EcoRadio

Author: Geoff Ebbs

  • Taking the axe to Queensland’s tree clearing laws not such a bright idea

    vegetation clearing

    The Newman government is proposing amendments to the Vegetation Management Framework that would reduce protection of our native vegetation and allow the clearing of an estimated 700,000 hectares of Queensland’s endangered and ecologically significant forests and woodlands.

    “The proposed Vegetation Management Framework Amendment Bill causes us to have serious concerns about the future of Queensland’s terrestrial biodiversity and the future health of the Great Barrier Reef. If passed, this Bill would represent the biggest wind-back of environmental protection laws in Queensland’s history” said Anna McGuire, Coordinator of the Cairns and Far North Environment Centre. (more…)

  • Reuters inadvertantly declare George Soros dead

    Reuters this morning accidentally declared George Soros dead.

    http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/18/soros-george-b-aug-idUSL2N0CR1TF20130418

    The incomplete news story read…

    (more…)

  • Ireland under ‘tornado warning’

    Sunday, April 14, 2013 – 02:02 PM

    A level one tornado warning has been issued for Ireland today by a European storm forecaster.

    The European Storm Forecast Experiment – also known as Estofex – says a level one warning is the lowest warning out of three, and says there’s just a 5% probability of a tornado hitting the country.

    The news comes after Met Eireann earlier issued a weather warning, with wind speeds expected to reach over 110 kilometres per hour in some parts of the country today.

    Met Eireann says western coastal counties will be worst affected, with a risk of spot flooding also forecast.

    From the Irish Examiner

  • Homo-sapiens – A fire species

    Professor Andrew Glikson argues that Climate Chaos as a result of burning may be the inevitable outcome of human evolution.

    Read this fascinating article that demands a significant response.

    Unique among all creatures the genus Homo is defined by its bipedalism, an increase in its cranial volume from Australopithecines to Hominines, and cultural features― including the use of tools. The later include stone, 0bone and wood tools of the Lower Palaeolithic (~2.6-0.3 million years ago [Ma]), the Oldowan industry (2.6-1.7 Ma) and the more sophisticated Acheulean industry (from ~1.7 Ma). However, whereas these and other attributes are shared by many species, it is the use of fire which distinguishes Homo from other members of the animal kingdom. Born on a flammable biosphere coated with a carbon-rich layer, the facility of Homo to ignite fire has become its blueprint, all the way from clans of nomad bipeds to civilizations capable of releasing energy and increase entropy in nature many orders of magnitude higher than human physical capacity.

     

  • Melbourne plans rail network 20 years out

    Public Transport Victoria’s chief executive officer, Ian Dobbs, released a plan for a metro-style rail network on Wednesday.

    In the plan, Mr Dobbs put the Melbourne Metro rail tunnel ahead of every other future rail project, including the long-awaited rail lines to Doncaster, Rowville and Melbourne Airport, saying the inner city’s stations will not cope with the extra trains without the tunnel.

  • Urgent meetings over water sediment threat

    Dirty water turbidity at Mt Crosby water treatment plant.Dirty water turbidity at Mt Crosby water treatment plant. Photo: Supplied

    Directors-general of three state government departments have been called in to urgent meetings to discuss the threat which silt in the Brisbane River poses to Brisbane’s water supply.

    (more…)