IT seems the NSW EPA has belatedly recognised that we have mountains of toxic fly ash from our coal-burning power stations, that are destroying our landscapes and, in some cases, our otherwise pristine countryside. Surprise, surprise. ('Ash dams' pollution legacy hot topic', Herald, 1/9).
Fly ash has been a problem for yonks, and the methods of dealing with it have also been around for yonks. It is just that we haven't forced our power station owners to deal with fly ash properly, up until now, when we are closing down our coal-burning power stations.
Fly ash in 'dams' has to be damped down. Otherwise, during dry and windy weather, it is blown into residential areas where we breathe it in, with unknown, but certainly unhealthy, consequences.
Fly ash is graded and treated based on its particle size. Larger sized particles are more expensive to deal with, for example, put into concrete or cinder blocks. But deal with it, we must, just as other advanced nations have been dealing with 100 per cent of their fly ash for decades.
Geoff Black, Caves Beach
Hydrogen under the microscope
IAN Kirkwood ('Broad resigns after belling the hydrogen cat', Herald, 27/8), detailed many of the problems of building the hydrogen economy. Thank you, Ian.
Also covered in the story was the loss of Paul Broad from Snowy Hydro. That illustrated the risk informed people face in speaking out about the failings of renewable energy, so loved by politicians these days.
I've been detailing in Letters to the Editor and Short Takes the safety and economic problems of using the explosive, highly flammable hydrogen gas as a fuel for more than two years now.
Both the Morrison and Albanese governments have been guilty of throwing many millions of dollars of taxpayers' money at the hydrogen boondoggle. Shame on them for that largesse without due diligence.
Most of the media have shied away from any criticism of hydrogen as a fuel. It is to the credit of the Newcastle Herald that they have published articles and letters critical of relying on hydrogen gas as a means of electricity generation or a transport fuel.
But there are other problems with hydrogen power not covered by Ian in his story. Such as the claim that Australia could become an energy powerhouse, exporting "green hydrogen" all over the world. Australia is a mostly temperate country, outside of the tropics where the best solar energy opportunities exist. The tropics occupy 36 per cent of the world's landmass and have a third of the world population and are growing.
Those countries could generate their own hydrogen at less cost (and more safely) than we could transport it to them. Why would they buy hydrogen from us? The more closely you look at hydrogen as a fuel, the worse the story appears. Why should we risk public money on this 'pie in the sky' idea?
Peter Devey, Merewether
Jazz up festival promotion
TIM Crakanthorp's comment "here we are near the harbour in the middle of the city on the foreshore at The Station and we're presenting wonderful local acts" could have applied, with some modifications, to the 33rd Newcastle Jazz Festival, held 19-21 August at the Newcastle City Hall, ('Rock on at Sound Station', Herald, 29/8).
The festival featured 250 musicians and 150 of those were from the Newcastle and Hunter region. Organised by the Newcastle and Hunter Jazz Club, the festival attracted a large audience which included visitors from Tasmania, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland, ACT and throughout NSW. There were even a couple of patrons from New Zealand. Hundreds of hotel rooms were booked by the attendees which was a boost to the Newcastle economy at the end of winter.
The Newcastle Jazz Festival encouraged young musicians to participate, and to hear the musical talent of students from HSPA, Newcastle University and individual performers such as pianist Freddie Stafford and vocalists Brynn Hulls and Steph Russell was an absolute joy.
The Newcastle Jazz Festival doesn't appear to rate with tourist authorities so it would be great if the Newcastle Music Taskforce could change this perception and promote the 34th Newcastle Jazz Festival in 2023.
Doug Saxon, Fishing Point
Just how intelligent are we?
HUMANS like to think of themselves as the smartest creatures on Earth. In my opinion, recent history does not confirm this. Let's go back to World War 1, then known as 'The Great War' or 'The War to End All Wars". If only that could have been the case.
The world had never seen the loss of life, permanent physical and psychological damage to the combatants, a couple of million women left without husbands. Some historians believe that Australia never recovered from the loss of the physically and intellectually best of our young men.
