Ecos articles from December 2006

Ecos archives from December 2006

The climate of thinking changes.
December 1, 2006... Happy New Year. 2006 was notable for marked shifts in thinking on sustainable development priorities in Australia--particularly where the climate change agenda was concerned. We can hopefully expect deeper progress on broad-scale solutions in...

Solar-powered desalination plant leads the way.(Acquasol Pty. Ltd. )
December 1, 2006... A Victorian company recently announced plans for the staged development of Australia's first solar-powered desalination plant near Port Augusta in South Australia. Combining solar energy-based power generation, desalination and commercial salt...

'Asian haze' impact on Australian rainfall.(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Elevated particle emissions resulting from increased economic activity in Asia may have increased Australia's tropical rainfall, according to new research into the way pollution influences our climate. 'Until now, there has been ample...

Nationwide study of reef that is 'loved to death'.(Ningaloo Reef )(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Western Australia's unique Ningaloo Reef is to become the focus of a $12 million collaboration between marine experts from eight Australian research organisations. Led by Dr Neil Loneragan from Murdoch University, the four-year research...

WA island site for world's largest carbon storage project.(Western Australia)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The Australian Government will provide $60 million to support the world's largest carbon dioxide capture and storage project at Barrow Island, off the north coast of Western Australia. The area is also the location of the as-yet undeveloped...

Overfishing threatens Great Barrier Reef's sharks.(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Australian scientists have warned that coral reef shark populations on the Great Barrier Reef are in the midst of a catastrophic collapse because of fishing pressure. Research conducted by William Robbins and colleagues at James Cook...

Solar-roofed 'immigration bridge' floated for Canberra.(Immigration Bridge Australia, nonprofit organization)
December 1, 2006... A not-for-profit organisation, Immigration Bridge Australia, has announced plans for 'a magnificent covered pedestrian bridge soaring high across Lake Burley Griffin to commemorate the contributions of [Australia's] immigrants'. Project...

Fast-degrading nappies lighten the load on landfill.(biodegradable disposable nappy)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Perth inventor Charishma Seneviratne has developed the world's first fully biodegradable disposable nappy in association with CSIRO. Every year about a billion disposable nappies are thrown away in Australia, representing the single biggest...

The long journey home for Campbell Island Teal: recent sightings of teal ducklings and nests on subantarctic Campbell Island are evidence of the success of an internationally significant conservation effort involving the world's most ambitious rat-eradication program, a captive breeding strategy, and pioneering work in disease screening and monitoring procedures to protect the re-established population..
December 1, 2006... Campbell Island lies approximately 700 km off the southern tip of the New Zealand mainland--an isolated subantarctic island that, until recently, was one of the most rat-infested wilderness areas on earth. For more than 50 years, the...

The economic impacts of deep cuts to Australia's greenhouse emissions.(Progress)
December 1, 2006... There is an emerging consensus that avoiding dangerous levels of climate change will require high-income nations to reduce their greenhouse emissions footprint by 60-90% from current levels by 2050. While this is an enormous task, contrary to...

The Gore factor: reviewing the impact of An Inconvenient Truth.(Movie review)
December 1, 2006... An Inconvenient Truth, featuring former US Vice President Al Gore's presentation on climate change, was released in cinemas across Australia on 14 September 2006. By 3 October, a Lowy Institute poll found that the issue of global warming had...

Wisdom from the heart of India.
December 1, 2006... For hundreds of years, the Bharia and Gond tribes of India's remote Patalkot Valley have eked out a culturally unique and environmentally sustainable lifestyle where plants have played a central role in spiritual beliefs, and the land was...

Saving the life of farmland soils: aware of a remorseless decline in the vital organic matter of Australian farmland soils because of land clearing and agricultural production, researchers, land managers and now, commercial players, are seeking ways to reverse the trend. It's an important quest:without organic matter, soil is essentially sterile, reducing the viability of both agricultural and surrounding natural systems.(SOIL CARBON: Focus)
December 1, 2006... The carbon hidden away in soil originates from plants and is the unglamorous and often forgotten part of the cycle of carbon between the land, oceans and atmosphere. Yet it is a fundamental component of soil's organic matter, integral to...

Foreign problems in the desert landscape: in Australia's Top End, the growing problem of introduced plant species becoming weeds is being made worse by a climate and urban culture that encourages the planting of exotic ornamentals.(Progress)
December 1, 2006... There is a sheltered cove in Darwin where the cliffs are covered with monsoon vine forest. The forest is so badly infested with poinciana (Delonix regia) and other escaped garden plants that many native species are relegated to the understorey....

A 'How to' guide to sustainability for business.(Shifting Towards Sustainability: Six Insights Into Successful Organisational Change for Sustainability)(Book review)
December 1, 2006... Shifting towards sustainability Six insights into successful organisational change for sustainability SA Hunting & D Tilbury ARIES for DEH (Australian Government) 2006, Free booklet and PDF ISBN 13: 978 1 74138 1986 In 'Shifting...

Monsters--or manna from heaven?(GM Crops: The Impact and the Potential )(Book review)
December 1, 2006... GM Crops The Impact and the Potential Jennifer A Thomson 2006, Paperback ISBN: 0643091602--AU $39.95 Are genetically modified (GM) crops monsters of nature or could they provide answers to some of our most pressing environmental concerns?...

On-farm conservation: get farmers on side first.(Research)
December 1, 2006... Policy makers, extension officers and researchers may have more success in getting farmers to adopt conservation practices by identifying the factors that motivate farmers first, before formulating policy or design extension programs. ...

Seaweed trial promises inland aquaculture.(Research)
December 1, 2006... It is ironic that the north-west Victorian town of Donald--in semi-arid country 250 kilometres from the coast--is investigating the potential of seaweed as the basis for a new industry. Seaweed is used in many applications, ranging from...

Events calendar.
December 1, 2006... Green Cities '07: Where Our Future Lives Sydney, 11-14 February 2007 www.propertyoz.com.au/nsw/events/flyers/GreenCities.pdf Sustainable Materials in the Built Environment 2007 Melbourne, 19-20 February 2007 ...