Sustainability and Global Issues - November 2006

Climate change conference agrees to Kyoto review

18.Nov.06: Ministers at an international conference on climate change have agreed to a review of the Kyoto protocol on greenhouse gas emissions. ... more

Stem militancy or face war: General

18.Nov.06: THE top US general in the Middle East has said that if the world does not find a way to stem the rise of Islamic militancy, it will face a third world war. ... more

Dirty Water Kills 5,000 Children a Day

18.Nov.06: Nearly two million children a year die for want of clean water and proper sanitation while the world's poor often pay more for their water than people in Britain or the US. ... more

Santos oil discovery fuels expansion plans

18.Nov.06: OIL and gas producer Santos Ltd says it has intersected oil at its Blackbird well off the coast of Vietnam, fuelling its expansion plans in the region. ... more

Carbon cuts set for 2008 talks

18.Nov.06: THE 168 members of the United Nations' pact for cutting greenhouse gases will launch negotiations in 2008 over the next round of pledges for tackling global warming, a worldwide conference on climate change decided overnight. ... more

Biofuels Discovery May End Dependence on Natural Gas

18.Nov.06: Researchers have developed a new, carbon-neutral way to convert vegetable-based fuels to syngas, a breakthrough that could allow producers to power hydrogen fuel cells or create a replacement for America's dwindling supplies of natural gas, all without relying on fossil fuels. ... more

Global energy atop G20 agenda

18.Nov.06: Finance ministers from the worlds biggest economies will meet in Melbourne this weekend to discuss foreign aid, climate change and global energy issues. ... more

Seafood Faces Collapse by 2048

18.Nov.06: If current trends of overfishing and pollution continue, the populations of just about all seafood face collapse by 2048. ... more

New York oil price slumps

18.Nov.06: THE price of crude oil in New York sank overnight beneath $US55 per barrel, striking a level last seen in June 2005 amid concerns over the full implementation of a recent cut in OPEC oil output. ... more

House water ‘revolution’

18.Nov.06: BORDER firm Milspec is aiming to revolutionise the way Australians use household water with a new grey-water recycling unit manufactured in Albury. ... more

Benalla faces new restrictions

18.Nov.06: The same restrictions would apply at Oxley and Moyhu from Monday as the level of Lake William Hovell fell. ... more

Arctic Reserves Won't Replace OPEC Crude

18.Nov.06: There isn't enough oil under the Arctic Circle to replace crude from OPEC, according to new research. ... more

Australia may introduce Kyoto measures

15.Nov.06: AUSTRALIA will probably have to introduce new measures to meet its Kyoto target on greenhouse gas emissions, Environment Minister Ian Campbell has revealed. ... more

New Kyoto hard to live up to: Murdoch

15.Nov.06: NEWS Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch has said it is "going to be hard" for all countries to sign and adhere to a new Kyoto agreement. ... more

Preliminary carbon trading meeting 'productive'

15.Nov.06: The Prime Minister, John Howard, has held a preliminary meeting today with key players in the move to create a task force to look at a carbon trading scheme. ... more

Vic parties fight over energy targets

15.Nov.06: The Victorian Labor and Liberal parties have locked horns over the merits of the state government's renewable energy targets. ... more

National day of prayer called for rain

15.Nov.06: CHRISTIAN church leaders will pray for rain in a bid to help drought-affected Australian farmers. ... more

Nature of climate change debate changing: Gore

15.Nov.06: Former US vice-president Al Gore says Australia has experienced a recent and significant shift in focus on climate change. ... more

Kofi Annan to open global climate talks

15.Nov.06: United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan will open high-level talks in Nairobi on combating climate change on Wednesday night. ... more

PM \'holds key to climate crisis\'

15.Nov.06: CLIMATE campaigner Al Gore not only forgives John Howard for panning his documentary film about impending planetary catastrophe, he nominates the Prime Minister as the key to a global effort to solve the crisis. ... more

Firms\' eco impact 'a growing concern'

15.Nov.06: As concerns surrounding global warming and water shortages mount, businesses may find they are faced with increasing pressure from the public to disclose their environmental impact. ... more

