Environmental News

Pasteurisation, used of course to disinfect and treat milk, involves the rapid heating and cooling of food, usually liquid, for a short period of time.

Initiated by the Australian Water Recycling Centre of Excellence, the project will use the same process to treat wastewater to a very high standard, expected to be suitable for crop irrigation, livestock drinking and industrial use.

It will test the effectiveness of the pasteurisation in Australia and its potential to reduce energy and operational costs compared to conventional water disinfection processes. Read More

After the tough news last week that Stockland had cut its sustainability team by more than half, we took a look at how other companies and sectors in the market are faring.

Not everyone is shedding staff in their sustainability teams, and not everyone is “fatigued” by green buildings and the word sustainability, as one of our readers put it.

“Change the word if you like, call it Green Frog,” Sustainability at Work director Tania Crosbie said. “To me it shows people need a gimmick and fad to plug into. Sustainability is hard work and long term. And people are still arguing about it.” Read More

Solar panels were cheaper than wind turbines for the first time last year in certain markets, per unit of capacity, and are rapidly closing a remaining gap in the full cost of power generation.

Until now, wind power has been the leading low-carbon alternative to oil, coal and gas, outside large niche markets such as Germany, which has seen a huge ramp-up in installed solar.

But that could change, with deep implications for the health of both industries if one substitutes the other.

As soon as this year, solar could for the first time surpass wind in annual global installed capacity, given an expected contraction in the wind market.

The full costs of wind power generation remain less than solar because of higher productivity and lower installation costs, but those advantages are eroding rapidly given current trends in equipment prices, with a glut of Chinese-made solar panels sending prices tumbling. Read More

Developers will pay almost $1 billion over the next four decades under a plan the state government says will create at least 38 new reserves, among them a 15,000- hectare site on the city's western fringe that could become the state's newest national park.

The plan, which still needs federal approval, is intended to offset the environmental damage to sensitive grasslands, woodlands and endangered species caused by Melbourne's expansion.

It aims to redress the loss of key habitats from building more than 350,000 houses in urban growth corridors over coming decades. It also is said to cover the building of the regional rail link and outer-metro ring road.

Under the strategy, developers will be required to pay a flat rate for each hectare of vegetation or habitat they destroy. The money would be held by a trust and used to protect and restore other areas with similar environmental values. Read More

• Part of leading international infrastructure provider
• Pivotal leadership/change management role
• Sydney location
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Rubber, plastics and palm waste are not ingredients most people associate with steel girders and beams. Read More

Some investors have been working on addressing the threats of climate change for more than a decade. The main driver for this has been the acceptance of the science of human-induced climate change. The logical next step is to think about the future: what are the ramifications for our environment, communities, economies and investments from the scientific projections of a changing climate? Read More

China continues to increase its renewable energy use as the Asian nation works towards lowering growth in carbon emissions, a report says.

The federal government's climate commission released a report on Monday showing the world's two largest economies, China and the US, are on the path to meet their international commitments on climate change.

Chief commissioner Tim Flannery says China is set to become a global leader on climate change. Read More

After years of pain from surging power prices, relief is in sight thanks to the decision to link the carbon price to the European market, with the pricing regulator - the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal - forecasting electricity prices could decline an average 5.9 per cent from mid-2015. Read More

Many Australians are happy to declare their interest in sustainability, to reducing their environmental impact. But how many of them are prepared to reduce the amount they actually consume? Read More