Fish, Gyre & Pollution

Last friday I visited my local Fish Market to get some lovely fresh snapper for dinner. The fish was fresh and cooked beautifully, even if I do say so myself! (Must have been a result of all those cooking TV shows!)
But since then I have been hearing and watching Radio/TV programs talking about the dire state of over fishing in the world oceans, plastic pollution in the Pacific, and dolphin slaughter in Japan .
First came the Radio National's Science Show talking about the Great North Pacific Garbage Patch, the gyre of plastics slowly and surely polluting a large area,with large amounts of plastic found in the guts of seabirds as well as spreading through the entire ecosystem as the particles of plastic break down to ever smaller pieces.
This story was followed by a snippet (somewhere else) describing the state of over-fishing that is threatening many essential food species such as the Southern Blue Fin Tuna.

Southern Blue Fin Tuna Stocks

And on Sunday night ABC TV screened "The Cove" a graphic, disturbing account of activists filming the ongoing slaughter of dolphins in Taijii. Part of the doco described the large concentration of methyl mercury concentrated in these animals.

Given that Planet Earth may be more accurately described as Planet Water, the fact that we are severely polluting and affecting the ecology of such a vast area of the planet should give us warning regarding the pollution of the atmosphere.

I rather like my occasional fish dinner. I would hope that I can continue to enjoy such beautiful fish from reasonably pristine New Zealand waters for many years to come. I don't want to feel too guilty over enjoying the odd "Fish n Chips".

Warren Buffet, taxes and Silex

Warren Buffet's opinion piece in the New York Times "Stop coddling the super-rich" must provide ammunition for those who argue that raising taxes for the richest is the right way to start paying back the crippling US debt.
Buffet says "The mega-rich pay income taxes at a rate of 15 percent on most of their earnings but pay practically nothing in payroll taxes. It’s a different story for the middle class: typically, they fall into the 15 percent and 25 percent income tax brackets, and then are hit with heavy payroll taxes to boot." and further comments "I have worked with investors for 60 years and I have yet to see anyone — not even when capital gains rates were 39.9 percent in 1976-77 — shy away from a sensible investment because of the tax rate on the potential gain. People invest to make money, and potential taxes have never scared them off."
This sounds remarkably like sense. 
I noticed also today that Silex, the only solar panel producer in Australia, is stopping production and axing jobs. Direct Action at its best perhaps?
With the axing of the generous Feed-In Tarrif in NSW and the capping of the Net Feed-In Tarrif in Victoria, this will place a large number of jobs in peril. Will the politicians travel up and down the length of Australia and butcher this as well?
It's just this boom and bust mentality that has ruined ongoing and sustained investment in renewable energy technologies and jobs in Australia. Hence the need for something like a carbon tax which shifts the investment decisions away from government to those best placed to decide them, the entrepreneurial business.

Green Hell

It is sometimes instructive to read (or try to) a book whose central thesis is something you disagree with. "Know thy enemy" said Sun Tzu, so here is "Green Hell: How Environmentalists Plan to Control Your Life and What You Can Do to Stop Them" by Steve Milloy.
I have only finished Chapter 1 and  I had to stop several times to exclaim. I particularly "liked" the comment on the"walking school bus" (page 22) where parents have withheld their enthusiasm for the prospect of having volunteers.., corralling kids along the roadside all the way to school". Oh dear - this is too green for him to bear and how dare (green hellish) for VicHealth to offer advice on such things!

Another gem included (page 4) the list of revenues ($1.36 billion) and net assets ($7.1 billion) of Green Groups in the US (BHP after all only has revenue of 34,166 million for half year ending 31 Dec 2010 and its only 1 company!). Followed quickly by the statement "as the ever-rising green establishment gains more power over your life, its members are devising lots of nifty loopholes, exemptions and free passes for their rich and powerful friends". Doesn't that sound like the status quo you and I have grown up with over the last century or so, the product of capitalists economies!
My grandmother ( born in 1890's) would be rolling in her grave to hear her strategies for hard work, thrift, credit not debit, recycling and morality described as "Green Hell"! Remember that Steve Milloy is said to have close links to big tobacco and oil companies. Go figure!

Riots and Rollercoasters

So are the riots in England this week the product of vicious, opportunistic, disengaged youth? The footage we see of injured people being looted, shops trashed and buildings burned is disgusting and tends to the view that these people are just thugs.
Social science tends to the view that extreme disadvantage and inequality in society creates conditions where some young people are so disengaged from the mainstream to the point where they will attack their own communities. Poor parenting, violent peers and epidemic violent behaviour erupt into an ongoing accelerating, explosion of violence in certain neighbourhoods.
In the current riots in England, many commented "where are the parents?" after viewing the effects of the violence.A New Economics Foundation blog comments "The truth is that both Left and Right have a great deal to answer for creating this culture of entitlement, from the feral underclass to the feral elite – for abandoning their moral vision for society and replacing it with retailing. Both have been responsible in the UK for the corrosion of community and family life by the wrong kind of economics."  A view echoed by ABC commentator on The Drum.
I have met a number of people who have grown up in disadvantage - whether migrants, violent family background, whatever. Surely there is an individual responsibility to chose to be part of our society?
Community Indicators Victoria gives a number of interesting, comparative statistics on social indicators here.
 Unemployment and poverty amongst youth is a serious problem even in affluent Melbourne. Now that everyone has instant access to mobile phone/web 2 services,  the ability to quickly organize destructive violence is concerning to anyone like me who have teenagers.
The GFC rollercoaster moved private debt onto governments. In Europe and Britain the continuing high debt level of governments has lead to reductions in social services and employment. Can we be sure that any fiscal tightening here will  not have a disproportional effect on already severely disadvantaged people leading to a similar unravelling of community? Lets hope "a fair go for all" is an Australian reality.

July Activities

Last weekend was a busy one with plenty of unusual activity. I spend some time in the city exploring some of the Melbourne Open House buildings including the Australian Conservation Foundation's 60 litre Green Building. I have been wanting to visit this building for a while to check out its energy credentials and design features. The tour guide was frank about the buildings achievements as well as its shortcomings. Noise due to the open plan centre and hardwood (recycled wood) floors was one I thought could have been designed out with appropriate glazing. The blackwater system that became too hard to maintain was of interest.

I found the building completely different to how I had pictured it but it was good to see louvres to allow appropriate heat and air movement. A bit like some of the housing features I grew up with which are not obvious in today's buildings. Congratulations to the ACF for following their convictions and I hope we can see many more buildings that can bring green design in a cost effective fashion.
After visiting the buildings I then took in a little bit of culture later with "Love Never Dies" and was completely blown away by the set design, singing and lighting. Its been sometime since I've been to one of these blockbuster musicals but they are absolutely spectacular!
So that's been my contribution to the economy. Don't expect it too regularly as the cost of various excursions can only been maintained by economies at other times.