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Author: Neville

  • India monsoon floods kill at least 64 people, leave thousands stranded

    India monsoon floods kill at least 64 people, leave thousands stranded

    Updated 9 hours 58 minutes ago

    At least 64 people are dead and tens of thousands have been left stranded after early monsoon rains caused flooding and landslides in India.

    The rains are at least twice as heavy as usual in north-west and central India, with the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand the worst hit.

    The Indian Air Force has scrambled a dozen helicopters to reinforce a military-backed rescue mission in Uttarakhand, often referred to as the “Land of the Gods” because of its many Hindu religious sites.

    Local government officials in the state capital Dehradun say they are overwhelmed by the scale of the disaster.

    “So far, we have found 54 bodies and 17 others are still missing,” top disaster management official Piush Rautela told AFP.

    “The situation is really very bad out there. More than 600 buildings have toppled or been swept away and there are 75,000 people including pilgrims stranded at various places.”

    Among the dead in Uttarakhand state are four members of the same family, who died when their home was hit by a landslide as they slept.

    The rains have washed away bridges, roads, houses and multi-storey buildings in the state.

    Rising water levels in some towns have also swept away cars, earthmoving equipment and even a parked helicopter.

    A giant statue of Lord Shiva was submerged up to its head in the tourist hub of Rishikesh.

    Roads in many areas have been destroyed, leaving hundreds of pilgrims stranded on their way to visit shrines in remote areas.

     

    Authorities have cancelled pilgrimage trips, fearing further rains and landslides in the state.

    “Right now our priority is to save as many lives as possible and the scale of destruction will be assessed later,” Mr Rautela said.

    Missions underway to help thousands of stranded people

    Air Force helicopters have air-dropped commandos to help rescue some of the 50,000 people who are stranded.

    The Uttarakhand district has also set up 32 camps to provide food and water, while the state government is readying food parcels and drinking water to be dropped by helicopters to remote villages.

    In neighbouring Himachal Pradesh state, the death toll from rain-related accidents stands at 10.

    Around 1,500 people, including 150 foreign tourists, are stranded in the state.

    In the eastern state of Orissa, flash floods have destroyed at least 600 homes.

    The monsoon, which India’s farming sector depends on, covers the subcontinent from June to September, usually bringing some flooding.

    But the heavy rains arrived early this year, catching many by surprise.

    The country has received 68 per cent more rain than normal for this time of year, data from the India Meteorological Department shows.

    The weather is expected to ease next week.

    ABC/AFP

  • UNESCO postpones decision about adding Great Barrier Reef to ‘in danger’ list

    UNESCO postpones decision about adding Great Barrier Reef to ‘in danger’ list

    By environment reporter Sarah Clarke and Stephanie Smail

    Updated Tue Jun 18, 2013 9:01pm AEST

    UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee has deferred a decision to place the Great Barrier Reef on its “World Heritage in Danger” list.

    The World Heritage Committee, currently meeting for its annual session in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh, has been tasked with determining if the Great Barrier Reef is in trouble.

    UNESCO raised concerns about the level of development along the Queensland coast and its impact on the World Heritage site, including water quality and the loss of coral.

    The committee was considering whether to adopt UNESCOs recommendations to stop new approvals for port developments along the Queensland coast.

    Kimberley Dripps from the federal Environment Department told the hearing that progress was being made to address their concerns and stated that Australia was committed to protecting the site.

    The Queensland Government has representatives in Phnom Penh as well.

    Premier Campbell Newman denies his Government is doing little to protect the World Heritage site.

    “Au contraire – that’s exactly what we are doing,” he said.

    “The former government believed in people just being able to draw a line on a map and saying we’re going to set up a new port somewhere on the Queensland coast. We’ve made it very, very clear that we’ve stopped that.

    “We also have wound back the crazy plans at Abbott Point up north of Bowen, and we will be making that case.”

    The committee agreed to adopt a draft decision to defer the matter until the next UNESCO meeting in 2014.

    The dredging involved with port development and increased shipping through the reef have sparked widespread concern among conservationists.

    Louise Mathieson from Greenpeace says the decision gives the state and federal governments a chance to wind back port developments and improve the quality of the reef.

