Ozone layer recovering following CFC reduction

Some positive news for the environment comes with confirmation from the UN Environment Program (UNEP) that the ozone level in the Earth's upper atmosphere is recovering following the removal of harmful ozone depleting substances from use in human activities.

As UNEP advises "..The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was adopted in 1987 to protect global ozone and, consequently, protect life from increased ultraviolet (UV) radiation at Earth’s surface. Chlorine- and bromine-containing substances that are controlled by the Montreal Protocol are known as ozone-depleting substances (ODSs). ODSs are responsible for the depletion of stratospheric ozone observed in polar regions (for example, the “ozone hole” above Antarctica) and in middle latitudes. The severe depletion of stratospheric ozone observed in the Antarctic has increased UV at the surface and affected climate at southern high latitudes..'.

This is a long overdue bit of good news and demonstrates the World's capacity for taking the necessary steps when a clear course of action was needed.

Loss of carbon absorption another impact of drought

The latest issue of Science carries some concerning research showing a reduction in the level of trees/plants to provide carbon sinks for the planet. Drought and changed rainfall patterns have apparently led to this reduction of plant coverage but this in turn places an urgent emphasis on taking steps to replace plant loss as well as develop other alternative methods to capture carbon emissions.

Science 20 August 2010:

Vol. 329. no. 5994, pp. 940 - 943
DOI: 10.1126/science.1192666

Drought-Induced Reduction in Global Terrestrial Net Primary Production from 2000 Through 2009
Maosheng Zhao* and Steven W. Running

Terrestrial net primary production (NPP) quantifies the amount of atmospheric carbon fixed by plants and accumulated as biomass. Previous studies have shown that climate constraints were relaxing with increasing temperature and solar radiation, allowing an upward trend in NPP from 1982 through 1999. The past decade (2000 to 2009) has been the warmest since instrumental measurements began, which could imply continued increases in NPP; however, our estimates suggest a reduction in the global NPP of 0.55 petagrams of carbon. Large-scale droughts have reduced regional NPP, and a drying trend in the Southern Hemisphere has decreased NPP in that area, counteracting the increased NPP over the Northern Hemisphere. A continued decline in NPP would not only weaken the terrestrial carbon sink, but it would also intensify future competition between food demand and proposed biofuel production.

Numerical Terradynamic Simulation Group, Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences, the University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA.

Mission Ultra Complex: The War in Afghanistan

Australia's involvement in Afghanistan is crystalised in Chris Master's carefully constructed two part documentary 'A Careful War' for the 4 Corners program of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Speaking at the Lowy Institute for International Policy on 30 July 2010, Masters commented that no single media account of this conflict is accurate - the reality of the situation in Afghanistan is rather that there are hundreds of many individual different conflicts being fought throughout cities, towns and villages of that country. Masters also highlighted a weakness of understanding by the Australian public of the 'battle space' being occupied by Australian soldiers serving in that theatre of operations. More than any previous military commitment, Australian soldiers are required to be part fighter, diplomat, anthropologist and social worker - a complex set of skills to utilise simultaneously while still within a combat environment. The ability to continue such an intense and difficult military commitment for several more years and outlast the Taliban will test the resolve of the western powers as well as the Afghan National Army to fill the void once troop withdrawals occur.

Geoengineering to avoid climate change - science fiction or fantasy?

With ongoing debate on the ramifications of climate change on the planet or, in some quarters, continuing doubt as to the validity of the science itself, one aspect which has escaped wider consideration are some of the proposed solutions. While many focus on alternative energy production methods or ways to avoid carbon emissions, a few actually propose further intervention in the earth's climate. One of these is geoengineering or in simple terms using engineering solutions to affect climate change. In science fiction, this is often referred to as terra forming but whether it is science or science fiction, such a direction is fraught with high level risk particularly considering the basis for such proposals are untested and often commercial or 'market-based' approaches seeking a quick fix. The most unusual is injecting sulphur dioxide into the stratosphere to counteract carbon emissions. How sensible is such a proposal? Would this approach only add one more problem to the already existing ones?

Where film becomes too grim....

The art house or alternative film industry has often presented confronting and provocative images of contemporary society and/or political or moral dilemmas. The 2010 Sydney Film Festival which showcases a selection of such films appears increasingly stark as the mid point of the festival is crossed. Winter's Bone is set in the hillbilly badlands of Missouri and provides a grim perspective on a family in an inwards-looking struggling rural community. The Killer Inside Me appearing more like a poor man's version of American Psycho, follows the story of a sociopath murdering deputy sheriff and his brutal way of dealing with women as pawns in a larger plot (although in many ways its not clear what that may be). Women Without Men a more sublime, allegorical Iranian film deals with repression particularly within contemporary Iran especially as it affects women. So many of these films take a dark look at life that at times it seems the genre itself has difficulty in uplifting itself from a sense of depression.

On the screen.... big pictures but few new stories...

