Toxics and pollution
New Scientist
Six months after the Japan’s March 11 earthquake and tsunami, radiation levels remain high at the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant. It was expected that the radioactive iodine, caesium and plutonium from Fukushima would disperse into the Pacific Ocean, however current levels indicate that contaminated water could still be leaking into the sea from the nuclear plant, or that the contamination is being trapped in the area by ocean currents.
posted by ruby on October 1, 2011 at 3:16 am · filed under 
WWF
A newly launched policy in Queensland promising more than a billion dollars in dams and other infrastructure to increase agricultural production could be a fatal blow for much of the Great Barrier Reef, according to conservation group WWF. “Massive agricultural expansion will mean a new wave of pollution being dumped on the Great Barrier Reef over the coming years, at a time when the Reef’s resilience to climate change and extreme weather events are at an all time low,” said the group’s Freshwater Policy Manager Sean Hoobin.
posted by seamas on September 18, 2011 at 7:11 am · filed under 
ABC News
Pesticides are harming the Great Barrier Reef according to a study of water quality in the area. Dangerous levels of pesticides have been found up to 60 kilometres inside the World Heritage area, and threaten coral and sea grass beds. The WWF has called for limiting the use of pesticides including a ban on using Diuron. The report says that practices can be improved in the horticulture industry, but also in the sugar cane industry.
posted by rochelle on August 14, 2011 at 8:24 am · filed under 
ABC News
ABC News breaks down the key numbers in Australia’s brand new carbon price policy, including a fresh target of an 80% reduction in carbon pollution by 2050 (from 2000 levels). Interestingly, only 500 big polluters are expected to meet the initial criteria and thresholds required to pay the carbon price. Follow the link for all the key figures.
posted by seamas on July 11, 2011 at 7:24 am · filed under 
Sydney Morning Herald
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard today announced that a fixed $23 per tonne carbon price will come into effect from July 1, 2012, with a market-based emissions trading scheme to replace it from July 1, 2015. The Government also announced $15 billion in tax cuts, primarily to help low and middle income families cope with cost of living increases caused by the new policy.
posted by seamas on July 10, 2011 at 4:22 pm · filed under
ABC News
Thousands of people around the nation’s capital cities have rallied at ‘Say Yes’ campaigns in support of the Federal Government’s plan to set a price on carbon pollution. But CEO of the Climate Institute, John Conner, says the rallies are not a simple endorsement of the proposed carbon tax, because Australians also want policies for clean energy and energy efficiency. Details of the Government’s carbon pricing scheme will be finalised in early July before legislation is brought into Parliament in September and fixed carbon pricing is introduced in 2012.
posted by anna on June 6, 2011 at 8:03 pm · filed under
GreenPages
A national poll by the Australian Conservation Foundation has found that 87% of Australians want revenue raised by taxing pollution to be invested in renewable energy innovation; and 84% want that revenue to be used to rehabilitate our environment.
posted by seamas on May 7, 2011 at 8:36 am · filed under
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