Daily Links Jul 13

Melting triggers melting
The melting of glaciers on one side of the globe can trigger disintegration of glaciers on the other side of the globe, as has been presented in a recent paper by a team of AWI scientists, who investigated marine microalgae preserved in glacial deposits and subsequently used their findings to perform climate simulations.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-07/awih-mtm071218.php

Combatting climate change could create 24 million jobs by 2030
Climate change provides a major threat to more than a billion of workers, as well as opportunities to create employment for millions around the world if addressed correctly, a new report has claimed.
https://asiancorrespondent.com/2018/07/combatting-climate-change-could-create-24-million-jobs-by-2030/#Rgztmvi7U2YcWqh0.97

Half of climate action plans neglect people in danger, say researchers
The lack of focus on vulnerable groups is “a critical concern”, says report from Overseas Development Institute.
http://news.trust.org/item/20180711183555-1is5o

Is fixing the climate incompatible with American ideals?
Mark L. Hineline
Our political institutions were given form in a time when nature was considered rather static and inexhaustible.
http://nautil.us/issue/62/systems/is-fixing-the-climate-incompatible-with-american-ideals

Australia resists Japan whaling push
Federal Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg says a renewed push by Japan to resume ‘scientific’ whaling will be resisted.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/australia-resists-japan-whaling-push-173051365–spt.html

Cotton urges all to accept Murray plan
Australia’s cotton industry has urged all stakeholders to accept the Murray-Darling Basin plan and “move on”.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/cotton-urges-accept-murray-plan-075642258–spt.html

Home owners could pay more for building materials to fund removal of deadly asbestos
An estimated one in three houses across the country contain asbestos, but getting rid of the dangerous substance can be expensive. A Federal Government advisory group believes it may have found a solution.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-13/asbestos-tax-on-building-materials-could-help-fund-removal/9986450

The steps you can take to save koalas from extinction
A conservation group releases an action list to help prevent koala extinction, saying politicians are not going to save the animals, but people can.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-12/simple-steps-to-help-save-koalas-from-extinction/9984932

Recycling crisis: why don’t we have a national container deposit scheme?
Difficult to coordinate, yes. But it could ameliorate Australia’s waste and recycling woes
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jul/13/recycling-crisis-why-dont-we-have-a-national-container-deposit-scheme

Coal players seek role in PM’s energy plan [$]
Coal power generators have backed a plan to have taxpayers underwrite investment in new coal-fired power stations, as political row reignites over future of fossil fuels.
https://www.afr.com/news/coal-players-seek-role-in-prime-ministers-energy-plan-20180712-h12ly1

How the big energy retailers rip off loyal users [$]
They are the 1.7 million customers who the big three energy retailers rely on to keep driving their big profits.
https://www.afr.com/news/politics/how-origin-agl-and-energyaustralia-rip-off-loyal-customers-20180712-h12l3o

ACCC’s electricity plans may force out smaller retailers
Smaller energy retailers could be hit the hardest by the consumer regulator’s proposed changes to electricity discounting and the introduction of a basic price offer, possibly forcing them to merge with larger players.
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/business/the-economy/accc-s-electricity-plans-may-force-out-smaller-retailers-20180712-p4zr5r.html

PM remains agnostic in the face of coal evangelism
Malcolm Turnbull insists his government will remain technology-neutral if it financially backs new power generation, as coalition MPs seize on a new report to make the case for coal.
https://indaily.com.au/news/2018/07/12/pm-remains-agnostic-in-the-face-of-coal-evangelism/

ACCC power plan may backfire [$]
The competition regulator may struggle to cut wholesale power prices and cap the growth of energy majors.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/accc-power-plan-may-backfire/news-story/5e1ce4e7b77946797a8280e9253f8711

I haven’t read the report: Shorten [$]
Bill Shorten has admitted he has not yet read the ACCC’s energy report as he attacked the PM for placating the “cave-dwelling right of the Liberal party”.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/accc-report-doesnt-justify-the-building-of-new-coalfired-power-stations-mark-butler/news-story/32ff8ae996c8919c747936d984d21125

Is the latest idea in Australia’s energy debate really a lifeline for coal?
David Crowe
The question remains – if the government’s plan for a National Energy Guarantee works so well, why does anyone need this separate underwriting scheme at all?
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/politics/federal/is-the-latest-idea-in-australia-s-energy-debate-really-a-lifeline-for-coal-20180712-p4zr6c.html

Fix climate policy to fix electricity market
SMH editorial
The key issue in the ACCC report is about carbon pricing.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/fix-climate-policy-to-fix-electricity-market-20180712-p4zr06.html

Say hooroo to emotion [$]
Daniel Young
Kangaroo overpopulation is a costly burden on rural Australia and it makes good sense to ignore sentimentality and boost culls.
https://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/opinion/no-room-for-sentimentality-in-dealing-with-kangaroo-overpopulation/news-story/9cef6e769a3678b1ca71f62363c35dbc

