Biocity Studio

The end of the line – movie documentary on global fish extinction by 2050

admin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 07:47:00 +0000

Imagine an ocean without fish – The End of the Line premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2009 and is a feature documentary film revealing the alarming impact of overfishing on our oceans. It outlines the possibility of an imminent extinction of seafood by 2050 unless we intervene in widespread use of poor fishing practices.

China invests heavily in bullet trains

kategresswell — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 09:55:51 +0000

Three years ago China planned to lay 13,000kms of high-speed railway by 2020, more than the rest of the world combined. Then the Global Financial Crisis hit and Beijing brought that deadline forward by 8 years. China’s bullet train project is ambitious and has generated millions of jobs and utilised millions of tonnes of Australian iron ore to produce the high-tensile steel for tunnels, bridges and tracks. More global high speed rail investment is needed to make cities more resilient to oil depletion and rising jet fuel costs in the coming decade.

SMH story here

World Student Community for Sustainable Development

admin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 09:55:28 +0000

The WSC-SD is a multi-disciplinary network of motivated students with the ability to think and act both locally and globally, and who share the vision to make a difference. Our purpose is to be a leading international student organization that carries out meaningful projects which result in positive and enduring changes that improve lives and communities around the world.

Visit them here

Renewable energy plan to replace all Australian coal power in ten years

kategresswell — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 09:55:06 +0000

During July the University of Melbourne in partnership with the Energy Research Institute released the first national plan for providing base load power to Australia from clean renewable energy. The Beyond Zero Emissions plan proposes a ten year roadmap for Australia to reach a 100% renewable energy target making it the first zero carbon nation on the planet. It proposes that all base load energy can be supplied by renewable sources and is affordable to all Australians at $8 per household per week. The plan has caused a stir in the national energy debate and is gaining widespread support. It is a visionary proposal that offers practical solutions utilising green technologies to tackle climate change.

Beyond zero emissions plan

Australia’s Eastern States – reduced greenhouse gas emission last summer

kategresswell — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 09:54:49 +0000

A press release by The Climate Group advises that Australia’s 4 Eastern states reduced greenhouse gas emissions by just over 1.2 million tonnes emitted from energy compared to last summer. This is a significant reduction considering that it was one of the hottest summers on record with temperatures reaching 55 degrees. The fall in emissions was driven by a reduction in emissions from coal-fired electricity generation and a fall in emissions from the use of natural gas.

the climate group story here

Cities Go Climate Positive

jackqian — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 00:01:14 +0000

With the worlds population on the rise and more people moving to cities, President Clinton describes a bold new project that will set the global standard for communities striving to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to below zero.

Sydney CBD Metro axed but road spending increased

admin — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 00:07:12 +0000

In Sydney Australia, NSW state premier Kristina Keneally has taken the axe to the transport blueprint of past premier Nathan Rees, cancelling the proposed metro network to spend the money on expanding the existing heavy rail system but still favouring road spending. $5.3 billion for the Sydney CBD Metro was axed but $21.9 billion in unspecified road spending over 10 years was confirmed.

Read the full SMH article here

Over consumption – the tale of two cities

admin — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 05:04:59 +0000

History is littered with examples of urban settlements abandoned and forgotten. In the case of two notable examples, Machu Picchu and Angkor, it has often be speculated that the reason for the demise of these two great metropolis of their times was their success and then the eventual unsustainable growth in population and resultant demand for food and clean water. Fast forward a thousand years and we may be witnessing the start of the demise of two world capitals for the same reasons, cities in which the unregulated consumption of natural materials and resources is rapidly driving the destiny of these cities away from their populations and governments. The capital cities of Sanaa in Yemen and Jakarta in Indonesia are faced with the real prospect of abandonment or at the very least a radical contraction in terms of national significance and size, and with no real solutions offered it seems the options on the table are to simply move on, start over and let the weeds take root, that is of course assuming there is enough water and clean soil to sustain them for the next one thousand years.

