MANY years ago, my kids and I were camping in Mungo Brush. One night, we were woken to the eerie, unearthly grunt of a male koala, looking for mates, as he descended one tree and ascended another. We took a torch and spotted the koala.
In the morning I had to stop young boys throwing rocks and sticks at the poor koala in the tree. We have had a cavalier attitude to koalas. But suddenly, just like the Tasmanian Tiger before it, the last koala will die and the species will become extinct. The last Tasmanian Tiger died in a Hobart zoo in 1936. The last koala will probably also die in a zoo, despite zoologists' best efforts.
Koalas need wild habitat, and not zoos or pockets of national park. Bushfires and uncontrolled land clearing are destroying the koala's wild habitat at an unprecedented rate. The koala is iconic and cute. Not so, the many other nondescript native species that become extinct every year. In some cases, their remains are found before they are even identified and catalogued.
Australia has the highest extinction rate, and one of the highest uncontrolled land clearance rates, of any nation in the world. Next year, Australia will host the COP-16 Biodiversity Conference. Will Tanya Plibersek, our federal environment minister, highlight Australia's disgraceful extinction and land clearing rates during her keynote address? Or will she, like other politicians who are attending, talk big and do nothing? Will the conference be just another politicians' greenwashing talkfest?
Geoff Black, Caves Beach
Sustainable new year
IN 2022, Australia's State of the Environment report concluded that the overall trend of our environment is "poor and deteriorating". From the majestic Great Barrier Reef to towering Mountain Ash forests, our natural world is suffering at the hands of we humans.
In response, may 2023 be the year that we each take the opportunity to make a positive difference toward reversing the trend.
Each year, more and more of us resolve to live sustainably. So, when we pen our 2023 plans, let's add ideas like eating locally grown unpackaged fruit and veggies, planting trees, spending time outside in nature, and joining a local environment group to our list. Sustainable living is better for both our planet and our own well-being. A win-win for 2023!
Amy Hiller, Kew
Lithium battery concern
IT is always sad to hear stories of peoples' homes being burnt down, especially around Christmas or other high holidays, and at a time when there are such real issues for anyone to find accommodation that is anywhere near affordable ('Family left homeless after Christmas blaze', Newcastle Herald, 27/12). According to the firefighter's report at this stage it was an electrical-based fire.
It has also been reported that lithium battery failures are causing fires.
This concerns me since the big battery that is to be the backup for "green energy" is a lithium battery. How certain are we that the big battery will not have a fault develop that will see it explode into fire? I was further thinking about how many homes have so far installed a back battery to harvest their solar power for their personal use and how safe are these lithium batteries from potentially exploding? I do know we have had a number of fires caused by faulty installation of solar panels and even in regard to this how certain are we that these solar installations are done correctly and to be fireproof. It seems that "green energy" is a bit dangerous as well.
I was further thinking that regarding the production of solar panels, among many items for its production actually includes the obtaining of sand and heating that up so as to produce glass - how green is that? The obtaining of lithium for the battery means digging the ore from the ground and it seems that the process of extracting the battery-grade lithium is also quite a process where it is questionable as to how green this process is - and for a system that will last about 15 years, provided there is no fault that may cause an explosive fire. So how green is that? How dangerous is it as well?
We must resolve the issues of the potential explosive fires from lithium-based batteries and also see if we can extend the expected life of both the solar panels and the lithium batteries with a far reduced risk of fires, especially the explosive fires. We have warnings on many things today that should be taken as read and so these batteries need a more pronounced warning highlighting the potential explosive fire risks.
I do know that some who are at the frontline of the promotion of electric vehicles and lithium batteries have direct personal financial interest in them. As a taxi driver, I was very much aware of a taxi bursting into flames after what is believed a diode failed in a hybrid vehicle being used as a taxi; fortunately it was parked at the time and no one was hurt but the car was totally destroyed (that was not very green either!)
Let us pause a while and sort out a few issues before we destroy our current power system. It would seem to be a wise thing to do.
