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The failure of a gas generator in Western Australia affected more people for a longer period than an outage in South Australia last year. So where were the Murdoch headlines?

The preliminary results are in for a national citizen science project looking into which bird species are visiting backyard bird feeders.

Australia’s offshore petroleum industry regulator is set to rule next week whether to grant oil giant BP’s application to drill in the Great Australian Bight.

But BP’s environmental plan, released last week, suggests that the company’s proposed plan for dealing with a blowout displays less urgency than would be expected in some other parts of the world.

If a blowout does occur, BP proposes to cap it with a piece of equipment known as a capping stack. These devices did not exist at the time of BP’s Gulf of Mexico blowout in 2010, when a capping strategy had to be developed on the run, which is why it took 87 days to cap that well.

Since then, capping stacks have been designed, constructed and located strategically around the world. For its proposed operations in the Bight, BP would have access to a capping stack in Singapore. It would take up to 35 days to bring this stack to the Bight and cap the well.

The company has rejected the suggestion that a capping stack be located locally. It claims that the time needed to transport the device from Singapore to the Bight is not a critical issue. In its earlier environmental plan, released last October, BP said that capping a blowout would require significant preparatory work, by which time the Singapore capping stack would have arrived.

Yet the idea of spending more than a month to plug a flowing well hardly seems compatible with avoiding major environmental damage. According to BP’s own estimate, oil from a spill in the Bight could reach the shore in as little as nine days.

A recent exercise in the Gulf of Mexico shows that a blowout could be capped in 15 days, using a locally available capping stack. In this respect, BP’s estimate of the time it would take to cap a blowout is a long way short of industry best practice.

Whether or not travel time from Singapore is the critical issue, it is worth noting that there are five different capping stacks available for use in the Gulf of Mexico and three for use in UK waters. The expectation is that these stacks could be on site within 24-48 hours.

Note also that new rules imposed by the US regulator for drilling in the Arctic require that a capping stack be located within 24 hours' travel time of the drill site. If the Arctic justifies this level of protection, why not the Bight?

Drilling a relief well

Should the capping strategy fail for any reason, BP has a backup plan for stopping the flow. This is to drill a relief well to intersect the blowout well below the sea floor and “kill” it by pumping it full of heavy fluid or cement.

The question this raises is: where would BP find a spare drilling rig to carry out this operation? After the Montara blowout off Western Australia in 2009, a suitable drilling rig was located near Singapore. But this rig would have been no use in the deep water of the Bight.

Oil companies operating in Australian waters have a memorandum of understanding among themselves to provide a suitable drilling rig in an emergency. Yet it remains unclear how easy it would be for another company to release a rig quickly for this purpose. As such, BP has assumed that it will take up to 149 days to acquire an appropriate rig, drill a relief well and plug the blowout.

The new Arctic regulations require that a relief rig be available nearby, to guarantee that a relief well can be drilled before winter sea ice moves in. The situation in the Bight is not as constrained by the seasons, but even so, 149 days seems an unacceptably long time to plug a well.

The Gulf of Mexico blowout was stopped in 87 days, during which time it inflicted damage worth at least A$40 billion. Who knows what the toll would have been if it had lasted almost twice as long?

Protecting the shore

Finally, BP has various strategies for reducing the amount of oil reaching the shoreline in the event of a spill. These include using dispersant chemicals, both subsea, at the point of release, and on the sea surface. The company puts particular emphasis on subsea dispersal, but recognises that this strategy would also be subject to delay.

It estimates that subsea dispersal would begin within 10 days “where that is possible”. This can never be a fully effective way to prevent coastal pollution, because BP’s modelling suggests oil would begin arriving on the coast in less time than this.

BP has also noted that traditional methods of containment and recovery of oil using booms and skimmers “are not expected to provide significant benefit” in the open ocean.

What seems more likely in the event of a spill is that the company will find itself fighting a last-ditch battle against the oil as it approaches sensitive parts of the shoreline, and where this fails it will implement shoreline and oiled wildlife clean-up.

It is difficult to forecast any other scenario, given the time frames described in BP’s own documents. Its published response plan gives no guarantee that an oil spill in the Bight would not reach the shoreline and damage the environment.

