The debate on global warming is over (Stix, 2006 p24). The global community must now find ways to reduce greenhouse emissions, particularly from energy generation. Wind energy provides one of the potential solutions to generate renewable energy without creating harmful greenhouse gases. Wind energy is the fastest growing energy generation industry globally (‘Operating wind power capacity' 2006a). This rapid growth is being driven by increasing global energy demand, commitment from governments globally to international agreements including the Kyoto Protocol (UNFCCC 1997) to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases, as well as individual country commitments to mandatory renewable energy targets. Australia, whilst being a signatory to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, has so far failed to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. In Australia, wind energy development to date has been driven primarily by the development of the Mandatory Renewable Energy Target (MRET) under the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Act 2000. This requires a commitment to 2% of total electricity generation (9,500GW) to be derived from renewable energy sources by the year 2010 (Warwryk, undated). It is now understood, that the current federal obligation to renewable energy is now oversubscribed, and consequently the likelihood of further wind energy projects being developed is highly limited (Brazzale 2005). External to the government commitment to renewable energy, the development of wind energy projects requires a range of inputs including, but not limited to; an understanding of the wind resource, security of land, access to suitable electricity transmission grid, a market for the electricity, access to suitable technology and a level of community support. Whilst the literature related to project management and risk management is extensive, the literature related to the risks associated with wind energy development in Australia is limited. This research then seeks to fill a void that asks the question; How can project managers minimise the risk associated with wind energy developments in Australia? To investigate this research problem, comparative case study analysis was adopted as a methodology utilising a structured interview process of project managers responsible for the development of 8 Australian wind energy projects. This research shows that the greatest risk to Australian projects is the lack of security associated with the current federal legislation and the consequent loss of market value of the power from wind energy projects. A number of additional primary and secondary risks are identified by the interview participants, and the research is able to draw out three common themes of risk management strategies. These three themes were categorised as conservatism, due diligence and proactivism. This study contributes to the research associated with project management, risk management and wind energy development. This insight into the Australian wind energy industry provides policy makers, educators and stakeholders with information to assist in improving the political, economic and social environment for further wind energy development, in order to mitigate against further greenhouse gas emission and combat global warming.

This portfolio documents the development and application of a new conceptual framework for the effective implementation of Global Education knowledge, perspectives, values and citizenship in the New South Wales Geography curricula for Years 7-8 (Stage 4), Years 9-10 (Stage 5), and Years 11-12 (Stage 6) (Board of Studies, 1998; 1999; 2003), related teaching and learning resources, and pre-service and in-service courses for teachers. The New South Wales Secondary Global Education Project, funded by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), is managed by the researcher for the Geography Teachers’ Association of New South Wales. The researcher, as manager, was required to publish refereed papers and teaching and learning resources. As such, this portfolio represents a synergistic bringing together of scholarly academic work and professional practice. / Doctor of Education (Ed. D.)

This doctoral dissertation presents evidence based research into climate change policy. The research technique of political economy is used to investigate policy development. A major change in the Anglo-American growth paradigm from unconstrained to constrained growth is identified. The implications of this change for climate change policy are identified. The political economy of climate change policies is expressed in a new Spatial Climate Economic Policy Tool for Regional Equilibria (Sceptre). This is an innovative bechmarking approach to computable general equilibrium (CGE) that provides a spatial analysis of geopolitical blocs and industry groupings within these blocs. It includes international markets for carbon commodities and geophysical climate effects. It is shown that climate constrained growth raises local policy issues in managing technology diffusion and dysfunctional resource expansive specialisations exacerbated by the creation of global carbon markets.

This doctoral dissertation presents evidence based research into climate change policy. The research technique of political economy is used to investigate policy development. A major change in the Anglo-American growth paradigm from unconstrained to constrained growth is identified. The implications of this change for climate change policy are identified. The political economy of climate change policies is expressed in a new Spatial Climate Economic Policy Tool for Regional Equilibria (Sceptre). This is an innovative bechmarking approach to computable general equilibrium (CGE) that provides a spatial analysis of geopolitical blocs and industry groupings within these blocs. It includes international markets for carbon commodities and geophysical climate effects. It is shown that climate constrained growth raises local policy issues in managing technology diffusion and dysfunctional resource expansive specialisations exacerbated by the creation of global carbon markets.

This paper is written as part of a two-year study of climate change policy choices facing Sweden, conducted under the auspices of the Center for Business and Policy Studies in Stockholm. As such, it aims to be a primer on emissions trading as an instrument for limiting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions under the Kyoto Protocol to the Framework Convention on Climate Change. The first section notes general considerations concerning emissions trading, particularly in relation to climate policy. The second section explains the many forms of emissions trading included in the Kyoto Protocol. The third section provides a brief review of emissions trading proposals that have been advanced in Europe as of mid-2000. The fourth section addresses issues in the design and implementation of a national GHG emissions trading system. The brief conclusion is followed by an appendix, which draws applicable lessons concerning the choice and design of a cap and trade system from the U.S. SO2 emissions trading program. / Abstract in HTML and technical report in PDF available on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change website (http://mit.edu/globalchange/www/) / Includes bibliographical references (p. 38-39).

