From atop Mount Olympus, Zeus peers in perplexity through fumes of fire, dust and vehicle exhaust, toxic chemicals, roiling tempests and raging floods, idly wondering what those darned mortals are up to now… First his eye is drawn to ancient Media, part of old Persia (now known under its modern name of Azerbaijan). Here a Continue reading »
Enviroment
Carbon capture and storage fails to deliver carbon but succeeds for governments and industry. The pros and cons of reducing your personal carbon footprint. How best to tackle Australia’s land clearing loopholes. Carbon capture and storage is not the solution Kevin Morrison has succinctly summed up the carbon capture and storage (CCS) con trick being Continue reading »
In a world of simultaneous military and environmental crises our capacity to finance both has become unsustainable. Globally, military expenditure over the past decade has been rising at double that of GDP reaching an all-time high of $2.4 trillion in 2023. Continue reading »
Peter Dutton’s nuclear plan may well have minimal carbon emissions, but the distant time of arrival, and ignoring the well known drawbacks makes it a dud. On the face of it, it is all whizzbang white heat of technology (albeit of 60 years ago) and no carbon emissions (never mind the other ones). The problem Continue reading »
Climate change will soon be causing an additional 250,000 deaths per year worldwide – children are at particular risk. Only 4% of greenhouse gas emission reduction policies actually reduced emissions. Trust us, we’re doctors About 10 years ago I was reading a research paper in a café near Sydney University and I dropped it on Continue reading »
Climate activists are increasingly using the courts to challenge development approvals and change the law, but so are action delayers. Access to electricity is increasing worldwide, but fossil fuels still dominate electricity production. Climate litigation increasing worldwide Lots of decisions on development proposals by environmental protection authorities, land and environment courts and ministers for the Continue reading »
Ignoring 200 years of native forest logging underestimates the consequences of current logging. Beware of false solutions for plastic pollution. How to make your garden bird-friendly. It’s not just this year’s native forest logging that matters, it’s the previous 200 Australia has a dreadful environmental record, e.g., one of the world’s highest per capita emitters Continue reading »
The green transition needs copper but how do poor copper-rich countries reap the rewards? The hydrogen-energy balloon is floating away. Underground tanks help to manage flash floods. Big cats become the prey. Zambia’s copper. Who will benefit? An article in the New York Times was headed: ‘A.I. Needs Copper. It Just Helped to Find Millions Continue reading »
Marine heatwaves are becoming more frequent under global warming and this is having a significant impact on species’ ability to recover. Since April, the world has seen record high ocean temperatures and that’s bad news for the plants and animals that call the ocean home. Longer and more frequent bouts of extreme temperatures can cause the exodus Continue reading »
Summers right across the northern hemisphere are getting hotter but vegetation can lower the temperature locally. Macaques show humans how to cope with hotter conditions. Poor progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Northern summers are getting hotter Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words, even if not all the details are clear (the axes Continue reading »