Waste "management" in the Shire of Mornington.

Arthurs Seat Tip

I went to the packed information meeting about the proposed tip on Arthurs Seat on the weekend. I wasn’t sure what to expect. Surely the Mornington Council which proudly advertises that it’s "COMMITTED TO A SUSTAINABLE PENINSULA" wouldn’t be interested in any proposal to turn the disused quarry site, which is embraced by the Arthurs Seat State Park, into a non recycle, non reuse dump and run landfill for other councils? How wrong I was.

The speakers were professional and clearly very knowledgeable. They'd put in hours of time into their presentations, working out how to best explain the proposal. And it's far, far worse than I'd expected. 

Night view from Arthurs Seat over Dromana and Safety Beach

Arthurs Seat is a smallish hill (305 metres above sea level) on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria. It's a major tourist attraction with beautiful sweeping views across Port Phillip Bay. To the north is Melbourne and to the south are The Heads - a very narrow channel between two headlands, leading into Bass Strait. Arthurs Seat was named by Acting Lieutenant John Murray who saw it from aboard the sailing ship the Lady Nelson in 1802 way back when the area was first being explored by the English. 

Mornington Peninsula is now described as Melbourne's playground because of the wonderful scenery, glorious beaches, great natural spas, golf courses with stunning views, excellent wines, good surf, fishing, state and national parks, boating and food, all relatively close to the capital city. 

The Arthurs Seat State Park, which flanks the proposed tip site, is valuable not only for its koalas, wallabies, goannas and bandicoots but supports a wide range birdlife which help maintain the areas health and biodiversity. More than 25 species of plants are either rare or uncommon on the Peninsula, and four are listed as threatened. 

The State Park gives a glimpse into what the region was like before white settlers came and found the land was good for market gardens, farming, vineyards, spas and a multitude of fabulous tourist ventures. 

Arthurs Seat is the backdrop for the bayside towns of Rosebud, Dromana and McCrae. Near the proposed tip location are two primary schools, organic farms and Diggers Seeds - a much loved and highly regarded source of heirloom and organic seeds and plants. This partially sets the scene for the sense of betrayal locals feel that the Mornington Shire Council would even consider this location as a viable option for a tip.

Westernport Bay RAMSAR Wetlands

Biosphere

But it’s even more offensive than that. Ten years ago, the entire Mornington Peninsula including the Westernport region was nominated for, and proudly wears the mantle of being a proclaimed UNESCO biosphere reserve.

This means that the area is considered to be a living laboratory where people co-operate to develop better ways to manage the earth’s resources to meet human needs,while conserving natural processes and biodiversity. Conservation and sustainable development underpin the entire concept, however participation is entirely voluntary. There has been wide community support for the biosphere reserve and responsible stewardship is encouraged across the entire area.

Zero Waste

Interestingly Peninsula Waste Management (PWM) highlights responsible recycling in the header of their web site, yet at the meeting, it was noted that there will be no facility for recycling at all at the proposed tip, and all waste, including green waste will be dumped in together. 

Unlike the current tip at Rye where recycling is encouraged, locals will be unable to take trailer loads of green waste to be mulched, or goods to be sorted for resale.  

The Shire website states “MPS has a significant opportunity to play a leading role in promoting sound waste management practices, high levels of recycling services and innovative waste education and leadership within the waste sector.” Elsewhere the term “best practice” is used.

Maybe I've got the wrong end of the green wedge, but this proposal hardly reflects the name chosen for the Mornington Peninsula Regional Waste Management Group - Peninsula Zero Waste! Dumping unsorted waste, including asbestos, into a hole in the ground which is set below the water table, lined with plastic and with pipes and pumps to continually remove the water and liquid that will collect doesn't appear to be best practice, responsible stewardship, environmentally wise or sustainable. 

However, let’s continue.

