Category Archives: Environment

Dutch Court orders Netherlands Government cut CO2 emissions by 25 percent by 2020 | Climate Citizen

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http://takvera.blogspot.com.au/2015/06/dutch-court-orders-netherlands.html

A Dutch court in a landmark legal case has just handed down a verdict that the Netherlands Government has the legal duty to take measures against #climate change. Further, the court ordered that a 25% reduction of CO2 emissions, based on 1990 levels, must be accomplished by 2020 by the Dutch government in accordance with IPCC scientific recommendations for industrial countries.

[…]

Sue Higginson, Principal Solicitor for the Environmental Defenders Office (EDO) NSW, said that the same legal arguments are unlikely to be used in Australia, “Dutch civil laws are much more specific in their terms than Australian laws.” she said.

[…]

With Australia, such a case would be much less straightforward as we do not have the incorporation of international human rights or general duty of care directly in our constitution or legal framework.

2015 Arctic Sea Ice Maximum Annual Extent Is Lowest On Record | NASA

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http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/2015-arctic-sea-ice-maximum-annual-extent-is-lowest-on-record/

The sea ice cap of the Arctic appeared to reach its annual maximum winter extent on Feb. 25, 2015, according to data from the NSIDC. […] this year’s maximum extent was the smallest on the satellite record and also one of the earliest.

NASA Finds 2013 Sustained Long-Term Climate Warming Trend

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http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/nasa-finds-2013-sustained-long-term-climate-warming-trend

NASA scientists say 2013 tied with 2009 and 2006 for the seventh warmest year since 1880, continuing a long-term trend of rising global temperatures.

With the exception of 1998, the 10 warmest years in the 134-year record all have occurred since 2000, with 2010 and 2005 ranking as the warmest years on record.

Open Letter to Origin Energy (Gas)

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Dear Christina Wilson (Executive Customer Sales and Operations) at Origin Energy

No I will not (re)connect natural gas at my premises. You appear to be (corporately) forgetful.

Only last year I cancelled the gas supply, as it has become everything but natural. As you yourself stated to me, it’s now all Coal Seam Gas (CSG). I don’t think CSG is a smart idea and thus I want no part of that.

Your additional offer to “offset” the resulting CO2 emissions don’t even touch the root problem.

In reciprocation of your looking forward to welcome me, I look forward to the day when you actually listen to your customers rather than just ignoring their feedback and then continuing to send them mail trying plug your products – particularly products they’ve explicitly cancelled. Take it from a business owner: that looks bad.

P.S. I’d write to you in a more direct manner, but even though you sign your letters by name, you don’t actually supply an email address or specific postal address either in your letter or on your website. Phone appears to be the only way to communicate with Origin, but a 1300 number will only connect me to a generic callcentre person, won’t it… not very useful at all.

Average CO2 levels rise past nasty threshold | NYT

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The average carbon dioxide reading surpassed 400 parts per million at the research facility atop the Mauna Loa volcano on the island of Hawaii […] The best available evidence suggests the amount of the gas in the air has not been this high for at least three million years […]
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/11/science/earth/carbon-dioxide-level-passes-long-feared-milestone.html