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. 

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!.

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.

Economics of Climate - Liberal Policy costings fail!

Yesterday the Climate Institute released a report undertaken by SKM-MMA and Monash University Centre for Policy Studies on the cost of the Coalition's Climate Policy. This report outlined a black hole of A$4 billion using the Coalitions Direct Action to combat Climate Change.
Setting aside whether the modelling done by the above groups is accurate, partially accurate or even if you believe its a complete fiction, one has to ask where and how the Federal Coalition will get the money to pay the big polluters to, pretty please, reduce their carbon emissions.

Coalition Climate Policy Report

The Conversation also has addressed the problem today.

When the recent Federal Labor party dropped its policy of paying owners to decommission old Coal Fired Power Station (which used to belong to us, the Victorian people a decade or so ago), there was a deep sigh of relief in our household.
It seemed incongruous, in a party who supposedly stood up for equity and working people, progressive social and environmental policies to be paying big business off.

Now we may have the Federal Liberal Party, who bats for individual choice, free markets and the ability of the rich to control even more of the common wealth pool, about to do the paying are we seriously expecting big business to do anything other than take our money (rent-seeking) and then do whatever they think is best for their bottom line and shareholders?? See this article by the Climate Spectator.

We just need to look at how well the free markets and big business in the car industry have managed to be innovative, cut costs and manage their business to make money and jobs for Australians.

The Climate Commission's infographic says it all and we are like the Ostrich sticking its head in the sand.
Roll on Election Day and the Government we deserve to have.

Pollie this and that

Australian English is often incomprehensible to others outside in the rest of the world. I experienced this first hand when visiting Canada and the USA some years ago. I had to speak slowly and rephrase much of my language and try and moderate my relatively mild accent!

This election year we have had several additions to the word root "pollie" - meaning politician!

This includes:

Polifacts: http://www.politifact.com.au/ " Home of the Truth-o-Meter" A single digit effect perhaps?? Well known Australian non-verbal expression

Q and A Fact Checking by the Conversation
All these sites evaluating the Politicians.

Fact checking - now there's a non-political activity! Bound not to be read by those true believers, of various persuasions.

Even the ABC has been using the Pollie Filter. Mentioned by Jon Faine, just now on 774 Radio Melbourne!

Galah

Who judges the judges?

Again, the people of course.

No hope for Pollie Free ( in any sense). Even the Galahs are flocking and noisy, especially in drought stricken Queensland!