Daily Links Jun 25

Top Post
New gene technology backed by US military could ‘edit entire wild species’
Gene drives have the potential to eradicate feral mice and malaria. But scientists are treading carefully, warning the radical new science could have unintended consequences.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2018-06-24/gene-drives-feral-science-or-feral-solution/9896452

Today’s Celebration
Fatherland Liberation War Day (Start of Korean War) – North Korea
Independence Day – Mozambique
National Day – Slovenia
Statehood Day – Croatia
Day of the Seafarer – http://www.imo.org/About/Events/Pages/Day-of-the-Seafarer.aspx
Global Beatles Day – https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/global-beatles-day/
More about Jun 25 – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_25

Climate Change
A prophet of doom was right about the climate
Thirty years after a NASA scientist warned Congress the planet was warming, lawmakers have taken no action remotely commensurate with the threat.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/23/opinion/sunday/james-e-hansen-climate-global-warming.html

Looking for signs of global warming? They’re all around you
These days, plants and animals are arriving at Colorado’s Rocky Mountain Biological Lab a week or two earlier than they were 30 years ago.
http://www.ehn.org/looking-for-signs-of-global-warming-theyre-all-around-you-2580836131.html

National
Consumer products giant calls for Australia to step up war on plastic pollution
Multinational Unilever, one of the world’s biggest consumer products companies says it is being held back in the push to deliver more sustainable packaging.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-24/consumer-products-giant-calls-for-step-up-in-war-on-plastics/9902612

Coalition elders fire up for coal [$]
Coalition elder statesmen are urging the government to support coal-fired power as they seek to avoid new government infighting.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/coalition-elders-fire-up-for-coalfired-power-seek-to-end-infighting/news-story/939186e79f2dcb63ebacc6ca9c3c1e5c

Power price caps hurt consumers [$]
Paul Kerin
Price caps make the electricity market less efficient and ultimately make consumers worse off.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/why-power-price-caps-are-a-bad-idea-they-hurt-consumers/news-story/5877ee3614afa46326821693cca727ab

A worthy energy system for nation [$]
Josh Frydenberg
The community supports the national energy guarantee, which will deliver cleaner, cheaper and more reliable energy.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/australia-finally-gets-the-national-energy-system-it-deserves/news-story/bfd345578e7c0966ef8fd2bb6f591b01

Energy policies shafted consumers [$]
Ron Boswell
Government has for too long concentrated on meeting the needs of the supply industry through various subsidies
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/energy-policy-must-focus-on-lowcost-power-for-consumers/news-story/4a9b69029a008dd7a3be0b7cbdf4941b

Badly drafted foreign agent laws will snare charities
David Crosbie
Targeting everyday registered charities that are simply pursuing their charitable purpose is a waste of everyone’s time, effort and resources
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/badly-drafted-foreign-agent-laws-will-snare-charities-20180624-p4znfh.html

Forrest plan earns ‘strategic’ status [$]
Matthew Stevens
NSW should not be alone in expressing a productive scepticism about the Australian Energy Market Operator’s latest forecasts.
https://www.afr.com/business/nsw-backs-forrest-gas-plan-20180624-h11sjk

Acceptance is fine, but farmers need climate action
Anika Molesworth
On my family’s sheep station near Broken Hill, we are no strangers to using water resources wisely in a naturally arid climate. But the region’s prolonged drought is stretching our community’s resilience to the limit.
https://www.examiner.com.au/story/5481738/acceptance-is-fine-but-farmers-need-climate-action/?cs=97

As yet another ridesharing platform launches in Australia, how does this all end?
Tom Barratt et al
Australians in need of personal transport other than taxis have many options –  Shofer, Taxify, GoCatch, Shebah and Uber. India’s Ola launched a few months ago, and Chinese DiDi starts today.
https://theconversation.com/as-yet-another-ridesharing-platform-launches-in-australia-how-does-this-all-end-98389

