Global warming madness hits Australia

[LivePsy]

Big week in Australia, but I can't help think that the rest of the world doesn't give a sh*t.

Apparently:-

* Australian people emit the most carbon per person in the world. It is shameless how we have extremely cheap power and selfishly use it for heating, cooking, project music studios etc.

* Australia and USA are the only countries holding carbon reduction strategies back and if we lead the world, USA will follow. I guess all the other 3rd world countries are glaring at us for being the problem.

* Australia needs an emissions trading scheme so that middle income people pay more for power and this will somehow reduce carbon emissions. Poor people and exporters will get cash back because otherwise that would be unfair.

I think I distilled the essense of the argument. Is Australia's crimes against the world in anyway discussed in your part of the world? Can you even point to Australia on a world map? Are these climate issues political culture where you live?

Please, no posts with actuals facts in them. That would be irrelevant ...

Cheers,
B

[psy604]

Originally Posted by LivePsy

* Australian people emit the most carbon per person in the world.

... but Australia's population rate per km² isn't that high.
that should be re-calculated to average carbon emission per km²
else no direct comparision will be possible.

and another good question would be: are Aborigines included in that stats?!

i think here in Europe companies need to buy licenses for pollution,
but i don't have a clue where this money goes to ...

[AlexHall74]

Originally Posted by psy604

... but Australia's population rate per km² isn't that high.
that should be re-calculated to average carbon emission per km²
else no direct comparision will be possible.

and another good question would be: are Aborigines included in that stats?!

i think here in Europe companies need to buy licenses for pollution,
but i don't have a clue where this money goes to ...

REF: "i think here in Europe companies need to buy licenses for pollution,
but i don't have a clue where this money goes to..."

Ummm, maybe it goes to the government? But in all honesty, the odds of it going towards reducing pollution caused by execssive power consumption or just dirty industries in general is very remote. That money is probably filtered off into some quasi-government agency's contract, whose only purpose is to give high paying jobs with no real responsibility to underqualified campaign contributors of the current regime. Or maybe it just goes into a trust fund for Britney Spears's grandchildren...

[LivePsy]

Originally Posted by AlexHall74

REF: "i think here in Europe companies need to buy licenses for pollution,
but i don't have a clue where this money goes to..."

Ummm, maybe it goes to the government? But in all honesty, the odds of it going towards reducing pollution caused by execssive power consumption or just dirty industries in general is very remote. That money is probably filtered off into some quasi-government agency's contract, whose only purpose is to give high paying jobs with no real responsibility to underqualified campaign contributors of the current regime. Or maybe it just goes into a trust fund for Britney Spears's grandchildren...

Suggested by the Garnaud Report, money from the trading scheme:-
50% low income people, to offset the higher costs
30% exporters because they have to compete with the world
20% R&D for cleaner power

So no conspiracy there. Apparently the hi tech solution is to put the carbon gas back into the ground.

There's so much spin on this issue...

B

[LivePsy]

Originally Posted by psy604

... but Australia's population rate per km² isn't that high.
that should be re-calculated to average carbon emission per km²
else no direct comparision will be possible.

Its all about spin. Obviously Aussie's output is tiny per quare metre

Originally Posted by psy604

and another good question would be: are Aborigines included in that stats?!

We apologised to the Aborigines already, so the true marginallising can begin. Now we won't feel guilty about it.

Melbourne city was swamped with smoke earlier this year for almost a week because of controlled burning to protect homes built where they shouldn't be. Didn't anyone think that this pollution was worse than a year's worth of rampant power usage?

God I'm turning into OVM!

Cheers,
B

[Old Vantaa Man]

And I believe you're pretty badly drought-stricken over much of Australia?

[LivePsy]

Drought stricken indeed OVM. A lot of rain on the South East and East coasts, but not much elsewhere. Rivers literally drying up. Its especially bad because the centre of Australia is a sink hole, water normally flows from the coastal areas into the centre. The water just isn't falling on the land.

Now I can see why Aboriginies are nomadic, over thousands of years the local area changes so much that you don't stay in one spot. Stupid n00bs from Europe didn't know that when they staked out the land 200 years ago. To be honest we don't know what is normal long term cycle and what is an unusual climate event.

[Old Vantaa Man]

How much have traditional European farming practices introduced to Australia - I'm thinking sheep farming especially - and open pit strip mining been responsible for the climate challenges you're facing there now mate?

Btw, Australia doesn't have a bad image here at all. Quite the contrary.

[LivePsy]

Loads of tree were torn down and replaced with European modelled farms. Water has been diverted from rivers to irrigate areas which don't have the rainfall for crops. Seems crazy now, why plant crops if the water isn't there?

We have no nuclear power here, so a lot of power is from dirty brown coal in open mines. China is building coal mines all over the place but its cleaner black coal. Perhaps we should have Springfield 3 headed fish instead of coal ...

Still, Aus has 2 seasons for most of the land mass. The very dry or the very wet season. Perhaps its normal to have a 100 or 200 period of sustained drought?

[AlexHall74]

Originally Posted by LivePsy

Loads of tree were torn down and replaced with European modelled farms. Water has been diverted from rivers to irrigate areas which don't have the rainfall for crops. Seems crazy now, why plant crops if the water isn't there?

We have no nuclear power here, so a lot of power is from dirty brown coal in open mines. China is building coal mines all over the place but its cleaner black coal. Perhaps we should have Springfield 3 headed fish instead of coal ...

Still, Aus has 2 seasons for most of the land mass. The very dry or the very wet season. Perhaps its normal to have a 100 or 200 period of sustained drought?

Florida's water table is quite variable as well. I moved here in 1994 and swa many rivers edncroach on a main road just out of the natuarl oder of things. We got a 2-3 PM daily rain shower in Orland.Now one semmed to be plasnning for armageddon though, that was nice.