Comments for CarbonSimplicity

Comment on 75 million to flee climate change: report by J. Doherty

J. Doherty — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:24:34 +0000

While the Earth has always endured natural climate change variability, we are now facing the possibility of irreversible climate change in the near future. The increase of greenhouse gases in the Earth?s atmosphere from industrial processes has enhanced the natural greenhouse effect. This in turn has accentuated the greenhouse ?trap? effect, causing greenhouse gases to form a blanket around the Earth, inhibiting the sun?s heat from leaving the outer atmosphere. This increase of greenhouse gases is causing an additional warming of the Earth?s surface and atmosphere. A direct consequence of this is sea-level rise expansion, which is primarily due to the thermal expansion of oceans (water expands when heated), inducing the melting of ice sheets as global surface temperature increases. Forecasts for climate change by the 2,000 scientists on the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) project a rise in the global average surface temperature by 1.4 to 5.8°C from 1990 to 2100. This will result in a global mean sea level rise by an average of 5 mm per year over the next 100 years. Consequently, human-induced climate change will have ?deleterious effects? on ecosystems, socio-economic systems and human welfare. At the moment, especially high risks associated with the rise of the oceans are having a particular impact on the two archipelagic states of Western Polynesia: Tuvalu and Kiribati. According to UN forecasts, they may be completely inundated by the rising waters of the Pacific by 2050. According to the vast majority of scientific investigations, warming waters and the melting of polar and high-elevation ice worldwide will steadily raise sea levels. This will likely drive people off islands first by spoiling the fresh groundwater, which will kill most land plants and leave no potable water for humans and their livestock. Low-lying island states like Kiribati, Tuvalu, the Marshall Islands and the Maldives are the most prominent nations threatened in this way. “The biggest challenge is to preserve their nationality without a territory,” said Bogumil Terminski from Geneva. Rosemary Rayfuse from the University of New South Wales argued that “a solution to the ‘disappearing state’ dilemma is suggested through adoption of a positive rule freezing baselines and through recognition of the category of ‘deterritorialised state’. It is concluded that the articulation of new rules of international law may be needed to provide stability, certainty and a future to disappearing states”.

Comment on Scottish parliament agrees tougher 42% target to cut emissions by Irene - Spain

Irene - Spain — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 10:25:32 +0000

In 2009, the Scottish Parlament unanimously voted for the world’s most ambitious climate change legislation. This included a target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 42% by 2020 (from 1990 levels).
This short film shows how the Stop Climate Chaos Scotland coalition helped influence the legislation. We hope it will encourage other countries to match or exceed Scotland’s ambition.

Comment on Meet Belcha – Europe’s biggest carbon polluter by Stack1378

Stack1378 — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 19:54:50 +0000

The article fails to mention that Belchatow now has a multi-million FGD system fitted to all 12 units. The new unit will also have FGD. Nice balanced reporting as usual. Could the carbon crusaders enlighten me as to how you will replace over 4000MW of generating capacity through renewables in the middle of Poland?

Comment on Toowoomba trials low emission concrete by John Knox

John Knox — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 10:43:40 +0000

Isn’t this the same type of concrete that featured on Catalyst: http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/2244816.htm

Comment on Oil flowed more freely than information by Wayne Needoba

Wayne Needoba — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 08:30:31 +0000

The comments in the article above are correct, but the situation never needed to happen. The reasons the incident occurred relates to practices that are used in the oil industry globally, and they have evolved slowly from habit.

This habit creates an archetype and the bad practice that was created from the archetype of cost cutting began in the early 1980′s as America moved into a knowledge based economy. This economy can produce to surplus and the nature of it is still to be understood, but the financial managers focused on money and they got in control of all big projects.

The Montara field had some unique characteristics with the reservoir that required a cementation practice the would cost a lot more to facilitate. In this case the low quality of the zone isolation process led to loss control at the surface.

What I’m striving to figure out is how to get a realization across to regulators and the industry managers, that to be reliable, there must be a diverse range of people involved in every activity so all perspectives of hazards can be seen, and then there needs to be transparency of operational records so that independent assessments and verification to any one with concerns, that there is a reliable operating practice in place. This will be even more important when the world leads into the nuclear energy plant.

