IPCC Report Today & Footy Final Tomorrow

http://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/#.UkYH9YbI0rU

While the IPCC publishes its latest report today, much of Melbourne's population and media are concentrating on the Australian Rules Football Grand Final tomorrow. Footy Clubs Hawthorn, Victoria versus Freemantle,  WA.

The Hawks vs Freo!
May the best team win in a fair, fast and furious game. The media are out in force and the weather is predicted to be inclement for the game.

But the fight over Climate Change action will go on and on and on.
With record Queensland September heat (this last week), and 166 km winds in Melbourne yesterday, more bushfire warnings around NSW, the angry weather of Australia continues.
The hot air around the upcoming IPCC report has been moderately intense with the naysayers out in force.
To read this fifth assessment report, click here.

I look forward to reading as much of the report as I can as well as any commentary from the Climate Council, Climate Institute and others.
And no I don't think we should discuss this in an adverserial, debating format. The Conversation's "Adversaries, zombies and NIPCC Pseudoscience" by Michael J I Brown gives good reasons for this. The scientists and governments have been doing their peer review and commenting over the last 5 years as part of the report process. I'm sure enough compromises on the 'truth' have already been made.
So go away NIPCC!
More on the Ethics of reporting Climate Change from the Conversation's Tim Dean.

The climate truth is out there, no matter the reports, words on TV, newspaper or other media.

Donations, Money, Power, Politics and Climate Council: Australian Hot Air

With the axing of the Climate Commission by the newly incumbent Abbott Government we are seeing the re-grouping of scientists, economists and those interested in Climate Change.

Tim Flannery has today announced the opening of the new Climate Council funded by the community.
If you want their work of education and reasoned advice to continue, please donate.
Yes I have!

The Climate Commission's brief, to explain climate change to Australians, obviously didn't work very well judging by the number of climate skeptics that continually pop-up on TV and media generally. But is that their fault or that of powerful vested interests in business and the media?

Mr Abbott's government has passed the education function to the Bureau of Meterology. I wonder if they will get any funding to effectively do that? I haven't heard anything as yet. Will Climate Change information be displayed prominently on their home page? Lets wait and see.

Many years ago, in my past life, I remember signing secrecy agreements, restricting my ability to comment to the media without express permission from my management. We protested this vigorously!
As a Council Employee my Code of Conduct asks for something similar.

But as a private citizen I expect to be able to comment appropriately. And use appropriate means to convey my concerns to our elected politicians.

As Paul Barry on Media Watch pointed out headlines the the Australian Newspaper such as "We Got it Wrong on Warming, Says IPCC" showed only one thing. That the Australian can't be trusted to get it right!

A retraction from the Australian was posted later but the damage had already been done. Lying, over-exaggeration and self-interest of the powerful is common in this brave new world of media. Good to see Paul Barry and Media Watch bringing them to account.

Laws of Power: Enough said.

Just a few more Laws then I'm done!
Law 7: Get others to do the work for you, but always take the credit
I would say many people in all walks of life use this one regularly. I find this one particularly annoying and a true leader always gives credit where credit is due.

Law 9: Win through actions, never through an argument.
In spite of all the media around, the main way people understand is through demonstrating, not explicating. However, this law doesn't always hold true. Though the hapless Carbon Tax was demonstrated for almost a year, unfortunately it had implacable opposition so it will, eventually, be crushed. Among almost all the developed nations, Australia will be one of the few to throw out a market based mechanism in favour of a hodpodge of Direct Action. Big Business and Climate Change Skeptics won this one!

Law 15: Crush your enemy totally
Pretty obvious and this is what has happened to the Labor Party at State and Federal Levels. The Queensland State Labor Party lost the election and was reduced to only 7 seats in a parliament of 89. Crushed like an ant.
Tony Abbott's victory was resounding but not quite the crushing defeat it was feared.
However crushing Labor & Greens Carbon Abatement policies will happen swiftly.

