Big bangs, smoke and fun @ National Science Week 2012

Ya gotta love science!

Not only for the spectacular drama and big bangs, but for the delicate finesse of artistic creativity, researching our environments to ascertain their health, delving into cancer cells and DNA, learning from the stars, or working out how many people particular regions can sustain. I don't pretend to understand it all, but I love that there are people working in all these (and more) areas to better understand the complexities of our world and beyond.

National Science Week is a celebration of science, and the opening today in Brisbane's Queen Street Mall went off with a dramatic bang! Students, researchers and assorted scientists were scattered around the mall sharing insights and enthusiasm.

Garbage bins are usually pretty boring things, but today one was put to good use when liquid nitrogen was carefully poured in a drink bottle and put in a container inside a wheelie bin. The lid was quickly shut and the presenters scampered to a safe distance. An ear popping explosion was the result, with copious amounts of smoke, a wildly rocking bin and hugely smiling emos who'd been watching with feigned disinterest from the sidelines. Not bad at all!

I learnt that listening to the bush is not only delightful, but a valid way to ascertain the health (or otherwise) of environments. Scientists record the sounds, remove the extraneous "noise" then analyse the results. By doing this, (which is a rather complex business) it's possible to discover such things as the infiltration of cane toads to the west and south of the country (seriously not good for native animals of any size), the range and health of particular communities of animals, birds or frogs and how the populations are coping with assorted environmental factors.  

You can listen to some of the sounds of the Australian bush and learn a bit more at www.bush.fm

I love staring at the night sky, looking at the depth and range of colours, scanning for meteors, waving at the International Space Station and looking for satellites. Others become animated and enthusiastic when in the vicinity of telescopes of varying sizes. I heard oohs and aahs as people of all ages concentrated to look at sunspots and held my breath, hoping that no one would trip over the tripods that looked far too insecure to allow the bumbling public near.

Dr Jennifer  Loy seemed to be fielding quite a few questions along the lines of "Where can I get one of those?" and  "That looks like a great course" as she demonstrated a small tabletop 3D printer. I'd heard and seen some uses for 3D printers, but I'd never seen them used for jewellery and other elegant work. The lamp shade was exquisite and the jewellery would be fun to wear. As for more practical uses, glasses frames came to mind, and I expect a clever person could compete well with the outrageously priced stock in many spectacle stores.

Starting a conversation with anyone who is passionate about their particular field of interest can be a fraught business. Are they going to be interesting? Are you going to, for instance, have to resort to chewing your leg off to get away from a tediously boring, long winded, excruciatingly painful, bore? Thankfully, no dramatic, messy newsworthy stories were evident today. In fact, quite the opposite. At times I wondered if the scientists and presenters found the enthusiasm of the public a bit, well, enthusiastic to be honest. Wide eyed wonder, and lots of questions seemed par for the course.

I'm looking forward to having time to explore the Carrying Capacity Dashboard which "is an online application that estimates the resources needed to support a human population" given particular lifestyle choices. You can explore what happens when there are changes in such things as diet, energy usage, agricultural techniques and recycling practices. Adapting our lifestyles has a dramatic effect on the estimated number of people that different areas in Australia can carry sustainably. Given what I learnt today, it's clear some areas are already well beyond their ability to be sustainable.

Australia faces huge challenges with our changing climate. We already have divisive and competing land use demands - farming versus mining, agriculture versus housing development subdivisions.

Communities and states are at loggerheads about fair and equitable use of water - should it be used for farming, irrigation, mining? How much for manufacturing? Which areas get how much? Who decides? What proportion should be left in the environment for healthy rivers and groundwater? What about contaminants? How do we rationalise the use of this impermanent, precious natural resource?

It's vital that our policy makers address these issues with a deep understanding of the ramifications of their decisions and not make decisions as a knee-jerk response or for short term electoral gains or to satisfy the most strident lobbyists. Carrying Capacity Dashboard is, I suspect, going to provoke a lot of discussion, and hopefully some deep reflection on the sort of society we hope to become.

National Science Week is just beginning! To find out what's on near you, go to http://www.scienceweek.net.au/ it's not just big bangs to entertain the kid in us all, there's also challenging, entertaining, creative, welcoming sessions around the country for people from all walks of life.

