Date: 4 October 2018 at 09:02:34 AEST
To: Undisclosed recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Oct 4
Post of the Day
What does 1.5C mean in a warming world?
1.5C has become the new “safe” upper-limit for global warming – but whatever happened to the two-degree target?
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-45678338
Today’s Celebration
Independence Day – Lesotho
Peace Day – Mozambique
St. Petronius Day – Italy
National Cinnamon Bun Day – Sweden
World Animal Day – http://www.worldanimalday.org.uk/index.asp
Improve Your Office Day – https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/improve-your-office-day/
World Space Week – http://www.worldspaceweek.org/
National Amputee Awareness Week – http://www.limbs4life.org.au/
More about Oct 4 – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_4
Climate Change
Global Warming Increases Wildfire Potential Damages in Mediterranean Europe
Anthropogenic warming will increase the burned areas due fires in Mediterranean Europe, and the increase of the burned area could be reduced by limiting global warming to 1.5ºC.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/10/181002113959.htm
What does 1.5C mean in a warming world?
1.5C has become the new “safe” upper-limit for global warming – but whatever happened to the two-degree target?
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-45678338
‘Guardians of the forest:’ Indigenous peoples come together to assert role in climate stability
A half mile from the din of the Global Climate Action Summit and its 4,000 attendees in San Francisco, indigenous peoples from around the world came together in a small space for a kind of summit of their own.
Can Buddhism help fight climate change?
At an idyllic retreat in California, the architect of the Paris deal argues that it can.
https://psmag.com/environment/can-buddhism-help-fight-climate-change
The Trump administration knows the planet is going to boil. It doesn’t care
Bill McKibben
Trump’s team used last week to sneak in disastrous, linked policies on climate change and child refugee camps.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/oct/02/trump-administration-planet-boil-refugee-camps
Degrees of division [$]
Graham Lloyd
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is about to release the most politically charged report in its history just weeks before a crucial meeting in Poland.
National
ARENA goes behind the meter, as consumers rush to solar, storage, EVs
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency has announced a new focus on making the best use of Australia’s record breaking rooftop solar uptake – and its impending battery storage and electric vehicle booms – as one of the major frontiers of an increasingly renewables dominated grid.
Schott: NEG not quite dead, and could be revived
Energy Security Board chair says that parts of proposed NEG policy package live on through discussions with states – and could be in place by the end of 2019.
https://reneweconomy.com.au/schott-neg-not-quite-dead-and-could-be-revived-47107/
Greens propose 30 renewable energy zones, backed by grid fund
Greens propose to create up to 30 special renewable energy zones across Australia, backed by a $2.8 billon grid transformation fund to help drive towards 100% renewables.
https://reneweconomy.com.au/greens-propose-30-renewable-energy-zones-backed-by-grid-fund-30594/
Government delayed release of climate data again, FOI documents show
Australia is failing to meet the emissions reduction target it agreed to in Paris and after the latest update on the figures was delayed, conservationists are calling for control over the data to be taken away from Government.
Canberra should help gas users [$]
The era of even moderately cheap gas on the east coast is over — but perhaps not so politically.
‘This drought is different’: it’s drier and hotter – and getting worse
On the land and in the towns they’re affected to varying degrees; some find it harder to cope. But they all agree something has changed
REST fights climate change test case [$]
A beefed-up lawsuit against $50 billion super fund REST alleges trustees breached their duties by failing to factor climate change into investment decisions.
What will cities of the future look like? [$]
Three upcoming architectural festivals in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra will debate the shape of our skylines.
‘Fossil fuels protect us’: Liberal backbencher tells party not to worry about climate
Craig Kelly, a prominent Liberal Party backbencher, has told party members in Sydney they should not worry about climate change and that fossil fuels were among the reasons “we are so safe”.
Against science’: Morrison’s climate stance slammed
Architect of the Paris agreement unloads on the Coalition government, lambasting its inaction to tackle climate change.
Satellites snap images to track water flows in the Murray-Darling Basin
The Murray-Darling Basin Authority accesses free satellite images beamed from European and American satellites in a year-long trial to ensure water is used wisely and legally.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-04/satellites-track-water-flows-in-northern-basin/10334684
Charities spending millions cleaning up fast fashion graveyard
Unusable clothing donations are being sent to landfill and it is costing Australian charities millions of dollars, prompting experts to warn about the dangers of fast fashion.