How the liner works

The liner for this kind of tip can be problematic too. It sounds neat for a small domestic fish pond, but the requirement here is massive. Basically the liner, or membrane, is placed at the base of the hole and up the very steep sides to separate the waste from the surrounding ground and to prevent the toxic sludge entering the waterways (the mind boggles at how they do this). Pipes are laid out to pump out the wet stuff. (more here)

The wet substance is called leachate and it’s pumped to storage tanks where it’ll be transported off site daily in 15 (?) tankers. It’s not nice stuff.

The waste is dumped on top of the membrane. It gets heavy ... they estimate 70 – 100 trucks per day will lumber in and out dumping loads of unsorted waste - surely I got that figure wrong, that's an enormous number. The waste gets rained on adding even more weight; assorted chemicals, solvents, paints etc wash around and out of those containers that were thrown “away”. They mix together and create new and interesting potions which get pumped out. 

Unlike the pond or swimming pool at home which can be emptied with some difficulty, then repaired, this membrane cannot be repaired. If it becomes worn, if there are abrasions, holes or leaks of any kind, it's impossible to remove what's been dumped on top and patch the liner. 

The pipes which have been meticulously laid to collect the water and wet debris are likewise unable to be repaired, unclogged or cleaned. Would you use the word "never" when discussing the possibility of a leakage into creeks and waterways? 

Melbourne across the bay from Mornington

What gets tipped and who does the tipping

I heard at the meeting that it’s estimated that 70% of the landfill to be dumped will come from outside the Shire of Mornington. It’ll include, but not be limited to “solid inert waste, usually generated by industry, such as packaging and building materials”. It sounds inocuous enough stated like that, and of course we can be confident that no unscrupulous, or lazy people would sneak in the odd toxic by-product from their chemical factory over in Dandenong can’t we? Of course it'll all be sorted before it gets dumped!

Then of course we have the standard nasties included in household waste.  Unfortunately, not everyone composts their organic refuse which will mix in with discarded pongy “disposable nappies”, and bottles containing household cleaning chemicals such as bleach and ammonia.

Known toxins in discarded containers of common garden fertilisers and insecticides will be added to this complex slurry. (Please, for the health of our soil, insects and bees, go organic!) Some materials will decompose relatively quickly, others including the convenient disposable nappies can take up to 500 years, and polystyrene can reportedly take over a million years to decompose.

We can do so much better. From the Shire website: “The Shire contrator managing the Rye Waste Disposal Centre, and the Shire’s other waste transfer stations, is required to meet stringent waste diversion targets. Waste is sorted and markets have been developed to avoid taking much of this waste to landfill. In the last year 58% of hard waste was diverted from landfill. This is significantly ahead of the diversion rates being achieved anywhere in Victoria.” The proposed site won't have this service.  

Waste transfer stations work and locals have embraced them, sorting trailer loads of household rubbish into various on-site areas for reuse. I understand that a waste processing plant is likely to be developed in Hallam which is within a reasonable distance. Yet, this proposal is to allow garbage from that area to be dumped here trusting that it'll be pre-filtered and sorted. No doubt it's cheaper to dump than sort and process. But it's not responsible.

Unpleasant odours?

The smells, gasses and dusts from this delectable mix will of course be well contained even on hot, humid or windy mid summer days. How do I know? We’ve been assured by PWM the smells won’t travel! They'll stay within the boundary of the site and not set our noses twitching with displeasure. These well behaved smells will know how to act and have no doubt read and understood this requirement. 

And in 20 or 30 years when the quarry is filled to the brim with some decidedly unpleasant refuse, (remember, a significant proportion having been sourced from outside the Shire) it’ll all be covered with a metre or so of soil and be nearly transformed back to the original appearance! Yaay. No noxious fumes, no gasses, no leaching, no awkward, unfixable dribbles from aged liner or pipes. No problems!

Wildlife

As for the local wildlife, the creatures which live nearby in the state park. I’m sure they’ll be fine with a bit less habitat, it’s not as if they owned it anyway. It’s possible the koalas won’t even notice the removal of some manna gums, their preferred food source. 

As for the known fire hazards in a tip of this nature, and especially as it's embraced on two sides by an iconic State Park, with a school nearby – it doesn’t bear thinking about.

