On the meme about Irena Sendler

I've come across this meme a couple of times recently and felt uncomfortable after reading it, but hadn't spent much time looking at my reaction or the structure of the wording.

My superficial impression was that it was a backhanded, unsavoury dig at Al Gore, and presumed it was written by climate change denialists.

The reader is being asked to agree that the lady in question acted honourably and selflessly (which I gather the did), yet the wording compares her acts of wartime courage with Al Gore's attempts to raise awareness to the challenges associated with climate change and the need for action.

I felt manipulated. Given how the piece is written, if I agreed that Irena Sendler was a good and honourable woman, then I would have to acknowledge that Al Gore wasn't deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize. But like many people I moved on, not giving it any further thought.

However yesterday, I saw the meme again and was directed to a blog, The Daily Mull, where the author had analysed and outlined some of the tasteless aspects of the piece.

Most readers won't even know that a criteria for the Peace Prize is being involved in significant activities during the past two years, and that therefore she didn't even qualify by the basic rules, at the time.

And regarding Al Gore:

They won't bother to find out that it was for all of his "efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change."

Since then I've done some more reading and found further interesting information. In Examples of Really Faulty Logic, I discovered that what is now a handy-to-forward meme, apparently began as an email which you were encouraged to share (aka a poisoned letter) during a US campaign year. 

the email originated before June of 2008 – about4 years ago – during a political campaign year (gee, could that have something to do with it?)  At that time, it only mentioned Al Gore, not President Obama.  Since it mentions that award (The Nobel Peace Prize 2007), which, by the way, was awarded jointly to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Albert Arnold (Al) Gore Jr. “for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change”, that might have been part of the incentive. 

The letter has apparently morphed a few times and President Obama doesn't appear in the latest incarnation. Only the dismissive and poisonous punch line mentions Al Gore and the barely accurate, snide comment about a "slide show on global warming" remain from the original. 

Someone clearly has an issue here and is working to perpetuate the fantasy that climate change is a myth, sneakily planting the seeds that encourage readers to be predisposed to further derogatory, undermining comments and minimising the desperate need for action. 

Despite being recognised and honoured for her great work, Irena Sendler's significant awards aren't mentioned in the meme. 

She has been honored by international Jewish organizations - in 1965 she accorded the title of Righteous Among the Nations by the Yad Vashem organization in Jerusalem and in 1991 she was made an honorary citizen of Israel. 

Irena Sendler was awarded Poland's highest distinction, the Order of White Eagle in Warsaw Monday Nov. 10, 2003. 

In 2003 Irena Sendler also received the Jan Karski Award for Valor and Courage. This is awarded to a "person whose substantial life work best exemplifies Karski's valor and compassion, including selflessness, a profound sense of humanity, extraordinary courage and willingness to accept a burden, pain and suffering to save or help others. Clearly, not an insignificant award!

These are impressive decorations, and not to be taken lightly, yet the reader is encouraged to assume that she hasn't been adequately recognised for her work. This is clearly not the case.

If these words and photos were honestly designed to celebrate the life of a courageous woman why are these awards completely ignored?

So now I know why I felt uncomfortable after reading the meme. Irena Sendler's good deeds are being used to degrade and devalue the important work of others. It's undermining. It's not honest. It lacks integrity. It deflects from focusing on the importance of action on climate change, and equally offensively, by manipulating the reader, it detracts from the celebration of Irena's courage.

Manipulation? You bet.
Underhanded? Absolutely.
Nasty? Yes.
Open an honest about its intent? No.
Accurate? Only partially.

Some questions to ask:

• Who benefits from this kind of meme?
• What is the real agenda?
• What am I being asked to accept in the hidden message?
• Am I being placed in a bind where if I agree with one message, then by default I have to agree with the second message? (In this case that climate change is unworthy of attention)
• Is there room for complexity and grey areas?

The whole thing is as unsavoury as biting into a crisp fresh apple and finding that it's rotten to the core.

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Since writing this post, I've been contacted by Mary Skinner the writer and director of the PBS Documentary about Irena Sendler - In the Name of Their Mothers. Her comment is in the comments section below, and she confirms that the email and meme are indeed not appropriate and would be disliked by Irena Sendler.

In an interview, Mary Skinner talks about meeting with Irena Sendler and encouraging her to be filmed:

"It was very hard for her to talk to be filmed. She was embarrassed.  She didn’t feel extraordinarily heroic. She didn’t like to recount her memories of the war, but we eventually convinced her to give us some time on camera, mostly because we used the argument that the more women, especially young women, learned about her story and the story of these other women that were part of her network — basically teenage girls — the more people will be inspired toward that kind of moral courage. It was essential for people like her to talk and to recount what actually happened, because so many of the eyewitnesses are passing and  we can’t ever forget how devastating that experience was for the Jewish people, especially in places like Warsaw." (my bold)

In the above paragraph, the phrase "moral courage" stands out. It is definitely lacking in both the meme and offensive emails. A person or group who displayed moral courage would be honest and upfront about their motives.


Further information:
Irena Sendler: 
http://www.irenasendler.org/thestory.asp

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=364634856891928&id=69502133435

Climate change: http://www.skepticalscience.com/

On sharing memes:
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/may/22/sharing-political-memes-isnt-as-frivolous-as-it-seems
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Waste "management" in the Shire of Mornington.