Adoration and demonisation: Plastic bags, hysterics and a long romance
Binoy Kampmark
Plastic shopping bags are so deeply integrated into our every day lives that saying goodbye may not be easy.
https://independentaustralia.net/environment/environment-display/adoration-and-demonisation-plastic-bags-hysterics-and-a-long-romance,11684

Let’s pull the plug on subsidies [$]
Henry Ergas
The ACCC’s backing for more government intervention will only add to our energy woes.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/columnists/henry-ergas/accc-wrong-to-urge-more-electricity-market-subsidies/news-story/619f7c2d536346a679a987b210c89022

Damned if you privatise, damned if you don’t [$]
Adam Creighton
There’s no law against ripping people off, Australian Competition & Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims told a room full of journalists last year. The reminder stuck in my head because so many believe Sims and other regulators are there to stamp out gouging. They aren’t.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/columnists/damned-if-you-privatise-damned-if-you-dont/news-story/b2ae1b98a7c183fc3a8167a0b90ca86d

Want cheaper power? Let’s abandon Paris [$]
Terry McCrann
Don’t hold your breath waiting for the measly savings on your power bill promised by the laughingly named Australian Energy Regulator, far less the sums supposedly on offer from the ACCC.
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/business/terry-mccrann/terry-mccrann-walking-away-from-paris-accord-only-way-to-cut-power-bills/news-story/eeff535279e7836a4874adaed2946a26

A cruel and unfair power play [$]
Sharri Markson
The ACCC’s report into the behaviour of power companies has revealed appalling behaviour by big utility companies. Only a royal commission can bring them to heel.
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/only-a-royal-commission-can-bring-power-companies-to-heel/news-story/44049807726c846508d112e75574a345

Australia’s regulators still can’t imagine a clean energy future
Giles Parkinson
This has been the story of Australia’s energy market for more than a decade. Almost every report done by a statutory authority has refused to contemplate what a decarbonised grid might look like. Sims falls into the same trap.
https://reneweconomy.com.au/australias-regulators-still-cant-imagine-a-clean-energy-future-12922/

Is Rod Sims having a lend of us ?
David Leitch
The ACCC has done a good job shedding light on some of the darker places of the electricity industry. But the recommendations range from unrealistic to downright dangerous. And some run across policy work of the ESB.
https://reneweconomy.com.au/is-rod-sims-having-a-lend-of-us-84174/

‘Green spine’: Cars out, parkland in for major Southbank road
Half the road’s lanes for cars will be replaced with parkland, under a city council plan starting construction on Monday.
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/southbank-road-to-be-halved-in-size-and-turned-into-new-parkland-20180712-p4zr4r.html

‘Shocked’: Santos CSG project omissions stoke opponents’ concerns
Santos’s proposed $3 billion coal seam gas project still has large information gaps involving its environmental risks, raising concerns from opponents.
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/environment/sustainability/shocked-santos-csg-project-omissions-stoke-opponents-concerns-20180710-p4zqnk.html

First new passenger trains set to enter service in Sydney
The new trains will be a welcome relief, especially for those in the south west who have had to endure ‘sweat sets’.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/all-aboard-first-new-passenger-trains-set-to-enter-service-in-sydney-20180712-p4zr3x.html

No rain is no good for hydro [$]
Snowy Hydro’s biggest storage dam has fallen to less than 25 per cent capacity due to poor rains and high electricity generation.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/no-rain-and-no-hazelwood-are-no-good-for-hydro-scheme/news-story/d1789012dd4ca5af7302c1a5ea2ceac4

Two new big solar farms to begin construction in NSW “in coming weeks”
New South Wales looks set to add more than 460MW of new large-scale solar capacity, with German-based developer Belectric confirming it was ready to start construction works on the first of two new solar plants “in the upcoming weeks.”
https://reneweconomy.com.au/two-new-big-solar-farms-to-begin-construction-in-nsw-in-coming-weeks-10597/

Labor MP tells miner constituents that coal has no future
Labor MP Pat Conroy tells coal workers in his Hunter Valley electorate that there is no long-term future in coal-fired power generation in Australia.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/labor-mp-tells-miner-constituents-that-coal-has-no-future/news-story/e125b70e873fb4b584588f7a792de541

Deb Frecklington ‘flip flops’ on renewables mandate after being contradicted by PM [$]
Deb Frecklington has been accused of softening her policy to mandate Queensland’s government-owned energy behemoths invest in renewables after Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull contradicted her stance during a major address in Brisbane.
https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/queensland-government/deb-frecklington-flip-flops-on-renewables-after-being-contradicted-by-pm-in-press-club-speech/news-story/bc74a498385e09467fbc39f1a3c1ab4f

We still have a chance to save the Great Barrier Reef
Lesley Hughes
In the 1980s, a bleaching event such as the one that affected 93 per cent of individual reefs of the Great Barrier Reef in 2016 would have been beyond imagining.
https://www.examiner.com.au/story/5518444/we-still-have-a-chance-to-save-the-great-barrier-reef/?cs=97

