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Sustainability

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What is Sustainability

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Reduce ELECTRICITY and WATER use

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Schools - reduce your Water & Electricity use

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Reduce your electricity use..

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reduce your Energy (electricity) use

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Save electricity!

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Reduce your electricity use

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The impact of humans on Earths Resources.

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Natural resources & human effects on the earth

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This is for the third grade science curriculum. It should explain the concepts and ideas thouroghly.

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Reduce paper use

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Reduce your paper use

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How to Save Water for kids

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Ways to reduce PAPER use

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Easy ways to save water

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Reduce your water use

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How to Reduce your Use of Water at home

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How electricity gets to you.

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Electricity grid - how electricity gets to you - Origin Energy

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Australia's sophisticated electrical grid ensures electricity can make the long journey to our homes & businesses. Find out how electricity gets to you.

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How is electricity made, the process from coal to house... further resource pages, eg. how does electricity get to your home.

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If you are vision-impaired or have some other disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act or a similar law, and you wish to discuss potential accommodations related to shopping or ordering on or using the benefits of our website, please contact Alliant Energy at 1-800-ALLIANT (800-255-4268).

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How we get electricity.

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Electricity is a type of energy that was discovered over 100 years ago. One of the most common ways to make electricity is by converting other energy sources, such as coal, natural gas, and oil or solar, wind and falling water. You may not even realize that electricity is a huge part of your everyday life.

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How doe we get electricity to our homes.

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AE Kids : How Electricity Gets To Your Home

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If you are vision-impaired or have some other disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act or a similar law, and you wish to discuss potential accommodations related to shopping or ordering on or using the benefits of our website, please contact Alliant Energy at 1-800-ALLIANT (800-255-4268).

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Earths Resources

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Earth has many resources for humans to survive and thrive. Some resources, such as water, wind and sun, are abundant and nonrenewable. Others, such as petroleum and natural gas, are available in limited quantities and are considered nonrenewable. As technology develops and fossil fuels dwindle, cleaner renewable power is becoming a more viable option for electricity every day.

Nonrenewable Resources

Nonrenewable resources cannot be replenished through conservation or production effords. According to Prentice Hall's guide to Earth's resources, nonrenewable resources "include coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear power." Nonrenewable resources must be conserved for future use because there is no reasonable way for humans to produce more.

Fossil Fuels

Coal, oil and natural gas are fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are formed in Earth over a period of roughly 300 million years. According to the University of Michigan's guide to fossil fuels, petroleum can be synthesized into a variety of fuels, including kerosene, gasoline and diesel. In a controlled laboratory environment, coal can be used to synthesize methane gas.

Renewable Resources

Renewable resources include water, solar, wind and biomass-based power. Though a finite amount of water exists on the planet, local conservations efforts can relieve water shortages within a short period of time. Since the resources can be significantly replenished through human effort, they are considered to be renewable.

Switchgrass

Switchgrass is a fast-growing grass that produces high amounts of thermal energy, called BTUs, when burned. The U.S. Department of Energy believes that with developing technology that converts plant matter into fuels such as usable gasoline and diesel, switchgrass can supply a reliable source of cleaner, renewable energy.

The Department of Engergy also theorizes that the production of switchgrass will grow enough plant matter to offset some of the pollution caused by burning fuels. Though technology to convert switchgrass into fuel is still developing, burning switchgrass already offers a cleaner-burning alternative to burning fossil fuels.

Solar Power

Solar power is a hot ticket in the environmental community because it is a completely clean source of energy. According to the DOE, solar power is harnessed in one of two ways. Solar power can be used to heat water and air for household use. Solar power also can be collected using solar cells arranged in panels. Solar panels convert solar energy directly to electricity, which then can be used like any other electric power. Since solar power is mostly collected during the day, systems relying solely on solar power must have a way to store the energy for use during dim days or at night.

Wind

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, wind power is a clean source of energy that is gathered by harnessing the movement of the wind with windmills or turbines. A disadvantage to wind power is its sporadic nature. Since the patterns of wind cannot be predicted with total accuracy, a power storage mechanism or alternate power source is needed for reliable power.

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Earth has many resources for humans to survive and thrive. Some resources, such as water, wind and sun, are abundant and nonrenewable. Others, such as petroleum and natural gas, are available in limited quantities and are considered nonrenewable. As technology develops and fossil fuels dwindle, cleaner renewable power ...

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Reducing your use of Natural Resources.

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How to Reduce the Use of Natural Resources

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Reducing the use of natural resources is key to preserving the earth. Reducing the use of a variety of natural resources -- trees, fuels and water -- can have a big impact on the overall sustainability of the earth's ecosystem.

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How to reduce impact on natural resources.

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The Union of Concerned Scientists, a group of over two thousand scientists, has concluded that global warming is beyond dispute, and already changing our climate.

The last 30 years have seen the warmest surface temperatures in recorded history, and the past several years have been among the warmest on record.

Scientists have concluded that human activity, primarily the burning of fossil fuels, is the major driving factor in global warming. Read: how global warming has developed.

Global warming can be slowed, and stopped, with practical actions that yield a cleaner, healthier atmosphere. The question is: will we act soon enough?

Ultimately it is up to each of us, as individuals and families, to take action to slow down and eventually reverse global warming through everyday awareness of our energy use, and attention to ways we can conserve electricity and minimize fossil fuel usage.

What we can do

The goal is to bring global warming under control by curtailing the release of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping "greenhouse" gases into the atmosphere.

We can contribute to this global cause with personal actions. Our individual efforts are especially significant in countries like the US and Canada, where individuals release over 10,000 pounds of carbon dioxide per person every year.

"Many people don't realize that we are committed right now to a significant amount of global warming and sea level rise...the longer we wait to do something about it, the more change we will have."

Gerald Meehl, The National Center for Atmospheric Research
We can help immediately by becoming more energy efficient. Reducing our use of oil, gasoline and coal also sets an example for others to follow.

Reduce electricity usage around the home

The largest source of greenhouse gases is electric power generation. The average home actually contributes more to global warming than the average car. This is because much of the energy we use in our homes comes from power plants which burn fossil fuel to power our electric products.

To reduce the amount of electricity used in our homes:

Improve vehicle fuel-efficiency

The second largest source of greenhouse gases is transportation. Motor vehicles are responsible for about a third of all carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. and Canada.

Recycle air conditioner coolant
If your car has an air conditioner, make sure you recycle its coolant whenever you have it serviced. You can save thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide each year by doing this.

Drive less
You'll save energy by taking the bus, riding a bike, or walking. Try consolidating trips to the mall or longer routine drives. Encourage car-pooling.

Conserve energy in the home and yard

Yard maintenance contributes significantly to greenhouse emissions. Per hour of operation, a power lawn mower emits 10-12 times as much hydrocarbon as a typical auto. A weedeater emits 21 times more and a leaf blower 34 times more.

Paint your home a light color if you live in a warm climate, or a dark color in a cold climate.
This can contribute saving up to 5000 pounds of carbon dioxide per year.

Choose clean energy options
If you can choose your electricity supplier, pick a company that generates at least half its power from wind, solar energy and other renewable sources.

Buy clean energy certificates and carbon offsets
Help spur the renewable energy market and cut global warming pollution with "wind certificates" or "green tags," which represent clean power you can add to the nation's energy grid in place of electricity from fossil fuels.More info. A "carbon offset" is an emission reduction credit which can be purchased by individuals, businesses and governments to reduce their net greenhouse gas emissions. More info.

Making energy conservation a part of our daily awareness is essential to the goal of reducing global warming.

While it may be difficult to adopt some of these suggestions, any amount of energy saved is significant. Even small changes are worthwhile, as they spark our awareness. As we become more aware of the importance of saving energy, we find ways of saving where possible.

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About the Author

Greg Seaman
Originally from Long Island, NY, Greg Seaman founded Eartheasy in 2000 out of concern for the environment and a desire to help others live more sustainably. As Editor, Greg combines his upbringing in the cities of New York, Boston and San Francisco with the contrast of 31 years of living 'off-grid' to give us a balanced perspective on sustainable living. Greg spends his free time gardening, working on his home and building a wooden sailboat with hand tools.

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Global Warming / Climate Change: What We Can Do About It

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The Union of Concerned Scientists, a group of over two thousand scientists, has concluded that global warming is beyond dispute, and already changing our climate. The last 30 years have seen the warmest surface temperatures in recorded history, and the past several years have been among the warmest on record.

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How to reduce impact on natural resources.

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The world's natural resources have conflicting demands upon them and can be difficult to manage.

Conflicting demands for resources

The environment should be preserved.

Resources need to be retained for future generations to enjoy.

Humans need to continue to make and do the things that allow them to live comfortably.

LEDCs need to develop through exploiting their resources.

There should be a better balance between the consumption of those resources between LEDCs and MEDCs.

To conserve natural resources for future generations, sustainable [ [ sustainable: Doing something in a way that minimises damage to the environment and avoids using up natural resources, eg by using renewable resources. ] management of the natural environment is necessary. Alternative resources might be developed in order to ease the strain on finite resources finite resource: A resource that can only be used once and is in limited supply. For example, oil is a finite resource. ] . However, alternative resources can be expensive and take time to develop. Existing resources could be used more efficiently, to prevent finite resources being used up so quickly.

