Category: Archive

Green Evangelicals turn against Bush

admin /8 February, 2006

Despite opposition from some of their colleagues, 86 evangelical
Christian leaders have decided to back a major initiative to fight
global warming, saying “millions of people could die in this century
because of climate change, most of them our poorest global neighbors.”

 Some of the
nation’s most high-profile evangelical leaders, however, have tried to
derail such action. Twenty-two of them signed a letter in January
declaring, “Global warming is not a consensus issue.” Among the signers
were Charles W. Colson, the founder of Prison Fellowship Ministries;
James C. Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family; and Richard Land,
president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the
Southern Baptist Convention.

Full story at New York Times 

WTO forces GM down Europe’s throat

admin /8 February, 2006

The World Trade Organisation last night ruled that Europe had broken international trade rules by blocking the import of genetically modified food, in a decision US trade officials hailed as a victory. The WTO found that Europe had imposed a de facto ban on GM food imports for six years from 1998 which violated trade Continue Reading →

Federal gov follows NSW decision to sell its share of Snowy Hydro Ltd

admin /7 February, 2006

Cabinet was expected on 6 February 2006 to approve the sale of the federal Government’s 13 per cent stake in Snowy Hydro Ltd, moving the electricity generator closer to a $2 billion public float, reported The Australian (7/2/2006, p.2). Decision to sell will cloud COAG meeting: The decision follows a controversial move by the NSW Continue Reading →

Escalation in the standoff with Iran seemed certain to drive energy prices higher

admin /7 February, 2006

The escalation in the standoff with Iran, the world’s fourth-largest
oil producer, seemed certain to drive energy prices higher on the
markets today, according to The Australian (6/2/2006, p. 11).

Fears raising too: It would also raise fears that Tehran might
respond by increasing support for militant Islamic groups in the Middle
East, of which it is already a major financial backer.

Sponsor of terrorism: US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
backed the German leader’s call for tougher action and, ironically, accused Iran of
being “the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism”.

Fed Gov dumbs down CSIRO

admin /7 February, 2006

In recent times, the CSIRO has been marked by conflict and the exodus of reputable scientists, reported The Canberra Times (4/2/2006, p.84)

CSIRO no longer the envy of other countries: CSIRO was a world
leader in climate science, with an impressive line-up of scientific
talent that was the envy of other countries, said Professor Will
Steffen, director of environmental studies at the Australian National
University. Steffen said the first signs of the decline began five
years ago with the exodus of a number of high-level scientists from
CSIRO’s division of atmospheric research.

Pearman redundant after airing opinion on commercialisation of research:
Heading this list of CSIRO climate-change exiles was the division’s
chief, Professor Graeme Pearman, one of the first scientists to draw
global attention to the problem of rising carbon-dioxide emissions. A
recipient of the CSIRO medal for outstanding research in 1988, Pearman
was made redundant in 2003 after a 30-year career. Staff at the
division say he repeatedly clashed with CSIRO management over funding
and commercialisation of research.

All is not well at CSIRO as host of others leave: Other recent
redundancies have included Dr Peter Rayner (a global expert on
terrestrial carbon cycles), Dr Denis O’Brien (now scientific manager of
the European Commission’s research directorate), Dr Peter Baines (ocean
temperatures and El Nino expert) and atmospheric modeller Dr Brian
Sawford. Dr Roger Francey, the division’s former chief scientist,
retired shortly after the CSIRO management cancelled his five-year
Federation Fellowship – the Federal Government’s most prestigious
annual research award – for unspecified reasons. Last week, the
division’s senior principal scientist, Dr Fred Prata, was made
redundant after 20 years with CSIRO.

Fed Gov. offers States money for smart electricity meters for consumers

admin /5 February, 2006

The states will be offered cash incentives to roll out smart
electricity meters to promote more efficient energy and competition in
the national electricity market (NEM), reported The Sydney Morning Herald (3/2/2006, p.2).

Raft of electricty reforms for COAG: The offer is part of a
series of electricity reforms expected to be put by the Federal
Government to the Council of Australian Governments meeting in Canberra
next week. The meters enable different pricing at different times of
the day and allow consumers to keep track of energy costs by showing
their energy use in real time.

Vic ahead in smart meters: The Victorian Government has been
leading the way on rolling out smart meters. In NSW, Country Energy has
been trialling the meters in Queanbeyan, while EnergyAustralia has
installed 10,000 for its customers.