Australian Carbon Price Day of Shame

Shame on Australia.

The farce surrounding the repeal of the Carbon Tax is revealing the decay in the standard of politics and debate in our fair country.

Last time I looked Barnaby Joyce, my lamb roast didn't cost $100. It was only $15 per kilo last week. Better than Lamb Back straps. If this is the level of your understanding then ....!

http://www.solarcitizens.org.au/myths

As Mr Adam Bandt is saying on the radio just now, we won't get our $550 back as the increase in electricity costs has largely been induced by increasing fixed standing charges.

I will be checking my bill in the next year.

So shame on a country, one of the richest in the world, who says we have neither the leadership, the moral authority or the reasoned scientific argument to fairly price Carbon pollution, to everyone who uses and emits.

So we will miss out on the tide of investment and jobs in the new Renewable Economy. It will cost us more.
Just like we did with the Internet and Digital Revolution.
we will unfairly contribute to a word environment problem with our selfishness. Act local, think Global.

A day of shame indeed.

With hopefully electoral backlash to all who participated.
So who is investing in a new air conditioner, this El Nino summer??

Citizen Action in Melbourne Today

I was one of more than 20,000 people who took to the streets today to protest against:

Cuts to environmental legislation including the shameful repeal of the Carbon Tax
Cuts to Education
Cuts to welfare for the most needy
Abominable treatment of refugees.
This and more is the treatment we citizens of Australia are getting from our Federal Government.
Let the people sing the song of angry 'men' !
And make our pollies lisen!

Tasmanian Forests and Mark Carnegie on Q and A

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee took a very short time to chuck out the Federal Government's plan to delist the Tasmanian World Heritage Forests. So the International experts think our PM and Government are wrong.
The tired argument of jobs vs environment is also WRONG.
Perhaps the Federal Government needed to listen to ABC's Q and A last night where Mark Carnegie talked about '60 year olds' having difficulty keeping up with the changes and technology. Government was slated as being completely unable to move fast enough on good ideas.
The quip  "Business being Hussein Bolt compared to the Government" hit home.

Australian Business may be more a Ben Johnston than Hussein Bolt. Sneakily trying to do feather their own nests, keeping the status quo, lobbying Government on  commitments to fossil fuels than opening themselves up to innovation, climate change challenges and clean energy. Hopefully like Ben Johnston their comeuppance will come sooner rather than later.

Congratulations to the Tasmanian and Australian Environmental activists. But hold on to your hats, the journey will be getting wild and rocky from now on.

Environment Victoria and Australian Conservation Foundation will still be busy organising action
http://environmentvictoria.org.au/   and   http://www.action.org.au/


ACF Video

Australia's Inequality

Its not a 'class issue'
Its not a left wing socialist plot
Its not us versus them envy
Its real
Its inequality in Australia

Its so bloody obvious and will become more obvious as our children become disenfranchised in housing, education and health.
It has to stop.

Read these reports if you don't believe me!

• Oxfam Report  found https://www.oxfam.org.au/2014/01/rapidly-growing-inequality-is-worsening-poverty-around-the-world/
•  
• Still the Lucky Country?  Also by Oxfam 
• 
  
• Advance Australia Fair?What to do about growing inequality in Australia. By the Australia Institute 2014

Read Joseph Stiglitz " The Price of Inequality" at a library near you.
A public Library that tries to reduce the effect of inequality.

RET Review: Cat and Mouse Game

Can the following people give an unbiased review of the RET (Renewable Energy Target)?

• Former Caltex head Dick Warburton, who has publicly questioned whether carbon emissions cause global warming. 
• Economist Brian Fisher - previous work in oil and gas industry.
• Shirley In't Veld, former head of WA's biggest coal generator.
• Australian Energy Market Operator's Matt Zema

Now isn't that like putting a cat in the mouse house? 

What will you have after they've 'done the job'
Bare bones RET or nothing at all.
"For 14 years, the oil and gas industry has lobbied for the 20 per cent RET to be dumped."

Yet again shame on Tony Abbott and Greg Hunt, ministers of environmental destruction.

RenewEconomy's link to Solar Value Past Present and Future gives a good understanding of similar issues in the US.

http://www.ilsr.org/future-net-metering-distributed-solar/

Carbon Monoxide poisoning during the coal mine fire at Hazelwood this summer is the next whitewash. We shall see if the claims of the Fire Fighters Union stack up!

World Environment Day 5 June 2014: Tony's Hate Campaign

This Thursday will be World Environment Day. As such I thought a recent list of 'environment' news would be instructive. So please give generously of your time, money, brains to supporting our environment. Do it NOW. Its your support and work that is helping our Environment, not the Government.