Ways to limit the damage caused by humans to the environment include:

Sustainable resource management can help ensure that the use of resources does not cause an imbalance in the environment. Increasingly, sustainable practices are being encouraged to preserve animal and plant life for the benefit of future generations. An example of sustainable development is eco-tourism. Tourists are able to enjoy areas of natural beauty without requiring over-development that might harm the environment.

Recycling resources reduces waste. Used cans, bottles, paper and cardboard can be recycled and reduces the need to use extra resources.

Limiting carbon emissions generated from industrial and domestic use of fuels can assist in reducing pollution levels and limit environmental problems such as global warming and acid rain. Some nations, including the UK, signed the Kyoto Protocol to say they will try to reduce carbon emissions.

Resource substitution is another sustainable way in which resources can be managed. Renewable resources can be used instead of finite resources. Electric power can be produced with a renewable energy resource such as tidal, wind or solar power instead of fossil fuels.

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The world's natural resources have conflicting demands upon them and can be difficult to manage. The environment should be preserved. Resources need to be retained for future generations to enjoy. Humans need to continue to make and do the things that allow them to live comfortably. LEDCs need to develop through exploiting their resources.

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How to reduce, reuse and recycle.

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waste minimisation; recycle; reduce; reuse

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Reduce, reuse, recycle (Department of Environment and Science)

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Information about how to reduce the amount of waste disposal.

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How can we reduce paper use

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Why should we care about our paper usage? For me the key points are that it is an expensive, impermanent storage medium that is made primarily out of those wondrous things we call trees.

Americans are the heaviest paper users in the world, with an estimated average yearly per capita consumption of paper products of 700 pounds per year. Even just office paper can be a very substantial expense on its own. Costs of hundreds to even thousands of dollars per year per person (or employee) are not rare.

I personally have used only a few hundred sheets of virgin paper in the last eight years. Most of which were printed at a local library and were university papers that were double-sided whenever I was allowed to. How did I do away with my paper usage to such a great extent? The tips below will show you how I did it, even though in that time I completed four university degrees.

Wondrous trees

During his excellent talk at TED, William McDonough challenges designers with the following 'assignment':

Design something that makes oxygen, sequesters carbon, fixes nitrogen, distills water, accrues solar energy as fuel, makes complex sugars and food, creates microclimates, changes colors with the seasons, and self-replicates.

Well, why don't we knock that down and write on it?

If you ever begin to doubt how unbelievably wondrous trees are, read that above statement again. It is a sobering call to action even as our world's ecosystems face tremendous and increasing overuse. By respecting and understanding (and mimicking as best we can) the beauty and spectacular capability of the living world, we can learn to live increasingly happy and high-quality lives in harmony with nature.

Why should I?

1. Saves you money in the long run. Paper costs tend to add up over time. If you doubt this claim, try accounting for your home or office paper product usage over the course of a month period.

2. The process of recycling paper requires energy and usually bleaching agents. Both bleach and energy production generally harm the environment.

3. About 90% of paper comes from trees, the majority of which are not sustainably harvested. By reducing our paper use we can reduce our support for this generally non-renewable industry.

How can I do it?

Don't print this list. If you really want to print it, do it double-sided with small margins and small font. Copy and paste it into a word processor so that you can control exactly what gets printed.

1. Change your bills to 'paperless' and pay them online or by phone. Most companies will make this easy for you to do since an Email is a lot cheaper than postage. You can also set up automatic billing, which should be even lower stress (assuming that you can pay them) since it just automatically debits your bank account at billing time. Ask for paperless reports from credit cards and banks as well. Most banks offer this service through their websites or phone support.

2. Save online receipts in a folder on your computer. How? In Windows you can take a screenshot by pressing the "Print Screen" key on your keyboard. Once you have taken the screenshot you can use 'paste' in an image editing program such as Paint, or a word processor such as Microsoft Word. This can get a bit tiresome if the receipt is multiple pages long. An even better technique is to print to a file. There are many print-to-file techniques available, though they depend on your computer's operating system and setup. Every operating system that I am aware of has one of these, it just sometimes takes a little bit of setting up. If you don't know how to print to a file, try searching for "<your operating system name and version> print to file" on an Internet search engine such as Google. You can refine this search by putting in a filetype as well, such as pdf, rtf, png, etc. If you don't feel your technical skills are up to the task, ask a computer-savvy friend or a kid.

3. Try to end junk mail. Many companies have simple contact details for phone or internet. There are many tips for doing this around the Internet such as at EHow.

4. Minimize your use of paper. Re-use one-sided paper for notes, sketches, rough work, etc. Use both sides of pieces of paper.

5. Don't use a bigger piece of paper than you need. If you only need half or a quarter of a page to write down a recipe or shopping list, then only use that amount.

6. Use paper from recycling bins for notes, etc. Most people only print on one side, leaving a full side of high quality white paper. This saved me a lot of money in university. The library always had a lot of paper in the recycle bins beside the printers. I would just go in and take a stack every once in a while. The amount that people printed and sent straight into the recycle bins was just staggering.

7. Use electronic storage rather than paper storage for material. Don't print them unless you really have to. Electronic storage can be very reliable if it is set up with backups. How do you make automatically scheduled backups? For Windows I have used DirSyncPro which can be run using the Windows scheduler at specific times of the day/week/month. See the DirSyncPro FAQ for more info on how to set that up. There are also built-in backup utilities for versions of Mac OS X, Linux, and Windows that have been released in the last five to ten years. You can easily find out how to use these by searching online. Another alternative that I have been liking lately is cloud storage online. I use the free service offered by Google Docs for most of my document needs, so I never have to worry about hard drive failures.

8. If you need to buy paper, buy recycled when you can. It isn't perfect, but it is a step in the right direction.

9. Be frugal about magazine subscriptions, newspapers etc. Many newspapers have online versions. Online magazine subscriptions are also available at places like Barnes & Noble.

1. Think before you print. Do you really need to print it? Many people have bad habits of just clicking the print button whenever they want to read something. Especially in office settings this can be incredibly wasteful. If you computer screen isn't nice enough to read things on, consider upgrading to a newer, higher quality one. Specifically, old CRT monitors have a flicker to them that was harder on eyes than modern LCD monitors. Reading on a screen isn't perfect either, but it doesn't waste paper needlessly.

2. If you only need one page of a document, only print that. This is often very easy to do in the 'print' menu of whatever word processor (or Internet browser) you are using.

3. When printing a web page, copy and paste the text into a word processor so that it is formatted correctly for printing. Printing webpages 'as is' often prints a lot of junk that you don't want, perhaps also using up colored inks as well.

4. Proofread your work carefully before printing it. Use the 'print preview' mode in your word processor / presentation software / spreadsheet software in order to make sure what you are printing is exactly what you want.

5. You can print on both sides of the paper with most modern printers. This is often referred to as print 'duplex'.

6. Adjust margins on your documents. The smaller margin of .75 inch (1.90cm) is becoming more common.

1. Electronic document collaboration is superior to paper document collaboration. Here at Vision of Earth we use Google Docs for all of our writing. It is a simple system that allows us to cooperatively edit documents, as well as track the changes made by each person. For more information on how we at collaborate, see our post on software tools that we use to collaborate across the world.

2. It is possible to do effective editing and collaboration even using standard word processors. For instance, you can learn to use "track changes" in Microsoft Word, or Edit->Changes in OpenOffice Writer. This lets you put editing marks in documents, and also view the editing changes that have been made by other people.

3. Use email (electronic mail) rather than paper mail when you can. Most businesses and even governments are in the process of transferring over to electronically available services. This will drastically reduce the costs of postal service as well.

4. Use a USB stick, also known as a 'thumb drive', to move around or share electronic documents rather than printing them. Encourage people coming to meetings to bring their reports in electronic format, and for attendees to bring electronic storage of their own (or share via an Internet-based document storage). Many companies are utilizing an 'intranet' now, allowing them to securely distribute documents to company employees only.

5. Use electronic fax services. There are a number of them available, some of which are even free for one page faxes such as fax zero. The quality can sometimes be a bit low with the free services, so it is recommended that you phone the fax receiver to make sure that they can read the sent document.

6. Don't place paper contacts on business cards (such as a postal mailing address). Only put email, and phone. This forces people to contact you through these electronic mediums.

1. Use cloth napkins.

2. Use rags instead of paper towels.

3. Try to not use paper plates. Use durable washable ones if you need something for a BBQ. In terms of environmental impact the trend usually goes like this: Reusable plates are better than paper plates which are better than plastic plates.

4. Use a handkerchief instead of kleenex.

5. Use a white board for lists/notes/announcements.

6. Buy bulk foods using your own reusable containers rather than buying supermarket boxed goods.

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Why should we care about our paper usage? For me the key points are that it is an expensive, impermanent storage medium that is made primarily out of those wondrous things we call trees. Americans are the heaviest paper users in the world, with an estimated average yearly per capita consumption of paper products of 700 pounds per year.

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How can we help save the trees.

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If you're a fan of nature and the environment, you're probably already doing things to take care of the planet - on Earth Day and every day. This month, I've shared ways kids (and families) can help protect wildlife and oceans. Today I'm focusing on ways kids can help save trees.

