Jennifer Marohasy

a forum for the discussion of issues concerning the natural environment

Archives for May 2011

New Alliance Opposed to Carbon Tax: The Galileo Movement

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“The principal aim of this Movement is to first win the battle against the currently threatened tax on carbon dioxide and then to win the war against any drive for ever putting a price on it,” said Case Smit announcing the launch of the new Australian-based website and movement, The Galileo Movement.

Mr Smit, and his business partner John Smeed, have backgrounds in science and engineering. Their experience is in environmental protection and air quality.

At first they simply accepted politicians’ claims of global warming blamed on human production of carbon dioxide (CO2). When things didn’t add up, they each separately investigated. Stunned, they discovered what many people are now discovering: climate claims by some scientists and politicians contradict observed facts.

Read more here: http://www.galileomovement.com.au/galileo_movement.php

How to Push-Up Sea Levels

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Data on sea level rise does not support past dire predictions, so the official data is being corrected up. That’s right the official data is going to be adjusted up to ‘correct’ for expanding ocean basins and La Nina.

“One important change in these releases is that we are now adding a correction of 0.3 mm/year due to Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (GIA), so you may notice that the rate of sea level rise is now 0.3 mm/year higher than earlier releases. This is a correction to account for the fact that the global ocean basins are getting slightly larger over time as mantle material moves from under the oceans into previously glaciated regions on land. Simply subtract 0.3 mm/year if you prefer to not include the GIA correction.

You may also note that rate of sea level rise over recent years has been less than the long-term average. This is believed to be due to the recent La Nina’s we have been experiencing, though research on this is continuing. We will soon add a plot to the web site illustrating this effect.”

From http://sealevel.colorado.edu/content/new-web-site-new-sea-level-release
Via John O’Sullivan

Greenpeace NZ Loses Charity Status

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Charity status gives organisations tax benefits.

Greenpeace New Zealand lost its charity status last year, and on Monday lost an appeal on the basis of its political activities and the illegal activities of some of its members.

According to 3News New Zealand:

“Non-violent, but potentially illegal activities (such as trespass), designed to put (in the eyes of Greenpeace) objectionable activities into the public spotlight were an independent object disqualifying it from registration as a charitable entity,” the judge said.

Greenpeace’s lawyer Davey Salmon argued all of the organisation’s primary purposes were charitable and the engagement of charities in political advocacy was more acceptable now in 21st century New Zealand.

Justice Heath dismissed the appeal and made no order as to costs.

http://www.3news.co.nz/Greenpeace-loses-charity-status-case/tabid/423/articleID/210506/Default.aspx

A New Website with Blog: Myth and the Murray

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A new website, Myth and the Murray, went live yesterday. Myth and the Murray is designed to challenge the prevailing orthodoxy on Murray River issues and I’m hopeful that it will be supported with a newspaper advertising campaign – more on this soon.

In small societies, when one or a few individuals start to say something that others don’t what to become general knowledge a known tactic employed by many on the left in Australia is to simply ignore the new information. Shelley Gare explains how it works in this podcast…

http://www.quadrant.org.au/blogs/qed/2010/08/death-by-silence

Gare makes reference to an investigation of the Hindmarsh Island Affair. Diane Bell, an American anthropologist from the University of Adelaide, was involved in the campaign to stop the bridge connecting Hindmarsh Island to the mainland and Bell is behind the current push for more freshwater for the Lower Lakes.

Listen to the podcast to get some idea what those of us advocating a saltwater solution for the Lower Lakes are up against.

Of course the Murray River has not been lost to salt, or drought, or over-allocation, and there is a simple environmental remedy for the Lower Lakes – letting in the Southern Ocean.

If you want to know more visit:

www.mythandthemurray.org