Arthurs Seat Tip

I went to the packed information meeting about the proposed tip on Arthurs Seat on the weekend. I wasn’t sure what to expect. Surely the Mornington Council which proudly advertises that it’s "COMMITTED TO A SUSTAINABLE PENINSULA" wouldn’t be interested in any proposal to turn the disused quarry site, which is embraced by the Arthurs Seat State Park, into a non recycle, non reuse dump and run landfill for other councils? How wrong I was.

The speakers were professional and clearly very knowledgeable. They'd put in hours of time into their presentations, working out how to best explain the proposal. And it's far, far worse than I'd expected. 

Night view from Arthurs Seat over Dromana and Safety Beach

Arthurs Seat is a smallish hill (305 metres above sea level) on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria. It's a major tourist attraction with beautiful sweeping views across Port Phillip Bay. To the north is Melbourne and to the south are The Heads - a very narrow channel between two headlands, leading into Bass Strait. Arthurs Seat was named by Acting Lieutenant John Murray who saw it from aboard the sailing ship the Lady Nelson in 1802 way back when the area was first being explored by the English. 

Mornington Peninsula is now described as Melbourne's playground because of the wonderful scenery, glorious beaches, great natural spas, golf courses with stunning views, excellent wines, good surf, fishing, state and national parks, boating and food, all relatively close to the capital city. 

The Arthurs Seat State Park, which flanks the proposed tip site, is valuable not only for its koalas, wallabies, goannas and bandicoots but supports a wide range birdlife which help maintain the areas health and biodiversity. More than 25 species of plants are either rare or uncommon on the Peninsula, and four are listed as threatened. 

The State Park gives a glimpse into what the region was like before white settlers came and found the land was good for market gardens, farming, vineyards, spas and a multitude of fabulous tourist ventures. 

Arthurs Seat is the backdrop for the bayside towns of Rosebud, Dromana and McCrae. Near the proposed tip location are two primary schools, organic farms and Diggers Seeds - a much loved and highly regarded source of heirloom and organic seeds and plants. This partially sets the scene for the sense of betrayal locals feel that the Mornington Shire Council would even consider this location as a viable option for a tip.

Westernport Bay RAMSAR Wetlands

Biosphere

But it’s even more offensive than that. Ten years ago, the entire Mornington Peninsula including the Westernport region was nominated for, and proudly wears the mantle of being a proclaimed UNESCO biosphere reserve.

This means that the area is considered to be a living laboratory where people co-operate to develop better ways to manage the earth’s resources to meet human needs,while conserving natural processes and biodiversity. Conservation and sustainable development underpin the entire concept, however participation is entirely voluntary. There has been wide community support for the biosphere reserve and responsible stewardship is encouraged across the entire area.

Zero Waste

Interestingly Peninsula Waste Management (PWM) highlights responsible recycling in the header of their web site, yet at the meeting, it was noted that there will be no facility for recycling at all at the proposed tip, and all waste, including green waste will be dumped in together. 

Unlike the current tip at Rye where recycling is encouraged, locals will be unable to take trailer loads of green waste to be mulched, or goods to be sorted for resale.  

The Shire website states “MPS has a significant opportunity to play a leading role in promoting sound waste management practices, high levels of recycling services and innovative waste education and leadership within the waste sector.” Elsewhere the term “best practice” is used.

Maybe I've got the wrong end of the green wedge, but this proposal hardly reflects the name chosen for the Mornington Peninsula Regional Waste Management Group - Peninsula Zero Waste! Dumping unsorted waste, including asbestos, into a hole in the ground which is set below the water table, lined with plastic and with pipes and pumps to continually remove the water and liquid that will collect doesn't appear to be best practice, responsible stewardship, environmentally wise or sustainable. 

However, let’s continue.

How the liner works

The liner for this kind of tip can be problematic too. It sounds neat for a small domestic fish pond, but the requirement here is massive. Basically the liner, or membrane, is placed at the base of the hole and up the very steep sides to separate the waste from the surrounding ground and to prevent the toxic sludge entering the waterways (the mind boggles at how they do this). Pipes are laid out to pump out the wet stuff. (more here)

The wet substance is called leachate and it’s pumped to storage tanks where it’ll be transported off site daily in 15 (?) tankers. It’s not nice stuff.

The waste is dumped on top of the membrane. It gets heavy ... they estimate 70 – 100 trucks per day will lumber in and out dumping loads of unsorted waste - surely I got that figure wrong, that's an enormous number. The waste gets rained on adding even more weight; assorted chemicals, solvents, paints etc wash around and out of those containers that were thrown “away”. They mix together and create new and interesting potions which get pumped out. 

Unlike the pond or swimming pool at home which can be emptied with some difficulty, then repaired, this membrane cannot be repaired. If it becomes worn, if there are abrasions, holes or leaks of any kind, it's impossible to remove what's been dumped on top and patch the liner. 

The pipes which have been meticulously laid to collect the water and wet debris are likewise unable to be repaired, unclogged or cleaned. Would you use the word "never" when discussing the possibility of a leakage into creeks and waterways? 