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Over 70 per cent of the Earth's surface is covered in water, but only one per cent can be used for drinking. To keep up with demand (and make sure we don't go thirsty!) we need a variety of water sources.

Scroll down to learn about the different water sources and how we use them.

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Water sources | South East Water Education

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Over 70 per cent of the Earth's surface is covered in water, but only one per cent can be used for drinking. Scroll down to learn about the different water sources such as rain and grey water, groundwater and recycled water.

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Water - how it gets to your home.

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How water comes from rivers to homes.

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How many trees are used to make paper.

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Many people have heard the statistic that "a ton of recycled paper saves 17 trees." The "17 trees" number was popularized by Conservatree when it was a paper distributor, based on a report to Congress in the 1970s. It was calculated for newsprint, which is made in a totally different papermaking process from office and printing papers.

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How trees are made into paper.

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Paper information, how to save paper/reduce your use.

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How to reduce your energy use at home

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How to reduce your electricity use

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How to save water and be WaterWise

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Save Water and Be WaterWise WA - Water Saving Tips & Advice

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View water saving tips and advice on how we can all work together to save water in Western Australia to ensure our water supply for the future.

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WaterWise Tips for home

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Explains how

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Information about environmental regulations when mining, how the mine is rehabilitated and what mining companies are doing to reduce the environmental impact.

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Look at the environmental impacts of mining, including the threat to native animal and plant species and some of the measures that are being taken by environmental groups to safeguard their survival.

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Introduction

Mining, by its nature, involves the disturbance of land. This can often have serious consequences for the surrounding environment. In this chapter we will look at the environmental impacts of mining, including the threat to native animal and plant species and some of the measures that are being taken by environmental groups to safeguard their survival.

Environmental effects of mining

Animals and plants can be severely affected by mining projects. As mining often requires the destruction of a particular area, the ecology of that region will be affected. Many of our native animal species are dependent upon grass, plants and other vegetation for food. The removal of these through mining can compromise their ability to survive.

For animals in a mining area, their basic survival needs, including access to food, water and adequate shelter, can be reduced or removed altogether. Some species of animals, such as kangaroos and possums are able to adapt to these changes in their environment. They will either find alternative food sources or move on to other areas. In the case of kangaroos, they have evolved specifically to survive in a changing environment, even altering their breeding habits to ensure their survival.

Other animals may not be able to adapt so successfully. Those that are dependent upon particular varieties of plants may not survive if these are removed. These animals will decline sharply in numbers if they are unable to breed and can eventually become extinct. See image 1

The destruction of large tracts of land to establish a mineshaft can have a devastating effect on the plant life of that region. Trees and plants will be cleared to make way for the mining project. In some cases rare or unusual plants may be removed. If these plants are native to the region being mined, the mining activities can affect their ability to be regrown. This can lead to certain species and varieties of flora dying out.

One example is the Curly-bark Wattle. As it only grows in certain parts of New South Wales, mining and quarrying have had a devastating effect upon this rare species of wattle. At present there are only 20 populations of this tree in New South Wales, with a total of 5000 trees in all. As a result, the Curly-bark wattle is now listed by environmentalists as a threatened species. See image 2

Subsidence caused by certain types of mining has been recognised in recent years as having a permanent and damaging effect on the surrounding environment. Subsidence occurs when the area being mined weakens and eventually collapses. This can lead to cracks forming under riverbeds and lakes.

The Gordon River in New South Wales has become the focus of great concern in recent years. Persistent mining in the area has led to interruption in the river's flow, degradation of the river bed and the presence of toxic chemicals in the region's water supply. This affects native species that are dependent upon aquatic or semi-aquatic habitats such as wading birds, reptiles and fish.

Restoring a balance

Scientists and environmental groups have become increasingly concerned in recent decades about the damage caused by mining projects. Their continuous campaigning has led to the introduction of new government legislation for mining and mineral exploration. They have also worked with mining companies and government departments to create ecologically viable solutions for the use of the land. These include the provision of sufficient funding for minesite rehabilitation, limits on the types of chemicals that can be used and new, tougher laws for the disposal of mining waste products. See image 3

See animation

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Environment 1: dangers, Australian mining, Gold and mining, SOSE, Year 6, SA Introduction Mining, by its nature, involves the disturbance of land. This can often have serious consequences for the surrounding environment. In this chapter we will look at the environmental impacts of mining, including the threat to native ...

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Your avatar

National Electricity Grid

khewson
14h
National Electricity Grid
What is an electricity grid?
 1-Natural-Electricity-Grid-Factsheet.pdf
1-Natural-Electricity-Grid-Factsheet.pdf
PDF document
www.oresomeresources.com
Your avatar

Mining and the Environment

khewson
14h
Mining and the Environment
Information about environmental regulations when mining, how the mine is rehabilitated and what mining companies are doing to reduce the environmental impact.
 Fact-sheet-Mining-and-Environment.pdf
Fact-sheet-Mining-and-Environment.pdf
PDF document
www.oresomeresources.com

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What is an electricity grid?

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This fact sheet describes how coal is formed, mined, processed and used.

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This diagram shows some of the impacts mining has on the environment

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Australia's energy production, consumption and exports

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A secure supply of adequate, clean, reliable energy at an affordable price is vital for Australia's economic growth and prosperity. Fortunately, Australia is well endowed with an abundance of both fossil and renewable fuels. Our energy resources power our homes, cars and industry, and are a key contributor to Australia's economic prosperity. The Australian energy sector directly accounts for 5 per cent of gross industry value-added; 20 per cent of total export value; supports a large range of manufacturing industries; and provides significant employment and infrastructure in every state and territory. The demand for energy is increasing as Australia's economy and population grow.

To date Australia's energy needs have been largely met by fossil fuels. Australia's abundant and low-cost coal resources are used to generate three-quarters of domestic electricity and underpin some of the cheapest electricity in the world. Australia's transport system is heavily dependent on oil, some of which is imported. At present renewable energy sources account for only modest proportions of Australia's primary energy consumption (around 5 per cent) and electricity generation (7 per cent), although their use has been increasing strongly in recent years.

The Australian Energy Resource Assessment provides a comprehensive review of Australia's energy resources, from fossil fuels and uranium to renewable energy, including a review of known and potential resources, technologies for extraction, and projected energy use and production in 2030.

Australia's Energy Production, Consumption and Exports

Australia has an estimated 46 per cent of uranium resources, 6 per cent of coal resources, and 2 per cent of natural gas resources in the world. In contrast, Australia has only about 0.3 per cent of world oil reserves.

Australia produces about 2.4 per cent of total world energy and is a major supplier of energy to world markets, exporting more than three-quarters of its energy output, worth nearly A$80 billion.

Australia is the world's largest exporter of coal. Coal accounts for more than half of Australia's energy exports. Australia is one of the world's largest exporters of uranium, and is ranked sixth in terms of liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports. In contrast, more than half of Australia's liquid fuel needs are imported.

Australia is the world's twentieth largest consumer of energy, and fifteenth in terms of per capita energy use.

Australia's primary energy consumption is dominated by coal (around 40 per cent), oil (34 per cent) and gas (22 per cent). Coal accounts for about 75 per cent of Australia's electricity generation, followed by gas (16 per cent), hydro (5 per cent) and wind around (2 per cent).

Data on Australia's energy production and consumption are published annually in the Australian Energy Statistics produced by Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES). The database consists of detailed historical energy consumption and production statistics compiled from various sources.

Resources

Australia's abundant, high quality energy resources are widely distributed across the country. With the exception of oil, these resources are expected to last for many more decades, even as production increases. Australia has a significant proportion of the world's uranium and coal resources and large resources of conventional and unconventional gas. Australia also has access to a range of high quality, abundant renewable energy sources, many of which are yet to be developed.

Australia's non-renewable and renewable energy resources and their distribution are described in the Australian Energy Resource Assessment. Geoscience Australia provides annual assessments of Australia's petroleum resources in Oil and Gas Resources of Australia and coal and uranium (and other minerals) in Australia's Identified Mineral Resources.

Coal

Australia has substantial resources of coal, both black and brown. The most significant black coal resources are located in the Bowen-Surat (Queensland) and Sydney basin (New South Wales). Coal is Australia's largest commodity export with annual thermal and metallurgical coal exports worth more than $40 billion, mainly to Japan, India, European Union, Republic of Korea and Taiwan. Economic demonstrated resources (EDR) of black coal are adequate for about 90 years at current rates of production.

Australia's very large brown coal resources are located mostly in the Gippsland Basin in Victoria where it is used for electricity production. At current rates of production, there are nearly 500 years of brown coal resources remaining.

Gas

Australia also has significant resources of gas that include large conventional gas resources located mostly in the Carnarvon, Browse and Bonaparte basins off the northwest coast with smaller resources in the Gippsland Basin offshore Victoria and the onshore Cooper-Eromanga Basin in South Australia. EDR of conventional gas are adequate at current levels of production for around 60 years.

Substantial resources of coal seam gas (CSG) are associated with the major coal basins of Eastern Australia. CSG resources are being rapidly increased by exploration with significant economic demonstrated resources of CSG now identified in the Bowen, Surat and Sydney basins.