    “We want to see both sides of politics acting to stop the industrial port developments along the Great Barrier Reef coast,” she said.

     

    “By giving Australia another year to act, the world community is really giving the next prime minister another chance to do better than what this Government has done.”

    Felicity Wishart from the Australian Marine Conservation Society is calling on the State Government to make its conservation plans for the reef public.

    “The Government did commit to what’s called a strategic assessment, which is sort of like a grand plan for looking at managing the reef and all the different impacts,” she said.

    “The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority has done a lot of work that we’re aware of with good consultation with the community for their part of that plan, which is the marine component.

    “The Queensland Government is responsible for the coastal side of that plan, and we’ve seen less information and less consultation on that.

    “The whole report was due out in March – it’s still not out, we don’t know where it’s at. So the first thing we need to see is that put on the table.”

    Meanwhile, the UNESCO committee has decided to remove Iran’s ancient Bam citadel from the danger list.

    The citadel was almost completely destroyed by a major earthquake in 2003.

    The “remains of the desert citadel, which reached its apogee from the 7th to 11th centuries, had been sufficiently stabilised and its management was sound enough for the site to be declared safe,” UNESCO said in a statement.

    Topics: conservation, great-barrier-reef, oceans-and-reefs, environment, townsville-4810, mackay-4740, cairns-4870, qld, cambodia

    First posted Tue Jun 18, 2013 4:01pm AEST

  • Go Fossil Free Australia: Time for Action!

    Go Fossil Free Australia: Time for Action!

    Inbox
    		 x
    Charlie Wood – 350.org Australia <charlie@350.org>
    8:01 AM (1 hour ago)
    to me

    Dear Friend,

    The tour is over and the campaign begins! With almost 30 volunteer coordinators across the country swinging into action, Go Fossil Free Australia is heating up. In case you missed it in all the excitement of Bill’s talk, here are four simple ways you can get involved in building a fossil free Australia today:

    Action 1: Take your money out of fossil fuels

    Superannuation – Ask your super fund where they’re investing your money, ask them to stop funding fossil fuel projects and consider shifting to a better fund if they are not willing to stop this destructive funding. Click here to contact your fund today and click here to find out how well your fund performs and/or locate a better fund.

    Banks – Commit to moving your money if the Big 4 won’t stop funding fossil fuel expansion – click here. We are currently working with Market Forces to develop a comprehensive list of alternative banks who do not invest in fossil fuel projects but in the meantime, you might like to consider Bank MECU, Bendigo Bank or Community CPS Australia.

    Action 2: Start or join a local campaign

    Head to our campaign map to locate divestment campaigns in your area or start your own. To contact your local 350 divestment coordinators:

    Action 3: Join the Climate Action Frontline

    Send a powerful message to Government and industry that climate wreckage is unacceptable by committing your attendance at major events opposing fossil fuel expansion in Australia. Once you’ve signed up, we’ll send you regular event updates.

    Action 4: Make a Donation

    Pressed for time? Why not consider a small or big donation to the campaign? Every dollar goes straight into building a fossil free Australia – for resources, campaign materials, training organizers and running events. You can donate in one of 2 easy ways:

    1. Direct debit: Click here

    2. Crowd-funding: Chip in at: startsomegood.com/350ppm

    Your support and action will enable us to scale up at the urgency that is required to move Australia beyond fossil fuels. Onward we go!

     

    Charlie, Blair, Aaron and the whole 350 Australia team

    P.S. — If you haven’t already seen it, check out the Climate Commission’s latest report The Critical Decade 2013: Climate change science, risks and response, which concurs with Bill’s message that most of our carbon reserves must stay in the ground to have any hope of securing a safe climate future.

    350.org is building a global movement to solve the climate crisis. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter, and sign up for email alerts. You can help power our work by getting involved locally, sharing your story, and donating here.To stop receiving emails from 350.org, click here.

  • 14,000 sq.km. land at risk with rising sea level: Report

    14,000 sq.km. land at risk with rising sea level: Report

    PTI

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    Kolkata, June 18:

    The Indian sub-continent may lose close to 14,000 sq.km. of land with the rise of a one metre of sea level due to climate change.

