One often hears the COALition pundits, such as Jerusalem artichoke COAL Scummo, tell us that the contribution of Australia to CO2 emissions leading to global warming is a negligible "one pwecent"... So we can afford to burn more coal, because other countries create 99 per cent of the rest...

This of course is a ridiculous argument. It basically show that we don't care. One Gus and his expert lab-rats could work "pwecentuge" figures to show that this "one pwecent" would lead to the destruction of the southern half of planet earth, but let's not go there. There are many example of stuff where far less than "one pwecent" of something, say Novichok for example, can kill you in a jiffy — or 30 seconds to be more precise. 

In global warming stats, a "one pwecent" added to more than 400 ppm of CO2 can lead to increase of temperature above the tipping point between survival and death of the reef — while adding more droughts with sudden downpours for farmers in a country already prone to droughts and floods.

Did I say that Scummo is a 99.9 "pwecent" idiot?

When I saw the government’s latest energy policy proposal, I was disappointed but not surprised.

Just a few weeks ago I was speaking with a few utilities analysts and players, wargaming the absolute worst thing a party with just a few months to live could do to Australia’s energy policy and how far they could roll back some commendable progress to date.

What we came up with revolved around the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission recommendations. They were very sensible but we figured they had substantial scope for selective and perverse implementation. At one point, we joked about the possibility that this good advice could be turned into a policy to subsidise companies that own coal plants and coal.

Turns out that is exactly what has happened.

Read more:

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/oct/27/coalition-embrace...

MEANWHILE AT THE IPA:

Institute of Public Affairs blasts Coalition's 'un-Liberal' energy policies

Exclusive: IPA’s John Roskam says government should ‘stop all subsidies to coal, wind and anything else’

Read more:

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/oct/27/institute-of-publ...

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As your electricity bill goes down (if it does under Scummo's Noah's Ark agenda!!) remember that YOU will PAY some cash somewhere else in the equation, under the guise of subsidies, etc. 

Strangely or not so strangely, Sydney is still in the grip of a "long winter", with a spring that has been all over the place with warm and cool days. Yet the plants have had a ball with the rain and everything seems to have flowered "early", despite the cool conditions. Meanwhile, some parts of Queensland and Northern New South Wales are experiencing temps around 45 degrees Celsius. 

The BoM predictions are not good: Hot and dry, with less cyclones (stuff that usually bring destructive wind and flooding RAINS), possibly at least one. Be prepared the BoM said. Why? Well, Gus has one shot at this: any cyclone that's going to land in the north of the country is going to be whipped up by global warming into a destructive geezer. The El Nino index is creeping up, now at 70 per cent, thus heralding more DROUGHTS. 

Meanwhile, a small factor has to be accounted for as well: overland winds worldwide ARE SLOWING DOWN. A team of scientists has studied the case and found that GLOBAL WARMING is to be blamed for this caper. 

Have a nice day.

First map of Earth’s intact ecosystems shows just five nations are responsible for most of them – but it will require global action to protect them.

Just five countries hold 70% of the world’s remaining untouched wilderness areas and urgent international action is needed to protect them, according to new research.

Researchers from the University of Queensland (UQ) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) have for the first time produced a global map that sets out which countries are responsible for nature that is devoid of heavy industrial activity.

It comes ahead of the conference of parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Egypt in November where signatory nations are working towards a plan for the protection of biodiversity beyond 2020.

Conservationists are calling for a mandated target for wilderness conservation that will preserve the planet’s vulnerable ecosystems.

The UQ and WCS study, published in the journal Nature, identifies Australia, the US, Brazil, Russia and Canada as the five countries that hold the vast majority of the world’s remaining wilderness.

...

The researchers say that the planet’s remaining wilderness can be protected “only if it is recognised within international policy frameworks”.

They’re calling for an international target that protects 100% of all remaining intact ecosystems.

“It’s achievable to have a target of 100%,” Watson said. “All nations need to do is stop industry from going into those places.”

He said the five countries responsible for most of the world’s remaining wilderness had to provide leadership and could act to protect these areas through legislation or by offering incentives to businesses that do not erode nature.

John Robinson, the executive vice-president for global conservation at WCS, said wilderness would only be secured globally “if these nations take a leadership role”.

Read more:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/31/five-countries-hold-...

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority has approved the dumping of more than 1m tonnes of dredge spoil near the reef, using a loophole in federal laws that were supposed to protect the marine park.

The Greens senator Larissa Waters has called for the permit – which allows maintenance dredging to be carried out over 10 years at Mackay’s Hay Point port and the sludge to be dumped within the marine park’s boundaries – to be revoked.

“The last thing the reef needs is more sludge dumped on it, after being slammed by the floods recently,” Waters said. “One million tonnes of dumping dredged sludge into world heritage waters treats our reef like a rubbish tip.”

Acting on concerns from environmentalists, the federal government banned the disposal of dredge spoil near the reef in 2015. But the ban applied only to capital dredging. Maintenance work at ports – designed to remove sediment from shipping lanes as it accumulates – is not subject to it.

Read more:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/feb/20/great-barrier-reef-a...

Meanwhile:

Severe Tropical Cyclone Oma could cross the southern Queensland coast within days after changing direction overnight and continuing to move closer to the Australian mainland, the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) says.

• The cyclone could cross the coast next week anywhere from central Queensland to the border, BOM says
• Rainfall of up to 200mm a day is expected on the Sunshine Coast and Wide Bay from Saturday
• Winds will increase significantly from Thursday night

Beach swells are continuing to build and will remain large for several days, with winds expected to increase significantly along the southern Queensland coast from Thursday night.

"Currently, we expect Cyclone Oma to move south-west, and then a ridge to the south steers it back to the Queensland coast and may even bring it to a coastal crossing," forecaster Lauren Pattie said on Wednesday afternoon.

"Early next week, we could see Oma cross the coast or move in a more north-westerly direction parallel to the coast." 

That could happen anywhere south from central Queensland to the New South Wales border.

Read more:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-20/cyclone-oma-could-cross-southern-...

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