Crude Oil, Condensate and Liquified Petroleum Gas

Australia's crude oil resources, located mostly in the Carnarvon and Gippsland basins, are only small by world standards but are boosted by substantial condensate and LPG resources associated with the major largely undeveloped gas fields in the Carnarvon, Browse and Bonaparte basins off the northwest coast of Western Australia. A number of sedimentary basins remain to be assessed. Australia also has significant oil shale resources, especially near Gladstone, Queensland that could provide additional liquid fuels if developed.

Uranium

Australia has more than one third of the world's known economic uranium resources. Australia's reasonably assured resources of uranium recoverable at less than US$80/kg (equivalent to EDR) are estimated to be around 1160kt, equivalent to more than 130 years at current production levels. Major uranium deposits are located in South Australia, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. All production is for export.

Renewable Resources

Australia's large renewable resource base is also widely distributed across the country. With the exception of hydro energy resources which are largely developed and wind energy which is growing rapidly, large-scale utilisation of Australia's renewable resources has been constrained by higher transformation costs relative to other energy sources (except for hydro), immature technologies, and long distances from markets and infrastructure.

Geothermal energy

Australia has large but as yet inadequately defined and quantified geothermal energy resources. These include hot-rock type geothermal resources associated with buried high heat-producing granites as well as hot sedimentary aquifer-type geothermal resources present in deep aquifers in a number of sedimentary basins.

Hydro energy

Australia's hydro energy resources lie within areas of highest rainfall and elevation and are mostly in New South Wales and Tasmania. Hydro energy resources were developed early in Australia and are currently the largest source of renewable electricity. A dry climate coupled with high evaporation rates and highly variable rainfall over much of Australia limits substantial expansion of hydro power.

Wind energy

Australia has some of the best wind energy resources in the world, primarily located in western, south-western, southern and south-eastern coastal regions but extending hundreds of kilometres inland and including highland areas in south-eastern Australia. Wind energy technology is relatively mature, and wind power is expanding rapidly, encouraged by government policies, notably the Renewable Energy Target. Wind energy is expected to become Australia's largest source of renewable electricity in the near future.

Solar energy

High solar radiation levels over large areas provide Australia with some of the best solar resources in the world. The best solar resources are largely located in the northwest and centre of Australia, commonly in areas that do not have access to the electricity grid, and are distant from the major population centres and key energy markets. To date relatively high capital costs have limited widespread use of solar energy resources but significant investment in research and development is aimed at increasing the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of solar power, including the development of solar thermal power stations.

Ocean energy

Australia has a world-class wave energy resource along its western and southern coastline, especially in Tasmania. The best tidal resources, on the other hand, are located along the northern margin, especially the northwest coast of Western Australia, and largely removed from the major demand centres. At present most ocean energy technologies are relatively new and still need to be proven in pilot and demonstration plants.

Bioenergy

Bioenergy is another significant potential energy resource in Australia. Biomass (organic matter) can be used to generate electricity generation and heat, as well as for the production of liquid fuels (biofuels) for transport. Currently Australia's use of bioenergy for electricity generation is small and limited to bagasse (sugar cane residue), wood waste, and gas from landfill and sewage facilities. A small but increasing amount of biofuels is produced, mostly ethanol from sugar by-products and waste starch from grain.

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A secure supply of adequate, clean, reliable energy at an affordable price is vital for Australia's economic growth and prosperity. Fortunately, Australia is well endowed with an abundance of both fossil and renewable fuels. Our energy resources power our homes, cars and industry, and are a key contributor to Australia's economic prosperity.

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Our strength lies in our people and our diversity in backgrounds. Geoscience Australia offers a variety of scientific, technical, IT and administrative roles.

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Find out the steps needed to mine bauxite

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Check rainfall and dam levels, and find out how declining rainfall is affecting the amount of water that flows into our dams. You can also learn where we source your water from and how our water usage is tracking.

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Water Corporation of WA - Rainfall, dam levels & water use

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Here you can check rainfall and dam levels and find out how declining rainfall is affecting the amount of water that flows into our dams.

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Wastewater can be reused for many different purposes.

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Water Corporation of WA - Water recycling

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Water recycling is the reuse of wastewater for a number of different purposes.

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Wastewater is water that has been used in homes, businesses and industry. What happens to the wastewater?

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Wastewater is used water that has been used inside homes, businesses and industries.

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Water Conservation Resources - Water Corporation WA

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As Western Australia (WA) continues to experience the effects of a drying climate, it is important we work together to reduce our water consumption.

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Where does Perth's water come from?

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Water supply in Western Australia is currently made up of water from dams, groundwater and desalination.

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Affordable and sustainable food supply

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Australian Institute of Food Science & Technology

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Words by Chris Baldock, University of Sydney

Looking to the future, the agri-supply chain faces two grand challenges: feeding a growing population, and ensuring that food is nutritious and healthy. They are grand because of their complex, multifaceted nature, involving demand and supply side drivers.

On 31 August 2017, ILSI SEAR Australasia in conjunction with the American Association of Cereal Chemists International (AACCI) hosted a seminar, Towards an Affordable and Sustainable Food Supply - Recent Advances and Future Prospects, in Sydney, Australia to discuss what these challenges mean and some of their innovative solutions.

NEW AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGIES AND SUSTAINABILITY
On the supply side, the rate of increase of crop improvement for production of food will not meet forecasted demand. Constraints on land, water and other inputs, as well as evolving threats including biosecurity, climate change and social license are all production hazards. Additionally, the right type of production and processing needs to occur. While many people in the world are undernourished, there are just as many who overeat. This is where supply melds into demand. Even if a sustainable, healthy and tasty product is available, consumers need to want it. Thus, solutions to these problems will need careful planning, collaboration and integration across the supply chain with health officials, government bodies, researchers, industry and consumers.

An obvious question in meeting these challenges is what do consumers want? It turns out authenticity is the latest in a growing list of consumer needs. To be authentic, a product must be what it says it is. It must be safe, of high quality and have integrity. The latter two aspects can refer to a broad range of things, including the technologies used to make a product, its origin, or its sustainability. Importantly, there must be a way to prove these qualities, for example, traceability through the supply chain or certification.

As new technologies emerge at the farm gate, how they are regulated and represented to the consumer will be critical to their profitability and success. Technologies that give yield gains may be at odds with desirable traits of authenticity. Take for instance, genetically modified (GM) crops. When these crops entered the Australian supply chain two decades ago, regulators and consumers approached this new technology with caution. Responding to this concern, legislation was passed requiring premarket assessment and approval, as well as mandatory food labelling.

Now, even though 30 years of research has proven their safety, regulations and disapproving consumer sentiment still persist. This has generated costs up and down the supply chain; from companies developing these crops who need approvals, to the certification systems put in place by logistics companies to sell and store GM and non-GM grain.

This is why all eyes are on the regulators for the new generation of breeding techniques. Lines are being blurred between the definitions of traditional and the newer gene technology based breeding techniques. Crispr Cas-9, for example can make single base pair changes in DNA, with no foreign DNA inserted. There is no way to distinguish this manipulation from natural variation. Responding to this, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) and the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) are reviewing the regulations in regard to what techniques need pre-market approval and the definitions of gene technology as well as food produced by such technology.

It is impossible to predict how consumers will respond to new technologies. Researchers, industry and government must learn from the mistakes of the past and ensure information is communicated effectively to the public.

Regardless of how consumers and regulators respond to new gene technologies, parallel opportunities exist. Traditional plant breeding techniques are producing impressive crops. The CSIRO has recently made a gluten-free, hull-less barley variety and a high amylose wheat. Advances including high throughput screening in breeding can reduce product development time drastically for new varieties. Additionally, novel "omics" approaches and big data are helping to link genotype and phenotype to better understand plant genetics at a fundamental level.

Breeding technologies share a common goal to increase yield. However, pests, diseases and weeds reduce actual yields by 40 per cent (this goes up to 60 per cent when no crop protection product is used). Accordingly, achieving yields close to the potential should be a top priority. The key to this is increased research and development output and ensuring growers use best practice. One new practice to emerge from digital agriculture is crop surveillance, whereby a grower can monitor for disease symptoms so they can be controlled quickly. The success of such technologies will depend on access to information and grower support for their implementation. New practices may also provide value adding opportunity, if they can be marketed in ways that appeal to consumers (eg "greener" practices).

FOOD PROCESSES AND IMPROVEMENTS IN FOOD SECURITY
The post-harvest supply chain suffers considerable losses too. Food processing is an exciting area for new techniques to help minimise loss, while improving nutrition, maximising resource use and enhancing flavour. New technologies involving high pressure and microwave radiation are being used to make readymade meals that don't need refrigeration. Other pressure-based techniques are being used to make nutritious unpasteurised juices and potentially safe to drink raw milk. Fortification of milk with vitamin D and encapsulation of omega 3 fatty acids are two of many examples of food processing to improve nutrition. Processing can also optimise extraction and minimise waste, for example, using ultrasound technology to increase extraction of oil while minimising water use.

The developments extend beyond the processing level. New technologies are giving consumers more information at their fingertips than ever before. The new smart label database allows consumers to search product information for things such as country of origin, allergen information, product claims or traceability. Portable near infrared technologies allow consumers to obtain real time nutritional information about fresh produce, meat and dairy. These changes are allowing consumers to assess products for their authenticity and in turn may change consumer preferences.

