Undoubtedly, and to the surprise of some, it seems Tim Flannery has come out in support of mining and in particular Coal Seam Gas (CSG) exploration. Surprising to the extent that it would appear to be against his environmentalist position of the past.
But I am not sure Flannery has all that much credibility anyway so let’s not get too excited.
The real issues related to the CSG ‘experiment’, as I understand it, is the out of control access these miners are getting to prime agricultural land and the negative effect that will have on our food production levels, already under threat through drought and other environmental issues. Secondly, there is a concern that science has not produced a satisfactory answer as to what effect CSG will have on the underground water courses and our ability to tap into these courses in the future. I think we need some thoroughly researched answers on these issues before we go charging off down yet another half cleared path and put the Country further on the road to self destruction. Heavens above Gillard and Co are doing enough on that without help from the miners.
it is also somewhat mind boggling that in our search for clean energy we continue to ignore the use of nuclear power for peaceful purposes. This was starting to get a new airing until the recent Japanese disaster when it was suddenly swept aside as too hot a potato for either the Government or the Opposition.
The fact is Japan stuffed up. It put a nuclear reactor on the shoreline when it knew the Country was on a fault line and subject to regular and severe earth quakes, and that a major quake would trigger a tsunami. I know it is fine to be wise after the act but really one would have thought the Japanese would have been smarter than that.
Anyway Japan’s ‘stupidity’ should not cause Australia to run away from this source of clean energy. We have an abundance of Uranium which we gleefully export to other users to use for peaceful purposes; why not us. Nuclear energy would solve our so-called green-house gas problems without the need for a carbon tax, would provide energy at a sustainable and predictable price and would provide reliable supply forever and a day.We need to get our heads out of the sand, put the Nuclear bogey man to bed and get on with it. Then we could leave our food producing land alone to be used for that to which it is best suited and will be most productive.
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