    “Total area loss due to marine intrusion into coastal areas of the Indian sub-continent is estimated at approximately 13,973 sq.km. and 60,497 sq. km. of land area under 1m (metre) and 6m sea-level rise scenarios, respectively,” says a report published in the latest issue of Journal of Threatened Taxa.

    Prepared by a group of ecologists led by Dr M Zafar-ul Islam, the study presents an overview of the potential consequences of 1m and 6m sea-level rise for coastal conservation areas on the Indian sub-continent.

    Sea level is rising due to thermal expansion of the ocean, mountain glacier melting, and discharge from ice sheets as a result of global warming.

    Several coastal eco-regions and conservation areas are predicted to lose over half of their land areas to marine intrusion, particularly under the 6m sea level rise scenario.

    The report warns that marine intrusion might affect 18 of the 48 eco-regions in India.

    “Under the 1m sea level rise scenario, estimates of eco-region inundation range from 19 per cent to 59 per cent. While under the 6m sea-level rise scenario, estimates of eco-region inundation range from 27-58 per cent,” it says.

    Under the 1m sea level rise scenario, the Godavari-Krishna mangrove eco-region is predicted to lose more than a quarter of its area, while the UNESCO World Heritage site of Sundarbans in West Bengal is predicted to lose more than half of its area.

    While under the 6m sea level rise scenario, three eco-regions (Sundarbans freshwater swamp forests, Andaman Islands rain forests and Maldives Lakshadweep-Chagos Archipelago tropical moist forest) are predicted to lose more than a quarter of their land areas.

    Three more (Sundarbans mangroves, Godavari-Krishna mangroves, and Rann of Kutch seasonal salt marsh) are predicted to lose more than half of their land area.

    Seven protected areas — Bhitarkanika, Chilka Lake, Point Calimere, Interview Island, Lothian Island, Sajnakhali and Pulicat Lake — are expected to experience more than 50 per cent inundation under 1m sea level rise, and an additional four protected areas — Kachchh Desert, Velavadar, Pulicat, and Nal Sarovar — join this list under 6m sea level rise.

    Out of the 22 coastal conservation areas, nine will be spared from the effects of marine intrusion under 1m sea-level rise, but only one will be spared under a 6m sea-level rise scenario, says the report.

    Hundreds of species of flora and fauna, including globally threatened species, depend upon low-lying coastal eco-systems for their survival.

    Several important biodiversity areas, including in particular protected and non-protected IBAs (Important Bird Areas) in the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea, have already been stressed by numerous anthropogenic impacts as well as by invasive species.

    (This article was published on June 18, 2013)

  • Queensland property values at risk as sea levels rise due to climate change, CSIRO and University of Queensland say by: Peter Hall

    Queensland property values at risk as sea levels rise due to climate change, CSIRO and University of Queensland say

    severe weather system

    WEATHER WARNING: Severe storms of increasing frequency will combine with floods to drive property prices lower. Photo: AP Photo Source: News Limited

    RISING sea levels and intense storms will cut thousands of dollars from the value of low-lying homes in southeast Queensland, including Brisbane, according to an Australia-first climate change study.

    The Federal Government-funded analysis by scientists from the CSIRO and University of Queensland reveals homeowners and communities collectively could save billions of dollars by acting now to fortify properties and infrastructure.

    It factors in sea-level rises of up to 20cm by 2030 and 50cm by 2070.

    The study shows some buildings just above the 1-in-100-year flood level are expected to be affected in coming decades, resulting in a minimum 4 per cent price drop.

    It advocates “proactive adaptation measures’’, such as raising homes, modifying drainage and banning new development in at-risk areas.

    In extreme cases, a retreat to higher ground may be the best option.

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    Experts concede convincing people to follow the recommendations will be a great challenge.

    The study, Housing Shadow Prices in an Inundation-prone Suburb, looks at 4000 sales in an unnamed inner-Brisbane suburb.

    The location is described as close to the river but not riverfront and within 5km of the CBD. It contains properties worth up to $5 million.

    The research modelled buyers’ willingness to pay for land and homes in the flood-prone area and showed “significant property-price discounting of 5.5 per cent per metre below the defined flood level’’.

