More questions about the Turnbull/Frydenberg proposal for the LaTrobe Valley

Research finds a hidden carbon sink in the soils beneath our feet

Research on grasslands in Ireland, supervised by Prof Gary Lanigan (Teagasc – the Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority) and Prof Rachel Creamer and Prof Rogier Schulte (Wageningen University & Research) has revealed that soils with high clay content in deeper layers lock away carbon for much longer, and at much greater depth than previously known. Publishing their results in Nature scientific-reports/” title=”View all articles about Scientific Reports here”>Scientific Reports, the authors demonstrate how these soils may play a prominent role in mitigating climate change and compensating for some of the greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture.

Carbon storage in deeper soil layers may play a prominent role in mitigating climate change and compensating for some of the greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture. In the upper layer of the soil (upper part of the graph), the carbon is mostly linked to large soil particles (right side of the graph). This carbon is easily accessible for e.g. insects and microbes, causing a fast conversion into carbon dioxide. The lower layers of the soil (lower part of the graph) contain more carbon than expected. This carbon is linked to small soil particles (left side of the graph) and is therefore hard to get to for soil organisms, causing the carbon to remain in the soil for many decades. 

It is well known that all soils play an important role in the global cycle of carbon: soils store three times the amount of carbon that is contained within the atmosphere, and can be either a source of carbon emissions through land degradation, or a sink through the fixation of carbon into soils, a process known as sequestration. The Paris Agreement of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) acknowledges the role of soils in climate mitigation through the 4per1000 initiative.

Read the Science and Technology Research News story - “Research finds a hidden carbon sink in the soils beneath our feet.”

Coal - 'No longer fit for purpose on a crowded and overheated planet'

This report has been produced on behalf of the Climate and Health Alliance (CAHA) to support its advocacy for the protection and promotion of health from the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation.

The health implications of energy policy are a key concern for CAHA and

An image from the report.

highlighting the risks to health from energy choices is a core element of its work.

This report was developed using a combination of sources, including international and national health and medical literature on coal and health, as well as grey literature, including submissions to government inquiries, academic, scientific and industry reports, reports from think tanks, community organisations, and media and from interviews with local community members and experts.

It represents an analysis and synthesis of the selected sources. It is not a systematic scientific review.

This report aims to highlight the risks to health associated with the rapid expansion of coal mining in the Hunter Valley for the local population as well as the risk to the global community from the contribution to climate change from coal exports.

It is aimed at politicians, policymakers, media, those advocating for policy change, health professionals, and communities affected by coal mining and combustion, in the Hunter Valley and elsewhere.

In its conclusion the report says:

“As a recent editorial in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health concluded, coal is a fuel that is “no longer fit for purpose on a crowded and overheated planet.

“Australia is extremely fortunate in that it has access to some of the most abundant renewable energy resources in the world. Coupled with energy efficiency initiatives, it is possible to replace coal-fired electricity generation in the Hunter Valley with cleaner, healthier alternatives – and in doing so, support the development of a new regional industry.

“It is time for policy and planning decisions to be implemented that allow regions like the Hunter Valley to begin a transition to other less harmful industries that will provide a safe, healthy and economically secure future.”

Read the report here: ”Coal and health in the Hunter: Lessons from one valley for the world”.