• The Federal Budget as a starting point brought more bad news for Environment Groups leading to my email inbox being inundated with meetings, petitions and requests for funds.
• Solar Citizens is holding a "Our Solar at Risk" Public Meeting on 19 June at RMIT- Tickets are free but limited: Check out details at  http://www.solarcitizens.org.au/melbourne to book. 
• The Climate Council has published the "Abnormal Autumn" report.
• See the Conversations take on the Abnormal Autumn report.
• Australia's environmental laws including the RET have delivered more than our Kyoto Targets, with very little change to our economy. But these will be wound back with a great new tax (Liberal Party's Direct Action) on the Australian people  instead of the small Carbon Tax on a few companies. To protest at changes to the RET (Renewable Energy Target) join Getup's Protect the RET.
• Dirty air is being breathed by the most poor and vulnerable in Australia according to this report by the Conversation. Equity issues here as everywhere else in Australia.
• Australia's leading place in Mammal Extinction continues with recent reports showing our current efforts are leading to 1 mammal going extinct per decade. How to stop this trend requires money, cost-effective analysis and involvement of industry and stakeholders. But money is now tight and there is not an effective science, conservation or climate change minister in the Federal Government.
• Barack Obama plans a 30% cut in Carbon emissions from its dirty coal-fired power stations. He will have to use Presidential decree to get the plans through and like Australia, the reaction from industry is predictable with politicians in coal industry areas running for cover. He risks the same response as we have had. A new government sweeping away any and everything to do with improvement in environmental laws to benefit the fat cats and conservatives of industry. So much for innovation and new industry development which is sympathetic to clean air, water, local industry and good jobs.
• ABC Lateline reports "The head of China's most advanced carbon emissions exchange says australia could scuttle the creation of a global system of carbon trading by dumping its scheme at a crucial time." We should be careful about annoying China as it starts to flex its considerable economic and political muscles. As well as trying to get its rampant ecological problems under control using clean technology. 

Post Budget Blues

Two weeks after the Federal Budget the fur is still flying.
Are you surprised? I'm not after the effort Mr Abbott went to in Opposition making everything simple, sloganish and sooo negative.

Street Art: A sign of things to come perhaps?

They are now reaping the results of the 3 year intensive, misinformation and almost hate campaign against Labor.
Labor of course is somewhat hamstrung by its own problems, mainly having lost credibility they are still struggling to have any meaning except when behaving like Tony Abbott.

Its clear to me we will need to cut something
Its clear also that some form of taxation will need to rise to meet the outgoings, whether that is GST, Carbon Taxes, or levies.
We also face the positive tsunami of costs associated with an ageing population, expensive basics and movement of wealth offshore.
I'm happy to work, part-time til I'm 65, but by then the chronic conditions that already afflict me may be less easy to manage.
My employer may also not find me productive enough.

Attacking the most down and out is not really an efficient way of raising the funds. My observation of the people who come into my library looking for work shows me many are pretty unemployable, unless you forcibly pick them up and dump them in the outback to do hard physical labour, where personality 'quirks' may not be too important. Certainly, organisations that exist with customer service functions would not employ them.

My colleagues with disabled adult children tell me the sheltered workshops which employ them are being closed through withdrawal of funding from State and Commonwealth bodies. A retrograde step if I've ever heard one. These people actually work for what they produce, somewhat cheaper than the rest of us and are grateful for the job.

But lets face it, the poor will get much poorer with this budget.
Crime will rise, health will disimprove and an opportunity to invest in the next big thing - Carbon friendly business and jobs- is being squandered.
Apart from the deficit levy, the rich and big business are getting away with little impact on their bottom line.

So keep the Carbon Tax and Mining Tax Joe and Tony, and work on reducing the spending.
Attacking the poor, elderly and unemployed will get you sacked from Government, eventually.
Unless you produce the mother of all disinformation campaigns in the future.
A likely prospect.

Budget BS

Tonight the Federal Government will hand down its first budget. After all the speculation we will finally learn what cuts, levies, taxes and broken promises the Treasurer will make to fund his "budget emergency"
You can bet he won't keep the Carbon Tax which was actually very effective and delivered money into the Federal coffers as well as encouraging investment in efficiencies (productivity gains) and new technologies (innovation and jobs).
This government has managed to get rid of or try to cut anything that has the words Solar, Renewable, Science and Carbon in it. That's where ideology takes you of course!
Meanwhile I generated 3.5 kWh of my own electricity today with a 1 kW unit.
A few years down the track, when the rest of the world is reaping the current investment boom in these new Energy and Job programs, we'll be still stuck with old system, high carbon emissions and higher costs.
Several ABC Radio National Programs highlighted these issues in the weekend Science Show, Ockham's Razor and Background Briefing.;

