Archive for March, 2010
The Age
Treasury secretary Ken Henry has spoken out on Australia’s environmental failures, saying we’ve failed to learn from mistakes that have cost us vast hardwood forests and numerous species of wildlife. Speaking at a forum near Canberra, Dr Henry described our track record on water management as “a disgrace,” singling out water extraction from the Murray-Darling Basin as a key example. He also criticised the country’s decision makers for being chronically slow to act on environmental issues.
posted by seamas on March 29, 2010 at 7:34 am · filed under 
ABC News
This year, a record 125 countries, over 4000 cities and 1200 landmarks turned their lights off in support of Earth Hour. Landmarks which took part in the event included Egypt’s pyramids, Beijing’s Bird’s Nest Stadium, the world’s tallest building in Dubai, and the Las Vegas Strip. However, participation was down in Sydney compared to previous years, its energy reduction of 6.3 per cent was one of the smallest reductions seen in the four years Sydney has held the event.
posted by anna on March 28, 2010 at 11:33 pm · filed under 
CBC News
A study conducted by Canadian psychologists suggests that the “licensing [of] selfish and morally questionable behaviour”, otherwise known as “moral balancing” is behind an observed increase in asocial and unethical behaviours subsequent to acts of green consumerism.
posted by patrick on March 26, 2010 at 9:40 am · filed under 
Australian Conservation Foundation
Human population growth is a key threat to Australia’s biodiversity, according to the Australian Conservation Foundation, which wants the Government to create a policy that will stabilise the nation’s population by mid-century.
posted by seamas on March 24, 2010 at 7:27 am · filed under 
Minister for Climate Change, Energy Efficiency and Water
Government funded farm irrigation infrastructure is beginning to be installed on over 550 farms across the Southern-connected Murray Darling Basin and the Lachlan River Catchment according to the Minister for Climate Change, Energy Efficiency and Water, Penny Wong. Costing $100 million, this first round of the Federal Government’s $300 million efficient irrigation infrastructure initiative is expected to save as much as 60 billion litres of water annually for environmental flows and irrigation farming.
posted by seamas on March 23, 2010 at 7:43 am · filed under
The Age
La Trobe University research suggests that many Victorians are sick of being told to save water and would buy their way out of water restrictions if they could. Last week, the state government eased water restrictions slightly.
posted by seamas on March 23, 2010 at 7:34 am · filed under
ABC News
By 2020, up to 20 per cent of Australia’s cars could be emissions free, and a total conversion to electric vehicles could be possible within 20 to 30 years, says Evan Thornley of Better Place Australia. Victorian motoring club RACV has invested $2 million in Better Place Australia to aid in building the infrastructure to support plug-in cars, and the first charging stations are set to open in Canberra at the end of next year.
posted by anna on March 21, 2010 at 10:46 pm · filed under
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