Category: Articles and Stories

Posted on Posted in Articles and Stories, Biodiversity Tagged with , ,

Abstract The precautionary principle is Principle 15 of the 1992 Rio Declaration on Environment and Development. It states that “Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation”. Despite Australia being a leader in adopting the precautionary principle, there is …

How can the precautionary principle be more effectively applied in biodiversity conservation? Read more »

Posted on Posted in Articles and Stories, Climate Change Tagged with , , ,

Australia’s new Coalition government led by Prime Minister Tony Abbott is moving ahead with its election commitment to axe the carbon tax. This action is being described as a huge leap backwards. But is it really such a dramatic change of direction? Let’s explore Australia’s climate change policy history. 20 years of delays and policy flip-flopping Global political action to …

Putting Australia’s carbon tax axing into perspective Read more »

Posted on Posted in Articles and Stories, Floods Tagged with , , ,

In April 2011 I wrote the opinion piece Queensland floods: information, history and knowledge to highlight how the January 2011 floods in South East Queensland had their historical precedents, in the hope of encouraging the better use of historical information in flood risk planning. That eastern Australia has experienced devastating floods in January 2013, just two years after the horrors …

Queensland floods: what do history and river hydrology tell us? Read more »

Posted on Posted in Articles and Stories, Floods Tagged with ,

The coincidence of the Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry and Information Awareness Month offers the opportunity to explore how well our communities are using information and knowledge in regard to natural disasters. The purpose of Information Awareness Month is to increase public awareness of information and its place in all aspects of daily life. In early January this year the …

Queensland floods: information, history and knowledge Read more »