Perhaps my tree-hugging and soppy yearning for simpler times with fewer threats isn’t striking the right chord. It may be more useful to present facts, research, documentation and links to the good, the bad, and the scary environmental news. As a true Libran (some of you may be agnostic as to whether God exists, I am still wondering if the stars can guide, or compel) see-sawing is second nature.
Over the years, I have seen many news websites adopt the pattern used by OLO: a title, a brief para or sentence, and a link to the whole item. It works for us impetuous scanners. One of my favourites is Science News Daily, http://www.sciencedaily.com/, and some of the information below comes from them.
The important thing is that for each really desperate bit of news about the environment, there is one that is equally optimistic. The can induce a sort of environmental schizophrenia, a bi-polarity of hope and despair. In the middle lies action, maybe salvation. Does it matter, when the timer is clicking towards the final ‘beep’ when the ticker turns off? For whom the light blinks…All this is a bit too philosophical, and this started out as a promise to just give facts. My 84 year old mother’s recent hospitalisation and subsequent semi-invalid status prompts reflection.
But here is some recent news, they are watching us overseas:
Drought threatens water supply of more than a million Australians
in the UK Telegraph
Australian economy under threat as climate change bites
Businessgreen.com
Melbourne ‘should drink Tasmanian water’ The Age July 20, 2008
This is Family First Senator Steve Fielding’s idea.
EATING LESS MEAT AND JUNK FOOD COULD CUT FOSSIL ENERGY FUEL USE ALMOST IN HALF
An estimated 19 percent of total energy used in the USA is taken up in the production and supply of food. It is mportant that ways of reducing this significant fuel consumption in the US food system are found. Researchers
now set out strategies which could potentially cut fossil energy fuel use by as much as 50 percent.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080723094838.htm
The Wilderness Society has helped to fund research at the ANU on the importance of temperate forests as carbon stores. This means our natural forests, which could be counted in our National Carbon Accounting System. Disturbed and plantation forests aren’t the same.
A very recent Herald-Nielsen poll found 77% of Australians want carbon reductions, regardless of what other countries are doing. and 68% are willing to pay more to achieve this. This is not a one-off finding, it is recurrent. Does this mean pollies who resist are fueling the democratic deficit?
BETTER THAN POWER GRID: NEW MICROGRID NETWORK PROPOSED FOR MORE DEPENDABLE, CHEAPER POWER
A researcher has proposed a microgrid-based power plant with its own local power sources and independent control as a more dependable, efficient, and cost effective system than traditional telecom power systems. Microgrids would also be a quick and inexpensive way to include renewable energy sources for both existing and
developing systems.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080722152609.htm
Bob Birrell, at the Centre for Population and Urban Research at Monash Uni, said last week that even a 50% cut i n our emissions won’t achieve our national targets, because our population is heading for 30m by about 2050. As migrants arrive, their carbon emissions go up. So we shouldn’t kid ourselves that an emissions trading scheme, even if brought forward against that donkey Brendan Nelson’s protests, will go anywhere near to ‘fixing’ things.
GREATEST VALUE OF FORESTS IS SUSTAINABLE WATER SUPPLY
The forests of the future may need to be managed as much for a sustainable supply of clean water as any other goal, researchers say in a new federal report — but even so, forest resources will offer no “quick fix” to the
insatiable, often conflicting demands for this precious resource.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080714162600.htm
A German colleague is developing a Wiki about this:
SOLAR COOLING BECOMES A NEW AIR-CONDITIONING SYSTEM
Scientists have developed an environmentally friendly cooling technology that does not harm the ozone layer. This is achieved by using solar energy and therefore reducing the use of greenhouse gases.
— full story > http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080714151427.htm
MASSIVE GREENHOUSE GASES MAY BE RELEASED AS DESTRUCTION, DRYING OF WORLD WETLANDS WORSEN
There is growing concern among environmental scientists that evaporation and ongoing destruction of world wetlands, which hold a volume of carbon similar to that in the atmosphere today, could cause them to exhale
billows of greenhouse gases. Warming world temperatures are speeding both rates of decomposition of trapped organic material and evaporation, while threatening critical sources of wetlands recharge.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080720150209.htm
Finally, the ACT Government listed a $1 billion light rail system linking Civic to the airport, Parliamentary Triangle and major town centres, as one of the major infrastructure projects it wants funded under the $20 billion Building Australia Fund. At the same time, they have announced they will spend an additional $80m to duplicate the loathsome Gungahlin Drive Extension, as it has some bottlenecks. It is a horror to travel on, confusing and ugly, but then I don’t live in Gungahlin, where bad planning and inadequate public transport left so many out on a limb for travel to other parts of town, where all the jobs are.
To me, holding out the hand for money to build light rail, while extending a freeway at a time when the oil is clearly going to keep going up in price, and public tranport use is lower than ever, is truly schizo. But you may disagree, and I encourage you to set me straight.