Melbourne across the bay from Mornington

What gets tipped and who does the tipping

I heard at the meeting that it’s estimated that 70% of the landfill to be dumped will come from outside the Shire of Mornington. It’ll include, but not be limited to “solid inert waste, usually generated by industry, such as packaging and building materials”. It sounds inocuous enough stated like that, and of course we can be confident that no unscrupulous, or lazy people would sneak in the odd toxic by-product from their chemical factory over in Dandenong can’t we? Of course it'll all be sorted before it gets dumped!

Then of course we have the standard nasties included in household waste.  Unfortunately, not everyone composts their organic refuse which will mix in with discarded pongy “disposable nappies”, and bottles containing household cleaning chemicals such as bleach and ammonia.

Known toxins in discarded containers of common garden fertilisers and insecticides will be added to this complex slurry. (Please, for the health of our soil, insects and bees, go organic!) Some materials will decompose relatively quickly, others including the convenient disposable nappies can take up to 500 years, and polystyrene can reportedly take over a million years to decompose.

We can do so much better. From the Shire website: “The Shire contrator managing the Rye Waste Disposal Centre, and the Shire’s other waste transfer stations, is required to meet stringent waste diversion targets. Waste is sorted and markets have been developed to avoid taking much of this waste to landfill. In the last year 58% of hard waste was diverted from landfill. This is significantly ahead of the diversion rates being achieved anywhere in Victoria.” The proposed site won't have this service.  

Waste transfer stations work and locals have embraced them, sorting trailer loads of household rubbish into various on-site areas for reuse. I understand that a waste processing plant is likely to be developed in Hallam which is within a reasonable distance. Yet, this proposal is to allow garbage from that area to be dumped here trusting that it'll be pre-filtered and sorted. No doubt it's cheaper to dump than sort and process. But it's not responsible.

Unpleasant odours?

The smells, gasses and dusts from this delectable mix will of course be well contained even on hot, humid or windy mid summer days. How do I know? We’ve been assured by PWM the smells won’t travel! They'll stay within the boundary of the site and not set our noses twitching with displeasure. These well behaved smells will know how to act and have no doubt read and understood this requirement. 

And in 20 or 30 years when the quarry is filled to the brim with some decidedly unpleasant refuse, (remember, a significant proportion having been sourced from outside the Shire) it’ll all be covered with a metre or so of soil and be nearly transformed back to the original appearance! Yaay. No noxious fumes, no gasses, no leaching, no awkward, unfixable dribbles from aged liner or pipes. No problems!

Wildlife

As for the local wildlife, the creatures which live nearby in the state park. I’m sure they’ll be fine with a bit less habitat, it’s not as if they owned it anyway. It’s possible the koalas won’t even notice the removal of some manna gums, their preferred food source. 

As for the known fire hazards in a tip of this nature, and especially as it's embraced on two sides by an iconic State Park, with a school nearby – it doesn’t bear thinking about.

Leachate – the not so nice byproduct

One of the issues which was discussed in some detail is the possible leaching of the byproducts of the tipped waste into the surrounding land and water table, and eventually into Sheepwash Creek and Port Phillip Bay.

Comfortingly, according to PWM, “The principal components of leachate are nitrogen species such as ammonia and salts, like table salt. … The Toxicity of landfill leachate is comparable to that of water draining from a septic tank.” That's reassuring.

However, according to Wikipedia, leachate is a liquid that contains harmful substances which are likely to become putrid. I mentioned some of the nasties that get dumped domestically; then there's waste from chicken processing plants, farms and various manufacturing businesses.  This leachate is clearly not going to be equivalent to regular table salts!

More from Wikipedia: “All membranes are porous to some limited extent so that over time low volumes of leachate will cross the membrane.” I’m partially reassured that “they should never have a measurable adverse impact on the quality of the receiving groundwater.” But unsettled by “A more significant risk may be the failure or abandonment of the leachate collection system. Such systems are prone to internal failure as landfills suffer large internal movements as waste decomposes unevely and thus buckles and distorts pipes.”

Distressingly, the more I read about leachate, the more it sounds like something you wouldn’t want entering Port Phillip Bay or in trucks trundling past a local primary school umpteen times per day. 

The PWM literature states that  “there will never be a leachate discharge to any creek.”

“Never”. Wow, that's supremely confident. I'd be much more reassured by a statement along the lines of "in the unlikely event of a leak, we have x, y and z process in place to respond immediately and without hesitation." At least then I'd know they'd thought about how to respond. Never alerts me to the fact that a response hasn't even been considered.

A trait I've noticed with some sectors involved with dangerous substances or toxic byproducts, (such as with fracking, oil pipelines and nuclear waste,) is the ability of those involved to downplay concerns and over-estimate their competence, the state of their equipment and ability to respond to any incident promptly and effectively. Unfortunately the path of overconfidence is well worn and the years or decades of suffering by those living nearby is minimised and forgotten as the next "unexpected" disaster unfolds.  

At this stage I begin to wonder if there could be any adverse effect from an earth tremor associated with Selwyn Fault. This wasn't mentioned at the meeting, so perhaps not.

The Peninsula expects increased severe weather events including extremely heavy rains associated with climate change. The risk of increased flooding is anticipated. Will the pumps designed for current  “highest recorded flows” be up to the challenge of future inundations? 

Under what circumstances could the pumps fail? Never? 

