Been fishing?
Eco announcements.  From the supermarkets, lagging in several states, single use plastic shopping bags will cease use months out from today. Reusable plastic bags will be sold for 15cents each.  Reusable fabric shopping bag are also sold and are used by a lot of shoppers.
 What is the point of selling PLASTIC shopping bags?  Convenience and sales. 
Will the customer bring them back to reuse or will these new bags also go straight to landfill? At best, the bags are destined for landfill or litter after several uses.
We are all paying higher prices for our groceries to cover the growth of duplicate supermarkets in many suburbs.  In theory it provides competition but it would seem that customers are mobile and shop wherever and can manage without new giant twin supermarkets on every corner. They put the familiar shops right out of business and diversity is lost all round.
Often it is easy to see the country towns that remain vibrant in their centre are those that do not have a vast supermarket on the edge of town. When that happens they become a shadow of their former selves with rows of empty shops and disjointed pockets of activity. Grand interesting shops of note go wasted. If a town is clever enough to see the trend they might integrate a smaller supermarket into the existing stock of buildings and with parking lots nearby keep the town alive.
Aldi do not have single use plastic bags but, again, reusable plastic ones are sold. 
  Secondly, a massive storage battery is to be built in South Australia, the state that has bit the bullet and established alternative energy supplies despite total lack of support by the negative Federal gov.  Out of the blue, a famous American of Tesla fame I believe , said the battery will be built in 100 days or will be free of charge.
 Recently, the G20 was centred on vital change and carbon targets to save our environment yet reporting was dominated by the antics of the US and Russian dictators and their problems unrelated to climate change.

Eco blog

As if beached marine life. Female and male life savers lined up to sprint to their rubber duckie, jumped aboard to join the crew, full throttle out to a set-up off-shore where they enacted a rescue, I'm guessing, then raced back to the shore.  The photo does not convey the fast pace.

  Looming on the horizon are two of the coal ships that queue for coal from the Port of Newcastle, the fossil fuel city.
 The post-coal era will come but not soon enough. Progress. Westpac Bank announced it will not finance coal developments which is greeted both with applause and with outrage.
  Current tales in Newcastle are about upheavals in preparation for the super-car races of note,   meaning certain roads works have closed the roads and residential areas are very cross at finding themselves on a speed way. The east precinct is vintage style, where high rise or modernisation is probably banned - apart from super-car events!
  A new light rail to serve the long lean main street is about to start installation.  Apartments are spring up in the western precinct and change is accelerating in inner city Newcastle.      

Not long ago in the images fire was the big enemy when bush fires struck.
 Last week, it was a different story when the stubble left after harvest was burned off.  Small crops grown on the pretty undulating land of the central south west of the state were seen on fire here and there leaving large black and brown patches over the landscape.

  Recently it was said that agricultural fires are a big contributor to global warming via the emissions so are the fires very essential?

This property was in total disarray after fire went through.  Below is a fire free scene.
It could be said some farms look topsy-turvy at the best of times.
Every second vehicle was a B Double hauling a bumper wheat crop grown out west. 'Make hay while the sun shines' for research has found that wheat cropping is compromised long term by climate change.
 Gradually farmers will become unable to compensate for change in temperature and water resources and a region will cease production, less wheat, while a different climatic region might continue on.  

Midsummer nightmare

Heatwave today.  The growth in extreme high temperature events between 1910 and 2015. These are the days in the 99th percentile of the mean temperature for that day. Australian data from CSIRO  in Renew journal Issue 138 January - March 2017

Meteorology and CSIRO.... report that Australia's average surface air temperature and surrounding sea temperature have both increased by around one degree C since 1910.  Extreme heat events and fires have increased, while rainfall has decreased in the south and increased in the north.  Our oceans have warmed and become more acidic.......emissions reduction target of 26% to 28% on 2005 levels by 2030 is not sufficient to protect Australians from worsening heatwaves, bushfires and other extreme weather events.  Renew. Technology for a sustainable future. Issue 138, page 10.

'UNESCO' and 'endangered' hovers over the coral reefs of Queensland.  The ocean has warmed up and as a consequence, disastrously, colour has drained out of areas of coral. Cycles of recovery occur but are predicted to be less likely with increased global warming.
  The minister to do with global warming wants to rest on his laurels. Can't we do better than his reasoning that if the coal mines (in Queensland) are not developed than another country such as Indonesia will produce more coal of a type that is more polluting.
 Saving the wonders of the reef and reduction of carbon pollution comes at a cost. There is a price to pay in money and jobs.

 The coral in the photo is a rather old souvenir that was found by chance in Newcastle. It is more colourful than the image and surely it is the natural colour.  Although I have been to the reef area I never saw the coral except for a bit of snorkeling where coral was not a big feature but the island was lovely. 