    Experts say the snapshot could be applied to 61,500 southeast Queensland properties soon expected to be under threat from a 2.5m storm tide.

    Project leader Dr Ryan McAllister told The Courier-Mail the main message was it made economic sense to adapt sooner rather than later.

    Dr McAllister said previous international studies found property prices in flood areas dropped by 10 per cent to 20 per cent in the short term.

    Prices usually bounced back as memories faded but his team’s detailed hedonic modelling had defined additional longer-term price impacts.

    “For a house that is already in the flood zone, then 50cm of sea level rise will result in an additional 2.75 per cent of price discounting. How much discounting occurred before sea level rise (SLR) depends on its place in the flood zone,’’ Dr McAllister said.

    “For a house that is just above the 1-in-100-year flood level, then 50cm of SLR will result in 4.05 per cent discounting,’’ he said.

    Dr McAllister said that while the impacts of climate change would not be catastrophic, there were going to be “some winners and losers’’.

    “The study recognises the challenge of convincing residents within exposed areas to participate in adaptation, which would require buy-in from the community,’’ he said.

    “Given that in Australia people’s wealth is largely tied up in the family home, we present a strong case to consider the effect of current and future climate risks on net wealth.’’

    HOUSE PRICES AND FLOOD RISK

    What the study says:

    – For flood-prone urban areas, the prospect of increasing population densities and more frequent extreme weather associated with climate change is alarming

    – Proactive adaptation can reduce potential flood risks but convincing residents in exposed areas to participate is challenging

    – The results of this study (4000 sales in a flood-prone inner-city Brisbane suburb) show significant property price discounting of 5.5 per cent per metre below the defined flood level

    – The suburb is close to the river but not at the riverfront, avoiding problems of disentangling river views from the adverse effects of flooding. Future sea-level rises are expected to proportionately affect local flood risks.

    INFORMATION: Housing Shadow Prices in an Inundation-prone Suburb (CSIRO, University of Queensland)

    BY THE NUMBERS

    – 20cm is the projection of sea level rise by 2030 and 50cm by 2070

    – 227,000 people in southeast Queensland are at risk of inundation from a 1-in-100-year storm tide

    – 273,000 will be exposed by 2070

    – 35,200 residential buildings in the southeast are at risk from a 2.5m storm tide

    – 61,500 properties will be affected by 2030, given current growth levels

    – 3.8 million Queenslanders – 85 per cent of the state’s population – live near the coastline

  • Ocean acidification reduces growth and calcification in a marine dinoflagellate

    Ocean acidification reduces growth and calcification in a marine dinoflagellate

    Published 18 June 2013 Science Leave a Comment
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    Ocean acidification is considered a major threat to marine ecosystems and may particularly affect calcifying organisms such as corals, foraminifera and coccolithophores. Here we investigate the impact of elevated pCO2 and lowered pH on growth and calcification in the common calcareous dinoflagellate Thoracosphaera heimii. We observe a substantial reduction in growth rate, calcification and cyst stability of T. heimii under elevated pCO2. Furthermore, transcriptomic analyses reveal CO2 sensitive regulation of many genes, particularly those being associated to inorganic carbon acquisition and calcification. Stable carbon isotope fractionation for organic carbon production increased with increasing pCO2 whereas it decreased for calcification, which suggests interdependence between both processes. We also found a strong effect of pCO2 on the stable oxygen isotopic composition of calcite, in line with earlier observations concerning another T. heimii strain. The observed changes in stable oxygen and carbon isotope composition of T. heimii cysts may provide an ideal tool for reconstructing past seawater carbonate chemistry, and ultimately past pCO2. Although the function of calcification in T. heimii remains unresolved, this trait likely plays an important role in the ecological and evolutionary success of this species. Acting on calcification as well as growth, ocean acidification may therefore impose a great threat for T. heimii.

     

    Van de Waal D. B., John U., Ziveri P., Reichart G.-J., Hoins M., Sluijs A. & Rost B., 2013. Ocean acidification reduces growth and calcification in a marine dinoflagellate. PLoS ONE 8(6): e65987. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0065987. Article.