Milton Caine, Birmingham Gardens
They've been warning us for years
IT is now common knowledge that it is the burning of fossil fuels, like natural gas and coal, that are prime causes of human induced climate change. Scientists have been warning the world for years that the emissions released, when natural gas or coal are burned in quantity, cause the climate to change. It is strange indeed that the practice of burning natural gas and coal is allowed to continue given the enormous harm it is causing to so many people across the world.
Brian Measday, Myrtle Bank
Legislation needs drastic reform
THE Social Security Act and Social Security (Amendments) Act each contain over 1000 sections, most of which are designed to deny people payments, and many of which are in contradiction to other legislation. Lottery wins, insurance payments and inheritances, when paid in more than one payment, are not classified as income by the Australian Taxation office, but they are by Centrelink. Further, Centrelink uses income averaging to calculate a fortnightly "income" amount over a 12 month period, a practice which was found to be illegal in the Robodebt court cases. The legal age for voting is 18, but Centrelink expects parents to support their children until they are 22. That is, of course, unless the parent is receiving a carer's payment for a disabled child, in which case Centrelink considers the child an adult at age 16, and the carer's payment is cancelled. Carers for disabled people are paid about $400 a week to care for people with disabilities, about $10 an hour. Taxation law considers each partner in a relationship to be financially independent, as it should be. However Centrelink considers that if one person in the relationship is working, the benefits of the other partner are reduced or cancelled. MPs elected prior to 2004 are able to collect a hefty pension for life, and still work full-time in high paying jobs, but Centrelink cancels payments to aged pensioners if they dare to get a job.
Craig Hill, Brisbane
SHORT TAKES
THANK you to everybody who has been part of Lawson Rankin's recovery. With his strong determination and will to succeed, he has been supported by amazing health practitioners, doctors, nurses and has instilled the Newcastle spirit within. Search 'Lawson's story, remarkable recovery from a brain injury' on YouTube to watch the video mentioned in the Newcastle Herald article ('Laws of motion', Herald, 24/12) - 26 minute short film on his efforts and listing all those involved in brain injury recovery.
Phillip and Therese Rankin, Redhead
GREG Hunt (Short Takes, 30/12) asks how our lifestyle is contributing to record freezing temperatures in the northern hemisphere. Um, sorry to bring this to your attention Greg, but it's winter in the northern hemisphere at the moment. See, when we have our summer it's their winter and vice versa. Oh and while we're on the subject you might like to look up the difference between weather and climate. You might find it enlightening.
Dr Barney Langford, Whitebridge
CONGRATULATIONS Greg Hunt (Short Takes, 28/12), within the space of only 53 words, not only did you manage to throw one of your favourites ("lefties") out again, but for good measure, you also used what I believe has become your catchphrase ("woke"), not once, but twice! I have to ask, do you actually know what the modern meaning of the word "woke" actually is or do you just use it because it's such a popular go-to buzzword for reporters on Sky News?
Adz Carter, Newcastle
I NOTE that beaches in Western Australia, as well as around the world, have groynes built out in the water at a 90 degree angle to the beach to control erosion. Has that system been investigated here? It seems to be highly effective. Just checking.
Lyall Rissler, Raymond Terrace
YOU'RE a little bit inconsistent Daryl Frost (Short Takes, 30/12). One minute, in your opinion flares add "atmosphere" to a game of soccer, then the next you want a player suspended for throwing one back into the crowd? Maybe if there were no flares at all this would never have happened. Or maybe if soccer wasn't so boring they wouldn't need to bring them? Just a thought.
Matt Ophir, Charlestown
INTERESTING to note that at noon on January 10, 2022, the price of electricity in South Australia reached $11,489/MWh. This was caused by high temperatures and an abrupt reduction in wind and solar generation. These factors were pronounced because of a constraint on the interconnector with Victoria which reduced South Australia's ability to import coal fired electricity. For those of us who like to quote selective statistical figures in support of low cost renewables: "selective statistics rarely give you the true facts".
