More Confusion

Again the public have been informed our water consumption has increased by almost 4 per cent each year since 2000, and is expected to climb another 40- 45 per cent by 2030 according to the Water Corporation.

It was finally admitted that demand was driven by mining and urban expansion, and would lead to a fresh water shortage, as WA contended with rainfall levels that have been dropping since the 1950's. The strategic planning manager commented that the annual water use has climbed more than half a trillion litres this century, in 2007-08 total state water use was 2426 billion litres compared with 1790 billion litres in 1999-2000. Yet we can't forget Water Corp's graphs from 2.1/2 years ago showing our rainfall hadn't altered since 1910, so which set are we to believe!

. So that leaves one asking, how good are the sustainability strategies government carries out each year, it always seems communities are told to cut back. Why is industry given a free reign, how many desalination plants or reclamation plants have they paid for. It was stated that Perth metropolitan area and the Pilbra would possible be hit the hardest by future shortages.

.With a growing population and an expected 15 per cent down turn in rainfall, meant urban areas could face a total annual shortfall of up to 75 billion litres. More mining in the Pilbra was likely to double water demand by 2030, Mr Hauck said it's not surprising we have a collective water crisis. Yet we still have water in dams that government prefer to pump out to sea than run through reverse osmosis and use in the metro dams.

Agree or disagree: Uranium.

Many discussions have been had in regard to the safety of uranium. It mostly ends in looking to the facts on leaks which there have been many, and if you can trust the government of the day not to cut corners particularly on storage. Its ended in agreeing to disagree.
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Just last week according to the "West" at the "Ranger" mine in Kakadu National Park it was reported it was leaking 100,000 litres of contaminated water every day. A scientist appointed to monitor the mine's environmental impact confirmed at a senate committee hearing, that approximately 100cum a day, the equivalent of 100,000 litres of contaminate were leaking from the mine's tailings dam, into rock fissures beneath Kakadu.
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More than 150 leaks, spills and licence breaches have occurred at the mine since it opened in 1981. Mine owner Energy Resources of Australia has been warned repeatedly about its management of the mine, with it being declared in 2004 that it was "complacent" about protecting workers and people near the mine. So is this another red flag being waved with little notice being taken, just the right noises been made without action? When does Duty of Care come into play ?

. Mining was originally to end late last year, now it seems there are plans to tunnel under floodplains from an open pit in a move than would extend mining till 2021. The ERA late last month was responsible for recovering the contaminated water that had washed downstream, later requesting more information about the leak.
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It's understood that they intend to extend their monitoring program in the vicinity of the tailings dam. The question the people should be asking "is this good enough, why haven't more stringent regulations been incorporated". Who is doing the monitoring at ERA or is it another episode of the wolf protecting the sheep?

Who's The Greenest?

There is now to be two inquires into emissions trading after the Greens and the opposition struck a deal to probe the government's climate change policies. The government has been under pressure from industry (no surprises there) and environmentalists to delay 2010 start date or to make changes to the proposed ETS.

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The White Paper released in December detailed a cap-and-trade scheme to meet 2020 emissions reduction target of 5-15 per cent, yet granting up to 90 per cent free pollution

permits for export industries and transitional compensation for electricity generators. The "Greens" have rejected calls from industry and the coalition to delay implementing the ETS.

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Many Australians chose to pay extra for renewable green electricity, now its said it won't make a difference. Under the proposed Carbon Pollution reduction scheme (sham) (CPRS) due to be introduced in Federal Parliament, voluntary action by consumers to purchase green power, would make it cheaper and easier for industries to pollute. So how can the People win, or do the right thing for the planet?

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Under the proposed scheme, Australia's biggest polluting businesses are required to achieve a certain emissions reductions target. Households buy accredited Green Power or domestic carbon offsets, which simply helps make it cheaper for business to achieve what they are required to do. We have been conned for the sake of industry which doesn't sit well, were trying to do the right thing at considerable cost which many can ill afford at this time.

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The CPRS undermines consumer choice . Carbon Pollution avoided as a result of VOLUNTARY consumer action should be counted as additional to the mandatory emissions reductions required of polluting industries. more than 878,000 households have chosen to pay more for renewable energy nation-wide. According to retailer Synergy approximately 7500 WA homes had signed up by last December, what a slap in the face.