| is all this talk about Climate Change. I guess we all | | | | environment but have we thought about the impact |
| want to know how much of it is true and how relevant | | | | we may be having on water quality. Two-stroke |
| is it to my business? This article discusses what has | | | | engines produced up to 10 times more water pollution |
| happened, is happening and some of the predictions so | | | | than four-stroke. They acidify waterways and release |
| you can assess the importance for yourself. It also | | | | heavy metals from sediments resulting in underwater |
| discusses the causes of this and includes some | | | | pollution up to 1000 per cent worse with two-stroke |
| discussion of available options. | | | | engines. |
| Global warming is a fact. It is likely to speed up, with | | | | What can we do about this? |
| near record growth in greenhouse gas levels in the | | | | We can think about our buildings and try to reduce |
| atmosphere. | | | | energy use there. Eighty-four per cent of property |
| The recent UK Stern Report warned that if we ignore | | | | owners, architects and consultants are involved in |
| this we are likely to have an economic impact | | | | green development to some degree, but there are still |
| equivalent to the combined first and second world | | | | limited choices of green building products, according to |
| wars plus the great depression, and that is without | | | | the first major survey of attitudes to sustainability. |
| considering millions of people displaced around the | | | | While governments are seen as having the greatest |
| world. | | | | influence on society's reaction to climate change, 65% |
| To put climate change into perspective, during the last | | | | of surveyed people expected the private sector to |
| ice age global temperatures were only 5°C lower | | | | take the lead in coming years. |
| than today and much of Canada, Europe and northern | | | | Wind power could supply one third of the world's |
| Russia was covered in massive ice sheets several | | | | electricity by 2050 and save 113 billion tones of CO2 |
| kilometres thick. | | | | emissions, according to a report by the Global Wind |
| Half of the 65 species unique to the Australian Wet | | | | Energy Council (GWEC) and Greenpeace. |
| Tropics will become extinct with a 3.5°C increase | | | | We can think about our waste |
| in temperature. A 2-3°C change is expected to | | | | When our waste breaks down in land fills, it generates |
| cause 80% of Kakadu wetlands to be lost. | | | | large amounts of methane gas. Some of the newer |
| Weather extremes and greater fluctuations in rainfall | | | | landfill sites have been carefully designed to prevent |
| and temperatures caused by climate change are liable | | | | leaching into the water table and to capture the |
| to change productive landscapes and exacerbate | | | | methane gas generated. In Victoria in 2004-5, 5.4 million |
| food, water and energy scarcities in a relatively short | | | | tonnes of waste was recycled. This is a 7% increase |
| time span. Particularly worrying is sea-level rise | | | | from the previous year it showed recycling saved |
| because of the density of coastal populations and the | | | | over 78 million gigajoules of energy, 52 GL of water |
| potential for the large-scale displacement of people in | | | | and 4 million tonnes of greenhouse gasses. 55% of the |
| Asia. | | | | total solid waste stream was recovered. |
| Climate change will cause health security | | | | Germany has become the 18th country to join the |
| consequences, since some infectious diseases will | | | | international “Methane To Markets |
| become more widespread as the planet heats up. | | | | Partnership”, an initiative to turn the toxic |
| Rising global temperatures will see more fires, droughts | | | | greenhouse gas in the coalmining, landfill, agricultural, |
| and flooding over the next 200 years, according to | | | | and oil and gas sectors into a clean energy source. |
| climate scientists from the UK's University of Bristol. | | | | India wants industry to use waste-to-energy |
| It is predicted that climate change will contribute to | | | | technologies to both generate electricity and help |
| destabilising, unregulated population movements in Asia | | | | address waste disposal challenges in various core |
| and the Pacific. While most of population movement is | | | | industries including pulp and paper industry, breweries, |
| likely to be internal, there will be flow on effects | | | | textile mills, rice mills and solvent extraction units. |
| requiring cooperative regional solutions. | | | | The paper industry is eminently suited for power |
| Increasingly extreme weather patterns will result in | | | | co-generation as 75-85% of energy is to heat the |
| greater death and destruction from natural disasters, | | | | process and 15-25% as electrical power. "The large |
| and add to the burden on poorer countries and even | | | | quantity of wastewater generated in pulp and paper |
| stretch the coping ability of more developed nations. | | | | industry can be used for generating biogas which can |
| For a handful of small, low-lying Pacific nations, climate | | | | be used to produce thermal energy electricity." |
| change is the ultimate security threat, since rising | | | | And we can consider using other fuels as well as how |
| sea-levels will eventually make their countries | | | | far we transport things and whether the transport is |
| uninhabitable. | | | | efficient. |
| Even if we stopped emitting greenhouse gases now, | | | | The biggest initiatives here are alternative fuels such |
| researchers predict Eurasia, eastern China, Canada, | | | | as harnessing solar and wind energy and also using |
| Central America and Amazonia are at risk of forest | | | | fuels made from plants and other biological sources |
| loss. Global warming of less than 2°C would | | | | instead of fossil fuels. This is logical because fossil; |
| create a 30% probability of deforestation, while more | | | | fuels are just fossilised forests from the past. |
| than 3°C would double the likelihood of loss. (UK | | | | Victoria's wind farms are saving more than 250,000 |
| research) | | | | tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year, |
