Month: August 2021

The Waterkeeper vision is for every major river that you cross, look over the bridge-railing at the water below and know that there is a community-based advocate working to improve development controls, water quality and biodiversity protection. Bays and estuaries need keepers too. Andrew Kelly at Yarra Riverkeepers, Werribee Riverkeeper John Forrest and Neil Blake, the Port Phillip Baykeeper, show what can be done. It would be comforting to see a Maribyrnong Riverkeeper to build protection of this ill-used waterway. All power to you, Nicole Kowalczyk!https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/new-voice-of-the-maribyrnong-calls-for-protection-act-for-river-20210829-p58mx5.html

It’s a while since we’ve had representative government in this country. Same sex marriage had very strong support for a long time before conservatives in both major parties were dragged kicking and screaming to allow couples to marry. Dying with dignity has strong support now but our representatives aren’t there yet. And now very strong support across every electorate in Australia for climate action. The dollars from the fossil fool lobby must be considerable to frustrate this will of the people.https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/environment/climate-change/australia-s-biggest-climate-poll-shows-support-for-action-in-every-seat-20210829-p58mwb.html

Off list with the incisive George Monbiot exploring media culpability in the accelerating climate crisis. Of all of the changes in education over many years, the demise of ‘clear thinking’ in the English syllabus was detrimental and far-reaching. Media education is more important then ever.https://www.doubledown.news/watch/2021/august/23/how-the-media-helped-create-climate-change-george-monbiot

Research proceeds on different ways of generating energy, in this case nuclear energy based on thorium rather than uranium. What an advance; the waste is problematic for ‘only’ 500 years rather then the tens of thousands for uranium waste. Companies with balance sheets with provision for the costs of safe storage for even a hundred years are thin on the ground but I imagine the Chinese Government plans on a 500 year timeline. Was it Chairman Mao who claimed that it was yet too early to tell of the impact of the French Revolution on world history?

Geoengineering (yes, I bang on about this relentlessly because I reckon we have to) is either a fig-leaf, beloved of the fossil fools because it allows them to continue their foolishness, or an uncontrolled experiment, which is an existential threat to all of us. To continue with the metaphors, it is also a red herring, diverting attention away from the fundamentally important task of decarbonising and finding efficient and effective means of draw-down.https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/aug/26/planet-earth-climate-crisis-geoengineering

We all know how good it is to have hindsight (particularly now, apropos COVID lockdown timing and vaccination purchases) but I reckon Japan might want to rethink their dependence on nuclear energy. It would certainly be better not to have this waste to treat and certainly not in this way. China and Korea are vocal on this. Yet Angus ‘Fantastic’ Taylor and his fellow-traveller Matteo Canavani are still considering nuclear to be part of Australia’s energy mix. Can you believe it?https://apnews.com/article/business-science–52cc7164dbac46c76032bcb463ba1aa4

Terms such as ‘toilet to tap’, renaming Toowoomba to Poowoomba, shrinking male genitals and gender-bending fish offer rich fodder for scare campaigns against use of recycled water for drinking purposes. Yet Singaporeans, the citizens of Windhoek in Namibia and the denizens of California’s Orange County are hydrated and reproducing (I cannot comment on the gender-stability of their fish) so drinking recycled water works for them.https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/politics/queensland/scare-campaign-over-recycled-water-could-be-worse-than-poowoomba-turnbull-20210824-p58lfd.html

Not only is it possible, it’s happened; renewables powered (albeit briefly) more than half of the national grid and supplied 100% and more to SA and Victoria. How are you going to spin this, Angus ‘Fantastic’ Taylor and Matteo Canavani?https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/aug/23/solar-power-in-australia-outstrips-coal-fired-electricity-for-first-time

“If we screw up the planet with botched geo-engineering attempts, there is no do-over”, says Michael Mann. So, do we take the punt or do we get serious about de-carbonising our energy systems?https://www.watoday.com.au/environment/climate-change/scientists-turn-to-risky-plan-b-as-the-world-fails-on-climate-change-20210820-p58kjp.html