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Threatened species conservation in Australia and the EPBC Act.
The Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, replaced four commonwealth Acts including the Endangered Species Act 1992, The Environmental Protection Act (impacts of Proposals) Act 1974 and the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1975. (Thomas 2007)
Since Australia signed the Ramsar agreement in 1971, the Federal government has been committed to list and take action on wetland fauna and flora communities. This was in the backdrop of a committed community of environmentalists within Australia that lead to the Landcare movement and the Australian Conservation Foundation.
The issues in Australia were that the culture in the 1950s and 1960s had been to tame the bush and clear the land. Wetland were generally left as they provided no opportunity for agricultural use. As with the Ramsar process on the world stage, Australia, through the voice of the environmentalist, started to realise that the world was finite and the Australian landscape was more sensitive to wholesale development than previously thought.
After Ramsar and under the Heads of Agreement on Commonwealth/State Roles and responsibilities for the Environment Intergovernmental Agreement on the Environment, States started to pass legislation that reflected the above Commonwealth Acts. (Thomas 2007)
In 1979 the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act was passed to control land use within NSW. Later the Act incorporated the protection of designated Wetlands under State Environmental Planning Policy 14.
Then as land management moved from the urban setting to the rural, Australia started to have policies like Total Catchment Management, to better manage farm land, the landscape and to reduce erosion etc. This later moved to vegetation and even habitat protection in the mid 1990s. Then there was a move to Integrated Catchment Management which looked at landscape management from a regional level with Catchment Management Authorities. (Dovers 2003)
Then in 1995 NSW followed the Commonwealth by introducing the Threatened Species Act. This was to work in conjunctions with the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 and the EPA Act 1979 in protecting species and ecologically sensitive communities from wholesale development.
But the EPBC Act goes further and deals with any matter related to the environment with a national significance, including world heritage properties within Australia, Ramsar wetlands, nationally endangered and vulnerable species and/or communities, migratory birds, protection and management of coastal environments and the protection of marine life. It also has a responsibility to manage and act on nuclear activities within Australia or that is likely to affect Australia. (Thomas 2007)
Table 1: Below is a typical listing from the EPBC Act 1999
Mammals that are Critically Endangered
Genus, species (subspecies, population) Common Name Effective
Gymnobelideus leadbeateri Leadbeater's Possum 02-May-2015
Miniopterus orianae bassanii Southern Bent-wing Bat 18-Dec-2007
Pipistrellus murrayi Christmas Island Pipistrelle 12-Sep-2006
Potorous gilbertii Gilbert's Potoroo 06-Jul-2004
Pteropus natalis Christmas Island Flying-fox 03-Jan-2014
Saccolaimus saccolaimus nudicluniatus Bare-rumped Sheathtail Bat (Qld) 04-Apr-2001
Figure 1 Locality map of Leadbeater's Possum (EPBC Act)
It is the whole population that benefited through the application of the policy not only today but into the future. That said, there are business interests with shorter vision and a need to make a profit that would perhaps prefer to be back in the 1960 where the taming of the bush enabled wholesale development of mining interests and urban and industrial development in all manner of places without controls.
But now after Ramsar, there has been slow process from the first MAR conference at Les Saintes Maries-de-la-Mer in the French Camargue. This meeting recognise the importance of wetland and later catchment and land management, and later again the protection and rehabilitation of endangered and vulnerable species and communities. ("MAR" is simply short for marshes)
But not to forget the home grown environmentalist who saw a need to protect landscapes and rehabilitated landscapes like Alan and Marigold Lawrence who founded Landcare on the Central Coast.
These people had ideals that all Australians should be able to enjoy natural settings. This is what the EPBC helps to do while at the same time allows business and commercial enterprises to develop land in an appropriate way that ensures protection for our natural Australian heritage.
If we were to ask how the values of these pioneers across the world have influenced policy we see a slow progression of policy to protect the natural environment through land use planning and then to Threatened species protection.
The trajectory is sound but there is more to do. Proper integrated planning still needs to be applied.
When developing urban areas, a process of retrofitting wildlife and natural bushland corridors needs to continue. These processes were of wildlife design were pioneered by David Goldney, Professor at Charles Sturt University, who would have been one of the first environmentalists to study the effects of corridors in a rural setting in the 1990s. Also when developing urban areas, an introduction of the precautionary planned retreat from the oceans due to the advent of climate change induced sea level rise should commence. A planned retreat that includes the re-establishment of wetlands and salt-marsh as the seas rise and inundate now dry land. (Holland 2015)
But is the policy behind the EPBC Act formulated on best scientific knowledge. The answer would have to be no. Science understood little about how wetlands work in the beginning but as the world started to protect these areas more funding became available to study them. If the world had waited to do exhaustive studies on many of our vulnerable species before politicians decided to provide funding through appropriate legislation to do recovery plans, species may have been lost. Yes, science has been active in many of the areas of conservation as highlighted above, but it is ideas that need to drive the processes of policy development. The risk is that opponents to policy change may have vested interests in unfettered development and complain that there is no scientific basis for the policy change and influence popular opinion against a policy change that has environmental merit.
Follow link to:
Submission to Federal Senate Inquiry on the Fauna Extinction crisis based on this article
Australia Conservation Foundation, Our History, https://www.acfonline.org.au/about-us/our-history
Australian Government, EPBC 1999, Offset Policy, Oct 2012, http://www.environment.gov.au/epbc/publications/epbc-act-environmental-offsets-policy
Australian Government, Department of the Environment, About the EPBC Act, http://www.environment.gov.au/epbc/about
Australian Government, The Department of the Environment, The Ramsar convention on wetlands, http://www.environment.gov.au/water/wetlands/ramsar
Australian Government, The Department of the Environment, Nuclear Actions, http://www.environment.gov.au/epbc/what-is-protected/nuclear-actions
Dell'Amore, Christine (2013), LAST OF THE LAST, 20,000 Species Are Near Extinction: Is it Time to Rethink How We Decide Which to Save?, National Geographic , PUBLISHED DECEMBER 16, 2013, http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/12/131216-conservation-environment-animals-science-endangered-species/
Dovers Stephen, Rivers Su Wild (editors) (2003), Managing Australia's Environment, The Federation press, pp. 134-140, 284-301, 328-337, 394-412, 442-460, 501-514,
Garnett, Stephen, Professor of Conservation and Sustainable Livelihoods, July 2, 2014, Threatened species win a voice in Canberra – but it's too late for some, The Conversation, Charles Darwin University, https://theconversation.com/threatened-species-win-a-voice-in-canberra-but-its-too-late-for-some-28667
Golden, Dr David Charles, Citation for the Conferral of a Doctor of Science (honoris causa), https://www.csu.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/628894/Goldney-David-Charles.pdf
Holland D, Planning for Sea Level Rise Risk in some Coastal Regions of Australia – A Market Approach, Habitat Association for the Arts and Environemnt Web site, https://habitattownplanningforum.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/planning-for-climate-change-the-risk-model-for-sea-level-rise-discussion-paper-3rd-edition-rev1-20151.pdf
How to use the assessments Guide, EPBC 1999, Offset Policy, http://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/12630bb4-2c10-4c8e-815f-2d7862bf87e7/files/offsets-how-use.pdf
Matthews, G. V. T.(1993), The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands: its History and Development, Published by the Ramsar Convention Bureau, Gland, Switzerland, Re-issued Ramsar Convention Secretariat, 2013, http://www.ramsar.org/sites/default/files/documents/pdf/lib/Matthews-history.pdf
Rouget, Mathieu 1; Cowling Richard M.2; Lombard Amanda T.2; Knight, Andrew T.2; and Kerley Graham I.H.3; 30 Jan 2006, Designing Large-Scale Conservation Corridors for Pattern and Process, Conservation Biology, Volume 20, Issue 2, pages 549–561, April 2006, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2006.00297.x/full
NSW Government, Threatened Species Act (1995), http://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/viewtop/inforce/act+101+1995+FIRST+0+N
NSW Office of Environment and heritage, Ramsar Wetlands, http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/wetlands/RamsarWetlands.htm
Thomas, I. (2007), Environmental Policy. Annandale, N.S.W: The Federation Press, pp.36-40, 70-129, 403-425.
Categories Authors, David Holland, EPBC Act, Threatened Species
A History of management measures related to the Murray-Darling Basin water resource
I would like to focus on the initiatives of the Federal government during the 1990's and into the new century. This was the period when the Murray Darling Basin Ministerial Council, later to become the Murray-Darling Basin Commission launched the Natural Resource Management Strategy (NRMS). (Connell 2007)
This was the first time in the long history of managing the basin that Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory were consulted in an attempt to better manage the resources in the basin. This initiative was in the backdrop of newly developed Integrated Catchment Management principals (ICM) which for the first time acknowledged the sensitivity of the natural environment when developing economic uses of water for agriculture and power generation in the MDB catchment. (Dovers 2007)
Before this Initiative salinity and land management practices were the main issues.
Much of the salinity problems that had arisen at the beginning of last century were overcome by large infrastructure investments for navigation, power and irrigation such as the Hume Weir in 1933 and the lower river lock system. (Connell 2007)
In NSW under the new Water Act 2000 the state started to implement water sharing plans developed for each river and ground water system in NSW. The Murray and lower Darling was just one of them, however this river system had an over committed water resource. The aim of this program was to ensure all rivers in NSW had some environmental flow. Any water sharing of this system needed to include not only environmental flow but a South Australian and Victorian allocation of water.
It wasn't until the period when the Howard government establishing the Murray-Darling Basin Authority in 2007 and provided funding to purchase water allocations for environment flow through the Commonwealth Environment Water Holder (CEWH) scheme that the MDB turned a corner for the environment. (Crowley 2012) However people concerned about river health still criticise the Murray-Darling Basin plan 2012. (South Australian Government 2012)(Phillips 2012)
Carla Mooneya , Poh-Ling Tanb, (2012), South Australia's River Murray: Social and cultural values in water planning, Journal of Hydrology, Volume 474, 12 December 2012, Pages 29–37, Water Planning in Australia: meeting the challenges of incorporating social, cultural and scientific information into decision-making, http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/science/article/pii/S0022169412002739 (cited March 2016)
Connell, Daniel, 2007, Water Politics in the Murray- Darling Basin, Federation Press.
Colman W., (2009), Australian National University, Two Decades of Murray-Darling Water Management: A River of Funding, a Trickle of Achievement, Agenda, Vol. 16, Number 1 Press release, http://press.anu.edu.au/agenda/016/01/mobile_devices/ch01s03.html (cited 2 April 2016)
Crowley, Kate; Walker K J; (2012), Environmental Policy failure, The Australian Story, Tilde Publishing and Distribution, pp. 74-87.
CSIRO Land and Water / Charles Sturt University, Published Water the good stuff,http://www.water.org.au/pubs/pub04_bowmer.htm, (cited March 2016)
Dovers Stephen, Rivers Su Wild (editors) (2003), Managing Australia's Environment, The Federation press, pp. 236- 253, 393-411.
Kathleen Bowmer,(2004), Look after the Land and the Rivers: Reflections on Water Sharing,
Murray Darling Basin Commission, (2002), Environmental Challengers in the Murray- Darling Basin, Printed Material in the Murray-Darling Basin Initiative.
Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council, (Sept 2000), Draft Integrated Catchment Management in the Murray-Darling Basin.
NSW Government, (2003), Water Sharing Plan for the New South Wales Murray and Lower Darling Regulated Rivers Water Sources 2003, NSW legislation, http://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/viewtop/inforce/subordleg+186+2003+FIRST+0+N/ (cited2 April 2016)
NSW Department of Infrastructure Planning and natural resources,(Sept 2004), A guide to the Water Sharing Plan for the New South Wales Murray and Lower Darling Regulated Rivers Water Sources, NSW Government, http://www.water.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/547692/murrayreg-guide.pdf
Phillips, Sara ,May 2012, Murray-Darling Plan reflects the failure of the government, ABC Environment, http://www.abc.net.au/environment/articles/2012/05/31/3514567.htm, (cited 2 April 2016)
Quiggin, John; Chambers, Sarah;Mallawaarachchi, Thilak, Water Policy Reform : Lessons in Sustainability from the Murray Darling Basin, Edward Elgar Publishing, http://reader.eblib.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/(S(radepoiycscgzbj3xcbimax2))/Reader.aspx?p=881401&o=476&u=hSuhCa8BIa8%3d&t=1459082398&h=62224971D99C659252DB9831324D7CC8EA166335&s=43446336&ut=1443&pg=1&r=img&c=-1&pat=n&cms=-1&sd=2, (cited March 2016)
South Australian Government, 16 April 2012, South Australian Government response to the Draft Murray-Darling Basin Plan, Link At South Australian Government Submission on the Murray …, (cited 2 April 2016)
Schliebs, Mark.(2012), Greens will block revised Murray-Darling water plan, The Australian , [Canberra, A.C.T] 10 Aug 2012: 6, http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/docview/1032770732?OpenUrlRefId=info:xri/sid:primo&accountid=10344 (cited March 2016)
Wells, Adrian, (1995), The Murray Darling Association [Also celebrating a 50th anniversary.] [online]. Trees and Natural Resources, Vol. 37, No. 1, Mar 1995: 29-30. Availability: <http://search.informit.com.au.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/documentSummary;dn=950605997;res=IELAPA> ISSN: 0814-4680. [cited 27 Mar 16].
Categories Authors, David Holland, Murray-Darling Basin, Water Resources, Water Sharing
An Update for planning for sea level rise
written early 2016
One of the potential threats to Australian shores is the onset of sea level rise, but to date the federal government have not specifically made policy in this area. They have however made general policy to reduce carbon emissions as part of the Paris conference initiative. Clearly the Australian government is heavily influenced by the world opinion. With the opposition taking a strong position on climate change issues this has had an effect on government policy.
