Solar Hits Grid Parity

 Whilst the price of dirty coal produced electricity has continued to rise over the last decade, the price of solar has fallen... and fallen... and fallen. So much so that today in NSW, solar has become as cheap to generate coal.

About 5 years ago my family placed a 1.5kw solar array on their roof, at the time this cost AU$16 000 (not including rebates) The same arrays just five years later are advertised for just $3000. This is excellent news for the solar industry, no longer can the proponents of dirty coal claim that renewable energy uneconomical, its just as cheap, and in the near future will be even cheaper.

When you think about it, its a no brainer. Coal power plants are expensive to build, to run, to dig the coal from the ground and transport it to the power plant. Solar on the other hand is a one off investment, the panels are manufactured and installed, then run on a free and abundant power source with next to zero maintenance costs for decades to come. Its a simple, one off capital investment that pays dividends for the rest of its life. If we actually factored in the real cost of coal to society, the loss of farmland to mining, the health impacts of toxins released into the air,  the future impacts of climate change in destroying infrastructure, homes, agriculture, biodiversity and lives for generations to come, the cost of coal is astronomical. Now is the time to invest in clean energy, coal can no longer hide behind economic arguments not to.

A Spek of Dust

This image shows earth from 10 million km away, a distance that is almost inconcevable yet is just a stones throw away in galactic terms. A speck of dust, suspended in the sea of space. Our world is so small, so seemingly insignificant when compared to the vastness of the universe, against the trillions of other stars, planets, galaxies and nebulae. On that speck, countless species have evolved and become extinct, civilisations have risen and fallen, wars have raged and great feats have been achieved. In the blackness of space it is the smallest jewel, but the only one we have. Look at the blackness, if we spoil our home there is no where to go, only the blackness of space, no second home, no place to take refuge when man in his stupidity destroys the thing that gives him life. It may seem an insignificant speck, but it is not, for on it there are 7 billion of us and a trillion other species that make this speck so very special.

The Cove

Last Sunday the feature length documentary 'The Cove' screened on ABC1, hopefully to the effect of shocking and outraging viewers as to the inhumaine, abusive and unsustainable practices of dolphin hunting that pose to not only wipe out dolphin populations around Japan, but to endanger the human health of those who eat the mercury laced dolphin meat. 'The Cove' is in an important step to ending this foul trade, a trade that, like the rest of the whaling industry, is an absolutely senseless industry kept afloat by government subsidies and practiced most undoubtedly simply to defy the will of the international community. The film also reveals the beauty and intelligence of dolphins, a self aware species that may be just as smart as we are. If you didn't see it last Sunday I highly recommend it.

No Fracking Way

Soil and water are undeniably this dry and barren continents most precious natural resources. Long after the  ore has been mined from the ground and the last of the coal burnt, soil and water will still be feeding our country and keeping us alive. A coal mine may make a billion dollars in one year, but the value of productive farmland is priceless and given it is treated right, has the capacity to continue producing indefinitely. Right now the biggest threat to the integrity of our soil and water comes from coal seam gassification, which uses a process called hydraulic fracturing, pumping chemicals deep underground, to break through rock and extract gas from coal seams. The industry would tout it as a 'greener' way to mine, avoiding large scars on the landscape and burning gas which is somehow worked its way into being called a 'clean energy.' However coal seam gas moves the problems underground, deep into our aquifers. If the chemicals escape into these aquifers there is no way of remediating the damage, threatening human health, the health of ecosystems and our farmlands. Whereas an open cut mine may be limited to a few hectares in size, coal seam gassification sprawls across the landscape, scaring the land with sunken wells. Right now in Northern NSW there is an application to turn 85,000 hectares of the Pilliga Forest into a gas field of sunken wells, sediment basins, pipelines and roads. Else where in the country wells are being sunk into prime agricultural land, threatening not only our food production, but the communities that live there. In the USA coal seem gas has expanded across the states of Pennsylvania and New York, destroying some of North America's most productive farmland in some of its most densely populated states. It is a road that Australia does not need to go down with its enormous potential for renewable energy generation. It is not a clean energy, producing large amounts of methane in its extraction and generating CO2 when burnt. The challenges of climate change and a growing population mean that in the future, soil and water will become ever more precious to us. If we canot drink gas and we can not eat coal, then they should always be put second to soil and water. 

