Date: 16 February 2019 at 08:28:28 AEDT
To: Undisclosed recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Feb 16
Post of the Day
Lessons from the Murray-Darling disaster run deeper than water
Oisin Sweeney
Environmental mismanagement runs deeper than the ecological tragedy gripping the Murray-Darling Basin.
Today’s Celebration
Independence Day (1918) – Lithuania
Kim Jong-il’s Birthday – North Korea
Archbishop Janani Luwum Memorial Day – Uganda
Feast of Saint Sarkis – Armenia
Climate Change
Scientists discovered where black carbon comes from in the Arctic in winter and summer
Scientists from seven countries published an article on the study of the sources of black carbon (BC) emissions in the Arctic.
School pupils call for radical climate action in UK-wide strike
Former UN climate chief says it is time to ‘heed voice of youth’ as thousands join protest
National
AEMC snaps to attention on interconnector, fast-tracks rule change
In strong sign that the country’s energy market rule-makers and regulators are finally trying to keep pace with technology, AEMC flags a rule change in virtual light-speed.
Reduced demand doing little to stop wholesale power prices rising, says AEMO
The energy market operator says Australians have been relying less on the grid as solar power rises but this is doing little to stem rising wholesale electricity prices which reached record highs last year.
Fish kills prompt quickened review of Murray cod, silver perch status
The Morrison government will accelerate a review of the endangered status of the Murray cod and silver perch, two species hammered by the series of mass fish kills on the lower Darling River.
Coalition at odds with states over energy savings measure
Queensland has accused the Morrison government of ditching a measure vital to lowering energy bills.
Like a verge: The streets getting greener
Want to grow a garden but don’t have anywhere to put one? Intrepid urban green-thumbs are increasingly getting involved in the verge gardening movement – setting up small garden beds on nature strips to help provide a habitat for native animals, more green cover and even grow food.
Heat on BoM for records rewrite [$]
The Bureau of Meteorology has rewritten Australia’s temperature records, greatly increasing the rate of warming since 1910.
Why 50% renewables by 2030 is such an easy target
David Leitch
In the shift to renewables, time is pressing on Australia’s incumbent gentailers like AGL. Big decisions will have to be made, and made fairly promptly.
Lessons from the Murray-Darling disaster run deeper than water
Oisin Sweeney
Environmental mismanagement runs deeper than the ecological tragedy gripping the Murray-Darling Basin.
Farmers’ plight is quite simply a catastrophe [$]
Ed Gannon
Drought fallout The drastic plight of the farmers of Queensland, who have been floored by drought and now by floods, has implications for the entire country.
Victoria
The small business turning old computers, printers and phones into food
Working for large corporates, Cat and Mardi were used to dealing with large amounts of e-waste.Then they decided to do something about it.
Exxon boss in chase for Bass gas [$]
The world’s biggest oil company has a small problem.
New South Wales
Crews work to contain NSW bushfires
Burnt out cars at Tingha in northern New South Wales after bushfires. (AAP)
Fire crews will spend the weekend trying to contain bushfires raging in northern NSW.
NSW Darling River fish ‘super stressed’
Menindee resident Graeme McCrabb checks the dissolved oxygen levels in the Darling River almost daily – and he’s worried about more mass fish deaths.
Sydney WestConnex work disturbs asbestos
WestConnex work in Haberfield has disturbed asbestos after local residents were assured the material wasn’t present on the work site.
Sally Zou’s mining company has lease suspended over dam and kangaroo deaths
Chinese businesswoman Sally Zou’s AusGold Mining Group is ordered to temporarily shut down its NSW gold mine after the illegal construction of a dam and the deaths of more than 25 kangaroos.
Is it time for politicians to listen and promote the planet diet?
Experts have warned about how our diets are impacting the environment, so we ask political parties in New South Wales about their plans to tackle the issue.
Battery powered homes and battery powered cars: The fossil fuel era is fading
NSW hinterland luxury rental home with 10kW solar, two Tesla Powerwall batteries, and a Model X EV, seeks to demonstrate Tesla’s vision of the new energy and transport future….
Whitehaven Coal’s record profit fails to impress investors
Falling prices and a cut in guidance at a key mine have taken the gloss of Whitehaven Coal’s record performance in the first half of the financial year and sparked a heavy sell-off by investors.
Leave climate policy to experts: Flynn [$]
Whitehaven Coal chief executive Paul Flynn says the courts should leave action on environmental policy to the government after last week’s controversial Rocky Hill decision.
