Daily Links Aug 9

Top Post
To help drought-affected farmers, we need to support them in good times as well as bad
Jacki Schirmer et al
Farmers need help to plan for droughts, not just to respond to them when things get desperate.
  https://theconversation.com/to-help-drought-affected-farmers-we-need-to-support-them-in-good-times-as-well-as-bad-101184

Today’s Celebration
National Day – Sierra Leone, Singapore
Women’s Day -South Africa
Smokey Bear`s Birthday – United States of America
International Day of the World’s Indigenous People – http://www.un.org/en/events/indigenousday/
Book Lovers Day – https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/book-lovers-day/
More about Aug 9 –
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August _9

Climate Change
Reflecting sun’s rays would cause crops to fail, scientists warn
Research shows geoengineering method intended to combat climate change would have adverse effect on agriculture
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/aug/08/reflecting-suns-rays-would-cause-crops-to-fail-scientists-warn

A business-as-usual approach to climate change
Keith Antonysen
Previously, whenever climate scientists have talked about the ills created by climate change they have spoken about the end of the century as being a time when bigger tribulations can be expected such as sea level rise, acidification of Oceans, and higher temperatures.  Unfortunately, the time scale has moved towards contemporary times
http://tasmaniantimes.com/index.php?/weblog/article/a-business-as-usual-approach-to-climate-change/

National
RBA governor backs immigration growth to drive economy
Philip Lowe says Australia’s immigration-driven population growth are what has kept the economy stronger than most other developed nations.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-08/rba-governor-philip-lowe-on-demographic-changes/10088904

‘Bad policy’: Tony Abbott contradicts PM on national energy guarantee
Former prime minister says it’s not true that the Coalition party room has given the policy the green light
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/aug/08/victoria-asks-frydenberg-to-get-emissions-target-passed-before-energy-deal

Shorten calls for states, feds to do deal on NEG
Federal Labor is urging the states and the Commonwealth to reach agreement on the National Energy Guarantee.
https://www.afr.com/news/bill-shorten-calls-for-states-and-feds-to-do-deal-on-neg-20180807-h13ohx

NEG failure on Friday could push reform back by a year, industry warns
If the states fail to agree on the National Energy Guarantee, upcoming state and federal elections could significantly delay or postpone energy reform.
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/business/the-economy/neg-failure-on-friday-could-push-reform-back-by-a-year-industry-warns-20180808-p4zw60.html

1080 ban push by activists [$]
Animal rights groups have mounted a national campaign to ban Australia’s most widely used feral pest poison — 1080.
https://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/politics/cruelty-call-1080-summit-calls-for-ban/news-story/f1505d863a8af69d6ac8bca4bd617755

Banker link to reef foundation [$]
A former director of the PM’s old bank who was on the board of a reef foundation when it got a huge grant calls for “zero emissions’’.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/climate/banker-linked-to-444m-foundation-has-great-barrier-reef-solution-no-emissions/news-story/8a841d832910888e65e7d3a7341359ec

CSIRO cracks barrier to export hydrogen fuel to power cars
CSIRO developed breakthrough method to transport hydrogen in form of ammonia hailed as watershed moment for energy, and big new opportunity for Australia.
https://reneweconomy.com.au/csiro-cracks-barrier-to-export-hydrogen-fuel-to-power-cars-79439/

Climate change tussle debate another missed opportunity
Canberra Times editorial
Climate change is not a debate; it’s an established fact and we need to start planning and acting accordingly.
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/national/act/climate-change-tussle-debate-another-missed-opportunity-20180808-p4zw8v.html

NEG advocates want surrender to denialists, not an end to the climate wars [$]
Bernard Keane
The National Energy Guarantee in the form proposed by the government would lock in the policies of a climate denialist. The states have every right to fight back.
https://www.crikey.com.au/2018/08/08/neg-advocates-denialists-climate-wars/

NEG: An abject failure of principled political leadership
Ian Dunlop
The investment certainty business craves will be non-existent until climate action is accepted as the absolute priority in determining energy policy. But achieving this will require political leadership.
https://reneweconomy.com.au/neg-an-abject-failure-of-principled-political-leadership-55022/