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An A to Z of Climate Matters.

April 2012. An A-Z of Climate Matters. 
There is a link in the sidebar to the A-Z blogging challenge hosted by Arlee Bird and his wonderful team.

A is for Advertising - a brief look at the methods media, vested interests and the advertising industry use to sway opinion regarding climate change rather than to share facts.
B is for Biodiversity - why it's important for our very survival on earth.
C is for Change - how we often resist it, fear it and avoid it, but how we also need to face it head on if we're to negotiate climate change and energy depletion with hope and confidence.
D is for Desertification - what can happen to lands which are overgrazed, and have every natural living thing removed for the planting of mono crops.
E is for Eat - what we choose to eat, how much, how often and where it's imported from has major implications for food security. Farting cows make their appearance here.
F is for Fracking - a method of extracting fossil fuels from deep under the earth.
G is for Greenhouse - the gasses which we're emitting into the atmosphere at such a rapid rate aren't healthy and are contributing to a toxic blend of chemicals which will last many hundreds of years. We don't breathe these easily, nor do animals. Trees that normally absorb carbon-dioxide aren't keeping up with our emissions.
H is for Health - Our mental and physical health is intricately tied with our climate. Increasingly frequent and severe weather events such as fire, drought and flood have impacts on everyone involved.
I is for Insects - We need them! Without creepy crawlies and bees, humankind is unlikely to survive. Toxic chemicals used on crops as pesticides kill not only "pests" but helpful critters too.
J is for Jellyfish - these can survive and thrive in ocean areas which have been overfished.
K is for Kilter - as in Our climate is out of kilter and so are some of our lifestyle choices.
L is for Leadership - innovative, farsighted, visionary, leaders are rare and need to be encouraged and celebrated.
M is for Mangroves - mangroves are the most interesting trees! They're salt tolerant meaning they can grow in sea water, and can deal with more carbon than any other tree.
N is for Notice - notice how you can make energy savings in your home AND save money!
O is for Oil - such a recent discovery and one which has infiltrated almost all our lives. In fact it's probably fair to say we're addicted to it and as with any addiction, breaking it could be a bit of a challenge. but it will run out, so perhaps it's not a bad idea to have a "Plan B".
P is for Plastics and Pollution - plastics are a wonderful invention, and a byproduct of oil. They're extremely handy for all sorts of things. Unfortunately products are often discarded thoughtlessly and add to the increasing problem of pollution.
Q is for Quadruple bottom line - a little bit of accounting - a different way of looking at what is valuable for businesses. Interesting rather than daunting :)
R is for Responsibility - hyper-consumption has an impact on using fossil fuels and therefore our climate.
S is for Soil - you don't have to get down and dirty to appreciate how necessary healthy soil is! Healthy soil = healthy plants. Healthy plants = healthy us.
T is for Trees - tall, majestic and leafy or stunted and straggly. No matter what they look like, trees are vital to maintain a breathable atmosphere, to stabilise soil and to assist with biodiversity.
U is for Urban heat island - cities absorb heat so people to use more air-conditioning. Greening our cities creates cooler, healthier lifestyles.
V is for Values - values underpin much of what we do and give our lives meaning. When people are out of touch with their values, their lives can lack direction and be unhappy and empty.
W is for Water - Water wars. Water disputes. Country against country, region against region. Farming, people, mining, all demanding more of this increasingly polluted vital resource.
X is for eXtreme weather - did it really take me this long to discuss weather?
Y is for Yesterday - sing the words from The Beatles song "Yesterday" to get a sense of this letter.
Z is for Zero - Zero population growth - improved quality of life for mums, children, families and communities. Enough food and water to go around. Equity and balance. So easy, yet so hard for many to accept the need for reliable modern contraception.

And now ... a well earned celebration :D

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Climate Matters. T is for Trees.

This post is for T in the A-Z Blogging Challenge 2012. Link in the sidebar.

Trees are integral to our life on earth: 

"The tree breathes what we exhale. When the tree exhales, we need what the tree exhales. So we have a common destiny with the tree. We are all from the earth. And when the earth, the water, the atmosphere is corrupted, then it will create its own reaction."

