Category: Archive

Rupert Murdoch’s son James, chief executive, of BSkyB, the UK satellite broadcaster, claims his company is the world’s first “carbon neutral” corporation, according to Tony Walker in The Australian Financial Review (28/10/2006, p.22).

Clever James shows the way: This may or may not be the case, but News Corp insiders credit James – arguably the most liberal, possibly the smartest of Murdoch’s four adult children – with turning his father on to the risks of global warming.

Climate not anti-market: “He’s a person with a very open mind to ideas and it’s why he’s been able to stay ahead of the curve his entire working life,” says Andrew Butcher, the News Corp spokesman. A senior News executive who is close to Murdoch’s thinking on a range of issues had this explanation: “What’s informed Rupert’s response on all of this is that the issue of global warming has become a market issue, not an anti-market issue.”

To corporate mind, it makes sense: This means Murdoch can buy into the idea of corporate responsibility for doing something about the environment not because it is being imposed under some sort of arbitrary protocol, but because it makes sense from the standpoint of the individual corporation.

30pc odds are high enough: In a recent interview with The New Yorker, Murdoch addressed the global warming issue this way: “I’m still a bit more sceptical than most people. But if there is even a 30 per cent chance that the experts are right we should do everything we can to insure against a bad outcome.”

Commentators sniff the wind: Translate Murdoch’s “30 per cent chance” into a signal to his editors and you have an explanation for the sudden greening of John Howard-admiring, Kyoto-Protocol-opposing Australian commentators. They’ve suddenly discovered the environment in one of the worst droughts in the country’s history.

News on carbon-neutral trail: At a conference organised in Pebble Beach, California in the summer Rupert Murdoch urged News Corp executives to follow James’s lead on climate change issues. News Corp has established an in-house team to study ways in which to achieve carbon neutral status across the whole group.

The Australian Financial Review, 28/10/2006, p. 22

Source: Erisk Net  

The average surface temperature of earth has increased more than 1 degree Fahrenheit since 1900 and the rate of warming has been nearly three times the century-long average since 1970. Almost all experts studying the recent climate history of the earth agree now that human activities, mainly the release of heat-trapping gases from smokestacks, tailpipes, and burning forests, are probably the dominant force driving the trend. The gases add to the planet’s natural greenhouse effect, allowing sunlight in, but preventing some of the resulting heat from radiating back to space. Drawing on research on past climate shifts, observations of current conditions, and computer simulations, many climate experts say that without big curbs in greenhouse gas emissions, the 21st century could see temperatures rise 3 to 8 degrees, weather patterns sharply shift, ice sheets shrink and seas rise several feet.

THE NORTH POLE WAS HERE
PUZZLES AND PERILS AT THE TOP OF THE WORLD
By Andrew C. Revkin

New York Times reporter, Andrew Revkin leads readers through the mysterious history of arctic exploration. He follows oceanographers, peers into the mysteries of climate modeling and global warming, and ultimately shows how the fate of the pole will affect us all.

Ages 10 and up
A New York Times Book / KINGFISHER
128 pages, hardcover.
Publication: April 2006
ISBN : 0-7534-5993-0
Price : USD$15.95

For more information to purchase, click here  

Driving bottles across the border into South Australia for recycling is about to get more lucrative – if you can avoid getting caught, reports The Australian Financial Review (27/10/2006, p.3).

Deposit to rise to 20c: The state government is proposing to lift the 5c recycling deposit to as much as 20c a bottle.

$4000 fine for bringing from interstate: But it wants to impose a $4000 fine for recyclers who bring bottles from interstate to claim refunds.

Interstate importation causing concern: The manager of industry sustainability at the SA Environment Protection Authority, Tom Whitworth, said the practice of bringing empty containers into SA for refunds was causing concern for the 118 collection depots and manufacturers.

Large quantities being brought in: The SA government has admitted that "large quantities" of empty containers were being brought from other states to claim the 5c refund.

Hope that fines and declarations will stop the practice: They hope to thwart the practice through the fines and by giving recycling depots powers to seek declarations that containers brought in for refunds were bought in SA.

The Australian Financial Review, 27/10/2006, p.3

Source: Erisk Net  

Water and water carrier equipment have been stolen in southern NSW, as the worsening drought drives people to despair. Water carters have been flooded with work, with delivery backlogs of up to a week and new customers turned away, reported The Canberra Times (25/10/2006, p.4).

Tanks, dams not safe: Goulburn police had received half a dozen reports of 27,000-litre water tanks being siphoned off by thieves. Water theft had also been reported in Yass, Bungendore and Tarago. At a property in Bungendore, a farmer told police his dam level had dropped by 30cm and there were vehicle tyre marks nearby.

Carters’ equipment targeted: Sutton water carter James Bingley recently had his standpipe – a device used in water collection, stolen out of the back of his truck. A replacement cost him $1300. Mr Bingley said the drought was placing strain on the region’s water carrier and he was running four days behind.

Carters at fever pitch: One of the region’s biggest water suppliers, AAA All Areas Water Carrying, has three water carriers working from dawn to dusk and some through the night. One day last week, the company fielded 52 phone calls in the space of three and a half hours.

The Canberra Times, 25/10/2006, p.4

Source: Erisk Net  

This is the electric car that can accelerate from zero to 60 mph in 4.0 seconds to a top speed of 120 mph in one gear with no shifting thanks to its two electric motors – smaller versions of the same kind found in diesel-electric locomotives – that combine to produce over 1,000 lbf ft. of torque.

No wider than most motorcycles at 39", it can fit in a 6′ half-lane with more clearance than a semi-truck in a full 12′ freeway lane, enabling you to negotiate traffic congestion where lane splitting is permitted. Its small size eliminates the need for parallel parking as it can park perpendicular to a curb without the need for a full space.

The driver and passenger sit in tandem front and back seats that use four-point pilot seat belts with iner tia reels, similar to harnesses found in race cars, yet are easy to use. The cars chassis is made of stainless steel, and the chrome moly roll cage meets Sports Car Club of America racing standards for safety. The body panels are made of carbon fiber, Kevlar, and fiberglass, and its side impact bars offer four times the protection found in typical SUVs.

The cars unique stability is derived from its low center of gravity, created by 1,100 lbs. of batteries under the floor, giving it a rollover threshold equivalent to a 5-star National Highway Traffic Safety Administration rating found in the lowest-slung sports cars. It has front and rear disc brakes and coil-over shock absorbers. The car generates no emissions and operates from a set of lead-acid batteries that can recharge using any service up to 50 amps, providing enough power for a range of 40-80 miles, up to four times the average commute in the U.S.8 1/2 L x 39 W x 60 H. (3,000 lbs.)

It is available in a variety of colors and cost USD $108,000.00.

In-touch PM awkwardly left out of the loop: Prime Minister John Howard is renowned for his keeping his political antennae finely tuned to shifts in public sentiment, but on this front he has been caught flat-footed as he continues to resist action to counter the problem.

Coalition backbench speaks up: And it has been realised by the Coalition backbench, which was last week forced into some backroom manoeuvring to defer a Greens bid to establish a formal government inquiry into the potential impacts of climate change on agriculture.

Next budget big on agriculture, environment: There are growing indications already that both the environment and agriculture will feature heavily in next year’s budget.

Will Costello mention climate change? But whether Treasurer Peter Costello takes the next step and mentions climate change for the first time in what will be his 12th budget will be telling for the Government’s election chances.

Queensland Country Life, 26/10/2006, p.20