Ecos articles from April 2005

Ecos archives from April 2005

The good signs of progress.(Editorial)
April 1, 2005... It has been only six months since the last Business Leaders Forum on Sustainable Development, but this year's gathering in early April had a distinctly positive atmosphere--especially considering it closely followed the jolting results of the...

Australian companies rate well as responsible corporates.(2004 Corporate Responsibility Index results)
April 1, 2005... Westpac emphatically trumped the 2004 Corporate Responsibility Index, one of the most comprehensive ratings of company social and environmental performance, winning first place in both the Australian and UK ratings. The bank led a list of 134...

Greenhouse gas levels in reach with action and new technology.(Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Technologies report)
April 1, 2005... While findings by the Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Technologies have suggested that action must taken within the next ten years to stabilise global levels of atmospheric C[O.sub.2] by the end of the century, they also...

Mustard 'gas' in use around Adelaide.(public transport to be partially powered by biodiesel)
April 1, 2005... Mustard seed and canola oil are now being used across Adelaide's public transport network to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, offset fuel dependence, and possibly pave the way for a local biofuel industry. Coinciding with the official...

Tsunami assessment team sees minimal impact in the Maldives.(coral reef systems)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The specialist Australian marine science taskforce recently sent to the Maldives to help gauge the effects of the recent tsunami on marine systems have reported surprisingly little damage. John Gunn of CSIRO Marine Research, who led the...

More Perth residents TravelSmart.(public awareness program and transport alternatives)
April 1, 2005... Western Australia continues with its encouraging and proactive assessment of sustainable alternatives. The Department for Planning and Infrastructure's Director General, Greg Martin, recently announced the results of a TravelSmart programme...

Australia improves in the global Environmental Sustainability Index.
April 1, 2005... According to the 2005 Environmental Sustainability Index (ESI) produced by a team of environmental experts at Yale and Columbia universities, Australia is rated 13th in the world in environmental sustainability out of 146 countries, just ahead...

Climate network underway.(Indian Ocean climate observation venture)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... A huge climate-observing network across the Indian Ocean aims to monitor ocean currents and temperature and understand the conditions that bring rain--and drought--to nearly two thirds of the world's population. Nine deep-ocean moorings...

A united plan for the Mekong.(ASIAN PERSPECTIVES: Progress)(The Mekong Wetlands Biodiversity Program)(Six-nation Mekong Region 'Biodiversity Conservation Corridor')
April 1, 2005... Two of the world's greatest wetland areas along South-East Asia's majestic Mekong River are under threat from new, external forces barely understood by the traditional cultures of the region. The IUCN, the World Conservation Union, has recently...

Simple faith from a green revolutionary.(ASIAN PERSPECTIVES: Profile)(International Crop Science Congress)(India and genetically modified crops)
April 1, 2005... Despite pervasive concerns, both public and political, of the potentially unknown effects of genetically engineered crops, the revered 80-year-old Indian plant geneticist, Professor MS Swaminathan, is convinced by his achievements that genetic...

Reign of fire: with recent strides made in understanding the complex ecological cycles of our rainforests, scientists are now better aware of the severe effects of both climate change and creeping development on forest ecosystems. Julian Cribb reports on a growing call for an urgent change to management thinking and practice for rainforest areas.(rainforest canopy crane)
April 1, 2005... Most devastating of all the foes of the rainforest is fire. Each year through human action, intentional and unintended, fires obliterate huge areas of the world's remaining rainforests. And, in a subtle interaction which has scientists...

Making, water hold the salt: desalination technology is becoming more efficient, and more feasible. Proponents say it now makes good sense in Australia, but critics argue that wider environmental impacts must still be taken into account.(DESALINATION: Progress)
April 1, 2005... Perth is doing it, Sydney is thinking about it and many Middle East countries have done it for years, yet some experts consider it a big mistake. Desalination--removing salt from sea, ground or waste water to produce fresh water--is a hot topic...

Progress on Perth's plant.(DESALINATION: Progress)(Kwinana Plant ready by 2006)
April 1, 2005... The Kwinana Plant, being undertaken by Water Corporation, is an ambitious project. Using membrane technology to separate salt and impurities from seawater, pumped from the nearby ocean, it will, when completed, be the largest desalination...

Sun-power technology centre underway.(DESALINATION: Progress)(National Solar Energy Technology Centre construction)
April 1, 2005... Construction of CSIRO's $1.5 million National Solar Energy Technology Centre (NSETC) is underway at its Newcastle Energy facility, where the latest solar thermal technologies will be showcased and involved in CSIRO's ongoing collaborative...

A stirling idea.(DESALINATION: Progress)(hybrid solar Stirling engine and wind turbine)(report)
April 1, 2005... An innovative Australian spin on the simple age-old technology of the Stirling engine could be the answer to one of our region's more pressing problems--the need for a cheap, portable, low maintenance renewable energy unit. The economical...

Young Australians write the way ahead.(The Natural Advantage of Nations Business Opportunities, Innovation and Governance In The 21st Century)(guide to sustainable development for the whole of society)(Book Review)
April 1, 2005... After three years of volunteered dedication under the tutelage of international sustainability luminaries, and in conjunction with expert co-authors, editors Karlson Hargroves and Michael Smith, and colleagues Cheryl Paten and Nick Palousis,...

Your guide to climate change effects on Australia.(Living in the Hothouse: How global warming affects Australia)(Brief Review)
April 1, 2005... Ian Lowe, recently elected President of the Australian Conservation Foundation and Emeritus Professor of Science, Technology and Society at Griffith University, is one of the country's most respected authorities on global warming. He is a key...

Amazon isotope discovery should sharpen climate predictions.(Research)
April 1, 2005... While studying the cycle of water in the Amazon Basin, Professor Ann Henderson-Sellers, of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), and Dr Kendal McGuffie, of the University of Technology Sydney, have developed...

Growing fuel from algae.(Research)(microalgae cultivation)(Murray-Darling Basin )
April 1, 2005... Toxic algal blooms have given algae a bad name in Australia but, on the whole, this poor reputation is not deserved. Much-maligned microalgae are in fact the principal primary producers in aquatic ecosystems, the basis of aquatic food chains....

A new bacterium may be associated with reef bleaching.(Research)
April 1, 2005... Israeli researchers who discovered that a bacterium is implicated in bleaching of at least one coral species overseas have recently worked with James Cook University scientists to help identify a possible new Australian strain. While further...

Events calendar.(Calendar)
April 1, 2005... 4th International Bio Expo Tokyo, Japan, 18-20 May. www.bio-expo.jp/english Biodiversity in Modified Landscapes--2nd Riverina Biodiversity Forum (Resheduled) Griffith, NSW, 26-28 May. ...