Date: 21 February 2019 at 08:58:58 AEDT
To: Undisclosed recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Feb 21
Post of the Day
How a ridiculous falsehood about solar power self-replicated in media
Ketan Joshi
The Australian’s misleading story about the cost of rooftop solar rebates was spread throughout the Murdoch stable, TV, other media and the climate-denier blogosphere.
Today’s Celebration-
Birthday of King Harald V Norway
Ekushey Day (Martyr’s Day) Bangladesh
Language Movement Day – Bangladesh
Shaheed Dibash Bangladesh
Birthday of King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck – Bhutan
Father Walter Lini Day – Vanuatu
Robert Mugabe National Youth Day – Zimbabwe
Armed Forces Day – South Africa
International Mother Language Day
International Tourist Guide Day
Global Information Governance Day
Climate Change
White House climate change panel to include man who touted emissions
William Happer, a physicist who has suggested higher levels of carbon dioxide are beneficial, would be on committee
Climate change can’t be ignored, demands our action
According to the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), we have less than 12 years to avert the consequences of catastrophic climate change, with worsening food shortages, rising sea levels, floods and wildfires.
Climate change an ‘imminent’ security threat, risk experts say
From Iraq and Pakistan to the Caribbean, climate change is driving threats of new insecurity and violence, security analysts say.
National
‘Flying blind’: Researchers call for national database of Indigenous sites
According to a new study, groups undertaking land use and development planning are in the dark when it comes to information about significant Indigenous sites.
Farmers, foresters push for carbon neutral
Farmers and foresters have joined together to push for their industries to be carbon neutral by 2030 in a bid to “climate proof” Australia.
Indigenous member for Murray authority
An indigenous expert will be appointed to the Murray-Darling Basin Authority under draft laws introduced to federal parliament by the agriculture minister.
Labor blunder on ‘collapsed’ coal market [$]
Analysts have debunked claims by senior Labor frontbencher Richard Marles that the global thermal coal market had “collapsed’, as the ALP continues to split over Adani.
Meridian grows Powershop customer base in Australia, laments policy
NZ gen-tailer continues to grow presence in Australia, taking retail energy customer base to well over 110,000 and boosting renewable generation and sales into wholesale market.
APA says policy uncertainty killing new investment in wind and solar
APA shrugs off RCR collapse to complete Darling Downs solar farm, but says new investment in renewables won’t happen until there is policy certainty.
Now more than ever, we need minimum energy efficiency standards for rental properties
People who rent in Australia are living in another world of inefficient, uninsulated homes. And the need to fix this has never been more urgent.
What’s the outlook for Australia’s ‘secondary’ cities?
After seeing solid price growth in recent years, there’s one way to tell if regional capitals are still a bargain or if they’ve run their race.
Labor’s carbon cut apocalypse [$]
New independent modelling has found Labor’s 45 per cent emissions-reduction target would push power prices 50 per cent higher.
Greens hail MP’s coal deathwish [$]
Richard Marles says it would be “a good thing” if thermal coal, the nation’s top export industry worth over $25bn, collapsed.
How a ridiculous falsehood about solar power self-replicated in media
Ketan Joshi
The Australian’s misleading story about the cost of rooftop solar rebates was spread throughout the Murdoch stable, TV, other media and the climate-denier blogosphere.
Is The Australian right about solar rebates causing higher electricity prices?
Kishor Napier-Raman
In attacking solar panel rebate schemes, The Australian shows a lack of understanding of how the energy industry even works — or a complete contempt for the facts.
Come clean on climate targets [$]
Brian Fisher
We fool ourselves by turning a blind eye to the broad costs of emissions reduction.
Solar power must pay its way [$]
Australian editorial
Skyrocketing electricity prices are such that those who can afford to do so take matters into their own hands and install solar panels at home.
The Greens’ no-coal plan is fantasy [$]
Warren Mundine
Where do Green activists think the steel for wind turbines is going to come from if coal is phased out globally by 2030? Greens consistently oppose mines. Yet the Green dream will require an increase in mining to a level perhaps not seen before.
Could high-speed rail be on the agenda this election? [$]
Jason Murphy
High-speed rail is a tantalising pre-election option, but does it make any sense? Crikey does the maths.
Regional Australia is calling the shots now more than ever [$]
Andrew Beer
Regional Australia is no longer a desolate place when it comes to parliamentary representation.
