Green Options

Recently, researchers have performed large scale genetic analysis of DFTD tumor cells and have discovered many clues to the cause and nature of the cancer. After sequencing tumor cell genes and analyzing small pieces of genetic material known as microRNAs (miRNA), the team has determined that the cancer is a “single clonal cell line propagated as a tumor allograft” and is transmitted from devil to devil through biting. An “allograft” is a transplantation of cells (or tissue) from one (non-genetically [...]

Shown above and below is a little inspiration from the following features in the new February issue of Coco Eco:

1. On page 16 there’s a spread on Libertine recycled clothing. It’s fierce, and concludes with a fantastic interview with the designer Johnson Hartig through page 29.

2. Check out Coco Eco’s Guide to Sydney, Australia on page 79 too.

3. Turn to page 105 and learn more about how the latest Opportunity Green event went.

The deadline for agreeing to the Copenhagen Accord may have been dropped, but the pressure to agree to the Accord and to announce commitments to create cleaner energy sources and reduce pollution is still on.

The US Climate Action Network (USCAN) is making it easier for all of us to follow all of the countries’ commitments through a useful chart of their pledges, how their 2020 targets compare to their 1990 pollution levels, their per capita CO₂ emissions, and other information.

The chart also lists those countries which reject the Copenhagen Accord.

31st January was the deadline for countries to submit their proposals for reducing carbon emissions, however, only a handful of countries have submit proposals and officially agreed to the terms of the Copenhagen Accord which has led the United Nations to drop the deadline.

The major players in the climate change fray like India, China and the United States, are yet to come up with proposals and national mechanisms for reducing their carbon emissions. Only Brazil, Japan and the European Union have announced their plans to go ahead with emission reduction measures irrespective of the outcome of future climate treaty negotiations.

While Brisbane’s waste removal system battles to discard perfectly good mangos, this contrasts starkly with the difficulties and opportunities associated with agricultural produce gluts in poor communities in rural Africa.

Brisbane Mangoes

So good is the mango harvest this year, that residents of Brisbane’s suburbs are battling to get rid of their excess mangos.

Apparently some trees are dropping up to 60 mangoes overnight. If these are simply placed in rubbish bins they are too heavy for the mechanical garbage trucks and get left on the street. Normally there would be a $24 fee to get a garbage truck to come back and empty the bin, but the City Council has agreed to waive this cost so long as residents first remove the mangoes. The Council has also removed the charge for dumping mangoes at the city’s transfer stations.

So in Australia the fuss is about getting the mangoes to the dump and not about the waste of food or the loss of income opportunities, that bother the African.

NSW electricity costs 19 cents, and they will pay 60 cents: three to one. That is why this is poised for the same kind of rocketing success that Germany saw, and perhaps even more, as Australia is blessed with great insolation.

The UK will stick to its current target of cutting emissions by 34% from 1990 levels by 2020. to meet the targets of its 2008 Climate Change Act, as advised by The Committee on Climate Change.

The Fur Seal - victim of possibly the most emotive culling.

A recent post on the culling of rabbits on Robin Island, prompted a quick look at news items on culling over the last month. This revealed a variety of motivations for culling, very different numbers culled and a range in the opposition to the culls. The culling of a quarter of a million dairy cows in an attempt to raise milk prices with almost no protest is the outlier in the group.

40,000 Domestic Goats and Sheep in Netherlands

The Dutch government is culling 40,000 goats and sheep this month in an attempt to limit the spread of Q fever, an animal-borne disease that can cause flu-like symptoms in people. It is believed that Q fever has caused six human deaths in the Netherlands in 2009.

Thousands of feral camels, in search of water, are reportedly wreaking havoc on the small Australian town of Docker River.  The dromedaries are destroying property and infrastructure and have reportedly overtaken the airstrip.   Some of the thirsty camels have been killed in stampedes at watering holes, contaminating the town’s water supply.  Authorities call the situation critical. 

Results of a recent study conducted by amphibian experts (Longcore et al), found chytrid fungi, surprisingly, “dominating” high-altitude, wet soils. Many species of the fungus were found in locations with little organic matter (something that frogs generally need). However, the BD fungus–believed to be the lead culprit in global frog declines–was not found amongst any of the sampled habitats. This absence of the frog-killing pathogen was of equal surprise to the researchers, perhaps even a disappointment, but nevertheless, the [...]

Janet Larsen

http://www.earthpolicy.org/index.php?/plan_b_updates/2009/update85

Future firefighters have their work cut out for them. Perhaps nowhere does this hit home harder than in Australia, where in early 2009 a persistent drought, high winds, and record high temperatures set the stage for the worst wildfire in the country’s history. On February 9th, now known as “Black Saturday,” the mercury in Melbourne topped 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46.4 degrees Celsius) as fires burned over 1 million acres in the state of Victoria—destroying more than 2,000 homes and killing more than 170 people, tens of thousands of cattle and sheep, and 1 million native animals.

Even as more people move into fire-prone wildlands around the world, the intense droughts and higher temperatures that come with global warming are likely to make fires more frequent and severe in many areas. (See table of regional observations and predictions) For southeastern Australia, home to much of the country’s population, climate change could triple the number of extreme fire risk days by 2050.