Leaders of 40 largest cities meet to tackle climate change
Leaders of 40 largest cities meet to tackle climate change
May 19, 2009
LEADERS of the world’s largest cities, which together produce more than two thirds of its climate-changing greenhouse gas emissions, opened a summit in Seoul today hoping to reverse the trend.
Executives from the 40 largest cities plus 17 affiliate municipalities are attending the C40 Large Cities Climate Summit in Seoul, the third such event since 2005.
Former US president Bill Clinton, whose Clinton Climate Initiative develops programs to help cities cut greenhouse gas emissions, called for commitments and concrete action at the meeting that ends on Thursday.
Sustainable farm research ‘ under threat’
Sustainable farm research ‘under threat’
Posted
Updated
Experts say this could see the sun set on sustainable farming. (LWA)
Sustainable farming research in Australia is facing a lack of strategic leadership, experts say.
Dr John Williams of the Wentworth Group of Scientists was commenting on the planned closure of Land and Water Australia (LWA) announced in last week’s Federal Budget.
Williams says he has been unable to find any reference in the budget to replace the leadership role played by LWA.
Labor the big loser in Green chaos theory
Piers Akerman
Monday, May 18, 2009 at 10:28pm
IF A Brazilian butterfly’s tiny wing beat can generate a tropical hurricane, the Greens weekend win in the West Australian state by-election for the seat of Fremantle should generate a cyclone in Canberra.
Fremantle was once a hard-core union-dominated seaport with an associated fishing fleet, a collection of infamous pubs, run-down brothels, a popular mission for seamen and the state’s principal jail.
Now it hosts more coffee shops per hectare than almost any other inner-urban city, stylish and expensive outdoor restaurants, arts and crafts shops, an excellent maritime museum and a population of academics, public servants, students and artists.
Held by Labor since 1924, it has gone Green. In a city where voting Labor was as much a habit as picking up fish and chips at Cicerello’s, fishing from the South Mole or swimming at Port Beach, it signals a major change in the new Freo.
Labor is blaming the Liberals – who didn’t run a candidate – for its loss. Labor’s argument is that, without a Liberal candidate to vote for, conservatives voted Green.
Investors in retreat after schemes fail
Investors in retreat after schemes fail
Katherine Jimenez | May 19, 2009
KEY stakeholders in the managed investment scheme industry have rushed to blame Great Southern’s business model for the collapse of the agribusiness investment group as fears of an investor backlash grew.
Great Southern, the nation’s biggest agribusiness managed investment scheme company, has followed rival Timbercorp into administration, raising serious questions about the future of the industry.
It went into voluntary administration at the weekend with debts of up to $700 million.
About 43,000 investors are nervously awaiting news about how much can be salvaged.
Economy and the environment:growing pains
Economy and the environment: growing pains
- guardian.co.uk, Sunday 17 May 2009 20.04 BST
- Article history
The next few days will bring yet more grim economic news. Figures are likely to show that Japan is in even deeper recession; that the UK’s public finances continue to deteriorate; more companies will go bust and more workers will lose their jobs. Against that backdrop, the question that follows may seem so obtuse and ill-timed that to raise it at all may appear bone-headed. Still, here goes: should we – governments, economists, businesses and voters – stop worrying so much about economic growth?
Acidic water could be the final straw
Acidic water could be the final straw
FIRST it was salt, now it is acid preventing farmers at Currency Creek and along the Finniss River from using Murray River water.
While it may have been a blessing at the time, heavy rains last month have mobilised acid in exposed soil beds in sections of South Australia’s Lower Lakes, sparking warnings to keep livestock away from the two tributaries and fears the flowing water could have an impact on the health of local landowners.
For dairy farmer Don Galpin, the increased acidification could not have come at a worse time.
Mr Galpin, who runs his family’s 100-year-old farm on the banks of Currency Creek, has spent the past three years battling drought, falling milk prices, a doubling of feed costs and being forced to buy water to ensure it is of a high enough quality to run his business.
Labor the big loser in Green chaos theory