Date: 3 October 2018 at 09:08:58 AEST
To: Undisclosed recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Oct 3
Post of the Day
A ‘Hard rain’s a gonna fall’ on insurers unless they address climate risks
With the escalating cost of natural disasters, insurance companies have a greater incentive to use their leverage to enforce not just better building codes but also to improve climate change regulations.
Today’s Celebration
Day of the Francisco Morazan – Honduras
Foundation day (National) – South Korea
Unity Day (National) – Germany
World Temperance Day – https://www.bbncommunity.com/today-world-temperance-day/
Random Acts of Poetry Day – https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/random-acts-of-poetry-day/
More about Oct 3 – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_3
Climate Change
Wildfire aerosols remain longer in atmosphere than expected
Light-absorbing brown carbon aerosols, emitted by wildfires, remain longer in the atmosphere than expected, which could have implications for climate predictions.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-10/mtu-war100218.php
A ‘Hard rain’s a gonna fall’ on insurers unless they address climate risks
With the escalating cost of natural disasters, insurance companies have a greater incentive to use their leverage to enforce not just better building codes but also to improve climate change regulations.
Climate change panel vets landmark global warming report
Scientists fear potential Trump administration obstruction as top climate change body finalizes a major report of future global warming scenarios and ways to mitigate impacts.
https://www.dw.com/en/climate-change-panel-vets-landmark-global-warming-report/a-45708925
Save us the smugness over 2018’s heatwaves, environmentalists
Matt Hern and Am Johal
In this historically precarious moment, we need something more fundamental than climate strategies built on shame and castigation
National
Origin says solar cheaper than coal, moving on from base-load
Origin Energy says the cost of wind and solar farms has fallen so far it is now cheaper than the marginal cost of coal generation, and the company is moving on from the concept of “24/7 base-load”.
https://reneweconomy.com.au/origin-says-solar-cheaper-than-coal-moving-on-from-base-load-70999/
Government and Business Unite to Reduce Packaging Waste
The federal government and major companies including Woolworths, Coca-Cola Amatil and Nestlé are supporting a call for 100 per cent of Australia’s packaging to be reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025.
https://probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2018/10/government-business-unite-reduce-packaging-waste/
Bill shock: Households could be paying 20% more than needed for power
Households could cut their power bills by 20 per cent if they shopped around, according to a new report.
‘I was aghast’: One woman’s fight against single-use plastics
“The first plastic straw you ever used in your life is lying there still, that’s scary,” Rhea Mazumdar Singhal says.
Super fund alleged to have breached duties over climate change risk
Industry super fund REST is facing a new federal court legal battle over claims it breached its trustee duties by failing to properly factor climate change-related risks into its investment decisions.
Way to cheaper electricity littered with false conceptions
Graham Young
Power prices are not an issue that should ever have become hostage to politics, and they are not one that will be ignored in an election campaign.
http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=19970
ACCC helps big gas to its ‘point of indifference’ [$]
Matthew Stevens
The competition regulator’s move to publish an index of east coast netback gas prices represents a major step forward in the evolution of Australia’s domestic energy market.
https://www.afr.com/business/accc-helps-big-gas-see-point-of-indifference-20181002-h1654b
Why our major cities need to grow [$]
Ian Harper
Australia’s economic future depends on the smooth operation of its big cities.
Victoria
Victorian councils call for clarity amid solar frustration
A number of local councils say they are ill-equipped when it comes to solar plans, and are calling on the State Government for guidance.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-02/victorian-councils-call-for-solar-planning-guidelines/10328790
Another shot at blowing up Vic power plant
It’s take two for aluminium giant Alcoa and its attempt to blow up their disused power plant on Victoria’s surf coast after the first try failed.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/another-shot-blowing-vic-power-plant-173013269–spt.html
Solutions on offer for Australian waste
Waste industry leaders will converge on Melbourne for a conference focusing on better ways to deal with waste.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/solutions-offer-australian-waste-173012535–spt.html
Safety plan blowout: Power companies warned pollies
Victorian politicians were warned about the cost rise and that consumers would end up paying for it.