Opposition Federal ministers have indicated that they see sea level rise as a state and local government issue, but Dawson (2011) and Holland (2016) recommend that the Federal government should take a leadership role in this potentially devastating economic impact that climate change will have.
In 2009 the New South Wales (NSW) State government had developed policy in this area and was influenced by the IPCC reports forecasting up to 900mm rise in sea levels by 2010. However, because the NSW reforms affected land owners in a negative way, the standard set in 2009 was removed by a new state government and any requirements on the standards where placed onto councils in 2012. Councils were then obligated to take full responsibility for making a flood plan. This action was influenced by public pressure from land owners.
Many States Governments have little or no plans for sea level rise adaptations. One important measure outlined by Barnett, Waters, Pendergast, & Puleston, (2013) is that planned retreat should be considered.
The National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility would have influence on State government policy as a research paper by the facility identified issues of resistance to adaptation in the Eastern states of Australia.
Since the NSW government was affected by public opinion in 2012 it now seems to have a successful policy outcome of adapting to climate change effects through the Integrated Regional Vulnerability Assessment (IRVA). Also three new planning policy documents have just finished a public consultation process. These initiative may have been encouraged by the Nature Conservation Council and the Australian Conservation Council which often have representative on government committees.
A draft Coastal Management Bill will bring a new Coastal Management Act in NSW and amend the EPA Act 1979. The Explanation of Intended Effect for the proposed new Coastal Management State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP) will control development and introduce four new zones to planning in NSW and finally a rewritten draft coastal management manual will give better support for council planning decision making.
Local government have had little direction to plan for climate change induced sea level rise. In 2010-11, the public outcry over high insurance premium was deafening to the Central Coast councillors and as a result flood prone properties were not identified. This irresponsible policy of councils is slowly changing in Gosford City with a new initiative called sea level rise mapping. This policy was passed by council in March 2015.
Recently, Wyong councillors were still being held hostage by unanimous interest groups to the constant frustration on peak environmental groups such as the Community Environment Network (CEN).
Hopefully the new amalgamated Council on the Central Coast will take concise and appropriate action to address climate change related sea level rise by making appropriate planned retreat strategies in the near future using the new State Coastal Management Act.
Barnett, J, Waters, E, Pendergast, S & Puleston, A 2013, Barriers to adaptation to sea level rise: The legal, institutional and cultural barriers to adaptation to sea-level rise in Australia, National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility, Gold Coast, 85 pp., https://www.nccarf.edu.au/sites/default/files/attached_files_publications/Barnett_2013_Barriers_to_adaptation_to_sea_level_rise.pdf
Dawson, Blake, Australian Government, Climate Change and Energy efficiency, COASTAL CLIMATE CHANGE RISK – Legal and Policy Responses in Australia, http://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/68cbcb67-bd6c-41ee-b214-02a5143d90d9/files/coastal-cc-legal-responses.pdf
Holland. D., A national security problem – Sea Level rise, (2016), Habitat Association Web Page, https://habitattownplanningforum.wordpress.com/2016/02/21/a-national-security-problem-sea-level-rise/
Australian Government, Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, 2011, Coastal climate change risk – Legal and policy responses in Australia, http://www.environment.gov.au/climate-change/adaptation/publications/coastal-climate-change-risk
Australian Government, Department of Environment(2006), The role of the private sector in environmental stewardship, integrative commentary by Ms Deni Greene, Deni Green Consulting Services, www.environment.gov.au/node/22660
DFAT, Australia's Intended Nationally Determined Contributions to a new Climate Change Agreement, (Aug 2015), UNFCCC, submission, http://dfat.gov.au/international-relations/themes/climate-change/submissions/Pages/australias-intended-nationally-determined-contribution-to-a-new-climate-change-agreement-august-2015.aspx
DFAT, Australian Government, Overview of Australia's assistance for climate change, Web page, http://dfat.gov.au/aid/topics/investment-priorities/building-resilience/climate-change/Pages/climate-change.aspx
Dovers S., & Wild River, S., (2003), Managing Australia's Environment, Sydney: The Federation Press.
Environment and heritage, NSW Government action on climate change, Prepare NSW for the unavoidable changes in our climate, http://www.climatechange.environment.nsw.gov.au/About-climate-change-in-NSW/NSW-Government-action-on-climate-change
Gosford City Council, Environment and Waste, Sea Level Rise, http://www.gosford.nsw.gov.au/environment-and-waste/environmental-management-and-planning/sea-level-rise
Green Climate Fund, Decisions of the Board Eighth Meeting of the Board 14-17 October 2014 (Dec 2014), Bridgetown, Barbados, https://www.greenclimate.fund/documents/20182/24946/GCF_B.08_45_-_Decisions_of_the_Board_-_Eighth_Meeting_of_the_Board__14-17_October_2014.pdf/1dd5389c-5955-4243-90c9-7c63e810c86d
Green Climate Fund, Pledge tracker, http://www.greenclimate.fund/contributions/pledge-tracker#areas
Habitat for humanity, Our plans, Habitat for Humanity NSW is excited about our upcoming projects for 2015-2018., http://habitat.org.au/nsw/our-work/our-plans/
Hamilton Clive, Running from the Storm the development of climate change policy in Australia (2001) , University of NSW Press Ltd.
Holland, D, Climate Change related Sea Level Rise Policy changes in New South Wales (2015), Habitat Association web page, https://habitattownplanningforum.wordpress.com/2014/04/16/climate-change-related-sea-level-rise-policy-changes-in-new-south-wales/
Howes. M., (2005), Politics and the Environment, Sydney: Allen & Unwin.
National climate change adaptive Research Facility, Rental Housing, Climate Change and Adaptive capacity: a case study of Newcastle, NSW, Researcher Leslie Stone, University of Newcastle, https://www.nccarf.edu.au/content/rental-housing-climate-change-and-adaptive-capacity-case-study-newcastle-nsw
Office of Environment and Heritage, Regional vulnerability and assessment (2015), http://www.climatechange.environment.nsw.gov.au/Adapting-to-climate-change/Regional-vulnerability-and-assessment, (web page)
Office of Environment and Heritage, Coastal Reform Overview, Public consultation on the Coastal management reforms (Nov 2015), http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/coasts/coastreforms.htm
Thomas. I., Environmental policy: Australian practice in the context of theory, Federal Press, Canberra, Australia.
Wyong Shire council, Coastal Management, (2013), https://www.wyong.nsw.gov.au/environment/coastal-management
Categories 900mm rise in sea levels, Authors, Climate Change, Coastal Inundation, David Holland, Ecologically Sustainable Development Based Urban Planning, Flood planning, Planned Retreat, Sea Level Rise
Council Amalgamations
This is a submission by Dr Raymond Charles Rauscher published on 28 Feb 2016 ray.r@idl.net.au Conjoint Lecturer at University of Newcastle School of Environment and Life Sciences, Ourimbah Campus, Ourimbah 2258
The conclusions reached in this submission by the author are based on working in town planning within NSW since 1969 and on completing research on various aspects of local government and sustainable urban planning (SUP), a theme of this submission.
There are three subject areas covered
A. Objection to Amalgamation Proposal
B. Amalgamations and State Review of Local Government
C. Options of Councils Working Together and with the State
This submission opposes the amalgamation as proposed as it has not allowed the community and the local councils as affected to adequately be engaged in the amalgamation process (as conducted by the State). At minimum, a referendum (overseen by the local council and the State) for each council area affected should have been conducted. Part A. Objection to Amalgamation Proposal contains a brief statement on this objection. Part B. Amalgamations and State Review of Local Government discussions and actions on the reform (including amalgamations) of local government in New South Wales (referred to as NSW herein) as commenced in 2009. This Part B provides a time line and progression of understanding this review. It notes the State having received a report from the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) at the end of 2015. It also notes the State appointed the Council Boundary Review Committee (CBRC) to receive submissions on proposed IPART recommendations on council amalgamations. There is one clear message here from councils, among a number of issues, of 'no forced amalgamations of councils'. Thirdly, Options of Councils Working Together and with the State (C) outlines a need for the State, councils and the community to be engaged in examining options for councils working together and with the State, especially in the area of 'urban planning and infrastructure provisions'. The submission concludes, "There is every possibility NSW councils and the State will be operating under different arrangements in the future, without forced amalgamations. The options of the State and councils working in partnership presents an array of options. The ideal would be to formulate the State and councils partnerships that would satisfy community engagement and apply sustainable urban planning (SUP) practices in municipal and district level planning.
The read the entire submission follow the link below:
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Categories Community Participation, Dr Ray Rauscher, Governance, Population Growth, Regional Planning, Structures of Strategies
A national security problem – Sea Level rise
By David Holland (BAS Env Planning; Grad. Dip. Env. Mngmt)
In 2015 the effects of climate change are starting to be felt by Australian communities. Although there are still some who either do not recognize that climate change processes are affecting our daily lives or believe climate change is a natural process, which is the phase of global warming as part of a cycle of global weather patterns from cooler climates to warner climates that have not been affected by human activities on the planet.
These people tend to discount the effects of burning fossil fuels intensively over the last 100 years or so. They do not recognise that over time concentrations of certain gases in the atmosphere including carbon dioxide have and are affecting the climate.
Presently many of the effects of this warming pattern are relatively mild but over time unless progress is made to curb carbon emissions these effects will impact the economics of Australia and every individual living within Australia.
However climate change deniers and climate change skeptics suggest that if there is a process of global warming happening today, there is nothing we can do about it. Human activity over the last 150 years in digging up and burning fossil fuels has had little to no impact on global temperatures.
Science tells us just the opposite. Scientific records tell us that temperatures have risen much faster than the trend over the last 100 years than any time in the last 1000 years.
This warming is not just a natural cycle of warming, but an accelerated warming principally caused by the industrial revolution's use of fossil fuels to drive the economic engine of world commerce.
Scientists have produced data that shows the world has warmed on average one degree since the year 1900. Scientists have predicted that if the average world temperatures warm more than two degrees since that time there will be a cycle of events that will increase global temperatures even if the global population stopped using fossil fuels from that point onwards.
There is a wide range of impacts associated with global warming that should be considered in Australia and planned for to help mitigate the effects on the Australian people, the way we live and on our economic status in the world's economy.
The particular climate change impact that we will be focusing on in this paper is climate change induced sea level and coastal flooding caused by extreme weather and tidal events.
Australia is an island and although large will have the effects of sea level rise, severe weather events and tidal inundation around its entire coastline. Much of the population of Australia resides in coastal regions and much of this population is and will increasingly be subject to the effects of wild weather as global temperatures increase.
A smaller proportion of the population live in lower lying areas and the land they occupy will be subject to a variety of effects which include rising sea levels, tidal inundation and higher floods caused by more precipitation caused by more extreme weather events.
Some politicians have suggested that the mitigation processes related to sea level rise should be managed at the State and Local government level. This option has merit in that the bulk of the work in managing these effects should be through State and local government planning instruments. But State and local government do not have the capacity to coordinate strategies to mitigate the effects of the following kind. These are impacts on the social and economic fabric of the nation. This will require a nationwide a response to the effects of climate change induced sea level rise. Only the Federal government will have the overall capacity to co-ordinate an Australian wide approach to these effects on the economy, the environment and the social cohesion of all Australians.
One of the mechanisms that could be used to ensure a coordinated approach would be through enabling federal legislation that would be agreed upon through the COAG process. This legislation would then be dovetailed into all State legislation and then through State government consultation with agencies and local government incorporated into local government planning schemes. This would ensure a best practice approach which would be fairly and uniformly applied across the country.
This process of ensuring a coordinated approach to mitigate the effects of climate change in this one area of sea level rise and associated effects goes to the issue of national security.[1]
The National security of our economic systems within Australia.[2]
Security of markets is about protecting markets within the economy.
Coastal Property markets
The protection of coastal property markets is very important in a growing and prosperous country like Australia. The property market is the bedrock of the economy and a solid source of asset security for the financial sector in Australia.
Potentially affected land by sea level rise up to a level of 1.1 meters above current sea levels hold in the vicinity of $300 billion worth of asset value according to an ABC report in 2013. This asset value does not take into consideration any additional rises due to tidal inundation in storm events.
If people were to overnight loose confidents in the value of these assets, banks would want to foreclose on loans as many properties are included in an asset list securing the loan. A collapse in property values would affect the financial sector and a scarcity of available funds for business using coastal properties as collateral would mean that extreme pressure would be put on business and on jobs court in this situation.
Insurance cover scarcity
Risks associated with buying such properties will mean that insurance providers will not insure coastal properties. At present some of these properties are the most expensive in the total real-estate market and a collapse will deviate the property market.
What are the processes by which such a collapse may occur? Under the current coastal property boom prognosis it is likely that the market will continue to increase without abating until a loss of confidence in the market occurs.
