Post of the Day
Is the key to sparking climate action a game?
New research led by UMass Lowell and published by PLoS ONE found that 81 percent of participants in the World Climate Simulation, a role-playing game of the UN climate talks, showed increased motivation to combat climate change, even among Americans who are free market proponents, a belief strongly linked to denial of human-caused climate change in the United States.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-09/uoml-itk090618.php
Today’s Celebration
Father Leval Day – Mauritius
Independence Day – North Korea, Tajikistan
National Health and PE Day – http://www.achper.org.au/news/national-health-physical-education-day
Grandparent’s Day – https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/grandparents-day/
More about Sep 9 – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_9
Climate Change
Would global warming increase childhood viral infection rates?
Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is a common childhood viral infection that is most common in warmer summer months. A new International Journal of Dermatology review of published studies reveals a positive relationship between HFMD and temperature and humidity.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-09/w-wgw090418.php
Is the key to sparking climate action a game?
New research led by UMass Lowell and published by PLoS ONE found that 81 percent of participants in the World Climate Simulation, a role-playing game of the UN climate talks, showed increased motivation to combat climate change, even among Americans who are free market proponents, a belief strongly linked to denial of human-caused climate change in the United States.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-09/uoml-itk090618.php
Volcano under ice sheet suggests thickening of West Antarctic ice is short-term
Evidence left by a volcano under the ice sheet suggests that the observed bulging of ice in West Antarctica is a short-term feature that may not affect the glacier’s motion over the long term.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/09/180906100451.htm
Protection for the ozone layer: Sugar molecules bind harmful CFCs
Researchers have managed to make a breakthrough when it comes to dealing with the extremely ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbon Freon 11. Their findings could make a major contribution to protecting the endangered ozone layer.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/09/180906123406.htm
National
Australia set to fight Japan’s bid to bring back legal commercial whaling
Australia is hopeful a bid by Japan to return to commercial whaling will be defeated at an international meeting in Brazil next week.
Biodegradable film brings ‘higher cotton yield at less cost to the environment’
An innovative technology in the Australian cotton industry — the use of biodegradable film to trap warmth from the sun to help seedlings grow faster — is gaining a foothold overseas.
Scott Morrison says national energy guarantee ‘is dead’
Prime minister says NEG will not be going any further but Australia still committed to meeting emissions targets
Nuance to the numbers in PM’s population pledge
David Crowe
Scott Morrison rejects the idea that the population debate has to be simplified into whether you stand for a “big Australia” or not.
Victoria
‘A moral obligation’ – MCG goes carbon neutral for finals season
The ‘G will offset its carbon emissions – a whopping 20,531 tonnes – this September in a bid to reduce environmental impact and influence hundreds of thousands of punters.
Metro’s ’80s train fleet to be dumped onto city’s busiest rail lines
Melbourne Metro’s oldest trains, the 1980s Comeng fleet, are to be dumped onto its most-strained lines in the city’s north and north-west, leaked internal documents reveal, while other lines will get new, high-capacity trains.
New South Wales
‘Gone too far’: anglers spear government over proposed marine park
For spearfishing champions Ian Puckeridge and his daughter Lara, the Berejiklian government’s plan to limit fishing at 25 key sites would put an unnecessary halt to a healthy pastime.
South Australia
Fight for survival: The unique ecology of outback South Australia
When it rains, the Innamincka Regional Reserve is a hive of activity. But when the good times end, the unique ecology of the region must quickly adapt to survive
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-08/unique-ecology-of-innamincka-regional-reserve/10217130
Why we are not cooking with gas? [$]
Cameron England
Fracking has been safely used to find gas in the Outback for decades, but the South-East SA community are celebrating their ban on exploration. Cameron England looks at all sides of the issue.
Cheap loans to power up Libs’ solar battery plan [$]
Households would get access to low-interest loans to finance solar panels and battery systems under a plan being developed by the state and federal Governments.
$300m bus plan put on blocks [$]
Plans to replace 400 ageing buses have been temporarily taken off the table as the State Government considers the best way to upgrade Adelaide’s public transport system.
