-risk-to-southeast-asian-rainforests-study-idUSKCN1IQ16L

Northumberland puffin numbers ‘may be down’
Numbers of puffins on the UK’s remote Farne Islands may be down 12% in the last five years, the National Trust has warned as it takes its latest census of the seabirds.
http://www.itv.com/news/tyne-tees/2018-05-24/northumberland-puffin-numbers-may-be-down/

Illegal loggers ‘cook the books’ to harvest Amazon’s most valuable tree
Brazilian loggers have faked forest inventories and issued phony timber credits to harvest Ipê trees exported to U.S. and Europe. Importers often turn a blind eye, says a new report.
https://news.mongabay.com/2018/05/illegal-loggers-cook-the-books-to-harvest-amazons-most-valuable-tree/

Europe’s neonic ban is a big step—but it won’t be a cure-all for bees
Doug Gurian-Sherman
Allowing farmers to trade one insecticide for another probably won’t deliver substantial, lasting gains.
https://civileats.com/2018/05/24/europes-neonic-ban-is-a-big-step-but-it-wont-be-a-cure-all-for-bees/