Daily Links Jul 6

All-time heat records have been set all over the world during the past week
From the normally mild summer climes of Ireland and Scotland to the scorching Middle East, numerous locations had their hottest weather ever recorded last week.
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/environment/climate-change/all-time-heat-records-have-been-set-all-over-the-world-during-the-past-week-20180705-p4zply.html

Expansion of agricultural land reduces CO2 absorption
Plants absorb some of the carbon dioxide (CO2) released into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels. But increasing deforestation and other changes in land use will reduce the CO2 absorption capacity of these areas in the future. This is what a study by climate researchers from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) suggests.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-07/kift-eoa070518.php

What does global climate have to do with erosion rates?
Geoscientists have been intrigued by a potential link between erosion rates at the Earth’s surface and changes in global climate. A new study now calls into question this link. A team of researchers re-examined 30 locations with reported accelerated erosion after the onset of glacial-interglacial cycles a few million years ago. In nearly all of the locations, the proposed link between erosion and global climate could not be confirmed.
https://www.eurekalert.org/bysubject/?kw=79&start=10

Higher Ambition Needed to Meet Paris Climate Targets
The Joint Research Centre, the European Commission’s science and knowledge service, contributes to a growing body of evidence showing the need for ramped up climate action to limit global …
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180705114129.htm

Paris not binding but our word is [$]
Graham Lloyd
Peer pressure is the only mechanism to police that Paris Agreement promises are kept.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/paris-deal-not-binding-but-australias-word-is/news-story/02f1dba450d44aa0aa4f127fbca3557f

Rooftop solar clocks second-best month ever, buoyed by commercial boom
Small and medium businesses installing rooftop solar to cut costs and gain more independence from the grid have helped to deliver another bumper month for rooftop solar in Australia, with a total of 126MW installed across June.
https://reneweconomy.com.au/rooftop-solar-clocks-second-best-month-ever-buoyed-by-commercial-boom-99635/

Hidden in plain sight: what the recycling crisis really looks like
The recycling industry is in crisis, yet for most Australians it’s out of mind beyond the rattle of the recycling bin pickups each week. So what does this crisis really look like? Guardian Australia visited three processing sites to find out what happens to bins once they leave the kerb
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jul/06/hidden-in-plain-sight-what-the-recycling-crisis-really-looks-like

Screws tighten on thermal coal as Swiss Re pulls plug [$]
If followed by others it could be a blow to local pure or majority thermal coal companies such as Whitehaven Coal, as well as AGL Energy and EnergyAustralia
https://www.afr.com/news/screws-tighten-on-thermal-coal-as-swiss-re-pulls-plug-20180705-h12b0t

Renewables already 19pc of grid, overtaking NEG [$]
Renewable energy generated nearly 19 per cent of national grid power in the year to June 30, and will exceed emissions targets without the NEG.
https://www.afr.com/news/renewables-nearly-19pc-of-the-grid-set-to-overtake-neg-20180705-h12age

Fishermen and scientists raise concerns over herpes-based carp control plan
Scientists and commercial fishermen say Australia’s rollout of a carp virus is being rushed through, risking relationships with international trading partners.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2018-07-06/carp-control-plan-herpes-virus-talk-halted-exports/9942798

Lead levels prompt bubbler shut-off, but the bigger concern is closer to home
Brass fittings and taps found to cause elevated levels of lead in drinking water continue to be installed in homes, businesses and schools, experts say.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-06/lead-leached-by-brass-shuts-fountains-but-what-about-homes/9886518

Hottest financial year on record says BOM
Bureau of Meteorology data shows maximum temperatures were nearly 1.5 degrees above the long-term average over the last 12 months.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-05/hottest-fin-year-on-record-bom-data-show/9930606

Senator ‘wary’ of intervention [$]
As the Nats call for a $5bn investment, James Paterson says he’s “very wary” of further intervention in the energy market.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/climate/liberal-senator-james-paterson-wary-of-nationals-5bn-energy-demand/news-story/883c6d2571ad3f2f907955895d368b17

Australia’s Charity Sector Needs A Rebrand
Emma Lang
Mobilising public support on a confused sector brand, will not serve your cause. Particularly as conservative politics comes at advocacy.
https://probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2018/07/australias-charity-sector-needs-rebrand/

It’s Groundhog Day: climate science and charities under attack
Tim Flannery
 I’m often asked if it gets tiring standing up to the naysayers. And while there are days when I contemplate with tired resignation facing yet another attack on climate science or democracy, the truth is, it’s a privilege to do so.
https://www.examiner.com.au/story/5506214/climate-science-and-charities-under-attack/?cs=97

