OT: Another appeal to my Australian friends.

Posted by The Lady Gardener on July 13, 2009, 8:33 pm

Albeit that I'm unsure what exactly an "ordinary Australian" is, I might
qualify under some parameters - and I can concur with the response writer
that Steve Fielding is a bit of a nutcase, and as an engineer by profession
he should be capable of being better informed. I've not heard the one about
him forming a Climate Sceptics party, my memory is vague but I do recall
that there was an unusual set of events that led him into parliament in the
first place, and it is extremely unlikely that he'll get a second term.
Most Australians have ignored Steve Fielding's antics and posturing, and
very little of what happens in our Federal Parliament has direct impact on
our day to day lives. Similarly most informed Australians can not doubt
climate change - my own summers in Western Australia are getting hotter and
hotter, and each year we seem to break records for heat waves. My winters
are drier and drier with rains starting later and later. WA has always
lacked water, thus we have adapted to living on low water usage between
winter top ups - now these winter top-ups are remarkably less than ever they
were.

I could bang on about this for pages and pages - suffice it to say that
anyone sceptical about climate change is welcome to spend a couple of
summers here or take a trip though what used to be productive farming land
where rain no longer falls to see the effect for real.

Joanne in Perth, Western Australia

On 13 Jul 2009 19:49:36 GMT, bf906@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (F.James
Cripwell) wrote:

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If you go here - their equivalent of CBC - you can find Parliamentary
Reports, people comments, all sorts of things. Look through
programmes like local newscasts, or Bush Telegraph - National Interest
I have heard all sorts of stuff on the latter, it reflects Aussie life
quite well.

http://www.abc.net.au/services/podcasting/programs.htm

Posted by Nickname unavailable on July 13, 2009, 8:34 pm

I think the attitude of most Australians is that the climate is
changing. Just to call it "global warming" is an oversimplification.
Perhaps it's not evident in Canada yet, but something sure has been
happening here for many years - hotter, wetter, drier, you name it.
Where there is disagreement is whether human activity has anything to
do with it, and whether human intervention can do anything to halt
it. As for Sen Fielding, he'd be considered by most to be on the
"fringes" of Australian politics. That's about as politely as I can
put it. J

Posted by Trish Brown on July 14, 2009, 2:34 am

Nickname unavailable wrote:
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'ey Johnno! Nice to see you posting - hope everything's good up your
way? Down in N'cle, we've been having the coldest, wettest winter in
everyone's memory and it's not much fun! My back yard is like a loaded
sponge and I can't feel me toes or, for that matter, the end of me
(rather shovel-ended) nose!

I agree with your polite comments about Sen. Fielding. He's a bit of a
dag all right. I also agree with your comments about 'whether human
activity has anything to do with it'. I really don't think we know
enough or even have enough evidence to compare with what we *do* know.

I can recall summers during my childhood when schools were closed and we
were sent home because of the extreme heat. Local roads used to melt and
sections of them would be suddenly closed so the RTA could spread gravel
to soak up the runny bitumen. I guess there's no question about weird
weather patterns, but have we (human beings) been taking measurements
for long enough to ascertain what's 'usual' and what's 'freakish' in the
longer term. More importantly, what amounts to a permanent, irreversible
change? Over geological time, I mean?

The way I look at it, geological time is far longer than the brief
period of human existence on earth and we simply don't know whether the
present warming effect isn't a perfectly normal and cyclic phenomenon of
global warming and cooling. Not only that, but the galaxy (including our
sun) has only a finite lifespan and who knows that we aren't
experiencing the normal and logical progression of a galaxy in its
mid-life (or even end-life) stage?

I can say that where I live (a 'western suburb' or lower socio-economic
part of a largish city), most people don't give a continental about
global warming. We're hard enough pushed to stop them from littering!
Most of my friends are very conscientious about being clean,
energy-efficient and frugal with the use of power, water etc. However, I
don't think 'global warming' as a topic is really very high on many
agendas. Not in my neck of the woods, anyway. It's a shame, since
humanity seems to be steadily losing touch with the processes that make
our life and lifestyles possible. Lots of of us have never even thought
about them! As I've said many times before, I honestly don't know why
landscape/atmosphere systems isn't taught in primary school, but that's
another soap-box, eh?

Best wishes to you and your DMum - school hols on yet? Ours started on
Monday. ;-D

--
Trish Brown

Newcastle, NSW, Australia

Posted by Tia Mary on July 14, 2009, 8:12 am

Trish Brown wrote:
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Personally, I think that we, as a species, don't really have the
wherewithal to "destroy" Mother Earth. We certainly can destroy
ourselves and our way of life here on this lovely rock. In the long run
-- the geological long run -- once we are gone or have destroyed
ourselves, Gaia will slowly go about her business of healing herself of
any damage we might do to her. What really makes me laugh is the fact
that the cattle living on the earth today put out more methane, etc.
(the bad stuff that messes up the air) than all the cars currently in
use. I *think* that bit of trivia came from AvWeek but I have read it
in several places now.
I'm not saying we should blithely go about screwing up the things we
seem to take for granted, like clean air & water and unpolluted seas and
land. It's NEVER to late to start to reduce, reuse, recycle and be more
cognizant of the often limited resources we are taking from Mother
Earth. I just don't think whole segments of a population should accept
every new theory that trendy "science" comes up with. We humans didn't
**cause** global warming, etc. but we are certainly doing our part to
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Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about
their whiskers!
Visit my Photo albums at http://community.webshots.com/user/tiamary

Posted by Dawne Peterson on July 14, 2009, 4:53 pm

"Nickname unavailable" wrote .
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There are things that have been very evident in Canada--loss of ice mass in
the Arctic with resultant loss of polar bear habitat, changing migration
patterns of the great Caribou herds, and diminishing of those herds.
Exactly why is probably complex, as you say.

Dawne

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OT: Another appeal to my Australian friends. - Page 2