The recent article by Wendell Berry in the New York Times, written with his long-time associate Wes Jackson, on the loss of Iowa’s soil under the extreme storm events increasingly generated by climate change (see my January 14 post), sent me back to his writings, and to a rediscovered pleasure, and inspiration. There is much [...]

Looking at the way in which world leaders, including Australia’s, are attempting to deal with the global economic crisis, one might be forgiven for wondering whether an outbreak of split-brain has occurred. There seems to be no difficulty among them–or indeed among economic commentators– in separating the two global crises, economic recession and climate change, [...]

2009 has brought some important research findings related to climate change, and some important new perspectives. In addition, there are some remarkable new initiatives in renewable energy and technology. Ian Lowe, the president of the Australian Conservation Society, and a well-established and articulate proponent of strong action on climate change (see my post September 17, [...]

From the UK today comes a welcome report of a new funding scheme designed to support financially farmers who protect natural resources, wildlife and other environmentally-valued aspects of their land. Internationally these funding schemes are called Payments for Environmental Services.  Watersheds are a favourite application of these schemes.  The headwaters of rivers are often farmed, [...]

25th Nov, 2008

Monbiot on target

George Monbiot doesn’t mince words.  The science columnist for The Guardian has been for years in the vanguard of those who have been warning about the scale and potential impacts of climate change.  This week’s column is no exception.  It is entitled “The planet is now so vandalised that only total energy renewal can save [...]

The role of trees and forests as carbon sinks is well known.  Recent research indicates that trees may also have a direct effect in reducing global warming.  Scientists in the UK and Germany have discovered that some trees release a chemical that thickens clouds above them, thus increasing the action of clouds in reflecting incoming [...]

As noted in a series of recent postings, ‘Reflections on Flannery’s National Library lecture’, critical evidence concerning contemporary climate change is being recovered from the analysis of ancient environments. The seminal work of James Hanson and his colleagues was cited: their analysis of Cenozoic climate history has lead them to propose a much lower threshold [...]

The agricultural biotechnology sector has been active in recent years in promoting their technology as the answer to world food shortages, whether these shortages are driven by price rises associated with futures speculation or by declining rainfall with climate change.  The willingness of the sector to overlook health and environmental risks in the pursuit of [...]

Here is an article of mine in the Mining Bulletin, October 2008, on sustainable business and the mining industry. mining_bulletin.pdf

This research was conducted for SA Water over 2008-2009, out of the International Graduate School of Business, and the Sustainable Communities Innovation & Research Cluster of the University of South Australia. Its aim was to develop a framework for valuing catchments as assets.  This becomes important in evaluating proposals for capital budgeting in water utilities.  [...]