Leachate – the not so nice byproduct

One of the issues which was discussed in some detail is the possible leaching of the byproducts of the tipped waste into the surrounding land and water table, and eventually into Sheepwash Creek and Port Phillip Bay.

Comfortingly, according to PWM, “The principal components of leachate are nitrogen species such as ammonia and salts, like table salt. … The Toxicity of landfill leachate is comparable to that of water draining from a septic tank.” That's reassuring.

However, according to Wikipedia, leachate is a liquid that contains harmful substances which are likely to become putrid. I mentioned some of the nasties that get dumped domestically; then there's waste from chicken processing plants, farms and various manufacturing businesses.  This leachate is clearly not going to be equivalent to regular table salts!

More from Wikipedia: “All membranes are porous to some limited extent so that over time low volumes of leachate will cross the membrane.” I’m partially reassured that “they should never have a measurable adverse impact on the quality of the receiving groundwater.” But unsettled by “A more significant risk may be the failure or abandonment of the leachate collection system. Such systems are prone to internal failure as landfills suffer large internal movements as waste decomposes unevely and thus buckles and distorts pipes.”

Distressingly, the more I read about leachate, the more it sounds like something you wouldn’t want entering Port Phillip Bay or in trucks trundling past a local primary school umpteen times per day. 

The PWM literature states that  “there will never be a leachate discharge to any creek.”

“Never”. Wow, that's supremely confident. I'd be much more reassured by a statement along the lines of "in the unlikely event of a leak, we have x, y and z process in place to respond immediately and without hesitation." At least then I'd know they'd thought about how to respond. Never alerts me to the fact that a response hasn't even been considered.

A trait I've noticed with some sectors involved with dangerous substances or toxic byproducts, (such as with fracking, oil pipelines and nuclear waste,) is the ability of those involved to downplay concerns and over-estimate their competence, the state of their equipment and ability to respond to any incident promptly and effectively. Unfortunately the path of overconfidence is well worn and the years or decades of suffering by those living nearby is minimised and forgotten as the next "unexpected" disaster unfolds.  

At this stage I begin to wonder if there could be any adverse effect from an earth tremor associated with Selwyn Fault. This wasn't mentioned at the meeting, so perhaps not.

The Peninsula expects increased severe weather events including extremely heavy rains associated with climate change. The risk of increased flooding is anticipated. Will the pumps designed for current  “highest recorded flows” be up to the challenge of future inundations? 

Under what circumstances could the pumps fail? Never? 

If there is any overflow or leak, the leachate will find its way into Sheepwash Creek and from there into Port Phillip Bay to be absorbed by the shellfish being farmed locally. As for the businesses close by which have worked hard to gain their organic certification – I guess they’ll be considered an inconvenient offsite irritant when they complain that airborne dust (which didn't quite manage to get tucked in at night) carrying tiny fibres and toxins from the waste are affecting their livelihoods.

There's a petition at: http://www.communityrun.org/petitions/save-arthurs-seat

Further information including how to write a submission to the EPA, and place an objection to council and local MP is at http://savearthursseat.com/

What a shame it's not a council election year. It'd be great to hear from individual councillors what they really value and mean by: 

"COMMITTED TO A  SUSTAINABLE PENINSULA" or perhaps they'll change that statement?

...

Reduce consumption, repurpose articles, recycle whenever possible.

If you haven't seen the Story of stuff it's well worth watching. 

....

Further information: 

http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/parks-and-reserves/about-parks-and-reserves/biosphere-reserves

Biosphere http://www.biosphere.org.au/documents/nomination/zones.pdf

http://www.biosphere.org.au/aboutus.html

http://www.peninsulawaste.com.au/

http://greenliving.lovetoknow.com/Environmental_Problems:_Landfills

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posted by Sue Travers

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. X is for eXtreme Weather

This post is for X in the A-Z BloggingChallenge 2012. Link in the sidebar.