THE FUTURE
Feeding everyone with the right foods are the two grand challenges whose solution will rest on how we handle and harness the unprecedented rate of technological change in the agri-food sector. New management strategies, breeding and processing technologies coordinated across the supply chain, enhanced by digital agriculture, will minimise input use and waste, while maximising efficiency. Demonstrating authenticity to consumers, who have ever-increasing information about products, remains a challenge, and an opportunity for adding value. However, the degree of regulation on new technologies, especially for gene-related ones, may affect their profitability. Demand side drivers appear to be the biggest risk. Consumer attitudes can make or break a new technology. Thus, proper consultation and research with consumers is paramount, and reinforces the need for integration across the supply chain.

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Future Food: Towards an Affordable and Sustainable Food Supply

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Words by Chris Baldock, University of Sydney Looking to the future, the agri-supply chain faces two grand challenges: feeding a growing population, and ensuring that food is nutritious and healthy. They are grand because of their complex, multifaceted nature, involving demand and supply side drivers.

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Sydney's breathing wall

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An outdoor Breathing Wall unveiled as part of a new 'pocket park' in St Leonards is the first of its kind, but hopefully not for long.

The Junglefy Breathing Wall is part of the Mitchell Street Plaza, which has been transformed with the plant walls, new seating, trees and bike racks. Located next to the Pacific Highway, the structures will screen the area from traffic and reduce noise pollution, but the most interesting feature is their capacity to act as an air filter.

The double-walled structures are filled with nearly 6,000 plants that filter out vehicle exhaust as well as VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) in order to produce cleaner air. As opposed to a standard green wall or vertical garden, breathing walls are fitted with interior fans to draw air in and push it out through the exterior plant life. This speeds up the filtration process by increasing air circulation.

As a world first in urban engineering, the wall and surrounding areas will be subjected to ongoing air quality testing by the Plants and Environmental Quality Research Group from the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS). Initial results are expected by the end of the year and, if positive, could result in more breathing walls being rolled out across Sydney and Australia.

Junglefy also installed Australia's first indoor breathing wall last year at the Lendlease headquarters in Barangaroo.

Positive Action

Do your bit to green your local area by planting a tree this National Tree Day.

Build your own vertical garden on a blank wall or a bare fence at home.

Subscribe to Positive Environment News

Positive Environment News has been compiled using publicly available information. Planet Ark does not take responsibility for the accuracy of the original information and encourages readers to check the references before using this information for their own purposes.

Author: Liam Taylor

Liam is Planet Ark's Communications Coordinator. Prior to joining Planet Ark Liam spent his time studying global environmental issues, travelling Southeast Asia on the cheap and working for a sustainable property management company in Bali, Indonesia.

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An outdoor Breathing Wall unveiled as part of a new 'pocket park' in St Leonards is the first of its kind, but hopefully not for long. The Junglefy Breathing Wall is part of the Mitchell Street Plaza, which has been transformed with the plant walls, new seating, trees and bike racks.

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Mexico City is turning it's freeways into vertical gardens.

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In 2012, praise was heaped on Mexico City's efforts to improve its air quality by planting vertical gardens and green sculptures in public spaces. Well, the city has done it again, and expanded on these efforts in a bold way, adding vertical gardens to one thousand pillars that help hold up its highways, amounting to upwards of 40,000 square metres of plants.

The project, known as Via Verde (Green Way), is a non-profit reinvention of the city's major infrastructure that will add roughly 2.2 million plants to the city upon completion. These gardens and the plants they hold will absorb CO2, heat and noise while also adding some colour to these otherwise drab fixtures and producing enough oxygen for up to 25,000 people. They are also attached to specially designed irrigation systems that collect rainwater, limiting their impact on the city's water supply.

These projects have had a drastic effect on the city's air quality when combined with other efforts to limit pollution and have made Mexico City something of a standout in sustainable urban design. While other cities are exploring the idea, few have reached the implementation phase making the city a frontrunner in natural attempts at tackling pollution.

Mexico City still falls short of greenery standards set by the World Health organization, a problem the Via Verde campaign is all too aware of. However, their effort shows that with enough initiative and innovation, meaningful steps can be made to improve individual and communal well-being in some of the most densely populated cities on Earth.

Positive Actions

If you are interested in regreening your local area, consider joining or registering a National Tree Day event.

Check what your city has planned to improve the sustainability of your urban environment and get involved where possible.

Subscribe to Positive Environment News

Positive Environment News has been compiled using publicly available information. Planet Ark does not take responsibility for the accuracy of the original information and encourages readers to check the references before using this information for their own purposes.

Author: Patrick McCann

Patrick is a student of political science and history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the United States. Growing up in the Appalachian Mountains, he has always felt close to nature. Wanting to gain real world experience and make positive environmental change, he has joined us for the winter as an intern.

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Mexico City is turning its beltways into vertical gardens

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In 2012, praise was heaped on Mexico City's efforts to improve its air quality by planting vertical gardens and green sculptures in public spaces. The city has expanded on these efforts by adding vertical gardens to one thousand pillars that help hold up its highways.

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We are in the grip of a complete ecological crisis. The climate emergency is all around us and is impacting our lives in so many ways - devastating droughts, bushfires all over the country, deadly air pollution, and a reef on life support. No matter who you are, where you come from, or how much you are willing to contribute, you are an important part of this movement.

Coal is the biggest cause of climate change, and the industry and corporations behind it are deeply entrenched in our politics.

The era of waiting on politicians to act is over. We simply don't have time to wait out any more election cycles in the hope that the next government will be better than the last. We are in a climate emergency, and we need to act like it.
That's where you come in.
By uniting our collective drive, passion and strengths, we will work together to train and mobilise communities to take action that fits the scale of the crisis. Together, we will break free from coal.

When we work together we can create extraordinary change. Throughout history, people power has overcome enormous adversaries and helped shape our lives for the better.

We have solutions. We are a country blessed with abundant sunshine and wind, and we already have the clean renewable technology we need to power past coal and into the best possible future.

By uniting our collective courage, we can demand real solutions at every level, move

past petty politics and build a system that protects life in all its diversity. Together we will break free.

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Let's end coal mining and create a coal free future | Greenpeace

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We are in the grip of a complete ecological crisis. The climate emergency is all around us and is impacting our lives in so many ways - devastating droughts, bushfires all over the country, deadly air pollution, and a reef on life support.

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Forest Destruction | Greenpeace Australia Pacific

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The illegal and destructive logging operations are pushing species such as the orang-utan towards the brink of extinction and devastating local communities. What's more, forest destruction accounts for around 20% of global carbon emissions. That's more than the world's entire transport sector. We need to act fast to save the last remaining ancient forests.

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OzHarvest are trying to reduce the amount of food waste that goes to landfill, and help those people living in poverty.

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Imagine how much food 8 billion dollars would buy. Now, imagine all that food in the dump. That's how much families like yours and mine throw out each year. It's crazy. There is one group trying fix that though and I went to meet them.

NATHAN BAZLEY, REPORTER: This big yellow truck is my ride for today.

I'm riding shotgun with Paul, as he goes about his normal delivery and pickup run for OzHarvest. I'm here to find out how this organisation claims to fix two issues at once - food wastage and poverty.

NATHAN: Say hello Paul.

PAUL: Hello everybody, hi.

NATHAN: We're going on our way to our first stop this morning, which is where Paul?

PAUL: It's Four Seasons, which is a fruit and vege distributor, which provides us with a lot of fruit and vege on a daily basis.

Once we arrived, I asked the manager here why he gives OzHarvest perfectly good fruit and vege for free.

STEVE: The problem today is that a lot of fruit and vege that comes to us has a small blemish on it. And the customer doesn't want it. But it's still very good. And very good to eat.

Yep, this is all perfectly good food would usually go to waste.

STEVE: I think we've donated something like 12,000 kgs of fruit and vege. It gives us a good feeling as well.

NATHAN: It looks lovely, we've got some rocket, some apples, some bread, some potatoes, some zucchini, some nectarines, rockmelon, alfalfa, fantastic.

PAUL: Every lovely healthy food.

Meanwhile, I think Paul's starting to like having me around.

PAUL: You'll have to come out with me more often.

Next up, we have some food drop off. But before that, I wanted to ask Paul why he enjoys volunteering with OzHarvest.

PAUL: I have had people come up to me in the street and say I wouldn't eat without you people, when I'm walking down the city street. These have been people that have been street people and they've known we've delivered to certain charities and they know that that food was provided by us. And that makes you feel really terrific. It really makes you feel good.

NATHAN: What have you learnt about food wastage since you've been working here?

PAUL: I never realised the amount of food that was wasted. I just had no idea.

Well neither do most people Paul, so here are the stats. Each year, the average home throws away more than $1,000 dollars worth of food. And at school, 24% of kids lunches end up in the bin. Add it all that up and across Australia, homes ditch 7.8 billion dollars worth of food. That's about 4 million tonnes.