The 57th Sydney Film Festival is at its mid point this week and once again offers a mix of films from across the globe drawing also from the other major film festivals of Sundance, Venice, Cannes, Berlin etc. The festival in recent years has been significantly trimmed in duration and numbers of films screened. Perhaps one early observation that can be made is the lack of original screenplays and an almost endless easy-to-see collection of cliches. A few stand-outs are Kawasaki's Rose, a Czech film dealing with the controversial issue of collaborators and totalitarian regimes and Ajami which features inter-related stories in the occupied territories in Palestine. Sadly Australian films such as The Tree and Red Hill lack original imagery and thought, preferring to rely on cliche driven plot lines (although not lacking enthusiasm).

Biennale Bust

The arts calendar has once more swung around with the 17th Biennale of Sydney running from 12 May to the 1st of August 2010. Like many contemporary art festivals increasingly it's the main platform for new media using film, photographic images, computer graphics and modern sculpture to constitute the bulk of mainly large installation works. For the 17th Biennale, 'spectacle' is often a better description than 'art' for the what the general public discover at the various sites. Spread across Cockatoo Island, MCA, the Art Gallery of NSW, Pier 2/3 and Artspace the Biennale offers a variety of spaces as well as works to view. Some visually impacting works by Russian consortium AES+F, Cai Guo-Qiang, Dale Frank, Shen Shaomin contrast with some truly odd films by Amal Kenawy and Katarzyna Kozyra to name a few.
 What can one say about it all ? Its free so that's a blessing in itself.

The Easter Bunny hops again in 2010

Easter once again has come around for those with pious religious conviction who celebarate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The New Testament teaches that the resurrection of Jesus, is a foundation of the Christian faith. For most others, Easter represents chocolate Easter eggs and a multitude of chocolate bunnies.

And where did Eggs come from? Apparently as a symbol of the rebirth of the earth in celebrations of spring, the eggs were adopted by early Christians as a symbol of the resurrection of Jesus. According to academic literature, the oldest tradition is to use dyed or painted chicken eggs (which is still the case with many Orthodox Christian Churches), but a modern custom is to substitute chocolate eggs, or plastic eggs filled with confectionery such as jelly beans. For children, these eggs are often hidden, allegedly by the Easter Bunny, to be found on Easter morning (which is Easter Sunday).

The Easter Bunny is actually not originally an Easter symbol but has origins in Alsace and the Upper Rhineland, both then in the Holy Roman Empire, and southwestern Germany, where the practice was first recorded in a German publication in the early 1600s. The first edible Easter Eggs were made in Germany during the early 1800s and were made of pastry and sugar. So there is nothing particularly religious about the Easter bunny which in most respects has taken on a wholly commercial identity in the modern world.

Carbon Emissions - one problem among many

The debate on climate change often focuses on the level of Carbon Emissions (CO2) and global warming but the overall complexity of the earth's environment means there are several other possible serious factors to consider. Some of  these are listed below - 

Acid Oceans: the amount of carbonic acid in the oceans and the loss of aragonite,

Ozone Depletion: this was the environmental issue of the 1970s and remains a current concern as trapping warmer air closer to the surface of the planet means a colder stratosphere and hence ozone comes under threat again from those chemicals still is use which deplete it.

Fresh Water: Water is becoming so scarce in many parts of the planet, despite unseasonal periodic flooding that underground aquifers are being pumped out and cannot be replenished,

Biodiversity: continued mass extinction of species has considerable impact on ecosystems and on human habitation - the current rate of change has far exceeded levels of adapatability,

Nitrogen and Phospherus cycles: agriculture and fertilisers, burning fossil fuels/timber/crops and human sewage have contributed nitrogen in such quantities that dead zones and algae blooms are now more frequent in the oceans,

Aerosol Loading: dust, sulphates and other particles created by human activity continue to affect air quality and hence have a negative impact on agricultural crops and human health,

Chemical pollution: There are almost 100,000 different human made chemicals now in use on the planet among these are toxic heavy metals (such as lead) and persistent organic pollutants (such as DDT, PCBs and dioxins).  These have strong detrimental effects on humans.

Many of these factors are causally linked to each other and only a comprehensive strategy on climate change togther with a wider linkage to other aspects of pollution has any hope of succeeding.

Up in the Air - George Clooney hits home again

George Clooney's latest film directed/written by Jason Reitman (and based on the novel by Walter Kirn) is another clever subtle and ultimately ironically funny observation on the usually sad spectre of corporate restructures. Clooney's character is corporate downsizing expert Ryan Bingham, whose specialty is to help ease the transition of long-term employees to unemployment. Clooney's character takes his job very seriously and loves the 290 days spent travelling away from home. His only problem is the 70 days at home in his rented empty apartment. His professional world is up-ended when a young Ivy League graduate comes to  the company and threatens to ground the downsizing consultants by the innovative and cost cutting idea of firing people via the internet.

Ryan Bingham is not standing for a change in life, nor the chance of missing the goal of reaching total airline miles to gain lifetime status recognition ("Let's just say I have a number and I haven't hit it yet"). His mission becomes one of proving how personal his job really is and how important a face to face meeting can be to talk down an emotionally unstable person facing unemployment.

In this travelling story both Ryan and the recent college graduate, Natalie, played by Anna Kendrick, both reach realisation as to what has been lacking in their lives, how to become better people and open themselves to love, heartbreak, and the need to mature. The film touches on the many elements of modern corporate life and relationships in this electronic interconnected world.