Daily Links May 31

Meat and fish multinationals ‘jeopardising Paris climate goals’
New index finds many of the world’s largest protein producers failing to measure or report emissions, despite accounting for 14.5% of greenhouse gases
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/30/meat-and-fish-protein-multinationals-jeopardising-paris-climate-goals

Turn up the heat, turn down the productivity
Global climate models predict a decline in ocean net primary production. This is the difference between the amount of carbon dioxide that phytoplankton take in to photosynthesize and the amount that is released by the phytoplankton during metabolism.
https://oceanbites.org/turn-up-the-heat-turn-down-the-productivity/

Zambia is stepping up efforts for a climate-resilient future
Zambia is highly vulnerable to climate change mainly because the livelihoods of its people are very dependent on natural resources.
https://reliefweb.int/report/zambia/zambia-stepping-efforts-climate-resilient-future

Is the Methane time bomb about to be released?
Ted Mead
Global warming through our excessive use of fossil fuels is undeniably before us. Whilst drastic measures around some parts of the globe are being undertaken to lessen the amount of carbon dioxide into our atmosphere, the big threat to temperature rising in the near future will be the release of the earth’s stored methane deposits
http://tasmaniantimes.com/index.php?/weblog/article/is-the-methane-time-bomb-about-to-be-released/

Renewables smash records in 2017, but 2018/19 will be bigger
CEC report details record-breaking year for solar, wind, batteries in Australia – and “just a glimpse” of unprecedented level activity expected in next two.
https://reneweconomy.com.au/renewables-smash-records-2017-2018-19-will-bigger-73136/

NEG target in crosshairs as CEC, SEC call for more ambition
Clean Energy Council and Smart Energy Council call for high emissions reduction targets, as Frydenberg promises no change to the party room.
https://reneweconomy.com.au/neg-target-in-crosshairs-as-cec-sec-call-for-more-ambition-68865/

AEMO, ARENA want to expand demand response trials
AEMO and ARENA want to expand trials to encourage use of demand response in wholesale markets and by networks.
https://reneweconomy.com.au/aemo-arena-want-to-expand-demand-response-trials-11980/

Abbott wants another say on power policy
Former prime minister Tony Abbott wants any agreement with the states on energy policy to go through the coalition party room before it becomes law.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/abbott-wants-another-power-policy-173051259–spt.html

‘Green’ and ‘blue’ bonds tipped to boom, HSBC head says
HSBC Australia’s banking chief says sustainable financing is going to grow rapidly as companies and countries look for new ways to fund their environmental and conservation projects.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/banking-and-finance/green-and-blue-bonds-tipped-to-boom-hsbc-head-says-20180530-p4zicv.html

Carbon laws ‘drive cars away’ [$]
The car industry warns that some of our most popular cars will be taken off the market under new carbon-emissions standards.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/carbon-laws-to-drive-top-cars-off-the-road/news-story/109844e23c3d5f6520b697a6bc73da71

Is Snowy 2.0’s call to can coal an own-goal?
Geoff Carmody
Increasingly, Australia’s total power supply is intermittent and either unreliable or more expensive, or both. We’ll pay more for power, not less.
http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=19762

Climate propaganda on ABC [$]
Maurice Newman
How Four Corners skewed the facts to fit its global-warming catastrophe theme.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/climate-propaganda-parades-as-science-on-your-leftist-abc/news-story/5bc01c37748e957dca19c4ca90883495

The utter insanity of a Fairfax warmist [$]
Terry McCrann
The Fairfax Media tabloid duo — The Age in Melbourne and The Sydney Morning Herald — can be relied on to produce a piece of global warming hysteria just as regularly as the wind stops blowing in South Australia.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/business/terry-mccrann/terry-mccrann-the-utter-insanity-of-a-fairfax-warmist/news-story/7f7dc93b0e2aaf15cdb6f5ed72a95d2d

Paper giant wants to burn rubbish to produce power
Australian Paper wants to turn 650,000 tonnes of rubbish into electricity at a giant new plant in Gippsland.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/paper-giant-wants-to-burn-melbourne-s-rubbish-to-produce-electricity-20180530-p4zie1.html

Yarraville residents are set to lose the land under their feet
Land beneath hundreds of homes and businesses in Yarraville bought so a toll road can be built in the inner west.
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/hundreds-of-properties-have-land-15-metres-beneath-them-acquired-for-tollway-20180530-p4zigm.html

‘No thought’: EPA boss slams oBike rollout amid new crackdown
Nial Finegan says penalties for problematic dockless share bikes will force the company to do “what it should have done in the first place”.
https://www.theage.com.au/melbourne-news/no-thought-epa-boss-slams-obike-rollout-amid-new-crackdown-20180530-p4zied.html

Safety, lack of proper lanes, turn many off cycling, says city council
Fears over safety, potential conflict with cars and pedestrians, and poorly planned bike lanes discourage many from getting on a bicycle, Melbourne City Council research has found.
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/safety-lack-of-proper-lanes-turn-many-off-cycling-says-city-council-20180530-p4zih5.html

