She’s back!
Hello again! I’m sorry I’ve been silent for so long - I’ve been having hosting and domain trouble, but it’s all better now. I’ve taken the time to do some research into environmental issues, catch up on some reading, and have a few new ideas for the blog. But for now, here’s a quick recap of what I’ve found interesting since the last time I posted:
The Budget
The Rudd government handed down it’s first budget, and it was certainly interesting. For us greenies it was a mixed bag: more money for renewable energy, and the development of a proper emissions trading scheme, but also more money for clean coal, introduced means-testing for the solar PV rebate, and all sorts of whining over petrol prices. Some comments on it from The Greens, Gavin from The Greening of Gavin, and an interesting discussion over at Larvatus Prodeo about the solar PV rebate.
Gunns Pulp Mill
Just in the last few days there’s been some interesting developments on the Gunns pulp mill in Tasmania. The ANZ has decided not to lend Gunns the money for it; Premier Lennon has stepped down and been replaced by Bartlett, who says he won’t give public money to the water pipeline Gunns asked for; and GetUp has started a “Let’s pulp it” campaign to warn other investors off the project.
Other smaller items
- Tassie Devils and polar bears have both been placed on the endangered list.
- Tim Flannery has come out in favour of geo-engineering, saying that if things get very bad with climate change we may need to dump sulphur into the sky to keep out the sun’s rays. I’m not keen on this idea at all - it seems about as bright as releasing cane toads to get rid of pests. But if we don’t change our ways soon, we may not have a choice but to try it.
- A new brand of Australian organic wool has been released - good news for me, as I’m a knitter on the lookout for eco-friendly products.
And last, but not least… An Inconvenient Truth is going to be turned into an opera. Why? I have no idea. But why not, I suppose!
June 1st, 2008 at 12:08 pm
Welcome back Julie! I thought we had lost you from cyberspace.
The ANZ decision was a good one, but from what I have read they were only ever going to lend about 10% of the required capital. Surely Gunns will get their hands on this capital from some other, not so environmentally friendly bank. I am just glad the ANZ had the guts to pull out. It shows courage on their behalf.
And as for the opera, book me a ticket!
Gavin
June 1st, 2008 at 2:24 pm
Hehe, thanks, it’s good to be back writing again! I think other financial institutions will be wondering *why* ANZ bailed - public pressure, Gunns not a reliable investment, etc. Hopefully they’ll agree that ANZ had good reasons for their choice.