Daily Links Jun 21

Climate change-related heat waves will be deadly for people who are homeless
To adequately address climate change, and the existing problems it exacerbates, we need to change the way our society fundamentally functions.
https://slate.com/technology/2018/06/climate-change-related-heat-waves-will-be-deadly-for-people-who-are-homeless.html

When life gives you global warming, make pancake ice in ocean wave models
Sea ice is retreating, the Arctic is opening up, and wave activity is increasing. What does this mean for the ocean and atmosphere? The refreezing season of autumn may have some answers.
https://oceanbites.org/pancake-ice/

Tony Abbott signals he’ll cross the floor to vote against Turnbull’s energy plan
Former PM could join Craig Kelly, who has also threatened to oppose national energy guarantee
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/jun/20/tony-abbott-signals-hell-cross-the-floor-to-vote-against-turnbulls-energy-plan

Nationals join revolt over National Energy Guarantee [$]
A revolt is brewing within the Nationals over the NEG, while Tony Abbott warns MPs could cross the floor.
https://www.afr.com/news/nationals-join-revolt-over-national-energy-guarantee-20180619-h11lof

How Australia’s coal king invests
Tony Haggarty has done it again, emerging with a big stake in the float of a coal miner this week to give him more than half a dozen holdings in the sector.
https://www.afr.com/leadership/afr-lists/rich-list/how-the-rich-invest-tony-haggarty-20180620-h11lsu

Plastic bag bans: How the alternatives stack up
For any states still able to get their hands on single-use shopping bags, the party comes to an end today in Woolworths, and on July 1 in Coles and IGA stores nationwide. So what are the best options for reusable shopping bags?
http://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2018-06-20/plastic-bag-ban-options/9874474

‘Why couldn’t we use paper bags?’ Seven questions answered about the plastic bag ban
As Woolies officially farewell single-use plastic bags, we take a look at the questions that have been left unanswered.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/couldnt-use-paper-bags-seven-questions-answered-plastic-bag-ban-082736714.html

‘Bloody con job’: Steve Price’s bizarre rant
Armed with a crumpled graph, cutlery and a dog poop bag, The Project’s Steve Price had a word or two to say about the plastic bag ban.
https://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/climate-change/steve-price-lets-fly-in-an-onair-rant-about-the-plastic-bag-ban/news-story/31d7b96af22cfa9d9461ebc04a63ff37

Skills shortage hits coal’s trajectory [$]
Skills and equipment shortages have re-emerged in the east coast mining sector.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/skills-shortage-puts-lump-in-coals-upward-trajectory/news-story/6f44bb7cd82004123164d758cb71ff6a

Native fish tell story of Australia’s less arid past
Despite the odds, new research has shown how a tiny fish managed to find its way across the arid Australian continent­ – more than once.
https://indaily.com.au/news/science-and-tech/2018/06/20/native-fish-tell-story-australias-less-arid-past/

Five ways the NEG works against consumers, and solar
Tristan Edis
Here are five ways the the NEG will penalise consumers, particularly those with rooftop solar. If it all sounds like it can’t possibly be true, it is. But it can be fixed.
https://reneweconomy.com.au/five-ways-the-neg-works-against-consumers-and-solar-11100/

Coalition makes it harder to change low-ball emissions target
Giles Parkinson
Coalition seeks to make it harder for any future government to change low-ball emissions targets, and removes option for changes with 5-years notice.
https://reneweconomy.com.au/coalition-makes-it-harder-to-change-low-ball-emissions-target-77923/

Plastic free : I squirt microbes and hope for the best
Emma Young
Part II of the series in which I shame you into joining me to do away with those sweet, sweet free bin-bags.
https://www.watoday.com.au/national/western-australia/two-weeks-perth-a-handy-guide-to-your-smug-new-plastic-bag-free-life-20180619-p4zmh5.html

Ignorance no defence in gas wars [$]
Matthew Stevens
Three years before AGL sold $2 billion of gas to exporters, a controversial deal the government has targeted, the company’s own experts had warned of a shortage.
https://www.afr.com/business/agls-own-experts-warned-of-looming-gas-shortage-before-controversial-2015-deal-20180620-h11msp

Energy mix in flux [$]
Graham Lloyd
Despite the supply risks, the argument is weighted too heavily in favour of renewables for coal to have a robust future.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/inquirer/coalfired-generation-is-facing-a-limited-lifespan-in-australia/news-story/7110fd3487345b42dacd0bb406da315a

Foley will end ‘secrecy’ around major Sydney transport projects
After a state budget that handed sweeteners to most, Opposition leader Luke Foley will deliver his response, with a focus on ending waste.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/foley-will-end-secrecy-around-major-sydney-transport-projects-20180620-p4zmof.html

