Nourishing the environmental debate

Monthly Archives: August 2011

Big Coal vs. The People

August 25, 2011 – 1:55 pm

The eyes of even the most hardened court observers glazed over as the seemingly endless mess of legal procedures dragged on. It wasn’t just unremarkable, it was outright dull – obscuring the profound struggle set to unfold. Monday  was day one of a court case in the Brisbane Magistrates Court in which a group of [...]

By John Hepburn | Posted in climate change, coal, Farmers Say, Global Warming | Comments (1)

The Coral Sea: the ‘biodiversity hotspot’ no one knows about

August 25, 2011 – 12:58 pm

It may not be as famous as its neighbour the Great Barrier Reef, but the Coral Sea is a global “biodiversity hotspot” for ocean predators, according to the first comprehensive study of the region. It may be a little known region, but that could soon change. The Coral Sea is packed full of large predatory sharks, [...]

By Amber Jamieson | Posted in Biodiversity, Marine issues | Tagged | Comments (0)

Tales from the Convoy: less ‘no confidence’, more ‘conversation’ required

August 23, 2011 – 11:08 am

Sophie Trevitt writes: At 7am yesterday morning I arrived in Canberra to be greeted by a noisy chorus of truck drivers — honking their horns at at pedestrians, at my greyhound bus, at smaller vehicles, but mostly at each other. Long convoys of trucks clearly enjoying their police escorts and road dominance. There definitely weren’t [...]

By Crikey | Posted in Carbon Price, climate change | Tagged , | Comments (5)

Abbott’s European holiday might make him hot and bothered

August 4, 2011 – 5:20 pm

But one wonders why Tony Abbott choses to visit a region that has had a price on carbon since 2005 and now has the largest multi-national emissions trading scheme in the world, since according to the arguments he’s making, Europe should just about be in the Stone Age by now.

By Crikey | Posted in climate change | Tagged , , | Comments (29)

Award winning awards. Or is it just greenwash?

August 4, 2011 – 5:13 pm

We’re approaching corporate AGM season. It’s an inspiring time of year. As the birds begin nesting and the spring flowers bloom, countless annual reports with pictures of smiling children and windmills will be printed on glossy recycled paper, reminding us all of the ability of companies to pretend that they care about something other than [...]

By John Hepburn | Posted in The business of being green, Uncategorized | Comments (8)

Climate denial, science and Genetic Engineering

August 2, 2011 – 9:44 am

Greenpeace have been strongly criticised in recent weeks over the destruction of a trial crop of genetically engineered wheat. Some critics have labelled the organisation ‘anti-science’ and claim that opposition to GM crops somehow contradicts the support of climate science. Firstly, it is useful to revisit what ‘science’ actually is, and what it isn’t. Science [...]

By John Hepburn | Posted in Global Warming | Comments (66)

What about the ethics of climate change reporting?

August 1, 2011 – 5:03 pm

The details of the government’s proposed carbon tax and the News of the World scandal unfolded simultaneously on two side of the globe in recent weeks. How does one affect the other?

By Crikey | Posted in climate change | Tagged , , , , | Comments (16)