1. Australia Playing Catchup With US, Europe and China in Renewable Energy. You can see University of Queensland Solar real-time graphs here.
2. Death Spiral Begins for Australian Electricity will tell your where all your electricity costs go - 50% to poles and wires and very little to the Carbon Tax. Discovered by a NSW Farmer no less.
3. Ockham's Razor " Decarbonizing for Growth" with Michael Molitor gives some big number and big ideas on how to maintain growth for the next 2.5 billion people. I have some criticisms of this talk as little discussion was made about resource constraints, EROI and other factors that come into play moving to this Brave New Renewable World. But I did like Professor Michael Molitor's discussion on GDP and GPI: Genuine Progress Indicator.
4. Lastly the Background Briefing "The Price of Power" by Jess Hill

Michael Molitor's comments "Of course, the most efficient means of transferring investment into highly efficient low or zero carbon assets is to launch a carbon tax.  The Australian Government did this in 2011 and some of the roughly AUD$7 billion in annual revenue went to the Clean Energy Finance Corporation"

and 

"Even more controversial, what if reducing carbon emissions represented the only pathway by which global economic growth targets could be met? If this were true, and my research suggests it is, then instead of a race to the bottom where everyone fears reduced economic growth from high carbon costs, we move to a race to the top where reducing carbon emissions becomes the most attractive growth opportunity in history".

So I'll probably throw up my hands and swear while watching the budget thinking of the short sighted politicians and their big business mates who are denying the bleeding obvious, and expecting me to pay for their mistakes!
Thank you ABC for providing intelligent and alternative commentary. I just hope you survive the Budget! 
Sign the Petition : https://www.getup.org.au/campaigns/media/save-the-abc--2/protect-our-abc--2

Tide is Turning: Australia, Fossil Fuel Subsidies and Deficit Levy.

While driving to work yesterday, consuming my fossil fuels in the increasing congestion of Melbourne's suburbs, I listened to an ABC Radio National Breakfast report on the United Nations Environment Program including warnings from IMF and World Bank against investment in Fossil Fuel Industries.

Here is the podcast.

The Age reported on 12 April 2014" leaders of the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and United Nations on Friday called upon finance ministers to use fiscal policies, such as carbon taxes, to combat climate change."

Christine Lagarde's Dimbleby Lecture (02/02/2014) can be found at the IMF Website. This part of her speech is of great concern to us in Australia:

" Overcoming climate change is obviously a gigantic project with a multitude of moving parts. I would just like to mention one component of it—making sure that people pay for the damage they cause. Why is this aspect—getting the prices right—so important? Because it will help to reduce the harm today and spur investment in the low-carbon technologies of tomorrow.

Phasing out energy subsidies and getting energy prices right must also be part of the solution. Think about it: we are subsidizing the very behavior that is destroying our planet, and on an enormous scale. Both direct subsidies and the loss of tax revenue from fossil fuels ate up almost $2 trillion in 2011—this is about the same as the total GDP of countries like Italy or Russia! The worst part is that these subsidies mostly benefit the relatively affluent, not the poor. Reducing subsidies and properly taxing energy use can be a win-win prospect for people and for the planet."

https://www.flickr.com/photos/greenstonegirlpix/14063622923/

This comes at a time where our 'beloved leaders' in the Federal sphere are ripping up any and almost every environmental policy they can lay their hands on, including the Carbon Tax.

Australia is "open for business" to rip us off with fossil Industry subsidies that do more harm than good, and cannot be supported when you factor in environmental damage and the idea that markets are self correcting.

So why is Australia bucking the world  trend??

Why can neither the Labour Party nor the Liberals do something about professional  lobbying by those industry leaders who use the money and influence to sway our Governments to do the wrong thing by the people and the environment?

The corruption hearings in NSW are opening eyes to how politics and business can be done. This is not news in Australia and affects all the big political players and industries.

But the good news is that our World corruption ranking has dropped according to Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index 2013.

However, our environmental rankings must be plummeting. Go figure!

PS I'm happy to pay back the $900 given by Kevin Rudd & Labour - I invested this in solar power and have made a profit since then.

Easter Domesticity

I hope you have all had a lovely peaceful Easter like my family has. We have eaten too much and relaxed with books and videos. Plus exercised the body with beach and local walks.

Ducks on the local pond.

All four of the family got together for a dinner of Roast Lamb and vegies, with fresh fruit and custard for dessert. Plus the occasional chocolate Easter Egg.

I managed to persuade the 'boys' to clean their bedroom! The washing machine has worked hard!

Libraries open on Easter Sunday, it being a religious holiday, not a Public Holiday so my Sunday work was quiet and productive. Hopefully the resulting chaos on the Tuesday after Easter will not be as much as previous years as Victorian School children will be going back to school.