Road Trip

The state of South Australia was looking near perfect during a quick little tour last month. Good rainfall resulted in thick green crops and bright vistas all round.
Wind turbines - could be anywhere - but these are north of Adelaide S A where wind power was unfairly seen as notorious for the role it played in a state wide power failure in recent times during an extreme weather event.  Climate troubles, yes, and a positive move to overcome this portrayed as second best.
Green power like Green politics falls far short of approval. As if it is on a par with the lowest of the low.

 A closer look at the blade of a wind turbine, its big, and displayed in the same district.  The village was a real scene of horror because of murders most foul committed in the 1990s.
  

Peoples Climate March Sydney
Australia was given the FOSSIL Award in Paris yesterday.  A well earned award.
Direct Action
Persons have stopped some coal export from the port of Newcastle by chaining themselves to a conveyor.   According to news reports they face arrest and believe it is a small price to pay. 

Together we triumph over adversity............wilderness society
People's Climate March

People's Climate march today.  People were heading from the four corners towards the Sydney Domain where the predominate message was for political action to combat climate change aimed especially at the meetings in Paris.

JOIN the climate march near you this weekend. In tune with the meeting in Paris.

Dry windy weather brings bush fires and they have taken a toll interstate. 39.1 outside.
El Nino  - there is no let up.
although weather reports for Jakarta and Java and Port Morsby in Papua New Guinea report thunderstorms.  They have been hanging out for the arrival of the monsoons.

Hear Ye  Hear Ye!

PEOPLES CLIMATE MARCH.

   Broad and diverse coalition organizing Peoples Climate Marches around Australia on w/e of 27-28 November 2015 just before world leaders gather at the UN climate summit in Paris.

   Go to www.peoplesclimate.org.au 
Backed by every organization worth its salt.

Will you host a film event?
Reverse the image with which our own trading port is burdened by coal exports.

 Care of Creation, Sep 1st, a day set aside by Pope Francis.
Prayer AND action is surely most appropriate.
Outstanding and sunny day with old fashioned, somewhat rare flowers - freezias, crocus, anaemone, and blossoms but too much glare. Adjust settings - come off it.
As if I can spell.  It is nice to put ae when it is not recognized by spell check.

On cue, a cargo of fossil fuel sails from the harbour but how far will it get?

Do any telcos offer high speed internet via a land line without a phone service attached?  Maybe they are inseparable.
 Or who will be the first to offer the internet alone?
Going on line without a line is common enough with various devices. But the N B Network seems to mean that a physical line of connection is here to stay. And NBN is expanding in Newcastle right now, they say.

Stand Up For The Pacific is the T shirt message.  Activists against fossil fuel overuse. Coal industry - our protected mainstay, our insult to long term well-being nay even our survival.

Our poor cash strapped struggling nation prepared to sacrifice dwindling reserves to pay industry to do something that is less harmful to the environment. That is the latest.
Hope this does not mean industry will be rewarded for window dressing and paid for any hair brain scheme they come up with.
And plant trees. Wow.  This might balance out our land clearing habits.

Protest action gets underway on Newcastle Harbour.
On the right they have abandoned ship as the canoe is partly submerged in the same way as their island homes will be underwater from rising sea levels.

Islander warrior drama in pre-protest in Port of Newcastle NSW today.
Pacific Climate Warriors using traditional canoes are going to paddle into the path of coal ships in an effort to shut down the world's biggest coal port for a day and degrade the fossil fuel industry.
Pacific Island communities will be inundated by rising sea levels.
350.org is building a global climate movement.
Newcastle activists joined the action.
 

Another puppy dog who would be very pleased to have a tartan coat to wear.

Requiem.  Today, Australia ended the policies to combat climate change.

Don't forget the pioneers  namely  Kevin Rudd and  later Julia Gillard the Greens and others in parliament. Even Howard had ideas on this issue.
Nothing positive is in the air.
Without the carbon tax we will all be wealthy.  No need for cut backs to this and that to balance the budget we will have money coming out of our ears.

A few dogs came along for Sunday morning coffee.

Our elected representatives exaggerate, for special effect, about climate change and say everyone asks us to get rid of the carbon tax and they list obscure problems that it causes. Everyone they meet complains - so they say. Instead, the MPs could offer some leadership.
  While taking criticisms on board, it is an opportunity to raise the issues with the electors they meet and suggest the need for action on climate change, for them to think beyond their own expenses -  put down to the tax - and be reminded of the price that we all need to pay for carbon emissons that cause the damage.
 

Warm solar power. 

Coffee in the morning sun is the only place to be when the breeze becomes truly chilly. 

The political dialogue could be improved a whole lot.  Scrapping the carbon tax will save us x billions a day in energy costs mantra.      Instead, say something useful and pertinent to climate change policies.  Suggest we will pay dearly for our polluting energy consumption.  It is up to us.  There is no quick fix.  But, with our politicians as conservative anti-intellectual hayseeds how can you expect any good climate change policies?