Daily Links Jul 28

Why wildfires have been breaking out in the ‘wrong’ countries
There have been blazes in Greece, Canada and the UK, with an unusually high number in some countries.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-44941999

It’s a savage summer in Europe and climate change slashes the odds of more like it
Andrew King and Ben Henley
From Greece to the UK, the summer heat has brought scorching temperatures, wildfires and broken weather records. Aussies may scoff at the idea of a British heatwave, but it’s no laughing matter.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-27/europe-heatwave-and-climate-change/10040604

The Guardian view on the heatwave: our climate is endangered
Guardian editorial
Adapting to hotter temperatures is sensible – but ignoring their causes is dangerous.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jul/26/the-guardian-view-on-the-heatwave-our-climate-is-endangered

Climate change is here, and the world is burning
Denise Balkissoon
There is an increase in wildfires in places right across the globe including Canada and many parts of Europe.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-climate-change-is-here-and-the-world-is-burning/

6 ways geoengineering could fight climate change
Stephen Fleischfresser
Some researchers think massive engineering projects might help slow global warming. Other scientists aren’t so sure.
https://cosmosmagazine.com/climate/6-ways-geoengineering-could-fight-climate-change

Federal Labor, experts call for full release of energy plan modelling
The government must release modelling underpinning the national energy plan to reassure the public projected savings are real, Labor and leading analysts say.
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/environment/climate-change/federal-labor-experts-call-for-full-release-of-energy-plan-modelling-20180727-p4zu1q.html

Electric vehicles soar by 160 per cent, prompting push for road use tax
The number of electric cars on Australian roads has soared by 160 per cent in the past five years, fuelling concerns that a core part of the tax base will be eroded over the next decade without intervention.
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/politics/federal/electric-vehicles-soar-by-160-per-cent-20180727-p4ztz7.html

EV fast-charging network to roll out in Australia after funding boost
Fast Cities Australia secures $7m to start work on a 42 station EV fast-charging “national backbone” which it says will “calatyse” Australia’s electric vehicle industry.
https://reneweconomy.com.au/ev-fast-charging-network-to-roll-out-in-australia-after-funding-boost-13345/

Alinta seeks 1,000MW of large scale renewable projects
Energy retailer and generator, Alinta Energy, on Friday announced it was seeking expressions of interest for up to 1,00MW of renewable projects sized over 50MW.
https://reneweconomy.com.au/alinta-seeks-1000mw-of-large-scale-renewable-projects-12056/

Australia’s dynamic population
A summary of migration in Australia released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has highlighted just how much our population moves, revealing that in 2016-17, 377,000 people moved interstate, 276,000 moved overseas, and 539,000 people arrived as migrants.
http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/latestProducts/3412.0Media%20Release12016-17

How to save the planet – and newspapers at the same time
Danny Katz
This is how we can help save the planet from irreversible destruction, and at the same time, save the newspaper industry, which is a nice little bonus.
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/environment/sustainability/how-to-save-the-planet-and-newspapers-at-the-same-time-20180726-p4ztrp.html

National Energy Guarantee: States must take a stand for cleaner future
Miriam Lyons
Worried that droughts are getting more intense and frequent? Nervous about whether hotter oceans will kill the Great Barrier Reef? Find it a bit alarming when autumn feels like summer and bushfires are still turning homes to ashes in April?
https://www.examiner.com.au/story/5551273/states-must-take-stand-for-a-cleaner-future/

Why AGL should be worried by the ESB/ACIL price predictions
David Leitch
Even before thinking about the likely every increasing cost of being the largest carbon emitter in Australia, the drag from falling electricity prices, if you believe ACIL Allen forecasts, is going to be very strong.  Wholesale prices are forecast to fall in NSW and Victoria every year until 2025 with the exception of NSW in 2023.

Why the ESB must release its agenda driven modelling
David Leitch
Although this note is about the modelling the Energy Security Board has commissioned to support the National Energy Guarantee, the modelling is basically a side show. The NEG always has been more about politics than electricity.
https://reneweconomy.com.au/esb-must-release-agenda-driven-modelling-75643/

Old ways of using, funding roads keep us stagnant [$]
John Brumby
Growing congestion, along with changes in population and technology demand that we urgently review the ways we use and fund our roads
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/john-brumby-the-old-ways-of-using-and-funding-roads-dont-cut-it/news-story/97a6d4013a2e51c2788d0d4421bb4344