If there is any overflow or leak, the leachate will find its way into Sheepwash Creek and from there into Port Phillip Bay to be absorbed by the shellfish being farmed locally. As for the businesses close by which have worked hard to gain their organic certification – I guess they’ll be considered an inconvenient offsite irritant when they complain that airborne dust (which didn't quite manage to get tucked in at night) carrying tiny fibres and toxins from the waste are affecting their livelihoods.

There's a petition at: http://www.communityrun.org/petitions/save-arthurs-seat

Further information including how to write a submission to the EPA, and place an objection to council and local MP is at http://savearthursseat.com/

What a shame it's not a council election year. It'd be great to hear from individual councillors what they really value and mean by: 

"COMMITTED TO A  SUSTAINABLE PENINSULA" or perhaps they'll change that statement?

...

Reduce consumption, repurpose articles, recycle whenever possible.

If you haven't seen the Story of stuff it's well worth watching. 

....

Further information: 

http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/parks-and-reserves/about-parks-and-reserves/biosphere-reserves

Biosphere http://www.biosphere.org.au/documents/nomination/zones.pdf

http://www.biosphere.org.au/aboutus.html

http://www.peninsulawaste.com.au/

http://greenliving.lovetoknow.com/Environmental_Problems:_Landfills

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posted by Sue Travers

The Great Barrier Reef. Beautiful one day, an open sewer the next?

India expects to use coal imported from their Australian mines to power some of their planned 455 coal-fuelled power plants. For this to happen it's expected that The Great Barrier Reef will have even more coal terminals built along its fragile, stressed reef to fill massive tankers which will then be manoeuvred through the treacherous channels between the reefs then around the world.

What could possibly go wrong?

The 350.org India co-ordinator Chaitanya Kumar said "what we now need in India is a dramatic shift in policy that puts sustainable and clean energy access as a priority."

Link here to a petition to share concerns that ...

Indian companies GVK and Adani are proposing a series of mega-mines in Australia’s Galilee Basin to fuel their coal power expansion plans. GVK has just received approval for its controversial “Alpha Coal Project” that includes a massive new coal terminal right in the middle in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. Adani Group has plans to build what would be, by far, Australia’s biggest coal mine, along with another massive coal export terminal at Abbot Point and nearby Dudgeon Point.

It's not that India is tardy in investing in sustainable alternative energy. In fact they could show countries such as Australia how to use solar panels to prevent evaporation from irrigation channels as can be seen in the photo from Gujurat.

(photo sourced from the web)

A friend recently said to me, surely the coal industry filters their waste water carefully before releasing it back into the environment, and especially when it's near the Great Barrier Reef?

A recent email from Greenpeace gives the following information that would make my friend's toenails curl in horror (my bold):

"There are 250,000 million litres of polluted water sitting in coal mine pits in the Bowen Basin – that’s the equivalent of 100,000 Olympic swimming pools. Some of this water has been there for two years. Instead of treating the water to remove harmful toxins, the coal industry has spent the last two years lobbying for permission to release their polluted water into Queensland’s waterways.

These waterways feed into the Fitzroy River downstream to graziers, towns, the city of Rockhampton and eventually, the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.

Last week, Premier Campbell Newman told Queensland Parliament “the government will not do anything to in any way degrade the feed water coming down the Fitzroy for their water supply.”

That same day, Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney introduced new legislation that allows that to happen.

The Deputy Premier is proposing to create new provisions within the Environment Protection Act that would enable the coal companies to pollute our waterways.

We need to show the Premier that legislation permitting our environment, including the Great Barrier Reef, to be polluted is not acceptable. Send him this message today urging him to pull the Deputy Premier into line and to defend our drinking water and the Reef from the coal industry. 

This new legislation will give companies the opportunity to ask for permission to release their toxic water into Queensland rivers, beyond the standards and guidelines set for safe drinking water and agriculture at short notice and without public review. 

Please tell Premier Newman we need protection for our waterways and our precious Great Barrier Reef from the coal industry."

Link here to petition to let the Queensland government that allowing rampant pollution along the world Heritage Listed Great Barrier Reef is completely unacceptable.

Given that Australia is considered to be the driest inhabited continent on earth, the interior has one of the lowest rainfalls in the world, and around 3/4 of the land is arid or semi arid, it seems insane (perhaps criminal is a more fitting word) to allow coal mining companies to pollute our fragile and precious waterways.

fish with lesions - picture from link

Pollution in waters outside Gladstone affects fish, the fishing industry, tourism and many locally owned and operated local businesses. Lesions in fish are common, which makes them unsuitable for sale. More information here and here.

This issue affects more than Queensland and their government which seems to be in a state of dribbling, salivating lust about squandering finite fossil fuels to overseas countries. Whether we like it or not, we're all connected. Foolish, shortsighted decisions made in Australia affect people in far off lands, India included. Our governments - all our governments and policy makers - need to have a basic grasp of environmental cause and effect to ensure that our world remains relatively inhabitable.

Politicians, no matter where they are have the ability to push in a direction that ensures shortsighted decisions aren't made. How they choose can have devastating consequences for humankind.

Unfortunately, in Australia the motto often seems to be 

"Dig it, drill it, sell it off and stuff the future" 

Perhaps our politicians need to receive training in "How to say no" to the fossil fuel companies.

