Botany Bay dredging raises environmental impact issues

ABC News

The dredging of Botany Bay, part of a $1bn port expansion in New South Wales has raised concerns about the welfare of the bay. Greens MP Lee Rhiannon has voiced her disapproval, saying dredging could cause tidal changes to occur and potentially rouse toxic sediments from the bottom of the bay, disturbing fish and bird breeding grounds. Ports Minister Joe Tripodi has stated that although there may be unfavourable short term consequences, appropriate precautions will be maintained to ensure minimal environmental impact.

posted by cecie on August 19, 2008 at 7:40 pm · filed under

Victorian Desalination plant more concerned over appearance than other environmental impacts

The Age

The Victorian Government is expected to set strict aesthetic guidelines on the appearance of the new desalination plant project at Wonthaggi, and bidders for the project are scrambling to hire the best architects in order to help secure the contract. The draft environment effects statement has been completed and will be released soon, showing the expected environmental impacts that the project will have, but it is believed that this will concentrate on visual amenity. Eight bidders are contending for this $3.1 million project, but this is expected to be shortlisted to three within a few weeks.

posted by steve on August 18, 2008 at 10:03 am · filed under

Pesticide Presence Detected in Tasmanian Waterways

ABC News

A survey conducted by the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries and Water has detected pesticide contamination in nine out of the fifty-five waterways investigated last month through its program for the monitoring of industrial and agricultural pesticides.  The State government is currently seeking public submissions on a new guidelines for ground and aerial pesticide spraying, which could include exlcusion zones around waterways.

posted by ruby on August 13, 2008 at 5:37 pm · filed under

Uranium waste to be cleaned up in SA

ABC News

A waste clean-up plan has been approved for uranium mining company Marathon Resources, who were found guilty last year of secretly burying 35 tonnes of waste in the Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary in the Flinders Ranges of South Australia.

Whilst Marathon Resources was forced to stop drilling in Arkaroola after their waste was discovered, the company is said to be planning a recommencement of exploration drilling in the area.

posted by megan on August 12, 2008 at 3:18 pm · filed under

Keep Australia Beautiful Week (Aug 25-31)

Running from Monday 25 – Sunday 31 August 2008, Keep Australia Beautiful Week encourages Australians to reduce all kinds of waste. Keep Australia Beautiful also recognises efforts to clean up and maintain the natural environment with various awards.

posted by seamas on August 11, 2008 at 4:17 pm · filed under

Fears that emissions trading scheme could scare industries offshore, resulting in local job losses

ABC News

The Australian Workers Union are calling on the Federal Government to provide assurance that there will be no job losses as a result of the implementation of the emissions trading scheme. There are concerns that industries producing aluminium, concrete and LNG will seek to move their operations off-shore where they are not subjected to the higher operational costs that an emissions trading scheme will entail, and that such a move would result in local job losses. The Australian Workers Union is working with the Government to seek ways in which job losses can be avoided whilst working towards a better environment.

posted by steve on August 11, 2008 at 11:16 am · filed under

Global warming opening the way for Arctic exploitation

The Age

The gradual disappearance of the arctic ice during the summer months is opening up the Northwest Passage as a viable shipping route which could save 40 per cent of the journeys from Asia to Europe. The Arctic is also believed to hold 22 per cent of the world’s untapped energy sources, which might become more readily accessible with the reduction in summer sea ice. The irony that global warming caused by burning fossil fuels might open up new reserves of oil and gas is apparently lost on the large companies eager to exploit the resource.

posted by steve on August 4, 2008 at 7:33 am · filed under

Arctic icecap could disappear during summer within 5 years

The Age

Leading ice and snow experts are predicting that the arctic icecap covering the North Pole could disappear altogether during the summer months within five years. Just a few years ago the predictions were that this “melt-out” would not occur before the end of the century, but ongoing observations have resulted in the prediction being brought steadily forward. Historical records show that the Arctic Ocean has not been ice-free at any time in the last 16 million years.

posted by steve on August 4, 2008 at 7:18 am · filed under

Savings in fuel, costs and noise for air travel

ABC News

Airservice Australia are trialling a new air traffic simulator, designed by Canberra-based researchers, which they hope will cut pollution, air noise and costs by actively simulating advanced air conditions.  The researchers are hoping that this system might be adopted globally in order to analyse and modify flight-paths to decrease the amount of fuel used and the volume of noise generated. Estimates show that a typical flight from Melbourne to Sydney could have it’s fuel requirements cut by half a tonne, and have its noise reduced by upto 30 per cent in the vicinity of the aircraft.

posted by steve on August 4, 2008 at 6:32 am · filed under

Ancient Tasmanian tree under threat

ABC News

Kings Lomatia, also known as Kings Holly, is a tree species under considerable threat as it does not produce seeds. The species stopped seeding an estimated 43,000 years ago and since then has only survived by cloning itself - thereby remaining genetically identical, and as such at much greater risk to climate and ecosystem changes and to disease. National tree day founder, John Dee, has called for the federal Government to take action to help preserve the 500 remaining trees in Tasmania.

posted by steve on July 28, 2008 at 9:48 am · filed under