Easter Tuesday is the busiest day of the Library year, with this stuffy,"out-of-date", slated for 'Domesday' profession doing thousands of loans & returns, hundreds of queries and many more IT troubleshooting. Lots of eBook queries and other parts of the 'Learning Commons'.
As many of the members of the public seem desperate to use our facilities, I think the book and libraries will continue for quite a few more years. The recent Pew Study of American Libraries also predicts this, as Libraries remake themselves for the 21st Century. Australian studies (ALIA) also confirm that we will be useful for years to come.

So lets relax and enjoy a brief respite before tomorrow and in the next couple of weeks the Federal and State Budgets reveal how much we may be living beyond our means. Or at least the Liberal Party's version of it.
Happy Easter everyone.

I'll leave you with a photo of the new Christhcurch Cardboard Cathedral service yesterday. Thanks and love to my family.

Christchurch Cardboard Cathedral NZ 2014

Tipping Points

As the scientists talk about the damage being done to various ecosystems with Climate Change, others talk about Tipping Points. Points where there is a flip from one semi-stable state to a more extreme, less stable state.
Tipping points and feedback loops are things all ecologists are taught,

I wonder how human society fares with these tipping points.

Cobweb: A Web of Life

Tipping Point in Ecology

• Warming polar regions means less ice.
• Warming means sequestered organic matter rots to produce Methane
• Methane emissions rise leading to increasing greenhouse effect.
• More ice melts and the cycle keeps accelerating.

Tipping Point in Society

• The Ukrainian people revolt against a pro-Russian president.
• Russia invades Crimea " to safeguard the Russian people in Crimea"
• Russia increases the cost of supplying Ukraine with gas
• Russia threatens the Ukrainian people with withholding energy supplies unless they get paid.
• Russia then ???
• Invades Ukraine perhaps??

The world is getting to be a very scary place for many more people.
What next in this accelerating race of Tipping Points??
Is it America not being rich enough to defy the Russians or else America upping the ante with Russia and China?
We are all in danger of this. Complex societies come to an end at some stage.
See why the US Military are so afraid of Global Warming.
Watch and see what happens with the Federal Budget and see why you should be concerned too!

Fossil Fuel Divestment

Recently I read that the Federal Government is trying to restrict the ability of Australians to protest through secondary boycotts. This action is aimed particularly at conservation organisations that organize action against environmentally unfriendly products and services.
The equivalent protest in the financial environment is even more interesting. I wonder whether the Australian Federal Government will legislate against divestment in Fossil Fuel Industries.

Divestment of Fossil Fuel Companies by Universities is already underway according to this article by Ben Caldecott for the ABC.
"Divestment campaigns typically evolve over three waves. The first wave begins with a core group of investors divesting from the target industry. Previous divestment campaigns have tended to originate in the United States and in the first phase focus on US-based investors and international multilateral institutions. The amounts divested in the first phase tend to be very small but create wide public awareness about the issues."

He then goes on to explain the divestment campaign has started in the US and has built "global momentum by targeting other universities with large endowments such as the universities of Oxford and Cambridge in the UK and the Group of Eight universities in Australia."

"In the third wave, the divestment campaign can go global and begins to target very large pension funds and market norms"

Hopefully once this campaign get past the first phase we can see serious divestment by superannuation and pension funds globally. I have always made sure my direct share investments are not in the mining & coal industries but have not yet moved entirely into sustainable investing, something I should have done a long time ago. The problem of course, for a small sucker like me, is that my return on investment is linked to how well I'll be able to live in retirement.

Surviving Summer: The Temperatures were higher than these Melbourne forecasts

The various wild swings in the legislation affecting renewable industries means investing in these means a smaller than normal chance of succeeding and getting returns. 
The current attack on all forms of renewable investing in Australia shows what forces are arrayed against new emerging and possibly extremely competitive industries.

Our current 'Captains of Industry' are not interested in level playing fields.

So hopefully the rest of the world will manage this Divestment quickly and effectively, moving capital into Green Technologies.

IPCC Report and the Average Joe

As I waited in the supermarket today I asked the friendly shop assistant how business had been. To my surprise, given I was buying food essentials, she replied that business is slow.
People are finding life expensive and have cut down on essentials such as food.
She also mentioned the cost of electricity and water being so high.

To turn the conversation to a more positive note I mentioned that I had invested in Solar Power and was receiving some money off my electricity bill and money back from the company. This started a productive exchange about how useful and expensive this process was. To my surprise the lady following me also mentioned she had been investigating solar power and her friend already received a substantial reduction in her electricity bills because of their investment in Solar.