Locals fear economy will die without mine [$]
Activists are using tax dollars and technology to shut down the coal industry — and hurting jobs in the regions. Locals believe their region’s economy will take a big hit after the Rocky Hill coal mine proposal was rejected.
In the NSW high country, the battle over brumbies in the national park goes beyond environmental arguments — it’s a culture war.
‘Anomaly’ lets farmer use environmental water for cotton crop
Locals were ‘gobsmacked’ to find an unsolicited licence change allowed water earmarked for shielding an internationally renowned wetland from drought ended up as a cash crop.
Where there’s a quill: CSI uses DNA to catch echidna smugglers
Wildlife forensic scientists have developed a tool to track the source of black market echidnas.
Queensland
Queensland flood crisis moves north
Queensland’s flood disaster is not over yet, with Gulf of Carpentaria graziers braced for devastating stock losses.
Scientists, conservation groups welcome senators’ call for Great Barrier Reef cash to be returned
A Greens-chaired Senate committee has recommended all unspent government money from a $444 million grant for a Great Barrier Reef charity be returned.
Enough salt to fill a house saves Townsville aquarium from ‘impending disaster’
If it had not been for a team of fast-moving staff and enough salt to ‘fill a small house’, the unprecedented floods in North Queensland would have destroyed the world’s largest living coral exhibition.
AGL proposes mega battery next to Cooper’s Gap wind farm in Queensland
AGL Energy has proposed to build a huge 100MW/150MWh battery next to the big 453MW Cooper’s Gap wind farm in Queensland, and has submitted the idea to the Coalition’s controversial underwriting mechanism for “24/7” power.
Genex kicks off works on Kidston pumped hydro, next to solar farm
Work is set to begin on the pumped hydro storage component of Genex Power’s ground-breaking Renewable Energy Hub at Kidston, in North Queensland, as the company works to keep the massive project moving while it awaits financial close.
Queensland government rebukes Adani over endangered finch
Indian miner playing politics instead of participating in scientific process, says deputy premier Jackie Trad
Adani Carmichael mine project could come to standstill over cows [$]
The controversial expert panel reviewing the Carmichael mine’s management plan for an endangered bird wants cows removed from the pastoral lease land to be set aside as a reserve.
Premier asked to save coalmine [$]
An alliance of industry, unions and councils will lobby for Annastacia Palaszczuk to save the Adani coalmine project.
Matt Canavan hijacks native title fight on Adani [$]
Mike Seccombe
While Resources Minister Matt Canavan insists Adani has the full support of the Wangan and Jagalingou people, the legitimacy of a land agreement with the mining giant is the subject of a Federal Court appeal.
South Australia
Tesla big battery earns another $4m from FCAS in fourth quarter
The Tesla big battery at Hornsdale in South Australia continues to make its market on the Australian energy market, pocketing another $4 million in the fourth quarter from the provision of frequency and ancillary services.
El Dorado of the SA desert — or just a mirage? [$]
At different times, Olympic Dam and its long-mooted expansion has been called the “mirage in the desert”, and the start of SA’s next golden age. Whether it becomes the El Dorado of copper or not — Roxby Downs will continue to dominate SA politics.
Three years to fix a riverbank [$]
Repairs to a section of riverbank between Underdale and Torrensville — which has been closed to the public for 888 days — are finally due to start “in coming weeks”.
Ignore the Darling disaster then the Murray dies next [$]
Ben Brennan
I grew up around Menindee. The slow death of the Darling River isn’t news to locals but if Australia keeps ignoring this ecological disaster then make no mistake – the Murray dies next.
Tasmania
Secret tick for cable car drill permit
Tasmania’s Government has prepared a permit that would allow the company behind the Mt Wellington cable car proposal to drill up to 32 sites around the protected reserve.
Northern Territory
Territorians’ gardening habits could be to blame for nation-topping water use
Northern Territory households guzzle the most water out of anywhere in Australia — and Top Enders’ love of gardening could be to blame.
A Northern Territory Supreme Court judge rejects evidence given by former Government officials — including ex-chief minister Adam Giles — and Darwin developer Halikos Group’s senior managers during legal action over a $300 million deal with Japanese gas giant Inpex.
Western Australia
Two cultures unite for a vision of the world if we reach the ‘point of no return’
Indigenous Australian and Indian performers unite for a unique dance theatre production exploring what would happen to their sacred lands if climate change reaches the point of no return.
