The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change talks are underway in the Polish city of Poznan.
The European Union’s Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said that European leaders will agree on a 20 per cent reduction target by 2020 and a further 80 to 95 per cent reduction by 2050.
Australian Federal Climate Change Minister Penny Wong is at the conference to argue that the economic crisis should not stop action on climate change.
But she also says that Australia’s policy will be the same as other nations.
The two week negotiation process seeks to continue making commitments between nations to reduce carbon emissions following the Kyoto Protocol, and as a precursor to further talks in Denmark next year.
Poland are entering final negotiations to sell 15 million Euros worth of greenhouse emission rights to Ireland.
Under the Kyoto Protocol, nations that are significantly under their emission targets – called Assigned Amount Units - can sell the excess to other nations.
The AAUs are being sold at 10 euros per ton.
The deal contains a clause stating that Ireland must invest these AAUs in developing clean energy or promoting energy efficiency.
Other Eastern European nations like Latvia, the Ukraine and the Czech Republic are also selling their excess AAUs.
The humble humming bird is the latest inspiration behind exciting new technology for completing radical heart surgery.
Queensland professor Dr Geoffrey Boyle has used the animals technique for hibernation to develop a similar action for the human heart to be used during cardiac procedures.
The cardio protection technology known as AdenocaineTM has the ability to safely stop the heart for for surgical procedures and then be restarted with less drugs and complications after the operation.
Read on for the interview with Dr Boyle by Isabel Fitzagerald...
What is it about a hummingbird's hibernation process that inspired this technology?
“What inspired the technology was that natural hibernators have this ability to put themselves into suspended animation. From knowing how they do that, I asked the question: could the human heart be pharmacologically manipulated to operate like the heart of a natural hibernating animal?
And that’s what led us down to the discovery of then manipulating that human heart pharmacologically and putting that into suspended animation.
We can do it for the short term or long term, and that’s what the technology is all about.”
What other benefits are there for the patients?
“It's unlike the current technology…it’s safer for the patient and much more predictable for the surgeon because it's a much more natural way to arrest the heart.
We use it to arrest the heart in cardaic surgery as well as transplantation. It's currently being used in 30 US hospitals. And I think about 15,000 patients have benefited from it in the US.”
The technology has the enormous potential to save lives, reduce hospital and health costs, and all by replicating nature.
Dr Boyle has been granted one hundred thousand dollars grant by the Queensland Government to take help take the technology global.
Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett yesterday called for restraint by conservationists during protests over whaling taking place in the Southern Oceans.
He said the Government condemned violent or life threatening acts and particularly mentioned Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and their methods of protest.
The Sea Shepherd are renowned for their aggressive and risky actions against Japanese whaling ships.
They have been successful on many occasions of stopping or reducing whale killings due to their proactive protesting.
Blogged by Ellie
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