Category: Environmental science
-
The Potential Impact of Climate Change on Fraser Island
Fraser Island is on UNESCO’s World Heritage list. It’s the largest sand island on the planet, boasts gorgeous freshwater lakes, towering rainforests, and the idyllic 75 Mile Beach. It’s no surprise that the island attracts some 380,000 tourists per year. Fraser Island is also an important cultural site to the local Butchulla people, who believe…
-
Creative Solutions for the World’s Waste Problems
The consequences of the planet’s waste issues are manifold: an unnecessarily high carbon footprint, overflowing landfills, and an increasingly negative impact on our economy. And while the figures both worldwide and in Australia are alarming, there are creative solutions we can implement to tackle the overall problem. Some of these are a little complicated and…
-
-
Are synthetics overcoming the natural materials?
In 1935, Percy L. Julian (1899-1975) synthesized physostigmine, the compound that was only available in its natural source, the Calabar bean, now used in the treatment of glaucoma. This pioneering research opened a door to widespread usage of chemical materials; however, it also started a “synthetic versus natural” debate on whether and how synthetics substitute…
-
Guide to the Most Important Green Building Certification Systems in the World
Here in Australia, the GBCA are working towards a greener and more sustainable future. The past decade has seen tremendous growth within the building industry, as companies such as the GBCA and others have been working towards designing and creating a greater percentage of buildings that are certified as green and sustainable. When looking at how this…
-
Paper Consumption Impact in Australia
Everyone must play their part in creating sustainable futures for the world’s commodities. Paper is a huge commodity and is consumed at exorbitant rates as outlined by Forest Ethics‘ recent research. They reported that across the world North America used on average 229kg of paper per capita annually, Western Europe got through 178.7 kilograms, Latin…
-
Disposable Nappies: Are They Stinking Up Our Planet?
Disposable nappies may seem highly convenient when babies are abound, but there is an uglier side to keeping our bubs clean: disposable nappies pose serious issues for the natural environment that will last well into the future. Disposable Nappies: A Brief Background The idea of the disposable nappy first came to light in the early…
-
5 Eco-friendly Inventions that Australia can be Proud of
Australia is one of the world’s most eco-friendly countries. We have banned plastic bags in South Australia, put a tax on carbon and most homes have a government-issued recycling bin. However, much of the country’s environmental efforts happen behind the scenes – in construction, building and mining. Here we look at five of the best…
-
Ocean Chemistry Unbalanced
Ocean acidification is a decrease in the pH of the oceans, caused by the uptake of CO2 from the atmosphere. It’s a problem; a real problem. One that marine ecologist Jane Lubchenco, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration called global warming’s “equally evil twin.” If pH levels in the ocean continue to decline, as a…
-
Brisbane Air Pollution – Stats, Causes & Solutions
A study of air pollution shows Brisbane has one of the lowest levels of particulate matter – less than 20 micrograms per cubic meter and a diameter of less than 10 micrometers (PM10) in The Economists index of the most polluted cities in the world’s biggest economies. Air pollution is a constant reminder of how…
-
Printed solar cells as easy to produce as t-shirts!
Australia is really taking the initiative in alternative energy production. The latest news is that a consortium of Australian researchers have succeeded in producing printable solar cells, in a process which might just have the potential to revolutionise solar power production across the continent. Perhaps, we can only hope, the world. Succinctly, a new printer…
-
Wind power: renewable energy for the cities of the future
Renewable energy? I’m a big fan! Unfortunately, so are modern wind turbines, which are the subject of intense arguments and criticism despite their many benefits. However, this view might be changed somewhat, by a new innovation by Farzad Safaei at the University of Wollongong (UOW) – a new type of wind turbine known as PowerWINDows. I’m…
-
How to green the desert and reverse climate change
“Desertification is a fancy word for land that is turning to desert,” begins Allan Savory in this quietly powerful talk. And it’s happening to about two-thirds of the world’s grasslands, accelerating climate change and causing traditional grazing societies to descend into social chaos. Savory has devoted his life to stopping it. He now believes —…
-
Asteroids, extinctions, and biodiversity: Wiping the slate clean for new life to flourish
The recent meteor strike in Russia has been a rather sobering reminder that Earth has been regularly battered during its history, by space rocks. Actually, the amount of meteoritic material constantly landing on Earth is startling – on average, over 100 tons every day which we don’t even notice. Now, most of that is in…