Unseasonal snow, high winds, heavy rains, increased heat, damage to property, increased hospital admissions and deaths. Around the world reports of damage from extreme weather events are heard - "unprecedented", "rainfall deficits", "longest drought",  "crop devastation", "unseasonal weather", "homes without power for days", "highest known temperatures exceeded", "all time high"; this it seems, is the new normal locally and globally. 


In recent human history, extreme weather events have, statistically, been relatively rare. Due to our changing climate, the atmosphere is warmer due to complex inter-relationship of events.  For instance, warm air is able to hold more water whilst being less stable, leading to more volatile weather patterns.

Worldwide, heat waves are longer and hotter, heavy rain and flooding is more frequent. Severe storms are increasing in frequency and severity. As is expected, variation in weather patterns is evident and affected seasonally and by local geography such as rivers, lakes and mountains.

Seafront properties take the brunt of severe winds, rain and storm surges.

Computer modelling showing expected range of naturally occurring temperature variations both with and without human contribution shows that human contribution has increased the likelihood of hotter overall temperatures. (For why scientists talk about probabilities rather than certainties see A Advertising here) Upper atmosphere jet streams, swirling ocean currents, the melting of glaciers and permafrost all play a complex and interlinked part in our global weather systems.

People around the world are experiencing the effects of increasingly severe and more frequent storms. The insurance industry is already factoring extreme weather damage into their premiums; they understand that damage will be significant in years to come and have been proactive in encouraging governments to adapt and prepare. They've also been working with industry to address future needs as a result from climate change and the impacts on property and threat to life from global weather instability whether it be preparing for increased heat waves, snow, wind, cyclones or hurricanes.

Low lying industrial areas are at risk of flooding and damage during severe storms. Toxins, oils and other contaminants run into surrounding waterways creating havoc for shipping and poisoning fisheries and marine life to say nothing of loss of work and income by those affected. Cleanups are costly and can take many years leaving affected areas uninhabitable.


The heart break from rebuilding shattered lives is impossible to calculate in financial terms.

Remote areas are affected with roadways being washed away leaving farm properties stranded and creek beds susceptible to increased erosion from vehicle traffic.

Financial aid is finite and decisions need to be made whether to replace infrastructure in remote locations after flood damage.

In the recent past, communities affected by storm damage have relied on governments to assist with rebuilding and other support, but that appears to be less reliable as governments are increasingly stretched financially and decide how to most effectively divvy up their budget.

They may choose not to assist as more and more regions are impacted and infrastructure will be left to local communities to manage as best they can. Food security, transport breakdown, water impurities and general displacement impact on communities worldwide and will continue to do so as we experience this change.

Encouragingly though, communities around the world are planning with hope for the future and coming together to share information, resources and ideas to improve the resilience of their towns and regions. They're working together to create a vision for their new communities based on common goals related to making their communities vibrant places to live post Peak Oil. See also H Health here. More detailed information on the Energy Descent Action Plan here.



Last year I wrote about the X-factor that enables some people to speak out and stand up to workplace bullies. Here. 


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Climate Matters. W is for water

This post is for W in the A-Z blogging Challenge 2012. Link in the sidebar.


Water is vital for our continued survival on our Earth - for drinking, cooking, manufacturing, mining and farming. Without clean water to drink or to grow crops we can expect negative health effects from malnutrition and other health impacts and further loss of life worldwide.

Arguments about who owns water rights is already a major bugbear between nations where major river systems travel through many countries - the citizens of each country naturally demand their equal share of this vital resource. "Ownership" and "rights" are fragile and hotly contested; those upstream are accused of taking more than their "fair share" and dumping pollutants, debris and toxins in for others down stream to manage as best they can.

Increased demands on water from irrigators, communities, mining and farming is creating tension and an underlying bitterness in country Australia.  Conflicting needs and divided communities can leave scars that will be hard to heal. Unfortunately thrown into the mix is the willingness of the  powerful, high profile, influential, subsidised fossil fuel industry to use well funded persuasive techniques to convince policy makers that their way is the only way.  These techniques are sometimes referred to as 'obstructive', when electricity companies are unable to purchase power from suppliers using renewable energy, such as wind or solar farms, due to contractual obligations.