(More complete quote below)

Yet, despite the understanding that we need trees to provide oxygen and clean the air we breathe, deforestation is increasing at an extraordinary rate.  People the world over are concerned at the rate at which the Amazon and other rain-forests are being felled, displacing native peoples and decreasing viable habitat for native animals. We've been warned that not only is this devastating to those peoples and their traditional lands, but that it has negative consequences for the whole planet.

Forests of all types, from the apparently insignificant Mangrove (see M here) to towering Mountain Ash  to the vast tropical areas with their astoundingly rich biodiversity, all play a vital part in removing carbon-dioxide from the air we breathe. As forests worldwide are felled, not only are they unable to continue removing the carbon-dioxide we have emitted into the atmosphere, but they release that which they have been storing, adding to the dangerous levels that so concern the bulk of our Earth's best regarded climate specialists.

When forests are clear felled, it impacts on everything nearby. Fruiting trees, glorious flowering plants, nesting birds, animals and fish are all impacted. Where there was a cacophony of diverse birdsong, hoots, chirrups, coughs and vibrant colour, there is less stable soil, burned acres, muddy runoff, pollution from the burning and increased erosion.

Whilst rain-forests appear rich, the soil itself needs the constant addition of falling leaves and debris to maintain the amazing growth. Mono crops, often palm and corn, are planted in their place and generally need the addition of complex fertilisers and pesticides to be viable. The runoff poisons waterways, impacting peoples and their lands many kilometres downstream. The diverse plant, animal and fish communities are unable to return to what is, in effect, barren land.

Why are we continuing on this path which has been of concern for years? In its simplest term ... money. Palm oil is a remarkable substance. Soaps and shampoos wash extremely well when it's added. It's added to sweets, chocolate, breakfast cereals, margarines, laundry and kitchen detergents and moisturisers and more recently added to some fuels. When you start looking it seems to be everywhere, possibly under a different name, but it's there, and it's cheap to produce and valuable to multinationals.

What can we do? Becoming a savvy consumer can be time consuming and it's frustrating to untangle the web of names that are used for palm oil. One local site I use for information and products is chooktopia here.

Indigenous peoples throughout the world have had an understanding of the principles of sustainability, and have lived sustainable lifestyles, for millennia. Floyd Red Crow Westerman, a Hopi Indian elder described the sustainability relationship as one based on an understanding of spirit and the transience of human lifespans. He describes the problems of sustainability as humanity’s inability to live on earth in a spiritual way. He describes that if humanity is not spiritually connected to the earth and does understand the spiritual reality of how to live on earth, it is likely humanity will not survive. “Everything is spiritual. Everything has a spirit… Water is sacred. The Air is sacred. Our DNA is made of the same DNA as the tree. The tree breathes what we exhale. When the tree exhales, we need what the tree exhales. So we have a common destiny with the tree. We are all from the earth. And when the earth, the water, the atmosphere is corrupted, then it will create its own reaction.” The recognition of spirit and the sacredness of our ecology and interconnectedness with the earth and each other is the first bottom line of a quadruple bottom line principle of sustainability. 

 Quadruple Bottom Line 

 Spirit + Social + Economic + Ecological 

More on the Quadruple bottom line for Q here.

(quote from here. My bold)


Last year I wrote about Targets and Teachers for T for my theme on workplace bullying Here and a Tense drabble here .


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Climate Matters. I is for Insects.

This is for I in the A-Z Blogging Challenge 2012. Link in the sidebar.


Bees are awesome creatures, not only do they produce honey, but along with mosquitoes, dragonflies and other insects, they assist in the pollination of grains as well as fruit trees and vegetables. We’re reliant on them all and they’re vital for the continued health of our ecosystems and crops!

Of concern to bee keepers and agriculturalists is the fact that bee populations are in decline. It’s understood that they’ve been stressed by a combination of factors including pesticides, disease, parasites, and human mismanagement.

Whilst many smaller scale farmers are keenly in touch with their crops and animals, and work the land sustainably, others are of such a vast scale and appear to have little interest in long term sustainable practises. Land that in former times would have supported a variety of crops and then allowed to lie fallow to be enriched with organic matter such as blood and bone is now stripped and forced to produce crops reliant on artificial fertilisers season after season.