This supermarket is in a low socio-economic area of Melbourne. One of the "Righteous "complaints about the current Solar schemes and other RET investments is that they are causing poor people to suffer.
We shall see how much the upcoming budget will continue that process.

Poor people are by definition poor. They have very little disposable income. It is short-sighted not to be concerned, but equally short-sighted not to change important essentials such as food, petrol, electricity, gas if that is needed and to help the poor manage that adjustment.

In all this debate about the Carbon Tax, how many people have forgotten the money paid back to individuals to allow them to bear the higher electricity costs? The tax free threshold has been raised for the poorest as well as the rest of us.

The IPCC Report released yesterday 31 March 2014 -

Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability

 makes it clear why these taxes are necessary.

The Australian

This research has indicated life will be much worse if we don't act effectively.
While a Carbon Tax is not the whole solution, its an important first step.
Ask Clive Palmer how much Queensland Nickel has paid into this years budget and how much more he can afford to pay, considering the money he's reportedly pouring into election campaigns in WA.
Who can afford that?
The lady in the supermarket from the poorer end of town, or a mining magnate?

Ocean Garbage - searching for the Malaysian plane.

The search for the missing Malaysian flight MH370 continues with a huge number of people and equipment searching for any signs.

My heart goes out to the relatives who by now must come to terms with the loss of their loved ones.

But as I hear about all the debris spotted by the satellites and plane searchers, I wonder how much garbage is in our oceans.

Sympathy to those who have lost loved ones.

In spite of all the searching, no one has yet identified any of the hundreds of pieces spotted as being from the plane. 

The ocean is vast and this search is much more than the proverbial needle in the haystack.

It's turning out to be an expensive garbage collection.

The CSIRO research on Marine Debris by Denise Hardesty and others has been on the news in the week following this post. Here is a link to their research and the Radio National Sunday Extra Report

Let's hope some real news comes before the black box stops sending messages. If that happens the plane may be lost for many years.

Let's hope not.

Volte Face - PUP

I was surprised and very skeptical to receive an email from Solar Citizens and others regarding the Palmer United Party (PUP)  and Renewable Energy Targets (RET)

Red Sunset on the Autumnal Equinox

"I am writing today with a very important update regarding the future of the Renewable Energy Target in Australia.

Just yesterday evening Clive Palmer and members of his Palmer United Party (PUP), announced they support the maintenance of Australia's current 20% renewable energy target.*

Palmer himself told Fairfax Media he is a ''supporter of renewable energy'', and Palmer United's lead WA Senate candidate, Dio Wang said he thought the current review of the Renewable Energy Target was a ''waste of taxpayers' money.''"

But of course, this changed the very next day - support only involves a voluntary Renewable Energy Target. Why am I not surprised"

I thought it was too good to be true! I didn't think PUP had a record of interest in sustainable, renewable development. Now I'm sure of it!

Well done Federal Senate for refusing to allow the repeal of the Carbon Tax!

But its a dangerous game, pushing for a double dissolution, given the current climate (pun intended).

Reality in Kiwi land

Having 3 weeks holiday clears the brain and body of its lingering stresses and worries. My holiday with elderly relatives in New Zealand exposes me to an older way of living.
People do things by getting outside and talking to each other. No one has Facebook.

Holt's Forest, Tutira

My relatives enjoy company with endless rounds of lunches and coffees, supporting local jobs and produce growers. (Note including getting upset about NZ Apples not being allowed in Australia!)
Some have computers but most keep these in the background, not allowing these boxes to take over their waking life.
Marketers will not be able to track them as they rarely use credit cards, can't fill in their tax forms online and listen to radio, TV and read newspapers. No push email's for them.
My elderly relatives also don't care about debates on climate change. After all, they won't be around to see the effects. They also won't be around to get any benefit from energy savings apart from insulation.

Rangitoto Island - Now Pest Free!

But thank goodness for smart phones! At least I got a small drip of news and views of what has been happening in Australia. Thanks to push emails from Getup, Climate Council, ACF, Environment Victoria and other organisations.

But in New Zealand, the climate change debate continues with many a denier and whats worse, much apathy. The North Island is suffering another summer drought, and Christchurch was inundated with a 1 in 100 year flood, made worse by the land changes from the earthquakes.
I hardly saw a Solar Hot Water System, or Photovoltaic Array on any roof, and I was in one of the sunniest parts of the country. I saw few string shopping bags but much worry about rising Electricity costs. Petrol was $2.19c per litre.
For 100% Pure New Zealand, there is still lots more they can do to decarbonize their economy. But at least they have an Emission's Trading Scheme- https://www.climatechange.govt.nz/emissions-trading-scheme/

That's more than what we will have, come July 2014!