Meeting in bowlo that should light a fire under all of us
Elizabeth Farrelly
The Coonamble Declaration, passed unanimously in the town bowlo last December, isn’t about Coonamble. It’s a manifesto for our times. “Not on our watch,” it declares. “The GAB [Great Artesian Basin] is too important to be put at risk and the APA pipeline will be blocked at any cost.” Fighting words.
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/environment/sustainability/meeting-in-bowlo-that-should-light-a-fire-under-all-of-us-20180727-p4ztz1.html

Sydney’s growth plans on hold for the election
Chris Johnson
Politicians, unwilling to take the hard decisions, are letting the housing development momentum slow down.
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/business/companies/sydney-s-growth-plans-on-hold-for-the-election-20180725-p4zti7.html

Conservationist calls for parliamentary inquiry into koala deaths
Conservationist Sue Arnold who on Wednesday announced court action against the Queensland Government over koalas now wants a parlimentary inquiry into 264 koalas being shifted from Coomera in 2014.
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/environment/conservation/conservationist-calls-for-parliamentary-inquiry-into-koala-deaths-20180727-p4ztzq.html

Small victories beginning to add up in the war on waste
From community groups removing car bodies from Hobart’s battler suburbs, to beach clean-ups and teachers shaping young minds, Tasmanians are keen to fight the war on waste.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-27/tasmanians-fighting-the-war-on-waste/10025228

Forestry talks tough as chip plant ditched [$]
The forestry industry is demanding the State Government clears the hurdles for investment after the failure of a proposed southern woodchip export facility.
https://www.themercury.com.au/business/tasmanian-forest-industry-demands-action-after-woodchip-export-plan-shelved/news-story/524dc22e7d01e7fae848892eab2d163c

New science confirms logging regulations and environment laws failing to protect swift parrot
Vica Bayley
A new scientific paper, published this week by CSIRO Publishing’s Pacific Conservation Biology and authored by leading research scientists working to understand and protect the swift parrot, highlights the regulatory and legal failures that are jeopardising the future of the species, including the ongoing logging of critical habitat areas
http://tasmaniantimes.com/index.php?/weblog/article/new-science-confirms-logging-regulations-and-environment-laws-failing-to-pr/

Get going on Jabiru town [$]
NT News editorial
Kakadu National Park should be the jewel in the crown of tourism in the Top End. And, through a circumstance which represents a double-edged sword, it may now fulfil what everyone hopes it can be
https://www.ntnews.com.au/news/opinion/get-going-on-jabiru-town/news-story/73c5290a1701ab98bcaddfb6805cd062

Plan revealed to curb Perth and Peel urban sprawl once and for all
Further details of how Perth and Peel will make room for 800,000 new homes within 30 years without further urban sprawl were revealed on Wednesday by the state planning system’s top public servant.
https://www.watoday.com.au/national/western-australia/plan-revealed-to-curb-perth-and-peel-urban-sprawl-once-and-for-all-20180725-p4ztl9.html

Walt Disney Company plans to eliminate plastic straws by mid-2019
The Walt Disney Co. on Thursday said it plans to eliminate single-use plastic straws and plastic stirrers at its locations across the world by mid-2019.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/398959-walt-disney-company-plans-to-eliminate-its-use-single-use-plastic

After hurricane, Puerto Rico switches on to renewable energy
A small number of buildings in Puerto Rico now rely on solar power after hurricane Maria left much of the island in the dark.
https://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2018/0726/After-hurricane-Puerto-Rico-switches-on-to-renewable-energy

Small modular reactors have little appeal
The last hope of the nuclear industry for competing with renewables is small modular reactors, but despite political support their future looks bleak.
https://climatenewsnetwork.net/small-modular-reactors-have-little-appeal/

Ted Nordhaus is wrong: We are exceeding Earth’s capacity for humans
Richard Heinberg
The co-founder of the Breakthrough Institute has a cheery vision of the future. If only it were plausible.
https://undark.org/article/ted-nordhaus-carrying-capacity-ecology/

The US EPA is Wrong to Weaken Coal-Ash Rules
Sarah Saadoun
The new acting administrator of the EPA—and former coal lobbyist—is easing rules that protect people who live near coal plants from toxic ash
https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/07/27/epa-wrong-weaken-coal-ash-rules

Hunters and anglers need to get the lead out
Jesse Alston
Lead ammunition and fishing gear poison ecosystems — and dinner tables.
https://www.hcn.org/articles/opinion-hunters-and-anglers-need-to-get-the-lead-out

The fires ravaging parts of Europe show our forest policies are failing
Linde Zuidema
The death toll in Greece and suffering right up to the Arctic Circle must prompt a move to sustainable and resilient forest management
http://www.climatechangenews.com/2018/07/27/fires-ravaging-parts-europe-show-forest-policies-failing/