25 January 2015

PLANETLIFE

UNCHECKED GLOBAL WARMING WILL

By Damien Carrington, The Guardian, 20th January 2014

DOUBLE EXTREME EL NINO WEATHER EVENTS

The world's most devastating global weather phenomenon the weather events associated with "El Nio" will double in frequency to once a decade if global warming remains unchecked, according to what scientists believe is a major step forward in the understanding of such events. The last extreme El Nio, in 1997-98, resulted in the hottest ye a r o n r e c o r d , a n d t h e accompanying oods, cyclones, droughts and wildres killed an estimated 23,000 people and caused 21bn-28bn in damage, particularly to food production. But until now scientists have been unable to agree how climate change will affect the frequency of extreme El Nios. A study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, concludes that in stark contrast to earlier work, the current rate of carbon emissions would mean twice as many extreme El Nios over the next 100 years, with profound socioeconomic consequences. "This is a highly unexpected consequence of global warming," said Professor Mat Collins of the University of Exeter, part of the research team. "Previously we had thought that El Nio would be unaffected by climate change. Tropical rainfall conditions such as those experienced in extreme El Nios have a dramatic inuence on the world [] the impact therefore on mankind is substantial." Another team member, Professor Eric Guilyardi of the University of Reading, said: "This research is the rst comprehensive examination of the issue to produce robust and convincing results about extreme El Nios." El Nios begin with an unusual warming of the sea surface at the tropics of the eastern Pacic and spread to affect many parts of the world. Previous attempts to ascertain the effect of climate change were i n c o n c l u s i ve, a s d i f f e r e n t computer climate models produced conicting results. For more on this story visit: theguardian.com

The Social Cost of CarbonQuestions & Answers

Genetically Modied Food What is it all About?

Emergency Management Lets Plan Together

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PLANETLIFE 25 January 2014

POPULATION IS NOT THE PROBLEM

Opinion Piece by Peter Burdon, ABC, 22nd January 2014.

Population growth is often nominated as the mother of all environmental problems. But it's not so simple. "Population growth is the most important issue we face. If you can't get your head around that your words are empty and meaningless!" Surely I am not the only one who has been harangued by these words. They usually come at the end of a public lecture from an older wealthy white man who has been waiting with increasing agitation for his opportunity to talk. It is usually also followed by some call to implement punitive measures for "the breeders". I really hate this argumentand not just because I have two children of my own. I hate it because it obscures the complexity of human impact on the environment. One simple framework for understanding this impact is the IPAT formula, which holds that ecological impact (I) is a function of population (P), afuence (or consumption levels) (A), and technology (T). According to this equation, reducing population is an important part of reducing our environmental impact. However, population is not the only, nor necessarily the most important, factor. Rather, it is absolutely necessary that people in afuent societies learn how to consume not just differently and more efciently, but less (A). This is supported by the ACF Consuming Australia Report (pdf) which found that: "Most of our impact on the environment actually comes from the pollution created and the water and land used in the production and distribution of the goods and services we purchase."

An exclusive focus on population not only obscures this complexity; it also plays on people's prejudices about who the "breeders" are and shifts attention away from our own signicant responsibility for the environmental crisis. Allow me to explain what I mean. Paul Crutzen, the Nobel Prize winning chemist described the period from the industrial revolution to the present as the "anthropocene". If adopted at the 35th International Geological Congress in 2016, the term anthropocene would serve to mark the signicant impact of human activity on the Earth's ecosystem. Speaking in favour of this descriptor, David Suzuki contends that "human beings have joined God [as being] powerful enough to inuence" the Earths geophysical processes. With respect to population, the number of human beings on Earth grew from two billion people in the 1920s to seven billion in 2011. This number is increasing by over two people per second or 200,000 people every day and is expected to peak this century at around 10 billion people. Each additional life needs food, energy, water, shelter and hopefully a whole lot more. This growth has obvious material impacts on the environment. H o w e v e r, w h a t c o n c e p t s l i k e t h e anthropocene and arguments around population growth often disguise, is that not all human beings are equally responsible for ecological harm. Lumping all human beings into a single subject does great violence to the billions of people who are actually the victims of the gluttony and excess of the minority. For more on this story visit: www.abc.net.au/environment