Canningvale Timber Mill owner John Mavros in legal stoush with ex-senator Ricky Muir [$]
Dumped federal senator turned-state political candidate Ricky Muir is locked in a legal stoush with the owner of a Gippsland timber mill.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/law-order/canningvale-timber-mill-owner-john-mavros-in-legal-stoush-with-exsenator-ricky-muir/news-story/9b79c26ed79cf11f781e4004f5d3424e

Ride-on policies to encourage cycling commuters will be win for all
Matthew Keenan
In 1995 I arrived in the Netherlands chasing the dream of one day riding the Tour de France. I left dreaming that one day it would be as safe to ride a bike in Melbourne as it is in Amsterdam, Rotterdam or Utrecht.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/ride-on-policies-to-encourage-cycling-commuters-will-be-win-for-all-20180530-p4zie5.html

Feral pigs decimating cassowaries in world heritage-listed Daintree, filmmaker says
A documentary maker filming cassowaries in the world-heritage listed Daintree Rainforest says feral pig numbers are “out of control”.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-30/pigs-decimating-cassowaries-in-world-heritage-listed-daintree/9815164

Queensland researchers hope sea turtles, birds will benefit from plastic ban
The effects of Queensland’s plastic bag ban on endangered sea creatures will be closely monitored by scientists from the University of the Sunshine Coast.
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/queensland-researchers-hope-sea-turtles-birds-will-benefit-from-plastic-ban-20180530-p4ziei.html

Living eco-friendly with household products [$]
Sustainable living in the home is the name of the game at the 2018 Cairns ECOFiesta.
http://www.cairnspost.com.au/news/cairns/cairns-ecofiesta-to-showcase-sustainable-living/news-story/f9fdeb9b11623dd65569d4c59f04ff50

Council on course for greenhouse gas goal [$]
Cairns Regional Council is within a hair’s breadth of its target to halve greenhouse emissions by 2020 after notching up a 48.9?per cent reduction over nine years.
http://www.cairnspost.com.au/news/cairns/lean-green-council-machine-on-target-to-halve-greenhouse-gas/news-story/7507667da5147282270ef192711d2d26

‘Frenzy’ of land clearing [$]
The emotional slugfest over land clearing in the Far North has entered a new round after activists called approved clearances “a deforestation frenzy.”
http://www.cairnspost.com.au/news/cairns/activisits-cape-york-clearances-a-frenzy/news-story/733a9f3a9b56efe641da6eca878e9cfa

Premier pledges coal to Japan [$]
Queensland’s Premier has guaranteed ‘continuity of supply’ to coal-hungry Japan as freight monopoly Aurizon cuts exports.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/state-politics/annastacia-palaszczuk-pledges-coal-supply-to-wary-japan/news-story/0c94dfc20b4630d54eced0ab40343823

Japanese keen to restart coalmine [$]
Japan’s Sojitz plans to restart BHP’s mothballed Gregory Crinum coking coal mine in Queensland as quickly as it can.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/japanese-keen-to-restart-mothballed-gregory-crinum-coalmine/news-story/693cc1ab52793f2fbcd2afdc6e95eb4c

New Hope ‘mined area outside its Acland parameters’ [$]
One of Australia’s most contentious coalmines is under investigation amid allegations it noisily expanded its existing mining operation without seeking permission from Queensland regulators.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/new-hope-mined-area-outside-its-acland-parameters/news-story/671b0ef74517583b5f05ab01e1a5ff7b

Bombshell revelations about Cable Car Company and Tourism Tasmania
Lindsay Tuffin
What is the truth of Head of Tourism Tasmania Mr James Cretan’s investment in the Mount Wellington Cable Car Company … ?
http://tasmaniantimes.com/index.php?/weblog/article/bombshell-revelations-about-cable-car-company-and-tourism-tasmania-/

Archer Must Explain Decision not to Exit Macquarie Harbour
Rosalie Woodruff
The Liberals in government have overseen dead zones, damage to World Heritage values, and close to zero dissolved oxygen levels in the harbour. It’s a marine ecosystem in crisis.
http://tasmaniantimes.com/index.php?/weblog/article/archer-must-explain-decision-not-to-exit-macquarie-harbour/

350 year-old celery-top pine logged in Tarkine
Jenny Weber
Bob Brown Foundation is calling for an immediate end to logging in Tasmania’s Tarkine rainforests after independently and scientifically dating a logged celery top pine from the same area at 350 years old.
http://tasmaniantimes.com/index.php?/weblog/article/350-year-old-celery-top-pine-logged-in-tarkine-/

Oil and car companies are suddenly investing in electric vehicles – why?
A steady rise in gasoline prices has made the environment better for such investments, but that’s not the primary driver.
https://reneweconomy.com.au/oil-and-car-companies-are-suddenly-investing-in-electric-vehicles-why-59960/

