National carbon trading: Penny Wong's progress

Well, the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme Green Paper (full report) is out.

Excerpt:

Mechanics of a cap and trade emissions trading scheme
Step 1: Significant emitters of greenhouse gases need to acquire a ‘carbon pollution permit’ for every tonne of greenhouse gas that they emit.
Step 2: The quantity of emissions produced by firms will be monitored and audited.
Step 3: At the end of each year, each liable firm would need to surrender a ‘carbon pollution permit’ for every tonne of emissions that they produced in that year. The number of ‘carbon pollution permits’ issued by the Government in each year will be limited to the total carbon cap for the Australian economy.
Step 4: Firms compete to purchase the number of ‘carbon pollution permits’ that they require. Firms that value carbon permits most highly will be prepared to pay most for them, either at auction, or on a secondary trading market. For other firms it will be cheaper to reduce emissions than to buy ‘permits’.
Certain categories of firms might receive some ‘permits’ for free, as a transitional
assistance measure. These firms could use these or sell them.

What can one say about this?
It is looking increasingly likely that this reduction scheme will be riddled by free permits and high levels of get-out-of-gaol-free pollution allowances for certain industries.

The only way the Rudd Government will avoid committing many of the same errors as Europe (when it first approached a mandatory scheme) is if the Australian electorate makes its views known and, signals an unwillingness to tolerate up to 20 per cent of permits being given away for free or exporting industries being allowed up to 90 per cent of their emissions to be exempt from the scheme.

See The Australian article yesterday.

The Federal Minister for Climate Change and Water, Penny Wong, states that submissions on the Green Paper will be accepted.
Organise a group of friends and lodge a submission before the 10 December 2008 deadline.

Submissions can be forwarded to: emissions trading@climate change.gov.au or
Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme Green Paper Submission
Department of Climate Change
GPO Box 854
Canberra ACT 2601

Download the full report - Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme Green Paper

Time to get out the butterfly net, Julia Gillard and capture that flighty PM

Original photo from Google Images

Extract from edited version Kevin Rudd's speech at the official opening of Catholic World Youth Day 2008 found at the Australian Prime Minister's website.

"Some say there is no place for faith in the 21st Century. I say they are wrong. Some say that faith is the enemy of reason, I say, also they are wrong.
Because faith and reason are great partners in our human history and in our human future. Rich in humanity, rich in scientific progress.
Some say only that which they see wrong in Christianity and in the church, I say let us speak also about what is right in Christianity and the church."

With so many Aussies now having a religion that isn't 'christian', only paying lip service to their family's religion or having no religion at all, this is a perfect example of an increasingly evangelical Rudders on an electoral losing trail.

Julia, you delivered the party votes to this egotistical idiot - rein him in before he promises Bene and George that we will become a theocracy!

Satirical or tasteless? You be the judge

The Obama for America team are all het up about the cover of the 21 July 2008 New Yorker.

According to Globe and Mail:

WASHINGTON — Barack Obama's campaign says a satirical New Yorker magazine cover showing the Democratic presidential candidate dressed as a Muslim and his wife as a terrorist is “tasteless and offensive.”
The illustration on the issue that hits newsstands Monday, titled “The Politics of Fear” and drawn by Barry Blitt, depicts Barack Obama wearing traditional Muslim garb – sandals, robe and turban – and his wife, Michelle – dressed in camouflage, combat boots and an assault rifle strapped over her shoulder – standing in the Oval Office.

Image found at Globeandmail.com

Myself, I think that the team's sense of humour has flown out the window. Perhaps they should stick to the incessant fund raising that they do so well.
Anyone for a fridge magnet?

NSW North Coast annual humpback whale count up

In the Byron Shire Echo yesterday.

A total of 1,183 humpback whales was counted during Southern Cross University’s annual Cape Byron Whale Research Project, which ended on July 6.

The 16-day survey was conducted by researchers from the Southern Cross University Whale Research Centre and a crew of 25 volunteers.

The survey, which has been conducted off Cape Byron since 1995, is run in collaboration with the University of Newcastle, Cape Byron Trust, the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, NSW Marine Parks Authority and the South Pacific Whale Research Consortium.

Project coordinator and PhD student Dan Burns said the number of whales counted as they passed Cape Byron on their journey north to the winter breeding grounds was well up on previous years.‘

Our previous record for the most whales in a day before this year was 102. We broke that four times this year. Our new record is 124 whales counted in one day,’ Mr Burns said.

Picture from Connie Talk

How many 'pilgrims' does it take to make a circus?

I have to confess to having a bit of a grin on my face whenever a spokesperson or apologist for Catholic World Youth Day 2008 congratulates themselves on a combined estimate of domestic and international 'pilgrim' numbers, ranging from 100,000 to 160,000 so far.
They obviously think that everyone has forgotten that the original numbers, with which the Catholic Church wooed the Iemma Government, were in the vicinity of 225,000 pilgrims/tourists.
How much debt did the Church leave behind in Toronto in 2002 - around $24 million wasn't it?

