In a world with a global carbon price, carbon efficiency will also become a new competitive battleground. Those economies that offer a more energy-efficient operating environment will become increasingly more attractive places to invest. Economies that refuse to act on climate change will run the risk of retaliatory tariffs from others. Read more here from Australia’s Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd.
Organic Food not Nutritionally Better than Conventional
A SYSTEMATIC review of literature over 50 years finds no evidence for superior nutritional content of organic produce.
There is no evidence that organically produced foods are nutritionally superior to conventionally produced foodstuffs, according to a study published today in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Consumers appear willing to pay higher prices for organic foods based on their perceived health and nutrition benefits, and the global organic food market was estimated in 2007 to be worth £29 billion (£2 billion in the UK alone). Some previous reviews have concluded that organically produced food has a superior nutrient composition to conventional food, but there has to date been no systematic review of the available published literature.
[Read more…] about Organic Food not Nutritionally Better than Conventional
Canberra and Laputa: A Note from William York
HOW did he do it? Dean Jonathon Swift writing Gulliver’s Travels in 1726 made a long range forecast of such incredible accuracy that it would be the envy of any climate modeler. In this forecast you glimpse Kevin Rudd, the ANU, the academies and many practical men who may bring doom and destruction to Australia.
You may recall that on one of Lemuel Gulliver’s voyages he is rescued from a desolate rock by a rope dropped from a manoeuvrable island that floats in the air. It is the kingdom of Laputa, a small island no more than a few miles wide that can be steered over a country called Balnibarbi. The king of Laputa rules Balnibarbi and if the citizens below prove troublesome then Laputa can bring perpetual night to a rebellious town by keeping it in permanent darkness or at least until the citizens mend their ways.
There is an interesting resonance with our present rulers in Canberra, with a city that, to many, appears to float disconnected and threatening darkness to those who disagree. Perhaps the Cabinet town meetings are the equivalent of Laputa hovering over its citizens. [Read more…] about Canberra and Laputa: A Note from William York
Reducing Emissions Must Ultimately Mean Less Stuff
WESTERN governments are trying to have it both ways: they want to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and they want to stimulate economic growth by us spending more money including on stuff. But this is not realistic.
Either the government impresses on the population that it must be content with less including smaller families, smaller houses and fewer pairs of shoes etcetera or there will be more emissions.
I’m happy to go along with less – I’ve never aspired to a luxurious lifestyle or a big family. But most of the rest of the population doesn’t seem to get it?
Viv Forbes does – see below, but Malcolm Turnbull doesn’t. [Read more…] about Reducing Emissions Must Ultimately Mean Less Stuff
Russia and China Argue over Water
Russia complained about a major Chinese river project on Monday which it says will harm the Russian environment, the latest sign of strained relations between the two countries. Read more here.
We Need a Steady Voice: A Note from Phil Sawyer
I am convinced that a competently run and managed party, overtly running on a pro-science platform, could win enough Senate seats in the Australian Parliament at the next election to take control from the independents and the Greens. This post briefly explores the potential for success of such a party, and invites responses from readers.
To the extent that the name should be a signifier of party identity, I have suggested that the Science Greens or Green Science, would be a good name. However, some sounding boards of mine have suggested that “science” has a bad name in the public mind! Others insist that calling oneself any kind of ” green ” will be a complete put-off with large slabs of the potential constituency. Maybe. However, such a name does imply that there are other kinds of greenies, ones that are patently not scientific. And that is the starting point of the platform, as outlined below.
[Read more…] about We Need a Steady Voice: A Note from Phil Sawyer
Jennifer Marohasy BSc PhD has worked in industry and government. She is currently researching a novel technique for long-range weather forecasting funded by the B. Macfie Family Foundation.