Australia to set national targets to reduce waste

Australia would divert 80 per cent of its waste from landfill by 2030 under an ambitious national target to be announced in the wake of the China crackdown on recycled waste imports.

China's ban on the importation of lower-grade waste has hit Australia hard.

A "working draft" of the 2018 National Waste Policy, obtained by Fairfax Media, also sets out a target to reduce the total waste generated by every Australian by 10 per cent by 2030.

Read the story by Jewell Topsfield from The Age - “Australia to set national targets to reduce waste.”

Melbourne weather: Storm shouldn't have been called a '10/10' says Craig Lapsley

The weather bureau has been criticised in the wake of this weekend's storms, with Victoria's emergency chief saying it has to revise the way it describes extreme events.

Emergency Management Commissioner Craig
 Lapsley at the State Control Centre on Sunday. 

Emergency Management Commissioner Craig Lapsley said on Monday the Bureau of Meteorology should not have forecast the storm as a ’10'.

"I'm not saying the bureau has got it wrong, but '10 out of 10' ... was overused," Mr Lapsley told ABC radio.

"I think that set a bar that was right up there.”

The bureau has defended its forecast but said the language used would be reviewed when the weather event was over.

Read Chloe Booker’s story in today’s Melbourne Age - “Melbourne weather: Storm shouldn't have been called a '10/10' says Craig Lapsley."

EU to spend €1.6 million on car emissions tests

The European Commission will make €1.6 million available next year to fund independent testing of cars, in the wake of the 'Dieselgate' scandal.

A Czech private garage carrying out emissions test.

The money will come from the EU budget and has been requested by the European Parliament.

The 2018 budget will be rubber-stamped by MEPs on Thursday (30 November).

It comes after widescale emissions cheating by German carmaker Volkswagen Group was brought to light in the United States through the reports of a non-governmental organisation, the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) – and not by the responsible authorities in Europe.

Read the EUObserver story by Peter Teffer - “EU to spend €1.6 million on car emissions tests.”

What could Australian sustainable cities look like in 2040?

It’s 2040.

As you wake and look outside, things might not look hugely different to 2017 – there aren’t any hoverboards or sky highways – but Australian cities have managed to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent.

Many of the technologies required to get
us to a greener future already exists. 

And how your day unfolds will look very different depending on how we reached this point.

As you step outside some changes are obvious. Renewable energy is now everywhere. You pass bladeless wind turbines, and solar farms on city skyscapers. On your way, you walk through an urban farm and the concrete jungle is greener with roof and vertical gardens throughout the city. But you’ve had to make some concessions in terms of privacy and lifestyle.

So what’s changed? And how did we get here?

These are just some of the questions explored in the final report from the Visions and Pathways 2040 research project which looks at how we can rapidly reduce Australian cities’ emissions to avoid catastrophic climate change as we approach the end of what’s being called the ‘critical decade’.

Read the University of Melbourne Pursuit story - “What could Australian sustainable cities look like in 2040?”

Pope says climate change deniers are ‘stupid’

Pope Francis on Monday slammed climate change doubters as "stupid" in the wake of a spate of hurricanes that have thrashed the US, Mexico and the Caribbean.

Pope Francis greets the faithful as he travels in
the popemobile through Cartagena, Colombia,
September 10, 2017. 

"Those who deny it (climate change) should go to the scientists and ask them. They are very clear, very precise," the pontiff said Monday during a press conference on the return leg of a five-day Colombia trip.

"A phrase from the Old Testament comes to mind: 'man is stupid, a stubborn, blind man'," he added.

Francis said individuals and politicians had a "moral responsibility" to act on advice from scientists, who had clearly outlined what must be done to halt the course of global warming.

Read the ABS/CBN News story - “Pope says climate change deniers are ‘stupid’."