What would be the likely cause of a loss of confidence in the coastal property market without any intervention from the federal or state government? It is likely that the upon a catastrophic storm event that produces very high tides and extensive flooding coastal property owners will start to reassess the viability of staying on the coast.
With the insurance industry being saddled with an overwhelming number of claims for damage and destruction of homes and property, the industry would realise that many insurance premiums are massively too low and a reassessment would follow which would increase premiums. (In this scenario there is a possible situation where an insurance company will not insure a particular property.)
In addition the local governments will be shocked into the reality that they are massively exposed to risk of litigation because they had not responsibly informed the property owners of the heightened risk of inundation due to changing climatic conditions.
Then when coastal property owners attempt to reinsure their properties they find that the premiums are astronomically high or even worst that they cannot insure their property at all due to the risk on the property after a reassessment of risks of storm event damage by the insurance companies.
The devaluation of coastal properties
After a very severe storm or a chain of storms producing flooding and the likelihood of a hike in insurance premiums, property owners will be clambering to move away from the coast. Supply for coast properties will rise and as a result coastal property prices will plummet. This drop in asset value will impact the ability for many businesses to operate in a constrained credit environment.
To explain this we must look at the mechanism that allows businesses to borrow. Businesses borrow from financial institutions like banks because they have a capacity to pay back the loan. Often security on a loan is a property and is put up by the borrower as collateral on the loan in case the ability to pay the loan by the borrower evaporates. If the collateral for the loan is a devalued coastal property then the lender may call in the loan on the basis of the reduced value of the asset to lower the exposure to the loan by the lender or financial institution. This will adversely affect the business. Even if the loan is not called in, the business may need to gain more finance in a growing business. If the coastal property asset used as collateral is a devalued coastal property the business may not be able to gain further finance from the lender.
This process of a financial freeze on a section of the business community will affect jobs and growth in Australia's economic engine at large. A flow on effect of this is a down turn in tax receipts income and business taxes which affects government revenues.
Local and State governments will be under pressure to raise rates and funds.
With a drop in coastal property prices Local government will have little choice but to increase rates putting further pressure on rate payers and business owners.
With less money in the economy discretionary spending will be down and marginal businesses will go out of business further reducing Australia's economy.
Local government and State governments will be under extreme pressure to mitigate the impacts of tidal inundation and prolonged flooding. Massive amounts of money will be needed for projects along the coastal regions of the Australian coast. State and local governments will not be able to supply this money even if their revenues had not dropped due to the economic downturn.
Politically speaking there will be a questioning of the fairness to the whole community on spending such a large amount of money on owners of high value coastal properties and propping them up for a few years to keep these properties above the flood waters, just so these owners will not loose asset value of their property in the near term.
The Goyder Line by ABC new report 2nd December 2015, http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-12-02/goyders-line-climate-change-wheat-wine-grapes/6919276, (accessed Jan. 2016)
WWF, Salt water intrusions into ground water supplies, http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/aboutcc/problems/rising_temperatures/sea_levels/, (accessed Jan. 2016)
Armstrong T J, Determination Of Aquifer Properties And Heterogeneity In A Large Coastal Sand Mass: Bribie Island, Southeast Queensland, Bribie Island study of freshwater ground water in a sea water surrounded island, https://core.ac.uk/download/files/310/10884977.pdf, (accessed Jan. 2016)
Lapowski I, Oct 2015, Wired Web site, How climate Change became a national security problem. Ref. http://www.wired.com/2015/10/how-climate-change-became-a-national-security-problem/ (accessed Feb. 2016)
Abel N, Gordard R, Harman B, Leitch A M, Langridge J, Ryan A, Sea level rise, coastal development and planned retreat: analytical framework, governance principles and an Australian case study https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Anne_Leitch/publication/236005298_Sea_level_rise_coastal_development_and_planned_retreat_analytical_framework_governance_principles_and_an_Australian_case_study/links/0c96051870c0b6bfe8000000.pdf (accessed Jan. 2016)
NSW Environment and Heritage – Adapt NSW http://www.climatechange.environment.nsw.gov.au/Impacts-of-climate-change/Sea-level-and-coasts (accessed Feb. 2016)
ABC News, 14th Jan 2013, $300 billion of properties at risk with sea level rise of up to 1.1 meters, http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-01-14/how-will-rising-seas-impact-australia/4460688, (accessed Jan. 2016)
ABC News, Prevention Web – Australia; Rising sea levels may put $300 billion of properties at risk – source ABC news, http://www.preventionweb.net/english/professional/news/v.php?id=30516, (accessed Feb. 2016)
Garnaut review, Chapter 6, Climate Change impacts on Australia, http://www.garnautreview.org.au/pdf/Garnaut_Chapter6.pdf, (accessed Feb. 2016)
Holland David, Habitat Association Blog site, Planning for Sea Level Rise Risk in some Coastal Regions of Australia – A Market Approach, https://habitattownplanningforum.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/planning-for-climate-change-the-risk-model-for-sea-level-rise-discussion-paper-3rd-edition-rev1-20151.pdf, (accessed Feb. 2016)
Australian Government, Australian stories, Australian Farming agriculture – grazing and cropping, Effects of Climate change on Agriculture and food production at risk due to sea level rise, http://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/austn-farming-and-agriculture, (accessed Jan. 2016)
Holland David, Habitat Association Blog site, Climate Change related sea level rise Policy changes in NSW, https://habitattownplanningforum.wordpress.com/2014/04/16/climate-change-related-sea-level-rise-policy-changes-in-new-south-wales/ (accessed Feb. 2016)
Payet Rolf, Antoine Moustache, Sea Level Rise, Climate Change and Its Impacts on Food Security in SIDS: Challenges and Opportunities, http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/foodclimate/forum/SRLF_Payets.pdf
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability, https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/wg2/, (accessed Feb. 2016)
Environment climate change and water NSW, Coastal Risk Management Guide, Incorporating sea level risk benchmarks in coastal risk assessments, Effects of sea level rise and extreme weather events on Biodiversity and eco systems, http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/water/coasts/10760CoastRiskManGde.pdf , (accessed Jan. 2016)
Rhiannon J N, Douglas K B, Planned retreat as a management response to coastal risk, Case Study of the Fleurieu Peninsula South Australia, http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10113-012-0315-4, (accessed Jan. 2016)
Categories 900mm rise in sea levels, Authors, Climate Change, Coastal Inundation, David Holland, Environments, Flood planning, Planned Retreat, Regional Planning, Risk Management, Sea Level Rise, Sustainable Communities, Weather Events
Climate Change related Sea Level Rise Policy changes in New South Wales
This is an up dated paper first written in 2010 but still relevant in 2015 more than ever with continued evidence of the effects of chimate change in a range of environments. The paper can be viewed through the link at the bottom of this web page. Since this paper was written in 2010 there has been a series of developments related to both NSW State government and some Central Coast local government councils and their policies. After the Labor State government announced in 2009 the recognition of sea level rise being a scientific fact through the Draft Flood Risk Management Guide published by the Department of Environment and Climate Change Water (DECCW) several predictable things happened. Firstly we need to understand that the DECCW based finding of 900mm sea level rise by the year 2100 on the shores of NSW is from data produced by the 2007 fourth session report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change[1]. This report indicated that sea level rise was predicted under present emission levels and a projected increase was expected to be between 1 meter and 3.7 meters by the year 2100. From the 5th session report of the IPCC in 2013 further information has been gathered and more finding published on sea level rise predictions. However, after the initial IPCC report and the NSW State government considering the revision of flood level planning and standards in the State, local councils who have been starting to implement the new planning standards along the coastal regions, experienced a backlash from land owners. As predicted in the paper in 2010, insurance premiums started to rise on coastal properties. Councils through a due diligence processes began to realize that if a house were to be approved for development and was likely to have a life span of 60 to 100 years, the minimum floor level should reflect the projected sea level rise at or up to the year 2100. This has meant that the full height of the increase of sea level assessed to be 900mm by the year 2100 was now the new standard for the calculation of the minimum floor level. This has also meant that flood planning had to reflect the maximum level of expected flood over the next 90 years as if it were the standard for today. This in turn alerted the insurance companies and skewed their risk assessment process, which had to reflect the new standard of 900mm. As a result insurance premiums went up to previously unheard of levels. Some property owners were experiencing insurance premiums of over $4000 a year. The political backlash was so great that coastal councils started to ignore due diligence and allow homes to be built at current floor levels without consideration for the State government's Draft Risk Management Guide 2009. After a change of government and due to the political backlash, the State government also decided to backtrack from their mandatory standard floor level assessment as an interim measure for councils without an updated flood management plan reflecting the new State government predictions of 900mm by the year 2100. Instead the State government, through its department has change the guidelines to reflect a non specific approach to sea level rise but still maintaining the fact that sea levels will rise to the 900mm previously suggested, but now has put the onus of providing flood level risk information to land owners onto the local councils, opening the way for them to ignore the 2007 IPCC report.[2] [3] The fifth session 2013 IPCC report when commenting on climate change induced sea level rise was very careful to report a range of scenarios, qualifying and re-qualifying projections. If we were to read between the lines of qualification, for the east coast of Australia, a lower level prediction for average sea level rise would be between 300mm and 480mm from present day 2013 levels by the year 2100.[4] [5] However, one very important and significant component of the sea level projection is missing and that is storm surge predictions that must be atop the sea level rise due to global sea warming causing seawater expansion and ice cap melting. This brings a conservative sea level rise risk in a storm event to up to 800 mm or more by the year 2100 depending on the intensity of the off shore weather event present. Since with increasing evidence of more intense storm events now considered to be caused by global warning, and the prediction that increased global warming will precipitate more such events, higher levels of sea level surge is likely to be more prevalent. Faced with this evidence and the new provisions of the guidelines placing onus on council to assess risk, Gosford Council in early 2014 has finally decided to acknowledge the risk of litigation it has been exposed to by previously deleting flood references on the 149 certificates in 2012.[6] After the recommendation by the State government, the council has again decided to implement a notice on each likely affected property to recognize increased risks of sea level rise and tidal inundation along with its flooding notifications. These notices were attached to each property through the provisions of section 149 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979.[7] This should now put pressure in other coastal councils to do likewise. However, under this provision of open information about property characteristics, it again presents a likelihood that insurance companies will reconsider the provisional notice an indicator for increased risk of flooding of the subject property and raise premiums in line with the perceived risk associated with sea level rise. In addition, in light of the new IPCC 5th report, these actions of both the NSW State government and local councils, highlights the lack of due diligence in the policy settings of the State government and perhaps the Federal government in ignoring probable reactions of the insurance companies. Governments need to accept the real probability of climate change induced sea level rise and strategically plan appropriate legislation to ensure a smooth path to higher sea levels in Australia. This paper gives a strategy for the State governments throughout Australia and coastal local governments to deal with insurance risks and progressive sea level rise over the next 90 years and beyond. This paper offers a way to consider forward planning in a context of the risks associated with climate change induced sea level rise. The Strategy advocates a local councils partnership with both State and the Federal Government to provide ways to provide insurance cover and infrastructure to reduce risks to coastal properties.
[1] Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), fourth report 2007, http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/syr/en/main.html
[2] NSW Planning and Infrastructure – Coastal Management and adapting to sea level rise, (ref. http://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/en-us/planningyourregion/coastalprotection/adaptingtosealevelrise.aspx)
[3] NSW Planning, NSW Coastal Planning Guidelines – Adapting to Sea Level Rise (2010), (Ref.http://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/Portals/0/PlansForAction/pdf/SeaLevelRise_Policy_web%5B1%5D.pdf)
[4]Fifth Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report 2013, (ref. (http://www.climatechange2013.org/images/report/WG1AR5_Chapter13_FINAL.pdf)
[5]This above statement should be read as a conservative figure for sea level rise and depending on how the future circumstances change levels could be considerably higher.
[6] Sea Level Rise in Gosford Council area, http://www.gosford.nsw.gov.au/environment/sea-level-rise
[7] See Article Central Coast Express Advocate, Friday March 28, 2014; "Sea rise rules upset".
To see the full paper follow the link below: Planning for Climate Change – The Risk Model for Sea Level Rise Discussion Paper – 3rd Edition Rev 1
Categories 900mm rise in sea levels, Authors, Climate Change, Coastal erosion, Coastal Inundation, David Holland, Environments, Flood planning, Planned Retreat, Population Growth, Regional Planning, Risk Management, Sea Level Rise, Weather Events, Wildlife Corridor Planning