Another post on The Great Barrier Reef and the devastation that Australia is allowing (encouraging?) to happen in this beautiful area.

And for a short video added 13 November 2012, showing the official line compared to what's happening on the ground https://www.getup.org.au/campaigns/mining/gladstone/watch-this-video-now

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"We'll all be rooned"

Same news, different slant.

Murdoch owned local newspaper the Leader

Glory be, we'll all be broke by year's end with the horrendous rate "hike" all apparently due to the evil carbon tax. You can't miss it, surrounded in red, with a block-letter, red subheading clearly indicating the cause of the rate increase.

But wait! The reporter has actually presented the facts of the proposed budget quite well. When one gets beyond the drama - the word "modest" appears in the quote, but you have to be interested enough to read further, to get beyond the automatic, emotional knee-jerk reaction. You've already been told this is bad, and that the reason it's bad is the carbon tax. It's clear and unambiguous. Time to start bitching about the irresponsible government!

If you're interested enough to read further, there's more good news about how the local council is doing some pretty good things with the rates. Drainage will be improved to respond to increasing storm and flooding events - that's pretty encouraging. Sports pavilions will be upgraded which I expect will make the sporty types happy, and measures will be taken to address the effects of climate change. It's possible these include floods and fire, but I'm not entirely sure, because as you can see, the negative heading and subheading take up almost as much space as the actual article, which doesn't leave much space for exploring the issues.

Anyway, who'd bother reading - it's boring, right? Rates and taxes - ugh. Many people won't realise they've been taken for a ride by a sensationalist and skewed headline - they're already in bitch mode which makes it harder to read or think objectively.

It's clear what the slant of the paper is, given the negative focus on the carbon tax, no matter how much positive news is included in the skimpy article.

 The Mornington News - an independent newspaper

An alternative view of the forthcoming local council budget is in the independent newspaper. We now have a very encouraging gift of a low rate rise! Whoohoo. Celebrations in order!  Same increase in rates, but rather than being "rooned" by a frightful, crippling, evil carbon tax, (which isn't mentioned till half way down the second column) we learn that it's the lowest rates increase in over 10 years - double celebrations!! (Why, oh why they didn't have the sense to call it more accurately a tax on pollution and polluters I'll never understand.)

And so, the tussle between Murdoch and others who want to own media outlets to push their biased agenda goes on. Of course there will always be an element of bias in the news and reporting. However, when one person or group is able to monopolise the bulk of the news outlets and not only dumb it down, but manipulate the time poor or struggling reader and blatantly misrepresent facts we're setting ourselves up with a serious problem.


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An A to Z of Climate Matters.

April 2012. An A-Z of Climate Matters. 
There is a link in the sidebar to the A-Z blogging challenge hosted by Arlee Bird and his wonderful team.

A is for Advertising - a brief look at the methods media, vested interests and the advertising industry use to sway opinion regarding climate change rather than to share facts.
B is for Biodiversity - why it's important for our very survival on earth.
C is for Change - how we often resist it, fear it and avoid it, but how we also need to face it head on if we're to negotiate climate change and energy depletion with hope and confidence.
D is for Desertification - what can happen to lands which are overgrazed, and have every natural living thing removed for the planting of mono crops.
E is for Eat - what we choose to eat, how much, how often and where it's imported from has major implications for food security. Farting cows make their appearance here.
F is for Fracking - a method of extracting fossil fuels from deep under the earth.
G is for Greenhouse - the gasses which we're emitting into the atmosphere at such a rapid rate aren't healthy and are contributing to a toxic blend of chemicals which will last many hundreds of years. We don't breathe these easily, nor do animals. Trees that normally absorb carbon-dioxide aren't keeping up with our emissions.
H is for Health - Our mental and physical health is intricately tied with our climate. Increasingly frequent and severe weather events such as fire, drought and flood have impacts on everyone involved.
I is for Insects - We need them! Without creepy crawlies and bees, humankind is unlikely to survive. Toxic chemicals used on crops as pesticides kill not only "pests" but helpful critters too.
J is for Jellyfish - these can survive and thrive in ocean areas which have been overfished.
K is for Kilter - as in Our climate is out of kilter and so are some of our lifestyle choices.
L is for Leadership - innovative, farsighted, visionary, leaders are rare and need to be encouraged and celebrated.
M is for Mangroves - mangroves are the most interesting trees! They're salt tolerant meaning they can grow in sea water, and can deal with more carbon than any other tree.
N is for Notice - notice how you can make energy savings in your home AND save money!
O is for Oil - such a recent discovery and one which has infiltrated almost all our lives. In fact it's probably fair to say we're addicted to it and as with any addiction, breaking it could be a bit of a challenge. but it will run out, so perhaps it's not a bad idea to have a "Plan B".
P is for Plastics and Pollution - plastics are a wonderful invention, and a byproduct of oil. They're extremely handy for all sorts of things. Unfortunately products are often discarded thoughtlessly and add to the increasing problem of pollution.
Q is for Quadruple bottom line - a little bit of accounting - a different way of looking at what is valuable for businesses. Interesting rather than daunting :)
R is for Responsibility - hyper-consumption has an impact on using fossil fuels and therefore our climate.
S is for Soil - you don't have to get down and dirty to appreciate how necessary healthy soil is! Healthy soil = healthy plants. Healthy plants = healthy us.
T is for Trees - tall, majestic and leafy or stunted and straggly. No matter what they look like, trees are vital to maintain a breathable atmosphere, to stabilise soil and to assist with biodiversity.
U is for Urban heat island - cities absorb heat so people to use more air-conditioning. Greening our cities creates cooler, healthier lifestyles.
V is for Values - values underpin much of what we do and give our lives meaning. When people are out of touch with their values, their lives can lack direction and be unhappy and empty.
W is for Water - Water wars. Water disputes. Country against country, region against region. Farming, people, mining, all demanding more of this increasingly polluted vital resource.
X is for eXtreme weather - did it really take me this long to discuss weather?
Y is for Yesterday - sing the words from The Beatles song "Yesterday" to get a sense of this letter.
Z is for Zero - Zero population growth - improved quality of life for mums, children, families and communities. Enough food and water to go around. Equity and balance. So easy, yet so hard for many to accept the need for reliable modern contraception.

