The Mercury
By: CATHY ALEXANDER Source: AAP
Climate change is fast becoming a political headache for Kevin Rudd.
Australia took a crash course in climate change last year. But did we pass the final exam?
After initially posing as a green dream team, the Rudd Government has toned down its rhetoric and opted for solid policy. Australia will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, but not at the speed some scientists believe is needed to save the planet.
The Courier-Mail
Addressing the challenge of climate change is not simply a matter of waiting for someone to set the rules for us to follow
Last year it was droughts. This year it could well be flooding rains, if scientists' forecasts of a pending period of high cyclonic activity prove correct.
Australia's changeable weather has always had a significant place in our national psyche but its influences on public policy seem to be more prominent than ever before. This time last year, the Bligh Government's fortunes were tied to delivering the $9 billion water grid in time to stave off massive water shortages in southeast Queensland. Federally, the new Rudd Government was under strong pressure to agree to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 25 to 40 per cent by 2020.
Herald Sun
Scientists fear the already declining growth rate of the Great Barrier Reef's corals will stop completely by 2050 -- killing off the reef and making way for algae. A new report shows the most robust corals have slowed in growth by more than 14 per cent since the "tipping point'' in 1990.
The paper, published in the international journal Science and written by scientists Dr Glenn De'ath, Dr Janice Lough and Dr Katharina Fabricius, shows evidence of a decline in the calcification rates in the Great Barrier Reef corals. The Australian Institute of Science paper claims the decline has been caused by a combination of rising sea surface temperatures and ocean acidification.
The Weekend Australian
By: Robert Lee Hotz Source: The Wall Street Journal
The exceptionally unusual becomes the new normal, writes Robert Lee Hotz
Three independent research groups have concluded that last year was a comparatively cool one on planet Earth -- a feverish chill on our warming world.
The year's average global temperature was the 9th or 10th warmest since reliable record-keeping began in 1850, and the coldest since the turn of the 21st century, according to separate surveys by the UN's World Meteorological Organisation, NASA's Goddard Institute of Space Studies, and the US National Climatic Data Centre.
Each used slightly different methods to rank 2008 based on world-wide land and sea-surface temperatures through to November. For the time being, no one knows whether this temperature drop heralds a lasting retreat from global warming or a temporary dip.
News Limited’s commitment to reduce its carbon footprint has taken a significant step with a list of over 90 projects submitted to the Federal Government that are currently being implemented or having significant engineering assessments conducted.
The projects go much further than required under the Federal Government’s Energy Efficiencies Opportunities (EEO) Act, demonstrating that One Degree continues to be a priority for News Limited despite economic challenges.
These, and other, projects have been identified through 16 site audits across Australia over the period since One Degree was launched in June 2007. Now more than 80% of News Limited’s carbon footprint has been audited, along with the development of an “energy audit checklist” to be rolled out across smaller offices and rented premises in the coming months.
The cost of implementing all of these projects is significant; however the projects with potential will pay for themselves in terms of reduced energy consumption within an average of 2.2 years. If all are implemented, they will save a combined 16,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions – or 10% of News Limited’s total emissions - each year.
Select the link below to download a PDF copy of News Limited’s EEO public report.
The Mercury
Source: AP
US President-elect Barack Obama has named an environmental and energy team that he said signalled his determination to tackle global warming quickly and develop alternative forms of energy.
He vowed to "move beyond our oil addiction and create a new hybrid economy''.
Obama selected Nobel Prize-winning physicist Steven Chu as energy secretary and Carol Browner, a confidante of former vice-president Al Gore, to lead a White House council on energy and climate.
The Herald Sun
By: Megan McNaught, environment reporter
We may be wondering where the sun is this December, but it has been our 15th-hottest year on record, according to the world's peak weather body.
The World Meteorological Organisation yesterday released its results for the year, which showed that Australia was heading for an average temperature of 22.18C for the year, 0.37C warmer than average.
