In an Australia-wide push to address the demand for a larger power engineering skill base, Curtin University of Technology will receive over $150,000 from the Australian Power Institute (API) in 2007-2008 to fund projects and bursaries for top engineering students.

Funding is now available for water- and energy-savings projects in public or education facilities through the NSW government’s Climate Change Fund.

Peter Garrett has confirmed that he will move to phase out plastic check-out bags “by the end of the year” — if necessary with a legislative ban. The move follows an announcement by the Chinese government that it will ban the giving away of free plastic bags by June.

Premier Morris Iemma announced the NSW government will invest $70 million on two programs to reduce water and energy consumption, and drive down greenhouse gas emissions.

A report from the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) highlights the necessity of reducing emissions and provides strong endorsement of wood’s environmental credentials.

Three organisations have announced that they will work together to promote their greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting and reporting standards.

RMIT University’s Global Sustainability Institute and EPA Victoria have found the number of carbon offset providers in Australia has doubled over the past six months.

Auckland Zoo has been awarded the highest international accreditation standard in environmental management — the International Standards Organisation’s ISO 14001.

Sydney recycler WSN Environmental Solutions has called on computer makers and governments to fund the cleanup of unwanted computers stored in households around the nation.

London 2012 (www.london2012.com) chairman, Sebastian Coe has outlined a plan — Towards A One Planet 2012 — to make the London Games the most sustainable in the event’s history.

Best Energies will have its technology on display at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali.

Sydney will benefit from an environmental rating system for new residential and commercial development. It hopes to achieve significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, water use and waste going to land fill.

Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) has a website that claims to make choosing solar water heating easier by providing independent information and tailored finance schemes.

Global warming is set to reverse decades of social and economic progress across Asia and the Pacific, home to more than four billion people or 60% of the world's population, according to a multi-agency report called Up in Smoke: Asia and the Pacific.

Scientists will have access to the latest in climate change technology to investigate future atmospheric conditions and their impact on plant crops, after the official opening in November of a $3.7 million climate change research facility in Horsham, Victoria.