ECOS Sustainability News
Sun Apr 24 04:21:46 EDT 2011
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Climate change science: a new synthesis for Australia - Mary-Lou Considine

How does today's climate change differ from similar events in the past? What does the best science tell us about where we are heading? And how does research suggest we should respond to the challenges? CSIRO summarises the key peer-reviewed research in an easy-to-read, free-access, online book – Climate Change: Science and Solutions for Australia.

Vanishing Icon, by photographer and dingo enthusiast Jennifer Parkhurst, is an ode to the dingo population of Fraser Island, believed to represent the purest strain of dingo in eastern Australia.

Steve Parish ranks alongside the late Peter Dombrovskis in the upper echelons of Australian nature photographers. Nick Pitsas looks at Parish's latest book, which celebrates 50 years of image making and champions our natural heritage.

Given the need for both short and long-term training for sustainability discussed in the first of this three-part series (ECOS 158, pp 22–24), it is clear that the vocational education and training sector will play a major role in building capacity for our nation over the next five years.

The Cancun Agreement forged at the COP16 climate summit in Mexico in December has restored momentum to UN climate talks, according to analysts at The Climate Institute


Zero Carbon Australia plan, revisited - Matthew Wright, Patrick Hearps

In 2010 the Beyond Zero Emissions group released a report with the University of Melbourne's Energy Research Institute claiming that Australia could be powered by renewable energy sources by 2020. Here its lead authors reply to some of the points raised by Dr Mark Diesendorf's review of the report in ECOS 157.

The success of a company and the well-being of the communities it serves are connected. A business needs stable and viable communities to be successful, and communities depend on successful businesses to provide products, services, jobs and infrastructure.

Tropical Cyclone Yasi and the devastating floods in south-east Queensland came as a double blow to the state's tourism industry this summer. But some tourist operators were better prepared than others, thanks to the foresight of Tourism Queensland – and a CSIRO information tool that enables operators to better manage business risks in the face of extreme climate events.

The information technology (IT) sector's phenomenal growth and appetite for energy have produced a bulge in its carbon waistline. It's not a good look when the world is warming at a rate unprecedented in recorded history. Just how big is the IT sector's footprint in Australia?

An environmental catastrophe is unfolding on Christmas Island, the site of Australia's latest suspected mammal extinction. The unique wildlife of the island is struggling to cope with the impact of humans and introduced pests.

Australian and Swiss researchers have been working together and with agricultural enterprises and major food companies to develop a standardised approach to measuring ‘water footprints' – the amount of water embodied in food and other consumer products.

The Bureau of Meteorology's annual Australian Climate Statement for 2010 concluded that the 2010 La Niña event brought Australia's third-wettest year on record and the country's coolest year since 2001; however, the decade 2001–2010 was Australia's warmest.

Periodic short-term cooling in global temperatures should not be misinterpreted as signalling an end to global warming, according to CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research Honorary Research Fellow, Barrie Hunt.

A biodiversity audit on Bon Bon Station Reserve in the arid north of South Australia has revealed a treasure trove of native plant and animal species.

In the chaos and suffering caused by natural disasters, the environmental impacts of relief and reconstruction efforts may not seem a priority. But in recent years, there has been a significant push to ‘Build it Back Green'.

When heavy rain falls in the city, roads and footpaths become runways for toxic chemicals that flush into stormwater, polluting rivers and streams. Alexandra de Blas looks at an innovative new solution to the problem.

Murdoch University research has revealed that a new type of sturdy woven paper bag, which is reusable for up to two years, may provide the solution to environmental problems caused by plastic and polypropylene green shopping bags.

A new automated microscope will help scientists to rapidly identify pollen, helping them to better understand the role of flowering plants in the face of challenges such as climate change and deforestation.

Australia has lost 25 per cent more birds than previously thought, according to a recent research review.

Ceiling fans in office environments can reduce reliance on air-conditioning and considerably reduce energy consumption, according to Cairns-based engineering firm MGF Consultants.

World experts at a recent UNESCO workshop on ‘Challenges and Solutions for Planning and Operating Dams for Optimised Benefits' have called for better leadership and more investment in sustainable dam siting, design and operations around the world.

Water managers and planners have a new tool to help them understand how much water is likely to flow into rivers and catchments up to three months in advance.

Many household detergents, and laundry and cleaning products have high levels of chemicals that are harmful to plants, wildlife and waterways. With an increasing number of products being promoted as environmentally friendly, a new website is set to help householders maximise the benefits of greywater in their homes and gardens.

The switch to electric vehicles is gaining momentum in Adelaide with the roll out of several new recharging stations, including Australia's first ‘fast' public recharge station.

In December 2010 the Australian government announced that it will introduce legislation restricting the import and sale of illegally logged timber. The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries estimates that each year around $400 million of Australia's forest products imports are derived from sources that have some risk of being illegally logged.

Around the time the Prime Minister's ‘Closing the Gap' report was released in February, the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) published a comprehensive report outlining four principles for Aboriginal land management. Researchers say these principles will help improve health and well-being for indigenous communities.

Innovative scientific modelling by the Victorian Environmental Assessment Council (VEAC) has revolutionised our understanding of the state's native vegetation and will help prioritise the way conservation dollars are spent in future.

For most of us, the news that our mobile phone contains an RF SAW filter from Lamphun, Thailand and an EDS array from Sichuan, China means very little. But, consumers may be interested to know that their phone contains 50 such mysteriously named components, from almost as many locations, in a supply chain more than 325,000 km long with a total carbon footprint of 13.61 kg CO₂e (carbon dioxide equivalents).

Does human health ultimately depend on the health of the soil? In Green Harvest, Rebecca Jones explores this concept by tracing the history of organic farming and gardening in Australia from the 1940s to the present day.

As sales of Australian-grown organic produce increase, organic farmers are calling for increased research into the sector. What science is happening, and what is needed?