NSW to fine water thieves up to $5 million
New laws governing the theft of water in NSW will include penalties and fines of up to $5 million for corporations and $500,000 for individuals.
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/nsw-to-fine-water-thieves-up-to-5-million/news-story/e9172a4dd61c27ffbbcc961c6918742d

Zero-waste mission for Sydney catering company
A Sydney catering company with a mission to be zero-waste by the end of the year is already 70 per cent there, its founder says.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-21/sydney-catering-company-to-be-zero-waste-by-the-end-of-2018/9890842

Coal-linked government fund pumps $500m into QLD renewable project
Having drawn flak as a facility to prop up coal, the fund now backs Genex Power’s Kidston pumped hydro storage and solar project.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/coal-linked-government-fund-pumps-500m-into-qld-renewable-project-20180620-p4zmo0.html

Senate to probe Great Barrier Reef grant of $444m to small charity
Inquiry will look at what the Great Barrier Reef Foundation is capable of delivering
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jun/20/senate-to-probe-great-barrier-reef-grant-of-444m-to-small-charity

Residents say Brisbane has good weather, bad public transport
People love Brisbane’s weather and loathe the public transport system but can’t decide if the overall quality of life is on the improve or decline.
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/residents-say-brisbane-has-good-weather-bad-public-transport-20180620-p4zmog.html

Bars, pubs and cafes are turning to pasta as an eco-alternative to plastic straws across Adelaide [$]
Will this be the last straw standing?
https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/thesourcesa/bars-pubs-and-cafes-are-turning-to-pasta-as-an-ecoalternative-to-plastic-straws-across-adelaide/news-story/2fedfc24e1d324d995e4a9d8cd3481e8

Woolworths plastic bag ban: Has it worked in SA and will it work nationally? [$]
The South Australian ban on thin-plastic shopping bags nine years ago looked like an immediate success, as we started taking our own cloth bags to the supermarkets or reusing the thick-plastic bags Coles and Woolworths sold us as an alternative.
https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/woolworths-plastic-bag-ban-has-it-worked-in-sa-and-will-it-work-nationally/news-story/91fc4ddfcdaae63d1c3e0f8fa0b3eb58

Remake, reuse, and recycle for sustainable art show Remade
Fashion crafted from chip packets and coffee cups will be right at home as part of Remade 2018.
https://www.examiner.com.au/story/5479018/remake-reuse-and-recycle-for-sustainable-art-show-remade/?cs=95

Boost for $500 million redevelopment [$]
A half billion dollar overhaul of the Tarraleah Power Station has moved a step closer.
https://www.themercury.com.au/news/tasmania/feasibility-study-to-move-power-stations-500-million-overhaul-a-step-closer/news-story/5c81d1f43c1538958e7575a4afecfdb4

Traditional owner says awarding native title to cattle station ‘doesn’t offer much’
Despite being awarded native title over one of the Northern Territory’s most controversial cattle stations, a newly recognised traditional owner says the determination will “do nothing substantial to help Indigenous people”.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-20/native-title-doesnt-offer-much-indigenous-people-traditional/9891338

Shock as extent of NT fracking production revealed [$]
Independent MLA Robyn Lambley said she was shocked to learn that there will be no onshore gas production in the Territory over the next five years, except from the Beetaloo Basin
https://www.ntnews.com.au/business/no-onshore-gas-production-in-the-territory-over-the-next-five-years-apart-from-the-beetaloo-basin-estimates-hearings-told/news-story/3ddffedfdb0e57cb7ffd6fffdd8c621a

How Perth dodged its own Day Zero water crisis
The doomsday scenario only narrowly avoided by South Africa’s drought-stricken Cape Town, which was facing the prospect of running out of water, is a catastrophe that could have also played out in Perth — which is similarly in the throes of a drying climate.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-21/how-perth-dodged-its-own-water-crisis-like-day-zero-in-cape-town/9891472

Wittenoom: An Australian tragedy
The town in Western Australia sprang up around a blue asbestos mine in the 1940s and ’50s.
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/stories-44535967/wittenoom-an-australian-tragedy

New river council will give traditional owners in the Kimberley a unified voice
Sue Jackson and Sarah Laborde, Griffith University
The new Martuwarra Fitzroy River Council aims to overcome a management problem faced by many traditional owners: the fact that major rivers flow through lands home to many different groups and languages.
https://theconversation.com/new-river-council-will-give-traditional-owners-in-the-kimberley-a-unified-voice-98390

UK solar power growth halves for second year running
Labour says figures show government’s commitment to green energy is ‘nothing but an empty PR move’
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jun/19/uk-solar-power-growth-halves-for-second-year-running

Li and the art of electric motorcycle evolution
The evolution of electric motorcycles is happening before our eyes, with control systems and battery designs the final barriers to yet more power and speed.
https://reneweconomy.com.au/li-art-electric-motorcycle-evolution-91065/

Electron sandwich doubles thermoelectric performance
Researchers more than doubled the ability of a material to convert heat into electricity, which could help reduce the amount of wasted heat, and thus wasted fossil fuel, in daily activities and industries.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-06/hu-esd061818.php

