Category: Climate chaos
The atmosphere is to the earth as a layer of varnish is to a desktop globe. It is thin, fragile and essential for preserving the items on the surface.150 years of burning fossil fuel have overloaded the atmosphere to the point where the earth is ill. It now has a fever. Read the detailed article, Soothing Gaia’s Fever for an evocative account of that analogy. The items listed here detail progress on coordinating 6.5 billion people in the most critical project undertaken by humanity.Â
admin /19 October, 2007
The British claim to part of Antarctica was likely to be vexed – it already overlapped with claims by Argentina and Chile, wrote Andrew Darby in The Age (18/10/2007, p. 5).
Oil and gas: Britain’s Antarctic claim covered a "pie slice" of the frozen continent, including the Antarctic Peninsula eastwards, and including the Weddell Sea. The British Foreign Office was reported in The Guardian to have said that data was being gathered and processed for a submission to the UN, which could extend oil, gas and mineral exploitation rights up to 560 kilometres offshore. According to Antarctic analyst Alan Hemmings, any submission by Britain to the UN Commission could be shelved as Australia’s was.
admin /13 October, 2007
Doubts were raised about how a state scheme would merge with any national emissions trading scheme when the Prime Minister, John Howard, released his emissions trading report in May, according to The Sydney Morning Herald (11/9/2007, p.2). Energy-saving devices no longer economical: The New South Wales carbon price, already languishing around $11 a tonne, had Continue Reading →
admin /9 October, 2007
The Simultaneous Policy (SP), a global grassroots campaign aimed at
addressing global problems such as climate change, unfair trade and global
poverty, gained further support in Parliament today as Celia Barlow, Labour
MP for Hove, joined twenty-three other MPs from all the main UK political
parties who have signed a pledge to implement SP alongside other
governments. "Co-operation between different nations is paramount in terms
of tackling the world’s greatest problems such as climate change and
poverty. Unilateral action, though important, cannot solve these
international problems," Ms. Barlow said.
The fear of all governments that the unilateral implementation of stringent
environmental controls would increase business costs resulting in a loss of
investment and jobs is rapidly being recognised as the key barrier to
solving global warming and other global problems. Despite the Stern report
which urged governments to act decisively to curb carbon emissions, the
Financial Times (6th Dec. 06) noted that ".governments remain reluctant to
address this threat because any country acting alone to curb its greenhouse
gas emissions, without similar commitments by other governments, risks
damaging the competitiveness of its industries."
admin /9 October, 2007
The Ethos Foundation, Permaforest Trust and Ebono Institute have joined forces to deliver Pathways to a Low Carbon Future, a forum at the Byron Community Cultural Centre on Thursday, October 25th. The forum will discuss the urgency for change, the experiences of the Beaudesert Shire across the border in Queensland and the 2020 Vision for the Wollumbin Caldera.
admin /11 September, 2007
Public Notice: The Senate Standing Committee on Economics – Energy efficiency trading scheme, NAT: The Senate Standing Committee on Economics is inquiring into the National Marker Driven Energy Efficiency Target Bill 2007. This is a private Senator’s bill that proposes to amend the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Act 2000 to introduce an energy efficiency trading scheme. Continue Reading →
admin /5 September, 2007
NSW Police have backed away from their threat to take court action to
stop the Greens conducting a media event in Martin Place, within the
APEC Security Zone, on Friday.
Greens MP, Sylvia Hale, who will be hosting the event, told the Police
that she would not change the location of the event despite receiving a
letter from Police General Counsel Michael Antrum on Monday threatening
to launch Supreme Court action against the MP.
Mr Antrum confirmed in a letter to Ms Hale this morning that the Police
have now changed their mind and dropped their opposition to the event.
“I welcome this backdown by the Police. It was always my view that
the Police were trying to act beyond their powers in an attempt to
intimidate me into moving the event out of Martin Place,” said Ms
Hale.