In Australia, users downstream in the Murray-Darling Basin are left without enough water for their farms and communities, with towns struggling to remain viable. Signs along one of our major river systems show a waterway experiencing enormous stress.

We have such a deep emotional and spiritual relationship with water that it's seen as desirable to build homes over-looking rivers, lakes and bays. The ever changing vistas are a delight, and landowners in wealthy areas often choose to build mansions to benefit from cooling breezes and glorious views. The light from a stormy sky reflecting in water can be mesmerising, moonlight shimmering and plashing waves delight all our senses.

However, many waterside locations are increasingly viewed by insurance companies as somewhat negative, and insurance premiums reflect that industry's acceptance of the impact climate change will have on homes and industries built in 'problematic' areas. Increasing sea levels, the damage from storm surges, erosion and pollution from on land and via ocean currents, are having a disastrous affect on home prices in formerly desirable, wealthy suburbs.

The impact of stressed water systems affects not only home prices by the oceans, but recreational activities inland as well; entire communities and regions are suffering.

In Australia, bitter legal fights between councils aware of the impact of sea level rise, and developers and home owners wanting to recoup costs for subdivisions and low lying homes are ugly and acrimonious. Iconic surf life saving clubs are suffering from storm related erosion and need to relocate at huge cost to communities - yet some people still deny that we are experiencing unprecedented climate change while simultaneously demanding compensation or that infrastructure be built to protect their investments.

Venice is well known for flooding. Enterprising souls now sell single use waterproof boots ... Now that's looking at a problem creatively and making it into an opportunity! How will other cities respond when a similar problem unfolds?

Thrown into this mix is the need to address the issue of the amount of water needed to produce food.  All foods need water to grow and processed foods use extra in the production process. Some foods such as wheat are said to need about 1,000 litres of water per kilogram; in comparison, beef needs about 8 times more than that per kilogram.

See P for Plastics and Pollution (here) - Apparently around $100 billion is spent on bottle water annually world wide. Surely in countries where tap water is safe to drink, we can do better than using bottles for purchased water, especially given how many of those bottles are discarded and end up in waterways and our oceans.


Last year I wrote about Why me? for W in my theme on Workplace bullying here, and Weirdo here


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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. S is for Soil

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












This trailer is only about 3 minutes long. It's fascinating!

Loss of topsoil is a massive worldwide problem but it rarely receives much mainstream media attention. And whilst some people are scathing about groups concerned with environmental issues, without healthy soil to grow food, we have a serious problem.

Most of the world's food comes from cropland which is being degraded an an extraordinary rate by such things as overuse, clearing, mono-crops, salinity and erosion, which leads to a massive loss of soil productivity. It's estimated that in the US alone, this is in the vicinity of $38 billion each year.

When soil erosion occurs, the soil is unable to store water or support plant growth which leads to an escalating problem of increased erosion, and decreased food production.

Eroding top soil washes into waterways, taking toxic pesticides and fertilisers with it. This eventually finds its way into human water sources leading to an increased need for filtering or chemical purification.

It's estimated that 30% of the worlds' arable land has become unproductive over the past 40 years. With increased extreme weather events occurring as a result of climate change, this may occur more frequently in the future with the result that malnourishment will increase accordingly.

Australia has experienced devastating loss of cropland both as a result of drought and flood. At times Melbourne has been blanketed with rich topsoil blown across hundreds of miles from cropland upwind, leaving those areas depleted and less productive. People downwind experienced a rise in airborne health issues - difficulty breathing, eye irritation and skin problems were prevalent. Traffic was affected as visibility decreased and driving became hazardous. In addition to direct loss of income and production on farms was indirect loss of income and production from those affected downwind. More recent flooding has eroded rich farmland and left farming communities stressed and with many livelihoods in tatters.

