Rivers and streams, not stinking drains please

By Sw4n4ge

Here’s a topic very close to our hearts. We’ve experienced at first hand, the inconsistency, unfairness and impotence of token gestures by responsible authorities who are afraid or unwilling to tackle the real culprits and instead pick on easy targets. In our case, small, self-builders. The issue in question is river pollution by raw sewage.…

No Words

By Sw4n4ge

Tried today to measure river flow rate to scope hydro power feasibility. Got messy…

Former Australia PM Scott Morrison defends coal industry amid catastrophic blazes

By Sw4n4ge

Scott Morrison, Australian Prime Minister continues to defend the nation’s reliance on the coal industry and its emissions targets in the wake of catastrophic wildfires. He returned from holiday amid much criticism earlier this week to a continued spread of infernos across the country. He seeks to put distance between climate change and the ongoing fires. “Australia is taking…

As Wildfires Scorch Australia’s Lands, It’s Oceans Fair Even Worse

By Sw4n4ge

Over recent decades, the rate of ocean warming off Tasmania, Australia’s southernmost state and a gateway to the South Pole, has climbed to nearly four times the global average, oceanographers say. One of the first victims of this change is the ocean kelp. More than 95 per cent of the giant kelp – which provides…

Why Australia’s Mining Boom Will Leave Permanent Scars

By Sw4n4ge

With the coal boom on the wane, mining companies want to escape the cost of rehabilitating their sites. But even if governments effectively restrain them, many of the huge voids in the landscape will never be filled in. The Australian coal industry is dotted with recent examples of major miners selling projects to smaller players…

Was The Fracking Ban a Cynical Election Ploy?

By Sw4n4ge

The Conservative Party has been accused of using a fracking ‘ban’ as an ‘election ploy’ after admitting the suspension may only be temporary. The Government is facing growing calls for a permanent ban, as Labour raised concerns the apparent U-turn was only a part time measure in the run up to the election next month. Our future…

Australian PM: Coal Industry Defender and Climate Change Denier

By Sw4n4ge

In the Guardian Article Scott Morrison and the big lie about climate change: does he think we’re that stupid? Richard Flanagan argues that the Australian PM is so determined to protect the coal mining industry that he even denies the possible influence of climate change in recent devastating droughts and bushfires. In a year that…

The Chorus of Denial

By Sw4n4ge

The rise of populism surrounding global politics, most notably the American Election of President Trump, has the potential to be harnessed in order to weaken the messages of climate science. In the leadership rhetoric of several major global powers there is a disturbingly dominant discourse of anthropogenic climate change denial. Even when climate change is…

The REAL Cost of Fashion

By Sw4n4ge

The following contains excerpts from the article The Environmental Costs of Fast Fashion by Patsy Perry, 8 January 2018. It’s tempting to bow to fashion pressure and replace our clothing as style and conformity dictate. It’s hard to resist the tempting deals in the January and other sales. But how many of us spare a…