Doing the maths

Probably the only good thing about this election campaign is the emergence of the population debate in a serious sort of way.

If the recent Q&A showed anything, it showed that the unthinking and unintelligent commentary of those who advocate growth at any cost (see my recent blog here) just will not do any longer.

I have been particularly impressed by the discussion that says that we now have to work out the specifics.

It does not seem to me that this is impossible. It may be complex...but life is complex...but the sums just require imagination and some forethought.

It might include:

• An accurate accounting of the amount of water that is required per head of population. This will include such issues as personal hygiene, food production, industrial needs, agricultural requirements...and so on.
• The second half of this sum (which needs to balance) is where can this come from...both natural and industrial sources. This also is not impossible to calculate, though again it is important to be realistic and not just wishful (rather the problem of the 'growth at any cost' devotees...or the "climate science is crap" group. If we are realistic then
• the cost of water begins to emerge in a realistic sense. The truth is, as we have been told for a decade, is that we are addicted to cheap water...indeed most of us think water should be free...but there is no such thing as a free lunch or free water!
• the cost of energy has parallel questions
• there needs to be serious analysis of age profiles and their trends and movements None of this is rocket science, even if it does require careful thought. What it probably requires more than anything else is that we are serious and frank. We are not always good at this!
• what sort of services, and standard of living can we realistically expect in (say) 2050, 2100, 2200. Not an exercise in 'wishful thinking' but a balance between how much this costs and what we can afford to pay and where this comes from
• From the interplay of these (and other) questions the issue about how these variables influence outcomes we can begin to discern the key issue...what sort of population can we afford. And what price is too high...for energy, for water, for housing...indeed for wages

I am not suggesting that these questions have never been asked. They are often ignored! I heard Elliott say the other night that "This was just rubbish!" when Bob Brown was raising these very questions.

While we maybe need to not be unduly pessimistic. We also need to be sensible. Good stewardship demands such.

There is more, much more to come in this debate.

When the world is in meltdown

This weekend is taken up with our annual Diocesan Meeting or Synod. The Eucharist last night seemed only moderately well-attended both by clergy and laity. We seem to have forgotten about the opportunity to invite community and other church leaders, the liturgy was very clergy dominated and even (as far as I could tell) those laity who were allowed to administer Communion were trainee priests.
The Bishop's address was dry, and he looked tired...poor man
The agenda is dominated by formality with only (it would seem) a slight departure into the controversial to discuss GAFCON (so called Global Anglican Futures Conference...a body that declares itself to be the new fount of orthodoxy).
The Bishop did press us about water issues, and the global financial crisis, but where were the community leaders to hear it?
It will all be over tomorrow evening. PTL!

And why wouldn't you?

There is a certain sense of irony about politicans sitting down trying to solve the propblems caused by lack of water flowing down a river. It has a certain sense of the arrogance of King Canute about it and more than one commentator, and many an angry letter-writer, has noted that it is only more rain and melting snow that will actually solve the problem!
Not quite true!
Although we might like to believe that we are all on the same side, those who, like us, are at end of the puddle are only too well aware that our sisters and brothers upstream are quitre happy to put their interests ahead of ours.
The same Premier, Brumby, who only weeks ago was decrying Adelaide as a backwater, has reputedly held out for more funding for Victoria before signing up to any promise to not urinate in our water supply. And we all thought we were on the same side. And why wouldn't you?
What rather terrifies me about all this is the fact that it all seems terribly short sighted.
Surely maximum co-operation not blatant self-interest is the way to deal with ecological issues. We have, I think, still a long way to go before we get this.

New Year

There will be those who will think that the scorching temperatures are indicative of global warming!
I am not a denier, but they are not (on their own) evidence per se! It was wonderful to wander around at midnight last night and watch the fireworks in the wramth of the hot evening.
Here at Port Eliott, today, it was not 40 it was 25! 80 kms away from Adelaide (where it was 40) and 10-15 degrees cooler! Beautiful.
It would of course be ludicrous to suggest that Adelaide is in the grips of global warming and Port Elliott is not! We need to appreciate that global warming is a long-term and not a short term (year to year) trend. If average temperatures have gone up by 2, 3 or 10 degrees in 50 years time then there will indeed have been a trend, but this does not happen statistically from year to year.
As I think back through our post Christmas holidays over the last two decades they have (if anything) been cooler than the late 60s and 70s. So let's not be silly!
Meanwhile we have really appreciated the 4 minute timer for the shower which seems to have worked for all. Now water! That is a real and immediate problem!!
Happy New Year. Watch the water!