What doesn't bring a smile to my face is Morris Iemma's statement that; "My faith directly influences my Government's policies in areas like mental health, disability services and housing for the needy and homeless."

Think I'm somewhat in sympathy with the sentiments expressed by Rod of Grafton who comments;
"If Dilemma feels so strongly that his policies are directed by religion then no wonder the state is in ruins. Take all your other highly religious cronies with you Morris and go and become a priest. Good riddance to all of you."
And agree with Ken L. (Road to Surfdom) when he opines;
"I can’t be bothered writing much about the Vatican Circus that’s hit Sydney. I’m sure the indulgence stalls in Hyde Park are doing a roaring trade and the crowds are queueing to see a coffin with a saint inside and crowds of good-natured happy-clappy-Catholics are terrorising passers-by with chants of ‘Jesus Jesus Jesus, Oi Oi Oi!’."

Take that Morris Iemma! Rachel Evans deals a body blow to World Youth Day regulations

BBC NEWS today:

A court in Sydney has struck down a controversial state law that made it illegal to "annoy" pilgrims gathered for a Roman Catholic youth festival.

The judges ruled that the law, which allowed the police to fine people protesting over the Vatican's stance on various issues, limited free speech.
The ruling came as the World Youth Day festival opens. It will be attended by Pope Benedict XVI later this week.
The challenge to the law was brought by a coalition of protest groups.
Activists say they plan to hold a rally on Saturday at which they will demonstrate against the Church's stand on homosexuality and birth control, by handing out condoms and wearing provocative T-shirts.
Civil liberty groups had denounced the New South Wales state law - which threatened fines of up to A$5,500 (£2,680) against anyone causing "annoyance" to pilgrims - as unnecessary and repugnant.

The Sydney Morning Herald today:

Annoyance clause invalid
The judges said that the interpretation of clause 7.1 of the act, which allowed regulation of conduct deemed to be a cause of "annoyance", was invalid because it "affects freedom of speech in a way that, in our opinion, is not supported by the statutory powers".
There was "no intelligible boundary" on what "causes annoyance".
The regulation relating to annoyance "could be expected to have a chilling effect upon the exercise of their freedom of speech because of the very uncertainty about the degree of its infringement upon that freedom", they said.

Well done Ms. Evans. I hope you stand for election again in the future.
Australia needs its fighters.

National Tree Day Sunday 27 July 2008

On Sunday 27th July 2008, Australians will come together once again to plant native trees in their local areas for National Tree Day.

School's Tree Day will be held two days earlier on Friday 25th July 2008.

So don't forget to roll up your sleeves, get your hands dirty and get involved.

Last year trees were planted all over the NSW Northern Rivers region.
Contact your local council or Planet Ark to see where you can join in the plantings this year.

Photograph found at Ecostruction

Big Brother dies - hurrah, hooray!

That Channel 10 program Big Brother, which notoriously ran overtime again and again as well as having the dumbest premise of any teev show, is finally ending next week.
Television bosses now have an opportunity to fill around 120 hours of air time with decent viewing.
When last I looked the Herald Sun poll was running at 87% agreement with the proposition that television would be better off without Big Brother.
Oi Nick, mate, you're Ten's chairman - make sure that something decent is purchased for that vacant space.
Ten's pitching to the lowest common denominator is enough to bore the pelt off a dingo.

Interpretation of an Internet moment

LOL from I can has Cheezburger

Is this the future of the Murray Darling Basin?

Satellite image from Environmental Graffiti

This is an image taken from space of the Great Sandy Desert.

Drainage is limited to short ephemeral creeks and rivers, which only flow after heavy rainfalls. The bioregion comprises two ancient inactive river basins that are divided by a low watershed. The watershed is a lateritic surface that forms the Anketell Range in the west and Southwest Tableland in the east. North of the watershed Sturt Creek (now only visible from satellite imagery) once flowed across the desert to Mandora on the 80 Mile Beach. The southern basin contains Percival Lakes which represent a river system from the past (Beard, 1990). Calcrete and evaporite outcrops are associated with palaeodrainage systems that traverse the desert.
The headwaters of the Rudall and Cotton Rivers are in the northern limits of the bioregion in Western Australia. The Rudall River is a significant wetland/ecological refuge, which contains major permanent waterholes and soaks. The Rudall River flows approximately 120km into Lake Dora (30, 000ha) in the Western Australian sector of the bioregion.
In the northwest of the bioregion is Dragon Tree Soak, a 5ha swamp regarded as a relict of the riverine vegetation found along the palaeo-river in the wetter climates of the early to mid Holocene. The soak is a fresh water spring that supplies freshwater to the marsh and peatland.
Lake Amadeus is a massive saline lake in the Northern Territory, which has no significant surface inflow. The main inflow of water is via groundwater seepage.

Are we looking at a window into the future showing us all what will become of the southern half of the Murray Darling Basin?

It is now a minute past midnight and it looks as if we have missed the chance to save the Murray Darling.