And now ... a well earned celebration :D

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Climate Matters. X is for eXtreme Weather

This post is for X in the A-Z BloggingChallenge 2012. Link in the sidebar.


Unseasonal snow, high winds, heavy rains, increased heat, damage to property, increased hospital admissions and deaths. Around the world reports of damage from extreme weather events are heard - "unprecedented", "rainfall deficits", "longest drought",  "crop devastation", "unseasonal weather", "homes without power for days", "highest known temperatures exceeded", "all time high"; this it seems, is the new normal locally and globally. 


In recent human history, extreme weather events have, statistically, been relatively rare. Due to our changing climate, the atmosphere is warmer due to complex inter-relationship of events.  For instance, warm air is able to hold more water whilst being less stable, leading to more volatile weather patterns.

Worldwide, heat waves are longer and hotter, heavy rain and flooding is more frequent. Severe storms are increasing in frequency and severity. As is expected, variation in weather patterns is evident and affected seasonally and by local geography such as rivers, lakes and mountains.

Seafront properties take the brunt of severe winds, rain and storm surges.

Computer modelling showing expected range of naturally occurring temperature variations both with and without human contribution shows that human contribution has increased the likelihood of hotter overall temperatures. (For why scientists talk about probabilities rather than certainties see A Advertising here) Upper atmosphere jet streams, swirling ocean currents, the melting of glaciers and permafrost all play a complex and interlinked part in our global weather systems.

People around the world are experiencing the effects of increasingly severe and more frequent storms. The insurance industry is already factoring extreme weather damage into their premiums; they understand that damage will be significant in years to come and have been proactive in encouraging governments to adapt and prepare. They've also been working with industry to address future needs as a result from climate change and the impacts on property and threat to life from global weather instability whether it be preparing for increased heat waves, snow, wind, cyclones or hurricanes.

Low lying industrial areas are at risk of flooding and damage during severe storms. Toxins, oils and other contaminants run into surrounding waterways creating havoc for shipping and poisoning fisheries and marine life to say nothing of loss of work and income by those affected. Cleanups are costly and can take many years leaving affected areas uninhabitable.


The heart break from rebuilding shattered lives is impossible to calculate in financial terms.

Remote areas are affected with roadways being washed away leaving farm properties stranded and creek beds susceptible to increased erosion from vehicle traffic.

Financial aid is finite and decisions need to be made whether to replace infrastructure in remote locations after flood damage.

In the recent past, communities affected by storm damage have relied on governments to assist with rebuilding and other support, but that appears to be less reliable as governments are increasingly stretched financially and decide how to most effectively divvy up their budget.

They may choose not to assist as more and more regions are impacted and infrastructure will be left to local communities to manage as best they can. Food security, transport breakdown, water impurities and general displacement impact on communities worldwide and will continue to do so as we experience this change.

Encouragingly though, communities around the world are planning with hope for the future and coming together to share information, resources and ideas to improve the resilience of their towns and regions. They're working together to create a vision for their new communities based on common goals related to making their communities vibrant places to live post Peak Oil. See also H Health here. More detailed information on the Energy Descent Action Plan here.



Last year I wrote about the X-factor that enables some people to speak out and stand up to workplace bullies. Here. 


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Climate Matters. W is for water

This post is for W in the A-Z blogging Challenge 2012. Link in the sidebar.


Water is vital for our continued survival on our Earth - for drinking, cooking, manufacturing, mining and farming. Without clean water to drink or to grow crops we can expect negative health effects from malnutrition and other health impacts and further loss of life worldwide.

Arguments about who owns water rights is already a major bugbear between nations where major river systems travel through many countries - the citizens of each country naturally demand their equal share of this vital resource. "Ownership" and "rights" are fragile and hotly contested; those upstream are accused of taking more than their "fair share" and dumping pollutants, debris and toxins in for others down stream to manage as best they can.

Increased demands on water from irrigators, communities, mining and farming is creating tension and an underlying bitterness in country Australia.  Conflicting needs and divided communities can leave scars that will be hard to heal. Unfortunately thrown into the mix is the willingness of the  powerful, high profile, influential, subsidised fossil fuel industry to use well funded persuasive techniques to convince policy makers that their way is the only way.  These techniques are sometimes referred to as 'obstructive', when electricity companies are unable to purchase power from suppliers using renewable energy, such as wind or solar farms, due to contractual obligations.

