Environmental disasters and what we learn from them

Not much ---if the lack of discussion about Thredbo on its anniversary is any indication.

QUESTION What have the Tasmanian and Nsw government got in common on this day ( in the last days of July 2007 )
ANSWER Lessons for all thinking Australians about the incompetence of env planning in Australia.The Same avoidable snowing, stupidity, distraction, ignorance and crying wolf, 10 years on .How do find wolves - use a wolf catcher!
THE PAST The Coronial enquiry established that THE PUBLIC SERVICE PROCESS WAS UNABLE to anticipate a high risk developing unecessarily on a low landslide risk site at Thredbo.

THE PRESENT Tasmanias 10000 pages(Gunns mill docs) are not the way to prescribe a problem - they describe the problem . Experience and exposure can provide much more confidence, at much less expense.


The problem :- Environmental risk assessment processes that don't work (and cost not only the earth or some sick water but 18 Australians and their families )
Australias biggest env disaster-was Thredbo but what reporter has asked the obvious question - how can we learn from this unecessary disaster.

A brief for the Thredbo enquiry ( click here) made days after the disaster, proved after all the 10000 and more pages to be a demonstration that appropropriate risk assessor engagement can cut to the essential risks in any proposal. That small 2 page report prempted the key outcomes of the Coronial enquiry - but has any journo read this on the 10 yr anniversary? beats trying to read 10000.

10 years, and millions of taxpayers dollars later, the public deserve to know how the lessons of Australias biggest environmental disaster could apply to env minister's most real risk; TO have another snow job ; another ross kelly "pin the tail on the donkey" or another trumped up parroter of panic merchants; another mr lennon on his own.

The next journo to ask the question about where its all going and take some notes- will help, not only Mr lennon, but every environmental and planning minister in this country.Copyright emperors academy mreforce@telstra.com

The Age - not even clear where the science is

Nothing casts a greater shadow over the debate tonight than the poverty of understanding amongst journos about who has the right to set the scene over the scenario of the future pressures on our earth .

The Age misses the inrellectual boat by making the silly assmption that only wel l funded uturologists ( metrerologists) should get the nod( the 5 agents) .leaving the gelogsists and remoete sensors and the ages' credibility -----out in the cold - in scienec mate there are many disciplines used to helpdraw testable conclusions from the observations - some of the most telling are the ones written in the sands of time. . at least plimer got a look in on other pages .

774 has trouble finding someone in aust other than cullen and flannery - Today theaannals of theroyal society ( NAS britian )were again scoured - andthe irrlevant finds -:trite anecdotes from a solo britain

When you start adding something to someone else's story

The big challenge for the ABC and the AGE ( before we finally see it )
Will its reporting of the Climate change debate be a little more reasonable than its resistance to it . The limitations to resisting the change agenda agents ( who are clearly in a powerful majority in power terms) are almost insuperable – after all you need a lot more money and political support than most way ward scientists get . Whatever the limitation then of the oppositions, and Durkins ( he’s not alone by any means) case , the fact remains that some of the important science and practice questions on global warming imperatives is at last being aired !! A first step ! .

The Age and the ABC will go into history proclaiming solutions that even scientists are not advocating .

YES The problem or potential problem has been stated and that’s OK .The earth is warming .

NO What’s it’s not OK to add to the science story -is that the solution has been stated. It has not in terms of cause and effect . It will be interesting to see not only wether the

THE AGE
we've seen their bit . Its easy for the well heeled to criticise the adventures of community TV - but when they use the production errors of the poor up as the key critiques I know i won't rush out to buy the age again for a while. The bloke wass doing hat many people want -a debate we never had and may not really have . sure the substance has potential errors but so does the PCorrect> A mor ebalanced debae wiould insteda of focusing on some claytons ( from us scientists0 issues( changes in the sun ) asked the more critical question - is co2 clearly linked to the warming and HOW .


Conclusion There is No point other than blowing your mouth off to state the solution when the cause is not clear . Only fools and those who would , in what ever faith system, will to destroy the opportunity to do good over environmental protection . Blow the trumpet too early and you willingly do that – blow the opportunity to do good for the environment .
That is blowing the trumpet when the direction in which to send the troops is unclear.