Environment issues a likely focus of Indigenous Science Roundtable

CSIRO

Representatives from CSIRO and Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are meeting in Mildura today to explore research priorities which address the needs and aspirations of indigenous Australians. In previous consultations, water and climate change have been identified as pressing issues and priority research areas for immediate development.

posted by seamas on November 7, 2008 at 12:00 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

SA leading the field in wind-generation

ABC News

South Australia’s ninth wind-farm has been opened at Snowtown, comprising 47 turbines which are expected to generate 98 MW of electricity each year, with a further 100 turbines planned for the future. South Australia now boast 58 per cent of the total of all the wind power generation capability in Australia, putting it on-target to meet the Federal Government’s objectives of 20 per cent of electricity to be generated from renewable sources by 2020. State Premier, Mike Rann, believes that South Australia will meet the targets as early as 2010.

posted by steve on November 3, 2008 at 12:44 pm · filed under

Queensland to bear the brunt of climate change targets

ABC News

A report by Access Economics predicts that Queensland will be the hardest hit state in Australia as a result of the implementation of climate change targets. The report predicts a slowing of economic growth, increases in electricity prices and drops in revenue for coal-fired and gas-fired electricity generating stations. The Queensland Treasurer, Andrew Fraser, believes the state is prepared for the challenge, stating that it is the environmental as well as the economic future that is at stake.

posted by steve on November 3, 2008 at 12:36 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

Treasury’s climate and economic modelling released

Treasury and Minister for Climate Change and Water

The Federal Government launched Australia’s Low Pollution Future: The Economics of Climate Change Mitigation yesterday. The report contains detailed Treasury modelling of the costs and opportunities of action to tackle climate change.

According to the Government, the Treasury’s report provides fresh evidence that early action to tackle climate change will sustain growth, create new jobs, increase Australia’s competitiveness and protect the economy.

posted by seamas on November 1, 2008 at 7:10 pm · filed under

Australia amongst the worst for environmental exploitation

WWF Australia

Australia’s ranking in the league table of the the world’s worst environmental exploiters has risen to fifth, according to the WWF’s Living Planet Report. Each Australian uses more land and water per person than the UK, China, Russia and India and it now takes 7.81 hectares to maintain the lifestyle of each Australian - up from 6.76 hectares per person in 2006.

posted by patrick on October 31, 2008 at 5:35 pm · filed under

Plans to combat the health impacts of climate change in Victoria

The Age

Victoria’s Department of Human Services (DHS) has commissioned a study to investigate the likely health impacts of climate change on the residents of Victoria. Possible health impacts include increasing numbers of heat-related illnesses, mosquito-borne diseases, depression and food poisoning. Different parts of the state are at risk from different conditions, but these are expected to be addressed in the DHS five, ten and fifteen year strategy plans that will be generated from the findings of the study.

posted by steve on October 27, 2008 at 10:03 am · filed under

Electric cars in Australia by 2012

The Sydney Morning Herald

Macquarie Capital, AGL and Better Place have signed an agreement to have the infrastructure for an electric car industry up and running by 2012 in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.   The project will provide between 200,000 and 250,000 charge stations where electric cars can be recharged in all sorts of places around the city including homes, businesses and car parks.   This huge infrastructure project will create more Green jobs as well as being a necessary step in allowing Australians to move toward owning electric cars.

posted by kirsty on October 26, 2008 at 12:43 pm · filed under

Award for CSIRO developed carbon accounting system

Minister for Climate Change and Water

A new carbon accounting system designed to measure the impact of forestry, land clearing and farming activities on greenhouse gas emissions has been awarded the CSIRO Partnership Excellence Award. The highly sophisticated system involves remote sensing, information from thousands of satellite images, greenhouse gas accounting methods, and modelling of changes in our environment to monitor and account for emissions from land-based sectors.

posted by patrick on October 23, 2008 at 9:13 pm · filed under