GeoThermal Map of Victoria

ABC Online

The Victorian State Government today released details of ’significant’ geothermal energy reserves across Victoria. The State Government, along with Geoscience Victoria, undertook a year long study into mapping the resource over the last 12 months, yeilding better than expected results.

posted by Vinnie on July 13, 2010 at 12:57 pm · filed under

China leading Australia on climate action

ABC News

According to economist Professor Ross Garnaut, China, even without agreeing to an Emissions Trading Scheme, is taking further, bolder steps to mitigate Climate Change than Australia. Speaking at a business lunch in Melbourne today, Professor Garnaut, who authored Australia’s Climate Change mitigation blueprint, which included the Emissions Trading Scheme the Goverment has shelved until 2013, said that ”If we are informed and honest we will acknowledge China is contributing to a strong global mitigation effort in a way that for the time being we are not”. He also criticised Australia’s use of the argument of ” … China and the rest of the world are doing nothing … ” to delay tackling Climate Change locally.

posted by Vinnie on May 13, 2010 at 7:51 pm · filed under

Potential 3 degree temperature rise a reality

ABC Online

A leaked, confidential UN report obtained by the UK’s Guardian newspaper is suggesting that even if a deal is agreed to on the final day of the Copenhagen Climate talks, the emissions cuts offered so far, if implemented, would still lead to mean global average temperature rise of about 3 degrees C by the turn of the century - or as much as 550 parts per million of Greenhouse Gases. A 3 degree rise is well above the scientific consensus of a 2 degrees C cap to avoid catastrophic, or runaway Climate Change, and, according to the 2006 Stern Report, will see 170 million more people suffering from severe flooding and a further 550 million facing severe food crises.

See The Guardian report here.

See the UN Document here.

posted by Vinnie on December 18, 2009 at 11:13 am · filed under

Climate gets dirty as intimidation takes over

ABC Online

In the wake of the University of East Anglia (UEA) email hack, various police authorities worldwide, including the FBI in the US, are investigating a spate of death threats delivered to at least two of the world’s top climate scientists; scientists that were named in thousands of documents leaked from that Universtity’s Climate Research Unit. Other incidents that are reportedly under investigation include break-ins at the Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling and Analysis at the University of Victoria in British Columbia.  The IPCC has also ‘expressed concern’ over the organised nature of the hacking of the UEA emails.

In Australia, professors Andy Pitman from the NSW University Climate Change Research Centre, and David Karoly, a leading IPCC scientist, from Melbourne University, have both revealed threatening emails they have recieved, some within the last month. Prof Pitman says, “The major problem is that scientists have to be able to communicate their science without fear or favour and there seems to be a well-orchestrated campaign designed to intimidate some scientists.” While Prof Karoly says there is “an organised campaign to discredit individual climate scientists.”

posted by Vinnie on December 9, 2009 at 9:21 pm · filed under

Green light for Victorian Geothermal project

ABC Online

The Victorian State Govenment today set aside $25M for the state’s first geothermal energy project. The Victorian Resources Minister, Peter Batchelor, said, of the exploritive, demonstration plant to be built at Anglesea on the west coast of the state, “We’ll have the possibility of building a geothermal demonstration plant very close to the existing electricity grid.”

posted by Vinnie on December 9, 2009 at 2:38 pm · filed under

ETS defeated in Senate

ABC Online

The Federal Senate this morning rejected the Government’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, which included the highly controversial Emissions Trading Scheme. Following on from yesterday’s revolt within the Liberal Party, and led by the new Opposition Leader and noted climate sceptic, Tony Abbot, all but two Opposition Senators - who crossed the floor - voted the Bill down. The Opposition was joined by Independent Senators Nick Xenophon, Steve Fielding and the Greens. The result of this morning’s vote now gives the Government a trigger to call a double dissolution election.

posted by Vinnie on December 2, 2009 at 11:45 am · filed under

Firefighters push for tough action on Climate

ABC Online

Members of the United Firefighters Union of Australia travelled to Parliament House in Canberra today to demand that politicians stop treating action on Climate Change like “a political football”. Speaking on behalf of the union, Peter Marshall not only called on opposition senators to accept the much debated Emissions Trading Scheme, but has also suggested to the Prime Minister that he lift Australia’s target reduction from the 5% the Government is touting, to the scientificlly recommended 20-40% by 2020. Mr Marshall said, ”We are not scientists but we are the people on the front line.”

posted by Vinnie on November 19, 2009 at 2:50 pm · filed under