Recently there has been concern that coal seam gas has been discovered below Australia's most rich farmland. The push to extract it further erodes farming communities and could eventually force Australia to be reliant on other countries to supply food. Being reliant on others to regularly and happily supply food could be problematic as arable lands become more scarce worldwide and the producing countries choose not to sell.

Composting to make soil for your own garden:

A bokashi bin in a workplace kitchen encourages employees to compost rather than discard lunchtime food scraps. If they're thrown in a regular bin, they eventually end up in landfill where they release greenhouse gases. In this workplace, however, every Friday evening, one employee wins the jackpot and takes the bin home to add to the soil in the garden to enrich it! The smell is not like "off" food at all, but similar to fermenting bits and pieces and not at all disgusting.


Last year I wrote about Sociopaths and Serial bullies for S for my theme of workplace bullying. Here and Shilly-shally here.


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Climate Matters. H is for Health

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

We instinctively know we function better when we’re healthy, when we have hope for the future. When we feel a sense of control over our lives we show courage in the face of adversity – we feel empowered. The converse is also true, when we feel disempowered, when life feels hopeless, depression increases throughout communities.

Most people think of climate change as a purely environmental issue. But it affects more than the environment. In itself, even without being personally impacted by an extreme climate change event, knowledge about the devastating effects of extreme weather and environmental degradation can lead to depression.

Climate change also affects the fundamental requirements for health – clean air, safe drinking water, sufficient food and secure shelter.

Heat
As people in bushfire prone areas are aware, extreme heat can lead to devastating bushfires, resulting in deaths, higher pollution levels and asthma attacks as well as long term impacts as a result of trauma for those impacted directly and indirectly. Heatwaves affect health in a variety of ways - by triggering heart attacks, strokes, accidents and heat exhaustion – all potentially requiring hospitalisation. Vulnerable people such as the very young and elderly may die. High temperatures can also lead to increased pollutants in the air that afffect those with cardiovascular and respiratory diseases including asthma.

Increasing drought leads to food and water shortages. Rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns are likely to lead to further malnutrition in many countries.

Floods
Floods can cause drownings and physical injuries, damage homes, businesses and infrastructure and disrupt all services including the supply of medical and health services. The economy is affected by lost work and school days, population displacement and disruption of transportation leading to food and fresh water shortages.

Floods contaminate freshwater supplies. Gastroenteritis and waterborne diseases such as cholera and typhoid outbreaks could also become more common because warmer temperatures would make it easier for bacteria to multiply in food and contaminated water after infrastructure has broken down due to flooding.

Residents in Townsville QLD were warned to preserve drinking water
after the devastation of Cyclone Yasi.

Diseases such as malaria, dengue fever and Ross River virus may become more prevalent as mosquitoes extend their range and flourish in a generally warmer climate and breed in stagnant water after floods. Tick borne diseases such as lyme disease are also expected to increase.

Rising sea levels and increasingly extreme weather events will destroy homes, farms, businesses, medical facilities and other essential services. More than half of the world's population lives within 60 km of the sea. People will be forced to move, which in turn heightens the risk of a range of health effects, from emotional distress to coming into contact with new diseases.

Food prices skyrocket and seaside communities are devastated
after extreme weather events worldwide.

When forests are decimated for timber, agriculture or mining, the native animals are crowded together in fragmented, smaller areas. One ill animal can infect others more easily and because they crowded together, and are closer to settlements, the disease carries far more easily and can transfer to humans easier than would be possible if their habitat was intact.

The health of the world’s people depends on truly sustainable development. This will ideally incorporate all areas of human activity and include our interactions with land, ocean and atmospheric environments to ensure that they, and we, are reslilient in the face of increasing pressure to use them with little regard for the outcomes.

Social, economic, public health and environmental needs must all be addressed in order to fully achieve sustainable progress - at local, national, regional and international levels. Policy makers, scientists, stakeholders, (including big business) and the wider public must learn to work together if we are to transition successfully through this period of climate change.

Last year I wrote about Harassment and Health for H in my theme on workplace bullying. Here.
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