PLANETLIFE 25 January 2014

THE PEOPLE VS CARBON: SOCIAL COST OF CARBON Q & A

By The Climate Reality Project, 21st January 2014

Lets face it the Social Cost of Carbon (SCC), while an incredibly important policy tool, could be a little more straightforward. Last Wednesday, Maggie L. Fox, CEO and President of The Climate Reality Project explained what the SCC is all about and laid out the facts in the case of the People vs. Carbon during a live webinar.! (Watch the recording on-demand here.) During the webinar, we spoke about the future were all working to create one in which carbon pollutionfueled climate change is a thing of the past. To get there, we rst have to understand why carbon pollution is a problem. We need to be able to recognize and account for the costs of carbon pollution to our health, our livelihoods, our infrastructure and our climate. Then we need to do something about it and put a price on carbon. We had time for a few brief questions, but many more came to us through the webinars chat function and Twitter. Here are some of the top questions our audience submitted. We hope these help you better understand whats really happening with the SCC and that you submit your comment to the White House Ofce of Management and Budget today. Q. How far does a price on carbon go to actually reducing carbon pollution? A. ! Quite far, actually. A price on carbon does two important things. First, it shifts the nancial responsibility for the devastation caused by carbon pollution off ordinary citizens and onto the fossil fuels responsible for producing itand making record prots while they do. Second, it uses market forces to trigger a whole series of fundamental changes in how we think about and use energy as a society. With a price on carbon, the economics of fossil fuels reects their true cost to all of us. Meanwhile, clean energy sources that produce no or little carbon pollution become even more cost-competitive and in the long run much cheaper. They also

become more attractive investments, which in turn promotes further research and innovation. As people turn to more clean energy sources for their power and also make a greater priority of energy efciency, they use less fossil fuels and so produce less carbon pollution. Think of it as a virtuous cycle of sorts. Q. Is there a comprehensive body of data on fossil fuel subsidies? A. In 2013, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimated that global energy subsidies totaled $1.9 trillion (for more information, see here! and here! [PDF]). In the U.S., the White House committed in October 2013 to begin publishing an annual tally of federal fossil fuel subsidies. Q. The EPA uses a formula which does not include critical data from climate science, because that data is not precisely quantied, and thus uncertain (economists dont like uncertainty). However, by ignoring the worst, and increasingly most likely threats, the EPA is ignoring the real danger in their articially low social cost of carbon estimates. How is The Climate Reality Project addressing this (Particularly when Exxon is already budgeting for a carbon tax considerably higher than the EPA estimates)? Our goal is to drastically reduce the carbon in the atmosphere, not simply make it slightly more expensive to emit. A.! The task force in charge of developing the SCC estimateswhich includes representatives from the EPA utilizes models that incorporate the latest available science. While these estimates are a good rst step, there is no doubt that these models omit critical pieces that would otherwise push the SCC estimates higher. Here at The Climate Reality Project, we believe an accurate SCC value that accounted for the impact of

carbon pollution on everything from our tax burden to our health care costs would be signicantly higher than the current estimate of $37/metric ton. However, we support and applaud OMBs work to raise it from the initial $23.80/metric ton. With the fossil fuel industry and its allies in Congress actively doing everything they can to undermine this increase, our rst step is to protect this progress. Taking this rst step, though, doesnt mean that we stop marching forward. Q. How is the Social Cost of Carbon used is there an example you can provide to illustrate its use?! A.! The government uses the SCC in all cost-benet analyses where new regulations could potentially affect greenhouse gas emissions. Or, to put it another way, the government can estimate how much more or less carbon pollution any new rule would lead to. Using the SCC, the government then estimates how much this increase or decrease would cost or save us as a society, thanks to the damage carbon pollution causes. We saw what this meant in practice last year when ! the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) updated its energy efciency standards for microwaves so new models had to use less power. The DOE estimated this rule would prevent the release of over 31 million metric tons of carbon pollution between 2016 2045. Using the SCC estimates for these 30 years, the DOE could then project that preventing these emissions would result in a societal benet of a little over $1 billion, a clear win by any count. For more on this story visit: climaterealityproject.org

PLANETLIFE 25 January 2014

YUKON, CANADA OPENS VAST WILDERNESS TO MINING

By Tom Clynes, National Geographic, 24th January 2014.