Globally, we are experiencing our 10th-hottest year on record and have an average temperature of 14.31C, which is 0.31C above average.
The Advertiser
By: Cathy Alexander, Canberra
More households will qualify for up to $7500 to install solar panels after changes to a Federal Government rebate.
The Government yesterday announced it would scrap an unpopular means test, which restricted the rebate to households earning less than $100,000. The means-tested rebate was worth up to $8000.
Under the new system, to operate from July next year, the rebate will be smaller but everyone - households, businesses and community groups - can access it, regardless of income.
Australia continues to lead the world as the number one recycler of old newspapers. The recently released Australian newspaper recycling statistics' for 2007 indicate that 76.7% of old newspapers were recovered for recycling - a slight increase over the previous year. Australia has held this position as the “number one recycler” for the last five years. Recovered newspapers are recycled to make new newsprint and products such as egg cartons, insulation and cardboard.
Through recycling their old newspapers which are then turned into new newsprint and other products, Australian’s have the potential to save more than a million tonnes of carbon emissions each year. That’s the same as taking 250,000 large cars off the road for a year.
The Cairns Post
Scientists are predicting a higher-than-average risk of coral bleaching this summer - and calling on industries and communities to reduce pressures on the Great Barrier Reef.
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority climate change director Paul Marshall said climate change was causing rising summer sea temperatures and coral reefs were increasingly at risk from mass coral bleaching.
The Advertiser
By: Shane Wakelin, presenter for Al Gore's Climate Project
Some of my most treasured memories of growing up in South Australia come from times spent in the world-renowned wine regions. The Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale and the Coonawarra region have been the setting for many happy times as a child and, more recently, as places to enjoy good food and great wine with family and friends.
So, it is with a heavy heart that I think about how climate change could devastate these special places. It gets me wondering whether my children will be able to enjoy them as I have.
The Courier-Mail
By: Graham Readfearn
Most people stepping out for a day at the beach wouldn't leave their home airconditioner running and the lights on all day.
But when people go on holiday, many tend to leave their eco-senses at home.
"It can be a bit frustrating for us when guests leave their rooms at 9am and come back at six and they leave their airconditioners on all day,'' says Robin Ross, 54, who runs the Comfort Inn Mermaid Beach Motel on the Gold Coast.
The Courier-Mail
By: Peter Michael
North Queensland is "ground zero'' for global warming, experts warn.
Forget melting ice caps, when it comes to climate change, the state's vulnerable reef and rainforest is Australia's "canary in the coalmine''.
Rainforest is dying, some animal species are on the brink of extinction, and mass coral bleaching events kill entire marine ecosystems.
Rising temperatures of man-made climate change - estimated at up to 1.2 degrees every year - threaten to make the state hotter, storms wilder, cyclones more frequent, and sea levels higher.
The Weekend Australian
By: Kate Hardie-Buckley, William Shrubb
Source: Additional reporting: Matthew Clayfield
As the financial crisis tightens its grip, more Australians are opting for two wheels over four.
With petrol still about $1 a litre, the worry of climate change and the pressure to get fit, people across the country -- indeed, the world -- are turning to bicycles as their first choice of transport and leaving their cars behind.
The Weekend Australian
By: Cameron Cooper
Environmental awareness is the way to go in commercial buildings, writes Cameron Cooper
Green-collar jobs are shaping as one bright spot in an industry coping with issues including climate change, emissions trading and the international financial crisis. The spotlight is switching to a new breed of specialist who understands and embraces sustainable design and development.
Green buildings, once seen as marginal and expensive to construct, are in. Energy-sapping skyscrapers are out.
The Australian
By: Ross Garnaut
Moving to equal per capita emissions offers the best hope of getting an agreement on greenhouse gas reductions, insists Ross Garnaut
The UN Climate Change Conference in Poznan, Poland, focuses attention on the importance and difficulty of achieving international agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
No country acting alone -- not even the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases, the US and China -- can cause the risks of dangerous climate change to fall substantially by its actions alone. A co-operative effort involving all substantial economies is required.
