As the Arctic melts, the fabled North West Passage opens for cargo ships

When a blue-hulled cargo ship named Venta Maersk became the first container vessel to navigate a major Arctic sea route this month, it offered a glimpse of what the warming region might become: a maritime highway, with vessels lumbering between Asia and Europe through once-frozen seas.

Climate change is melting Arctic ice and opening
 the North West Passage to cargo ships.

Years of melting ice have made it easier for ships to ply these frigid waters. That’s a boon for the shipping industry but a threat to the fragile Arctic ecosystem. Nearly all ships run on fossil fuels, and many use heavy fuel oil, which spews black soot when burned and turns seas into a toxic goopy mess when spilled. Few international rules are in place to protect the Arctic’s environment from these ships, though a proposal to ban heavy fuel oil from the region is gaining support.

Read the story from Wired by Maria Gallucci - “As the Arctic melts, the fabled North West Passage opens for cargo ships.”

Controlled 'implosion' set to level Anglesea power plant on Wednesday

A former power station on Victoria's Surf Coast will be demolished with explosives this week but anyone hoping to catch a glimpse of the spectacle has been warned to stay away.

An aerial view of the Anglesea mine and power station in 2014.

The six-storey-high decommissioned Alcoa power station in Anglesea is set to be imploded on Wednesday morning, weather conditions permitting.

According to a notice of demolition, the implosion will sound akin to claps of thunder that will last for 10 to 20 seconds and will create some “localised dust”.

But some townsfolk fear that the dust could include asbestos, despite assurances that the building had been renderd harmless by a pre-demolition safety program.

Read the story by Benjamin Preiss from The Age - “Controlled 'implosion' set to level Anglesea power plant on Wednesday.”