But not if OzHarvest have anything to do with it. Their mission is to grab as much of that waste as they can from businesses and send it to places like this. Here at the Women's Community Centre, meals are made for those in need. And some of the ingredients come from OzHarvest's deliveries. For our final stop today, Paul and I headed for the Adelaide Convention Centre. Because you can't have dinner, without dessert.

PAUL: This is the kinda stuff we get.

NATHAN: Ahh this looks really tasty.

PAUL: Oh it's absolutely fantastic.

Two trays of pastries and sweet treats for us to pack away before we get too hungry. And that was me done for the day.

NATHAN: Very good. So that's where I finish up Paul, you're going on to some more deliveries now aren't you?

PAUL: Yes I'm going north and going to 4 or 5 charities up north to distribute the load we've just collected.

NATHAN: Thanks so much for having me today, it was really interesting.

PAUL: And thanks so much for giving us the opportunity to show us what we do.

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economics and finance:industry:food and beverage community and society:poverty community and society:charities

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Imagine how much food 8 billion dollars would buy. Now, imagine all that food in the dump. That's how much families like yours and mine throw out each year. It's crazy. There is one group trying fix that though and I went to meet them.

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What's the problem with logging old-growth forests?

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You probably picture Tasmania as being a nice peaceful place. After all, it's full of natural reserves and it's not too crowded. But according to some the state's been at war for years over the issue of old growth logging. So what exactly are they fighting about?

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How recycled water at home can be used to keep the garden growing

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Education resources for schools teachers and students - ABC Education

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ABC Education has 4000+ educational games, videos and teaching resources for schools and students. Free Primary and Secondary resources covering history, science, English, maths and more

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How to design a school garden from scratch.

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Education resources for schools teachers and students - ABC Education

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ABC Education has 5000+ educational games, videos and teaching resources for schools and students. Free Primary and Secondary resources covering history, science, English, maths and more

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Find out the benefits of growing your own food.

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Education resources for schools teachers and students - ABC Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
ABC Education has 4000+ educational games, videos and teaching resources for schools and students. Free Primary and Secondary resources covering history, science, English, maths and more

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Education resources for schools teachers and students - ABC Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
ABC Education has 4000+ educational games, videos and teaching resources for schools and students. Free Primary and Secondary resources covering history, science, English, maths and more

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Education resources for schools teachers and students - ABC Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
ABC Education has 4000+ educational games, videos and teaching resources for schools and students. Free Primary and Secondary resources covering history, science, English, maths and more

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Explore the hidden world of soil, a 'life support' system for plants.

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Education resources for schools teachers and students - ABC Education

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ABC Education has 4000+ educational games, videos and teaching resources for schools and students. Free Primary and Secondary resources covering history, science, English, maths and more

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Watch this video to learn more about having access to safe, nutritious food

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Education resources for schools teachers and students - ABC Education

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ABC Education has 4000+ educational games, videos and teaching resources for schools and students. Free Primary and Secondary resources covering history, science, English, maths and more

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Education resources for schools teachers and students - ABC Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
ABC Education has 4000+ educational games, videos and teaching resources for schools and students. Free Primary and Secondary resources covering history, science, English, maths and more

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How does the health of honey bees connect with farming and food production?

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Education resources for schools teachers and students - ABC Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
ABC Education has 4000+ educational games, videos and teaching resources for schools and students. Free Primary and Secondary resources covering history, science, English, maths and more

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Find out how much food Australians throw away each year and what impact this has

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Education resources for schools teachers and students - ABC Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
ABC Education has 4000+ educational games, videos and teaching resources for schools and students. Free Primary and Secondary resources covering history, science, English, maths and more

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Storing carbon could help meet Australia's carbon goals

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Australia's agricultural lands help to feed about 60 million people worldwide, and also support tens of thousands of farmers as well as rural communities and industries.

But a growing global population with a growing appetite is placing increasing demands on our agricultural land. At the same time, the climate is warming and in many places getting drier too.

Agriculture, and particularly livestock, is currently a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. But new markets and incentives could make storing carbon or producing energy from land more profitable than farming, and turn our agricultural land into a carbon sink.

How might these competing forces play out in changing Australian land use? Our research, published in Global Environmental Change, assesses a range of potential pathways for Australia's agricultural land as part of CSIRO's National Outlook.

Changing landscapes

The only constant in landscapes is change. Ecosystems are always changing in response to natural drivers such as fire and flood.

Humans have complicated things. Indigenous Australians manipulated the Australian landscape and climate through burning for millennia, sustaining a population of around 750,000 and underpinning a culture.

European colonisation brought a different and more pervasive change, clearing land, building cities, damming rivers and establishing an increasingly mechanised and industrialised agriculture.

These iconic but changed landscapes inspired the romantic art of Arthur Streeton and poetry of Banjo Paterson among many others - and helped forge a young nation's identity.

Change can happen surprisingly quickly. Often before we know it we've gone too far and need to scramble for fixes that are so often costly, slow and ultimately inadequate.

For example, in South Australia, researchers in the early 1960s raised the alarm that the feverish post-war period of soldier resettlement, land clearance and agricultural development threatened entire native plant and animal communities with extinction. The government's response over the following 30 years was to expand greatly the conservation reserve network and eventually prohibit land clearing.

History repeating?

Agricultural lands produce a range of goods and services. But in many places the focus on agricultural productivity has come at the expense of ecosystems. Biodiversity, soil and water are all on downward trends.

Is the balance right? Opinion varies. Many would say no, and consider the status quo to be stacked strongly against the environment.

Others see agriculture as entering a boom time, driven by growing population and rising food prices. Substantial interest from overseas investors in Australian agricultural land reflects this opportunity.

Parts of Australia's agricultural land continue to change fast. Lessons hard-learned by South Australia seem to have been forgotten. Rates of land clearance in Queensland are rising again since 2010 after a long-term trend of decline.

In the 1990s, new financial incentives led to the planting of over 1 million hectares of forest in southern Australia. Now a failed business model, many of these plantations are being returned to agriculture.

Demand for more secure sources of energy has generated rapid expansion of coal seam gas and wind power generation, and the development of northern Australia remains a bipartisan priority.

Worldwide, Australia is not alone - many international examples also exist of recent, massive, rapid and accelerating changes in how land is used.

Australia has historically taken a hands-off approach to managing land use change, instead focusing on increasing the productivity and competitiveness of agriculture. Apart from a handful of planning and environmental regulations, the use of land has been subject to minimal governance or strategic direction.

Where to from here?

What is it that Australians really want from our land? We know what we don't want: wall-to-wall crops, pasture, buildings, gas wells, mines, wind farms or trees.

We can expect healthy debate around the margins, but, in general, diversity, productivity and sustainability seem to be widely valued. Most of us want to leave the place in decent condition for future generations.

Europe has had this conversation and knows what it wants from its landscapes - and it's not afraid to pay for it (for instance, through agricultural subsidies). A deep aesthetic and cultural heritage is the central objective, with a balance of recreation opportunities, tourism, a clean and healthy environment and high-quality produce all being high priorities.

Once we know what we want, we can work out how to get there.

That's where science can help. We now have the ability to project changes in land use in response to policy and global change, and the environmental and economic consequences.

CSIRO's recent National Outlook mapped Australia's potential future pathways. A companion paper in Nature found that it is possible to achieve strong economic growth and reduce environmental pressure, if we put the right policies in place now. It provides a glimpse of how our rural lands might respond to coalescing future change pressures.

Farming carbon

In our modelling, carbon sequestration in the land sector plays a key role of Australia's future. Land systems can help with the heavy lifting required to hold global warming to 2℃ as recently agreed in Paris.

There are several factors that could drive this change, including climate, carbon pricing, global food demand and energy prices.

We modelled the economic potential for land use change and its impacts in over 600 scenarios (full data available here), combining a suite of global outlooks and national policy options.

A carbon price, which enables landholders to make money from storing carbon in trees and soils (often much more money than from farming), may increase pressure to shift farmland to restored forests.

Who knows? A pay rise while watching trees grow could be an attractive proposition for our ageing farmers. Complementary biodiversity payments could also help arrest declines in wildlife and help it adapt to climate change.

If we redouble our focus on productivity, by 2050 agriculture will produce more than today, even as farmland contracts. The least productive areas are less able to compete with reforestation and other new land uses, leaving the most efficient agricultural land in production.

But trade-offs are likely. Trees use a lot more water than crops and pasture, so we will need to think carefully about managing water resources.

Australians care about their land and are more aware than ever about what is happening to it. While we can have some control over the future of our land, and we do exercise this control in certain circumstances (such as urban planning), our long-term approach to rural land has been to let environmental and economic forces play out and let the invisible hand of economics determine what will be.

Given the pace at which change can happen, a smarter approach will be to start the conversation, work out what it is we want from our land, and put the policies and institutions in place to get us there.

Read article at The Conversation

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Farming in 2050: storing carbon could help meet Australia's climate goals - Cool Australia

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Australia's agricultural lands help to feed about 60 million people worldwide, and also support tens of thousands of farmers as well as rural communities and industries. But a growing global population with a growing appetite is placing increasing demands on our agricultural land.

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Some information about what land degradation is and the causes

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As for our land, well we have done our best to stuff it up. Mostly through ignorance we have attempted to turn a fragile and ancient landscape into European farming pastures. The impact has been dramatic. The ability of our land to function properly has been affected. Our land has been degraded.