Law 17: Keep others in suspended terror: Cultivate an air of unpredictability
Welcome to the Federal Public Service!  11,997 'redundancies' to go.
This has been used in the corporate world for years, but with the growing casualisation of the Australian workforce, more people are living on the knife edge.
However, I am supremely grateful we are not living in North Korea!

I'm Trying to Cultivate Serenity!

More Laws of Power

To continue
Law 4: Always Say Less Than Necessary:
Powerful people impress and intimidate by saying less.
Stop the Coal Mining!

Law 5: So Much Depends on Reputation - Guard it with your life
I hope Bill Shorten understands this.
I hope Federal Labor members understand this and stick to defending their Carbon Pricing Scheme.
Mr Abbott certainly understood this and the previous law!

Law 6: Court Attention at All Costs
Everything is judged by appearances. When Opposition Leader, Mr Abbott was out and about all around Australia, running, swimming, pressing the flesh. Grabbing headlines with short, forceful, negative slogans (see Law 4). Now that he has gained power, fewer press conferences, but still saying as little as possible.

The Victorian Liberals govern with one vote, Geoff Shaw now an independent MP, charged with 23 counts of obtaining financial benefits by deception and one count of  misconduct in public office. But not a peep out of Labor Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews about  'illegitimacy of the Government', something we heard about long and clearly from Tony Abbott when a similar problem occurred in Federal Parliament.

Clive Palmer is courting attention appearing larger (easy that one), more colourful, more mysterious.

Climate Change Science Digest

 As a Sept 13 Take Part article says "Labor’s “polluter pays” carbon tax will be replaced with Abbott’s more expensive “taxpayer pays” in which taxpayer funds will pay for emissions mitigation at lowest cost within Australia. Both systems promise to reduce the country’s emissions by a paltry five percent by 2020."

BTW 3 Public Servants down, 11,997 to go!
Carnage, here we come!!!

The 48 Laws of Power: Sharpen Your Pencils!

This is the name of a book my Mad-Scientist husband bought some time ago. Given the overwhelming trouncing of the federal Labor/Green Government in the recent Federal Election, its time to look at these Power Laws.
Law 1: Never Outshine The Master:  

By Robert Greene, 1998

Something Malcolm Turnbull has had to manage, successfully it seems.
Major failing by Labor Party and reason they got chucked out - revolving door of leaderships peeves the people off, big time!

Law 2: Never Put too Much Trust In Friends, Learn How to Use Enemies.
Friends are easily aroused to envy - hence the rise of Julia Gillard and the backstabbing by Kevin Rudd. See her Guardian Essay.
Clive Palmer is interesting as he is certainly one who can use Enemies. His current success in Parliament and his performance on ABC TV, Q and A last night was fascinating to see.
I would imagine Tony Abbott knows all about this one also.

Law 3: Conceal Your Intentions
This was a major ploy by Tony Abbott and the Federal Liberals in the last 3 years with minimal policy details, costings at the last minute and 3 word sound bites.
Clive Palmer also looks to be guiding people down the wrong path, envelope them in enough red-herrings (ex-military conspiracy in the Australian Electoral Commission on Q and A perhaps?). Bring along a Pen next time you vote!
Federal Labor was open and overly transparent, except when back-stabbing, deal-making and back tracking!
So the Conservation Movement is in for a fight with Abbott intending to allow fishing in Marine Parks, Commercial development in National Parks and opening the Great Barrier Reef to oil drilling and huge development of Coal shipping facilities, roll back of World Heritage forests in Tasmania. All mentioned in the first week of power!
Leaving it up to State Governments to do the 'Conservation' after many years of state over-development, resource extraction, land-clearing, fracking in farming areas, water pollution and coral reef degradation.
Hand in Cookie Jar surely!

But that's enough Power for now. I'll go back to the birthday cake I need to start icing!!

Post Election Blues- Down the Toilet

The people have spoken loud and reasonably clearly!
The Federal Liberals & Tony Abbott won a resounding election victory.
The Greens and Labor look like they won't hold the balance of power in the Senate with a plethora of micro parties getting seats, making it very messy. We won't know the full number until all the preference deals are done.

Green ideas down the toilet!