Power issues are fuelling Liberal division [$]
Sharri Markson
The Nationals want a revised national energy policy and Tony Abbott has seized on regional unrest to remind us that Turnbull once sided with Labor on an ETS.
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/sharri-markson-power-issues-are-fuelling-liberal-division/news-story/1f0d0b845e2b80fb0eaeb9a298bf96e0

Stop flogging the dead horse of nuclear power [$]
Terry Sweetman
Nuclear power is not a viable option in the Australian political landscape, and every party knows it. Bringing it up is just a waste of time.
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/rendezview/stop-flogging-the-dead-horse-of-nuclear-power/news-story/5925d0dc48f1a7ff7d6a9f90ae07533a

Why do we indulge windfarms? [$]
Maurice Newman
Our politicians are in the thrall of an industry based on convenient “experts’’.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/science-not-settled-yet-still-we-indulge-windfarms/news-story/d36e5c1710a34cc236934e4184b042ff

The price of greasing squeaky wheels ahead of the election
Michelle Grattan
To make a concession to the coal lobby would flout the technology-neutral foundation of the NEG and have much more serious implications than throwing in some money to boost the GST pool.
https://theconversation.com/grattan-on-friday-the-price-of-greasing-squeaky-wheels-ahead-of-the-election-99467

Matthew Guy’s new vision for East West link moves tunnel entrance
Victoria’s Opposition Leader reveals his new plan for the East West Link, which would see the tunnel entrance moved to the Eastern Freeway median strip, saving homes from compulsory acquisition.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-05/matthew-guy-new-vision-for-east-west-link-moves-entrance/9944614

Energy projects to power all Vic homes
There are enough clean energy projects, including those under construction, to power all Victorian homes, new data suggests.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/energy-projects-power-vic-homes-140529969–spt.html

Guy pledges to expand outer suburbs by thousands of homes, all at once
Former planning minister makes dramatic promise to expand housing within Melbourne’s urban growth boundary – by 290,000 homes.
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/guy-pledges-to-expand-outer-suburbs-by-thousands-of-homes-all-at-once-20180704-p4zphw.html

Plastic fantastic as group turns junk into treasure [$]
Creative and enterprising South Australians are collecting waste plastic and making new products using homemade machines in a backyard shed.
https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/precious-plastic-sa-recovering-waste-plastic-and-making-them-into-new-products/news-story/3773cb4cf0f1f00c83a2412b3eeb9ecc

Dredging plans solidify [$]
There is finally a start date for the dredging of Cairns’ shipping channel to allow larger cruise ships to dock in port.
https://www.cairnspost.com.au/news/cairns/work-to-finally-start-on-dredging-of-cairns-trinity-inlet-to-allow-larger-cruise-ships-to-dock-in-port/news-story/d3841ca7ecfbb38747c71cafe4f65555

Legal action wins favour [$]
Cairns AFL has backed conservationists in tackling the Queensland Government over relocating wallabies away from Trinity Beach.
https://www.cairnspost.com.au/news/cairns/cairns-afl-backs-conservationists-legal-action-against-qld-government-over-wallaby-plan/news-story/61bb7afc656a9c9a8194fc700693eadc

Lethal consequences: climate change impacts on the Great Barrier Reef
Climate Council of Australia
This report shows how the Great Barrier Reef could be hit with repeat coral bleaching events every two years by 2034, under current greenhouse gas pollution rates.
http://apo.org.au/node/181286

Document reveals mill’s proposed truck traffic [$]
A $42 million woodchip export facility proposed at Dover would generate at least 1600 truck movements a week on Southern Tasmanian roads, it has been revealed.
https://www.themercury.com.au/news/tasmania/draft-development-application-reveals-woodchip-export-facilitys-proposed-truck-traffic/news-story/2e88b3af68ea71854a725f51ab819374

Tasmanian woodchip proposal raises questions over truck routes, forestry deals
A draft development application for a woodchip export facility near Dover reveals there would be truck movements every five minutes between Judbury and Strathblane 10 hours a day, six days a week.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-06/tasmanianwoodchip-export-trucks-traffic-dover/9946110

EPA leader Scott Pruitt resigns after scandals engulf agency
US Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt, who pleased US President Donald Trump by rolling back environmental regulations but came under fire for a variety of ethics accusations, resigns.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-06/donald-trump-says-epa-administrator-scott-pruitt-has-resigned/9947322

Urban greenways can reduce neighborhood carbon emissions
A new study from the University of British Columbia provides some of the first direct proof that urban greenways reduce carbon emissions.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-07/uobc-ugc070418.php

