Archive for June, 2007

Live Earth concerts to help focus world attention on climateLink to full story

Climate campaigner and former US vice president Al Gore says global Live Earth concerts on July 7 are a chance for people to tell their governments they want greenhouse pollution cut by at least 50% worldwide by the year 2050. Gore wants developed nations to lead the way, cutting emissions by 90% to help reach that target.

UN declares Galapagos Islands in dangerLink to full story

Concerns over the impact of tourism on the Galapagos Islands have received more concrete support, with UNESCO’s world heritage committee officially declaring the islands to be in danger. The archipelago’s unique wildlife, including the iconic Galapagos tortoise, is under threat from the pressures of rising tourist numbers and an increasing human population on the islands.

La Nina brings rain to eastern VictoriaLink to full story

The National Climate Centre says the wild weather currently being experienced in Gippsland, Victoria, is consistent with forecasts for the La Nina phase of the southern oscillation. Eastern Victoria has been lashed by gale force winds and inundated with rain, with flood warnings across the region, although the Climate Centre cautions that it will take a period of more steady rainfall to reverse the effects of the drought.

ACF supports urban water solutionsLink to full story

The Australian Conservation Foundation has issued a media release applauding opposition leader Kevin Rudd’s proposal to introduce subsidies for rainwater tanks and greywater systems. Currently less than 6 percent of urban houses in the eastern states have rain tanks installed, meaning that much urban rainfall goes to waste. The Foundation also commended plans by the Government to establish a desalination plant in Geelong.

WA inventor develops turbine for household useLink to full story

The West Australian government is helping to fund trials of a modular wind turbine small enough to be installed on the roof of a suburban home. The device’s inventor, Fremantle man Graeme Attey, believes that it would be possible to power an entire house by using one of the turbines in conjunction with a solar panel.

World Heritage Committee supports concerns about Tasmanian loggingLink to full story

The World Heritage Committee (of UNESCO) is sending a team of  international experts to Tasmania to assess damage and threats to World Heritage areas. Areas such as the Weld Valley, with its old growth forests, were explicitly mentioned.

Coal Industry to help fund clean coal researchLink to full story

The NSW coal industry will raise 20 cents for every tonne of coal produced in the next decade to put in an industry fund that will contribute $400 million to government research into clean coal production.

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