C a n a d a ' s Yu k o n Te r r i t o r y announced on Tuesday that it has opened one of the largest unbroken wilderness areas in North America to mining and mineral exploration. The government's decree stunned indigenous leaders, who support a 2011 plan developed under Yukon land claims treaties that would have maintained the wilderness character of 80 percent of the area, which is known as the Peel watershed region. The government's new plan all but reverses that gure, opening some 71 percent of the watershed to mining. The Yukon features some of Canada's highest peaks and largest glaciers, as well as tremendous expanses of lake-dotted tundra, boreal forests, and wetlands. (See "Yukon: Canada's Wild West" in the February issue of National Geographic magazine.) It's also rich in wildlife, with extreme seasonal shifts that beckon vast herds of caribou and other animals into motion. Larger than California but with only 37,000 inhabitants, the territory has been mostly empty of humans since the Klondike Stampede ended in the 1890s. In recent years a new gold rush has brought a spike in population and prosperity to towns like Whitehorse and Dawson. But the rush to exploit the Yukon's mineralswhich also include zinc, copper, iron, and uraniumhas unearthed growing tensions between government and mining interests on the one hand, and conservation and indigenous First Nations interests on the other. Among the territory's wildest quarters is the Peel watershed, a pristine, almost completely roadless wilderness that drains an area larger than Scotland. "The Peel watershed is one of the few places left where you still have large, intact predator-prey ecosystems," says K a re n B a l t g a i l i s o f t h e Yu k o n Conservation Society. "From wolves and grizzlies and eagles on down, it's a wildlife habitat of global importance." The Yukon's Peel First Nations have signed land claims agreements with the territorial and federal

governments. The agreements, which lay out the procedure for land use planning, are embedded in Canada's constitution. "We spent seven years on a well-formed and democratic public planning process," says David Loeks, Peel Watershed Planning Commission chair. Initially, First Nations leaders wanted the entire 26,000-square-mile (67,000-square-kilometer) Peel region to be off-limits to miners. "Every trickle of water that runs into the Peel watershed should be protected," said Jimmy Johnny, an elder in the Na-cho Nyak Dun nation. "Taking care of that area is a traditional value. [It's the source of] our food, our fruit, our traditional medicine. It's very important, not only for our future generations but for everybody." The planning commission reached a compromise that would allow 20 percent of the area to be staked and mined. "Nobody got everything they asked for," says Loeks, "but we expected the agreement to be honored." In the fall of 2011, elections brought the Yukon Party, which is heavily supported by mining interests, into power. Currie Dixon, a member of the Yukon Legislative Assembly who serves as Minister of Environment and Minister of Economic Development, said, "The vast majority of my

colleagues and I indicated we weren't comfortable with the plan. The commission's process wasn't awed, but the product produced by the commission was. And since we won a majority government, we felt a mandate to proceed in a manner that was the correct one." The government's new plan sets aside only 29 percent of the Peel region as "protected lands." It prohibits new claim-staking in these areas, but allows miners to build roads to reach and develop existing mineral claims. "How can they even call them 'protected lands,'" asks Baltgailis, "when the plan allows mines and all-weather roads for industrial development right along rivers that are major tourism destinations? Given that most of the Yukon is already open for development, do they not see the need to protect some large, last great wilderness areas?" "We don't feel it would be responsible to take [most of the Peel region] off the table for any mining activities at all," says Dixon. "Yukon protects more land base than any other province or territory in Canada. And that 29 percent is more than two Yellowstones." For more on this story visit: news.nationalgeographic.com.au/news/

PLANETLIFE 25 January 2014

OCEANLIFE
WHALING FLEET FOUND AFTER HUNT TRIP
By Andrew Darby, SMH, 25th January 2014

