2014 New Year Resolutions

My resolutions for 2014 are as follows:

Melbourne's Beautiful Federation Square

1. Continue to battle the bulge - in belongings, waistline, excess spending etc
2. Contribute more to Environment Groups battling the desecration of all parts of the Australian Environment - land, water, sea and air. We'll be watching you Federal & State Governments and corporations!
3. Try to motivate my family to take care of themselves, their belongings and me! Unfortunately a lost cause as I suspect as my influence disappeared the day I tried to get them to be adults and take responsibility for computer use, their own washing, dentist bookings, hair cuts and helping around the house. But I'll keep trying!
4. Try and keep a closer eye on the elders of the family. Being located in a country 3000km away makes this one a bit difficult but as they get older, the possibility that I'll need to make a rushed flight to attend to a funeral only increases. Celebrating their life is important.
5. Try to be healthy, happy and interested in life.
6. Try to reduce my environmental footprint a bit. Time for serious renovations including possible double glazing! This is dependent on outside factors in my life!

 So Happy New Year to all of you. 

As the popular quotation " May you live in interesting times!" is often defined as a Chinese Curse, I will hope instead that the world we live in becomes more equitable, sustainable and enjoyable to all its inhabitants.

Christmas Wishes: The Heat is On

As another year draws to a close its time to extend Christmas wishes to everyone reading this.
But the Heat is On!

40 degrees in Melbourne means the following:

• Libraries and other free air-conditioned places will be busy. 
• Lots of people can't afford air-conditioning and older people die in greater numbers in the heat.
• So do dogs and other furry pets!
• Kids left in cars - please, please no!!!!!
• Peak water use in the morning as everyone tries to prepare their plants for the heat
• Northern hemisphere trees will get stressed and drop their leaves, perhaps for the rest of the summer as a response to the heat. Normally takes a couple of weeks to show something other than crispiness.
• Train cancellations - 16 trains of 2000 cancelled early and more will cancel later. Perhaps some heat buckling the rails later on,
• The Melbourne Southern Star Wheel (like the London Eye ) may have its engineers checking it anxiously. Its structure buckled under 46 degree heat in 2009 and its been closed since then. Due to re-open this weekend I think.
• Air conditioning units will be on full all day - solar power units will make sure that some of this peak is being generated by the sun! Thus making life cheaper for us all.
• Freeways today have been RS. Still RS and will continue as people get stressed in the heat and traffic.
• Grass and Bushfire risk is very high today. Not yet extreme or catastrophic.
• Tony Abbot and co will be making life more difficult for all renewable energy projects. He doesn't believe in subsidies for businesses like Holden, which is fair enough. But when will he remove the fuel subsidies for the transport industry, mines etc. Will he remove the land and reduced tariffs for the coal industry. Will he make things more of a level playing field so that big business doesnot unfairly compete with small



Christmas Lights

• Short answer no!

So to all of the environmental activists out there: have a great Christmas and be prepared for an interesting, tumultuous New Year. Lets hope people power can be successful. I'm beginning to think a double dissolution might not be a bad idea but ...??

Climate Council's Report