Climate
Navigating the Carbon Maze
With Australia’s carbon policy changing on what seems like a weekly basis staying up to date and identifying opportunities to get involved in voluntary programs can be frustrating as well as consuming valuable time that could be better spent elsewhere. If you need help navigating the carbon maze, read on… Current status of Australia’s carbon policy The…
Read MoreExamining safety risk management at the NSWMC H&S Conference 2014
Christine‘s musings from the 2014 NSW Mineral Council Health & Safety Conference. Theme: “Learning from the Past” What have we learnt? The sky won’t fall in so why are we wearing hard hats in an open field? Has safety gone too far and are we now missing the point? These questions posed by Sidney Dekker – an amazing speaker who gave…
Read MoreWhere’s that Cyclone going?
Katestone’s forecasting system K-NWS did a great job forecasting Tropical Cyclone Dylan recently. K-NWS accurately predicted its path, intensity and timing three days in advance, as shown in the animation below. The significant rain associated with most cyclones, and the tropical lows that follow, can actually cause more concern to industry (such as open cut…
Read MoreIs it too hot to work?
With temperatures across much of southern Australia reaching heat wave conditions this week, outdoor workers are likely asking themselves; “Is it too hot to work?” We know that a healthy acclimatised worker can cope with temperatures well above the body’s normal core temperature of approximately 37°C, so long as they have the ability to sweat,…
Read MoreIt’s official – 2013 was the hottest year on record
Last week the Bureau of Meteorology released their 2013 climate summary. It was no surprise that Australia experienced its warmest year since 1910, when records began. Globally 2013 was the sixth-warmest year on record. The annual global mean temperature has not been below average since 1985. Continuous periods of hotter than average days signified the year, even…
Read MoreNGERs Reporting – the value of getting organised
Will companies need to continue NGERs reporting if the carbon tax is repealed? Since the recent election there has been a lot of discussion and commentary on the planned changes to Australia’s carbon policy. On 13 November 2013, the Abbott led government introduced carbon price repeal legislation to Parliament. ‘Direct Action’ is the government’s approach…
Read MoreGreat attendance for Industry Breakfast on Climate
Thank you everyone who attended the joint Katestone/AMOS Industry Breakfast Seminar “Can we adapt to Climate Change?“. We had a great turnout and created lots of interesting discussion on: Climate modelling and projections Integration of land use within Climate models The IPCC process Application of heat load forecasting to general public health Climate Presentations You…
Read MoreIndustry Breakfast Nov 26: Can we adapt to Climate Change?
We know there are strong opinions around climate change and how we address this issue. The latest IPCC Assessment Report has concluded, with greater certainty, that: Warming of the climate system is unequivocal Human influence on climate is clear What does this mean from a global persepective, and for us here in Australia? How can we…
Read MoreAir quality modelling case studies presented at CASANZ 2013
A society of clean air… The biannual (that’s every two years, I checked!) CASANZ conference was held in September 2013. ‘Climate change’ was the general theme of this year’s conference. The conference was very well attended with rapid knowledge sharing through a wide range of presentations and discussion sessions. Topics of discussion included the mounting…
Read MoreGigajoule saved more than a gigajoule earned
Just days before Prime Minister Rudd called the election, participants at Katestone’s Coal Seam Gas (CSG) industry seminar were thinking through scenarios for handling greenhouse gas emissions from gasfield developments in Queensland. Katestone Senior Consultant Lisa Smith showed how a combination of unknowns, like carbon price, reporting method selection and methane global warming potential might…
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