December, 2010

As we begin a new year — on a day that is hot and windy 40 degrees in Melbourne, I might add — these continuous questions about climate science and the issues surrounding climate change seem even more poignant. Another year, another international climate change conference, another year with little climate change policy being advocated [...]

Crikey intern Grace Ryan writes: Choosing which type of Christmas tree is environmentally friendly is not an easy task. On one hand there is the fake tree which is made up of PVC and steel and on the other there is the pine Christmas tree which grows for 12 years, dies in your home whilst [...]

Professor Chris Miller, School of Social and Policy Studies, Flinders University, writes: After a hectic and at times dramatic spring the festive season brings with it a period of reflection on the future of water reform in the Murray Darling Basin. The door is now closed for submissions to both the MDB Authority for consideration [...]

So what happens if we finally get all the climate policies into action, cut down carbon emissions, sign a global agreement etc and then Mother Nature throws us severe droughts, floods and other major natural disasters anyway? Why work hard to fight man-made climate change if natural climate change is going to continue regardless? It’s [...]

It’s rough waters for the Murray-Darling Basin Plan right now, with news that the federal and state water ministers have pushed the Plan back to early 2012. The meeting of the Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council — federal Water Minister Tony Burke met with the Victorian, NSW, ACT and SA water ministers in Albury on Friday, [...]

Forester and activist Ken Rubeli writes: Sure, those in Cancun, Mexico have been talking climate change over tables, how does it feel to have locked yourself to a railway line in the Hunter Valley to protest against new coal-fired power stations in NSW and ever-growing coal exports gouging the landscape? Front-line activists might be categorized [...]

Dan Cass writes: Another excellent report has been released by the Grattan Institute. Although its focus is on pollution markets, it indirectly provides us with a clear economic justification to be bullish about the prospects of renewable electricity baseload, on the back of higher than predicted energy efficiency gains. The report, Markets to Reduce Pollution: [...]

I just witnessed a sign of great hope at the climate talks in Cancun. Today new drafts of the new climate agreement were released. Initial responses have been mostly positive and it appears that there has been significant compromise from many countries. This text forms the framework for a new climate treaty and makes a [...]