Thursday, June 30, 2011
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Chinese mine giant snaps up 43 NSW farms story from The Australian
The information in this article is scary to me. This is not contributing to a sustainable future for Australia - nor really globally for the planet. If profit is to be gained from our resources that should not be at a cost paid by future Australians.
...data sourced from the Land Titles Office reveals the company has bought out 43 farmers in the past two years, in another case of a mining company encroaching on farmland. Gunnedah Mayor Adam Marshall said the mining proposal was dividing the community. "Feelings are mixed," Mr Marshall said yesterday.
"It's perfectly legal, and some of the people have been able to make some very, very good money out of their properties and are very, very pleased.
"The concern is more that the Foreign Investment Review Board allows overseas-owned companies -- and in this case an overseas state-owned company -- to buy Australian land, to mine Australian resources and take them out of our country."
Mr Marshall said mining companies had to seek owners' permission before exploratory drilling but Shenhua was free to drill on its own properties.
The Chinese coal giant's spending spree slips under the FIRB radar, as the Treasury unit only investigates investments totalling more than $230m.
Other multi-million-dollar purchases in the Liverpool Plains have included $12m for 518ha and another $12m for 418ha nearby, $12.5m for 947ha and $5.4m for 424ha of "general farmland"....
Read whole article Chinese mine giant snaps up 43 NSW farms The Australian
Friday, June 24, 2011
Our rivers, our lifeblood | Time to get it right with water - petition for Murray-Darling Basin
Speak up for the rivers by signing the petition to Craig Knowles, Chair of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority
“Our rivers are our lifeblood. We’ve taken far too much water out of the Murray-Darling for far too long. It’s time to get it right with water. I ask the Murray-Darling Basin Authority to listen to credible science and guarantee that the Basin Plan will return enough flows to restore our rivers to long-term health”.
Our rivers, our lifeblood Time to get it right with water
Bligh seeks to build on exemptions for coal-seam sector | The Australian
How irresponsible to expect to continue not to pay the real price for this industry. My belief is that money from big business will be used to compensate the low income householders.
Information from Bligh seeks to build on exemptions for coal-seam sector The Australian
Information from Bligh seeks to build on exemptions for coal-seam sector The Australian
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Power lines the silent killers
Power lines the silent killers: "Power lines are silent killers
Newest science about the danger of high voltage power lines
Power lines produce a invisible positive ion wind that enters houses and damages the human life process"
Newest science about the danger of high voltage power lines
Power lines produce a invisible positive ion wind that enters houses and damages the human life process"
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
Australia's beloved koalas under threat - world news source
There is no shortage of postcards featuring lovable koalas in Australia, but it is much more unusual to catch sight of the marsupials in the wild. The situation could deteriorate further, say scientists. The number of koalas – a symbol of Australia – is falling. A senate committee is due to report on whether they should be treated as an endangered species.
Studies suggest there are 50,000 to 100,000 koalas left. "In fact, it is hard to say with any certainty, the funds not being available to carry out extensive research," says Alistair Melzer, an ecologist at Central Queensland University. On the Gold Coast the population is thought to have fallen by 80% in 20 years.
Several factors are to blame, above all the loss of habitat due to urban development and farming. The koala needs large areas of eucalyptus forest for food and shelter. Only certain tree species suit its needs, growing on good-quality soil. "Unfortunately the best places for the koala are also best for humans, namely fertile land," Melzer explains. When their habitat shrinks and they are forced to live close to towns, koalas often get knocked over by cars or attacked by dogs.
Koalas also suffer from heatwaves and drought, which are likely to become more frequent with climate change. They do not like high temperatures and need the moisture of dense foliage.
"If the climate changes these animals don't migrate, so population groups won't move south, where it's cooler. They'll die," Melzer warns.
Koalas are also suffering from an endemic strain of the sexually transmitted disease chlamydia. "This comes on top of the other pressures already affecting the population," says Mathew Crowther, a biologist at Sydney University.
Although scientists agree on the risks, koalas are still not recognised as an endangered species by the federal government. Individual states have their own classifications. In New South Wales, for instance, koalas are listed as "rare and vulnerable", whereas in Queensland their status depends on the location.
Koala campaigners say a national classification is essential, particularly if it enables the koala's habitat to be protected from property development.
This story originally appeared in Le Monde.
Source: The Guardian Image 1 of 1gallery
Scientists are uncertain about the numbers of koalas. Photograph: John Giustina/Getty Images
John Giustina/Getty Images Retold in Ongo Australia's beloved koalas under threat
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Advising from Pavan Sukhdev's blog
Pavan Sukhdev is the founder and CEO of GIST Advisory -Green India States Trust -http://gistadvisory.com/, an environmental consulting firm focused on enabling governments and corporations to measure and manage their impacts on natural and human capital.
GIST Advisory’s approach
The impacts on natural and human capital are often large, usually in the realm of ‘public goods and services’, usually not measured or estimated in economic terms, and, rarely if ever, managed. They are so-called “economic externalities”, but in an increasingly carbon-constrained world with ecological scarcities (freshwater, soil nutrients, peak oil, etc) looming large, it is dangerously short-sighted to still think of these impacts as “externalities” and to ignore them. Similarly, some of the largest gains for governments and companies are in the form of human capital externalities – their impacts (often improvements) in the level of education, skills, health, and hence productivity of employees – and these are also considered “externalities”. Once again, it is poor rationale to neither measure these impacts in economic terms nor to manage them. GIST Advisory provides tailored solutions in this domain for governments and corporations.
Advising « Pavan Sukhdev
Friday, June 10, 2011
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
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