Australasian Science: Australia's authority on science since 1938
Lowe Tech
Lowe Tech column
Global Climate Report Underscores Australian Inaction
By Ian Lowe
The upcoming Federal election has produced a spectrum of responses to curb climate change.
With a national election imminent, climate change is on the political agenda again. Shortly before the date for the poll was announced, the World Meteorological Organization released its annual Statement on the State of the Global Climate.
Sustainable Food Production on the Menu
By Ian Lowe
A scientific report has set targets for a healthy diet derived from sustainable food production.
To view this article subscribe or purchase a yearly pass here.
From Little Things Big Things Grow
Members of the Big Scrub Landcare Group have planted the key structuring species to restore areas of rainforest on land that had been cleared for farming, adding about 300 ha of habitat. Courtesy of Big Scrub Landcare
By Ian Lowe
About 100 million hectares of forest have been lost globally in the past 25 years, but one Landcare group has increased a patch of rainforest lost to farmland by 40% in 20 years.
Loss of biodiversity is a critical issue, both locally and globally. More than 20 years ago, the first independent national report on the state of the environment identified the seriousness of the problem. The warning has been echoed by four subsequent reports.
At the global level, the 2018 Living Planet Report estimated the population levels of more than 4000 species of vertebrates: fish, birds, amphibians, mammals and reptiles. It concluded that average populations are only about 40% of the 1970 levels.
Australia’s Environmental Ranking Trumped
By Ian Lowe
Australia has been ranked third-worst in the developed world for environmental protection, and medical professionals are increasingly concerned about the health impacts of climate change.
Australia ranks third-worst in the developed world for environmental protection. The annual report of the Washington-based Centre for Global Development has placed Australia ahead of only South Korea and Japan among the 27 nations it assessed. We were considered even worse than the USA under President Donald Trump. The Centre singled out our poor response to climate change as the area most needing attention, noting high per capita emissions, relatively low levels of taxation on transport fuels, and heavy reliance on coal for electricity.
The War on Plastic
Credit:501room/Adobe
By Ian Lowe
Our present epoch has been called the Anthropocene because of the dominance of human activity, but perhaps it should be called the Plasticine.
To view this article subscribe or purchase a yearly pass here.
If a Taxonomist Falls in the Forest...
By Ian Lowe
Taxonomists are so under-resourced it would take them 400 years to describe all of Australia’s species, which means that species are going extinct before we even know about them.
To view this article subscribe or purchase a yearly pass here.
Investment in Renewables Is Burying Coal
By Ian Lowe
Politicians lobbying for more coal-fired power stations are defying the preference for renewables by both consumers and investors.
Last year the Australian government announced it had support for its proposed policy for the national electricity system. The package was clearly driven by political and economic issues. It did not respond adequately to climate change, but it was at least a coherent approach.
A Second Warning to Humanity
By Ian Lowe
Fifteen thousand scientists have issued a warning to humanity that “many current life forms could be annihilated or committed to extinction by the end of this century”.
Forty-five years ago, the first report to the Club of Rome was published. The Limits to Growth was a fundamental challenge to conventional politics and economics, which presume that endless growth is possible. It used the first global systems model to show that limits would be reached this century, with the most likely outcome a catastrophic decline in the capacity of natural systems to support human needs.
Lift-off for Space Agency
By Ian Lowe
The re-establishment of an Australian space agency is expected to generate billions of dollars after decades of neglect of the sector.
To view this article subscribe or purchase a yearly pass here.
Recycling Efforts Wasted
By Ian Lowe
Householders might decide it’s not worth the trouble sorting their waste.
A recent ABC Four Corners investigation raised serious questions about the management of waste in Australia. We generate much more domestic waste than most countries. In fact, we are among the worst of all advanced nations on that indicator, so managing that waste stream is important. As most local authorities now support kerbside recycling, it takes little effort from the individual to separate waste. However, the ABC report identified problems after collection.