| Now about the Causes | | | | according to an independent study. A typical 2 MW |
| There are three main gases that are responsible for | | | | wind turbine reduces greenhouse emissions by about |
| causing the Greenhouse Effect. | | | | 6,000 tonnes per year, with 1,000 MW of installed wind |
| The data for this has been taken from ice cores giving | | | | able to displace around 600 GWh of brown coal |
| thousands of years of information. | | | | generation per annum. |
| - Carbon Dioxide CO2 | | | | A meat works in Victoria, is investigating the use of |
| - Nitrous oxides – often called NOX | | | | animal fat from its abattoir operations for making |
| - Methane | | | | biodiesel. The potential 10 ML of biodiesel a year would |
| All three are increasing exponentially at present. We | | | | fuel the company's own transport fleet, with the |
| are now sitting a long way outside the concentrations | | | | excess sold on the open market. In Australian biodiesel |
| that have ever occurred in the past and we | | | | is being made from canola but sugar would be another |
| don’t know what will happen. | | | | good source. |
| Who is to blame for this? My little bit can’t | | | | In New Zealand biofuel is being made from algae |
| make all that difference. Twenty-seven per cent of | | | | grown in sewage ponds. This is important because a |
| carbon emissions come from homes which means the | | | | major obstacle to biodiesel is the fact that the same |
| rest comes from business in some form or other and | | | | land used to grow biodiesel crops is also needed to |
| a large percentage of business involves small to | | | | grow food. |
| medium enterprises and farms, just like most of us. | | | | Trading carbon is a sensible strategy so that people |
| Air traffic is currently blamed for about 3.5% of the | | | | who do use large amounts of carbon based energy |
| human activities that cause climate change and is the | | | | can pay other people who are growing trees. One of |
| fastest growing source of emissions. Its share of total | | | | my clients has a forestry project to enable their |
| CO2 impact is expected to grow to 5% by 2050. | | | | business to be carbon neutral. At Enviro Action we |
| A recent report stated that agriculture is responsible | | | | donate a portion of all our income to Trees for Life to |
| for 40% of greenhouse gasses, | | | | support them growing seedling native trees for |
| - 70% of total methane, | | | | farmers and other land owners to plan each year. |
| - 80% of NOX – this comes from biochemical | | | | Governor Schwarzenegger says California, the world's |
| processes in soils. There are large losses of N from | | | | 12th largest carbon emitter, will become a global leader |
| fertilizers – between 15and 50% of N fertilizer | | | | in greenhouse emissions reduction following agreement |
| goes missing. If you use N fertilizer, you need to | | | | on a cap and trade system. |
| improve the efficiency of use. | | | | So how does this affect me? |
| There are 1.4 billion cows worldwide, each producing | | | | Personally I feel deep concern about the future my |
| 500 litres of methane a day and accounting for 14% of | | | | grandchildren and their friends face. I think we all need |
| all emission of the gas | | | | to take the many small steps that may seem to |
| There is now 5 times the historic concentration of | | | | “not make much difference” to try to |
| fertilizers in the sea off the coast of Queensland. This | | | | reduce the overall load on the system. I use low |
| causes and increased growth of algae and algae feed | | | | energy fluorescent bulbs in table lamps instead of the |
| Crown of Thorns starfish larvae. The combination of | | | | ceiling full of halogen lights in both my home and my |
| higher temperatures and Crown of Thorns Starfish is | | | | office. I chose to live in a well insulated north facing |
| seriously threatening the Great Barrier Reef. | | | | place so that I get winter sun coming under my |
| Impacts on water | | | | verandah but no summer sun and I seldom use the air |
| Global warming is expected to intensify the water | | | | conditioner. I used heating for only for 4 hours last |
| cycle, with increased risk of floods and droughts. One | | | | winter and that was when the ground outside was |
| of the effects of global warming is likely to be | | | | white with frost. In summer 40oC outside translated to |
| changes in the seasonality of river flows in regions | | | | 29 oC inside and I decided I was comfortable as it |
| where winter precipitation falls as snow. Additionally, | | | | was under 30 oC. I drive a duel fuelled car and walk or |
| rising sea levels will damage the quality of fresh water | | | | ride my bike when this is possible. |
| available from coastal aquifers and wetlands. | | | | These are little steps to reduce our foot print and if |
| Less freshwater is likely to be available in West Africa, | | | | we all do this in both our businesses and our homes |
| Central America, southern Europe, the eastern US and | | | | we do have a cumulative effect. We can choose |
| southern Australia. Other regions, particularly tropical | | | | “green power” in most places. In our |
| Africa and northwest South America, will be at | | | | business we can think carefully about all the impacts |
| significant risk of excessive runoff as trees are lost, | | | | we have just discussed and work out how to save |
| increasing the chances of severe flooding. | | | | green house gas use and remember this also saves |
| We need to preserve our water quality. There are | | | | us money. |
| more of us and fresh water is deceasing. Anything | | | | Obviously we also need to take big steps as well and |
| discharged into drains ends up in lakes, dams, rivers or | | | | new technologies must also be developed as existing |
| the sea. Do any rivers or lakes near your business | | | | technologies are not adequate to |
| have algal problems? A wetland can remove up to | | | | “solve” the problem, but we can reduce |
| 90% of sediments, nutrients and bacteria from | | | | the load and the rate of global warming by all taking |
| stormwater. | | | | our small steps and we need to start now. |
| When we go boating we really enjoy being in the | | | | Helping the environment can be a real win-win. |