Experience elsewhere in the world suggests that these timelines can be tightened. The question for the regulator is whether BP has reduced the risk to a level that is “as low as reasonably practicable”.

It is by no means obvious that the answer is yes.

Andrew Hopkins is the author of Disastrous Decisions: The Human and Organisational Causes of the Gulf of Mexico Blowout.

Andrew Hopkins does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond the academic appointment above.

Many businesses are committing to sourcing all of their energy from renewable sources. Wind farm image from www.shutterstock.com

The Paris climate agreement is getting closer to coming into force. This week 31 countries ratified the deal, including Brazil (the world’s 12th-largest greenhouse gas emitter), the United Arab Emirates and Bangladesh.

To become official, the deal requires 55 nations representing at least 55% of global emissions to ratify it. The current tally sits at 60 nations and 47.76% of emissions. Others are expected to ratify in coming months.

But outside of national action, businesses are shaping up to be leaders on climate. Alongside the UN General Assembly this week, representatives from national governments and businesses met in New York for the first post-Paris Climate Week.

Among an elite line-up of corporate heavyweights, including Bank of America, Philips, Apple and Siemens, all have made carbon-neutral commitments by 2020 or 2030. This means they will offset emissions that they can’t reduce.

There has been a convergence of political, technological and environmental understanding: a low-carbon economy is no longer a trade-off or threat. It’s an opportunity. And it is happening now.

New commitments

Identifying the urgent need for energy transition, 81 multinational companies have signed on to RE100, committing to 100% renewable electricity across their global operations.

Launched at Climate Week 2014 by The Climate Group and CDP, this initiative includes companies representing a wide range of sectors. Among them are Amalgamated Bank, Ikea, General Motors, Swiss Re, Goldman Sachs, BMW Group, Google, Aviva, P&G, Walmart, Nestle, Microsoft, SAP, Adobe, Bloomberg, H&M, Hewlett Packard, Novo Nordisk, ING, Unilever and Apple.

In addition to achieving 97% renewable electricity across its global operations, Apple is also working actively with its suppliers to increase renewable uptake. Apple is bringing necessary expertise and capability to help a number of its suppliers reach 100% renewable electricity for its products by 2018.

A new and complementary initiative, EP100, attracts companies that commit to a 100% increase in their energy productivity. This mirrors a global campaign calling for governments to double energy productivity. Led by The Climate Group and the Global Alliance for Energy Productivity, EP100 includes signatories such as Mahindra & Mahindra, Danfoss and Johnson Controls.

In its hospitality operations, Mahindra has already achieved a 46% improvement in its energy productivity. Its vice president of sustainability, Anirban Ghosh, is confident the firm will achieve 100% energy productivity improvements.

Danfoss is a global engineering company in heating, cooling and electric controls. According to John Galyen, president of its North American business, improving energy efficiency and energy productivity makes good business sense, both in cost savings and revenue growth.

These corporate voices are global, and their actions will flow through their global activities and supply chains. Australian corporations can be expected to follow these global trends.

Investors are also becoming leaders, increasing efforts to improve disclosure of climate-related risks. Leading disclosure groups met in New York with pension funds and asset managers to contribute to a climate disclosure task force of the Financial Stability Board.

This board, run by governors of national reserve banks and finance ministers, is working to develop a way for companies to disclose their exposure to risks associated with climate change.

The role of government

Public and private sectors have equally important leadership roles. The relationship must be symbiotic. In the same way that business leadership gives governments confidence to introduce ambitious policies, governments can also provide businesses with confidence through demonstrating leadership.

There is a resounding call for governments to provide greater certainty. Clear carbon and financial signals are needed to support major investments in the energy sector.

There have been some heartening moves in this respect. The United States, Canada and Mexico agreed recently to source half of their electricity from low-carbon sources by 2025, and to cut methane emissions from the oil and gas sector by almost half over the same period.

At the sub-national level, local, state and provincial governments are making decisive moves towards the end goal of net zero emissions. Alberta in Canada is home to 11% of the world’s oil reserves, but plans to peak emissions in the next five years while the economy continues to grow.