The Japanese whaling eet is said to be on the run again in the Antarctic after being found by activists who followed up a tip from the Federal Environment Minister, Greg Hunt. The factory ship Nisshin Maru was re-located in the Ross Sea, far south-east of Australia, by the Sea Shepherd activists after it gave them the slip earlier in January. Following the rst Australian Customs aerial monitoring ight of the eet, on 14 January, Mr Hunt said the aircraft located Nisshin Maru over 1,000 nautical miles away from the Australian Search and Rescue Zone. "From this, Sea Shepherd was able to deduce the location of the whaling eet," the activists said in a statement. They nally chased down Nisshin Maru by following a trail of butchered whale parts in the water, according to Peter Hammarstedt, captain of the Sea Shepherd ship, Bob Barker. "After the weather cleared, on Friday we saw a piece of whale blubber in the water and knew that we were close," Mr Hammarstedt told Fairfax Media. "We followed it up for 10 hours and there it was. "I am about 13 nautical miles behind them with the Bob Barker, and

the Steve Irwin is about 12 nautical miles in front of them," Mr Hammartsetd said on Saturday. "We have them boxed in. We seem to be quite steady with them, matching speed. There really should be no way of them getting away from us." The activists intend to chase the eet out of the International Whaling Commission's Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. Mr Hammarstedt said there had been no contact between the two sides, but it appeared the Nisshin Maru was low on fuel, and it might attempt to refuel soon. Last season there were multiple collisions when the Sea Shepherd vessels blockaded the factory ship from

refuelling by the tanker Sun Laurel in ice-strewn waters off Australia's Davis station. Ja p a n ' s c o n s u l g e n e r a l i n Melbourne, Hidenobu Sobashima, said the whaling eet was conducting lawful research in the Antarctic, and the Japanese Government condemned the dangerous and obstructive activities of Sea Shepherd.

JAPANESE FISHERMEN KILL 41 DOLPHINS

By SMH, 22nd January 2014

More than 40 bottle-nose dolphins were killed during an annual hunt in Japan, the conservation group Sea Shepherd said, four days after US a m b a s s a d o r C a ro l i n e Ke n n e d y criticised the slaughter. A total of 93 animals were taken from the ocean in the past six days by hunters in the coastal town of Taiji, and 41 of them were killed yesterday, Sea Shepherd activists known as the Cove Guardians said on an ofcial Facebook page.

Kennedy, who took up the post of ambassador to Japan in November, and singer Yoko Ono Lennon are among those who have spoken out against this year's hunt. Environmental groups decry the annual dolphin slaughter, depicted in 2009's Oscar-winning documentary The Cove, as inhumane, while Japan defends it as a cultural tradition. "Deeply concerned by inhumaneness of drive-hunt dolphin killing," Kennedy said in a post on Twitter on January 18, referring to the method by which the animals are herded into a cove before being killed. For more visit: www.smh.com.au

PLANETLIFE 25 January 2014

INDIA RANKED 155TH IN GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT PERFORMANCE LIST

By Economic Times, 25th January 2014

DAVOS: India has been ranked at a low 155th position in a global list that places countries on how well they perform on high-priority environmental issues. The 2014 Environmental Performance Index (EPI), released today here, has ranked 178 countries in total. Among them, India is placed at the 155th position, with an index score of 31.23 points. Its rank is also much lower than BRICS peers. Among the BRICS, South Africa was placed at the 72nd rank with an index score of 53.51, followed by Russia (73rd rank, 53.45 points), Brazil (77th rank, 52.97 points) and China (118th rank, 43 points). Besides, India has fared poorly compared to neighbouring countries like Nepal and Pakistan -- which are ranked 139th and 148th, respectively. The overall list is topped by Switzerland followed by Luxembourg, Australia, Singapore, and Czech Republic.

"Emerging economies, including China, India, Brazil, Russia, and South Africa, have had modest improvement over the past decade, but they have also paid an environmental price for their rapid growth," the report said. The emerging economies represent 55 per cent of global growth from the end of 2009 to 2012. Urbanisation without sufcient investment in environmental safeguards is a key reason for emerging economies' poor showing when it comes to air quality, biodiversity and habitat protection. The 178 nations in the index represent 99 per cent of the global population, 98 per cent of the world's total land area, and 97 per cent of the global GDP, the report said. "The EPI reveals that improved environmental results are possible when measurement and management practices align. When data and measurement are poor or not in concert with policy priorities, natural and human systems suffer," Yale University Professor Daniel Esty said. For more on this story visit: www.economictimes.indiatimes.com