3 Days Left To Save The Amazon

Deforestation in the Amazon. NASA

The Amazon is often described as the lungs of the earth. A rich and diverse rainforest that has been under attack for decades from deforestation and logging. In 3 days the Brazilian Parliament is set to overturn its forestry protection laws placing the Amazon at an even greater risk of deforestation. Please sign this petition to be sent to President Dilma calling on her to veto the move to overthrow the only protection afforded to one of the worlds most precious resources.

Sign the petition 

Panspermia and Gaian Gametes

Note: The following is not a scientific theory, rather it is a purely hypothetical musing to explore different ways of looking at the way the way the earth operates.

Many people have looked at the earth and compared it to a living, breathing organism. Some go as far as deeming it a 'super-organism,' a theory that seems to have, in my opinion, considerable evidence to support it. Its a contentious point as the question of what constitutes alive and what constitutes an organism are open to debate. For the purposes of this post however, we will assume that the earth is a super organism. In his book The Gaia Hypothesis James Lovelock argues that Gaia, (a name for the earth super organism taken from Greek Mythology which I will also use) is like an organism in that it possesses the characteristics of: Metabolism, Evolution, Thermostasis, Chemostasis and Self Repair. The only thing that separates it from other organisms is it has not (so far) demonstrated the ability to reproduce. I hypothesise that this last point, is within the realms of possibility.

Some people refer to humanity as a plague or a cancer within the Gaian organism, destroying the host in which it lives. Most organisms have the ability to defend themselves against invaders however, and ecosystems have the capacity to respond to stresses through feedback mechanisms, returning the system to a stable state. Why have humans not been smited from the earth like pesky bacteria? Hold that thought.

Cast your mind now to reproduction. Many organisims will expend considerable amounts of metabolic resources, put themselves in considerable peril and often ultimately die somewhere along the path to reproducing. Think of the plant that drops all its leaves so it can put its energy into seed production or the praying mantis who sacrifices itself to the female during mating.

Now bring these two concepts together, what if humanity was not a cancer in the organism but a gamete,   the method by which Gaia could reproduce and therefore makes a considerable sacrifice to allow it to develop the technology to spread Gaia's seed.  After all 60 years ago man touched down on another world. Perhaps we are the unwitting cells that will one day bring life to other planets, thus demonstrating the ability of Gaia to reproduce. This idea may seem ludicrous, but again I stress it is a pure thought experiment.

Apollo 11 lifts off to spread life to the stars? 

Panspermia is a credible scientific theory of life having been transported to earth aboard fragments of a commet. However equally as credible (probably more so in my opinion) is the theory that life arrose on earth out of the simple chemistry occurring in the primordial sea. If life had been transported here, perhaps it means Gaia is the offspring of another world. Even if this is false man still has the ability to spread life to other planets in the not too distant future. This however raises ethical questions.

Consider this hypothesis is true and man is a vector to spread life throughout the galaxy. It then follows that, if given the opportunity we should terrorform planets such as Mars as an advancement of life, and also to protect life should anything happen to earth. But would this be right? Mars would not be the Red Planet if it were green, just as the Sahara Desert would not be the Sahara Desert if it had pine trees growing on it. Does it not have an intrinsic right to remain as it is, or is it better off if it were alive? And what if it, or any other body already had life upon it? Do we under the premis of Neo Darwinistic survival of the fittest replace that life with our own life, or do we strive not to contaminate it? I err on the latter point.

I think its an interesting thought to think of humans as bodies to transport DNA to other worlds so that life may go on. If we ever do get further than the moon it is an ethical quandary that requires considerable thought as our technology progresses forwards. Should we be visitors, colonisers or should we stay at home and protect the planet we have right here. Perhaps we will venture out and find life is deep rooted in the universe and Gaia is one of many...or perhaps we will discover her a special gem, unique in all the heavens.

Earth's Vital Signs

NASA,  one of the worlds most famous scientific organisation is most often cited for their study of extraterrestrial objects, for landing men on the moon and sending probes out into the solar system. Part of their research however concerns a planet far closer to home. In fact, it is home. From their satellites NASA collects data on the dynamic processes that govern planet earth. 

