At the Gates of Hell!

Our PM, Scott Morrison is right when he said that even if we (Australia) stopped all Carbon emissions that would have had no effect on these bushfires, he is right when he says we are only a small carbon emitter (only 1.3% of total global emissions although we are one of the highest polluters per capita ) so anything we do will have little effect on the global problem. While he is correct on these two points, how can we ask the rest of the world to change its polluting ways when we are not prepared to do the same??

A dead Kangaroo is seen in Sarsfield, East Gippsland, Victoria,

 Tuesday, December 31, 2019. Australia's military will 

provide support for the response to Victoria's bushfires, 

as four people remain missing in the blazes.

Not that long ago, Australia was a highly respected member of the world community, we were perceived as a fair, compassionate and honest broker in the Asia/Pacific with stable, accountable government, strong non-partisan institutions, excellent scientific/medical research teams and often punching above our weight on the sporting field.

Read Ernesto’s Manifesto from the Shepparton News - “At the Gates of Hell! “

America’s Light Bulb Revolution

Solar panels and wind turbines get a lot of attention, but a more inconspicuous instrument is helping to reshape America’s energy economy right now: The humble light bulb.

The humble light bulb is reshaping America's energy economy.

Over the past decade, traditional incandescent bulbs, those distinctive glass orbs with glowing wire centers, have been rapidly replaced by more energy-efficient lighting. The shift has driven down electricity demand in American homes, saving consumers money and cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

The energy savings are expected to grow as highly efficient and increasingly inexpensive LED bulbs continue to replace older lights. But energy efficiency advocates worry that the Trump administration could slow the pace of this lighting revolution.

Read the story from The New York Times by Nadja Popovich - “America’s Light Bulb Revolution.”

Barnaby Joyce’s exit has sparked some bizarre changes within the Coalition

The departure of Barnaby Joyce from the leadership of the Nationals has set off a bizarre transformation within the Coalition that could see the junior country party become more progressive as the Liberal Party lurches further to the right.

It's just a jump to the left ... and a step to the right. 

When Mr Joyce was still at the helm, the traditionalist Nationals extracted commitments from new Liberal leader Malcolm Turnbull that cemented the Coalition’s conservative approach on key policy issues.

That deal included persistence with a plebiscite on gay marriage and a vow not to introduce an emissions-trading scheme.

Read the story by Paula Mathewson from The New Daily - “Barnaby Joyce’s exit has sparked some bizarre changes within the Coalition.”

These Climate Programs Would Be Axed Under Trump's Budget

The Trump Budget brings
bad news for the climate.

The rise of the right around the world has given inordinate sustenance to those who deny the damage cause by humans to the world’s climate system.

Leading that charge from the right has been the election of Donald Trump as U.S. president and most of what he threatened is now becoming reality.

Read the Inside Climate News story - “These Climate Programs Would Be Axed Under Trump's Budget.”

Ross Gittins asks the tough questions about coal

W

Ross Gittins - "The burning of coal is by far
 the biggest source of the
greenhouse gas emissions
that are causing climate change".

hat are we meant to do about coal? For some time now it has looked like Australians face a painful choice between doing the right, moral thing by the rest of the world and continuing to make a living from our rich endowment of natural resources.

The burning of coal is by far the biggest source of the greenhouse gas emissions that are causing climate change. Australia is one of the world's biggest producers of coal.

 Greenies have been arguing for years that, although it's too much to ask that we just stop exporting the stuff, we should at least get in no deeper by ceasing to build any new mines or expand existing mines.

Read Ross Gittins' comment piece in today Melbourne Age - “A move away from new coal mines adds up”.