What is Land Degradation?

Damaging changes to our land happen because of how we use it. These changes are on top of what occurs naturally, are unwanted and mostly brought on by us. Our land is less able to produce crops and has reduced economic value.

Ecosystems continue to work but are unable provide the best crops, food, grazing and habitat for native plants and animals.

More than half of Australia's agricultural land is considered 'severely degraded.' Rising salinity (due to over irrigation and loss of native vegetation) costs Australia 100's of millions in lost production every year. Salinity kills farmland, spoils drinking water and destroys natural ecosystems.

Former Murray Darling Basin Commission chair Professor John Lovering reckons that parts of our country are already stuffed and that salinity could not be beaten. Australia has to learn to live with it.

'This is not a copout but recognising that the problem is so large that we can't turn back the clock,' he said.

The bad news, it seems, is that so many of the things that we do everyday cause pollution. Poor farming and land management practices are difficult to turn back.

There is good news - in many farming communities, replanting of native forests are bringing wildlife back. Trees planted along riverbanks are reducing erosion. Vast plantings of strategically placed saltbush are drawing salt from the soil. Reduced irrigation is leaving salt deep in the soil rather than bring it to the surface where it kills crops.

Cool Australia has planted 20,000 trees on degraded farmland in the Habitat 141 project in Western Victoria.

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As for our land, well we have done our best to stuff it up. Mostly through ignorance we have attempted to turn a fragile and ancient landscape into European farming pastures. The impact has been dramatic. The ability of our land to function properly has been affected. Our land has been degraded.

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Infographic: More reasons to love trees - Cool Australia

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Our water is in a bit of strife.

Things that we do on land can affect the quality of our water. Our waste often gets washed into our rivers and coasts without any treatment. This waste might be the big bits that you can see like plastic bags, dead animals, dog poo and ciggie butts.

It's also the tiny, microscopic toxins that we can't see. They build up and pollute our water to such an extent that waterways become unlivable for native plants, fish and animals.

The sea has long been a dumping ground for all sorts of things: rubbish, sewage, industrial waste, storm water and dredging. Ever seen those pipes along the coast that run out from the land way out to sea? Well, they're not there to pump seawater into the land but rather to pump pollution out. You can even see the pollution making great big mucky clouds under the water.

The King River in Tassie is thought to be the most polluted river in Australia. For close to 70 years it was used as a dumping ground for the mining waste from a nearby copper mine. It's now so acidic that nothing can live in it, and it's going to take quite a while before anything can.

It seems to be taking us a long while to understand that polluted waterways impact on our natural world and our health. Why are we so slow to learn?

Let's take a look at how a school might deal with water issues.

Teachers...why not download some free access*, awarding winning classroom resources?

Students... find out more about water in our fun digital toolbox!

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Our water is in a bit of strife. Things that we do on land can affect the quality of our water. Our waste often gets washed into our rivers and coasts without any treatment. This waste might be the big bits that you can see like plastic bags, dead animals, dog poo and ciggie butts.

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Plastic is woven into the fabric of our lives.

"No-one in their daily life within a period of 10 minutes isn't touching something that is made of plastic," said Professor Andrew Holmes, an emeritus professor at the University of Melbourne and a polymer chemist who has developed special plastics for flat screen TVs and solar cells.

It's used in everything from the keyboard or pen you are using, to your glasses or contact lenses, the Teflon on your frying pan, and the banknotes in your wallet. It's in your clothes, phone, car, mattress, and TV screen.

"Plastic can be flexible or rigid, and its lightness also makes it very appealing," said Professor Holmes.

But for all the benefits plastic has given us, disposing of products - particularly those designed to be used only once, such as packaging - has become a major environmental issue.

"The ocean is full of waste because humans have disposed of it carelessly," said Professor Holmes.

So how big is the problem, what happens once plastic goes into the ocean, and what can we do about it?

How much plastic goes into the ocean?

Around 8 million tonnes of plastic went into the ocean in 2010, according to the most comprehensive study of plastic pollution so far.

The international study calculated that 192 nations produced a total of 275 million tonnes of plastic waste.

The largest amount of this waste was produced by China, at 1.32 to 3.52 million tonnes. This was followed by Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.

Australia - which didn't rate in the top 20 polluters - contributed less than 0.01 million tonnes.

But that still added up to 13,888 tonnes of litter per year, a quarter of which finds its way into waterways, according to study co-author Dr Chris Wilcox of CSIRO's Oceans and Atmosphere Flagship.

With global production of plastic increasing exponentially, the amount of plastic finding its way into the ocean is likely to get much bigger.

"About every 11 years the amount of plastic produced doubles," said Dr Wilcox.

"To put that in other words, between now and 2028 we will produce as much plastic as we produced [from the 1950s] until now."

How long does plastic last in the ocean?

Plastic is made to be strong and durable, so it can take a long time to break down.

"Plastics are very hard materials so they are hard to break down unless you can burn them," said Professor Holmes.

"There are some you can get back to original building blocks, but not many."

These include the newer plant-based bioplastics made out of polylactic acid (PLA). But much like traditional petrochemical plastics such as Perspex, PLA-based plastics only break down under very high temperatures.

What is plastic made from?

Plastics is the name we give to a group of substances mostly made from carbon-based molecules arranged in many repeat units (n) in a long chain known as a polymer.

There are many different types of plastics depending upon what is attached to the carbon

Plastic shopping bags, for example, are made from a type of polymer called polyethylene (C₂H₄n) - where each unit in the chain is made up of two hydrogen atoms joined to one carbon atom.

Most plastics are derived from petroleum, although some newer ones, known as bioplastics, are derived from building blocks produced by microbial fermentation or from corn syrup.

Chemicals including colourants, foaming agents, plasticisers, antioxidants and flame retardants can be added to different types of plastics to give them specific qualities such as colour, texture, flexibility and durability.

In the natural environment, the main things that break down plastics are sunlight, oxygen and water.

"The problem is that normal degradation leaves particles that can still be harmful to living things - nanoparticles and microparticles," said Professor Holmes.

"That includes so-called degradable polymers used in some plastic bags, which have starch added to help them fall apart."

The rate at which plastic breaks down depends upon the conditions and the type of plastic.

It breaks down faster if exposed to physical abrasion and sunlight - so it will break down faster in surf zones than if it is buried under sediment in an estuary, Dr Wilcox explained.

"Then there's a lot to do with how thick the plastic is, how dense the plastic is, and does it have UV stabilisers."

For example, dense monofilament fishing line could last for up to 600 years, whereas a thin plastic bag getting bashed around in the surf could last just months.

"But even if that bag breaks down over the course of six months or a year, it might well have had a lot of environmental impact before that," he said.

Where does the plastic go?

It is really hard to quantify just how much plastic is in the ocean, but the latest figures estimate there are up to 51 trillion particles or 236,000 tonnes.

That may sound like a lot, but in fact it is nowhere near the estimated 8 billion tonnes that went into the oceans in 2010 alone.

Precisely what happens to the "missing" plastic is a puzzle for researchers like Dr Wilcox.

"That says around 40 times the plastic that's in the ocean is going in every year. So there's a whole bunch that has to be going somewhere else."

Plastic is widespread in the open ocean, but is particularly concentrated in the five major ocean gyres - rotating currents of water - in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

The largest and best known of these is the Great Garbage Patch in the north Pacific - a concentrated soup of microplastics, or tiny fragments less than 5 millimetres across.

There are two types of plastics that float: polyethelene, which is used to make milk jugs and plastic bags, and polypropolene, which is used for things like bottle caps, straws and dairy containers.

As they travel out to sea plastics get ground down into small, hard cubes, which can be eaten by marine animals.

Plastics are also home to microbes in a phenomenon dubbed the " plastisphere". These microbes may be simply using the plastic to float around the ocean, but there is some evidence they may play a role breaking down the plastic.

Plastics should become more abundant as they break down in size, but recent research found the concentration of the smallest particles, between a few microns and a few millimetres, was much lower than expected.

"It's not clear what's going on - whether there's some kind of sampling problem, or if those things are settling to the bottom of the ocean," Dr Wilcox said.

Scientists have found evidence of microplastics in deep-sea sediments from the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean.

Some of the missing plastic could also be in coastal regions.

"I think that that is something that people really don't appreciate. The gyres may have a fair bit of plastic in them, but the coastal margin probably has much more," said Dr Wilcox.

"Even in Australia, you can tell how far away you are from a city by how much plastic is on the beach and in the water near the beach."

An analysis of waters around Australia found on average there were around 4,000 microplastic fragments per square kilometre, although some hotspots had concentrations of around 15,000 to 23,000.

The vast majority of the microplastic fragments came from plastic packaging such as cups, bottles, bags, as well as fragments of fishing gear.

Dr Wilcox said coastal pollution was an even greater problem for biodiversity than in the open ocean.

"The number of species in the coastal margin is much higher than out in the gyres."

What impact does plastic have on marine animals?

Research shows getting entangled in plastic was the biggest issue, said Dr Wilcox.

Animals get wrapped up in monofilament fishing line nets, plastic bags, balloons, and straps.