Man behind state’s second-biggest tyre dump put behind bars
The director of a company behind Victoria’s second-largest tyre dump has been convicted of contempt and senenced to four months’ behind bars.
‘People are changing their attitude’: Victoria’s new-build homes to change
Three of the largest home builders in Victoria will go green under a government plan but the question remains: will buyers fork out?
https://www.domain.com.au/news/three-volume-builders-offer-zero-net-carbon-homes-2020-768772/
Complaints environmental vandals get off lightly under Victorian law
Recent cases involving the dumping of asbestos in suburbia and the poisoning of hundreds of wedge-tailed eagles prompt questions over the effectiveness of environmental legislation, as authorities reveal a law designed to jail polluters has never been used.
Campaign urges Victorians to reduce ‘plastic pollution’ [$]
The Andrews Government is launching a taxpayer-funded campaign promoting reusable shopping bags ahead of a planned ban on lightweight single-use plastic bags next year.
Bookaar solar farm on back burner [$]
A statewide push for solar power has been dealt a blow, with one of Victoria’s most controversial renewable projects given a municipal red light.
Winds of change a source of pride and income [$]
James Dennis
Putting wind turbines on his farm has been the right decision
Guy’s fast rail plan a big-picture project [$]
Matt Johnston
Matthew Guy’s fast rail pledge is as much about easing city congestion by encouraging more people to live in regional areas as it is another pricey infrastructure project.
New South Wales
Warragamba Dam wall plan could cause ‘irreversible’ damage, NSW premier told
Letter from 20 scientists and ex-ministers, including Peter Garrett, condemns plan to raise dam wall
NSW councils sign up for Moree solar farm to slash electricity costs
Group of 18 councils in NSW sign up to take the output from Moree solar farm to slash their electricity bills by around one third.
Climate change the hot topic in Wentworth
Climate change is becoming a key issue in Wentworth in Sydney’s east as the Liberal Party’s main opponents seek to exploit division within the coalition.
Queensland
Queensland Crushes Cans For Cash
One of Australia’s largest recycling companies is bringing 48 can collection depots across Queensland for the state’s recently unveiled Container Refund Scheme.
https://probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2018/10/queensland-crushes-cans-cash/
North Qld bushfire burns for two weeks
A bushfire burning for two weeks in north Queensland looks set to continue to challenge firefighters, with temperatures predicted rise.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/north-qld-bushfire-burns-two-weeks-185550476–spt.html
Department stores’ thicker plastic shopping bags could be next to face bans
Queensland is leading national action to investigate options to phase out department store plastic shopping bags.
The Brisbane suburbs where the population is shrinking
Queensland’s population may be booming but in some Brisbane neighbourhoods, the population is in free fall.
https://www.domain.com.au/news/brisbane-suburbs-populations-shrinking-768660/
State power firms’ profit bonanza [$]
Queensland’s state-owned power companies made an extra $269m in profit last financial year.
South Australia
‘Pleasantly surprised’: Tesla battery swift, accurate and pushing down energy prices
The Australian Energy Market Operator says it is impressed by the ability of South Australia’s giant Tesla battery to dispatch power far more rapidly and precisely than conventional thermal power stations, while also pushing down prices.
Experts urge caution as council candidates push for trackless trams
Lord Mayoral candidate Sandy Verschoor and central ward contender Driller Jet Armstrong say ‘trackless trams’ are the future of public transport in the city, but transport and engineering experts remain wary of the fledgling technology.
Baby possums under attack from pets [$]
An animal shelter south of Adelaide has been inundated with injured baby possums following a spate of dog and cat attacks.
McLaren Vale’s in climate control [$]
McLaren Vale viticulturalists are battling climate change head on – and regions around the country have much to learn from the area’s innovative projects, a study has found.
150-year-old gum tree dying from poison [$]
A Council investigation is underway into the deliberate poisoning of a 150-year-old gum tree in Adelaide’s northeastern suburbs.
