A week is a long time....

It must be me. Every time I take off to New Zealand, for holiday or the recent health scare of my elderly relation, something BIG happens here.
And so it was this last week.
The Federal Labor Party implosion was semi expected, but the totality of the stupidity has left me speechless. How a government can continually shoot itself in the foot then nearly blow off its head is stuff of fiction.
I wonder how much more we can be subjected to until the next election.
Meanwhile, in the land of Middle-Earth the drought continues, with beautiful weather and little rain. The view from the aeroplane yesterday showed the bare brown hillsides, with occasional green patches of crop and irrigation. The river is just a trickle meandering across the wide gravel bed.

Each visit I wonder why this part of New Zealand's North Island doesn't have more Photo Voltaic installation on houses. The electricity prices are comparable to Victoria and there is just as much sun.
I came across the REFIT NZ website which aims to get Feed-In Tarriff legislation passed in New Zealand. A recent news story (hawkesabaytoday.co.nz) indicated "Big Jump in Price for Power"showing how the cost of providing electricity in NZ continues to rise. But there is not the push to install PV panels and help customers ameliorate these rising costs, even though the cost of Solar PV installations continue to plummet even in "clean green NZ"!
So get your act together Kiwi's or you'll need the power for air conditioning if this summer's temperatures continue in the future!
Yes, I'll have to purchase some more Carbon Credits for my travel - something I didn't have time to do when booking. Health scares will only continue with elderly relations in their 8th and 9th decades!

Spring Street Heat

As another plus 30 degrees C days heats up, the State politicians provided some unique heat of their own.
The shock resignation from the Parliamentary Liberal Party of Frankston MP Geoff Shaw, the Tony Nutt (Simon Overland ) affair and then the decision by Ted Baillieu to resign as Premier last night, kept the ABC news team on the hop all over the country.
Talkback radio has been running white hot on this affair with interviews with the new Premier, Denis Napthine and anyone else who wants to have a say.
I doubt whether any of this will spill over into "saving" the Federal Labor Party's election chances.
But it is interesting how the Liberals and Labor pollies sack their leaders.
Will we get the same outrage generated in the media regarding the legitimacy of Denis Napthine as we did for the Gillard Government?
I doubt it and yes there are important differences in how the changeover was done.
But discussions by many including this Precarious Climate blog by James Wright shows that what was done by Gillard and now what has happened overnight with the State Libs is legitimate.
The Libs have as much a right to govern Victoria as Labor has in the Federal sphere.
Will the type of politics in the Victorian House of Reps now mirror in some ways the negotiation and perceived weakness of the Gillard Government in the Federal sphere?
Whether the Labor Party can muster an attack on the Victorian Government of the steadfastness, negativity, hysteria, effectiveness and media management that the Federal Libs and Tony Abbott has managed, I doubt.
All I know is that its hot at home and getting hotter elsewhere.
Media field days roll on!

Angry Summer Report

Labelled the "Angry Summer", this report from the Climate Commission details the heat experienced during the recent Australian Summer.

This week, the notional start of Autumn, is predicted to be above 30 degrees Celsius the whole week. While my water tanks are now nearly full, from a moderate rainfall on the 27th February, we will still be watering for a large part of March. My family in NZ are doing the same as our weather wafts across the Tasman Sea to provide drought conditions in the North Island of New Zealand.

As our confident Coalition plans the axing of the Carbon Tax, China is experimenting with an Emissions Trading Scheme reported to cover 250 million people.
I hope their scheme is successful because that may actually have a small effect in ameliorating the increasing energy in the climate system from global warming.

The Executive Summary of "Carbon Markets and Climate Policy in China", Oct 2012 for the Climate Institute by Climate Bridge, indicates that "China has reduced its energy intensity, become a world leader in renewable energy, and is rapidly establishing carbon trading systems. These actions not only have positive impact on the climate, they also drive economic growth, reduce fuel dependency and create export 
opportunities. "

Something Australia needs also to do.
Does this weather make you angry? 

Post holiday musings

Now that I'm back in the real world rather than inhabiting Middle-Earth its time to muse on the climate I found while exploring Hobbit Holes in Hobbiton, Matamata (New Zealand).
I spent 21 days on holidays - only 1 rainy day and 1 cloudy day. The hills throughout the North Island of New Zealand were parched and the stone fruit had ripened a couple of weeks earlier than normal.

View from Bag End, Hobbiton, AKA Alexander Farm, Matamata, New Zealand. The tourist venue has been watered constantly this summer to keep it green.

While I was away, Melbourne sweltered through 15 days of above 30 degrees C weather, also with little rain. The Bureau of Metereology claims its "been the hottest summer yet" a reason why I went south in February to escape the grinding heat. Although floods occurred in Queensland and NSW  "Victoria had its driest summer since 1984-85 and South Australia since 1985-86."

So in this election year, what will the people of Australia decide - a Carbon Tax or "Direct Action"? What will happen to the Greens if the Coalition wins, as the polls plummet for the current Federal Government. Long months of hysteria and politicking to go.

So have a look at the Soil Carbon report by Radio National Background Briefing a couple of days ago.

Given how much we continue to despoil our soil and vegetation with the ever increasing population, industrial farming techniques and climate change, I"m skeptical. 

I've also ordered "Earthmasters" by Clive Hamilton for my library - another book to read and be horrified by - Geo-engineering!

Yes, I have now caught up with restocking and cleaning the house - the "boys" didn't do too badly considering!