Jennifer Marohasy

a forum for the discussion of issues concerning the natural environment

Archives for August 2013

The Virtual Impact of Cows on the Great Barrier Reef

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FOR decades Queensland scientists have been trying to prove an impact from agriculture, particularly agricultural pesticides, on the Great Barrier Reef.

One way they can create the perception of a problem is to use a dodgy survey method involving the repeat targeting of reefs disproportionately affected by crown-of-thorn starfish outbreaks and reefs with insufficient time to recover from cyclones while ignoring more representative reefs. I detail this peer-reviewed scam here…

https://jennifermarohasy.com.dev.internet-thinking.com.au/2013/05/havent-lost-half-of-the-great-barrier-reef-part-2-junk-methodology/

Another way to create the perception of a major problem is to spend tens of millions of dollars on computer modelling. That is what this e-reef program is all about…

The power of these fancy computer models, that include a detailed simulation of the virtual pollution problem, is an increasing feature of modern science as detailed in a great book entitled, Science and Public Policy – The Virtuous Corruption of Virtual Environmental Science by Professor Aynsley Kellow from the University of Tasmania.

The book if full of quotable quotes including…

“In the absence of hypotheses which might be falsified by observational data, the extensive use of mathematical models introduces a virtual landscape where species, real and virtual, live and die, and where their utility to noble political causes restricts the scepticism of those who might question the validity of such ‘science’.

“Endangered species become not just trumps, but face cards in the game of politics used to create advantage.”

“The increased emphasis on mathematics which lent ecology its scientific gravitas helped steer it towards virtual science rather than experimental science, and it never shook off its normative shackles.”

And if you want to read even more about the scam that is taxpayer funded Great Barrier Reef science click here… https://jennifermarohasy.com.dev.internet-thinking.com.au/saving-the-great-barrier-reef/

Northern Australian Agriculture Will Need GM Cotton

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As part of his election campaigning, the Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was recently in Darwin and Kununurra revealing plans for an expansion of the Ord River scheme including into the Northern Territory. But there was no mention of a major obstacle to making such a plan viable, in particular the removal of absurd anti-cotton and anti-GM legislation. cotton

While GM cotton is the one crop that can make large irrigation schemes in northern Australia viable, the Northern Territory banned the growing of cotton in 2003 and the Western Australian Government declared the whole state a GM-free zone in 2004. These two pieces of legislation make the cultivation of cotton an uncertain proposition in northern Australia. [Read more…] about Northern Australian Agriculture Will Need GM Cotton

Ten Big Fat Lies About Fracking: Phelim McAleer

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THERE are three places in the US called Burning Springs, and there are historical records of people lighting their water since the 1600s. That’s according to Phelim McAleer who explains what he sees as the ‘Ten Big Fat Lies About Fracking’…Fracknation

1) Anti-fracking activists are nice people who love debate

Actually, far from being liberal, open-minded souls bringing truth to power in a kinder, gentler way, anti-fracking activists have chosen a new disposition: angry! I guess no one told the fracktivists that just because we don’t agree doesn’t mean we can’t get along. Watch Vera Scroggins, for example.

Vera, an anti-fracking, Sierra Club-endorsed activist from Pennsylvania, adds to the ‘dialogue’ with such constructive comments as:
‘You’re a freak.’
‘You’re a male prostitute.’
‘You’re an Irish freak. Go drink some alcohol.’
‘Go get drunk and be a drunken Irish freak.’
‘You’re an alien. You look like a f***ing alien.’ [Read more…] about Ten Big Fat Lies About Fracking: Phelim McAleer

Scientific Community Condemns Destruction of Golden Rice

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On 8th August 2013, vandals destroyed a Philippine government field trial of Golden Rice (GR).Golden Rice

A petition organised by Dr Channapatna S. Prakash, a professor of plant molecular genetics, explains that…

“As the world’s population continues its increase, sustainable food production is becoming increasingly challenging. More food must be produced in the next 50 years than has been produced since the invention of agriculture. GM crops are a critical resource in accelerating increases in crop productivity in general, as well as in enhancing their nutritional value to treat malnutrition and nutrient deficiencies. In that context, Golden Rice is a critical resource in fighting the devastating consequences of widespread vitamin A deficiency in developing nations.

“Research on Golden Rice at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is part of their humanitarian work to reduce vitamin A deficiency, a serious condition of malnutrition mostly affecting women and children by causing sickness and leading, in many cases, to blindness and premature death of millions each year. According to IRRI, vitamin A deficiency affects more than 15% of children aged 6 months to 5 years and subclinical vitamin A deficiency affects 10% of pregnant women in the Philippines. Golden Rice, when it becomes freely available to farmers as planned, can substantially contribute to the alleviation of this important aspect of malnutrition…

Read more, and sign the petition, here http://tinyurl.com/lbm7jm2

Open Thread

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I believe that a scientist looking at nonscientific problems is just as dumb as the next guy.
Richard P. Feynman

Flooding Faye 098 Kangaroo

Photograph of the kangaroo taken in the Central Murray Valley by Faye Ashwin [click on the image for a larger/better view].

What Will Power Sydney in 5 Years, If Not Gas?

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I’VE been some what dismayed by the approach of many agriculturalists to the development of a coal seam gas (CSG) industry in New South Wales. There have been many widely publicized claims that the CSG industry will pollute the air and water in particular through hydraulic fracturing, also known as ‘fracking’. Screen Shot 2013-08-11 at 9.31.05 AM

Some of the noisiest objectors are on the Liverpool plains and have claimed this new extractive industry threatens their groundwater aquifers. In reality, the affect of agriculture on the aquifers in the Liverpool Plains has been inadequately monitored and is probably significant. [Read more…] about What Will Power Sydney in 5 Years, If Not Gas?