Our emissions policies are absurd [$]
Greg Sheridan
Our efforts to reduce emissions in Australia may have actually increased global emissions.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/columnists/greg-sheridan/australias-climate-change-policies-wrong-on-carbon-trading-coal/news-story/7fcb77e0ece9a2fce4794c8e25987ba8

Farmers thirst for NEG certainty [$]
Fiona Simson
A 26 per cent emissions reduction target can be pursued in parallel with supplying affordable energy.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/national-farmers-federation-backs-neg-plus-emissions-reduction/news-story/7bd73fb3e6d3e34ff770d2564ac28113

NEG to test our political centre [$]
Paul Kelly
Australia’s energy policy test is whether the political centre will fall apart yet again and succumb to the ideology of Green power.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/columnists/paul-kelly/neg-to-test-our-capacity-for-sensible-centrist-policy/news-story/5d7f3375f847be4244b08bdf6e6d0df6

25 million reasons to smile – and plan well
Age editorial
Immigration has been of huge benefit to Australia. It has driven economic growth and has created a marvellous vibrancy and cultural diversity.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/25-million-reasons-to-smile-and-plan-well-20180808-p4zw9t.html

How we lit the fuse of the population bomb
Ross Elliott
Why concentrate population growth in mega-cities already under strain while smaller cities and regions stagnate?
http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=19885

Australia’s 25 million is nothing compared to the coming boom [$]
Guy Rundle
Our population has skyrocketed, and city planning refuses to keep up, but the most recent milestone won’t be impressive for long.
https://www.crikey.com.au/2018/08/08/australia-25-million-immigration-boom/

Let’s keep it simple: just don’t kill cyclists
Ben Langford
You’d struggle to find an arena of human activity where killing a fellow participant is talked about in such a casual fashion as this.
https://www.examiner.com.au/story/5574391/lets-keep-it-simple-just-dont-kill-cyclists/

Our workplaces are filthy and it’s costing us all
Libby Sander
Many of our offices are filthy, which doesn’t just trigger a sense of disgust but can make us sick.
https://theconversation.com/our-workplaces-are-filthy-and-its-costing-us-all-100892

To help drought-affected farmers, we need to support them in good times as well as bad
Jacki Schirmer et al
Farmers need help to plan for droughts, not just to respond to them when things get desperate.
  https://theconversation.com/to-help-drought-affected-farmers-we-need-to-support-them-in-good-times-as-well-as-bad-101184

Why are Labor and the Coalition fighting over marine parks? [$]
Chris Woods
Like the depths of the parks themselves, the debate is murky. Luckily, Crikey is on the case.
https://www.crikey.com.au/2018/08/08/australia-marine-parks-laws/

Victoria
What’s with the weirdly warm windy weather whacking Melbourne?
Forecaster Ben Matson explains the two factors combining to create Victoria’s recent windy weather — and they’re not as perplexing as they might sound.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-08/what-is-causing-the-windy-winter-weather-in-melbourne-victoria/10088316

Vic lists demands for energy guarantee
Victoria wants a federal commitment to that emission reduction targets will only ever increase under the National Energy Guarantee.
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/vic-lists-demands-for-energy-guarantee/news-story/189aac3d26b29bbcb99e06304f642e5a

Victoria suggests federal government should legislate on emissions while NEG talks continue
Victoria has again shifted the goal posts in the battle over the NEG suggesting parliament should pass the federal government’s emissions reduction legislation ahead of states signing onto the NEG.
https://theconversation.com/victoria-suggests-federal-government-should-legislate-on-emissions-while-neg-talks-continue-101280

Power play blast over energy plan [$]
Victorian companies and Australia’s biggest manufacturers have banded together to urge Premier Daniel Andrews to back the National Energy Guarantee, saying high power bills will remain and jobs lost unless he signs up to the plan.
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/higher-bill-fears-over-11thhour-list-of-power-plan-demands/news-story/af077e2635f794b9e64a3f515e70084d

