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POPSRegenerators battling an ecological bulldozer Poisonous Plants that were listed in the report as having caused deaths in Australia include Arum Lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica), Lantana (Lantana camara), Oleander (Nerium oleander), White Cedar (Melia azedarach) and Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima).
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POPSOcean fetilisation: no solution to climate change This current mess is due to burning fossil fuels at a rate millions of times faster than they are naturally laid down. Such a gross disturbance to the natural cycle means that desperate measures may be required now. STOP destroying ecosystems for short-term gains!And could 'global warming' actually be an opportunity rather than a threat? It may force all of humanity to work together for once. Remember, greed and scientific wisdom has taken us close to destroying our planet. Will science and technology save us without the use of common sense?
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POPSGreenpeace takes on gaming giants A lot more can be done to clean up the toxic content in gaming consoles! In another initiative Greenpeace has been drumming support by teaming up with teenage social networking site Habbo to find out more about youngsters attitudes to global warming. 50,000 teenagers responded to the survey, with 74% rating global warming over drugs, violence and war as the issue they were most concerned about.
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POPSAustralia ratifies Kyoto There is fear on the economic impact of Kyoto such that: * the cost of energy is driven up in countries with targets. * This in turn drives up the price of manufactured goods. * The higher price of goods means that local manufacturing is reduced * There are then fewer exports and more goods imported from countries that don't have * The economic effects of the trade imbalance reduce consumer demand, so we eventually have to use less energy. ... surely it would be better to get on board the new energy economy than be stuck with the dinosaur industries related to fossil fuels! Living in a CLEAN world is what's important. Needless to say Australia's carbon output is a small fraction of India,China, Indonesia etc. and without 3rd world compliance our efforts are meaningless.
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POPSWhy grow GM canola in Australia? Genetically modified canola is already grown in some States. Bees do not recognise State boundaries and contamination already exists, so the prinmary producers are already in the hands of the multi-nationals.
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POPS Cities take the lead on climate change It is encouraging to see major cities adopting their own emissions targets and exchanging ideas on tackling climate change. Switching a percentage of the public transit system to alternative fuels is a positive step. Transport is one of the hardest areas for local leaders to control since traffic is not confined to a single city. Without stronger national policies promoting biofuels over gasoline, Vaxjo, for one, will never reach its long-term target of becoming free of fossil fuels. A lot of cities would not even know what they are emitting and the local leaders would remain skeptical to setting such difficult targets.
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POPS Melting ice pack displaces Alaskan walrus Global warming and its effects on wildlife is rarely discussed, and is happening faster than predictions. There are two solutions for the Alaskan walrus - it is prevention on a global scale or EXTINCTION. That's why urgent action must be taken worldwide to reduce gaseous greenhouse emissions...........before it is TOO LATE!
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POPSBeware of "popcorn lung"! A bill was passed on Wednesday by the House of Representatives, to limit the exposure of popcorn plant workers to diacetyl, defying a White House veto threat. Thank goodness two companies have taken the precautionary approach, and stopped using the popcorn additive in their product. I know which brands I will be looking for on the supermarket shelf!
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POPSRainwater tanks and water recycling better than dams/ desal plants For a backyard water tank to replace the water available from a dam or desalination plant, every single household (including apartments), would require a 5,000 litre water tank. This is based on current water consumption figures. Re-education and a change in water usage habits is the crux to the problem. The targeted water usage per household each day currently is 140 litres. While the Government is already offering home owners enough incentives to buy tanks. Attractive rebates between $550 and $800 - depending on the size of the tank - are available provided the tank is connected to internal plumbing. Only 17% of households have a tank! Melbourne recycles 12% of its water; in Sydney only 3%!
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POPSAl Gore's Clean Air Green Tour
Al Gore touted the Live Earth concert as carbon neutral : "a massive, hypocritical fraud". The claim was substantiated through 'carbon offsetting' - a trendy new method of absolving yourself of guilt. The backdrop was composed of recycled tyres; other sets from bio-produced plastic made from corn; and the artists' changing rooms were fitted with energy-saving lightbulbs - so the list goes on but all a drop in the ocean. The masterminder of the concert and A-list performers are among the worst polluters. Their world tours and private jets billow thousands of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year. One hour in a Gulfstream jet burns as much fuel as driving a family car for a year. Let the oil companies take care of global warming, not the celebrities. The facts are simple the vast majority of people watch their fuel consumption simply because they have to and most of the ones shouting about it burn the most so could be they are most aware of their own guilt
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POPSResources rights of indigenous people rejected So the wealthy, developed nations realise the widespread granting of native title will restrict or put conditions on future mining exploration, forestry activity and development of land parcels in general.
