Scientists slam flawed Murray-Darling rescue plan

Sydney Morning Herald

Top scientists have called on legislators to reject what they claim is a seriously flawed plan to save the Murray-Darling Basin. The Wentworth Group of scientists criticised the $9 billion infrastructure and water buy back plan proposed by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority. The draft plan aims to return 2750 billion litres of water annually to environmental flows in the system, but scientists say there is no data to indicate that is enough to restore the basin to health. The group also notes that the draft plan fails to consider the potential impacts of drawing almost as much water from underground aquifers or future climate change.

posted by seamas on January 19, 2012 at 7:33 am · filed under

Lake Eyre Basin rivers and wetlands protected

The Wilderness Society

The Wilderness Society reports that a whopping 4.5 million hectares of land around the pristine rivers, lakes and wetlands of the Lake Eyre Basin will now be kept safe from coal seam gas and petroleum mining, irrigated agriculture and other destructive industrial activities, thanks to a decision by the Queensland Government. Ten additional Indigenous Wild River Ranger jobs will be created to help ensure the protection of these rivers.

posted by seamas on December 20, 2011 at 7:14 am · filed under

A healthy Murray-Darling Basin won’t cost jobs

ACF

The Australian Conservation Foundation has released an analysis of the socio-economic studies underpinning the draft Murray-Darling Basin Plan that suggests a healthy river system won’t require any sacrifice in overall job numbers. According to analysis by ACF economic adviser Simon O’Connor, jobs should, in fact, increase in the short term. While small decreases in existing jobs (around 200 per year), will be offset by the much greater increase in new jobs created (an estimated 13,000 per year) over the longer term.

posted by seamas on December 8, 2011 at 7:13 am · filed under

Low Murray-Darling environmental flows slammed

The Wilderness Society

Ten major environment groups from all four Basin States have jointly slammed the Murray-Darling Basin Authority’s proposal to return only 2,800GL of water to the environment. The proposed low level environmental flows would have “frightening” ecological outcomes and likely condemn red gums of the Goulburn, Murray and Murrumbidgee, according to Friends of the Earth’s Jonathan La Nauze.

Juliet le Feuvre from Environment Victoria adds that the decision to pass up this “once on a life-time opportunity to put the system on a sustainable footing” will cost graziers and farmers as much as the rest of the community in the long term.

posted by seamas on October 6, 2011 at 2:01 pm · filed under

TAPPED Film Benefit (Melbourne, Sept 6)

A Big Picture documentary film screening benefiting environmental causes - from the makers of ‘Who Killed the Electric Car’, TAPPED investigates the role of the bottled water industry and its effects on our health, climate change, pollution, and our reliance on oil.

Screening at 6pm on Tuesday the 6th of September at Ross House, 247 Flinders Lane, Melbourne.

posted by seamas on August 18, 2011 at 1:37 am · filed under

UN report on extreme weather

The Sydney Morning Herald

The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says that a new report on extreme weather events will be released later this year, which will support previous findings natural disasters are increasing in frequency and intensity around the world, including bush fires, droughts and floods.  The report finds that Australia is particularly vulnerable, but predicts it will better able to adapt than developing countries like Burma and Bangladesh.

posted by ruby on May 17, 2011 at 8:18 am · filed under

Ozone depletion has changed climate patterns dramatically

The Age

A newly released study shows that the ozone hole created by emissions from human industry plays a much bigger role in climate patterns than previously thought. The research by an international team of scientists linked ozone depletion to a substantial increase in tropical rain in some regions and increased dry areas in parts of the southern hemisphere.

posted by seamas on April 25, 2011 at 7:34 am · filed under