This framing analysis used content analysis to show how a newspaper with a more liberal slant, The Age, and a newspaper with a more conservative slant, The Australian, used frames, sources, and valence in their news and opinion coverage of a very complex scientific and political issue ? climate change. The sample included 1,019 news and opinion articles from 1997 through 2007 in The Australian and The Age. The study revealed that the controversy over climate change was still prevalent in two Australian newspapers. Results showed that The Australian and The Age displayed different prominent frames, sources, and valence in their climate change coverage. Overall, The Australian was more critical and uncertain about climate change, while The Age aimed to educate its readers about the background of the issue and inspire action.

The climate response of the equatorial Pacific to increased greenhouse gases is investigated using numerical experiments from five climate models participating in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report. Changes in the heat budget of the surface layer in response to CO2 doubling (2xCO2) are analyzed in experiments with full-coupled ocean dynamics; and compared to experiments with uncoupled ocean dynamics. In full-coupled experiments, weaker ocean zonal currents driven by a slowing down of the Walker circulation reduce the ocean heat flux divergence throughout the equatorial Pacific. The resulting ocean dynamical heating enhances the surface warming due to increased clear-sky surface radiation in response to 2xCO2. The total radiative plus ocean dynamical heating are stabilized by evaporation and cloud feedbacks over the warm pool and by increased ocean vertical heat transport over the cold tongue. Increased near-surface thermal stratification enhances vertical heat transport in the cold tongue despite a reduction in vertical velocity. This ocean dynamical cooling is the dominant negative term in the heat budget changes over the eastern Pacific; and represents a strengthening of the processes leading to the annual cycle of the cold tongue, which increases by 0.4 K as a result. The stratification response is found to be a permanent feature of the equilibrium climate potentially linked to both thermodynamical and dynamical changes within the equatorial Pacific. To conclude, the relationship between the heat budget changes and the SST response is discussed along with implications for detecting these signals in the modern observational record.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 113-121).

In 2005 the highest global surface temperature ever was recorded. A virtual consensus exists today among scientists that global warming is underway and that human greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are a significant cause. Possible mitigation of climate change through reduction of net GHG emissions has become a worldwide concern. Under the United Nation’s Framework convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol was formed in 1997 and required ratifying countries to co-operate in stabilizing atmospheric GHG concentrations. The protocol took effect on February 16, 2005. The mitigation cost for reducing GHG emissions for the US economy has been argued to be high particularly through the energy sector. Agriculture and Forestry (AF) can provide some low cost strategies to help with this mitigation principally through carbon sequestration but must be competitive with mitigation costs in the rest of the economy. A general equilibrium approach is used herein to evaluate the role of AF mitigation in an economy wide setting. The results show that the AF sectors have significant mitigation potential. Higher carbon prices lead to more sequestration, less emissions, reduced consumer and total welfare, improved environmental indicators and increased producer welfare. AF mitigation increases as the carbon price increase over time. In the earlier periods, while the carbon price is low, AF emissions and sink are quite small compared to the energy sector. As carbon prices increase over time, the AF sectors mitigate about 25% of the net emissions. This verifies McCarl et al's (2001) argument that the AF sectors “may be very important in a world that requires time and technological investment to develop low-cost greenhouse gas emission offsets.” AF GHG emission mitigation is sensitive to saturation of sequestration sinks. This research finds that ignoring saturation characteristics leads to a severe overestimate of mitigation potential with estimates being inflated by as much as a factor of 6.

Bacteria, nanoflagellates and ciliates constitute the microbial loop and it is a model of the pathways of carbon and nutrient cycling through microbial components of pelagic aquatic communities. The current study comprised of a comparative study of the microbial food web community along north to south latitudinal gradient using space for time susbtitute, monitoring and mesocosms experiments with contrasting nutrient and predation states. We investigated effect of fish predation through different zooplankton taxa on microbial loop community with in situ food web experiments in 14 lakes along north to south latitudinal gradient. The effect of seasonality was also determined by monitoring in Lakes Eymir and Mogan between 2010 and 2011. Effects of hydrology and fish through microbial community was studied in mesocosms in Lake Eymir. An implication of global warming along with eutrophication on microbial community was further explored in warmed and nutrient enriched artificial ponds during 4 months in Silkeborg, Denmark. Our results revealed that temperature, hydrology, fish, macrophytes and seasonality affected the top down control of zooplankton and bottom up control of nutrients on microbial loop and interactions between controls and increase in these controls had a strong negative impact on the contribution and biomass of microbial loop and change the interactions within microbial community. Global warming may also effect the impact of top down and bottom up controls through increasing eutrophication, temperature, change in hydrology and zooplankton composition and in a consequence of that efficiency of microbial loop may decrease in the future warmer, drier and eutrophic conditions.