ASNO accepts lobby group award

Friends of the Earth Australia

The Friends of the Earth are accusing The Australian Safeguards and Non-proliferation Office (ASNO) of peddling false claims on nuclear technology and accepting awards from pro-nuclear lobby groups.  The award in question was from the Australian Nuclear Association, which ASNO claims is an industry group, not a lobby group.

posted by ruby on October 28, 2008 at 4:14 pm · filed under

NSW announces $62m energy efficiency package

Sydney Morning Herald

New South Wales Premier Nathan Rees has openly criticised previous attitudes towards climate change within the State Government, saying:

“There is no longer a climate change sceptic at the centre of government decision-making in this state.”

Directing his statement towards former Treasurer, Michael Costa, the Premier today launched a $62 million energy efficiency package to help low income households become more energy efficient and new modeling on how Climate Change is expected to affect the Sydney region. More intense bushfires, increased summer and diminished winter rainfall, and coastal changes from sea level rises are all predicted by the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change and the University of NSW.

posted by Vinnie on October 28, 2008 at 2:50 pm · filed under

Plans to combat the health impacts of climate change in Victoria

The Age

Victoria’s Department of Human Services (DHS) has commissioned a study to investigate the likely health impacts of climate change on the residents of Victoria. Possible health impacts include increasing numbers of heat-related illnesses, mosquito-borne diseases, depression and food poisoning. Different parts of the state are at risk from different conditions, but these are expected to be addressed in the DHS five, ten and fifteen year strategy plans that will be generated from the findings of the study.

posted by steve on October 27, 2008 at 10:03 am · filed under

Solar bees to prevent algal blooms

ABC News

Four new solar powered water pumps dubbed ‘solar bees’ will be trialed in Sydney’s Warragamba Dam to prevent algal blooms developing on the water’s surface by circulating water from the bottom to the top of the dam. Philip Costa, Water Minister believes it is the most efficient way of preventing algal blooms without causing the release of toxins if removed chemically or manually. The dam’s water quality will be monitored the duration of the 12 month trial of the solar bees.

posted by cecie on October 26, 2008 at 7:54 pm · filed under

Is Melbourne’s water future secure?

The Age

Despite Melbourne’s rainfall this spring reaching record lows and Melbourne Water’s Chairwoman expressing concern that there may not be enough water in the future, a State Government commissioned report has found that Melbourne will have so much water in the future that it does not make economical sense to make greywater or rainwater tanks compulsory in new homes.   The report found, the Government’s $4.9 billlion water plan - namely an energy intensive desalination plant and the north-south pipeline - will provide so much water to Melbourne there is likely to be a surplus, making water efficiency measures redundant.

posted by kirsty on October 26, 2008 at 1:00 pm · filed under

Electric cars in Australia by 2012

The Sydney Morning Herald

Macquarie Capital, AGL and Better Place have signed an agreement to have the infrastructure for an electric car industry up and running by 2012 in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.   The project will provide between 200,000 and 250,000 charge stations where electric cars can be recharged in all sorts of places around the city including homes, businesses and car parks.   This huge infrastructure project will create more Green jobs as well as being a necessary step in allowing Australians to move toward owning electric cars.

posted by kirsty on October 26, 2008 at 12:43 pm · filed under

Princes Highway to collapse if mining scheme is given the green light

Sydney Morning Herald

Dozens of Aboriginal heritage sites, bridges, watercourses and gas and electricity and water pipelines will be damaged if approval is given to Peabody Energy for the extension of longwall coalmining south of Sydney and the extraction of three million tones of coal from under Woronora Dam. Sections of the Princes Highway are predicted to collapse a metre into the ground, but it is an “acceptable risk because it can be mitigated,” according to Roads and Traffic Authority and Wollongong Council. Total Environment Center and the NSW Opposition are discouraging further progression of the proposal.

posted by cecie on October 25, 2008 at 6:26 am · filed under