Just an idea:

Any animal/bird, particularly a feral/wild animal/bird, taken to a Vet has blood taken and the blood sent to a central establishment in each State (maybe a Health Department or a University or a co-operative of some sort) where two databases are kept, and are linked nation-wide and possibly globally.  One database is part of disease control and the other holds genome information.

Funding/Maintenance of Renewable Energy Infrastructure

Renewable energy is becoming more popular, especially as battery storage appears to be more reliable, but has anybody given any thought to the costs of replacement and/or maintenance of the infrastructure.  I am thinking of the cost of new panels and the frames holding them, batteries, control boxes, wiring, etc as they lose effectiveness over time.

For individuals: Five dollars a fortnight over twenty years ($2600 without interest) in a dedicated fund may work for replacement, but is something to think about.

For Companies: Is money being set aside for maintenance/cleaning, and for eventual replacement?

There is quite a lot to think about.

OF THE WALL (OUT OF LEFT FIELD) - SOLAR/WIND USAGE

Just an idea but maybe, someone can use it, or an adaptation of same.  About a hospital or an industrial site there is, quite often, accommodation of various sorts.  When alternative power sources are installed to the accommodation, add extra capacity.  The installation/extra might be paid for by the final recipient or an entity, either an established power supply company or an entity set up as a power supply or co-operative.  The surplus is to be saved in batteries at the hospital/factory for use in emergencies.  This may already be in use, but I'm putting the idea out there, as at some time, non-renewable sources of power will become unobtainable or very uneconomic.

Winning The Environment War

WINNING THE ENVIRONMENT WAR

(Originally considered mid 1990’s)

     First a broad statement:- Man is killing the planet and the planet, being a living identity, will retaliate (if it hasn't already started - which it may have).

     Whether you agree or disagree with the statement at this time, it is what I believe.  Because of the scope of the problems I will confine remarks to Australia and include sections of the following subjects (which at some point can be interrelated):-

Water pollution, Dieback, Salinity - Water Table, Erosion

     River pollution in Australia is becoming worse.  There is no pointing the finger at anybody in particular, but just a general accusation that as a nation we have been complacent.  It appears that as the word is spread and as we start to work together things are improving. 

     River Pollution comes in many forms.  This includes deliberate dumping or flushing contaminated water and general debris into the storm water and river systems.  Water can be contaminated in industrial complexes through the industrial processes used but genuine concern, laws and the profit motive - clean up your act or we stop buying - are coming into use, to a greater or lesser extent, in an attempt to rectify problems.

     Man, apart from feeding waterways with pollution, has also interfered with the water-flow, with dams and diversions.  Because of the restrictions on water-flow, the water-flow paths are not being flushed like they were and, with the reduction in water-flow, toxic blue-green algae has bloomed in the last few years as never before.  To me, this is one form of nature retaliating.  As another side-effect of the reduced flow, land is not receiving fresh silt or being otherwise revitalized, through periodic flooding

     Dieback and Salinity - Water Table are part of a cause and effect problem.  Trees are removed for whatever reason; usually to make the land more accessible.  With nature's sponges removed, water is not retained in hill-slopes and collects in lower levels.  As a result the water-table rises and with it comes saltier water - salinity.  The trees that are left cannot tolerate the extra salt and so gradually die off.  This is slowly being combated by replanting on slopes and using more salt tolerate strains of vegetation, including trees, on lower levels.

     Removal of trees includes removal of root systems, therefore any strength in ground retention is drastically diminished.  Along water courses banks are more easily undercut by flash-flooding, which does happen, despite an earlier statement.  On the open land, because of the lack of trees to slow flash flooding, what remains of fertilized top-soil is removed, although, dependent on circumstances, mud is deposited.

     There is a lot more which could be said and although it may seem I have 'shot myself in the foot' with possibly contradictory argument, different areas of Australia have different problems at different times.  It does not detract from the fact that Man, particularly European-based Man, has drastically changed the face of the World, and the evidence is there, if the search is made with an open mind.

1 January 2014 – I think these thoughts still have merit.

Whaling Research

If the Japanese are so keen to do whale research, then I presume it is supposed to be pure research and there is no need to sell the whale-meat gained - it should be given away.  They do give the meat away, don't they?  And where can I find copies of the research data - it is freely available, isn't it?


Late March, early April, 2014.  Apparently some legal proceedings are having an affect on whale acquisition and whale meat disposal.


Late April, 2014.  A newspaper report puts a small whaling fleet back at work.

Environmental – ‘Big Oil’

If ‘Big Oil’ is buying fuel inventions/processes, now would be a good time, for the survival of the planet and for PR purposes, to put them on the market.  (Alright, I’m still a cynic.)

Environmental – water usage

Owners of factories should live downstream of, and in reasonable proximity to, their factory outlets, and/or any factory taking water from a flowing water source shall take water from that source from below their factory output.