In Australia, users downstream in the Murray-Darling Basin are left without enough water for their farms and communities, with towns struggling to remain viable. Signs along one of our major river systems show a waterway experiencing enormous stress.

We have such a deep emotional and spiritual relationship with water that it's seen as desirable to build homes over-looking rivers, lakes and bays. The ever changing vistas are a delight, and landowners in wealthy areas often choose to build mansions to benefit from cooling breezes and glorious views. The light from a stormy sky reflecting in water can be mesmerising, moonlight shimmering and plashing waves delight all our senses.

However, many waterside locations are increasingly viewed by insurance companies as somewhat negative, and insurance premiums reflect that industry's acceptance of the impact climate change will have on homes and industries built in 'problematic' areas. Increasing sea levels, the damage from storm surges, erosion and pollution from on land and via ocean currents, are having a disastrous affect on home prices in formerly desirable, wealthy suburbs.

The impact of stressed water systems affects not only home prices by the oceans, but recreational activities inland as well; entire communities and regions are suffering.

In Australia, bitter legal fights between councils aware of the impact of sea level rise, and developers and home owners wanting to recoup costs for subdivisions and low lying homes are ugly and acrimonious. Iconic surf life saving clubs are suffering from storm related erosion and need to relocate at huge cost to communities - yet some people still deny that we are experiencing unprecedented climate change while simultaneously demanding compensation or that infrastructure be built to protect their investments.

Venice is well known for flooding. Enterprising souls now sell single use waterproof boots ... Now that's looking at a problem creatively and making it into an opportunity! How will other cities respond when a similar problem unfolds?

Thrown into this mix is the need to address the issue of the amount of water needed to produce food.  All foods need water to grow and processed foods use extra in the production process. Some foods such as wheat are said to need about 1,000 litres of water per kilogram; in comparison, beef needs about 8 times more than that per kilogram.

See P for Plastics and Pollution (here) - Apparently around $100 billion is spent on bottle water annually world wide. Surely in countries where tap water is safe to drink, we can do better than using bottles for purchased water, especially given how many of those bottles are discarded and end up in waterways and our oceans.


Last year I wrote about Why me? for W in my theme on Workplace bullying here, and Weirdo here


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Climate Matters. O is for oil.

This post is for O in the A-Z blogging Challenge 2012. Link in the sidebar.


Oil is one of those things we used not to think about very much until we saw more and more on the news about the cost of oil rising above $100US a barrel. When the cost of filling the fuel tank in your car rises, it begins to hit home that something unpleasantly out of your control is happening.

In a nutshell, it was only about 150 years or so ago that oil came to be routinely used for more than as a fuel for lamps as people worked out how useful it was for cheap apparently limitless energy. It was abundant and the byproducts came to be used for all sorts of things beyond the obvious. Nylon for clothing, medicines, plastics and many, many other everyday items as well, all owe their existence to oil. Just looking around me now, I see book covers, chairs, curtains, an iron, plastic around my computer, cables, toys, floor coverings, a purse, artificial flowers, containers that plants came in, shopping bags, buttons, shoes - and the list goes on and on and on......

Image from Amazon

In The Transition Handbook (which is a very readable, positive book) Rob Hopkins discusses both peak oil and climate change when sharing some options he sees for our future. They are inextricably linked and to think of one without the other only gives half the picture.

Cheap, plentiful oil has enabled our society to be structured as it is. Many things around us use oil in their manufacture and for their transportation around our Earth, and naturally it’s hard to imagine any other reality. When the cost of oil rises, so do many other commodities and we struggle to make ends meet. Eventually we have a choice - either work longer hours and take a second job to continue our current rate of consumption - or change our habits to consume less.

Why is the cost of oil rising? Oil is a finite resource, and in approximately 200 years, we’ve extracted all the easy to get at reserves. Whilst it’s hard to get reliable data on production figures and reserves, those in the know estimate that production has already peaked (ie the oil glass is half empty and being consumed at ever increasing rates) and that there will inevitably come a day when demand outstrips supply and prices will begin to rise sharply. This is irrespective of which political party is in power, and however much the oil companies try to sugar coat the situation.

Naturally enough, oil companies have used the easy to get at reserves first. There are less discoveries now, and the companies are doing their best to extract every last drop from the most challenging areas of our Earth. Tar sands oil is very dense, it can be dug out of the ground with massive machinery and the sand is then washed to extract the oil. This process produces carbon-dioxide (one of the greenhouse gasses), uses vast quantities of water that then needs to be treated before being dumped back in the ground. (see also F Fracking)  Caribou herds, wolves and native peoples are deemed inconvenient and removed often forcefully and with little regard for their welfare.

We're encouraged to believe that we can't survive without plentiful fossil fuels. However, there will come a time when we have to. Common sense would say that to begin seriously looking at and promoting investment in all alternatives would be a reassuring way for communities to face our future post oil. Unfortunately (at least in Australia) we're encouraged to believe that the only way forward is to use all deposits of oil, gas and coal before we build the infrastructure for renewables. Unfortunately this black and white either/or attitude discourages investment, research and innovation and thus has a negative affect on jobs growth in the sustainable energy sector. In addition, the ongoing jobs created by the mining of fossil fuels are minimal and growing at a painfully slow rate in comparison to other sectors.