In Australia, Victoria, the ACT and South Australia have all committed to net zero emissions by 2050, with the latter supporting Adelaide to become the world’s first carbon-neutral city.

The next display of international leadership will be measured in November at the next UN climate summit in Marrakech, Morrocco. While previous meetings leading up to Paris were platforms for negotiation, the next will play a key role in implementing the deal. As we all know, actions speak louder than words.

Wei Sue does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond the academic appointment above.

The body tasked with managing trade in endangered species will oppose efforts to increase global protection for elephants, saying it could spark a new trade in ivory.

Tropical dry forests are among the most threatened habitats on the planet, yet remain overlooked by scientists and conservationists, warn researchers.

New research claims psychological traits could help explain why climate science deniers often make contradictory arguments

Sometimes, climate science deniers will tell you that we can’t predict global temperatures in the future. Sometimes, they’ll say we’re heading for an ice age.

Occasionally, contrarians will say that no single weather event can prove human-caused global warming. But then they’ll point to somewhere that’s cold, claiming this disproves climate change.

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The government is to outline its plans to strengthen collaborative research between the UK and China.

Application on ecological sustainability – call for public comments open from 23 September 2016 to 31 October 2016

Application on ecological sustainability – call for public comments open from 23 September 2016 to 31 October 2016

A British man who lived in the Swiss Alps as a goat for three days wins one of this year's Ig Nobel prizes.

As module makers search for a "market of last resort," Australia's reputation as a dumping ground for sub-standard modules could be a cause for concern.

Solar's increasing affordability is making it a popular energy source in many parts of Africa, finds IRENA.

Software update 8.0 kicks off a significant over-the-air overhaul of the Tesla touchscreen and introduces the biggest UI revamp since the launch of Model S.

Getting around on a bike, a (mostly) fun way to travel green Bike riding image from www.shutterstock.com

When you’re on holiday, relaxing on a beach or soaking up a vibrant city’s culture, the last thing you want to think about is your responsibility to the planet. But carefree holidays are a luxury that is costing more than our bank balances. The food and services sectors are major contributors to greenhouse gases. Tourism, often an expression of our modern hedonic desires, is particularly high in resource use.

But it can be hard to change people’s behaviours. For instance, would you choose a holiday marketed for its low energy and material needs? What about if you could have a 5-star holiday without costing the Earth?

Our research on tourist behaviour shows that people are happy to curb their material consumption on holiday, as long their holiday is rich in other experiences.

This is the challenge that the services sector faces in the drive to decouple happiness, consumption and resource depletion or pollution.

The consumption issue in the services sector

While many of us advocate for the tourism sector to reduce its carbon footprint, efficiency in energy use is not going to be enough to make tourism sustainable.

The call to switch to sustainable consumption is growing, often through combining a degrowth economic model with the decoupling of material consumption from well-being and happiness.

But these ethical and moral considerations around sustainable consumption appear to have relatively little substantial effect in the long term. For the services sector, particularly, the predicament to become more sustainable directly involves the customer.

Asking customers to consume more critically might be a confronting prospect for an industry worried about maintaining customer satisfaction in a consumerist society. But not always.

Showing strength of character

Our solution lies in applying positive psychology. People get fulfilment from using their own character strengths. It builds on the evidence that focusing on character strength-building and human happiness works better than any other approach when it comes to sustainable change.

So, can this be applied to tourism, a sector driven by its promise of carefree behaviour? What would a luxury tourism experience, designed around less material consumption and the application of character strengths look like? And what impact would it have on guests’ experience and sustainable tourism practices?

Our research suggests there are many ways that guests can become involved in making tourism green, using their innate character strengths. We applied these principles to six real-world examples from Christopher’s ecotourism venture.

Guests save their food scraps and feed them to the chickens. They get to meet their feathered friends and collect eggs (often for the first time). Result: together with recycling bins has halved landfill waste and sustains egg production.

Guests apply strength of self-regulation as they have to regulate behaviour by separating food waste the chickens can eat from other waste, placing it into a container and then visiting and feeding the chickens. There are no financial incentives; the motivation is to reduce harmful landfill waste.