New South Wales
‘People are not stupid’: Architect of first state bag ban says companies need to show courage
He’s the man who implemented the nation’s first statewide bag ban in 2009 — now Mike Rann is calling on companies and the New South Wales Government to show some courage and ban all single-use plastic bags.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-08/former-south-australian-premier-calls-for-bag-ban-courage/10077764

Kangaroo protections relaxed by NSW as state declared 100pc drought affected
As drought across the whole state is officially declared, the NSW Government has implemented its relaxation of laws around kangaroo culling first announced in June.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2018-08-08/kangaroo-protections-relaxed-by-nsw-in-100pc-drought-conditions/10088614

Is Taronga Zoo responsible for Sydney’s prolific bin chicken population?
In the 1970s, Taronga Zoo ran an experimental breeding program for white ibis, but over subsequent decades the much-maligned bird has gone through an enormous perception change.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-08/is-taronga-zoo-responsible-sydney-ibis-bin-chicken-population/10078786

Premier yet to endorse Turnbull’s power plan [$]
Malcolm Turnbull’s crucial energy deal that will reduce power prices is yet to be endorsed by the Berejiklian government. On the eve of the decision on the National Energy Guarantee, NSW Energy Minister Don Harwin has refused to commit.
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/berejiklian-government-is-yet-to-endorse-prime-minister-malcolm-turnbulls-power-cost-cutting-plan/news-story/20e06805550d47a3bc8673b8c1dd065c

Vultures feeding on drought disaster [$]
Andrew Bolt
THE drought in New South Wales has been terrible, and here they come — flap, flap, flap — the global warming vultures to feed on the disaster.
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/andrew-bolt/andrew-bolt-vultures-feeding-on-drought-disaster/news-story/921ed0c979cdc940e02ea1480b1ce781

Queensland
Federal reef grant to foundation ‘unthinkable, mind-blowing’: ex-board member
Myer dynasty philanthropist and former Great Barrier Reef Foundation board member Michael Myer condemns a $444 million federal grant to the foundation as “shocking” and showing “really poor judgement”.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-09/barrier-reef-foundation-grant-shocking-myer-former-board-member/10090780

Reef grant decision broke Government’s own rules, Senate told
The Turnbull Government’s $444 million grant to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation contravened its own guidelines for the allocation of such funds, according to environmental lawyers and governance experts.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-08/reef-grant-decision-broke-governments-own-rules-senate-told/10083128

Auditor considers inquiry into “surprise” Barrier Reef money
The Auditor-General is considering investigating the Turnbull government’s controversial $444 million grant to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.
https://indaily.com.au/news/2018/08/08/auditor-considers-inquiry-into-surprise-barrier-reef-money/

Turnbull’s $444m donation shines a spotlight on Great Barrier Reef politics [$]
A good deal of mystery surrounds the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, which was started in an airport lounge by Queensland public servant Sir Sydney Schubert and a group of businessmen with links to shale oil and asbestos.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/inquirer/turnbulls-444m-donation-shines-a-spotlight-on-great-barrier-reef-politics/news-story/7f114c4ebaa13f65dbf39ae9ba2152bd

Drones trialled as part of annual turtle count
Rangers involved in a massive population survey of endangered turtles in remote Queensland trial drones to help them locate vulnerable nests faster, to ensure protection from predators.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-08/drones-trialled-for-turtle-count-cape-york-peninsula/10089700

Rare bird ‘one step from extinction’ sighted in Queensland
It’s a species more threatened than pandas and tigers, but multiple sightings of the regent honeyeater has Australian birdwatchers both excited and concerned.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-08/rare-regent-honeyeater-spotted-in-queensland-by-birdwatchers/10088826

Tonnes of car batteries pile up on outback cattle stations with nowhere to go
Expensive transport licenses are being blamed for tonnes of used car batteries piling up on outback Queensland cattle stations.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2018-08-08/war-on-waste-tonnes-of-used-car-batteries-piling-up-on-stations/10084032