Sustainability
Mining executives arrested over deadly Brazilian dam collapse
Eight employees of Brazilian mining company Vale SA, including two executives, are arrested as part of a criminal investigation into the cause of a deadly dam disaster that claimed the life of more than 160 people.
Lithium-air batteries can store energy for cars, houses and industry
Growth in the offer of renewable energy sources will mean increased demand for devices optimal for energy storing; São Paulo and UK researchers presented advances in new battery development at FAPESP Week London.
Better red than dread: Barrier keeps batteries safe
A layer of red phosphorus in rechargeable lithium metal batteries can signal when damaging dendrites threaten to create a short circuit. The strategy, which does not require a third electrode, could help bring more powerful lithium metal batteries to market.
Upcycling plastic bags into battery parts
Plastic bag pollution has become a huge environmental problem, prompting some cities and countries to heavily tax or ban the sacks. But what if used plastic bags could be made into higher-value products? Now, researchers have reported a new method to convert plastic bags into carbon chips that could be used as anodes for lithium-ion batteries.
Polymers pave way for wider use of recycled tires in asphalt
Each year, about 27 million tires end up in landfills, dumps and stockpiles, where they pose health and environmental hazards. These tires could get a second life as components of the roads they once traveled, but blends of ground tires and asphalt can be unstable. Now, researchers have identified polymer additives that increase the storage stability of asphalt rubber.
Study uses satellite data to pinpoint widespread oil industry ‘flaring’
A new study by SF State University Assistant Professor of Health Education Lara Cushing and colleagues at the University of Southern California used satellite data to track flaring, an often underreported and potentially harmful oil and gas industry practice.
Electric vehicles now cheaper to own than petrol, diesel cars in Europe
Wireless EV charging company Witricity has bought 1,500 patents and applications from Qualcomm to ‘transform the automotive experience’.
Vestas extends lead as big four dominate wind turbine manufacturing in 2018
Danish wind turbine manufacturing giant Vestas Wind Systems led onshore wind turbine deployment in 2018 with 10.1GW of capacity and a market share of 22%, leading a group of four manufacturers which together account for 57% of all wind turbines commissioned in 2018.
Shell bets on battery storage [$]
Shell has struck a deal to take over German smart household battery provider Sonnen, with Australia singled out as a target growth market.
Renewables will be the main source of global energy by 2040, BP says
Oil and gas giant BP says renewable energy will rapidly become the world’s main source of power within the next 20 years, as the planet shifts towards a lower carbon future.
Plans for first Chinese solar power station in space revealed
Beijing: China is taking its renewable energy push to new heights, with scientists revealing plans to build the first solar power station in space.
What the planet needs from men
Elizabeth Farrelly
The man-heroes of the future won’t be the boat-stoppers and coal-brandishers.
Nature Conservation
Tonnes of plastic waste discovered on Galapagos Islands
Volunteers have cleaned up more than four tonnes of rubbish from the remote Galapagos Islands. Most of the waste is believed to have drifted across the Pacific all the way from Asia.
New molecular blueprint advances our understanding of photosynthesis
Researchers have used one of the most advanced microscopes in the world to reveal the structure of a large protein complex crucial to photosynthesis, the process by which plants convert sunlight into cellular energy.
Hop to it: Researchers evaluate rabbits’ evolved resistance to myxoma virus
Partnering with the University of Cambridge and several other research institutes, Biodesign researchers, as part of Grant McFadden’s Center of for Immunotherapy, Vaccines and Virotherapy, validated the role of specific rabbit genes in contributing to this acquired resistance in research published in Science Magazine.
Research forms complex picture of mercury pollution in a period of global change
This study looks at how climate change and land use modification impact mercury pollution in wetlands.
Delays in banning wildlife trade put hundreds of species at risk
From parrots to lizards, hundreds of animal species could be at risk of extinction because of a policy process that responds slowly to scientific knowledge, according to a new study in Science.
Toxic black snow covers Siberian coalmining region
Activists say ‘post-apocalyptic’ scenes in Kuzbass highlight manmade ecological disaster
The major source of ocean plastic pollution you’ve probably never heard of
Claire Gwinnett
Nurdles are a raw feedstock used to make most of the plastic products we use everyday, but they’re flooding the ocean as “mermaid tears”.
Now for something completely different …
Scrape off jam mould or throw out the jar? Food safety myths explained
Here’s what the experts and food industry professionals have to say about eating mouldy jam, and food safety in general.
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