PLANETLIFE 25 January 2014

EARTHQUAKES AROUND THE WORLD THIS WEEK

5.0 NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA 5.4 BANDA SEA 5.3 NORTH OF ASCENSION ISLAND 5.1 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.0 OFFSHORE EL SALVADOR 5.7 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION 5.9 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION 5.1 KEPULAUAN BABAR, INDONESIA 5.5 FLORES SEA 5.0 SOLOMON ISLANDS 5.0 OFFSHORE EL SALVADOR 5.7 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION 5.9 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION 5.1 KEPULAUAN BABAR, INDONESIA 5.5 FLORES SEA 5.0 KURIL ISLANDS 5.5 VANUATU REGION 5.4 TONGA 5.0 KURIL ISLANDS 5.5 VANUATU REGION 5.4 TONGA 5.0 WEST CHILE RISE 5.2 KURIL ISLANDS 6.0 TONGA 5.2 STATE OF YAP, MICRONESIA 6.2 NORTH ISLAND OF NEW ZEALAND 5.1 NEAR N COAST OF PAPUA, INDONESIA 5.0 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G. 5.0 NORTH INDIAN OCEAN 5.0 KURIL ISLANDS

BRITISH ISLES: 41 EARTHQUAKES IN 50 DAYS

By BBC, 21st January 2014.

A town which has experienced 30 earthquakes in 50 days is currently the "most seismically active" area in the British Isles, seismologists have said. The recent tremors in and around New Ollerton, Nottinghamshire, have been attributed to mining. The British Geological Survey (BGS) said the "swarm" of tremors were not likely to cause damage and could soon reduce again. The earthquakes have all been small, with the largest magnitude being 1.7. The BGS said it had recorded 41 earthquakes around the British Isles over the last 50 days with the majority happening in Nottinghamshire. BGS seismologist Glenn Ford said many people would not have realised the tremors were earthquakes and would have disregarded them. "People often think it's trafc noise or a train," he said.

Mr Ford said the last signicant earthquake in the British Isles was in Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, on 27 February 2008. The 5.2 magnitude quake was over 30,000 times larger than the ones in and around New Ollerton and was felt across England and Wales. The affected area of Nottinghamshire has a history of seismic activity related to coal mining. UK Coal said the recent earthquakes could have been caused by mining at Thoresby Colliery, but people should not be concerned.

PLANETLIFE 25 JANUARY 2014

SPACELIFE

E X P L O D I N G S TA R : N E W S U P E R N O VA DISCOVERY IS CLOSEST IN YEARS

Califor nia, Berkeley. Beyond creating a skywatching spectacle, the cosmic event may also afford astronomers a rare opportunity to study an object that might help them understand dark energy. The supernova was rst observed Tuesday (Jan. 21) at 7:20 p.m. local time (19:20 UTC) by a group of students led by Steve Fossey! at the University College London. "It was a surreal and exciting experience taking images of the unidentied object as Steve ran around the observatory verifying the result," UCL student!Guy Pollack said in a statement. The only closer star explosion in the last three decades was!Supernova 1987A, which was!spotted in February 1987 in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a dwarf galaxy companion of the Milky Way about 168,000 light-years from Earth. Another star explosion discovered 21 years ago, 1993J in Messier 81, was essentially at the same distance as t h e n e w s u p e r n ova , s a i d! I n t e r n at i o n a l Astronomical Union! General Secretary Thierry Montmerle. "Although it is not visible to the naked eye there is a considerable interest as Messier 82 is such a nearby galaxy," Montmerle said in an email to SPACE.com. "Many telescopes around the world are now taking measurements (light curves and spectra) to determine which kind of star was the progenitor (the 'mother star')." For more on this story visit: www.space.com

By Space.com, 22nd January 2014

Editor's Update for Jan. 23: Skywatchers around the world are taking a look at the new supernova in galaxy M83. An exploding star has suddenly appeared in the night sky, dazzling astronomers who haven't seen a new supernova so close to our solar system in more than 20 years. In just the last few days, a the supernova emerged as a bright light in Messier 82! -! also known as the Cigar Galaxy - ! about 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major, or the Great Bear. The supernova, which one astronomer described as a potential "Holy Grail" for scientists, was rst discovered by students at the University College London. Positioned between the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper, the new supernova should be easy for skywatchers in the Northern Hemisphere to spot; it may even brighten enough to be visible through a small pair of binoculars, said astronomer Brad Tucker, of the Australian National University and the University of

