
- Mike Carlton, SMH columnist
If you had not heard Alan Jones at work broadcasting before, you surely have now. One of the lead opponents of the carbon price has been all over the airwaves and social media for all the wrong reasons this week.
Meantime the government has issued its first permit under the carbon price which has now officially been in place for (more than) 100 days. One chemical firm has back tracked on its plan to shelve operations because of the carbon price, is now saying it will expand to the tune of $1 billion, despite it … and land fill operators say they are in the line of fire. That could be a compelling argument for recycling!
And before we finish this discussion on the carbon price, this piece in the National Geographic roundly looks at the way Australians will need to change the way they think.
A new wind farm just out of Canberra is holding a fun run to get the community across the finish line. While supporters of solar power for Port Augusta walked from Spencer Gulf to Adelaide to make their point to the powers that be in Canberra that it is time to replace coal.
And the Presidential campaign in the States is heating up. Climate Spectator tells us why Obama must win, at the same time that President Obama bars Ralls Corp from building a wind farm in Oregon. Meantime in the UK, those Brits have broken their own record for generating wind power this month.
Back to Australia, in Tasmania, Greens candidate Anna Reynolds tells us it’s time for Tassie to have a climate change institute of its own. And our own Tassie-based Climate Leader Peter Boyer tells Mercury readers that change to help us adapt to climate change is happening at a glacial pace.
But change is indeed happening, and in a slightly unsettling but pretty cool kind of gizmo, someone clever at the World Resources Institute has mapped out the timeline of extreme weather events. Have a look.
And while we are on the subject have a look at this nicely laid out resource where you can find out everything you have ever wanted to know and more about what impact climate change will have on environment, habitat, industry and health.
On the latter, we are told this week that climate change is helping us to spread and carry exotic diseases and in The Conversation a recent report reveals that children are especially vulnerable to disease burden from climate change.
So if all of that is enough to put you off travelling, check this out – how to see the world’s wonders without blowing your carbon budget.
Australia’s pig farmers have been calling for help to ‘save their bacon’, with reports that pork, along with chocolate, beer, honey and coffee (perhaps not in that order) are becoming endangered eats.
Puma have developed bio-degradable sportswear. I wonder if it would start decomposing if you leave it in your cupboard for too long? And Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison says he will turn his private Hawaiian island into a sustainable paradise. I’ll help. Ciao for now...