Victoria
Another Victorian recycling plant shuts
Recyclables continue to go to landfill in parts of Victoria as the environmental watchdog waits for a major stakeholder to meet compliance standards.
Fact Check: Are five MCGs of native forest being logged in Victoria every day?
Environmentalists frequently talk about logging in terms of how many “soccer pitches” are chopped down. But what if you measure it by MCGs?
Residents told to move as grassfire burns near houses in Mernda
Residents of a suburb in Melbourne’s north-east were told to quickly move back several streets before firefighters brought a five-hectare grass fire under control on Wednesday afternoon.
Unfair energy retailers pull plug on battlers [$]
Energy retailers have been caught disconnecting struggling customers without offering them payment plans, with accused companies paying compensation as high as $50,915 after pulling the plug.
Maritime Union of Australia backs $8bn wind farm [$]
The Maritime Union of Australia is pushing the federal government to approve exploration for a proposed $8 billion wind farm development off the coast of Victoria.
Help consumers to fix recycling crisis
Age editorial
Fixing the current impasse requires policy that aligns the interests of consumers, producers and retailers.
New South Wales
Glencore to cap coal output over climate
Glencore plans to limit its coal output after pressure from shareholders, with the company saying it has a key role in the transition to a low-carbon economy.
Inland rail project route becomes a hot election issue
The NSW Farmers Association calls for an inquiry into the route of the inland rail project, despite more than $400 million being spent so far including $100 million on track work.
CityLink tolls to be extended until 2045, if Government gets its way
A showdown looms in State Parliament over the 10-year extension of tolls on CityLink, which the Government argues is needed to pay for the $6.7 billion West Gate Tunnel.
‘Open-slather slaughter’: Aerial brumby cull at Singleton Army Base sparks anger
A cull of more than 100 brumbies on a NSW army base has been described as a “disturbing, open-slather slaughter” by a local councillor, who has accused the Department of Defence of dishonesty and a lack of empathy.
Why Glasenberg buckled on coal [$]
It turns out, the Church of England – a rich investor in its own right – has played an influential role in taking the message of Paris and climate change mitigation directly to Glencore.
NSW has to fill gap on renewables left by federal chaos
SMH editorial
The Labor Party’s renewable policies make sense except for establishing a power company.
Glencore move a clever tactic [$]
Paul Garvey
Glencore’s dramatic change in attitude will help it deliver wins on two major fronts.
Queensland
Silicosis death dust audit reveals ‘major epidemic worse than asbestos’
An audit of Queensland’s manufacturing stone industry reveals 98 workers contracted the potentially deadly lung disease silicosis — 15 of those terminal — with more than 550 workplace breaches in what health experts are calling a major epidemic.
Queensland mine shut down after grader driver dies in underground collision
The accident, at Anglo American’s Moranbah North mine, saw the grader smash into a personnel carrier on an access road near the surface. Ten other workers were injured, with four airlifted to hospital.
The great Labor Party starts to fracture [$]
As Queensland union figure Bill Ludwig unleashed over the Adani coal mine, the Labor Party’s split on the issue illustrates the major internal problem with both sides of politics.
Historic deal signed to move Straddie from sand mining to tourism
The North Stradbroke Island economy has formally begun its transition from sand mining to tourism, with an agreement signed between the state government, the sand miners and the island’s traditional owners.
Queensland government under fire over proposed rifle range expansion
Brisbane City Council and a local environment watchdog have condemned government plans to clear five hectares of koala habitat.
Great Barrier Reef authority gives green light to dump dredging sludge
A million tonnes of spoil to be disposed of in marine park – prompting calls for a ban on all offshore dumping.
‘Unpredictable’ Oma to deliver 500mm rain [$]
Twenty possible paths of destruction, 500mm of rain in a day, 130km/h wind gusts, 4m waves and one unpredictable cyclone – southeast Queensland is bracing for disaster lotto.
Could this really be the end of the cane toad? [$]
Cane toads have long been a bane to Queenslanders, but this controversial research could see their population contained and controlled in an unusual manner.
Labor shafts itself on coal mine conundrum [$]
Labor’s federal leadership has attacked Adani’s promised employment opportunities as “fake jobs” as Queensland MPs split on the mega coal mine.