New world record for direct solar water-splitting efficiency
An international team of researchers has now succeeded in raising the efficiency of producing hydrogen from direct solar water-splitting to a record 19 percent. They did so by combining a tandem solar cell of III-V semiconductors with a catalyst of rhodium nanoparticles and a crystalline titanium dioxide coating.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-07/hbfm-nwr070518.php

A frightening new reason to worry about air pollution
A massive study solidifies the link between particulates from cars and diabetes.
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2018/07/a-frightening-new-reason-to-worry-about-air-pollution/564428/

Why cities are warmer than the countryside – and why that should be a cause for concern
Heatwaves can be deadly, and with global warming around the corner, it’s crucial we find ways to cool down our cities.
https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/city-countryside-urban-environment-temperature-heat-warmer-a8427446.html

Decarbonizing Transport: Sell Electric Vehicles to Untapped Market of Women, Researchers Suggest
 Highly educated women are an untapped but potentially lucrative market for electric vehicle sales because they have greater environmental and fuel efficiency awareness than men, says a new ..
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180705114116.htm

Bacteria-powered solar cell converts light to energy, even under overcast skies
UBC researchers have found a cheap, sustainable way to build a solar cell using bacteria that convert light to energy. Their cell generated a current stronger than any previously recorded from such a device, and worked as efficiently in dim light as in bright light. This innovation could be a step toward wider adoption of solar power in places like British Columbia and parts of northern Europe where overcast skies are common.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-07/uobc-bsc062918.php

Trump effort to lift US offshore wind sector sparks interest — from Europe
The Trump administration wants to fire up development of the US offshore wind industry by streamlining permitting and carving out vast areas off the coast for leasing — part of its ‘America First’ policy to boost domestic energy production and jobs.
https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/trump-effort-to-lift-us-offshore-wind-sector-sparks-interest-from-europe-20180706-p4zpsz.html

Baltic Sea oxygen levels at ‘1,500-year low due to human activity’
Nutrient run-off from agriculture and urban sewage are likely to be to blame, scientists say
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jul/05/baltic-sea-oxygen-levels-at-1500-year-low-due-to-human-activity

When rabbits and hares are introduced to new areas: Factors to consider
Throughout history, humans have deliberately translocated rabbits and hares (leporids) around the world, so they now occupy every continent (except Antarctica). A new Mammal Review article examines studies on the 12 leporid species that have been introduced by humans to areas beyond their native ranges, highlighting the animals’ effects on the ecosystem at different levels.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-07/w-wra070418.php

Invaluable to the Medical Industry, the Horseshoe Crab Is Under Threat
The biomedical industry depends on blood from horseshoe crabs for drug and environmental safety testing — but this commercial demand, together with capture for bait, climate change and habitat …
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180705114124.htm

Exposure of Hummingbirds and Bumble Bees to Pesticides
New research reveals that hummingbirds and bumble bees are being exposed to neonicotinoid and other pesticides through routes that are widespread and …
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180705110051.htm

India’s ‘worst water crisis in history’ leaves millions thirsty
From the northern Himalayas to the sandy, palm-fringed beaches in the south, 600 million people – nearly half India’s population – face acute water shortage, with close to 200,000 dying each year from polluted water.
http://news.trust.org//item/20180705000101-gwp0x/

Some of the world’s poorest people are bearing the costs of tropical forest conservation
Researchers from Bangor University in the UK and the University of Antananarivo in Madagascar show that new conservation restrictions in Madagascar bring very significant costs to local people (representing up to 85 percent of local annual incomes). The researchers estimate that 27,000 people have been negatively impacted by the conservation project.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-07/p-sot062918.php

Satellite images show how a blue Ganga turns disgustingly brown over 2,500 km
Images of the Ganga at six key locations show how the river deteriorates, turning from blue to green to muddy, thanks to pollution.
https://theprint.in/governance/the-changing-colours-of-the-ganga-from-rishikesh-to-kolkata/78581/

Can bird watching help save Colombia’s forests?
Former war zones are fast becoming bird-watching hotspots. And that could help preserve them.
https://www.dw.com/en/can-bird-watching-help-save-colombias-forests/a-43889538

Hybrid embryos raise hope of resurrecting northern white rhino – but what’s the point?
Jason Gilchrist
Scientists have for the first time created hybrid embryos with DNA from the nearly-extinct northern white rhinoceros, an advance that could ultimately lead to the first resurrection of a mega-mammal.
https://theconversation.com/hybrid-embryos-raise-hope-of-resurrecting-northern-white-rhino-but-whats-the-point-99249