Green Man Blog (Entries tagged as australia)

Aboriginal culture threat from drought

nospam@example.com (Green Man) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 05:44:00 -0700

The drought that has affected the Murray-Darling basin in south-eastern Australia for several years has not only been a disaster for farming. The indigenous communities have also seen changes in the environment that endanger their ancestral customs, and though the rain has returned, concern for the future has taken hold.

In a documentary made by Aboriginal youths, trained to use a camera by director Carl Kuddell, the elders of the Ngarrindjeri indigenous community explain their fears for the survival of traditions that are deeply rooted in the land and its rivers.

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Jobs or the Environment?

nospam@example.com (Green Man) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 04:39:00 -0700

The choice is difficult: plan ahead for sustainable energy policies that benefit all of us in the long run, or provide needed jobs now?

When things are going fine economically, people tend to prioritize environmental initiatives. But once it gets economically tougher, the green initiatives tend to go out the window.

Witness Australia, where a few years back the people voted climate change as a top concern. But now, with Australia facing rising interest rates and job loss, the top priority is now saving jobs. Fighting climate change has fallen to seventh in public opinion polls.

Still, Australia, the hottest driest continent on Earth, is committed to cutting carbon emissions by 5% by 2020.

If there is strong international support, the Australian government would like to increase it to 25%.

Australia is the world’s biggest coal exporter, and plays a key role in coal-fired energy production. Any move they make will be huge.

It’s the short-term view that will keep on destroying the environment. And when we say environment, we are talking about our planet. Our rivers, lakes, oceans, air, wildlife, - we are its caretakers. We owe something to all who will pass through in the future, including our children, our children’s children, and on forever.

Only by taking a long-term view can we change the destructive path we now tread. The end result of our human economy is waste, poison, chemicals, and garbage.

Looking down the road we can see the huge mess we’ll eventually all choke on.

The Green Man Blog is written to spread environmental awareness and appreciation of the natural world around us. Thank you for visiting! Stay green, support the organic movement, and be sure to visit www.greenmantshirts.com or www.robjuszak.com for the best in organic cotton and bamboo t shirts!

That Aussie Dust Storm Really Moved Some Dirt

nospam@example.com (Green Man) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 05:24:00 -0700

Back in September we wrote about that Aussie Dust Storm that blasted across New South Wales and southeast Queensland.

This dust storm was the biggest in 70 years. But only now are scientists giving us the staggering facts behind the storm.

Get this: at its peak the storm carried 140,000 tons of soil per hour from central Australia.

Hard to grasp that, isn’t it?

The scientists also say that 4000 tons of dust settled on Sydney, while another 3 million tons landed in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand.

To put that in perspective, 3 million tons of dust is equal to 7,894 dump truck loads, if you used the world’s largest dump truck, the Caterpillar 797.

That’s moving some dirt.

The Green Man Blog is written to spread environmental awareness and appreciation of the natural world around us. Thank you for visiting! Stay green, support the organic movement, and be sure to visit www.greenmantshirts.com or www.robjuszak.com for the best in organic cotton and bamboo t shirts!

Dust Storm Blasts Australia

nospam@example.com (Green Man) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 13:24:35 -0700

Trevor Dickinson captured on film Australia’s worst dust storm in 70 years.

This storm, which hit yesterday, swept in overnight on much of the east coast and left millions of people choking in an eerie looking dawn.

Sydney was affected heavily, and the country’s largest airport was facing temporary closure.

North of Sydney, towns like Newcastle and Williamtown were facing strong winds exceeding 50 mph as the dust storm hit.

Australia’s interior is undergoing one of the worst droughts on record, and strong winds picked up thousands of tons of dry barren topsoil and carried it hundreds of miles to the coastal areas.

Photo Credits: Trevor Dickinson (Newcastle, Australia)