Scott Morrison’s irresponsible climate cantering soundbites
Simon Black
It doesn’t matter how much the PM tries to hide our emissions data, we are not going to get to “argue the toss” after failing to “canter it in”.
Encryption laws will target whistleblowers, journalists, civil society groups [$]
Bernard Keane
The government’s war on encryption inevitably means whistleblowers, journalists, lawyers and opposition politicians will be targeted by security agencies, like they have with mass surveillance laws.
The energy crisis is coming back [$]
Jennifer Hewett
Remember the energy crisis? The same one that triggered a prime ministerial implosion a little over a month ago. It’s been pushed out of the political spotlight by Hayne – but it’s coming back.
https://www.afr.com/opinion/columnists/remember-the-energy-crisis-its-a-gas-gas-gas-20181003-h166nz
‘Are the US and Australia declaring climate war on all of Earth? You make it sound so final’
First Dog on the Moon
After Australia cynically releases its catastrophic climate data the day before grand final weekend, Ian the Climate Denialist Potato holds a press conference
Green bias within the ABC [$]
Maurice Newman
Aunty’s leanings are set in stone, despite what some long-term employees may believe.
Victoria
Victoria chips in to install ultra-rapid EV chargers – “Australia’s fastest”
Victorian government announces $1 million grant to help ChargeFox establish “ultra” fast electric vehicle charging stations at two regional locations in state.
Water boss on $380k salary scammed thousands in public money for dinners, booze and barbecues
The former managing director of Australia’s largest rural water corporation might have to repay thousands of dollars of public funds he spent on items such as a new barbecue and alcohol.
Gippsland dump plan rejected, tonnes of asbestos to be trucked across Melbourne
Thousands of tonnes of deadly asbestos from a decommissioned Latrobe Valley power station will be trucked across the state to Melbourne, after a local council rules it cannot be buried onsite.
Coalition promises ‘European-style’ regional train network in $19b election pledge
A plan to speed up Victoria’s regional trains by rebuilding each of the state’s country lines is at the core of Matthew Guy’s policy to decentralise the state.
The big squeeze: Overcrowding gets worse on Melbourne trains, trams
Overcrowding on Melbourne’s trains increased this year, despite the recent completion of a project to take out seats and make more standing room.
Laugh all you like, the Greens keep dreaming
Noel Towell
They’re mocked, sassed and dissed, but the Greens’ dreams sometimes come true.
It’s the rail journey we’ve been on before [$]
Ed Gannon
Another election, another promise of fast rail for rural Victoria. The fact is, we have been here before and very little has come from previous attempts. https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/ed-gannon-its-the-rail-journey-weve-been-on-before/news-story/c1ec2d20a519394ba83e3f6a582a3814
New South Wales
Coal baron on prowl as mine falls into administration [$]
NSW coal mine Chain Valley Colliery has fallen into insolvency, with the generator’s coal entrepreneur owner immediately emerging as a prime candidate to buy it.
Regional households paying $1000 more for power
People living in regional and rural NSW are paying up to $1000 more for power a year compared to those in the city, bearing the brunt of high power prices.
‘Best way’: Labor’s Wentworth candidate Tim Murray backs carbon price
Tim Murray says Liberal-National Coalition “policy paralysis” is raising electricity prices and it’s time to revisit a carbon price to drive climate action.
Mine failure hits power station [$]
A NSW mine that supplies half the coal for the Vales Point power station has collapsed into administration.
ACT
Molongolo corridor development must be managed carefully
Canberra Times editorial
Coombs and Wright have the potential to breathe new life into Canberra’s vision of itself as the “bush capital”. Let’s not squander that opportunity for profit.
Queensland
Great Barrier Reef: forest three times size of ACT cleared in past five years
Clearing of forests in reef catchment zone show Australia a global deforestation hotspot, campaigners say
Heat-seeking drones find Brisbane’s hiding koalas
Drones have mapped Brisbane’s koala hot-spots using heat sensors 60 metres above the tree canopy in a trial run by Queensland University of Technology.
Push to impose levy on tourists [$]
Environmentalists have rejected calls for a bridge over the Daintree River, opting instead for a levy on tourists and tough limits on visitor numbers.
Casinos out, nature in with Aussie tourists [$]
One of Queensland’s most popular tourist destinations is losing its shine as Aussies shift their preference from theme parks and casinos to bushwalks and national parks.