Fair Use and Stupidity

After attending a recent training on Australia's antiquated Copyright laws I have been waiting to see if the latest submission to the Federal Government regarding Fair Use will be accepted. We have only been waiting 6 years for a decision!
But alas it seems not,  Common sense has not prevailed. A predictable response from Senator Brandis in assuring content providers that our stupid laws will continue.

Instead, in a country where copyright violation in some form occurs across the entire population, we will get more draconian views and become criminals by watching "Game of Thrones" at the same time as the Northern Hemisphere. We will not be able to copy DVD's we legally own to back them up, not be able to participate legally in meme making, not keep up with digital technology in any meaningful way.

Instead, our Government will look at making Internet Service Providers (ISPs) impose more restrictions. I'm sure my son will have something to say about that as an employee of an ISP
Welcome to the new world of the brave and the free, Australian style.
Try this 2011 Infographic

Smoke and Mirrors

After several days of thick smoke blanketing Melbourne I'm beginning to feel a bit thick headed and wheezy. The smoke is being blown over Melbourne from the bushfires still burning in Gippsland. The Kilmore area fire, north of Melbourne is still going and together 45 houses have been lost and thousands of livestock burned to death. Thanks to the great efforts of the emergency services and the resilience of the people, no lives have been lost thank goodness.
The predicted rain in the north of Victoria may do something to reduce the fires but we are not going to get the cleansing effects here.
Here are a couple of images from the Nasa Earth Observatory

Smoke from the Gippsland Fires 12 Feb 2014

10 Feb Night Image showing the brightness of the fires north and east of Melbourne.

I will be interested to hear the amount of CO2 and other pollutants being released into the atmosphere as a result of these fires. Also the number of hospitalizations from both the smoke and continuing heat.

Melbourne's electricity use and water use are also very high.

Prior to the end of the drought we were being asked to keep our water use to 150 litres per person per day. My latest Water Bill received a couple of days ago shows that we are keeping to that figure, but this may not be the case with the next measurement if the heat continues. 

Almost all of our 12,000 litres of water collected in the water tanks are empty. So please let it rain.

I don't want to return to the days of the 15 year old drought where Melbourne only had a couple of years of dam water left.

But how much CO2 do the current fires emit? The Conversation has the answer and its not the one the Federal Government wants to hear. As Philip Gibbons of the Australian National University wrote in a 2013 article "Warren Truss’ statement reflects a view that anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions are insignificant relative to natural events such as bushfires that have occurred for millennia in Australia."

But like the Minister for the Destruction of the Environment, Greg Hunt, the National Party Leader Warren Truss does not let someone with the facts destroy a good story. These comments were expressed last year so I wonder whether he will say the same this year!

Hence Smoke and Mirrors - Hear and see nothing that will disturb their own point of view. 

Five Years On

Five years ago the devastating 2009 Black Saturday bushfires left thousands of homes burn't, 174 people dead and people wondering how our emergency services didn't cope.
Five years today and we have improved our systems and are hoping not to have a repeat performance.

Black Spur Trees- Mar 2009

But the hot days this summer have been almost as bad as 2009. We have had more plus 40 degree days than I can remember in the last 30 years. So many 30 plus degree days that I'm beginning to think them cool!

So to all the Black Saturday survivors and their friends, best of wishes.
I hope you have all managed to rebuild and restore your lives somewhat.

Keep the memory alive so we don't repeat the horror anytime soon.

Near Marysville - Jul 2009

Behaviour Change

As I was talking with my manager the other day about work related issues, I mentioned, the likely repeal of the Carbon Tax.
My manager, for whom I've always had a good relationship, immediately commented that taxing people was not a good way to change people's behaviour.
Now this surprised me, as public libraries survive on rates and local government regulations to provide the on-going funding for our services. In this case the population, as a whole, realize and approve of the taxation (rate). Public Libraries in Victoria have a very high approval rating and deliver services that can be measured as being worth more than their costs. The long term benefits of an informed and educated population have been effectively argued for a long time (see Thomas Jefferson quote), and are considered to be important in a democratic, open political system.

I have always felt the so-called Carbon Tax would be an effective mechanism in giving everyone the chance to rationally change their behaviour. Install more insulation and thus lower your power bills. Install solar panels and again lower your bills.
Not having a high electricity price does nothing to focus concern on this invisible substance called Carbon Dioxide. Giving handouts to polluters flies against the no-handout stance shown to struggling businesses like SPC, Holden etc.
Taxation & regulations however do not provide all the necessary levers to change behaviour. In an issue as complex as that of climate change, other mechanisms are absolutely necessary. We know the carrot can be more effective than the stick. Rebates encouraging insulation, solar panels and solar hot water spring to mind.
Their effectiveness has been demonstrated by the absolutely huge numbers of people taking up these offers.

