Queensland conservationists fear polluted run off from recent monsoonal floods across the state could have a potentially devastating effect on the Great Barrier Reef. Pesticides from farms and other pollutants, including heavy metals from mine sites, could be harmful to the increasingly delicate ecosystem.
posted by Vinnie on January 29, 2008 at 2:48 pm · filed under 
Rabbits to Australia, Zebra Mussels to North America’s Great Lakes and now seeds, spores, mites, lichens and mosses to Antarctica. Unwittingly, visitors to the great icy continent are bringing with them all manner of alien lifeforms, forms that with the help of climate change, could take over and threaten inhabitants like the penguins.
posted by Vinnie on January 28, 2008 at 2:21 pm · filed under 
Millions of fish have died in New South Wales’ Richmond River and farming practices have been blamed yet again. Following a similar occurrence in 2001, experts found that special farm drains allow rotting plants to flow into the river during flood periods. The plants then decompose removing vital oxygen which fish need to breathe.
Commercial fishing and local tourism has suffered from the ecosystem disaster.
posted by rochelle on January 26, 2008 at 6:52 am · filed under
Australia has ranked below the US on the Environmental Performance Index – a scorecard which assesses environmental health, air pollution, water resources, biodiversity and habitat, productive natural resources and climate change.
Of the 149 countries evaluated, the United States ranked 39th and Australia 46th. Switzerland ranked as the greenest nation, toppling last year’s winner New Zealand.Â
posted by rochelle on January 26, 2008 at 6:50 am · filed under 
The Blue Wedges Coalition - opponents of the Port Philip Bay channel deepening - are launching a new legal action against the green light given the $1bn project by Peter Garrett, Federal Minister for the Environment and former chief of the Australian Conservation Foundation. The community group believes that Mr Garrett failed to consider key areas in the justification he gave for giving the go-ahead with the project.
posted by Vinnie on January 24, 2008 at 10:35 pm · filed under
New research from a study on the impacts of climate change and land use change across the Murray Darling Basin’s 18 catchment areas has just been released by Federal Minister for Climate Change and Water, Senator Penny Wong, and Victorian Water Minister, Tim Holding.
The latest section of the CSIRO report, focusing on the Ovens River system, is concerning because its ‘best estimate’ indicates a 13 per cent reduction in average end-of-system flows from the Ovens into the Murray River by 2030. This is equivalent to a 228 billion litre reduction in flow to the Murray per year.
posted by seamas on January 24, 2008 at 7:57 pm · filed under 
Deforestation rates in the Amazon rainforest were thought to be dropping, but the Brazilian Government has been forced to announce record land clearing figures for the second half of 2007.
posted by seamas on January 24, 2008 at 7:43 pm · filed under
The Wilderness Society has lodged an objection to the granting of a mining exploration license in the Cox Bight–Melaleuca area of South West Tasmania, because it believes mining will threaten the local environment.
The region provides habitat for endangered species such as the orange-bellied parrot and has been recommended for World Heritage listing by UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee.
posted by seamas on January 23, 2008 at 1:47 pm · filed under 
The Australian Government says the Japanese ship Shonan Maru II is a genuine research vessel, conducting non-lethal research on whale numbers in Antarctic waters under a program endorsed by the Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission (IWC).
posted by seamas on January 23, 2008 at 1:41 pm · filed under
In a return to “old school” sail-power, the world’s first kite powered ship is this week undertaking her maiden voyage, from Germany to Venezuela. The 10,000 tonne MS Beluga uses the computer guided kite in conjunction with her main engine to minimise reliance on fossil fuels, reducing the environmental impact of conventional shipping, as well as saving a potential $1,860 per day on fuel.
posted by Vinnie on January 22, 2008 at 9:53 pm · filed under
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