16 June 2016, Climate Inside News, Antarctica’s CO2 Level Tops 400 PPM for First Time in Perhaps 4 Million Years. The concentration of heat-trapping CO2 pollution in the atmosphere has passed the 400 parts per million (ppm) threshold in Antarctica for the first time in at least 800,000 years, and possibly as long as four million years, scientists reported this week. The new measurements, reported by British and U.S. research stations, show that every corner of the planet is being affected by the burning of fossil fuels, according to British Antarctic Survey (BAS) scientists who track environmental changes on the frozen continent. “CO2 is rising faster than it was when we began measurements in the 1980s. We have changed our planet to the very poles,” sad British Antarctic Survey scientist Dr. David Vaughn, who reported on the readings from the Halley VI Research Station. Independently, researchers with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration this week also reported a similar reading from the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. Read More here
Monthly Archives: June 2016
13 June 2016, The Conversation, The hidden energy cost of smart homes. Light globes that change colour with the tap of an app, coffee machines you can talk to, and ovens that know exactly how long to cook your food: our homes are getting smart. These devices, just a few examples of what is known as “the internet of things” (or IOT), have been called the “next great disruptor” and “the second digital revolution”. One of the great hopes of this revolution is that it will help households save energy. Sensors can turn off lights and appliances when not in use, or turn the heating down when people go to bed. Smartphone apps can provide households with more insight into the energy use of their appliances. While estimates vary widely, industry proponents suggest that emerging connected home technologies could help households reduce their energy bills by 10-25%. Such claims are largely speculative given the absence of robust “before and after” research. Social research from Australia and the UK is revealing ways in which IOT might also increase energy demand. We have identified three “hidden” energy impacts which are rarely considered in IOT research or energy-saving predictions. New updates and hardware Read More here
12 June 2016, ABC News, Election 2016: Malcolm Turnbull says placing Greens last in voting preferences in ‘national interest’. With three weeks to go until the federal election, the two major parties are locking in preference deals to boost their chances in crucial regional and inner-city seats. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has announced the Liberal Party will preference the Greens last, or behind Labor, in every Lower House seat and in return, Labor has confirmed it will direct its preferences to the Liberal Party over the Nationals in the seats of Murray, O’Connor and Durack. The deal will help the Liberal candidates fend off an attack from the Nationals in those three seats while also giving a boost to Labor’s chances in the seats of Batman, Grayndler and Sydney. “This is a decision I’ve made in the national interest,” Mr Turnbull said. “The big risk in this election is that we would end up with an unstable, chaotic, Labor-Greens minority Government as we’ve seen before.” The Liberal Party’s Victorian state president, Michael Kroger, had publicly canvassed the idea of a preference deal with the Greens to unseat Labor in seats like Batman and Wills, but Mr Turnbull has intervened to ensure that does not happen. “I am the party’s leader and this decision has been taken by me, with the federal director, Mr Nutt,” he said. Read More here
12 June 2016, The Conversation, Xenophon threatens massive retaliation against any Lib-Lab deal against him. Labor is heaving a sigh of relief after Malcolm Turnbull’s announcement that the Liberals will put the Greens below Labor everywhere. In particular, the embattled Labor MP for Batman, David Feeney, under serious threat from the Greens, has been given extra life support, although it remains to be seen on July 2 whether he will survive politically. The Liberals’ action gives the ALP an incentive to put extra resources into the area. Greens leader Richard Di Natale said he was still “very confident” about Batman, arguing voters would be “outraged” at the Liberal-Labor deal. Victorian Liberal president Michael Kroger had been keeping the ALP on tenterhooks with the prospect the Greens might get Liberal preferences in inner-city seats in Melbourne. But directing preferences to the Greens would have sat badly with Turnbull’s oft-repeated message that a vote for the Greens or other minor players is a vote for instability. It would also have gone down very poorly with many in the conservative wing of the Liberal Party. Turnbull said he had made a call against preferencing the Greens in the national interest. “The big risk at this election is that we would end up with an unstable, chaotic, minority Labor-Greens-independent government as we had before.” Read More here