On the Montara Inquiry http://www.montarainquiry.gov.au , I have made submission as Labrador HoldingsWA .. my concern is that there will be a cover up as to the root cause. The technical failure that cause the uncontrolled flow was a bit unlucky because it is very unusual for someone to bleed back gas into the casing after the cementing process. It is not a problem with the operator PTTEP, it is a problem with the industry, so the opportunity to make complex processes, like the oil and gas development process, reliable, is to use this very publicised incident.

My Australian mobile is 0413410035. My assistant will answer at moment as I’m in Thailand trying to make some inroads to this from the Thai perspective. Culture is the key to effective learning.

Best Regards,
Wayne Needoba.

Comment on Work starts on Whyalla solar project by Whyalla Accommodation

Whyalla Accommodation — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:32:02 +0000

Any news on how this is progressing?

Comment on 中国 China ready to cooperate with U.S. on climate change by euandus2

euandus2 — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:53:44 +0000

That the Chinese government managed, or scripted, Barak Obama while not budging on the issues says something about the Chinese character that few outside of China realize.

Comment on Soil key to Australia’s carbon future by tony lovell

tony lovell — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 02:20:23 +0000

We have been raising awareness of the role of building soil carbon from a climate change perspective – but as you will see when you look through the presentation mentioned below the real outcome of changing management is three-fold – healthy environment, healthy financials, and healthy society.

There are 2 critical aspects to addressing global warming and reversing desertification.

1 – reduce future emissions – for this TECHNOLOGY is absolutely essential.

2 – absorb the current excess legacy loadings already in circulation – for this BIOLOGY is absolutely essential.

The simple truth is that probably half of the current problem has been directly caused by inappropriate human management of our land. Changing this management can have an immediate, massive and positive impact.

Please take a few minutes and look a little more into changed grazing management. Professor Tim Flannery has stated that sequestering carbon into the soils of our grazing lands is one of the best means we have available to us for dealing with climate change.

There is growing concern for significant action to avoid catastrophic climate change. Please take a few minutes and look through the presentation on Soil Carbon at http://www.soilcarbon.com.au

Not enough people are yet aware of Soil Carbon and the critical role it can play in helping to reverse the impacts of global warming.

Did you know that just a 1% change in soil organic matter across just one-quarter of the World’s land area could sequester 300 billion tonnes of physical CO2?

Recent Australian studies have shown that a 1% change can occur within a few years – and in fact up to 4% changes were measured in some areas. The management changes required to achieve these increases are very readily implemented. I hope you find the presentation of interest.

Comment on WA oil spill ‘one of Australia’s worst’ by Geoff Botting

Geoff Botting — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 12:58:02 +0000

With the on-going lack of attention that this unfolding disaster deserves, one should perhaps consider the following: At a recent meeting, given my Government contacts, it is interesting to note that the oil field in question is owned and managed by the Thai Government, it is not surprising that the Federal Government is somewhat lack-lustre in following this up. My understanding is that the field is owned by a National Government, had it been an Mobil, Shell, Exxcon etc etc, the Commonwealth would have jumped on this immediately and demanded action. Given the ownership of the field and our current governments penchant to sit on a fence when dealing with National interst issues, the disaster can only grow in magnitute and danger to the WA environment. My industry insider believes the spill will mimick and perhaps exceed the Excon Valdez disaster in size and we will pay for the lack of action and cleanup into the long-term. What a sad state of affairs, $ and industry override the environment and our lasting community future in WA……….a disaster that could have been averted in the first place. Tragic and unneeded, greed and $ will always win, sad but a true reflection on the comman man

Geoff

Comment on Sick Wagerup residents launch massive US Erin Brockovich law suit by Ramon

Ramon — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 05:38:06 +0000

Does anyone know an email address for Erin Brokovich.

I had the misfortune to move near a small airport that grew
by 63% in 7 years. Residents are being polluted with a
cocktail of aircraft emissions. The aircraft are fuelled with
AVGAS which contain 4 times more lead than old car fuel.
Other pollutants are arsenic, cadmium, particulate matter.

Noise is also a major problem. Cancer rates are high but they
blame smoking and proximity to roads.

Ramon Damon