The excitement about pockets of difficult to extract oil and the frantic insistence that all is well, obscures the need to reassess our reliance and addiction. The investment in advertisements and obfuscation point to a defensive industry on attack rather than one that is genuinely secure, adaptable, innovative and comfortable.

A word I heard used recently about the negativity and undermining practises surrounding renewable energy was "obstructive" - unfortunately it seems to be an accurate word.

Shale Oil production at Newnes, near Wollemi National Park. NSW.
This complex operated in the early 1900's. Info here.

Last year for the letter O, I wrote about Obstructive and Outrageous Behaviour associated with Workplace Bullying. Here and Outrageous here.


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Climate Matters: N is for Notice

This post is for N in the A-Z blogging Challenge 2012. Link in the sidebar.


Notice what changes you can make in your immediate environment to become more sustainable - to become aware is empowering!

An old postcard found tucked into a book.
Poems by John Hepworth, sketches by Leunig.

That cheaper plasma TV that cost next to nothing to purchase could be slurping power in the most greedy way. It's easy to get sucked into a purchase because an item is cheap to buy - but often what is cheap at the register is more expensive to maintain day to day. They're energy sucking vampires. If you purchase a new TV, choose an LCD or LED screen, they're far more energy efficient.  As an aside, if you're using TV as a form of anaesthesia consider going for a walk either alone or with others, our bodies like to move and will thank you for it.

Was your refrigerator banished to the garage or basement when you upgraded to a swishy new one?  There it is keeping a few bottles of beer cold ... have you checked how much energy it's consuming? I know of one person who saved over $300 per year simply by getting rid of the beer frig and elderly TV! An alternative could have been to only turn them on as needed ie, don't leave them on standby. Many electric items on "idle" consume more power than you might expect! Standby, or idle is not the same as off. It's not unusual to reduce electricity consumption from 29 kwh to 9.32 kwh just by turning off those items - that represents money in your pocket!

Leaving white-goods on standby can seem petty and insignificant, individually it could be as little as $12 per year, pfft, that's nothing!! But when you add the different items around an average home, it all adds up - maybe it still seems a bit pointless, but when push comes to shove, who would you rather had that $160, you or your power company?

What else to do? Cover downlights with little special igloos to stop winter heated air escaping - many types of downlight create a tiny vortex sucking out your warmth and can double a heating bill in the blink of a wintery eye.

Insulate, insulate insulate - we have chopped up wool and it acts as a cosy blanket for the house.

Double glazing could be too expensive for many of us, but there are stick on alternatives that are affordable and good if you're renting. These products can cut down loss of heat, or prevent it getting in, in hot climates.

Heavy curtains over windows prevent sun getting in where the temperatures are hot, or heat escaping in cold climates. Pelmets over the top of windows stop heat sneaking out - if you're renting it's possible to make simple cardboard ones. It helps create a snug cocoon.

There's a neat little gizmo that you can buy to see how much power is being consumed by appliances when they're on idle. A remote kill switch or power board, again seems insignificant to cut power from standby, but add it to the other savings so YOU get to enjoy the benefits NOT the corporation

Turn off lights when you're not in the room - how simple can it be!

Door seals, don't have to be dorky, and most of us are aware of drafts around outside doors, but I'd never thought of using them indoors. If your toilet or bathroom has a window and vent to the outer world, it could be worthwhile to use a draft sausage and door seals there. It seems picky, but you could be heating the air outside rather than snuggling in it inside.

You can use an Incense stick to check for drafts - just light one then wander around and see how the smoke behaves - is it being sucked upwards towards light fittings or toward door surrounds?

When you buy a new light globe try the LED ones, they're more expensive to buy, but will last an amazing length of time, more than making up for the initial outlay. Some of them shed a cold light, the same as regular light globes, so check before you buy.

We used to hear the saying "a penny saved is a penny earned " meaning  don't throw your hard earned money into the abyss. Millions of Australians earn around $20 per hour, if you leave 5 items on standby (eg washing machine, toaster, computer, printer and bar frig) that equates to working 10 hours and you're not getting any personal benefit. You might be at work and notice that the first hour of each day for two weeks every year you're working to pay for items sitting at home on standby. Isn't that worth noticing?

Only run the dishwasher or washing machine as needed, ie when full! Unless you're running a hotel, only wash towels once a week, it's easy to dry them either outdoors in summer or on a clothes horse in winter. Clothes dryers can be used as a back up when all else fails, but line drying is the preferred option - the smell is invigorating and as a hay-fever sufferer I can honestly say I've never sneezed when wearing clothing straight off the line.

You might also become aware of the common unsustainable ingredients in foods. Palm oil is produced from plantations where natural vegetation has been decimated, biodiversity has been thrown out of balance, native peoples forcible removed from traditional lands and animals squashed into pockets of land that are unable to sustain them promoting spread of disease due to overcrowding.

As we learn to notice things such as where goods come from, the ethics of companies, and think about sustainable lifestyles, we find we have choices. Rather than reacting through habit, when we notice we realise we have the power to choose in accordance with our values (see V) - it can help make decisions simple - it's empowering.

Last year for N, I wrote about Nurses and other Nice people for my theme of workplace bullying. Here. and Nincompoops and Napalm here.
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