Flock of drongos flying in the face of progress [$]
Des Houghton
Anti-coal activists have found a second endangered bird close the Adani mine site: The black-throated Pygmy Drongo, a handsome fence-sitting creature that is known to flutter from one controversy to another – without saying very much at all.
South Australia
Great Australian Bight drilling plan sparks fears of oil spill
A Norwegian oil company hopes to undertake experimental drilling in the Great Australian Bight.
MDBA lashes SA’s river commission
The Murray-Darling Basin Authority has hit back at South Australia’s royal commission into the river system.
GM ban cost to SA farmers $33m: review
A review has found a ban on genetically modified crops in South Australia has come at a cost to local producers.
Gas future dims as networks find cheaper alternative to high renewables grid
ElectraNet says using gas generators to provide grid security in S.A. “not economically viable” as it outlines plan to install synchronous condensers at fraction of price.
Tasmania
‘This land will relink us all’: Tasmanian landowners return land to Aboriginals
Tom and Jane Teniswood own more than 220 hectares of land at Little Swanport in Tasmania but are giving half of it to the Aboriginal community in a “symbol of action”.
Northern Territory
Massive energy bill? Wet season cost shock leaves Territorians with power hangover
Hundreds of Jacana Energy customers in the Northern Territory post on social media calling for an explanation over their sky-high wet season power bills.
Endangered quolls may be surviving in city’s northern suburbs
Rangers hope that a population of northern quolls may be hatching an unlikely tale of survival in suburban Darwin.
Western Australia
Bushfire remains a threat to WA homes
A bushfire is threatening lives and homes in the south west of Western Australia.
These are the 12 key targets the WA Premier says will define his job
A “bold” target of 150,000 new jobs within five year, increasing conservation land by five million hectares and slashing Indigenous incarceration by almost a quarter are among a range of ambitious promises unveiled by the WA Government.
Hello cocky! Rare yellow-feathered mutation of red-tailed black cockatoo spotted
A sighting of a rare cockatoo born with a genetic mutation is cause for celebration among Western Australia’s bird-watching community.
MP bags Coles over ‘crap’ plastic toys
Perth MLA John Carey says it’s bizarre that Coles promotes single-use plastic bag ban but at the same time promotes “plastic crap” Stikeez toys for kids.
Sustainability
Life without plastic is possible – it’s just very hard
Like many who aim to live plastic free, Dianna Cohen, a founder of California advocacy group Plastic Pollution Coalition, never leaves home without her eco-survival kit.
Scientist says some pollution is good for you — a disputed claim Trump’s EPA has embraced
In setting pollution rules, the Trump administration has actively sought out advice from industry lobbyists and the scientists they employ. One of these is Ed Calabrese, a Massachusetts toxicologist who champions a theory that exposure to toxic chemicals can be beneficial.
China backslides in campaign against air pollution
Air pollution in 337 Chinese cities increased in January, with the average PM2.5 concentration rising 8.2% from the same period in 2018, according to the latest data from China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment.
Increasingly, scientists are relying on data gathered by volunteers to make their research happen.
Energy Insiders Podcast: 100 per cent renewables – Is California dreaming?
Angelina Galiteva, vice chair of the California Independent System Operator, talks about that state’s 100 per cent renewable energy target, and how it will get there.
Nature Conservation
Australia helps Solomon Islands with oil spill near World Heritage site
The Department of Foreign Affairs says Australia is working with the Solomon Islands government to ensure those responsible for an oil spill near a World Heritage site are held accountable.
Plunging monarch butterfly population seen with increasing alarm
Some factors believed to play a role: pesticides, agricultural practices such as monoculture, population growth, urban sprawl, loss of habitat, and climate change.
Even on a remote island where nobody lives, we’ve introduced a destructive pest
The island of Reiono looks like a postcard, a dot of land in the middle of the Pacific Ocean — but rats, introduced by humans, threaten its entire ecosystem. Now scientists are embarking on an ambitious attempt to return the island to its former state.
Is the insect apocalypse really upon us?
Claims that insects will disappear within a century are absurd, but the reality isn’t reassuring either.
Brazil sees growing wave of anti-indigenous threats, reserve invasions
Federal litigators warn of “imminent genocide” for the Karipuna people, while at least 14 indigenous reserves have been threatened or invaded. Bolsonaro government slow to act, say critics.
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