emissions ready-reckoner by country - a beginning

Australia is a serious offender, per capita, for greenhouse emissions - due to our heavy reliance on coal.

The US emits 20% of global emissions for 5% of the population.

 

global consumption of oil tops 10m barrels per hour.

no-ice pole

Less ice at the North Pole accelerates global warming. Scientist predict that the North-West Passage will be completely ice free during summer within four years (so 2012 - worth noting in a diary). It's a barometer of global warming. A bit like the polar bear. We measure how warm it is getting by examining things that are cold, or at least once were.

Red-eared slider turtle

The red-eared slider turtle is now established in Queensland, and one was recently caught in Blackburn Lake. They have no known natural predators and prey aggressively on native fish and frogs, and reduce the food available to native predators. They can breed prolifically laying up to 70 eggs a year. The species are in the World Conservation Unions top 100 "world's worst invaders" list. What dill brought it in and why?

We seem to be heading for fewer species in larger numbers, a bit like the book trade. The weedy and aggressive survive.

threats to rainforest

Soy and palm oil seem to be the major threats to rainforest. Palm oil in South-east Asia and soy in the Amazon.

mammals at risk

The updated Red List of Endangered Species was release in early October and ther 1141 species of threatened mammals on the list. That's 25% and 1 in 2 are facing a shrinking population.

Australia's mammals are the most at risk in the developed world: 59 are threatened which one in five. Fifty of those are found nowhere else. The Tasmanian Devil has been the most surprising move on the endangered list due to a viciously "infectious" facial cancer (if it is infectious is it a cancer?)

Total list is 44838 of which more thatn 38% or 16,928 are at risk and 3000 are critically endangered (the highest category of risk so: vulnerable, endangered and critically endangered).

Qantassucks.com.au - I wish that existed

Whinging about Qantas has become a favored Australian pasttime. I've just shot of a letter of complaint. Will I have anymore satisfaction than Mike Keily?

Hay que comer para vivir, no vivir para comer

& may be not-to-live-to-publish-cookbooks.