Self-driving cars must reduce traffic fatalities by at least 75 percent to stay on the roads
The race is on for companies to present their driverless cars to the public, but recent collisions involving autonomous vehicles developed by Uber Technologies Inc. and Tesla Inc. have led consumers to questions whether these vehicles can alleviate traffic issues and increase safety. A new study published in Risk Analysis examined the question ‘How safe is safe enough for self-driving vehicles (SDVs)?’
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-05/sfra-sdc053018.php

Germany’s waste problem: Recycling isn’t enough
The EU wants to outlaw single-use plastic items. But Germany’s Environmental Minister Svenja Schulze thinks recycling efforts need improving. So what will actually help keep the environment clean?
http://www.dw.com/en/germanys-waste-problem-recycling-isnt-enough/a-43967997

Subsidies helped wind and solar mature in Europe. Now they’re thriving on their own
New renewable energy projects are counting on turning a profit without governments subsidizing their output.
https://www.vox.com/2018/5/30/17408602/solar-wind-energy-renewable-subsidy-europe

We know plastic is harming marine life. What about us?
There often are tiny bits of plastic in the fish and shellfish we eat. Scientists are racing to figure out what that means for our health.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/06/plastic-planet-health-pollution-waste-microplastics/?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=Social&utm_content=link_tw20180530ngm-microplasticshealth&utm_campaign=Content&sf190659395=1

Paris plans to cut pollution
Could the French capital provide a template for cutting pollution in other cities?
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-43925712

Kicking the car(bon) habit better for air pollution than technology revolution
Changing our lifestyles and the way we travel could have as big – if not more of an impact on CO2 transport emissions, as electric vehicles and the transport technology revolution, according to new Oxford University research. Published in Energy Efficiency, the study uses Scotland as an example and suggests that, radical lifestyle change can show quicker results than the gradual transition to Electric Vehicles and phasing out of conventional petrol and diesel vehicles.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-05/uoo-ktc053018.php

Magic in metal could help put excess carbon dioxide to good use
A University of Delaware researcher has identified a kind of magic in a metal that may be just what the doctor ordered for Planet Earth. He says the colorful metal, known as bismuth, could help reduce rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere and provide sustainable routes to making fuels.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-05/uod-mim053018.php

What Makes Us Human Podcast: Cities matter
Stephan Schmidt, associate professor of city and regional planning, asks whether cities can have a positive impact on climate change.
https://soundcloud.com/cornellcas/cities-matter

International coral study links pollution to decline in coral health
Sewage, runoff from mining, agriculture, pesticides and other pollutants can create conditions lethal to even the most robust corals.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20180529/international-coral-study-links-pollution-to-decline-in-coral-health

Can the world’s largest rewilding project restore Patagonia’s beauty?
Purchasing huge tracts of land in Chile and Argentina, former clothing tycoons Doug and Kristine Tompkins have led a quarter century-long effort to reintroduce threatened and locally extinct species to the wilds of South America
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/30/can-the-worlds-largest-rewilding-project-restore-patagonias-beauty

Getting conservationists and fishers on the same page
Historically, fisheries and the conservation community have struggled to find common ground. Now, a new online tool provides daily computer-generated maps to help fishermen target productive fishing spots while alerting them to areas likely to harbor protected species.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-05/sdsu-gca052918.php

All life on Earth, in one staggering chart
Scientists estimated the mass of all life. It’s mind boggling.
https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/5/29/17386112/all-life-on-earth-chart-weight-plants-animals-pnas

Volcanic study finds coral changes in high CO2
Scientists have been growing coral next to volcanic vents to test the effects of increased levels of marine carbon dioxide, and the results don’t look good.
https://cosmosmagazine.com/geoscience/volcanic-study-finds-coral-changes-in-high-co

Can this bird adapt to a warmer climate? Read the genes to find out
As the climate warms, some species will not be able to evolve fast enough to adapt to the new conditions. Rachael Bay examined DNA for clues as to which yellow warblers were most vulnerable.
https://theconversation.com/can-this-bird-adapt-to-a-warmer-climate-read-the-genes-to-find-out-95744

Ants provide clues to why biodiversity is higher in the tropics
New global data of invertebrate distributions suggests time holds key to species diversity.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-05/oios-apc053018.php

Oil and gas wastewater on the road could mean health and environment woes
A truck kicking up dust as it speeds down a dirt road is a typical image in country music videos. But this dust from unpaved roads is also an environmental and health hazard. To prevent dust clouds, some states treat dirt motorways with oil and gas wastewater. Now one group reports in Environmental Science & Technology that this wastewater contains harmful pollutants that have the potential to do more harm than good.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-05/acs-oag052518.php

Crowdfunded campaigns are conserving the Earth’s environment
Eduardo Gallo-Cajiao et al
While the health of the environment continues to decline globally, in most regions government funding falls short of what is required to stem the losses. Crowdfunding plays an important and under-appreciated role for biodiversity conservation.
https://theconversation.com/crowdfunded-campaigns-are-conserving-the-earths-environment-97312