Natural carbon sequestering in the oceans

The Sydney Morning Herald

Scientists at the CSIRO believe that salps - jellyfish-like animals - may be acting as a inherent form of combating global warming. Salps eat photo-plankton which absorb carbon dioxide in the upper levels of the ocean and in effect sequester the carbon in their faeces, which falls to the ocean floor. Populations of salps in the waters around Sydney are believed to be ten times higher now than when first surveyed in the 1930s, leading scientist to believe that their increase in numbers might be part of a natural process to help reduce carbon dioxide build-ups in the atmosphere.

posted by steve on November 17, 2008 at 11:02 am · filed under

Coast set to erode as storms intesify

Brisbane Times

Scientists from the Griffith Centre for coastal managment say Coastal Erosion is set to become one of the biggest environmental challenges Australia will have to face over the next ten years as Climate Change worsens what is already set to be a difficult decade or so in storm behaviour along the East Coast. A seven year study shows that the most vulnerable areas to sustaining damage from increasingly severe storms are those sandy areas along the Southern Qld and Northern NSW coasts and Sydney. The study used data from the last 200 years of records to track patterns in the intesity of storms along the East Coast, and found that cyclically, the region is due for a period of particularly severe storms.

posted by Vinnie on November 11, 2008 at 4:47 pm · filed under

$15m commercial fishing license buyback

ABC News

The Queensland Government will spend $15m repurchasing commercial fishing licenses from fishermen as part of the Moreton Bay Marine Park Zoning Plan, giving a 4 week deadline to fisherman to sell their licenses. John Page, spokesperson for Moreton Bay Seafood Industry Association, said the amount of money and time proposed by the Government was insufficient for fishermen to make a decision. “They want the fishermen to hand their license over for this menial amount of money and they will be out of business for the rest of their life,” he declared.

posted by cecie on November 8, 2008 at 5:46 pm · filed under

Greenpeace, Sea Shepard gear up for Japanese whaling season

Sydney Morning Herald

Greenpeace has announced it will not be sending its ship, the Esperanza, to sea to take part in directly opposing Japan’s whaling fleet during the upcoming Southern Ocean summer. Instead, it’s energy and resources will be directed into campaigning against the “scientific” whale hunt expedition on the ground in Japan, where the organisation believes the “decisive battle to end whaling” must be taken up.

In related news…

Militant anti-whaling group Sea Shepard are in the process of making final preparations on their ship, Steve Irwin, and are expected to sail from Brisbane for the Southern Ocean interception of the Japanese whaling fleet in early December. Following an incident last year, where Captain Paul Watson was shot and saved by his bulletproof vest, Sea Shepard have invested large sums of money upgrading the ship. A helicopter deck and hangar have also been added.

posted by Vinnie on November 4, 2008 at 2:18 pm · filed under

Environment more important that the economy

The Age

The Federal Environment Minister, Peter Garrett, has stated that the environment is a bigger and more important concern than the economy, even given the financial crisis that the world is currently suffering. He further clarified that he considers the economy to be a subset of the environment, rather than the converse view more usually adopted by industry and government. Opposition arguments to the proposed carbon-trading scheme, set to be introduced in 2010, usually centre on the possible economic penalties that might be incurred by such a scheme.

posted by steve on November 3, 2008 at 12:57 pm · filed under

Warning on over-exploitation of natural resources

Guardian

Human beings are using 30% more resources than our planet can replenish every year, according to the latest Living Planet Report. The report paints a bleak picture for the environment over coming decades if unsustainable trends continue, including increasing deforestation and barren lands, ballooning air and water pollution, and loss of biodiversity, particularly among marine species.

WWF and the other conservation groups responsible for the report believe we are running up an ecological debt of $4-4.5 trillion US dollars annually, based on estimates of the economic value furnished by healthy ecosystems.

posted by seamas on November 2, 2008 at 6:46 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

Government funding to benefit Great Barrier Reef runoff

Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts

The Government claims the Great Barrier Reef will benefit from water quality improvements and reduced runoff thanks to the allocation of $23 million in funding to natural resource and industry groups. Part of a $200 million Reef Rescue package, the money will help farmers reduce the amount of fertilisers, chemicals and sediments entering waterways draining into the reef.

posted by seamas on October 24, 2008 at 4:05 pm · filed under

Tassie groups take out Landcare awards

ABC News

Recently announced Landcare awards have recognised the efforts of coastal and river conservation efforts in Tasmania. The Mount Roland Rivercare Catchment and Southern Coastcare Association took out national awards for the state.

posted by seamas on October 24, 2008 at 4:00 pm · filed under

Third annual report confirm Arctic is getting warmer

Sydney Morning Herald

The third annual report compiled by 46 scientists from 10 countries have concluded that autumn temperatures in the Arctic are at record high levels - 5 degrees Celsius above normal - and that this is largely due to human activities which have emitted greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. 2007 had the highest levels of sea-ice melt on record, which lowers the salinity of the sea and negatively affects the species that rely on the ice for their well-being. The increasing loss of the polar ice-cap also results in additional warming of the Arctic Ocean as less UV radiation is reflected from the ice.

posted by steve on October 20, 2008 at 8:15 am · filed under