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POPSProtestors and Sydney prepare for APEC Lets hope that the summit focuses on the key "issues such as poverty, security and climate change" in the Pacific region and protesters voice their opinions peacefully. It is expected the majority of protesters will be high school students concerned about globilisation. "The Stop Bush Coalition" is expected to draw the biggest numbers, an estimated 10,000 people.
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POPS25th Anniversary of the Compact Disc The digital music industry has certainly come along way in 25 years with the CD paving the way for DVD and, most recently, Blu-ray optical media. Such innovations have changed our lifestyle and view on home entertainment. What will another 25 years bring?
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POPSQueensalnd, a booming economy with a water crisis At least the Queensland Water Commission takes a lot of the bureaucracy out of the system, and gives the state and local councils something else to argue about and whose responsibility it is to do what ie. the amalgamation of Councils but thatis a separate issue again Tough decisions like these should have been made years ago. Better late then never!!
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POPSWealthy nations - no barrier to water to water crisis In Australia annual rainfall has been declining with a sudden drop of 15% in the 1970's. The sub-Artesian basin that once supported the infamous pastoral and farming industry is no longer recharged. Every capital city is over consuming - dam levels in Brisbane the lowest at a meager 17% and falling while the population is soaring. Until recently the climate change and the water crisis were viewed as two separate issues with no collaboration between the State governments. After weeks of negotiating they seem no closer at striking a deal and it seems Victoria is not prepared to hand control of the state's water to the Commonwealth. While the majority of Australian citizens are either ignorant or in denial, and do not seem to realise or care about the seriousness of the issue. With $30 billion dollars needed to be spent on water infrastructure it is at long last about to hit us all in the hip pocket.
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POPSGlobal warming - models based on history Facts and figures we should all be aware of!! Yet how many of us are changing our lifestyles, both in the home and at the corporate level, to reduce these greenhouse gas emissions and the dire consequences that will follow? One may ask what point is there changing your habits when countries, such as China, continue to spew it. Beijing was shrouded in smog during the 'celebrations' in the 12 month lead up to the 2008 Olympic Games. Is this all going to change in the next year?
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POPSSex in the nose, not in the brain This research demonstrates how a simple genetic mutation can cause massive changes in sexual behaviour, totally discounting the accepted view that the "hard-wiring" of the brain is mainly responsible for the differences between male and female. Can one conclude that the brain in a species is essentially built the same, with no difference between left and right hemisphere between genders as originally thought?
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POPSBritish Foot and Mouth Outbreak What has been learned from 2001 and are sufficient measures in place to prevent a widespread outbreak? One must feel for the farmers who live each day with growing uncertainty and whose livelihoods are at stake.
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POPSPollution control and new technology an uphill battle Such inventions deserve encouragement and funding.....but in the end it is treating the symptoms, not the illness. The world's population is increasing at a rate that may prove unsustainable.....and it is unlikely that countries such as China will ever adopt these technologies due to the cost factor.
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POPSAnimals go missing with no where to run If natural selection runs its course only species that can migrate through disturbed habitat are going to dominate in the long term , and these are most likely invasive or 'weed' species. What will a 'natural landscape' look like to the next generation?
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POPSTargeted drugs to replace chemo in treatment of cancer? Given the situation would you forgo traditional chemotherapy treatment for the use of targeted drugs.......where doctors are only just beginning to find out which combinations of targeted therapies are safe. We celebrate our war heroes but what about these people prepared to make a difficult choice during desperate times. In a well documented case the quality of life for terminal cancer patients when using the alternative tretatment. was reduced .... all in the name of science
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POPSGene therapy a cure for baldness and skin conditions? The Human Genome Project and ongoing research continually yields new insights. Most of it is financially driven - there's a lot of money to potentially be made in treating follicle conditions which include hair loss as well as acne, skin and scalp conditions and excessive hair growth.
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POPSShuffling genes in common food crops It is like a cat chasing it's tail!. A new form of herbicide resistance has developed in a previously genetically modified crops, requiring further genetic engineering a decade or so later. Is it ever going to stop... and think of the long term implications.
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POPSStifle out snoring Braces again at 45+ years!! What a thought. On a more serious note, sleep apnea contributes to our national health costs with clinics at all the major hospitals. While statistics show there are more than 300 devices registered as cures for snoring.
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POPSGlobal warming, melting glaciers and rising sea levels Many coastal cities are not far above sea level while island nations such as Seychelles off the West Coast of Africa and Kiribati southwest of Hawaii are within a meter of being inundated by sea rise. In addition, a sea rise of only 1 meter in Bangladesh would put one-half of the nation underwater, displacing more than 100 million people. The devastating effect of recent tsunamis is only too real and fresh in our memories.
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