Forests are the largest land based carbon capture and storage devices the planet has, yet are being destroyed globally at an alarming rate. Forests are a major climate moderation solution. All logging of native forests should cease and forest restoration must be a high priority to begin drawing down the hundreds of hears of carbon which is lost when a forest is clearfelled and burnt.
Forests are the largest land based carbon capture and storage devices the planet has, yet are being destroyed globally at an alarming rate. Forests are a major climate moderation solution. All logging of native forests should cease and forest restoration must be a high priority to begin drawing down the hundreds of hears of carbon which is lost when a forest is clearfelled and burnt.
New research has found that meeting targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions may rely less on renewable energy than on the forests. As reported in the last Potoroo, forests seem to be the key to meeting Kyoto and post-Kyoto goals for reducing CO2 emissions. The findings, published in the British journal Energy Policy, could lead …
Between 1990 and 2004, emissions from the Australian energy sector grew by 38%. Other developed nations that are parties to Kyoto had a rise of only 5%. Emissions across all sectors will have risen 16% between the time John Howard first took over in 1996 and 2010 (the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol). …
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 …
As a cheap and easy option to reduce their contribution to global warming, many companies and governments have been looking at ‘carbon offsets’. But offsets in the form of planting new trees only helps cancel out emissions from forest destruction and fossil fuel burning that’s already occurred – carbon that’s already in the air. They …
The logging industry is currently in overdrive trying to make logging look like a positive effort in the fight against global warming. Forests are one of our greatest carbon stores. They have taken hundreds of years to amass the 700 -1,200 plus tonnes of carbon per hectare. Cutting them down only secures about 3 to …
Offsets equals guilt free pollution As a cheap and easy option to reduce their contribution to global warming, many companies and governments have been looking at ‘carbon offsets’. But offsets in the form of planting new trees only helps cancel out emissions from forest destruction and fossil fuel burning that’s already occurred – carbon that’s …
Australia will need to create a wildlife corridor spanning the continent to allow animals and plants to move to cope with the effects of global warming. The impacts of climate change should be less severe in systems that remain intact and healthy. The 2,800-kilometre climate ‘spine’ has been approved in principle by state and national …
Australia will need to create a wildlife corridor spanning the continent to allow animals and plants to move to cope with the effects of global warming. The impacts of climate change should be less severe in systems that remain intact and healthy. The 2,800-kilometre climate ‘spine’ has been approved in principle by state and national …
We have to be very careful of applauding carbon-trading schemes as the solution to reducing emissions. The NSW government’s greenhouse gas emissions trading scheme is so flawed some participants are rewarded for ‘cutting pollution’ when their emissions have in fact increased. Researchers at the University of NSW showed two Queensland coal-fired power stations earned millions …
The Prime Minister’s stacked Emissions Trading Task Group is comprised of airline, coal, banking, aluminium and mining interests, as well as hand-picked bureaucrats. What’s missing is any objectivity – there was not a single scientist, enviro rep. or independent person. The terms of reference required the group to protect the coal and uranium industries at …
