Are our Whales doomed?

Have the whales been left for dead, is it no longer trendy to save the whales, has the fad past and are there more noble causes now?

I ask these questions because I have been reading lately how Green Peace have abandoned the whles in the southern ocean, they are not taking a ship down this year, I also read that the Australian Government has abandoned the whales this year and they are not sending a observation vessel down this year - and guess what - the bloody Japs are still going, the Japs plan to kill 700 Minke whales this year and it has been left to the Farley Mowat and the Sea Shepherd Society to help the whales.

Peter Garrett, what a disgrace, you more for the environment as a lone spokes man, then you are doing as a minister, mate get on with your job and start to make use of your position and chnage what is happening!!

Green Peace, well you guys are soft, what are you thinking abandoning the whales and giving the Japs a free for all this year, whats with your beggers on the streets asking for money to save the whales, what has happened to your organisation. Know more oney from me, I will give it all to the Sea Sheperd Society.

If only the world would amit that the whalingt debate is really about the control of fishing in the southern ocean and specifically Tuna. The dam Japs think that if they lose the whaling war they will ultimately lose the Tuna war, maybe they will, maybe they won't however is it worth losing our whales?

Can people like this really be called 'EXPERTS'

The world is going mad, 'EXPERTS' have discovered a new disorder "CARBOREXICS' these are peopled who are deemed to be to caring about the planet and the future of our planet?

WHAT IS CARBOREXIA? (The Sunday Telegraph, Nov 2, 2008)

- A fanatical concern about a person's own carbon emissions which severely affects their lifestyle and normal daily activities
- Consistent Checking of Gas and Electricity metres.
- Worrying about the carbon footprint of others and interferring with their lives without their consent

The 'Anxiety Disorder Clinic' at the University of Sydney need to have a good look at their own disorders, what a complete load of bull!

1. Someone who is concerned about their carbon emissions that they change their lifestyle, what is wrong with this, isn't this what we are meant to be doing?

2. Consistent Checking of gas metres, what a great way to save money?
3. Worrying about other peoples carbon footprint and interfering without consent, this is called the 'Government'

Remedies for this disorder

1. Buy a Hummer and leave it running 24/7
2. Leave all the lights in your house on 24/7 and leave the stove running 24/7
3. Sack the government, destroy the planets eco systems, problem solved.

Can someone please stop giving these Doctors and clinic airtime??

Is this the future of conservation?

While I understand that this has been goingon for a while, I guess it is good to comment of some good environmental news. This was story written in the Weekend Australian Newspaper on the 11th October 2008 by Natasha Robinson.

Stockman Frank Shadforth has been farming the Northern Territories gulf country since the 70s and says he has noticed and experienced the disappeance of many animals including a woodpecker and small kangaroo. Now this stockman, whose father was the first aboriginal to purchase a longterm lease in Australia, has signed an historic sub lease agreement with the 'Australian Wildlife Conservancy' www.awc.org.au to help manage over 100,000ha of Mr Shadforths Seven Emu Station.

This station lays claim to over 300 species of reptiles, amphibians, fish, birds and mammals as well as 500 species of plants.

This is a fantastic story and I believe this type of arangement is a great model moving forward and should be encouraged through tax breaks and government grants as a way to encourage more of this behaviour.

Will this drought break or get worse?

According to David Jones from the Bureau of Meteorology Southern Australia has just successfully been through the worst drought on record, this drought has now been running for 12 years and we have seen the average temperature is up 1C. They say this is due to climate change, well I would agree. Everything that has been written over the past 10 years has forecast this to happen and here we are!!!

They are forecasting a very hot and dry summer for 2008 and 2009.

Do we pray that the rains will come or do we start to act, we need to act, long term there is a good chnace that Victoria and South Australia will become the next deserts?

Are we doing enough to prevent this???

When will the worlds leaders recognised the 'Great Ecological Crisis?'