Most American homes are still heated with fossil fuels. It’s time to electrify
Replacing all those natural gas furnaces is going to be tricky.
https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2018/6/20/17474124/electrification-natural-gas-furnace-heat-pump

Our clothes are contaminating our planet with tiny plastic threads
Minute fibers shed from synthetic textiles are polluting oceans, streams, rivers — even the air we breathe — with unknown consequences.
https://ensia.com/features/microfibers/

Buildings as power stations — data shows they work: They generate more energy than they consume
The UK’s first energy-positive classroom, designed with research expertise from Swansea University, generated more than one and a half times the energy it consumed, according to data from its first year of operation, the team has revealed. The findings were announced as the researchers launched the next phase of their research, gathering data and evidence on an office building, constructed using similar methods.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-06/su-bap061818.php

The seed that could bring clean water to millions
Carnegie Mellon University’s Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineering Professors Bob Tilton and Todd Przybycien recently co-authored a paper with Ph.D. students Brittany Nordmark and Toni Bechtel, and alumnus John Riley, further refining a process that could soon help provide clean water to many in water-scarce regions. The process, created by Tilton’s former student and co-author Stephanie Velegol, uses sand and plant materials readily available in many developing nations.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-06/coec-tst062018.php

China just handed the world a 111-million-ton trash problem
The world’s biggest waste importer is no longer buying. So where’s all that trash going to go?
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-06-20/china-just-handed-the-world-a-111-million-ton-trash-problem

Water stressed cities
What pushes a major city like Cape Town to the brink of running out of water?
https://www.newcivilengineer.com/world-view/water-resilience-water-stressed-cities/10032215.article

Would you give up having children to save the planet? Meet the couples who have
The environmental toll of having even one child is enormous – 58.6 tonnes of carbon each year. So is going child-free the answer to our climate crisis?
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/20/give-up-having-children-couples-save-planet-climate-crisis

Talking about overpopulation is still taboo. That has to change.
Frances Kissling, Jotham Musinguzi, Peter Singer
Women across the globe need more options to take control of their fertility.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/talking-about-overpopulation-is-still-taboo-that-has-to-change/2018/06/18/ca7c1838-6e6f-11e8-afd5-778aca903bbe_story.html?utm_term=.dabb092f4083

More tigers live in US back yards than in the wild. Is this a catastrophe?
It is easier to buy a tiger in some states than to adopt a rescue dog – and only 6% of the animals are housed in approved facilities. This is bad for the big cats – and for humans
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/shortcuts/2018/jun/20/more-tigers-live-in-us-back-yards-than-in-the-wild-is-this-a-catastrophe

‘Narco-deforestation’ may boost disaster risks in Central America
Without forests to act as a natural “shield” against extreme weather, communities are becoming more vulnerable to natural disasters.
http://news.trust.org/item/20180620024033-e67cw/

The sounds of climate change
In a new study in Science Advances, researchers describe a way to quickly sift through thousands of hours of field recordings to estimate when songbirds arrive at their Arctic breeding grounds. Their research could be applied to any dataset of animal vocalizations to understand how migratory animals are responding to climate change.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-06/cu-tso061718.php

‘The entire habitat is gone’: Hawaii’s natural wonders claimed by lava
The Kilauea eruption has wiped out rare sites and whole ecosystems. As the island mourns a tragedy, it also accepts the brutal cycle of nature.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jun/20/hawaii-volcano-eruption-kilauea-natural-wonders-destroyed-kapoho-bay

Some rivers are so drug-polluted, their eels get high on cocaine
Illegal drug residues in the water could be affecting native fish.
https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/06/european-eels-on-cocaine-polluted-rivers-science-environment-animals/

Madagascar: Yet another anti-trafficking activist convicted
An activist working to stem corruption and wildlife trafficking in northeastern Madagascar was convicted and immediately released earlier this month — a tactic that has become common in the island nation and is seen as a way of cracking down on environmental activism.
https://news.mongabay.com/2018/06/madagascar-yet-another-anti-trafficking-activist-convicted/

Peru’s Bahuaja-Sonene National Park at risk over illegal mining
In Peru’s Madre de Dios region, illegal mining is everywhere.
https://news.mongabay.com/2018/06/perus-bahuaja-sonene-national-park-at-risk-over-illegal-mining/

‘Signs of hope’
There are bright spots in the world’s coral reefs, places where corals are thriving even though scientists say we’ve lost half the world’s reefs in the last three decades.
http://www.thegardenisland.com/2018/06/20/hawaii-news/signs-of-hope-2/

Shetland scallop fishery retains eco label despite dredging protests
Review rejects conservation groups’ complaints that use of dredging gear damages seabed
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jun/20/shetland-scallop-fishery-retains-eco-label-despite-dredging-protests