Bush administration face climate lawsuit

15.Nov.06: Environmentalists have filed a law suit against the Bush administration for failing to produce a report on global warming's impact on the United States' environment, economy and public health. ... more

Government to push for 'new Kyoto'

13.Nov.06: Australia's push for its desired "new Kyoto" at a major climate change conference in Africa will be hobbled from the start because it has not ratified the Kyoto Protocol on easing global warming, critics warn. ... more

Howard supports Costello's carbon talk

13.Nov.06: PRIME Minister John Howard has denied any shift in government policy on climate change following Peter Costello's talk on carbon trading. ... more

States shouldn't rely on rain for water supply: Turnbull

13.Nov.06: The parliamentary secretary for water, Malcolm Turnbull, says the states need to find new sources of water that are not dependent on rainfall. ... more

Plans for new dam in NSW

13.Nov.06: PLANS are under way to build a $342 million dam in NSW's Hunter Valley region as the long-running drought tightens its grip on the state. ... more

Campbell rejects Govt dragging its feet on carbon trading

13.Nov.06: Federal Environment Minister Ian Campbell has hit back at claims the Commonwealth is dragging its feet over the issue of carbon trading. ... more

Howard to pursue climate change at APEC meeting

13.Nov.06: Prime Minister John Howard has listed climate change as the major issue to be discussed at this week's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders Meeting in Vietnam. ... more

Costello backs carbon trading

13.Nov.06: AUSTRALIA will have to sign up to a global carbon trading scheme to tackle climate change, Treasurer Peter Costello has said. ... more

Democrats win 'won't see US withdrawal'

13.Nov.06: THE Democrats' victory in the US election will not see an immediate American troop withdrawal from Iraq, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer says. ... more

Report tips uranium mining shake-up

13.Nov.06: A think tank largely made up of uranium industry executives has called for a shake-up of the way uranium ore is regulated and mined in Australia. ... more

Contingency plans for water supplies: PM

07.Nov.06: Contingency plans are being drawn up to secure water supplies during the current drought, Prime Minister John Howard says. ... more

Water shouldn't be federal: farmers

07.Nov.06: The Murray-Darling Basin should not be controlled by one federal body, the NSW Farmers Association says. ... more

Premiers call for faster water funding

07.Nov.06: State premiers have called for faster funding decisions under a national water program as they head into an emergency summit. ... more

Vics urge PM on 'super-pipe' pledge

07.Nov.06: Victoria's Water Minister John Thwaites has called for federal government support for the construction of a "super-pipe". ... more

Aussies will pay to go green: poll

07.Nov.06: Almost two-thirds of Australians are prepared to pay higher taxes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new poll. ... more

Icebergs threaten shipping near NZ

06.Nov.06: Authorities have issued a marine hazard warning as huge icebergs drift towards international shipping lanes south of New Zealand. ... more

Rainfall to drop 40 per cent by 2070: study

06.Nov.06: A new study showing the regional impact of climate change in New South Wales suggests that annual rainfall could drop by as much as 40 per cent by the year 2070. ... more

SA irrigators urge summit to address water 'inequality'

06.Nov.06:The head of the South Australian Murray Irrigators is calling for tomorrow's water summit in Canberra to consider more equal water restrictions for both rural and city areas. ... more

Leadership needed on water, Labor says

06.Nov.06: Federal Opposition Leader Kim Beazley says the Commonwealth must show leadership to deal with the nation's growing water problems. ... more

Australia, US in focus at climate meeting

06.Nov.06: AUSTRALIA and the US will come under pressure to fall into line as a global climate summit beginning in Nairobi today starts to debate the future after the Kyoto Protocol expires. ... more

Oil prices fall in Asian trading

06.Nov.06: FALLING petrol prices offset the rising cost of fruit and vegetables, holiday travel and financial services to keep consumer prices steady in October. ... more

Water meeting 'must include climate'

06.Nov.06: GOVERNMENTS must develop water plans that took into account dramatic changes in the Australian climate, a water economics expert said today. ... more