Other mechanisms  include using social theory to encourage change and provide information. Mr Abbott's devastating use of simple messages has been hugely effective and us 'pro-climate' people need to replicate these simple, strong messages.
So a little research gave me this document. Changing Behaviour authored by the Australian Public Service.

Having a cost which is high enough to focus attention plus the tools and information to make a change, with leaders and communities is absolutely necessary.
Does repealing the Carbon Tax, dismantling the Clean Energy Financing mechanisms, stopping the RET and cutting off information on the real effects of climate change (Climate Council) sound like behaviour change? Reverse and perverse perhaps.
As the Public Service paper puts it
"A good example of a successful, comprehensive behavioural change strategy is Australia’s approach to tobacco control. There is a consensus in the Australian and international literature that a long-term and comprehensive approach to tobacco control is the most effective way of influencing the behaviour of smokers and potential smokers. Ad hoc, piecemeal action can have some impact but it is significantly more limited than a carefully planned, comprehensive, long-term approach encompassing education and information, legislation and restrictive measures and smoking cessation services. The comprehensive approach to tobacco control takes action in a range of areas using a range of policy tools. The effectiveness of the whole package is significantly greater than the sum of its parts."

So I'm off outside now to water my garden, parched with this excessive heat. Is this the heatwave we have to have or will that come again and again and again?

Tools of Change website (Canada)

Heatwave & Solar performance

While many of the plants in my garden are natives and planted to survive hot, dry conditions, there are some that have not.
So that's why my Silver Birch Trees are looking scorched and the Fuchsia is dry and frizzled after the latest heatwave,.






!!





The Financial Review last weekend published on its front page "Wind and Solar can't handle heat" by Angela Macdonald-Smith.
The RenewEconomy writer Ric Brazzale  hit back with an article indicating that Solar had helped to provide enough electricity during the heatwave days to reduce the peak load on the network. The effect of solar has also been to move the peak demand to later in the day as well.

"Solar PV’s contribution has been a lot more than just reducing peak demand by 4.6%. Its operation has meant that much higher cost generators have not had to be dispatched. As a result the wholesale power price has not risen anywhere near as high as other times when we have reached very high levels of demand. As a comparison Victoria’s previous peak demand of 10,415 MW occurred on Thursday, 29 January 2009 in the half hour period commencing 12.30 pm. The average wholesale market price during the afternoon (12.00 pm to 6.00pm) was $4,619/MWh."
and 
"Without the contribution of solar PV, many more assets would have come under pressure and more customers will have been disconnected.'

See the Australian Photovoltaic Insitute for details.

And by the way, comparing small scale PV on people's roofs to that of a large coal fired power station, as the AFR writer did, is patently absurd. I never bought my unit to be the sole electricity source and the advances in solar storage have not yet been made to allow the energy to be cheaply and easily stored. But that is coming, faster than the CO2 dinosaurs think.

http://reneweconomy.com.au/2014/graph-of-the-day-how-aemo-saw-rooftop-solar-in-heatwave-27763 for the information below.

Heatwave conditions

Today is forecast to be the last in the four days of above 40 degree heat.
The cool change has been forecast to arrive approx 8 pm, late enough for us to easily reach 44 degrees.
I have been amazed at how well my garden has survived.
Last year one day of +40 degree heat saw one of my silver birch trees frizzle and drop all their leaves. The tree only recovered this spring.

Given that all three of my beautiful silver birch trees are looking ok after four days of searing heat makes me aware of how the soil and wind conditions matter.
This spring has been wet, with 2011 & 2013 also being wet. Obviously the water table underground is a lot healthier than in the previous 15 years of drought conditions. I can see this with the crack in the garage wall now closed when previously it was several cm's wide.
I have also been watering the tree regularly (which makes me suspect that last year it wasn't watered enough when I was on holiday!).

The other difference is the wind.
Over the last three days (and even now) we have had a gentle, though very hot breeze.

My memory of Black Saturday in 2009 is a searing gale. My friend celebrated her 60th Birthday inside a small Melbourne terrace house, instead of outside in the park. When driving back home we were aware not only of the strong gusty change but also of the fires at Seymour, Marysville and Churchill areas.

Currently, our Emergency personnel are battling lots of smaller fires in exceedingly difficult conditions. But fortunately, not the catastrophic conditions of 2009. I hope for all our sakes it doesn't get that way when the change arrives tonight.
But hats off to all those people working in the front-line. Fire brigade and volunteers, police, doctors & nurses, ambulance people. They do a great job and I'm deeply appreciative.
All public servants too!
Try this heatwave tracker animation from the ABC

House Hold Heat

My 20 year old house follows some of Australia's building trends.
Its bigger than my previous small three bedroom home with more bedrooms and an open plan living area.
It is insulated in ceiling & walls but made with brick veneer.
We have roof vents to allow the heat to escape and the building has plenty of north facing windows, shaded from the rays of the sun in the summer.

