Woolworths has been shown to be a first order environmental wool-puller. It claimed its home-brand toilet paper was from forests certified as being environmentally, socially and economically responsible. But they had to admit the pulp, which comes from a notorious Indonesian pulp and paper company, had not been okayed by any certifying group. A report …
The European Union’s target of ensuring 10% of petrol and diesel comes from renewable sources by 2020 is not an effective way to curb carbon emissions. Australia must also avoid this path as a ‘solution’ to our increasing CO2 . A team of UK-based scientists suggested that reforestation and habitat protection was a better option. …
The current carbon market actually encourages cutting down some of the world’s biggest forests, which would unleash millions of tonnes of climate-warming carbon into the atmosphere, according to a new study reported in the August Public Library of Science Biology. Under the Kyoto Protocol, there isn’t a profitable reason for the countries with 20% of …
When the Snowy Hydro Scheme was completed in 1967, it captured 99% of the Snowy River headwaters.The Expert Panel Environmental Flow Assessment of the Snowy River Below Jindabyne 1996, recommended 28% annual natural flow as the minimum environmental flow required for the Snowy below Jindabyne Dam. Steve Bracks won government in Victoria in 1999 with …
When John Thwaites tossed in the towel as Minister for Water, Environment, Climate Change and Plastic Bags (27th July), Gavin Jennings got his desk. But water will now be the responsibility of Tim Holding as Minister for Water. Jennings is a key player in the left faction. This could be good or bad, depending. He …
The Victorian Renewables Bill allows the clearfelling of native forests to burn for ‘renewable’ energy. A Greens amendment to prevent this was defeated on the 9th of August when Labor, Liberal and National MPs voted to allow native forests to be thrown into furnaces. Greens MLC, Greg Barber, said that in the run-up to the …
The scientific principle behind biomass is the carbon cycle. When they grow, plants absorb carbon dioxide – one carbon and two oxygen atoms (CO2 ). The carbon (C) builds tissues and feeds the plant while the oxygen (O2 ) is released. When plant material is logged and burned, or rots, the carbon recombines with oxygen. …
Way back, long before 1750, the planet supported eight billion hectares of forest. These were vast, healthy carbon soaks and storehouses, rain makers, weather moderators and, of course, mega-rich biological systems. Since that time, humans have destroyed 6.3 billion hectares, leaving only 1.3 billion hectares of forest. Naturally (or unnaturally), this has vastly reduced the …
After three years as the new semi-corporate arm of the government logging agency, VicForests was going down the economic gurgler. For the first two years after its creation, VicForests was given an easy run with DSE picking up the tab for many costs, but year three was to see it ‘off the dole’ and making …
The Victorian Government classifies logging the bejeezuz out of killed or semi-scorched ash forests recovering from fire as ‘bushfire recovery’. As part of its ‘Bushfire Recovery Package’, it has handed over $34 million of our taxes to help the logging and woodchipping industries fast track so-called ‘salvage’ logging of ash at ten times sustainable rates.