South Australia
Residents slam water sale plan [$]
Onkaparinga Council is considering selling off its waste and recycled water services, despite opposition from residents who fear their sewage bills will skyrocket as a result.
Rat cull boosts penguin numbers but new threat lurks
Volunteers have found 44 little penguins nesting on Granite Island – a strong increase on last year’s census count, giving scientists hope for the colony’s future.
Power interconnector between SA and NSW should open by 2021, bringing energy security and lowering prices [$]
A new power connection linking SA and NSW to stop blackouts and reduce prices could be operating a year sooner than expected, an expert report commissioned by the State Government says.
More power to those who get bills down [$]
Advertiser editorial
Our politicians and regulators finally seem to have got the message that households struggling with skyrocketing power bills are demanding urgent action to get them down and completely run out of patience with excuses.
Tasmania
$190k bill looms in fish farm case [$]
Taxpayers could foot a bill of almost $190,000 defending the federal Environment Department’s decision to approve a fish farm on the state’s East Coast.
Northern Territory
Top End river teeming with one of the most endangered species on the planet
Sawfish numbers have declined massively since the 1960s, mainly due to commercial fishing, but a new survey in the Northern Territory has found their river sanctuary and hopes to learn more about the elusive ray.
Midway commits $17 million to boost woodchip exports from Tiwi Islands
ASX-listed Midway Limited commits $17 million to boost woodchip exports from the remote Tiwi Islands in the Northern Territory.
Western Australia
WA Indigenous community tries to rid water supply of unsafe level of uranium
Western Australian government refused to install water treatment plant due to size of Buttah Windee
Sustainability
Energy shock: rising oil prices, US dollar put pressure on
The risk of a global energy shock is rising rapidly as the looming US sanctions on Iran and a rising US dollar combine to export layers of stress to the rest of the world.
Toward a smaller carbon footprint
Researchers have made a breakthrough in carbon nanotube technology that removes carbon dioxide from the air and converts it into useful chemicals.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/10/181003134458.htm
New concept to cool boiling surface may help prevent nuclear power plant accidents
Scientists have demonstrated a novel concept that overcomes the tolerable heat limit or what’s known as the critical heat flux (CHF). They have come up with a new method that increased the CHF by 10 percent compared to approaches used in the past.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/10/181002102733.htm
Emissions-free energy system saves heat from the summer sun for winter
A research group from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, has made great, rapid strides towards the development of a specially designed molecule which can store solar energy for later use.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-10/cuot-ees100218.php
New fuel cell concept brings biological design to better electricity generation
Fuel cells have long been viewed as a promising power source. But most fuel cells are too expensive, inefficient, or both. In a new approach, inspired by biology, a University of Wisconsin-Madison team has designed a fuel cell using cheaper materials and an organic compound that shuttles electrons and protons.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-10/uow-nfc100218.php
100% renewable energy: the public wants it, and quick
The industry is groping for ways to talk the public down.
Now 5 years old, the hyperloop industry keeps on whooshing on
The oldest hyperloop company is five years old, and we still don’t have hyperloop—but these loop dreamers aren’t giving up.
https://www.wired.com/story/hyperloop-transportation-technologies-capsule-quintero-one/
Anh Phan: How we can turn plastic waste into green energy
In the EU, 31% of plastic products go to landfill: but a process called “cold plasma pyrolysis” could turn them into clean fuels.
https://theconversation.com/how-we-can-turn-plastic-waste-into-green-energy-104072
Nature Conservation
2018 monarch butterfly migration expected to be enormous, experts say
“Probably this will be one of the biggest migrations down the East Coast that we’ve seen in a long time,” said Elizabeth Howard of Journey North.
Ape sanctuaries in the DRC brace themselves as Ebola hits the country
“When Ebola gets into a gorilla population, it can be devastating.”
The ocean is brown, the crabs are dead and the smell is unbearable. Welcome to Florida
Fabiola Santiago
Toxic red tide, the toll of Gov. Rick Scott’s bad environmental policies, has ruined the beaches of Florida, including that of his hometown of Naples.
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/fabiola-santiago/article219330305.html
A tale of two enemies [$]
Fred Pawle
Environmentalists would tolerate the extermination of entire species of unloved creatures, but not the culling of a single shark.
Now for something completely different …
Hazardous drinking: research finds that 40% of people over 50 drink too much
Andy Towers
Research shows that up to 40% of adults aged 50 and over are hazardous drinkers. For men in this age group this increases to almost 50%.
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