Greenhouse mafia active down under

ATTITUDES shown at Copenhagen by the world’s major per capita polluters namely the USA, Australia and China, demonstrated that the core thinking has barely changed since Kyoto 20 years ago.
Sure, the presentation is smoother, the denial less strident, and the opposition to change less aggressive; but behind the scenes it is clear that big [...]

Indonesia, Australia in for much worse droughts: new research

JAKARTA ~ New research has revealed that Australia and Indonesia are likely to experience more frequent and intensified droughts, while eastern Africa and southern India is likely to get wetter.
Scientists studying the history of tropical weather patterns stored in long-lived corals have discovered that climate variability in the Indian Ocean has intensified during the [...]

Cheaper solar energy units coming soon

CANBERRA ~ Genuinely affordable solar power units could soon grace rooftops from Mumbai to Shanghai thanks to a new partnership between Australian, American and Chinese researchers.
Scientists from the Australian National University (ANU), Tianjin University in China and a US company called Chromasun, are joining forces to create roof-mounted solar systems that are more cost-effective than [...]

Australian carbon targets seen too weak : Reuters

Five times more carbon per capita than China
CANBERRA ~ Prominent climate scientists criticized the Australian government’s top climate adviser today, saying his recommended targets for carbon emissions were too weak and would not help avoid catastrophic climate change, according to Reuters.
Climate adviser Ross Garnaut has urged the government to cut Australian Greenhouse gas emissions by [...]

WWF slams Australian power generators on climate change

Worst performers are Rio Tinto, Alcoa and Intergen
SINGAPORE ~ Some major Australian power generators are doing next to nothing to prepare for a low-carbon future, according to a new report from WWF-Australia.
The 2008 WWF-Australia Power Generators Carbon Future Score Card assessed 19 of Australia’s power firms on the work they are doing to reduce their [...]