Compromise

One wonders what history will make of the Australian political compromises made on global warming.
Will it condemn Abbot’s Liberal party for getting rid of the only leader who took the issue seriously and replacing him with a political opportunist?
Or it will it laugh at Rudd’s Labor Party which haled it as the most important issue of the century and then downgraded it for three years when it saw there were no votes in it.
Either way, neither of these political strategies will do anything to actually encourage Australians to act responsibly.

On using one's brain

I notice there are stories in the press in recent days suggesting that the great northern freeze is the start of 30 years of cold weather, global cooling, the environment readjusting itself...and so on.

While this sort of 'analysis' makes for easy reading in the popular press, it has about it the sort of simplistic critique that rather compounds the problem more than helps us understand it.

It's a sort of "what goes up must come down" type of theory.

Some climate-change sceptics have been espousing this for some time...the argument being that the earth has done this for ever and has always moved to correct itself.

What this overlooks is any qualitative analysis of what these 'corrections' might involve, or what the cost might be to world as a whole. Is a correction which involves the permanent disappearance of 35 species of birds, 456 species of tropical fish, the loss of plant life, the permanent changing of land and water structure, Ok because it is part of natural balance?

Some obviously think so.

If we use our brains, we would move to minimise damage. We would not use fluctuations, or even 'corrections' to justify our rapacious attitude towards the environment.

If we used our brains, while we would see that there is plenty of political point-scoring to be done, nationally and internationally...that it is that attitude that has got us into this poosition in the first place.

A bit of an unstructured wander over the subject........I'm sorry ...but maybe you take the point.

Wonderful! Wonderful! - (trouble in ) Copenhagen

While the nay sayers will no doubt have a field day with the fact that Copenhagen doesn't seem to be getting anywhere fast. And that there is fractious debate, and a lot of disagreement.

Can I at least ask the question: Who ever thought it was going to be otherwise?

While there is clearly a lot of diverse opinion about who caused all this, about what constituent parties can do; and whether (even) talking and paper shuffling can achieve anything...no one surely thinks this is easy.

So why would we not expect diversity, conflict and disagreement. Only those who want to politically point-score will see such as a negative, I rather think it is a sign of a robust debate. (perhaps some call robust debate....argument or disagreement or stoush...or what ever) and this must be good.

There will be no simplistic solution, there will be no gain without pain. And it is only the beginning, to think otherwise is just puerile.

I often say to my community when we feel swamped to the point where we feel that nothing we do will achieve anything.

If we do nothing then nothing will be done!

This self-evident truism is a warning for all of us against apathy.

Going out with a bang

There is no doubt, then, that Malcolm has decided he is not coming back! His lastest declamations on his blog ( reported here) and blog is here, declaim that he is of the opinion that the Liberal party has no likelihood of being taken seriously on climate change. Or of forming a credible policy.
This may or may not be the point. It points to the fact of why his leadership was always tenuous, he was more interested in the policy than the politics. And in politcs you have to do both.
It's true in parishes, too, the leadership can often have a very clear idea of what to do for the future but you have to be able to carry the community with you. This can sometimes test everyone other than the most patient, or saintly. It's often noted that Moses led the people out of Egypt into the wilderness to make a six week trip that ended up taking forty years! Sometimes it feels like that in parishes.
Certainly it must have felt like that to Turnbull, who with his fine mind and can-do ability readily grasped what needed to be done. This is why I kept predicting that he wouldn't be able to go the distance. Hanging round for forty years is not his style.
Of course in regard to climate change 'hanging round for forty years' is in no one's interest. And may indeed be too late.
Malcolm has decided to go out fighting, but go out he will!

Global cooling

Wednesday     Shower or two.                         Min 11    Max 17
Thursday      Fine. Morning cloud.                   Min 13    Max 20
Friday        Fine. Mostly sunny.                    Min 10    Max 24
Saturday      Fine. Mostly sunny.                    Min 14    Max 30
Sunday        Fine. Mostly sunny.                    Min 15    Max 33
Monday        Hot. Late change.                      Min 17    Max 36

One of the things that I was taught to do at University (but I'm not very good at) was to look at statistical information properly, and to draw appropriate conclusions not (just) the ones that I wanted to.
Now, I'm generally a believer with regard to climate change. But during these bitterly cold days of late I have not heard one person suggest that this cold snap is heralding a new age of 'global cooling'....but you can bet that on Saturday we will hear once again from misreaders of statistics (like the weather forecast for the next few day above) about global warming!
So (far be it from me to suggest too often) little Johnny is right when he says that global warming is not going to happen tomorrow, and we need to be measured in our approach and response (here). But I cannot buy the argument that therefore we should do nothing until the "big players" (the US and China) get their acts together. Nor am I convinced thjat Howard really believes that, if he did then Australia would never do anything abotu anything.
I say we should do what we can, as soon as we can. Anything less is stupid.
Any way rug up and enjoy the day!!!

Climate change

The shrinking (North) Polar ice cap-1979 -2003

Interesting reflections emerge about the climate change debate. Although its become the "in topic", several more serious commentators are noting that in the last 5-10 years the actual science has become more sharply honed. Such a one was Alan Dupont on Margaret Throsby this a.m.
His keen observation is worth listening to.
Observing the political scene one could be forgiven for thinking that the sort of opportunistic vote-seeking politics that both our major parties go in for will not be a good mindset for actually dealing with the problem.
If I hear the idiocy of our PM saying we are not signing Kyoto because other people (chiefly the Yanks we should note) are not signing; and it makes no sense unless everyone signs it, then I swear I shall scream! Little J is such an opportuntist and ballot-box responsive that he will never do more than cobble together a policy which will win him what votes he can (see here).
This simply is not good enough, we will need leadership which will lead not just that which will push from behind, or follow the most popular line.
Where is Adolf when you need him?