Labor was punished for dis-unity, lack of loyalty and for not being able to clearly sell its message. The Greens were punished for daring to be party of a minority Government and supporting fairness for all.
The two brave independants who supported the minority Government were punished in other ways.

So RIP the Carbon Tax
Bye bye the Climate Commission and Clean Energy Fund
Goodbye 12000 Public Servants - after all you are considered to be wasteful.
Welcome to soil carbon from a party that in the past has encouraged Land Clearing and industrial agriculture that leaves the soil bare of carbon and which blows away to settle on the peaks of the Southern Alps in New Zealand.

Welcome to the Brave New World.
Welcome to the world of Big Business!
(money talks, fear talks, the people talk)

Will the Liberals have Mandate after Tomorrow?

Now that the media has all but wiped off any chance of the Labor Party winning tomorrow's Federal Election, I ponder Tony Abbott's word "Mandate"
Mr Abbott claims to have a mandate to roll back the Carbon Tax and replace it with the Coalition's Direct Action Policy.
Polifacts Australia tested the statement "All Coalition policies are fully costed and fully funded." and gave it the  thumbs down, False rating, specifically noting that "On Direct Action, Abbott argues that the policy was looked at by Treasury following the 2010 election and they "found no fault with it".

Actually, a scathing Treasury note from July 2011 found that: "The economic costs of direct action would almost certainly be even larger because it would be less efficient than a market-based carbon price mechanism."

It also referenced Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency modelling which indicated Direct Action would only achieve a quarter of the abatement promised by the Coalition."

See also Polifacts on Emissions Intensity Falling issues

So does the Coalition have a mandate?

Unfortunately it probably does, which will make the remarkable achievement of the last few years, that of actually getting a Carbon Abatement Policy through the Federal Parliament and seeing it actually work, a sad historical accident in the overwhelming selfishness of Australian Politics.

If the Greens don't hold the balance of power in the Senate, as also seems likely, then we will have to absolutely blitz the Labor Party to hold onto this legislation in the Senate as well as persuade the 'kooky' right wing Senators to keep it in place. Not easy Jan!
But the Labor Party and Greens also had a Mandate in the last Federal Government. They were a Coalition who governed, just like Abbott will be tomorrow, no matter what Tony says or does. Labor & Greens had a mandate based on negotiating a Carbon Price!

But no matter if the worst befalls it - Australia will still go down the path of Global Warming. 

CO2 doesn't care if Kevin or Tony wins tomorrow. 

Our insurance premium's will go up as more of our fragile buildings experience climate extremes

Leptospermum scoparium 'Nanum Rubrum' flowers

, electricity prices will go up as we rack on the air-conditioning and the Renewable Energy industry will get crafty in obtaining investment and demonstrating to knowledgeable people that they are already cheaper than the current providers. If my local neighbours are telling me they will go off grid as soon as possible, then they will once storage technology becomes feasible.

Mark Diesendorf, Uni NSW & friends released a report showing the march towards renewable energy is almost unstoppable. Lets hope so for all our sakes.

Meanwhile my spring flowers are enjoying the record breaking above 20 degree start to September in Victoria! Lets hope the garden survives the coming hot summer.

Last Chance - The Dying Days of the Federal Election Campaign

With the Federal Election entering its last week here are my requirements for a good government

1. Strong and continuing action on Climate Change (not just 3.2 Billion A$ as perTony)
2. Jobs which reflect a sustainable environmental policy- eg solar installers
3. Farming which produces quality food in a care for environment way - fewer oil based products and use of diverse species suited to Australian conditions (not Monsanto latest!)
4. Care for community - reduce the inequalities I see all around me with education, training and equity policies.
5. Jobs for young people to allow them to become independent and strong.
6. Government for all the people - not just your state or local government area. Act like a country Australia!
7. Health for all - within reason! We can't bankrupt ourselves with our health budget.
8. Reduction in the cost of housing (so my kids-20+ can afford to move out!!)
9. Competent, caring and incorruptible politicians

There's more but that will do for now.

See the Australian Electoral Commission Guide to the Election




So what will I get??
See you after 7th of September for the wake!