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Almost everything you need to know about WordPress is documented at http://codex.wordpress.org – but it's not well organised and it can be practically impossible to find what you need, unless you stumble across it by chance – even if you know what you're looking for!
Of course, if you're just starting out trying to work out how to create your own web design using wordpress, you won't know what what you need to read, so you've got no hope of finding anything useful! Here's a bit of a rundown on the basics of how wordpress design works – to get you started. This article is based on a few emails i wrote to help someone out – so it may be a bit more rough and ready than it would have been if i'd originally written it in one piece as a blog post.
The best way to start is to copy one of the included themes ("default" and "classic") – in the wordpress/wp-content/themes directory – and modify it. You could download a theme that's close to what you want, and modify that – but some of the downloadable themes aren't particularly well written and you'll start off on a sounder base if you begin with one of the included ones.
The way the themes work is the page is split between several files – usually header, body, and footer. In the default theme, for example, there's header.php, index.php, and footer.php. When you go to the home page, index.php is loaded. index.php then loads header.php to show the top part of the page, does whatever it's going to do to show the body part of the page, and then loads footer.php for the bottom of the page.
In index.php it loads sidebar.php in the relevant place to put a single sidebar on the left hand side (as far as i remember). I haven't looked, but you'll probably find that sidebar.php doesn't really do much, as the sidebar contents are setup from the Design–>Widgets page. But sidebar.php should just call that. It will probably have some default entries, which will disappear once you add a widget.
There's no need for a theme to have multiple files – apart from convenience and flexibility. You could create a theme with just index.php and style.css . However, most wordpress themes also include other files – for instance a template for single posts. Have a look at a few themes and try and work out how they work.
You must have the style.css file. And you must edit the comment section at the top, to change the theme's name – if you don't it won't show up in the theme editor as a separate theme, as it uses the theme name in the top comment. Almost all the CSS stuff for wordpress goes in style.css – although there are a few plugins that have their own style sheets.
Those template tags do database related stuff mainly. If you look at index.php, you should be able to work out the relationship between the tags and the data you can see on the page when it's displayed in the browser.
You could, for example, move the sidebar from right to left by moving the sidebar tag from index.php into header.php and putting it into a div that's floated in the right way to create a sidebar. Then widgets you select in the widget setup page will appear in that sidebar. Useful widgets are a list of pages and the text one (which you can put a bit of html in, etc. You could add a second sidebar if you wanted – but i'm not going to go into how to do that here, you can download a theme with two sidebars and find out how to do it yourself!
If you want to use wordpress for a static site, rather than a blog, you need to set it to display a static page as the homepage on the "Reading" page of the "Settings" tab.
You create the pages by writing them in the editor using "write new page". There's a distinction between "pages" and "posts" – pages are static, posts are blog posts, for example, that are added to regularly. If you don't want a blog on the site, don't try and use posts at all.
You can edit the theme files in the theme editor, but it's much better to edit them using a web page editor, such as Bluefish.
The menu of pages can be set up to display pages in any order – but you set that up on the page itself, in the page order tab near the bottom of the page editor page. Low numbers first high numbers last.
With the home page, i tend to not put a title on it, because you don't usually want a title on the home page. But you can give it a title first and let it create a permalink name for that page and then delete the title. Turn permalinks on (in Settings somewhere), as it's better for search engine optimisation. I always set the permalink format to /%year%%monthnum%%day%-%postname% because that's the way i like the post names to appear (in blog pages). But it's good to have proper URLs for pages, rather than index.php?p=1 or whatever it uses. So turn on permalinks anyway.
* Statpress – which gives useful statistics about visitors.
* Google XML sitemaps – which produces and nice sitemap which google likes. It also notifies google when pages change.
* WP Security Scan – to make the security of your site is as good as possible.
* Secure-Contact – for a contact form.
* reCAPTCHA – if you're going to have a blog and want people to be able to comment but don't want to get spam.
* AskApache Password Protect – to increase security for admin stuff.
* NextGEN Gallery is better than the built in gallery for photos.
* Lightbox – looks like a good photo plugin, but i haven't got round to trying it yet.
* All in One SEO Pack – helps with search engine optimisation (a little bit).
(You can find all of these in the plugins section of the wordpress site.
I'd recommend installing the "Web developer" plugin for Firefox – or, at least the "Aardvark" plugin. They both have their uses, and i used to use only aardvark, but now i use the web developer toolbar almost exclusively, as it shows things that firefox doesn't.
In particular, the function of the web developer toolbar that you want to use is Outline–>Outline Current Element. When you turn that on, it gives you instant information about the css structure of the page, by just moving the mouse pointer over the page. It shows the boxes where the divs etc are and, in the toolbar itself, it shows the elements and their classes and IDs. It's very useful for working out how a page that someone else has put together is structured. It's also extremely useful to find out how a page you put together yourself is structured – for various reasons, but partly because it's a lot easier than hunting through the html or php code!
With most plugins, you just unzip them in the plugins directory and that's it. But some of them are packaged with the intention that you can unzip them on your local machine and then upload a directory (inside the top level package directory) to the server. Usually there'll be a readme file and a directory inside the zip file. You need to move that internal directory up into the plugins directory and then delete the original enclosing directory.
You should make sure you update wordpress every time there's a new version, to make sure your site is as secure as possible. This is a bit of a hassle, but it can be made easier. On the wordpress site, there's a step by step guide, but it's not very clear.
What i normally do is to extract the files from the latest version, rename the new wordpress directory to, for example, "wp-2.6.2" and put it in the same directory as the site wordpress directory. Then copy the relevant parts of wp-content from the old version to the new version. Copy .htaccess files from the old wordpress directory and the wp-admin directory (if they're there, which they should be). Copy wp-config.php from the old wordpress directory.
Then i disable all plugins (if i remember), rename the old wordpress directory to, for example, "wp-2.6.1", rename the new one to "wordpress", re-enable the plugins, and check if the site's working.
If there's a problem, i can easily swap directories again while i work it out. This approach requires minimal downtime – and it leaves me with the old wordpress installation intact as a backup.
However, i've recently discovered that if you download the tar.gz package of the new wordpress version, you can just untar it in place and it works. Obviously it's a good idea to back up the old installation first. The downside of doing it this way is that if any files have been removed between versions, the old ones won't be overwritten and will still be floating around. This probably isn't a big deal in the short term, but it's a good idea to do an update the other way every now and then – maybe each time there's a new major version.
An important thing to remember for security, when you're installing wordpress for the first time, is to immediately set up an account in your name with administrator privileges (in the "Users" tab), log out as admin, log in as you, and delete the admin user.
Small, perhaps obvious point but perhaps it's worth noting – you can't select a static page as the front page unless you've already created a page first.
Yeah, it is worth mentioning. Thanks.
The section about updating WordPress is obsolete as of version 2.7 – now it's just a simple matter of clicking on a link in the Dashboard!