Yet just 21 years after the armistice, Europe, and much of the world, was plunged into war again, ending with the dropping of two atomic bombs.
Then followed the atomic race: there are now enough weapons to wipe out the world several times over, and yet the nations cannot agree to destroy them. There has not been a major conflict since 1945 but there have always been skirmishes that threatened to escalate should one or more of the world powers choose to get involved.
Another war that has not been won is the war on poverty. How can we close our eyes to the fact that millions are malnourished and lack basic resources. Certainly the mega-rich can. They are more likely to be spending their money on another trip to space: the moon or colonising Mars. At the same time, they, and so many of the rest of us, care nothing for the only livable planet: Earth. Clever, I don't think so.
Joan Lambert, Adamstown
Peacemakers, not pot-stirrers
THE Democrat Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi was flying high for her visit to Taiwan, but, in my opinion, it was just to stir the pot.
Pelosi was greeted by Taiwan officials as they presented her with a blue-ribbon sash, putting a big smile on her face. She paraded her sash for the cameras with vanity in all her glory.
Will that blue ribbon be an entanglement towards war? Pelosi and US President Joe Biden are old people, are they considering leaving their inheritance of war for the youth of America and the world?
Her visit to Taiwan, for China, was "come in spinner" as Chinese reactionary force was to fire missiles around Taiwan driving them into the Earth's ocean.
Will Chinese youth be asked if they want to engage in war?
I think it would be better for China to build a bridge to Taiwan and they meet in the middle to work out their differences for peace.
Our planet is waging war on humans with wild extreme weather patterns, leaving floods, droughts, fire, lack of food and water in some countries.
There is no time for warring humans, only a roundtable for peace that will make the difference to heal our planet.
Maureen O'Sullivan Davidson, Swansea
SHORT TAKES
THE Kalyn Ponga/Kurt Mann saga has been concluded by the NRL. I would like to raise a question nobody seems to be concerned about. Why was someone filming in the toilets? The answer would be interesting.
Richard Dempsey, New Lambton
SHAQ is surely a great ambassador for a Voice for the Indigenous. Not. Although originally known as a basketballer, Shaq is better known in Australia now as the face of a gambling company, and in these ads, which are broadcast Australia wide he advocates how easy it is to get set on racing and sports, and encourages it. When two biggest ills of our Indigenous population are drinking and gambling, it is the most inappropriate use of Shaq I can think of.
Garry Robinson, Mannering Park
STRIKING, frustrated nurses concerned about lack of fair pay and resources to make their jobs safe for themselves and their patients will surely find some comfort in the fact that the $828 million of taxpayer dollars has been spent on rebuilding Allianz Stadium, which now means "an end to half-time beer queues" according to our beaming NSW Premier. It's all about priorities. Imagine what your working conditions would be like if we didn't have the party of superior financial management in power.
John Arnold, Anna Bay
IT was sad to hear the NSW Transport Minister David Elliott not backing some of the union demands in the current strike. He conceded the government would consider building trains again in NSW but this would be at the expense of schools and hospitals. The current government has always said that it was committed to jobs - not the ones for the boys - and there was never any guarantee that any new schools or hospitals were going to be built. The previous premier was quoted as saying that NSW cant build first-class trains. Let this be a true time to prove them wrong again. Let's start with the trains and then other home-grown projects.
Greg Lowe, New Lambton
FEDERAL Energy Minister Chris Bowen is aiming to have us all buying electric vehicles in the near future. There are presently 20.1 million cars registered in Australia so can you imagine the extra electricity we will need to charge these cars at night when we are already short of power? The federal government currently collects approximately $20 billion in petrol and diesel tax annually so I wonder what tax will replace it. With all the EVs parked in our streets, one will have to be very careful walking on the footpath due to all the electrical leads.
John Cooper, Charlestown
ADZ Carter, the Bay is awash with ice, much to the surprise of the Sydney newbies that have moved in paying double what homes are really worth. They got the sea change alright, moving to "Iceland".
Steve Barnett, Fingal Bay
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