Further reading:

Water, Not al-Qaeda, is Yemen’s Main Domestic Concern, Experts Say

Indonesia mulls new capital as Jakarta sinks

The profit in pollution

admin — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 04:23:20 +0000

A new study is set to reveal that if large corporations were made accountable for their environmental impacts then they would lose up to a third of their annual profits.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/feb/18/worlds-top-firms-environmental-damage

Slime Mould Grows Emergent Network Like Tokyo Rail System

admin — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 10:59:20 +0000

A recently completed slime mould experiment by a team led by mathematical biologist Toshiyuki Nakagaki of Hokkaido University in Japan and cell biologist Mark Fricker of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom used Physarum polycephalum to find the shortest route through a layout of oak flakes. The slime discovers and grows over its food digesting it through its body creating thin tendrils that manifest into an ever simpler and efficient network of tubes. The tubes carrying the largest volume of nutrients expand while the less used contract and die off. The oat flakes were positioned on a diagram of Japan in the locations of major cities and the mould released into the map. In a period of twenty six hours the mould self organised into an efficient route layout that resembles the train network around Tokyo. The experiment was designed to use biology as a tool for determining the most efficient possible infrastructure network after human designers had struggled to find an answer. The team now wants to make a mathematical model that mimics the mould’s simple algorithms to apply to the design of real transit networks.

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/01/slime-mold-grows-network-just-like-tokyo-rail-system/

Climate Change – Emission reduction pledges interactive global map

admin — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 01:50:46 +0000

The Associated Press has put out an interesting interactive map of climate change data, including the emission trends from countries in the northern hemisphere, graphs of the various indicators of global warming such as glacier melts and global temperatures, and the pledges that different countries have made when it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/12/associated-press-launches-interactive-map-of-climate-emissions-pledges-and.php

Hong Kong air pollution – Life threatening one in every 8 Days

admin — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:47:53 +0000

A report, citing figures obtained from the government, says Hong Kong’s roadside air pollution reached life-threatening levels one in every eight days last year. The air pollution index was recorded by the Environmental Protection Department. It said there were 44 days of “very high pollution” last year. That number is up from the 39 reported days in 2008 and the 13 days in 2005. The impact of vehicular and industrial pollution on the health of citizens in major cities is becoming increasingly documented. Public transport needs to play a bigger role in moving people around their cities to reduce pollution.

http://www.ecoworldly.com/2010/01/04/hong-kongs-air-pollution-life-threatening-one-in-every-eight-days-last-year/

Shrinking City – Detroit Michigan

admin — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:31:51 +0000

It is an open secret that the downtown of Detroit, Michigan is as empty as the residential districts that surround it. As heavy fossil fuel reliant industries and products become increasingly redundant due to rising fuel costs from peak oil shrinking local economies will continue to make some cities redundant.

Ordos – New city stands empty in China

admin — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:23:45 +0000

China’s economy is continuing to grow despite the global recession, helped by a massive government stimulus package of $585bn. But doubts remain whether such strong growth can be sustained by public spending alone. Al Jazeera’s Melissa Chan reports from Inner Mongolia, where a whole town built with government money is standing empty.

Climate Change – 2 degrees of warming – Ocean Life in Danger

admin — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 08:17:42 +0000

National Geographic

Climate Change – 5 degrees of warming – Civilisation Collapses

admin — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 08:13:06 +0000

National Geographic

Climate change – 6 degrees of warming – Mass Extinction

admin — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 08:04:20 +0000

National Geographic

Biodiversity Crisis

admin — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 06:02:27 +0000

Do you know what is “biodiversity”? Answer: Biodiversity is the variety of life: the different plants, animals and micro-organisms, their genes and the ecosystems of which they are a part.

Biodiversity Crisis | Biocity Studio

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Waste Recycling

admin — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 06:00:42 +0000

The local government or council can’t afford to manage the waste management as efficient as today OR Council can’t pay the levy on your behalf anymore OR There is no one to collect our waste weekly anymore.

Waste Recycling | Biocity Studio

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Sydneys Health infrastructure

admin — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 05:56:32 +0000

Australia has the 2nd longest living people on the earth at 82.2 years, with low death rates for cancer, heart disease, and stroke. In the future global warming impacts such bush fire, heat waves droughts and will create increased strain on our emergency services.

Sydneys Health infrastructure | Biocity Studio

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