Category: Archive

The Danube river has reached record-high levels in Serbia, Romania and parts of Bulgaria, submerging fertile farmland and threatening major flooding, reported The Australian (15 April 2006, p.13). … More  

"Poor management" accusation: The recommendations are in a report, Empty Oceans, Empty Nets, which says government catch statistics over the past 60 years show the state fishery is "on the edge of collapse" because of poor management.

Decline continues despite reduced commercial activity: The report, which tracks catches of 64 species between 1940 and 2000, says almost all species are in decline even though the commercial catch has halved in recent years.

How many constitutes "recreation"? The state’s one million recreational anglers can now take up to 200 fish a day across all species and up to 20 of some species. The council wants that limit cut to 20 across all species.

Marine parks govt priority: The State Government is already considering changes, including an overdue review of bag limits, but will not discuss specifies until it has finalised the last of six marine parks.

Not enough, says report: The report’s author, Paul Winn, from the Hunter Community Environment Centre, says marine parks do not go far enough: "They don’t cover the entire coastline. It falls well short of what is really needed to address fisheries management."

The Sydney Morning Herald, 14-16/4/2006, p. 3

Source: Erisk Net  

Army called in Serbia: The Serbian Government announced emergency measures on 14 April as thousands of army troops were helping to stack sandbags along the river, which burst its banks in several areas, flooding parts of Belgrade and northern regions in Serbia.

Snow melt and rain combine: Spring melting of snow, together with heavy rains, has led to floods throughout southeastern Europe in the past few weeks.

All Bulgarian river communities on alert: The Danube, the second-largest river in Europe after the Volga, reached a record high of 9.4m in the northwestern Bulgarian city of Vidin, prompting authorities to declare a state of emergency and prepare the city of 50,000 for a possible mass evacuation. Authorities declared a crisis in all 22 communities along the country’s 450km stretch of the river.

Romania makes ready: And in Romania, more than 3000 police, military and civilian workers monitored dams, with dozens of communities ready to evacuate in case of flooding.

Nuclear power plant monitored: In the Bulgarian town of Kozlodui, the Danube reached 8.5m and submerged the port. Workers at the nearby nuclear power plant were inspecting dikes, but the civil defence agency said the plant’s safety was not threatened.

The Australian, 15-16/4/2006, p. 13

Source: Erisk Net 

In Zimbabwe’s extremely hot climate, the building’s primary cooling method is natural ventilation. Engineers sought inspiration for the ventilation design from termite mounds

Termites require their home to remain at an exact temperature of 87F (30.5C) throughout a 24-hour daily temperature range of between 35F at night and 104F during the day (1.6C to 40C).

Cool, man: The solution was a passive-cooling structure with specially designed hooded windows, variable thickness walls and light coloured paints to reduce heat absorption.

Reference: ECOS 129, Feb-Mar 2006, p.28. website: http://www.publish.csiro.au/ecos

Erisk Net, 11/4/2006

Post-Kyoto posture yet to be established: The BCA’s stance on global warming has been unclear since 2002-03, when its members split on whether to endorse the Kyoto Protocol. But while there is now widespread agreement that the debate should move beyond Kyoto, the peak body is yet to formulate a position on whether it supports a carbon price signal, such as an emissions trading scheme.

Nationally consistent climate-change approach would aid BCA rethink: Unveiling a business climate change report that calls on Canberra to announce a price signal next year and introduce it nationally by 2013, Dr Morgan said it was time for a reassessment. BCA policy director Maria Tarrant said the council was closely watching work going on through the Council of Australian Governments to see what steps were being taken to improve the consistency of climate-change policies in Australia.

State govts consider going it alone on carbon price scheme: The option of a price emerged as the key debate in Australia’s global warming response, with the Labor state governments examining the feasibility of introducing their own carbon trading system after the Howard government rejected a federal scheme.

BCA playing cards close at this stage: But Ms Tarrant said the BCA was yet to form a position on a price signal. "We haven’t drilled down to that level of detail," she said.

High energy consumption industry not keen: A key source of opposition to carbon trading has come from the aluminium industry, a voracious user of electricity. Australian Aluminium Council chief executive Ron Knapp said the industry had a "not now" stance on a carbon price signal.

Let’s look at low emissions technology first: Echoing a position articulated by the coal industry and Environment Minister Ian Campbell, Mr Knapp said a price signal would be counterproductive if it were introduced before low emissions technology especially carbon capture and storage from coal-fired power stations – was ready to come to market.

The Australian Financial Review, 7/4/2006, p. 57

 Business Council of Australia weighs up mixed feelings on global warming; banker says yes to carbon trading, aluminium industry boss says no – surprise, surprise  … more