A reasonable passive solar house design 20 years ago but not one that would pass muster for a 6-8 star energy design.This is how the house has functioned after two days of above 40 degrees C heat.

Day 1( Tuesday 14 Jan) & Day 3 (Thursday 16 Jan ) information:

Tuesday	14 Jan 2014	Melbourne	42 C Forecast
Time	Temp (ext) o C	Temp (int) o C	PV Output
6:00 am	19	22	0.0 kWh
8:30 am	26	23	0.06 kWh
9:30 am	33	24	0.26 kWh
12:45 pm	39	26.5	2.18 kWh
2:15 pm	40.6	27	3.38 kWh
4:04 pm	42	27.5	4.68kWh
6:10 pm	42	28	5.60 kWh
8:00 pm	38.6	27	5.78 kWh
Thursday	16 Jan 2014	Melbourne	44 C Forecast
Time	Temp (ext) o C	Temp (int) o C	PV Output
6:00 am	19	22	0.0 kWh
8:30 am	26	23	0.06 kWh
9:30 am	32.4	28	0.03 kWh
12:45 pm	40	30	1.70 kWh
2:15 pm	41.7	28.5	3.07 kWh
3:30 pm	43.9	29.5	3.90 kWh
6:10 pm	41 (approx)	30	? kWh
8:00 pm	41 (approx)	28	6 (approx) kWh

Heatwave Melbourne

Take care in the heat today and tomorrow.

From 22 degrees C this morning at approx 6:30 pm the temperature has climbed to 33 degrees Celsius by 9:30 am.

The forecast top of 43 degrees looks very likely to be broken. 109 degrees F is seriously hot for Melbourne in January.

I can handle one day of this heat, but I will see how I perform after 4 days!

Remember the 1939 Black Friday bushfires occurred under similar temperatures. This year we have had a wet spring so hopefully the vegetation is not so vulnerable to bushfires.

Residents in WA Perth Hills are in shock with the loss of houses yesterday. Good luck to them in trying to return to their properties in the next day or so.

Serenity for the hot week ahead

To encourage me to feel calm and collected for the heat-wave about to hit Melbourne this week, I took a photo of some lovely water lilies.
Hopefully floating in a pond will mean they won't be too stressed by the >41 degree C heat forecast for Tuesday.
A heatwave that will cause much distress among some of our population.

2 Million Solar and Mr Abbott talks about Coal and Gas!

On ABC Radio World Today, our Prime Minister Tony Abbott made some short-sighted comments regarding Renewable Energy.

Join http://www.solarcitizens.org.au/

"Australia should be the affordable energy capital of the world" and  "Australia has a super abundance of coal and gas"

Yes Tony I agree to the first which is why I have Solar PV. The sun is free! We also have a superabundance of solar generated electricity which is now as cheap as electricity generated by highly polluting coal and gas.
The answers to the problem of variable supply are already here, it just needs government and investment policies that encourage implementation. This is where the RET and the Australian Clean Energy Finance Corporation comes in.
But I forget, these are organisations you and your government have decided not to listen to or value. Thus I am cynical your RET review will deliver anything other than what the Coal and Gas lobbies would like.

See the Renew Economy report on 2 million small solar installations to see what we have achieved in a few short years.

Extremes

Last night I shivered in my summer PJ's as the cool summer in Melbourne continued under dreary grey skies, wind and a bit of rain.

Melbourne Experienced Wild Winds on Sunday 5th January 14

Meanwhile Queensland continued its run of extreme weather with a lightning storm following days of extreme heat. West Australia is also experiencing the hot weather, but those boom town folks are used to this!
Its been 4 years since my 1 kW Photovoltaic solar power unit was installed. Since then the number of units on roofs nearby has mushroomed, showing how my neighbours, mostly average Australians, have realized the benefits.
Unlike the current batch of reactionary, myopic, big-business oriented politicians!

In case you were still wondering how scientists managed to decide the globe is warming when its so chilly outside read these articles from the Conversation.

• https://theconversation.com/150-years-and-counting-confidence-in-climate-science-17179
• https://theconversation.com/australias-hottest-year-was-no-freak-event-humans-caused-it-21734

Then go and read an actual book from your local library - one that discusses in more depth the pros and cons, theories, facts, knowns, known unknowns and unknown unknowns of science.
Somewhat more authoritative than the denialists and loud-mouthed opposition.

You never know what might happen if one looks past one's prejudices.
How do we get people to listen? More conversation about conservation!.