If you need a PhD to read your power bill, buying wisely is all but impossible
Bruce Mountain
A recent survey found that Australia’s power companies are less trusted than media companies, banks and telcos. Customers hate electricity bills – not least because they are so complicated. But we can learn much by analysing them closely.
https://theconversation.com/if-you-need-a-phd-to-read-your-power-bill-buying-wisely-is-all-but-impossible-98617

Australian cities are lagging behind in greening up their buildings
Sara Wilkinson et al
Covering roofs and walls of buildings with vegetation is a good way of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. And these green roofs and walls make cities look nicer.
https://theconversation.com/australian-cities-are-lagging-behind-in-greening-up-their-buildings-97088

Plastic bag ban is toxic [$]
Andrew Bolt
It’s bad enough that Woolworths wants to stuff its customers around with its pointless new plastic bags ban. But must they die for the planet as well? What a crazy business model.
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/andrew-bolt/andrew-bolt-supermarket-plastic-bag-ban-is-toxic/news-story/20802b1e7af86a3a54ff4065f8b525e4

Victoria
Asbestos fears for coastal community after botched demolition
Residents on Victoria’s Surf Coast are calling for a judicial inquiry into whether they have been exposed to airborne asbestos fibres after Alcoa’s failed attempt to blow up an old power station, because the company is not compelled to make its reports public.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-24/asbestos-fears-at-anglesea-after-botched-alcoa-demolition/9900312

Alcoa to take another tilt at razing Anglesea power plant
The owner of the former Anglesea power plant will try again to demolish the massive structure amid calls to compel the company to reveal why its first attempt with explosives failed.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/alcoa-to-take-another-tilt-at-razing-anglesea-power-plant-20180621-p4zmyr.html

Urban sprawl eating up peninsula’s green zones [$]
Rapid population growth and McMansions are putting the Mornington Peninsula’s green wedges under intense pressure, with a senior federal government minister calling for them to be protected.
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/federal-minister-greg-hunt-leads-charge-to-protect-sensitive-areas-of-the-mornington-peninsula/news-story/d8dd78e463419a9013c9912ab20a2cff

Sky trail could link city to Docklands [$]
Lord Mayor Sally Capp has a bold idea for an elevated park in the CBD. Now there’s a push to take the concept even further.
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/melbourne-city-council-will-consider-extension-of-plan-to-build-high-linestyle-elevated-park-in-cbd/news-story/f978b2e446bc90b17b0ed872ee6930ee

The ring trees of Victoria’s Watti Watti people are an extraordinary part of our heritage
Jacqueline Power
In the forests around the Murray River, Victoria’s Watti Watti people have trained trees to mark significant cultural locations in the landscape.
https://theconversation.com/the-ring-trees-of-victorias-watti-watti-people-are-an-extraordinary-part-of-our-heritage-91310

What apartment developers can learn from Stonehenge
Polly Bastow
We are just starting to recognise the problems of large towers blocking sunlight to the parks and gardens for which Melbourne is famous.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/what-apartment-developers-can-learn-from-stonehenge-20180622-p4zn3t.html

New South Wales
Project aimed at controlling natural resource given high government priority
Home energy bills could fall as the state government ­fast-tracks an ambitious plan by mining billionaire Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest to import ­foreign gas into NSW.
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/project-aimed-at-controlling-natural-resource-given-high-government-priority/news-story/8709693075fea2ee5d0d4216a637fa8e

Paws for thought: we need more dog-free parks
Jenna Price
More off-leash dog parks will just create more spaces where people like me can be certain our walks will be made miserable.
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/opinion/forget-leashfree-we-need-more-dogfree-parks-20180624-h11shr.html

ACT
Discovery of bizarre sex ritual marsupials in Canberra rewrites scientific textbooks
A tiny marsupial — best known for its tendency to copulate to death — pops its head up in Canberra’s north for the first time in 40 years. It’s a win for science, because the discovery turns back the environmental clock to a time before the introduction of Australia’s feral pest species.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-24/bizarre-sex-ritual-marsupial-spotted-in-canberra/9895738