Plant a native tree. The host provides interpretation and materials; guests pay $5 for materials, plant trees and take photographs. Guests receive a certificate and sign a register. Result: bird species increased from 20 to 50 on site and guests physically connect to the soil.

Guests apply strength of hope as they feel a healthy environment is something that can be achieved by their contribution. Hope increases when planting their tree after seeing trees maturing about them, the result of previous guests’ plantings.

Choosing a siesta and staying up later. Host provides ceiling fans, cool drinks in fridge (made from the property’s own limes) and attractive al fresco barbecue setting. This encourages guests to rest in the hottest part of the day, then enjoy cooler extended evenings outside connecting with nature. Result: contributes to 30% electricity saving.

Guests apply strength of citizenship as they acknowledge their social responsibility to consume less, change their behaviour to do their bit to minimise resource use, and share the experience as a group.

Sleeping is good for you, and the environment. Hammock image from www.shutterstock.com

Selecting natural ventilation at night instead of air conditioning. Host explains how to use the natural ventilation in the accommodation, as cooler night air in summer means cottages are 4℃ cooler in the morning. Result: contributes to 30% electricity saving and guests hear charming frogs at night.

Guests apply strength of social intelligence as often they are fearful for their security at night and prefer to have windows locked. They acknowledge this conflicts with the need to consume less and not rely on the air conditioning. Accepting their concerns, they adapt and use natural ventilation in an uncommon location.

Host explains rainwater harvesting resource limitations and benefits of homemade aromatherapy bath treats. Guests choose to share baths or rotate bath use. Result: contributes to 25% gas and water saving while the aromatherapy recipes use natural essential oils and offer guests long-lasting scents.

Guest applies strength of leadership as they try to apply pro-environmental action and encourage other members of their party to change their bathing routines.

Choosing greener travel. Guests can choose not to drive but use the complimentary bicycles and buy a picnic of locally sourced treats. Guests relax and reconnect. Result: memorable experiences (including proposals of marriage!) and less carbon dioxide car pollution.

Guests draw on strength of zest to choose to ride a bicycle (which they may not have done for some time) and joyfully discover the peaceful lanes and the invigorating ride.

In sum, targeting character strengths such as self-regulation, citizenship, hope, perspective and social intelligence may be an effective way to drive change towards more sustainability-oriented behaviours.

Happy, frugal tourism

Today people want personalised travel experiences. Here lies the opportunity for business people seeking to build their brand in the most sustainable way possible.

Involving people in creating a sustainable tourism experience can lead them to behaviour in new, fun ways. Examples like Coral Cay Conservation, Echidna Walkabout and Chepue Ecolodge all directly involve the customers to help conserve resources.

This year commemorates 20 years of the Responsible Tourism movement. Tourism is slowly evolving and with it opportunities for individuals to apply new knowledge and skills which can become transformational experiences. These small actions (known as the “Copenhagen effect”) can make a significant difference.

By introducing positive psychology into the design of tourism experiences, guests willingly and happily trade in their material consumption for forms of non-material consumption that benefit them, their health and the environment, allowing the services sector to ask customers to tread more gently and happily.

Christopher Warren is a partner in Crystal Creek Meadows, and consults in sustainable & responsible tourism accommodation. He is affiliated with International Centre for Responsible Tourism and a member of the Griffith Institute For Tourism Advisory Board.

Alexandra Coghlan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond the academic appointment above.

Four rare white lion cubs have been born in a zoo in Poland.

Soil’s potential to soak up planet-warning carbon dioxide has been overestimated by as much as 40%, say scientists

Hopes that large amounts of planet-warming carbon dioxide could be buried in soils appear to be grossly misplaced, with new research finding that the ground will soak up far less carbon over the coming century than previously thought.

Radiocarbon dating of soils, when combined with previous models of carbon uptake, has shown the widely assumed potential for carbon sequestration to combat climate change has been overestimated by as much as 40%.

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Scientists bring singing fish into their lab to work out the biological secret of an aquatic creature that hums at night.

The official first day of autumn occurs when the sun aligns directly with the Earth’s equator, creating a day and night of equal length

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Scientists solve the bizarre mystery of the fish that hums at night.