His research has estimated that between 5,000 and 15,000 sea turtles are entangled each year by derelict fishing gear washing ashore in northern Australia alone.

"Anything that is long or flexible or sheet-like is the worst."

The second biggest issue is the impact of eating plastic - it is estimated around 90 per cent of seabirds are doing so.

These plastics can cause blockages of the gut or perforation of the intestines.

Ingestion of plastic can also cause toxic chemicals such as phthalates - a plasticiser that effects the hormone system - to leach into the animal.

"In our research, we can predict how much plastic is in a seabird's stomach by measuring how much phthalate is in its fat," said Dr Wilcox.

So what can we do about it?

"The solution to all this stuff is on land and it has to do with changing our supply chains around packaging, how we use packaging, and how we take care of packaging," said Dr Wilcox.

The main problem, he said, was how cheap plastic was.

"If plastic had a fee or deposit associated with it we would produce and consume less."

He said one way of doing this was to introduce container deposit schemes, which had been shown to reduce the amount of drink containers in the environment by 60 per cent.

"That is a big deal, as beverage containers make up 40 per cent of the waste in the environment."

Consumers could also press retailers to use less plastic packaging, Dr Wilcox said.

"In many cases individuals have been able to drive significant local change by governments and businesses."

According to Professor Holmes, the world may have to move to fully biodegradable plastics, made out of plants. But these have drawbacks.

"The challenge is, is there enough arable land to produce the building blocks of plastic when we also need to produce food?"

In the meantime, he said, we must recycle anything we can.

"Ideally all plastics should be recyclable, but at present that is not the case."

Professor Holmes said plastics that cannot be recycled - such as those used in plastic bags, or expanded polystyrene foam used in coffee cups and packaging around electronic goods - must be responsibly disposed into landfill or by burning.

"The plastic waste in the oceans is disastrous for marine and bird life, and the human race has to avoid disposal of this waste in a way that enables it to enter drains, rivers, and eventually the ocean," he said.

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Plastic is woven into the fabric of our lives. "No-one in their daily life within a period of 10 minutes isn't touching something that is made of plastic," said Professor Andrew Holmes, an emeritus professor at the University of Melbourne and a polymer chemist who has developed special plastics for flat screen TVs and solar cells.

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Most plastic pollution comes from littering or overflowing bins, trucks and events, eventually becoming 'accidental litter'. When it rains, litter goes down the drain, through stormwater pipes and out to sea. Over a long period of time, this plastic pollution breaks into smaller pieces (it never breaks down) and eventually becomes micro plastic, which pollutes our oceans and kills marine life.

Council is dedicated to a plastic free Northern Beaches and deliver a number of initiatives to reduce single use plastics.
Did you know? Keep up to date
Keep up to date about events and activities Council is running to reduce single use plastic. Subscribe to Council's newsletters.

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Most plastic pollution comes from littering or overflowing bins, trucks and events, eventually becoming 'accidental litter'. When it rains, litter goes down the drain, through stormwater pipes and out to sea. Over a long period of time, this plastic pollution breaks into smaller pieces (it never breaks down) and eventually becomes micro plastic, which pollutes our oceans and kills marine life.

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From a historical perspective, plastics are a very new phenomenon. Total global plastics production in 1950 was just over 2 tonnes (2.2 tons) - that's less than the weight of a single Dodge Durango sport utility vehicle. In 2015, just 65 years later - that is, over the span of less than a single human lifetime - global production amounted to 448 million tonnes.

We currently use a global average of about 60 kilograms (132 pounds) of plastic per year per person. In the most industrialized regions - North America, western Europe and Japan - that figure is more than 100 kilograms.

In a new study, researchers have estimated that about 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic have been manufactured out of crude oil since 1950. Of that total, about 30 percent remains in use - in households, cars or factories. A further 10 percent has been burned.

That leaves 60 percent of the total amount of plastic produced to date leading a twilight existence as rubbish, either tucked away in garbage dumps or discarded more haphazardly. Globally, this means there's about 650 kilograms of plastic garbage per person - out there, somewhere.

And that somewhere is often the world's oceans. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimates that 2 percent of total plastics production ends up in ocean waters.

Once there, plastic persists for years, since it's not biodegradable or digestible. It typically fragments into ever-smaller pieces. Some of that is swallowed by marine organisms, entering into food webs - which is not good for marine ecosystems. Nor is it good for people who eat fish.

"We're heading toward a plastic planet," said University of California researcher Roland Geyer, who co-authored the new paper. They are calling for more attention to the problem. He added that the global growth in plastics production is "extraordinary - and it doesn't look like it's going to slow down anytime soon."

Researchers estimate that if present trends continue, by 2050 there will be around 12 billion tonnes of plastic garbage present in the world.
Plastics from textiles, traffic and cosmetics
Microplastics are plastic particles with a size in the micrometer or nanometer range (0.0001 to 0.0000001 of a centimeter).

Abrasion and disintegration of plastic waste into the sea is one source of microplastics. Another is the abrasion of plastics on land. Most microplastics are released by synthetic textiles, as lint. Around 60 percent of clothing contains synthetic fibers - and this proportion is expected to increase, in part because synthetic fibers are cheap to produce.

That makes for a lot of plastic lint worldwide. Studies have shown that from a single fleece jacket in a single wash cycle, up to a million tiny fiber fragments are released into a washing machine's wastewater.

According to a current EU study, in Europe alone, washing machines rinse some 30,000 tonnes of synthetic fibers into the sewage system each year.

And as they wind their way downstream, some of those fibers end up in the sea.

Paints for road-marking and to prevent ships from rotting also contribute to the entry of microplastics into oceans. Tiny bits of plastic abraded from tires and road markings are transported by wind and water into creeks and rivers. Eventually, some of this ends up in the sea.
More garbage than fish in the oceans?
Unless trends shift, within three more decades, the total mass of plastic junk swimming in the oceans may be greater than the total mass of fish.

Microplastic are too small to be seen with the naked eye. Mussels, marine worms and fish take in some of these tiny fragments as they go about feeding. Since plastics cannot be digested, this accumulates in such organisms - when predators feed on these smaller organisms, they also get the plastics. Like other pollutants, microplastics become more concentrated higher up the food web.

Studies have shown ingestion of microplastics can have adverse effects on various marine animals. These effects include reduced reproductive success, slower growth, and more sluggish movement, as well as greater tendency toward inflammation and increased mortality.

There isn't enough information available yet to allow researchers to definitively pin down the nature and severity of such effects.

Scientists don't yet know in detail which chemical toxins are transferred from plastics to the environment, or into the flesh of marine organisms. Research into the environmental and biological impacts of marine microplastics remains in its infancy.

What is known is that some small amount of microplastic is inevitably absorbed by human beings when we eat fish or crustaceans.

The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) has issued a statement saying microplastics are not currently considered a significant risk to human health. Yet at the same time, it acknowledges that little data are available, and that further research is needed.
Problem recognized?
Ocean pollution is now on the international agenda. In early June in New York, the United Nations in its Oceans Conference aimed to encourage member countries to put forward projects and programs for protecting the health of ocean ecosystems.

Environmentalists are sounding the alarm about plastics in our oceans

The G20, or group of the world's most weighty economies, has similarly put ocean pollution on their agenda with a shared action plan to reduce marine garbage, also agreed in June.

Does that mean the problem is on its way to being solved?

"If our Earth is to stay the blue planet, then we have to stop choking the oceans with garbage," said German Environment minister Barbara Hendricks. "The dimension of the global flood of garbage has become inconceivably huge. So I'm very glad about the agreement of the G20 on a common action plan. This brings the protection of our oceans a big step forward in global consciousness."

"We have to take action on a broad international basis."

Environmental groups have welcomed this agreement as a good step. Yet the G20 action plan pays insufficient attention to the causes, some say.

"Governments too often look for answers in recycling, but they should go at the root of the problem: Unnecessary plastic packaging and products shouldn't be produced in the first place," according to Thilo Maack, a marine biologist who works for Greenpeace in Germany.

Yet Maack acknowledged that reuse and recycling of plastic products are important too.

In Maack's view, a key measure to get a grip on the growing flood of plastic garbage would be economic instruments that put environmental costs into the price: "If those costs are priced into plastic products from the beginning, then plastic will be used more sparingly, reused and recycled more.

"And more environmentally friendly alternatives [like biodegradable packaging] would become cheaper in comparison," Maack told DW.

Fighting the plastic flood

Reduce, recycle ... and reuse

Plastic waste can also be reused in its original form. At the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development Rio +20 in 2012 - 20 years after the first World Oceans Day - giant fish made from plastic bottles were exhibited along the waterfront in Rio de Janeiro.

Author: Martin Kuebler

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River of plastic trash is flooding our oceans | DW | 26.07.2017

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Plastic is useful - for packaging, tires, clothing, and much else. But 2 percent of plastics produced end up in the ocean. It enters the food chain - even reaching us. A new analysis highlights the scale of the problem.

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Information on plastic in the environment

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Information on plastic in the environment

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PLASTIC'S ADVERSE EFFECTS ON OUR ENVIRONMENT...

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1} Plastic pollute beaches & oceans : Garbage has been discarded into the oceans for as long as humans have sailed the seven seas or lived on seashores or near waterways flowing into the sea....