Water

The rain seems to have been significant and yet when you scratch your garden you don't go very deep to get to the dry.

I still think the 'desalination' plan that is being promoted by our (SA) government is a sop to the electorate. Some interesting analyses on radio and in the press are saying tings like. The billion or so that would be needed could be better and more locally distributed. If, for example, you ensured every dwelling had rainwater and/or recycled grey water then if there are 400,000 dwellings they could be well subsidised and probably to better effect. It would be relatively quick to come online unlike the fabled desalination whichy looks like one of those things that will inevitable 'blow out'.

Our Port Elliott House totally recycles all the septic water, and that's a modest little dwelling  in a tin pot little town. Surely such simple slutions sould not be overlooked in the bid to apease the electorate!

We are the ODD people!

Not the funny or strange people. I am an odd person.
Late last night out in the garden (still 37 degrees at 10 p.m.) setting up hose and sprinkler so that at 5 a.m. I could get up and turn it on. Odd indeed. We live at no. 35 (here)

The grass withers

I am reminded by today's meditation (here) that things decay. I watch the garden drying out. And you realise that whereas once everything sort of had a residual moisture that meant things could last for a couple of days. Now we are all watering so modestly that as soon as a heat blast comes the water goes.
[I bought three or four hanging baskets of zinnias and petunias and they are in such wonderfully friable soil (much better than I would have used) that they flourish when all is well but they dry out like nothing].
Of course Isaiah is reminding us too that we are a drought zone.
I have just rung my bereaved friend as we wait for Chris's funeral tomorrow, at least we remind ourselves that such stuff is drought making! I have rung she who is taking the funeral (and who must be obeyed) and we talked along much the same lines.
I am just about to go to spiritual direction, and I will be saying how S & I have pushed the envelope in the last 24 hours to talk together for more than the 10 mins we can usually cope with, and in so doing perhaps arrived at an uncomfortable place...but a necessary one. We dry up and wither very easily.
Isaiah promises that the drought will not be the prevailing feature in our lives, I find this harsh and at times unbelievable. And have a degree of anger about a whole range of things which are drought creating.....but in some way a little part of me is in touch with the fact that there is a constancy in God that is there even in drought. Even though the drought is bloody awful.

here we go

The 1st December is a sombre reminder:

• Where did the last 11 months go
• How much is there still to do before Christmas
• This last week seems to have been so busy and I have done so many things
• And yet all sorts of other stuff just hasn't got done
• The weather has been hot and cold
• everything is still parched and dry
• i had a funeral of a patriarch
• i've been on retreat in daily life
• i've slept average to badly
• today is my day off and there is a heap of stuff to do
• next week looks as though it will be more of the same.....aaah life!
  

Needy

I guess the difference between dogs and cats is that ultimately dogs are very needy.
Our pet pooch is a quiet and affectionate animal and likes attention. Of course in this warmer weather you need to make sure that there is plenty of water as inevitably the older dog tends to get stressed pretty quickly.
This morning she had run out of water so I filled both her bowls as soon as I got up. She was glad of the relief.
Then a dilemma for her, because while she was drinking I stroked her back.
What should she do? She was very thirsty but here was I giving her affection.
Despite the fact that we are told that it is thirst which most strongly demands our attention, she gave into the need for affection.
So the need for affection would seem to be the strongest motivator. A lot like humans really!!

Rain, rain go away!

Driving back across the roundabout at 8.10 a.m. this morning the automatic sprinklers had turned on. I don't know what was worse.....sprinkler watering is supposed to stop at 8 a.m. or the fact that it had been raining!
Even more mind blowing is trying to work out whether the roundabout is odd or even numbered (since it is slap bang in the middle of the road)....and we are on an odd & evens water restriction regimen.
Any way, a very red-faced council worker was heading towards the perilous centre with wrench in hand. I haven't been back to check if he was successful.