Patricia Blazey

Approaches to increasing desertification in Northern China

Desertification in Northern China, attributable to deforestation, urbanization, and drought, is causing increasingly severe sand and dust storms. About 30 percent of the land area of the Peoples Republic of China is affected, a factor that costs the Chinese government about Us

The trials and tribulations of gaining World Heritage listing for Australia’s only tropical rainforest, the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area

6.7 million a year. This article looks at the approaches taken by the Chinese government to reduce sandstorm activity and address the countrys desertification. An assessment is made of both the costs of dealing with the problem and the governments approach to it during the global financial crisis.

Theoretical issues that underlie the drafting of a binding treaty to prevent further deforestation and degradation of the world’s tropical rainforests

The article undertakes an analysis of the problems that had to be overcome before the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area in North East Queensland gained its listing as a World Heritage Area in 1988. It demonstrates how differing political views and the power of self-interested groups supported by political parties can thwart the sustainable management and protection of a valuable natural resource even in a developed country such as Australia.

Sustainable management of world forests – to what extent can regulation drive it?

Determining who owns the world’s tropical rainforests is fundamental to reaching an agreement for their protection. This issue has been in the past and continues to be the stumbling point in discussions that take place in numerous forest forums that focus on curbing deforestation. The issue of sovereignty is a major sticking point because governments housing tropical rainforests refuse to give up sovereignty over their natural resources. The opposing argument is that rainforests belong to the ‘global commons’ and therefore the international community has the right to legislate for their protection. This article discusses these theories and argues that the international community can and should draft a treaty that protects what is left of these forests in order to preserve biodiversity and the ecosystems that they house.

Feed-in tariffs in Australia : fiscal incentives and regulatory regimes - current developments and policies for the future

The most recent report produced by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations states that deforestation of the world’s primary forests has reached unsustainable levels. Addressing this problem at the international level is a major challenge as a significant proportion of primary forests are located in developing countries which undertake deforestation not only to produce products for export but also to clear land for agricultural purposes, cattle ranching and urban development. The outcome of the many international forest focused conferences which have taken place over the past few decades, has been an inability to come up with a workable solution to the problem. In light of these outcomes, this article argues that the sustainable management of primary forests is now crucial and best administered at state level. This will require support from rich countries in the form of finance, know-how and technology. An international forest treaty that promotes sustainable forestry and supports the establishment of protected forests areas can only succeed if a bottom up approach is undertaken because taking into account specific local conditions is essential.

The Relevance of multiple choice assessment in large cohort business law units

Australia’s governments have and continue to implement measures to lower green house gas emissions. The two principal federal policies are a Renewable Energy Target which aims to source 20% of electricity from renewable energy sources by 2020, and the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, which will centre on an emissions trading system operating from mid-2011. This paper examines the issue of whether feed-in tariff schemes can make a significant contribution to the abatement of greenhouse gases in Australia. The present and planned Australian feed-in tariff schemes are designed to encourage (by resort to a premium tariff) the installation of renewable generation technology in the premises of small power consumers such as households. This power would substitute for power that would otherwise be sourced from the grid, which power is (predominantly) sourced from non-renewable energy sources. Power surplus to the user’s needs could be exported to the grid. By way of background, the broader strategies for decarbonising Australia’s electricity industry, and the progress made, will be examined.