Category: Archive

Turnbull launches windfarm working group

admin /16 September, 2007

Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, Malcolm Turnbull today announced details of a working group to drive development of a national code for wind farms.

Mr Turnbull said that the national code will provide a consistent and transparent framework for community consultation about the siting and development of wind farms in Australia.

"Wind power certainly has a role in securing Australia’s energy future and reducing our greenhouse gas emissions," Mr Turnbull said.

"It is therefore important that attention be given to finding sites that address both the wind availability requirements of wind developers and the concerns of local communities. With the development of a wind code, we are seeking a sensible balance of the relevant economic, environmental and social factors."

Establishment of the working group follows a discussion paper and roundtable with key stakeholders on developing the Australian Government’s proposed national code for the location of wind farms.

Grain prices soar as crops fail

admin /15 September, 2007

South Australia had cut its forecast for total grain production this harvest by 21 per cent, helping push global wheat prices to a record, reported The Age (7/9/2007, p. B3). Wheat prices double: The state might produce 5.5 million tonnes of all grains this harvest, down from an estimate of 6.98 million tonnes last month, Continue Reading →

Bureau predicts ongoing drought

admin /15 September, 2007

Bureau of Meteorology nat­ional climate centre chief Michael Coughlan said hopes were fading fast for desperately needed rains, reported The Age (7/9/2007, p. 4). Food prices tipped to rise: "Is this drought over? Certainly not — we can’t predict when this drought will end," Dr Coughlan said. Murray Darling Basin Com­mission chief executive Wendy Craik Continue Reading →

Six nukes loaded in combat formation

admin /15 September, 2007

A B-52 bomber mistakenly loaded with six nuclear warheads flew from Minot Air Force Base, N.D., to Barksdale Air Force Base, La., on Aug. 30, resulting in an Air Force-wide investigation, according to three officers who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to discuss the incident.

The B-52 was loaded with Advanced Cruise Missiles, part of a Defense Department effort to decommission 400 of the ACMs. But the nuclear warheads should have been removed at Minot before being transported to Barksdale, the officers said. The missiles were mounted onto the pylons of the bomber’s wings.

How did this happen?

Advanced Cruise Missiles carry a W80-1 warhead with a yield of 5 to 150 kilotons and are specifically designed for delivery by B-52 strategic bombers.

Oil companies squabble over CO2 dumps

admin /15 September, 2007

Success in life extension work by Bass Strait operator Esso has prompted the ExxonMobil subsidiary to predict that the region still had more than 20 years left of oil production and more than 30 years of gas, reported The Sydney Morning Herald (30/7/2007, p.22). A $400 million seismic data and infill drilling program, involving wells Continue Reading →

Cholera follows flood in Africa

admin /15 September, 2007

Several of Africa’s poorest countries are in dire need of assistance due to severe floods that have killed more than 200 people and affected a million in recent weeks, officials warned.

The latest victims were reported in Rwanda, where officials from the northern region said floods killed 15 people and destroyed more than 500 homes since Wednesday.

In Sudan, the worst floods in living memory have left 64 people dead and displaced and affected several hundred thousand, mainly in the troubled south, according to the United Nations.

A cholera epidemic spread by floods has also killed at least 49 Sudanese in recent weeks, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).