UFO SIGHTINGS THIS WEEK

By UFO Sightings Daily

Date of sighting: January 25, 2014 Location of Sighting: International Space Station. Date of Sighting: January 24, 2014 Location of Sighting: Brazil. Date of Sighting: January 23, 2013 Location of Sighting: Sakurajima Volcano, Japan. Date of Sighting: January 21, 2014 Location of Sighting: Homer Glen,! Illinois, USA. For more details on these sightings visit: www.ufosightingsdaily.com

PLANETLIFE 25 January 2014

ANIMALLIFE

THE HEART OF BORNEO: ASIAS LAST GREAT RAINFOREST

populations. With 14 of Borneos 20 major rivers beginning their journey from the Heart of Borneo, the area is a source of clean freshwater for people, industry and wildlife. Fires: Borneos natural forests are not usually prone to res if left undisturbed. However as forests are cleared or logged, they dry out and become susceptible to res. Large-scale res in Borneo have serious impacts on By World Wildlife Fund human health across the Region, as well as having a severe impact on natural habitats. The Heart of Borneos forests On a map of Southeast Asia, the island of Borneo need to be properly managed so that res are avoided or the third largest in the world - stands out as an imposing prevented from running out of control. mass in the middle of the Indo-Malaysian Archipelago. Oil Plantations: Malaysia and Indonesia account for Still swathed in extensive tropical rainforests and over 85 per cent of the global palm oil supply. As palm oil inhabited by endangered animals such as orang-utans and is the cheapest vegetable oil, the demand for this pygmy elephants and critically endangered rhinos, the commodity as a source of food and energy is expected to island continues to reveal new biodiversity wonders as rise rapidly. The demand for food alone is expected to more species are constantly discovered. double in the next decade, and the Indonesian Government has responded by setting a target to increase A TREASURE TROVE WORTH SAVING oil palm production from 20 million tonnes in 2009 to 40 million tonnes in 2020. If not properly managed, the There are few other places on Earth where you can demand for palm oil could lead to widespread clearing in see large, animals such as orang-utans, elephants, clouded the Heart of Borneo. Fortunately, ample already-cleared leopards, sun bears and rhinos in the wild. land is available in Borneo for new palm oil development, and there are good opportunities to intensify production Borneo has lured scientists for over 150 years, and has on existing plantations. played a key role in the theory of evolution. SOLUTIONS FOR THE HEART OF BORNEO There are thousands of other animal and plant species and many species yet to be discovered. The fate of 220,000 km" of equatorial rainforest is at stake!! THREATS TO BORNEO FORESTS WWF is aiming for a network of protected areas and Beyond the intrinsic values of the Heart of Borneo, sustainably-managed forests in the Heart of Borneo, to be there are many other reasons to protect this area. achieved through international co-operation led by the Bornean governments, supported by a global effort. Forestry: Over one quarter of the Heart of Borneo is covered by logging and plantation concessions. Forests The future of this trans-boundary area depends on inside these concessions can be logged according to the collaboration of all three governments. No one national sustainability certication standards. These country can protect these unique uplands alone. concessions can provide a sustainable source of timber while bring employment opportunities and revenue for Together this presents a unique opportunity to district and provincial governments. conserve pristine tropical rainforest on a huge scale; saving Water Catchment: Well-managed natural forests almost 30% of the forest on the worlds third largest provide high-quality drinking water to urban and rural island.

PLANETLIFE 25 January 2014

HEALTHYLIFE

GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOOD WHAT IS IT ALL ABOUT?

By Better Health (Victoria)

GM foods are genetically modied using biotechnology. Common GM foods include maize, soybeans, oilseed rape (canola), chicory, squash, potatoes, pineapples and strawberries. GM foods are designed for greater resistance to pests and viruses, higher nutritional value and longer shelf life. However, their safety, potential risks and ethical concerns are still being debated. Laws to regulate labelling of GM foods vary.

exchanging genetic material is much wider using genetic engineering.