Tasmania
Aboriginal group calls for land handback of Tasmanian west coastline
Tasmania’s Aboriginal Land Council is pushing to take control of land along the state’s west coast to protect and highlight the region’s Indigenous history.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-02/aboriginal-land-claim-sought-on-tasmanian-west-coast/10328578
SFFP Calls for an immediate BAN on 1080 Poison
Ken Orr
Tasmania can ill afford the risk to our endangered animals, the wedge tailed eagles, spotted-tailed native cats, Tasmania devils, let alone the risk to our fragile aquatic waterways.
https://pixelkey.biz/tasmaniantimes/2018/10/sffp-calls-for-an-immediate-ban-on-1080-poison/
Sea to summit bus service ready to roll [$]
A hop-on, hop-off bus to the top of kunanyi/Mt Wellington with audio commentary and bike and wheelchair access is being launched today by the Hobart City Council.
Camping fees on cards for Cockle Creek [$]
Camping fees may be introduced at popular Cockle Creek to offset the increasing cost of managing and maintaining public facilities.
Respect for First Peoples Connection to Country
Cassy O’Connor
The Aboriginal Land Council’s calls for the West Coast Aboriginal landscape to be returned should be heard by both the Federal and State Governments.
https://pixelkey.biz/tasmaniantimes/2018/10/respect-for-first-peoples-connection-to-country/
Western Australia
Lithium ‘buzz’ could be worth hundreds of billions to Australia
Australia has the potential to capture more wealth and jobs from its lithium sector by moving down the battery supply chain but this would be contingent on a number of factors, one of the federal government’s top economists thinks.
WA amps up fight against total fire-ban breachers with $1000 fines
Tough penalties have been introduced for people who ignore total fire bans in Western Australia, with repeat offenders facing a fine of up to $25,000, or even imprisonment for up to 12 months.
Sustainability
Delays to energy efficient goods will cost EU consumers ‘billions’ in lost savings
New eco-designs for products such as TVs and fridges are also crucial to Europe meeting its climate targets, say experts
Supersizing solar cells: researchers print module six times bigger than previous largest
A perovskite solar module the size of an A4 sheet of paper, which is nearly six times bigger than modules of that type reported before, has been developed by Swansea University researchers, by using simple and low-cost printing techniques.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-10/su-ssc100218.php
Billionaires and bacteria are racing to save us from death by fertilizer
Nitrogen fertilizer is a disaster. Abandoning it would be a bigger disaster. Now a dozen billionaires are funding an alternative.
https://grist.org/article/billionaires-and-bacteria-are-racing-to-save-us-from-death-by-fertilizer/
US Election 2018: Clean energy’s future could rise or fall with these governor’s races
Governors have the power to set the agenda on renewable energy or throw up roadblocks to its progress. It’s become an issue in several races this year.
How a Mediterranean-style diet might help protect you from air pollution effects
Another reason to dine Mediterranean-style: It may counteract harmful effects of air pollution.
https://www.mensjournal.com/health-fitness/anti-air-pollution-diet-mediterranean-foods/
A running list of action on plastic pollution
The world is waking up to a crisis of ocean plastic – and we’re tracking the developments and solutions as they happen.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2018/07/ocean-plastic-pollution-solutions/
Why aren’t we talking more about Trump’s nihilism?
The White House now says we might as well pollute because global catastrophe is inevitable.
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-white-house-climate-change-731440/
Population – what’s the problem?
Chris Smaje
Apologies for the clickbait-y title. My question isn’t a rhetorical one intended to suggest that human population levels aren’t a problem. I don’t doubt they are.
https://smallfarmfuture.org.uk/2018/06/population-whats-the-problem/
Nature Conservation
This robotic jellyfish could help save our reefs from climate change
The squishy bot is designed to collect critical information without harming reefs or disturbing marine life.
Secondary forests have short lifespans
Secondary forests only last an average of 20 years.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-10/mbg-sfh092518.php
How the bald eagle soared again
The recovery of America’s national symbol is a dramatic environmental success.
https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2018/10/02/how-the-bald-eagle-soared-again
Now for something completely different …
Science behind standing desks was crooked all along? Sit on that
John Birmingham
Well, this sucks. I just bought an ergonomic keyboard and before it even arrives the whole field of ergonomics is revealed to be a skeevy wangboozle as crooked as mouthful of Dickensian urchin teeth.
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