Granite Island cruise ship plan is off with the fairies [$]
Peter Goers
The island’s fairy penguins won’t be the only ones stressed out if plans to dock cruise ships at Victor Harbor go ahead
Tasmania
Poll: Cable car has broad support [$]
MWCC chairwoman Jude Franks says poll shows “Mount Wellington is everyone’s mountain, not just for those in one Hobart suburb”.
Revealed: First piece of Cradle Mountain master plan [$]
The Tasmanian Government yesterday released images of the Dove Lake viewing shelter development proposal as the period of public comment for the project opens.
Western Australia
Floating lagoon proposed for Elizabeth Quay
The Swan River could get a whole new splash of fun thanks to an ambitious proposal.
https://thewest.com.au/news/perth/swan-river-deck-floating-lagoon-proposed-for-perth-ng-b88954118z
Sustainability
Greener neighborhoods may be good for children’s brains
Children living in urban greener neighborhoods may have better spatial working memory, according to a British Journal of Educational Psychology study. Spatial working memory is responsible for recording information about one’s environment and spatial orientation, and it is strongly inter-related with attentional control.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-09/w-gnm090418.php
Not too wet, not too dry: plasma-treated fuel cell gets it just right
Fuel cells hold promise as a clean, renewable source of energy. But keeping them dry has long been a challenge, as they produce water during the process of converting hydrogen and oxygen into electricity. Now University of British Columbia researchers say they may have found a solution: pre-treating the electrode — a key component of fuel cells — with ionized oxygen gas, or plasma.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-09/uobc-ntw090618.php
Coal plant offsets with carbon capture means covering 89 percent of the US in forests
Researchers found that using bio-sequestration to capture carbon produced by US coal-fired plants even after carbon capture and storage would require using 62 percent of the nation’s arable land for that process, or 89 percent of all US land with average forest cover. In comparison, offsetting the amount of carbon produced by manufacturing solar panels is 13 times less land, making it a far more viable option.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-09/mtu-cpo090418.php
New Study Shows Ways to Maximize Temperature-Lowering Benefits of Chicago’s Green Roofs
Researchers have created an integrated framework to identify which neighborhoods would benefit most from green roofs — and provide city officials with a strategic approach to ensure the best return
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/09/180906123310.htm
Adding power choices reduces cost and risk of carbon-free electricity
A mix of fuel-saving, flexible, and highly reliable sources works best
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/09/180906141141.htm
The Case for Environmentally Conscious Business
Georgia Gibson
Environmental sustainability must be a core part of your business’ purpose
https://probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2018/09/case-environmentally-conscious-business/
Nature Conservation
Birds retreating from climate change, deforestation in Honduras cloud forests
Cloud forests are not immune to very down-to-earth problems of climate change and deforestation. A 10-year study of bird populations in Cusuco National Park, Honduras, shows that the peak of bird diversity in this mountainous park is moving higher in elevation. Additional land protection, unfortunately, may not be enough to reverse the trend, driven in part by globally rising temperatures.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/09/180906184231.htm
Impact of habitat fragmentation on migrant birds
Experts have shed new light on the impact of habitat fragmentation on migrant birds.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/09/180906123338.htm
Tree species distributions in Amazonia modeled
Researchers have succeeded in producing distribution maps for a selection of important tropical tree species in Peruvian lowland Amazonia. This was achieved by using machine learning methods that combine satellite imagery and field data. The study shows that it is possible to model tree species distributions at a spatial resolution that is fine enough to facilitate the practical management of forest resources.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/09/180906100446.htm
Invasive pines fueled 2017 fires in Knysna, South Africa
The replacement of natural fynbos vegetation with pine plantations in the southern Cape in South Africa, and the subsequent invasion of surrounding land by invasive pine trees, significantly increased the severity of the 2017 Knysna wildfires
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/09/180906100442.htm
Now for something completely different …
Do you know why and how you forget passwords?
Do you frequently forget passwords to a baffling array of accounts and websites? Much depends on a password’s importance and how often you use it, according to a Rutgers University-New Brunswick-led study that could spur improved password technology and use.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-09/ru-dyk090518.php
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