Vast tracts of land are planted with a single type of seed which has been impregnated with toxic herbicides and pesticides. As the crops grow, some of the insecticide remains and the bees collect pollen which contains remnants of the initial dose of insecticide as well as toxic sprays. This pollen is then taken back to the hive to feed the larvae and to make honey.

Traditionally, bees would forage from a variety of plants, however, the size of the fields planted with a single crop makes this difficult. It’s an unnatural, unhealthy diet for them and appears to weaken them, it's a bit like us only eating a single type of food day in and day out - it's hard to get all the nutrients for optimal health.

Not only do insects including butterflies and wasps pollinate crops and blossoms, but others help aerate soil when they tunnel, which helps water get to plant roots. They also decompose dead and rotting material as happens in a compost bin or worm farm. Insects play a vital role in enabling life to continue on Earth. Without them, in all their buggy glory, we and many other birds, reptiles and animals wouldn’t be able to survive.

When species by species they become extinct, we are threatening our very survival. Sir David Attenborough says “If we and the rest of the backboned animals were to disappear overnight, the rest of the world would get on pretty well. But if the invertebrates were to disappear, the world’s ecosystems would collapse.’ And when the world’s ecosystmes collapse, we die, it's that simple.

Last year I wrote about International students and others for I in my theme of workplace bullying. Here.


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Climate Matters. B is for Biodiversity.

This is the post for B in the A-Z Blogging Challenge 2012. Link in the sidebar.
(Updated Jan 2020 during the Australian bushfire disaster)

“In the last 500 years 844 plants and animals had become extinct because of the rising global population, habitat damage and change, over exploitation, the introduction of alien species and climate change. About 6 million hectares of primary forest are felled each year and about one-third of all mangrove swamps have been lost since the 1980’s. Up to 52% of the species of birds studied face possible extinction.” (p334 Designing 2050 Peter Ellyard)

What is biodiversity? Does it matter? If so, why?

As with everything else related to climate matters, there are layers upon layers of complexity ranging from degradation of forest systems to global economics and medicines, the drug trade and displacement of small communities living deep within the Amazon and elsewhere.

Biodiversity provides the basis for all life on earth. Healthy ecosystems in remote, far flung places of the world support our economic and social development, and are vital to our health and well-being. When our lives are sheltered from nature, it’s easy to take our natural world for granted and possibly even dismiss it as unimportant. Other than providing food and water, many everyday items come from nature including building materials, fibers, dyes, rubber and oil. We’d be lost without them.

Healthy biodiversity and sound ecosystems support and maintain clean water and clean air. They impact on our climate. Pollination (usually by bees) is vital for crop success, and healthy soil structure helps prevent erosion and desertification. These are no small matters. They are vital to the well-being and security of all people, not just in developing countries.

There are significant benefits to biodiverstiy and healthy ecosystems that are hard to put a dollar value on - though many economists are beginning to factor in benefits such as spiritual and aesthetic values. Leisure and holiday activities such as hiking, birdwatching or natural history study are a joy for many people.

Biodiversity supports psychological health, inspires musicians, painters, photographers, sculptors, writers and other artists. How drab life would be without these things to transport us into a different realm.

To continue living on planet Earth, we need to have long term respect for, and encourage global efforts to support optimum health of our diverse ecosystems. Corporations worldwide need to take their responsibilities as stewards of complex ecologies seriously, and with a view to the future of mankind.

Conservation, and the risks associated with biodiversity loss and ecosystem disturbance is a far wider issue than dismissively labelling those who take an interest as radical greenies. It underpins our very existence. Climate change is affecting the diversity of species, but our destructive habits are also contributing massively.

Loss of frogs is often associated with stressed habitats.

What are the long term chances of survival for species that were already struggling with the effect of drought, deforestation & malnutrition prior to the Australian Bushfires ?

“There are /habitats that are burning that we didn’t think should or would ever burn,”/. The subtropical rainforest on the border of Queensland and New South Wales “is not a flammable habitat. It’s evolved over many millennia without fire, and a lot of the species there aren’t resilient.”

Last year I wrote about what constitutes Bullying for B in my theme of workplace bullying. Here. 
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