The Mercury
Source: SHNS
Vanishing Arctic sea ice brought on by climate change is causing the crucially important microscopic marine plants called phytoplankton to bloom explosively and die away as never before, a phenomenon that is likely to create havoc among migratory creatures that rely on the ocean for food, Stanford scientists have found.
A few organisms may benefit from this disruption of the Arctic's fragile ecology, but a variety of animals, from grey whales to seabirds, will suffer, said Stanford biological oceanographer Kevin Arrigo.
The Australian
By: Nick Tabakoff
News Corporation chairman and chief executive Rupert Murdoch has issued a blunt warning that Australia "simply is not prepared for the challenges ahead'' -- including the current global financial crisis -- in an era of growing internationalisation.
But he has also expressed hope that the nation would ultimately overcome its shortcomings by rediscovering its "frontier country'' mentality.
Fiji Times
In the space of one year, The Fiji Times Limited cut back the amount of electricity it used by around 25 per cent.
This came off the back of sustained implementation of the principles of its 1 Degree environmental program over the year to June 2008.
The savings in electricity consumption translated into a 17.4 per cent smaller bill over the year to June 2008 compared to the previous year.
A large part of the success of the program has been because of staff involvement in helping save energy to save the environment.
The Glebe
A coalition of concerned Australians is organising a day of community action this Sunday to raise awareness concerning global warming and to show politicians that the community wants stronger action to limit climate change.
The Walk Against Warming at Martin Place on Saturday will highlight the need for laws to be put in place to reduce Australia's greenhouse pollution through:
* a reduction in energy use
* a shift to renewable energy
* better public transport systems
* an end to land clearing and logging of old growth forests
* a price being placed on carbon pollution
"Join thousands of other Aussies at a Walk Against Warming event to send a clear message to our political leaders that the community wants bolder and more effective government action on climate change,'' a spokesman said.
Penrith Press
Penrith Council will roll out organic waste bins for residents next year following the success of its waste treatment management program.
The council will use green rebates from the State Government's $12m fund to pay for the organic bins, which will further cut down on the amount of waste being dumped in landfills annually.
"We have been meeting our targets and will use the rebates to provide organic bins to around 52,000 households from July next year,'' said Barry Ryan, manager for waste and community protection.
The Courier-Mail
By: Graham Readfearn
Making a pledge to push the car out of your life means you need to look for every alternative to get you around.
"We've been pretty much car-free for a couple of years and there's no doubt our lifestyle has improved,'' Emma Rose, 37, of Highgate Hill, in inner Brisbane, says.
The Rose household's latest innovation is a box-bike, which has been turning heads in the suburbs around West End.
The Herald Sun
Beijing: A thick brown cloud of soot, particles and chemicals stretching from the Persian Gulf to Asia threatens the world's health and food supplies, the UN said yesterday, describing it as the newest threat from global warming.
The regional haze, known as atmospheric brown clouds, contributes to the melting of Himalayan glaciers, reduces sunlight, and helps create extreme weather conditions that impact agricultural production, according to the report commissioned by the UN Environment Program.
The Courier-Mail
By: Graham Readfearn
Switching all their power to renewable electricity was more of a last resort than a first step for the carbon-friendly Cebuliak family.
"We cut our energy consumption to just about half of what it was,'' said 22-year-old Ben Cebuliak, of Mansfield. "Then, after we had saved as much as we could, we went over to 100 per cent renewable.''
The Daily Telegraph
By: Alison Rehn
Australia's struggling car industry has been given a $6.2 billion injection to green the nation's car fleet and shield thousands of employees from losing their jobs during the current financial crisis. Part of the Federal Government package is a $1.3 billion green car fund to be rolled out over the next 10 years, for companies to build environmentally friendly vehicles.
As new car sales slump, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said the nation needed a green motor industry that created highly paid and highly skilled jobs for the future.