Category: Archive

Archived material from historical editions of The Generator

US prepares Iran attack

admin /15 September, 2007

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article2369001.ece

From The Sunday Times
Sarah Baxter, Washington

THE Pentagon has drawn up plans for massive airstrikes against 1,200 targets in Iran, designed to annihilate the Iranians’ military capability in three days, according to a national security expert.

Alexis Debat, director of terrorism and national security at the Nixon Center, said last week that US military planners were not preparing for “pinprick strikes” against Iran’s nuclear facilities. “They’re about taking out the entire Iranian military,” he said.

Debat was speaking at a meeting organised by The National Interest, a conservative foreign policy journal. He told The Sunday Times that the US military had concluded: “Whether you go for pinprick strikes or all-out military action, the reaction from the Iranians will be the same.” It was, he added, a “very legitimate strategic calculus”.

President George Bush intensified the rhetoric against Iran last week, accusing Tehran of putting the Middle East “under the shadow of a nuclear holocaust”. He warned that the US and its allies would confront Iran “before it is too late”.

Global warming will shrink economy 20%

admin /15 September, 2007

AS befits the president of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, Bjorn Stigson is a man known to choose his words with care.

From his frank comments at the weekend at a climate change workshop at the Australian Davos Connection leadership retreat, it is clear that an important and dramatic change has taken place in Australia in the past 12 months.

"There is more engagement and fire in this room than there is in many other countries at the moment … There is real interest in coming to an understanding," he said towards the end of a two-hour session attended by business, political and community leaders. Stigson was impressed by the participants’ commitment to combating and adapting to climate change.

Business understands that it cannot succeed in a society that fails. Two critical principles, mitigation and adaptation, need to be applied in tackling climate change. Business sees that we need a long-term framework for dealing with climate change – structure is needed in this debate – but also that action is needed now.

Local ethanol will contain palm oil

admin /14 September, 2007

Queensland Liberal MP Tim Nicholls claimed in the Queensland Parliament on 22 August 2007 that information released to him by the Queensland government under freedom of information rules is misleading.

Palm oil not ruled out: Speaking about the state government’s proposal "to build an ethanol plant only 100 metres from homes in Pinkenba", Nicholls said: "The project has been portrayed by the state government – or certainly its promotions department – as a virtuous outcome. I want to quote from a ministerial promotional opportunity that was released under the FOI application I made. It said that the building of this ethanol plant ‘ticks all the boxes’. It said, ‘It provides environmental benefits, economic benefits and creates jobs.’ What is another feedstock for producing ethanol that is available, cheap and transportable by sea and hence to Pinkenba? The answer is palm oil. Neither the state government nor the proponent has been prepared to rule out the use of palm oil in the Pinkenba ethanol plant."

Tell Devondale to keep scary GE out of our dairy!

admin /12 September, 2007

Devondale (Murray Goulburn) says it supports the lifting of the Victorian State ban on genetically engineered (GE) canola. This is a serious threat to our GE-free dairy supply, since it is the biggest dairy company in Australia and canola meal is used as feed for dairy cattle. If you don’t want anything scary in your Continue Reading →

Women drive growth: Economist

admin /11 September, 2007

In the words of The Economist, "Forget China, India and the Internet – economic growth is driven by women", wrote Heather Ridout, chief executive of the Australian Industry Group, in The Australian Financial Review (5/9/2007, p.63). Active in APEC: "In late June, I chaired a meeting of 400 Asia-Pacific leaders from business, government, academia and Continue Reading →

New approach provides flexible emission reductions

admin /8 September, 2007

A US-based non-government organisation, World Growth, is proposing a process to allow Asia Pacific countries to reduce emissions while allowing economic development programs to continue.

The study – Building a Pro-Development Global Strategy on Climate Change – could bring the United States, China, Japan, Australia, South Korea and other regional states closer to consensus on how to tackle climate change ahead of United Nations talks in Bali in December.

Alan Oxley, chairman of World Growth and chairman of the APEC Centre at Monash University, says the Pacific rim is the ideal forum for proposing a new approach.

«« 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 »»