I watch the reaction to the financial crisis facing the world with amazement. While I support the moves being made by Governments around the world, what I wonder is when will these some people realise that we are also facing an 'Ecological Crisis' and support it with the vigour as they are supporting all the banks and insurance companies.

Imagine if the US Government allocated US$700bn to save the worlds rainforests and other woodlands, I mean these are our carbon banks. What about allocating this money to poverty and thus preventing the continued destrustrion of forest for farming.

I am no expert on the cost of saving forest however I am sure US$700bn would go a long way in Indonesia or Brazil. not to mention all the money the rest of the world governments are allocating to save their own institutions. Australia alone is giving $4bn to the non bank lenders.

What about allocating these funds to research on renewable energy?

Do you think we could focus the governments of the world to the environment with the same intensity as they do with the finance sector, time will tell?

Will the purhcase of large farms for water help the Murray Darling river system

As some of you may be aware the NSW and Federal governments just purchased the cotton station 'Toorale' in outback NSW. The reason for the purchase was to get its hands on the 80 gigalitres of water that it uses each year for it farming business. This coupled with the Queensland government agreeing to release 11 billion litres of water into the Murray Darling river system. To me these are fantastic steps in the right direction to save the Murray River and the lower lakes.

Will it make any difference?? Yes, is my view. All these little steps will help in the overall scheme of things. On its own it will make no difference however if the governments keep buying and closing down these properties it will make a difference in the long term. The government is eyeing several other properties, like Cubby Station in Queensland. The land will be turned into National Park and rehabilitated, this is another fantastic step.

What of the towns that rely on these stations for employment and other business. Well they will have to retrain and re-purpose themselves to stay employed and viable. I will probably never understand why these people complain, don't they understand that if we maintain business as usual they will be stuffed anyway, don't they think about their grand children and great grand children before complaining, what about their future. Further more we only have one go at getting this right, let's go. For gods sake towns folk, stop being so selfish and think about the future generations!!

In my view, as I have said before, get rid of these cotton farms, they are no good to us, only destructive to our environment.

I think these moves by the Federal and State Governments are a huge step in the right direction and they need to do more, keep it up as it will make a difference.

What do you think??

Will we ever get a goverment with the balls to make hard decisions on Climate Change?

The rhetoric and lip service we have received from the Rudd government over the past 9 months has been quite extraordinary. All the big pre election decision about the environment, 'We will make the hard decisions' what a load of rubbish this has become, In my memory I have never known a more gutless PM so full of crap in my life. This coupled with Prof Garnaut who came out all guns blazing 6 months ago about 30% - 40% cut in emission by 2020 is now suggesting that somewhere between 5% - 10% will do and only if the rest of the world signed and agreement. Who got to this guy, what was he paid, why the sudden back down. He has also suggested that we need to sacrifice the Great Barrier Reef and Kakadu and this is part of the cost. This is a mind blowing suggestion, what gives the soft cock academic the right to sacrifice these 2 world heritage areas, this made my blood boil.



I get that Australia overall green house gas contribution is minimal and that any thing Australia does will have very minimal impact on whole issue, I get that without China, India and the USA cutting emission we are buggered anyway.



My view is that Australia should show the world that we can make the hard decisions, we can show the world that it is possible to live without coal. New technologies can replace coal, I have made mention of this in one of my past postings.



Will it ever be possible to get a government with balls to make the hard decisions and show the world how to do it, geeeeee! we may surprise ourselves and have some influence on our neighbours to change their ways, one can only hope.



If I was the PM for a day with full authority I would make the following changes



1. Decentralise water and energy, put water tanks and photovoltaic on every home. We no longer need dams or centralised power stations.



2. Fund solar, wind and geo-thermal technologies.



3. Stop logging and forestry, shut down Gunns. Put a stop to mono culture tree farms and encourage diverse tree planting schemes that reflect the real environment



4. Put a stop to cotton and rice farming



5. Pipe irrigation channels



I could go on and on. I know this is an ideal world however it would be a good start.



Will we ever see a Government with the balls to do any of the above??