We are all stewards of First Parish, and as such, our role is to take care of our beloved community so that it can continue to make a difference in our lives and those of future generations. The Stewardship Committee works towards bringing our time, talents and treasure together to enable First Parish to fully achieve its four fundamental concepts of spirit, justice, community, and sustainability. Our collective contributions make love real in the world.
Treasure: First Parish cannot function without your financial support. The church depends on you for its operating budget, which includes minister salaries, religious education, and building maintenance. Members and friends of First Parish make an annual pledge, usually during the spring canvass, for payment during the following fiscal year June-May. Every pledge, no matter how large or small, makes a difference.
Letting the church know your pledge for the year is crucial in creating a budget and for fiscal planning. Please give as generously as you are able.
The 2018-2019 Stewardship Campaign will start at the Stewardship Party on Saturday, March 24. It runs for five weeks, ending on Monday, April 30. We will be working hard to provide information on the annual budget and pledging process. We want to hear from you – please contact us with questions and feedback!


At times like this, with recent raw conflict in Syria, our cheeks ache with restrained grief, our eyes burn with hot tears and our guts clench with despair and hopelessness.
At each renewed reporting of Syria, as we recoil in pain, we have a new chance to turn and fully face ourselves.
To fully feel the raw emotion that rocks our bodies, our world, to feel the horror and look close inside.
What is it that rests at the center of each and every one of these vibrational experiences?
The kernal at the center of the seed.
The pain around this seed can be a resource.
A trigger, a reminder, a motivation, an inspiration, a dedication to be passionate, vigilent, determined and clear.
It squeezes us so tight that our focus can become a laser beam that cuts throught our tight circles of habitual thought and reactive emotional responses.
As we touch and are touched by this kernal of LOVE at the center of the seed of pain, there can be a radical eruption of 'Thank you'.
Radical because 'Thank you ' seems like an inappropriate response.
Radical because it cracks open our insistent clinging to opinions and judgements of good/bad, right/wrong, and gives way for the Power of the Universe to flow through us.
Radical, because in 'Thank You' we surrender to what is, and relax, trusting the Wisdom that creates all Life, is all Life.
Radical because 'Thank you' is a recognition of the unbreakable connection we have with the victims, the perpetrators, and the part we play in it all.
Thank you is radical because it is a doorway into another dimension, where even in the horror, we recognise that something immense and loving is going on behind the pain.
As we melt into 'Thank you', we become available for the Universe to work through us.
As we surrender and relax our will, we come into alignment for the far greater Power of Love to move through us.