NASA's Global Climate Change Website,
Winner of theBest Science Site at the 2011 Webby Awards    

NASA's Climate Change Website, winner of Best Science Site at the 2011 Webby Awards  presents engaging and informative insight into the earth's changing climate. Most important in my eyes are the statistics presented in the header, informing us that todays CO2 concentrations are 391ppm, the current rate of sea level rise is 3.27mm/year, and that temperature has risen so far 1.5F since 1800. For more vital statistics visit the key indicators page, showing graphs of surface temperature, CO2 concentration, Land ice and Sea level. 

Such data is not only valuable to inform ones own understanding of the rate of change caused by anthropogenic carbon emissions, but also serves handy when debating 'skeptics' and 'deniers.' Surely they can not refute the findings of NASA, the scientific organisation that put a man on the moon. Sadly however no amount of science from a credible source is equal to one graph from an non-credible source that validates the belief that climate change is a communist plot. Sadly it seems the only graphs the deniers will accept are those that have been turned upside down. 

Global Land-Ocean Temperature Index

Check it out here! Just dont try showing it to Alan Jones. 

We Walk The Plank With Our Eyes Wide Open

We walk the plank with our eyes wide open. Gotye's haunting, beautiful lyrics contain a poignant message:

But it was like to stop consuming's to stop being human
And why'd I make a change if you won't?
We're all in the same boat
Staying afloat for the moment


Within it he captures what is wrong with the human condition; unable to change despite possessing the knowledge of the consequences of its actions, only able to see the here and now.  And that weak argument peddled out again and again, that because your neighbour is not taking action you dont have to either. A toxic merry-go round that prevents all from doing good for the environment. In our culture we have lost all concept of planing for the future, in caring beyond today. And so we walk the plank with our eyes wide open. A sad but truthful depiction.

And the saddest thing
Is all of it could have been avoided

Melting Monuments

Glaciers are majestic rivers of ice that flow and carve valleys out of mountains. Unfortunately they are one of the first of natures great wonders to be negatively affected by anthropogenic warming. Thanks to rises in temperature many glaciers are now in retreat, some kilometers shorter than what they were just 50 years ago. If this trend continues some will soon cease to exist. These are some images taken around the world of retreating ice. A frozen canary in the coal mine sending a message that the world is heating up. 

Helheim Glacier Greenland
Left: May 12, 2001. Middle: July 7, 2003. Right: June 19, 2005

 Okpilak Glacier, Alaska
Left: June 1907. Right: August 5, 2004

 Imja Glacier, Nepal
Left: Autumn, 1956. Right: October 18, 2007. 

Holgate Glacier, Alaska.
 Left: July 24, 1909. Right: August 13, 2004.

McCall Glacier, Alaska.
Left: July 1958. Right: August 14, 2003

A reminder of the rapid pace of change.

Tassie's Old Growth Forests Saved!

The Upper Florentine Valley, Tasmania.
Photo Source: The Wilderness Society. 

The outlook on the Tasmanian Forest agreement was not looking good as of yesterday with the proposed protected forrest to be placed in 'informal reserves' which would have ment they were not really protected at all and could be logged in the future. However a last minute change by Gillard now sees 430 000 hectares of  old growth forrest in the Tarkine, Styx and Upper Florentine  formally legislated into protected reserves. Hopefully that translates into their inclusion into National Parks. Truly some of Australia's most awe inspiring ecosystems, finally protected from decades of plunder and destruction by the forrest industry. A win for some of Australia's last remaining wildernesses.


On an aside it was interesting to read how the issue was reported across Australia. The same article by Andrew Darby published in Melbourne's Age by with the headline 'Greens win deal to save Tasmanian forests' was entitled 'Timber industry furious at Tasmania forest peace pact' in Sydney's SMH. Same newspaper company, different cities. Just goes to show that here in Sydney we are quite not as an enlightened bunch as our Melbournian compatriots. 

Can It Go On Forever?

It seems yet again the world teaters on the brink of a global recession. Growth has slowed, and when growth slows and economies contract jobs are lost, companies collapse and the world grinds to a halt. We have built ourselves a system reliant upon continual economic growth, much to the detriment of the environment from which our economy feeds. A system of boom and bust that comes crashing to its knees every few decades, or in this case, possibly twice in one. Yet it is no secret continual exponential growth in a closed system (the earth) is simply impossible. Still people seem to blindly adhere to the belief that supplies of finite resources will never run out, that despite what we have consumed today there will still be just as much of it tomorrow.