High speed rail could be fast tracked [$]
A plan to build a high-speed rail connection between Brisbane and the rest of the southeast Queensland region could soon become reality.
https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/the-couriermail-morning-blog-news-traffic-weather-updates/news-story/ca8605be570d4681bb41691bcae62e4d

Remote partnership to harvest employment [$]
Aboriginal people on Cape York are branching into the timber business as Rio Tinto expands its bauxite operations in Qld.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/indigenous/remote-partnership-to-harvest-employment/news-story/0ee285e1e24d5dcde26206128382d391

Origin to install 4MWh battery at north Queensland peaking plant
Origin Energy inks deal with South Korean consortium to install 4MWh battery at its 414MW Mt Stuart open cycle gas power plant, to use for emergency starts and to…
https://reneweconomy.com.au/origin-to-install-4mwh-battery-at-north-queensland-peaking-plant-96614/

The bigger questions about reef foundation’s $444 million windfall
Kate Mackenzie
There is no guarantee that spending on making the Great Barrier Reef more “resilient” will succeed.
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/the-bigger-questions-about-reef-foundation-s-444-million-windfall-20180807-p4zw3j.html

Koalas are being left to die slow painful deaths during drought
Sue Arnold
Koalas are struggling to survive as their habitat is being destroyed — which means every other species is also endangered.
https://independentaustralia.net/life/life-display/koalas-are-being-left-to-die-slow-painful-deaths-during-drought,11765

South Australia
Adelaide reservoirs receive inflows but dry times are ahead
Despite recent inflows, storage levels at Adelaide Hills reservoirs are down from a year ago, with the Bureau of Meteorology forecasting a dry spring.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-08/adelaide-reservoirs-receive-inflows-with-dry-times-ahead/10088884

Power bill cut on the way for SA consumers
South Australian power users can expect a cut in their power bills from 2020 under a new distribution plan.
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/power-bill-cut-on-the-way-for-sa-consumers/news-story/29778ec06f7e360c029886ef817fb251

Is the State Govt trying to damage the Murray royal commission?
In today’s Notes on Adelaide column, the State Government shoots a torpedo at the “bipartisan” royal commission into the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, and state Labor leader Peter Malinauskas promises to fix his party’s neglect of an important part of the community.
https://indaily.com.au/news/notes-on-adelaide/2018/08/08/is-the-state-govt-trying-to-damage-the-murray-royal-commission/

Spill would take a huge Bight out of tuna industry [$]
The projection of more than 1000 jobs and billions in revenue from oil exploration in the Great Australian Bight is “irresponsible” as a potential spill will decimate the state’s world-renowned fishing industry.
https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/business/sa-business-journal/tuna-industry-warns-sa-to-be-wary-of-jobs-and-economic-figures-given-an-oil-spill-in-bight-would-decimate-fishing-sectors/news-story/8c8f602c89626667b0f37faf83156ff8

State Government backs National Energy Guarantee [$]
SA Premier Steven Marshall has given unequivocal support to the Federal Government’s National Energy Guarantee ahead of Friday’s COAG meeting.
https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/south-australia-to-sign-up-to-national-energy-guarantee/news-story/5f50e7ccb979cdd650c0f771c25112b7

Save dolphins from a ‘slaughterhouse’, Burke pleads [$]
Former federal environment minister Tony Burke says he’s “completely stunned” by the number of dolphin deaths in the Port River and is backing the Messenger Community News Protect Our Dolphins campaign.
https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/messenger/west-beaches/port-river-dolphin-deaths-tony-burke-backs-sanctuary-speed-limit-campaign/news-story/792ff25ee5b26576353918633297fb4f

Tasmania
Mount Wellington cable car road proposal runs through endangered trees: expert
Plans for a cable car on kunanyi/Mount Wellington may have hit another hurdle, with a proposed road near a threatened tree species.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-09/rare-trees-at-site-of-proposed-mount-wellington-cable-car/10090506