text:
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The WonkLine: May 27, 2009
ThinkProgress May 27, 2009, 2:08 pm
Welcome to The WonkLine, a daily 10 a.m. roundup of the latest news about health care, the economy, national security and climate policy. This is what we're reading. Tell us what you found in the comments section below, and subscribe to the RSS feed. Also, you can now follow The Wonk Room on Twitter.
Cyclone Aila "tore into southern Bangladesh and eastern India on Wednesday" and has "killed more than 200 people" and "displaced millions."
"What is frightening is that the scientists are now reviewing their predictions, recognizing that climate change impact is accelerating at a much faster pace," U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said. "This is very serious and alarming."
House Agriculture chair and Blue Dog Collin Peterson (D-MN) on the Waxman-Markey climate legislation: "In my district, a 'no' vote would be a good vote." Blue Dog Gene Taylor (D-MS): "I think of the whole cap-and-trade idea as a Ponzi scheme." Blue Dog Jason Altmire (D-PA): "I think cap-and-trade is bad policy."
"According to a report released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the number of uninsured Americans could climb to 65.7 million by 2019, unless Congress enacts comprehensive health care reform."
Rep. Jim Marshall (D-GA) expects that "both the House and the Senate will pass" health care bills "before the August recess, and during the August recess there will be a conference committee working nonstop trying to turn those two bills into a final bill that can be presented to the president."
"Drug-company executives are aiming to prevent steep cuts in prescription prices by joining the effort to overhaul the U.S. health-care system."
North Korea has threatened "to attack the South after it joined a U.S.-led plan to check vessels suspected of carrying equipment for weapons of mass destruction." North Korea is facing international censure for this week's nuclear test.
"Gunmen opened fire and then detonated a large car bomb near police offices in the eastern city of Lahore today, killing about 30 people, wounding at least 250 and destroying structures."
During a debate in the Israeli parliament, "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Arab countries to make immediate moves toward normalizing ties with Israel and said he would offer 'concrete' steps toward peace with the Palestinians."
"Vice President Joe Biden and two Cabinet secretaries unveiled a national program Tuesday to train workers for 'green jobs' that will make public housing more energy-efficient."
"Almost three out of four" economists surveyed by the National Association for Business Economics Outlook "expect the recession will end by the third quarter of 2009."
"Banking trade groups are lobbying the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. for permission" to use "public money to help buy troubled assets from the banks themselves" as part of the Public Private Investment Program.
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Austria's largest fashion fair proves once again the importance of Brandboxx Salzburg as the most important fashion center in the country. Regularly some 300 exhibitors show the latest trends to industry visitors. The fair is not only intended for information purposes of the industry, it is established especially as the most important ordering platform for the fashion industry.
SUN, MON: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
TUE: 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.