Basically they live in a fantasy world where cause does not equal effect. Yet the problem is far worse than this. The growth that our economies rely upon is a measure of the rate at which consumption increases. If the economy grows at a rate of 3.5% per annum, it in fact doubles in size every 20 years. This means that the rate at wich we consume is getting faster and faster. Over 100 years the rate of consumption at this growth rate would mean that the in the last 20 years, the amount consumed is equal to everything consumed in the last 80. Exponential curves are scary things. To learn more about them take a read of this lecture. 

One of the illustrative examples it gives concerns our perception that energy from the sun is an endless source of electricity. In fact it seems that way with there being 11,514x more energy falling on the earth from the sun than we consume each year. Yet even if we could harvest every last ray of it, how long will it take for our energy consumption to grow at just 4% per anum 11514 times? The answer is 245 years. Pretty quickly even 'endless' resources run out. 

The long and short of it is: Growth can not go on indefinitely as a fact of nature. How then, can we justify to pin our economies on continued growth when we know it must and will end? But dont worry, the same people that caused the last recession are still behind the wheel of their dangerous money making machine. No matter how many times it crashes, they will continue to run it until every last drop of fuel in its tank is spent. 

Turtle World

I remember as a child in the nineties, perhaps I was about five or six old (showing my age here) watching on ABC television this film with monkeys who lived in a tropical paradise upon a turtles back. As the they began building shelter an idillic little town in the rainforest town emerged. Life was good for the monkeys. But as they cut down more trees to build bigger and better houses it became clear that they were destroying their fertile home. The part that really struck me as a child was when they began to mine the turtles back, digging down to uncover its pink, vulnerable, pulsating flesh. That image stayed with me for years, a metaphor for mans own destruction of his home. I was thinking about this short but powerful film recently, and decided to hunt for it on the internet. And there it was, on youtube of course, as all things are. 

To watch this video: Click here

Mysterious Martian Markings- Evidence of Liquid Water?

The time lapse image above shows strange dark markings appearing to flow down the steep slopes of Newtons crater on the surface of Mars. Appearing at the beginning of the Martian Spring and fading as the temperature drops back towards winter, these images may be evidence of the presence of liquid water according to a theory put forward by NASA. Whilst the exact cause is still inconclusive, it seems that we are moving towards answering the age old scientific question: Is there water on Mars? And if this is found to be the case: Is it possible that some form of life exists below its surface? 

 Find NASA's report here

Images from Space- The Water Planet

This Image, The Water Planet compiled by NASA reminds us that most of our planets surface is covered by water. Too often we forget that the bulk of life on earth lives below the waves and is just as in need of protection as any terrestrial environment.

East Coast HSR Could Cut Carbon

The Corridor for phase two of the Study. Source:
HIGH SPEED RAIL STUDY – PHASE 1AECOM Australia Pty Ltd 

 Each year 7.88Million trips are made by air between the two most populous cities in Australia, making the Sydney-Melbourne corridor the 5th busiest in the world. Other people travel by car and almost exclusively by car to every town and city in between. Think of how much CO2 that produces. High Speed Rail makes sense, a clean and efficient way to transport people between the CBDs of Sydney,  Canberra, Melbourne, Newcastle and Brisbane. Today the federal government released their report into high speed rail, and it argues a strong case.

By 2056 almost 30million people will live in the corridor between Brisbane and Melbourne. If we are to stop our cities from sprawling out of control and becoming crippled by congestion, more people are going to have to live in regional cities. High speed rail can get them there. If we are to reduce our emissions, we need high speed rail. If we are to keep regional cities like Newcastle alive, we need high speed rail. Potentially it can be powered entirely by renewable energy, reducing the carbon emissions of a trip to Melbourne to 0.  Other nations around the world including China, the USA and even Morocco are building high speed rail to prepare themselves for reductions in emissions and the rising cost of oil.

Think about it: 3 hours from Central and you are in the heart of Melbourne or Brisbane, no airport queues, no take off and landing. 40 minutes and you are home from work in Sydney CBD, except you live in Newcastle. What is clear is; the longer we delay the start of construction, the greater the need will become and the more expensive it will be in the long run.