Boiling frogs
The Age - Opinion: This week's Scoresby: nil all
Another week in the saga of the Mitcham-Frankston freeway has produced yet another set of clumsy threats from Canberra, Victorian Government compromises, and significant policy backdowns. A little less than a year ago, senior Bracks Government strategists were positively stroppy when this column suggested they had underestimated the long-term damage of their tolls backflip by dismissing it as a 'three-week wonder'.
From a local perspective I view this akin to a three ring shit circus, Federal Government grandstanding, breaking promises and not considering alternatives, State Government grandstanding, breaking promises and not considering alternatives, and Local councils, caught in the middle and being called into 'Mr Burns' office for even daring to consider alternatives. Yes, that is a Simpsons reference, overheard at the Yarra Council meeting last week.
Pic: Loy Yang plant . On the subject of coal fired stations, remember Hazelwood, hey, wasn't it supposed to be closed a long long long long time ago?
The dirty state we're in
Victoria's abundant reserves of brown coal once seemed such a blessing. Now, with scientists warning of the impact of global warming, that's not so clear. Liz Minchin examines the state's power dilemma. Victoria likes to promote itself as a clean, green state, leading the way on environmental initiatives. But the truth is much grubbier. In fact, Victorians are among the worst greenhouse gas polluters on the planet. Every year, each of us is responsible for producing an average 24 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions; to put that in a global perspective, even the average American produces fewer emissions - 21 tonnes - than we do.
Heat on Government to sign Kyoto
Another week in the saga of the Mitcham-Frankston freeway has produced yet another set of clumsy threats from Canberra, Victorian Government compromises, and significant policy backdowns. A little less than a year ago, senior Bracks Government strategists were positively stroppy when this column suggested they had underestimated the long-term damage of their tolls backflip by dismissing it as a 'three-week wonder'.
From a local perspective I view this akin to a three ring shit circus, Federal Government grandstanding, breaking promises and not considering alternatives, State Government grandstanding, breaking promises and not considering alternatives, and Local councils, caught in the middle and being called into 'Mr Burns' office for even daring to consider alternatives. Yes, that is a Simpsons reference, overheard at the Yarra Council meeting last week.
The dirty state we're in
Victoria's abundant reserves of brown coal once seemed such a blessing. Now, with scientists warning of the impact of global warming, that's not so clear. Liz Minchin examines the state's power dilemma. Victoria likes to promote itself as a clean, green state, leading the way on environmental initiatives. But the truth is much grubbier. In fact, Victorians are among the worst greenhouse gas polluters on the planet. Every year, each of us is responsible for producing an average 24 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions; to put that in a global perspective, even the average American produces fewer emissions - 21 tonnes - than we do.
Heat on Government to sign Kyoto
The heat was turned up on the Howard Government ahead of the official start to the Kyoto Protocol on Wednesday, with protests in London and political pressure at home. Australia and the US are the only major industrialised countries to have resisted signing the protocol, which will limit greenhouse emissions and introduce an international carbon trading scheme. Several hundred protesters marched in London at the weekend, demanding Australia and the US sign up.
Global warming hots up
One of the world's most significant environmental agreements will take effect this week, eight years after being drafted. The Kyoto protocol, which aims to stem global warming by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, will finally be enforced from Wednesday. But Australia will not be part of it. The Federal Government has refused to ratify the protocol, saying it is a 'failed, flawed' treaty.
It's much too late to sweat global warming
Global warming hots up
One of the world's most significant environmental agreements will take effect this week, eight years after being drafted. The Kyoto protocol, which aims to stem global warming by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, will finally be enforced from Wednesday. But Australia will not be part of it. The Federal Government has refused to ratify the protocol, saying it is a 'failed, flawed' treaty.
It's much too late to sweat global warming
Time to prepare for inevitable effects of our ill-fated future. At the core of the global warming dilemma is a fact neither side of the debate likes to talk about: It is already too late to prevent global warming and the climate change it sets off. Environmentalists won't say this for fear of sounding alarmist or defeatist. Politicians won't say it because then they'd have to do something about it. The world's top climate scientists have been sending this message, however, with increasing urgency for many years.
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