$350k of flights to get nuclear reactions [$]
Taxpayers have coughed up nearly $350,000 to fly 225 Kimba and Hawker residents to Sydney to learn about nuclear waste, new figures reveal.
https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/federal-government-flies-225-country-residents-to-sydney-to-learn-about-nuclear-waste-ahead-of-august-20-ballot/news-story/432c509816a37f2918c6b7dd7ac85d9c

‘We had a red-hot go’: Timber stalwart retires from Tasmania’s forest wars
Terry Edwards, the public face of Tasmania’s timber industry, reflects on 16 years of forest conflicts and peace talks as he steps down from the role and into retirement.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-12/terry-edwards-profile/9982214

Tasmania’s Granville Harbour wind farm reaches financial close
A 112MW wind farm that will deliver a one-third increase to Tasmania’s wind power capacity has reached financial close, after an investment from the CEFC.
https://reneweconomy.com.au/tasmanias-granville-harbour-wind-farm-reaches-financial-close-18064/

Quantum dot white LEDs achieve record efficiency
Researchers have demonstrated nanomaterial-based white-light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that exhibit a record luminous efficiency of 105 lumens per watt.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-07/tos-qdw070918.php

Using Coal Waste to Create Sustainable Concrete
Researchers have created a sustainable alternative to traditional concrete using coal fly ash, a waste product of coal-based ..
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180712100513.htm

Roundup under the gun in the US
Philip White looks at developments in the US relating to the favourite weed killer of Australia’s wine and beer industries.
https://indaily.com.au/eat-drink-explore/wine/2018/07/12/roundup-under-the-gun-in-the-us/

Locals face long delays but companies win land rights with ease – report
The lack of legal claim to property means communities worldwide are being pushed out by large companies.
http://news.trust.org/item/20180711140243-3qwa1/

Air pollution is triggering diabetes in 3.2 million people each year
A new study quantifies the link between smoggy air and diabetes.
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/air-pollution-triggering-diabetes-in-millions-each-year

Three revolutions and the future of cars: An interview with Dr. Dan Sperling
Abby Figueroa sat down with Dr. Sperling to discuss the future of transportation and his book Three Revolutions: Steering Automated, Shared, and Electric Vehicles to a Better Future.
https://reneweconomy.com.au/three-revolutions-future-cars-interview-dr-dan-sperling-51890/

How to break up with plastics (using behavioural science)
Kim Borg
Single-use plastics are convenient, but it’s time to phase them out.
https://theconversation.com/how-to-break-up-with-plastics-using-behavioural-science-99741

Thought plastic was bad enough? Here’s another reason to worry
We knew marine plastic strangles birds and poisons fish. But it can also pick up some deadly hitch-hikers – with even more profound consequences.
https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23931860-400-thought-plastic-was-bad-enough-heres-another-reason-to-worry/?utm_medium=NLC&utm_source=NSNS&utm_campaign=NLC%7CNSNS%7C2018-0712-GLOBAL-NSNEW&utm_content=NSNEW

From stinky seaweed to sick fish, world’s warming oceans threaten livelihoods
Climate change will reduce the productivity of fisheries in the world’s exclusive economic zones by up to 12 percent by 2050.
http://news.trust.org/item/20180711155504-sjs8j

Plastic and cigarettes make up bulk of Swiss beach litter
According to a litter study, plastic is the most common waste material found in Swiss rivers and lakes, with non-biodegradable cigarette butts second.
https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/citizen-science-_study–plastic-and-cigarettes-make-up-bulk-of-swiss-beach-litter/44222544

Looking to cut plastics pollution in the ocean? Start upstream, experts say
As more plastic trash makes its way from city and town storm water drains to the ocean, a movement grows to focus on where the garbage is coming from.
https://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2018/07/11/looking-to-cut-plastics-pollution-in-the-ocean-start-upstream-experts-say/

England’s marshes may start to retreat and disappear in just 20 years
Marshlands in the south east of England could start to disappear in a little over 20 years due to rapid rises in sea levels, scientists have warned
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2174043-englands-marshes-may-start-to-retreat-and-disappear-in-just-20-years/

Invasive Plants Adapt to New Environments
Invasive plants have the ability to adapt to new environments — and even behave like a native species, according to …
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180712100440.htm

Japan wants to restructure IWC to make it easier for it to start commercial whaling again
Japan wants to start commercial whaling again, and it’s hoping a sweeping restructure of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) will help it do just that.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-12/japan-proposes-compromise-in-effort-to-get-whaling-ban-lifted/9985648

New research: Financial incentives create critical waterbird habitat in extreme drought
New research from scientists at Point Blue Conservation Science and The Nature Conservancy shows how financial incentive programs can create vital habitat for waterbirds, filling a critical need in drought years.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-07/pbcs-nrf071218.php

Climate change-induced march of treelines halted by unsuitable soils: study
University of Guelph researchers have discovered unsuitable soil at higher altitudes may be halting the advancement of treelines.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-07/uog-ccm071218.php

Study finds room for improvement in South Korea’s polluted river basin
A new Portland State University study shows that even though water quality has improved in South Korea’s Han River basin since the 1990s, there are still higher-than-acceptable levels of pollutants in some of the more urbanized regions in and around the capital Seoul.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-07/psu-sfr071118.php