By Andrew Phillips, 1st December 2006
The issue of the environment is currently foremost in many people’s minds — perhaps quite rightly so. Unfortunately, it is an issue with which the unwashed and unproductive lefty alternative life-stylers believe their day has come.
In the wake of growing discontent with the actions of the Coalition of the Confused in the Middle East, the militant environmentalists have seized on yet another perceived weapon in their ideological arsenal to soften up our pseudo conservative “leaders” — the Kyoto Protocol.
As disagreeable as it is to admit this, the Howard Government is justified in it’s refusal to sign the Kyoto Agreement. Responsible nations such as Australia understand what is required to be done. While some sections of our economy may need further incentive to meet their obligations, the fact is signing yet another treaty to violate our sovereignty with a bunch of two-bit Third World dictatorships will do absolutely nothing to improve conditions on our planet.
All signing this agreement will do is force greedy multinationals offshore to Third World and developing nations with few laws in place to protect the environment and the added bonus of compliant cheap labour. Our nation’s already mutilated manufacturing and processing sectors will gasp their last and Australian workers will yet again be forced onto the queues of the unemployed or into positions with poor conditions, fighting for a place in the workforce with the new influx of Third World workers happy with their new found place in the sun thanks to Kowtow Johnny’s new I.R. reforms.
No Pacific Islands will be saved from disappearing into the ocean, no furry animals will wave their thanks and gratitude from their saved rainforest habitat, the on-again off-again ozone hole will not shrink and disappear and we will not be able to return to squandering our water resources thanks to a sudden regular rainfall.
The only parties to benefit from our pandering to the shrill shrieking of the new age global village idiots will be the ever-present greedy multinationals, whose sole purpose for existence is the continual search for increased profits — whatever the cost, and those corrupt dictatorships who feed off the misery of their own bleeding masses.
Unfortunately for the Global Village Idiots, not all nations and cultures are the same — we don’t all play by the same rules, we don’t all have the same values and enmeshing our nation into a myriad of UN sponsored treaties to interfere with our internal affairs will NOT bring about the world of peace, health and happiness they so desperately seek.
While agreeing with the move not to sign Kyoto, we are not impressed with the poor performance by governments of either political hue in the quest to find resources to fuel our nation’s continued economic growth and ensure the continued prosperity and well being of future generations of Australians.
Both Labor and Liberal pay lip service to the issue which lies at the heart of our nation’s very survival, yet do nothing substantial to address the problem. Is it because of funding received by multinationals at election time? Do these divided loyalties between political survival and a passing interest in the welfare of their constituents interfere with progress in this vital area?
Australia is a nation with an immense variety of resources. We are not limited to reliance on coal, oil and uranium. While Yellow cake Mike Rann and Kowtow Johnny are happy to run around waxing lyrical about the economic and environmental benefits of ripping out our vast reserves of uranium and selling it to communist dictators in Beijing or building nuclear reactors around the nation (though a little vague on the actual sites for construction and exactly what the hell we’re going to do with the waste), they seem all too willing to turn a blind eye to advances made around the world in the areas of renewable energy.
Internationally, experts have advised the potential for the utilisation of hot rock reserves in the production of electricity and South Australia’s own Cooper Basin has been earmarked as highly promising. It has been estimated that a large plant could achieve sales of $85.1 million annually and save CO2 emissions of 850,000 tonnes.
South Australia led the way in exploring the possibilities with the Habanero 1 drilling project. By all accounts a promising venture, but if our governments are serious about the progress to renewable, cleaner and cheaper fuel, if they are so concerned about the continuation of our current standard of living, why has this project not received the high priority it so richly deserves? A $5 million grant from the government with Habanero 2 left in the hands of private enterprise is not what one would call leadership.
Another possibility, Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion has also been making progress around the world, with pilot projects such as those in India and parts of the US showing the lethargy displayed by successive Australian governments and their happy reliance on fossil fuels.
Wind farms — bogged down by arguments over the flight paths of birds and supposedly “unsightly” windmills which might upset the neighbours, solar energy given half-hearted support by governments happy to sell off our nation’s power plants to foreigners who in turn raise the price and halve the service, desalination plants — an issue raised by patriotic and nationalist candidates at the last Federal election but ignored by the media and major parties, are once again up for discussion but only as a last resort. This of course accompanied by a plan to build a weir at the end of the Murray River to save water, but the answer to the possibility of falling water levels at the lakes has been addressed by our State government with the idea of filling it up with salt water.
Never mind the needs of our dairy farmers in the region — another desalination plant anyone?
Our current crop of multinational puppets lack the spine and intestinal fortitude of the statesmen of yesteryear. It appears gone are the days of forward planning for the development of the nation’s infrastructure to ensure economic development and prosperity for our nation’s people.
With the exception of the small glimmer of hope one witnesses in Western Australia with further plans being forged for the further development of the Ord River region, it appears our so-called representatives merely view Australia as a giant mine and market place, free for grabs by unscrupulous multinationals with no care for the welfare of ordinary Australians.
The long-term future prosperity and security of our nation demands that our governments plan for the future needs of our people. Australia is a land rich in resources, rich in knowledge — there is no excuse for the lack of progress towards ensuring our nation’s needs in regards to continued, renewable fuel.
Except perhaps, a wilful neglect of duty on the part of the internationalist parties our voters have the misfortune to choose between today.
Speak Your Mind