Cable car plant study on council agenda [$]
The Mount Wellington Cableway Company will request permission to carry out a flora and fauna study of the route for the proposed new road off McRobies Rd in South Hobart.
https://www.themercury.com.au/business/cable-car-company-requests-permission-to-study-route-for-proposed-new-road/news-story/6e21946741a57ad4ac0ae97846c9f7b0

‘Stop politicking’ on energy [$]
Tasmania urges Labor states to stop “politicking” and back the NEG, as it will see the state become the “battery of the nation”.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/stop-politicking-and-back-the-neg-tas/news-story/b51fe46b5d397a9c3fbced5f213f1449

‘Ecotourism’ … the new greenwash term
Geoff Holloway
‘Ecotourism’ is a term that is misused across the world – as all international bodies agree; but it is particularly abused/misused by the Tasmanian Government and the Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania (TICT).
http://tasmaniantimes.com/index.php?/weblog/article/ecotourism-…-the-new-greenwash-term/

Western Australia
Cotton makes a comeback as historic harvest begins in WA’s Ord
History is being made in Western Australia’s remote Kimberley as the first commercial wet season cotton crop is picked in the Ord Valley since the collapse of the industry in the 1970s.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2018-08-09/cotton-harvest-comeback-in-the-ord/10082328

A Big Country: Rangers benefit from being on country
A new ranger program in Western Australia is helping local indigenous people connect not only with their country, but their families as well. The Tjaltjraak Ranger scheme is being run as a trial program with funding from the state government.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2018-08-08/a-big-country-rangers-benefit-from-being-on-country/10088526

Sustainability
How to throw plastic-free birthday party without being the fun police
Organising a party is hard enough — forgoing a quick clean-up may seem like a big ask. But parents say plastic-free parties are easier than you think.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-09/plastic-free-low-waste-kids-party/10078066

Images show China’s staggering waste problem
Foreign Correspondent reporter Bill Birtles stands in one of China’s bicycle dumping grounds outside Beijing. THE extent of China’s huge waste problem has been highlighted in extraordinary images of a bicycle dumping ground.
https://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/images-show-chinas-staggering-waste-problem/news-story/5cb9c535e84d940b2028d2cf8a4adae6

UK should support mini nuclear reactor projects, says official review
Subsidies similar to those for offshore wind could help meet emissions targets and boost exports, experts say
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/aug/07/uk-should-support-mini-nuclear-reactor-projects-says-official-review

What are coastal nuclear power plants doing to address climate threats?
As shorelines creep inland and storms worsen, nuclear reactors around the world face new challenges.
https://ensia.com/features/coastal-nuclear/

Palm oil: Too much of a good thing?
Palm oil can be used in everything from cosmetics to fuel, and is cheap and efficient to produce. But this versatile crop has a dark side.
https://www.dw.com/en/palm-oil-too-much-of-a-good-thing/a-44979802

Button batteries kill. Here’s how we can prevent needless child deaths from battery ingestion
Ruth Barker
More needs to be done to prevent deaths from button batteries.
https://theconversation.com/button-batteries-kill-heres-how-we-can-prevent-needless-child-deaths-from-battery-ingestion-101187

Nature Conservation
Orca mother grieving for dead calf inspires push to save dying pods
Headlines on mother who carried baby for days fuel concern over Seattle population that is stressed and starving
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/aug/08/orcas-killer-whales-endangered-dying-washington

The era of megafires: the crisis facing California and what will happen next
Three scientists explain the unprecedented danger facing the western US and call for new solutions to a growing threat
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/aug/07/california-wildfires-megafires-future-climate-change

Madagascar proposes paying illegal loggers to audit or buy their rosewood
Nobody knows just how much rosewood Madagascar’s timber barons have hidden away in caches throughout the country.
https://news.mongabay.com/2018/08/madagascar-proposes-paying-illegal-loggers-to-audit-or-buy-their-rosewood/

Now for something completely different …
Our workplaces are filthy and it’s costing us all
Libby Sander
Many of our offices are filthy, which doesn’t just trigger a sense of disgust but can make us sick.
https://theconversation.com/our-workplaces-are-filthy-and-its-costing-us-all-100892

Maelor Himbury