While one-third NSW in drought, ACT has cancelled extra water licence
Icon Water has cancelled a contract with Snowy Hydro for back-up water supplies for the ACT, as much of regional NSW grapples with drought.
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/politics/act/while-one-third-nsw-in-drought-act-has-cancelled-extra-water-licence-20180619-p4zmf1.html

Queensland
Wallabies being pushed further north [$]
Trinity Beach’s worrisome wallabies are being pushed into another northern beaches suburb, after being cut off from their main food source.
https://www.cairnspost.com.au/news/cairns/trinity-beach-wallabies-being-pushed-further-north-still-dying-on-local-roads-despite-highway-fence/news-story/4add7ead34ea29003a6d960e61d7e9cd

New push for congestion tax [$]
Motorists will be slugged for when and where they drive on roads, instead of facing petrol excise and car registration fees, under a “user pays” congestion tax being pushed by a top government body.
https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/queensland-government/infrastructure-australia-makes-new-push-for-congestion-tax/news-story/fa73b0f803b04eef730668e2b069ed2c

South Australia
Freshly-flooded Lake Eyre brings life and business to the outback
This year’s flood event at Lake Eyre in hasn’t just delivered a spectacular natural wonder, it has also brought new life to Central Australia and a crucial economic boost to remote businesses.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-24/lake-eyre-flood-water-gives-outback-businesses-lifeline/9891410

LGA trashes recycling plan [$]
The State Government’s $12.4 million recycling industry rescue package does nothing to help the “mums and dads” saddled with surging rates bills, the head of the Australian Local Government Association says.
https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/china-sword-lga-hits-out-at-recycling-rescue-package/news-story/b6cdb65cc048af24b1bd6eb294e8c6ce

Southern suburbs national park a step closer to reality [$]
New areas for kayaking, sailing and fishing in the heart of the southern suburbs are set to become a reality as part of a sprawling new national park in metropolitan Adelaide.
https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/state-government-and-adelaide-uni-sign-mou-to-establish-glenthorne-national-park/news-story/e78d5b9ad4635fcfbea168ac619ef6ea

Northern Territory
New NT gasfields would put Paris commitment in doubt
‘There’s no room for any new long-term fossil fuel developments,’ climate scientists say
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jun/25/new-nt-gasfields-would-put-paris-commitment-in-doubt

Western Australia
The town on one of the biggest rivers in WA where the taps run dry
The WA Government says it’s not responsible for providing a consistent water supply at a northern town where the taps run dry every month.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-24/the-northern-wa-town-where-the-taps-run-dry/9899638

Groundwater beneath Perth Airport heavily contaminated
Groundwater beneath Perth Airport is heavily contaminated with levels of Perfluoroalkyls and Polyfluoroalkyls (PFAS), documents obtained under FOI laws show.
https://thewest.com.au/news/wa/groundwater-beneath-perth-airport-heavily-contaminated-with-pfas-ng-b88876087z

Sustainability
Genetically modified animals
Despite its potential to battle disease and hunger, genetically engineered food is still controversial
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jun/24/genetically-engineered-animals-the-five-controversial-science

Nature Conservation
Bees are dying. Are we next?
Social media is abuzz with photos of bees drinking sugar water from teaspoons, after a post on a fan page dedicated to the British naturalist Sir David Attenborough draws attention to the dwindling population of bees worldwide.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-25/bees-are-dying-are-we-next/9904464

New gene technology backed by US military could ‘edit entire wild species’
Gene drives have the potential to eradicate feral mice and malaria. But scientists are treading carefully, warning the radical new science could have unintended consequences.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2018-06-24/gene-drives-feral-science-or-feral-solution/9896452

Coral reefs ‘will be overwhelmed by rising oceans’
Study finds fragile marine ecosystems cannot grow fast enough to keep pace with sea levels
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jun/23/coral-reefs-overwhelmed-by-rising-oceans

Trump Gulf drilling ignores impacts on wildlife, lawsuit claims
Environmentalists sued the Trump administration on Thursday for failing to protect marine life in the Gulf of Mexico as it pushes to expand drilling while cutting safety rules.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/environment/article213612529.html

Maelor Himbury