SA: First Australian state to ban plastic bags

The Sydney Morning Herald

From January 1 2009, South Australia has banned the use of single-use plastic bags.  There will be a phase-out period until May 4th, where stores are allowed to give plastic bags but must provide alternatives.  The ban does not apply to heavy-duty plastic bags in department stores nor the fruit and vegetable plastic bags found in supermarkets.  This decision to ban plastic bags across an entire state has been described as historic.

posted by kirsty on November 16, 2008 at 5:44 pm · filed under

Bicycle Film Festival (Melbourne, Nov 19-23)

The Bicycle Film Festival is a celebration of bicycles through film, art and music. Screenings at VCA Federation Hall, 234 St Kilda Road, Southbank.

posted by seamas on November 16, 2008 at 2:09 pm · filed under

Careful consuming key to smaller eco-footprints

Feature

Although it’s common knowledge that we are consuming the planet’s natural resources at a completely unsustainable rate, many people still fail to connect this looming problem with their personal consumption.

Read & Comment »

posted by seamas on November 15, 2008 at 12:54 pm · filed under

Maldives president seeks new home

WA Today

Speaking today from one of the most densely populated cities in the world, Mohammed Nasheed, The Maldives first democratically elected president, signalled the intentions of his nation to buy land in Australia as insurance against the rising sea levels caused by Climate Change. The Maldives, a chain of small islands and atolls which is home to 300,000 people, sits just 1.5 metres above sea level; while the UN believes sea levels will rise by 59 centimetres by 2100.  

“We can do nothing to stop climate change on our own and so we have to buy land elsewhere,” Mr Nasheed said.

While choosing Australia as a potential new home because of the immence space the country has, the people of the Maldives have also approached Sri Lanka and India for their relative closeness in climate, cuisine and cultures.

Mr Nasheed is concerned for the welfare of his people, in the long term, and the medium term saying

“We do not want to leave the Maldives, but we also do not want to be climate refugees living in tents for decades.”

posted by Vinnie on November 11, 2008 at 5:14 pm · filed under

Gore urges Obama on Renewables targets

The Guardian

Former US Vice President and Nobel Laureate Al Gore is urging US President-elect Obama to come through on his election promises of energy security and carbon cuts for the US by committing to 100% renewable energy within 10 years.  Gore compared making the commitment to renewables to John F. Kennedys commitment, and subsequent success, in sending a man to the moon and back, and says it can be done.

posted by Vinnie on November 10, 2008 at 7:09 pm · filed under

Greens calling for consistent national policy for feed-in tarriffs

ABC News

The Greens are calling for a single consistent policy nationwide for feed-in tariffs for renewable energy generated by the householder. Currently, because the Federal Government have been slow to devise such a policy, each of the states and territories has proceeded with a different strategy, effectively providing different levels of incentives depending on where you live in Australia. The Greens are also calling for incentives to cover all forms of renewable energy, and not be restricted to solar generation, in order to help promote all kinds of domestic-level generation.

posted by steve on November 10, 2008 at 8:28 am · 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

Clean Energy mandate for Obama

Friends of the Earth

The prominence of energy policy in the US election campaign indicates that the success of Barack Obama is due to a clear  preference across the US for a candidate with an aggressive policy approach to energy-efficient infrastructure,  green-collar jobs, and the fight against global warming. Obama’s success represents an exciting opportunity to create a fundamentally different approach to energy policy. 

posted by patrick on November 7, 2008 at 1:25 pm · filed under

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