Sheffield City Region and South Yorkshire Futures have teamed up with Inspiring the Future to encourage local businesses and employees to support us in improving the life chances of our young people.
Our shared vision is that every young person across the region has access to inspirational role models from local businesses who can inform their future choices, make sure they are work-ready and raise their aspirations.
Our aim is to build a Talent Bank of employers and employees who can help young people to better understand the world of work and the opportunities available to them.
We are encouraging individuals and organisations across the region to join us in achieving these goals and hope you can support with your time and commitment in taking part as a volunteer or supporting your employees in doing so.
Register below to access opportunities for your employees to volunteer in local schools. Click here to see how this service works.
And as part of Sheffield Hallam University's transforming lives strategy and our South Yorkshire Futures regional social mobility programme to raise aspirations and attainment in the region, we are launching a scheme to actively encourage and support staff to take up school governor and trustee roles.


Kamud Drugs is a manufacturer, supplier and exporter of bulk actives, intermediates, pharmaceutical and research chemicals. Quality and Reliability are key words for all of us at Kamud and this has resulted in an excellent relationship with all our clients based on trust.
Ever since its development in the 90's our company has devoted itself in the manufacture of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients and intermediates. Quality and Reliability are key words for all of us at KAMUD & that has resulted in excellent relationship with all our customers based on trust.
Being known since then ,as the largest producer of ALPRAZOLAM POWDER, ETIZOLAM POWDER, KETAMINE CRYSTALS/POWDER, PSEUDOEPHEDRINE, EPHEDRINE, TRAMADOL and BENZHYDROL (Intermediate for several API's including Cinnarizine, Modafinil, Ebastine) in India, KAMUD now offers a range of Anti-histamines, Hypnotics/Sedatives, Anaesthetics, Analgesics and other API's.
We also stock a wide range of research chemicals, CMC, apvp, hexen, Mphp, Mexedrone, Dibutylone, TH PVP crystal, FU-AMB, 4-EMC, BK-MDMA, 4-CEC, 4-CPRC, U-48800, U-49900, U-45500, MMBC, 2NMC, 4NMC, 2-A1MP, NM2201, 5F-MMB-2201, BK-EPDP, 4MPD, 4C-PVP, 4FPHP, 2FDCK, HDCK, MAF (Methoxy acetyl fentanyl), BUFF, TIMFUF, 4-FIBF, R-30490, HMAMD, JWH 018, JWH 133, FLUBROZOLAM, CLONAZOLAM. We have a rich network of partners in pharmachemical industry and we can get any research chemical or custom synthesis it.
Keeping the long term vision of growth in the pharma sector, we have always strived to take steps ensuring that our contribution to the industry only increases with time.
When you place an order with us you get what you pay for, our quality is unparalleled compared to other manufacturers. With other manufacturers you could spend more or less, but their quality is not comparable to ours – we ask that you GC/MS test so that you can decide, we are in a league of our own.
In addition to ordering with us, you will receive the highest standard of customer service one could ask for. Something that is a rarity on the internet as some of you may know all too well from doing business with other vendors. If you have a question we are usually around to answer them, you will hear back from us within 24 hours. We make it a point to check messages diligently everyday, throughout the day, and answer any questions or concerns you might have in a timely and professional manner.
As always, you can expect nothing less than premium pharmaceutical grade quality at the best possible price! We will not even consider carrying sub par products that other manufacturers sometimes carry. When dealing with us you can expect > 99% purity, we encourage you to GC/MS test our products so you may place more orders in the future with complete confidence, knowing that your money was well spent.


text:
Wirus Nova – wirus występujący głównie u kretów, a także u gryzoni, opisany w 2018 r. przez zespół badaczy Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego, Uniwersytetu Medycznego w Łodzi i University in Manoa.