In theory, genetic engineering allows genetic material to be transferred between any two organisms, including between plants and animals. For example, the gene from a sh that lives in very cold seas has been inserted into a strawberry, allowing the fruit to be frost-tolerant. However, this has not yet been done for currently available commercial food crops. Concerns about climate change may lead to increased Foods genetically modied using biotechnology are development and use of drought-tolerant GM food crops. known as GM foods. Genetic material is altered using nontraditional, laboratory-based methods; this is known as EXISTING GM CROPS genetic engineering. Individual genes with specic desirable traits are transferred from one organism to another. Some foods and bre crops have been modied to make them resistant to insects and viruses and more able to tolerate Traditional breeding can achieve similar effects, but works herbicides. The major crops that have been modied for over a much longer time span and is not as targeted as GM. these purposes, with approval from the relevant authorities, In addition, traditional breeding cannot transfer genes from are: unrelated species as is possible with GM foods. Maize (corn), Wheat, Rice, Oilseed rape (canola), Chicory, Squash, Potato, Soybean, Alfalfa, and Cotton. GENETIC MODIFICATION OF FOOD & ANIMALS Foods certied as organic or biodynamic should not Genetic modication of food is not new. Humans have contain any GM ingredients, according to industry been altering food crops and animals through selective guidelines . breeding for many centuries. However, while genes can be transferred during selective breeding, the scope for For more on this go to: www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au

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PLANETLIFE 25 January 2014

SUSTAINABLELIFE

PERMACULTURE: AN INTRODUCTION
By Permaculture Activist

The word "permaculture" was coined and popularized in the mid 70's by David Holmgren, a young Australian ecologist, and his associate / professor, Bill Mollison. It is a contraction of "permanent agriculture" or "permanent culture." Permaculture is about designing ecological human habitats and food production systems. It is a land use and community building movement which strives for the harmonious integration of human dwellings, microclimate, annual and perennial plants, animals, soils, and water into stable, productive communities. The focus is not on these elements themselves, but rather on the relationships created among them by the way we place them in the landscape. This synergy is further enhanced by mimicking patterns found in nature. Characteristics of Permaculture: Permaculture is one of the most holistic, integrated systems analysis and design methodologies found in the world. Permaculture can be applied to create productive ecosystems from the human- use standpoint or to help degraded ecosystems recover health and wildness. Permaculture can be applied in any ecosystem, no matter how degraded. Permaculture values and validates traditional knowledge and experience. Permaculture incorporates sustainable agriculture practices and land management techniques and strategies from around the world. Permaculture is a bridge between traditional cultures and emergent earth-tuned cultures. Permaculture promotes organic agriculture which does not use pesticides to pollute the environment. Permaculture aims to maximize symbiotic and synergistic relationships between site components. Permaculture is urban planning as well as rural land design. Permaculture design is site specic, client specic, and culture specic. Source: Pilarski, Michael (ed.) 1994. Restoration Forestry. Kivaki Press, Durango, CO. pp. 450.

The Practical Application of Permaculture is not limited to plant and animal agriculture, but also includes community planning and development, use of appropriate technologies (coupled with an adjustment of lifestyle), and adoption of concepts and philosophies that are both earth-based and people-centered, such as bioregionalism. Many of the appropriate technologies advocated by permaculturists are well known. Among these are solar and wind power, composting toilets, solar greenhouses, energy efcient housing, and solar food cooking and drying. Due to the inherent sustainability of perennial cropping systems, permaculture places a heavy emphasis on tree crops. Systems that integrate annual and perennial crops-such as alley cropping and agroforestry-take advantage of "the edge effect," increase biological diversity, and offer other characteristics missing in mono- culture systems. Thus, multicropping systems that blend woody perennials and annuals hold promise as viable techniques for large-scale farming. Ecological methods of production for any specic crop or farming system (e.g., soil building practices, biological pest control, composting) are central to permaculture as well as to sustainable agriculture in general. Since permaculture is not a production system, per se, but rather a land use and community planning philosophy, it is not limited to a specic method of production. Furthermore, as permaculture principles may be adapted to farms or villages worldwide, it is site specic and therefore amenable to locally adapted techniques of production. As an example, standard organic farming and gardening techniques utilizing cover crops, green manures, crop rotation, and mulches are emphasized in permacultural systems. However, there are many other options and technologies available to sustainable farmers working within a permacultural framework (e.g., chisel plows, no-till implements, spading implements, compost turners, rotational grazing). The decision as to which "system" is employed is site-specic and management dependent. For more on permaculture visit: http://www.permacultureactivist.net/intro/PcIntro.htm

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PLANETLIFE 25 January 2014

18 January 2014

WISEFOOD

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