Geelong Sustainability

"What will it take to meet the Sustainability for All goals for energy access, renewable energy and energy efficiency by 2030? The Global Tracking Initiative combines the work of 15 international organizations to show where the world is today in energy access, renewable energy, and energy efficiency, and how far it needs to go to meet the 2030 goals. "

"While many American adults enjoy the perk of owning a car, as they pull out of their garage, they overlook one mode of transportation that may very well serve as not only an alternative mode of transportation, but also a key to a healthy life. http://www.quickenloans.com/ has created an infographic entitled "Footloose and Car Free! How Biking Can Improve Your Health and the Environment", illustrating how adding two-wheeled transport to your repertoire can benefit not only you, but the environment and your wallet! "

"The greening of American energy is both real and profound. But there's a flip side to this American success story. Even as our nation is pivoting toward a more sustainable energy future, America's oil and coal corporations are racing to position the country as the planet's dirty-energy dealer - supplying the developing world with cut-rate, high-polluting, climate-damaging fuels. Much like tobacco companies did in the 1990s - when new taxes, regulations and rising consumer awareness undercut domestic demand - Big Carbon is turning to lucrative new markets in booming Asian economies where regulations are looser. Worse, the White House has quietly championed this dirty-energy trade."

"There have been quite a few headlines lately about the record amounts of solar power getting built in China. In 2013, the country added at least 12 gigawatts of solar capacity - 50 percent more than any country has ever built in a single year. Impressive. But let's also put this in context. China is a massive country and is building lots of everything. And last year it added far more fossil-fuel output capability than it did solar, wind, hydro and nuclear power combined."

Agriculture giant Monsanto may be best known for genetic modification-like creating corn that resists the effects of Monsanto's weed killer Roundup. But when it comes to fruits and vegetables you buy in the store, genetic modification is off the menu. Monsanto thinks no one will buy Frankenfoods, so the company is tweaking its efforts-continuing to map the genetic basis of a plant's desirable traits but using that data to breed new custom-designed strains the way agronomists have for millennia. Here's how it works-and how the results differ from GMO crops. Thanks to this cross between high and low tech, a new era of super-produce may be upon us. -Victoria Tang

"THE frequency of tropical cyclones is at its lowest level in 1500 years in Western Australia and the lowest in 550 years in Queensland, a team of researchers has found. The new study also shows the number of cyclones lashing Australia has dropped greatly since the industrial revolution, suggesting that global warming might be causing a decline in the extreme events sooner than expected. A team of scientists led by Jordahna Haig, of James Cook University in Queensland, will publish their results in the British journal Nature today"

"Last week, the New York Times reported that venerable Dow Jones Industrial Average component Coca-Cola Co. was awakening to the impact of climate change on its business. The increase in unpredictable weather, droughts, floods and other climate-related events was disrupting the company's product supply. Some of their "essential ingredients" are now under threat. Global warming, according to the article, is being seen "as a force that contributes to lower gross domestic products, higher food and commodity costs, broken supply chains and increased financial risk." This debate is no longer about whether global warming is real (it is) or whether humans are the most likely cause (you are), but rather, some very interesting and different questions that might be more professionally relevant to finance: How is this going to affect business? What are the investing consequences? Who will be the financial winners and losers of climate change?"

"From record hot and cold temperatures to floods and droughts, 2013 was a wacky year for weather. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weighed in Wednesday with its list of the year's most significant climate anomalies and events. The report puts specific weather events into historical context, with the general effect of suggesting that global temperature rise is driving heightened weather extremes."

"One Central Park, a residential tower in Sydney expected to open this winter, has plants and vines climbing up its glass facade. Blanc told Dezeen: "The building, together with my vertical garden, will be an architectural work floating in the air, with plants growing on the walls - it will create a very special result that will be very new to Sydney.""

ARENA is pleased today to highlight a new solar map website, which tracks the contribution of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in Australia's energy mix and provides a guide to the location and capacity of PV installations across the country.

"THE smelly scourge of suburban parks and footpaths could soon, literally, be seen in a whole new light. The contraption, called the Park Spark, was devised by a Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate. Park Spark users put their dogs' waste in biodegradable bags and then into tanks, where a wheel turns to break it down and release methane, which powers a gaslight-style street lantern."

Earth had a climate long before we showed up and started noticing it and it's influenced by a whole series of cycles that have been churning along for hundreds of millions of years. In most cases those cycles will continue long after we're gone. A look at the history of climate change on Earth can give us some much needed perspective on our current climate dilemma because the surprising truth is, what we're experiencing now is different than anything this planet has encountered before. So, let's take a stroll down Climate History Lane and see if we can find some answers to a question that's been bugging Hank a lot lately - just how much hot water are we in?

Earth had a climate long before we showed up and started noticing it and it's influenced by a whole series of cycles that have been churning along for hundreds of millions of years. In most cases those cycles will continue long after we're gone. A look at the history of climate change on Earth can give us some much needed perspective on our current climate dilemma because the surprising truth is, what we're experiencing now is different than anything this planet has encountered before. So, let's take a stroll down Climate History Lane and see if we can find some answers to a question that's been bugging Hank a lot lately - just how much hot water are we in?

"Climate change isn't an issue for any one government or any one region. Carbon pollution has taken a devastating toll across the planet, from floods in Manila to droughts in Australia. To learn about the global reach of the environmental changes caused by human behavior, take a world tour with the six videos that premiered during Climate Reality Project's 24 Hours of Reality: The Cost of Carbon."

"Climate change isn't an issue for any one government or any one region. Carbon pollution has taken a devastating toll across the planet, from floods in Manila to droughts in Australia. To learn about the global reach of the environmental changes caused by human behavior, take a world tour with the six videos that premiered during Climate Reality Project's 24 Hours of Reality: The Cost of Carbon."

"From the damage wrought by Hurricane Sandy to the upheaval caused by drought in the Middle East, this groundbreaking documentary event series provides first-hand reports on those affected by, and seeking solutions to, climate change. Coming in 2014."

"From the damage wrought by Hurricane Sandy to the upheaval caused by drought in the Middle East, this groundbreaking documentary event series provides first-hand reports on those affected by, and seeking solutions to, climate change. Coming in 2014."

"Human Footprint" video from National Geographic

"What YOU Can Do About Climate Change"

"An analysis of global temperatures by NASA scientists shows that 2013 was the seventh warmest year since 1880 (tied with 2006 and 2009). Nine of the 10 warmest years on record all have occurred since 2000, with 2010 and 2005 ranking as the warmest. Scientists at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) reported that 2013 continued the long-term trend of rising air temperatures over the land and sea surface. This animation shows monthly temperature anomalies from 1880 through 2013."

"If you think solar power is a good investment, you're hardly alone. Solar panels will generate close to 10 per cent of the nation's daytime electricity this summer. In South Australia, it will reach 30 per cent. In all, 1.15 million Australian homes and businesses have installed solar electricity systems and demand is growing."

This interactive map shows the UK "Operation Renewable Electricity Sites" over 0.01 MW listed in the Department of Energy and Climate Change's RESTATS Planning Database extract, downloaded on 30 December 2013.