Przypisy

Wirusy RNA

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Solving social isolation with technology
From left: Mr Abdullah and Ms Tan with their winning innovation, PETAL, which they developed with Mr Selman
Technology has often been blamed for eroding human connection, but the 16 teams that took part in the NUS Makerthon 2020 harnessed the power of technology to develop innovative solutions to social isolation.
Now in its third year, the event organised by the Office of the Senior Deputy President & Provost, NUS Design and Environment and NUS Computing, and supported by NUS Enterprise, saw projects along the theme of "Designing for Social Connection" that included inter-generational virtual storytelling, meltdown detectors for people with autism, and virtual communities for the elderly.
Some 60 students from various schools and faculties took part in the competition this year to vie for the $5,000 top prize. Each brought unique backgrounds, perspectives and skills to their team's project, which they were given about four weeks to work on.
A digital pet with your plant
PETAL acts as a companion for the elderly, while also monitoring their health data
Following a public exhibition at University Town and a presentation to a panel of judges on 6 January, the team comprising NUS Biomedical Engineering PhD student Mr Abdullah Omer Aydar, NUS Electrical and Computer Engineering Masters student Ms Rachel Tan and PhD student Mr Ahmet Selman Kurt emerged as the champion.
Their invention, PETAL, is a lifestyle and health device that can be attached to any house plant to give it a digitalised pet personality. The interface of the device displays a face that changes its emotions based on its interactions with the user. Watering the plant or petting the device will elicit a happy face, while neglect will cause a sad face to appear. The device even speaks to the user, expressing concern when it has not been interacted with over a prolonged period, or saying "I love you" when it's been petted.
"As our team's background is in engineering for medical and healthcare applications, we found that medical non-compliance and the lack of chronic disease monitoring is a huge problem, especially among the elderly," explained Ms Tan.
As such, PETAL comes equipped with an air quality sensor and a pulse oximeter that can generate information useful to asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients respectively. The team is exploring the possibility of adding other sensors such as a blood sugar monitor that can benefit diabetes patients or people with heart-related diseases.
From left: Year 2 students Justin Peh from NUS Science, Sing Hui from NUS Engineering and Lum Wei Boon from NUS Computing created the emotion-detecting video journalling toy with another teammate, Yap Zuo Ming from NUS Engineering
The second prize of $3,000 went to Litmus Box, a video journaling toy that utilises emotion-detecting artificial intelligence technology to help people suffering from depression to regain and improve their social life.
The three third prize winners were KakiCircle, a virtual neighbourhood for the elderly to find likeminded friends in their community; The Gaigai Radio, a two-way radio that allows elderly users to listen to others or broadcast their own activities; and The Playbook, a storytelling device that connects grandparents with their young grandchildren. Each team won $1,000.
At the prize-giving ceremony, NUS Associate Provost (Undergraduate Education) Associate Professor Erle Lim encouraged the participants to continue pursuing their projects. "I'm impressed by what I've seen. Every year we actually have very nice projects that can be taken through to commercialisation. Please think about it because your ideas can actually benefit society," he said.


Ben Nelson speaks to Minerva staff and faculty at the San Francisco headquarters.
The Minerva Schools at KGI were established in 2012 to provide an extraordinary liberal arts and sciences education to the top students in the world.
Headquartered in San Francisco, Minerva Project is a privately held service provider to the Minerva Schools at KGI.
The Minerva Institute for Research and Scholarship is a non-profit organization supporting both Minerva student scholarship and faculty research.


text:
#include <catch.hpp>
#include <nuclear>
#include <numeric>

namespace {

class TestReactor : public NUClear::Reactor {
public:
    // Store our times
    std::vector<NUClear::clock::time_point> times;

    static constexpr size_t NUM_LOG_ITEMS = 1000;

    static constexpr size_t WAIT_LENGTH_MILLIS = 1;

    TestReactor(std::unique_ptr<NUClear::Environment> environment) : Reactor(std::move(environment)) {

        // Trigger every 10 milliseconds
        on<Every<WAIT_LENGTH_MILLIS, std::chrono::milliseconds>>().then([this] {
            // Start logging our times each time an emit happens
            times.push_back(NUClear::clock::now());

            // Once we have enough items then we can do our statistics
            if (times.size() == NUM_LOG_ITEMS) {

                // Build up our difference vector
                std::vector<double> diff;

                for (size_t i = 0; i < times.size() - 1; ++i) {
                    std::chrono::nanoseconds delta = times[i + 1] - times[i];

                    // Store our difference in seconds
                    diff.push_back(double(delta.count()) / double(std::nano::den));
                }

                // Normalize our differences to jitter
                for (double& d : diff) {
                    d -= double(WAIT_LENGTH_MILLIS) / 1000.0;
                }

                // Calculate our mean, range, and stddev for the set
                double sum      = std::accumulate(std::begin(diff), std::end(diff), 0.0);
                double mean     = sum / double(diff.size());
                double variance = std::inner_product(diff.begin(), diff.end(), diff.begin(), 0.0);
                double stddev   = std::sqrt(variance / double(diff.size()));

                // As time goes on the average wait should be 0 (we accept less then 0.5ms for this test)
                REQUIRE(fabs(mean) < 0.0005);

                // Require that 95% (ish) of all results are fast enough
                REQUIRE(fabs(mean + stddev * 2) < 0.008);
            }
            // Once we have more then enough items then we shutdown the powerplant
            else if (times.size() > NUM_LOG_ITEMS) {
                // We are finished the test
                this->powerplant.shutdown();
            }
        });
    }
};
}  // namespace

TEST_CASE("Testing the Every<> Smart Type", "[api][every][period]") {

    NUClear::PowerPlant::Configuration config;
    config.thread_count = 1;
    NUClear::PowerPlant plant(config);
    plant.install<TestReactor>();

    plant.start();
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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The answers to this question are contained in the latest issue of IESE Insight, which coincides with the recent 15th anniversary of IESE's Public-Private Sector Research Center.
The IESE Insight dossier on public-private partnerships (PPPs) addresses topics that are central to business collaborations with the public sector. First, Joan E. Ricart, Pascual Berrone and the team of IESE's PPP for Cities share business strategies for creating smart, sustainable cities.
Next, Steven Tadelis of Haas, Berkeley, examines public contracts. By understanding the rationale behind different contract types, incentives and the award process, project partners can avoid cost overruns and delays.
Rounding out the dossier, Xavier Vives, director of IESE's Public-Private Sector Research Center, delves into the long-running debate over regulation: what's the right balance to strike so that the private sector can do its job within reasonable parameters set by public policymakers?
Understanding the psychology of money can also help businesses avoid costly mistakes in pricing their goods and services. As the world moves away from cash towards cards, coupons, reward points and mobile payments, NYU Stern's Priya Raghubir cites research showing how consumers' perception of monetary value is changing.
The magazine also contains two thought-provoking columns on leadership. IESE's Marta Elvira highlights five aspects that should be prioritized when managing geographically dispersed teams. And the holistic leadership expert Tomoyoshi Noda argues that Whole Person Leadership gets closer to the real kind of leadership needed today.
In the interview, Steve Shiffman discusses his own leadership journey as CEO of Calvin Klein, which, he confesses, is not just a job but a passion. He sat down with Fabrizio Ferraro during Shiffman's attendance of the Global CEO Program at IESE's Barcelona campus.
To transform the business, unite the brand and bring the best talent along with him, Shiffman no doubt had to practice the skills espoused in Kandarp Mehta and Ignacio Ripol's article on the manager as mediator. Creative communication, active listening and empathy are vital skills to reconcile conflicting interests.
As the closing feature on the 80th anniversary exhibition of "Guernica" at Madrid's Reina Sofia Museum makes abundantly clear: managing is an art form.
Each magazine features a real-life business case in which executives are invited to share what they would do in that situation. The current issue discusses the Spanish soccer club Espanyol, while the next case is on financing through the crowd. Readers can post comments in the IESE Insight Case Forum on "Wave: Is the Time Right for Crowd Equity?" All cases can be purchased through IESE Publishing.