Letters
Offgassing on climate change dangers and CSG Q It’s no surprise that Metgasco shareholder John Vaughan thinks that gas is a good transitional fuel (Letters, April 22). Twenty years ago that seemed like a good idea, but the reality is that there is no evidence that using gas to generate electricity leads to any reduction in greenhouse gas emissions overall. Thanks to the lack of action by governments worldwide it is now too late for ‘transitional’ fossil fuels – we need to go straight to solar and wind power to save as much as we can of our environment and lifestyle. Matthew Lambourne Mullumbimby Q Mr Vaughan, The Echo has previously reported you
Making money Responding to my letter on the creation of money for infrastructure, D Lisle (Echo, April 15) accepts that our money supply is controlled by ‘un-elected technocrats’, that there is no community influence over it, that ‘independent’ banks are serving the interest of ‘the rapacious financial elite’ and that the financial sector enjoys ‘extraordinary rewards for shuffling bits of paper about’. He seemingly accepts that it must remain this way. I beg to differ – but it will only change when sufficient numbers of us get interested in the present system, how
sea-level rise. Connect the dots; perhaps it is not wise to invest in business that will damage the climate. May 3 is National Divestment Day. It is time to move our money away from polluting industries to support a sustainable future. As 350.org founder Bill McKibben states, ‘If it is wrong to wreck the planet, then it is also wrong to profit from that wreckage.’ More information is atgofossilfree.org/australia or contact byronbay@350.org.au. Dave Rawlins Mullumbimby Creek
have significant investments in Metgasco. Even Metgasco’s website states the aim of the Rosella well at Bentley is to test the Greater Mackellar structure for the development of a gasfield which utilises CSG and other unconventional gas wells, which require fracking. Unconventional gas is known to produce fugitive emissions (leaking methane). Methane is around 70 times more potent than carbon as a greenhouse gas. Scientists have shown gas wells which require fracking have the potential to damage the climate as much as burning dirty coal. The Echo has also reported you have taken Council to court so ratepayers must defend your Belongil property from beach erosion, which will be exacerbated by
Q In response to John Vaughan’s letter and his extraordinary misreading of Ottmar Edenhofer’s views on climate change: Professor
it determines the kind of society we get and what the alternatives are. The Bank of England Quarterly is a good starting point for it is very readable – refreshingly so. Take the statement, ‘Banks first decide how much to lend depending on the profitable lending opportunities available to them…’ (my italics). For the last few years, our money supply has grown by about A$90 billion a year and only about A$3 billion p/a was created by the government. Our economy is thus being moulded by some A$87 billion a year interest-bearing debt being directed by the
banks to ‘profitable lending opportunities’. Most of this goes into housing and land – speculative, negativelygeared and some ‘homesweet-homes’ – plus asset speculation. A small part goes to productive and community building activities. Escalating house prices and increasing inequality are the result. If money were created with the objective of improving our commonwealth, the story would be very different. But it isn’t. We have a treasurer threatening austerity; ‘Everybody has to help with the heavy lifting,’ he declares.
Letters to the Editor Send to Letters Editor Michael McDonald, fax: 6684 1719 email: editor@echo.net.au Deadline: Noon, Friday. Letters longer than 200 words may be cut. Letters already published in other papers will not be considered. Please include your full name, address and phone number for verification purposes.
Edenhofer, who was a Nobel peace prize winner in 2007 for his work as an advocate for strong and radical action on climate change, publicly denounces the fact that a powerful elite of corporations control the world’s intergenerational resources. He argues that clean air and water are the property of all human beings. Professor Edenhofer is internationally renowned for espousing the principle of an ‘ethical balancing of burdens’ and he vehemently critiques the very economic-rationalist type of paradigms such as those put forward by John Vaughan. Maybe you should have read the professor’s work a little more closely, John! As for the suggestion that
the only opponents of fracking and coal seam gas in the area are the Greens, John is right about one thing – the Greens are the only major political party standing alongside the gasfield-free movement demanding clean air, clean water and a clean energy future. However, the Greens can’t take credit for what is a massive, national and international environmental movement opposing fracking for coal seam gas. The gasfield-free movement doesn’t belong to any political party; it is a broad social movement made up of farmers, environmentalists and common people, across all spectrums of society, who recognise the unacceptable risks posed by fracking.
People have a right to be genuinely concerned that their water will be polluted, their land industrialised and their property devalued by risky gas mining. Like the 70-yearold Bentley dairy farmer, Jim Hewitt, I am so grateful to the many thousands of people in our region who are taking the time out of their lives to stand up to the near-sighted, irresponsible greediness of multinational corporations that are playing god with our most precious resources. Tamara Smith Bangalow
Will that include the banks? Or will they be able to continue with their ‘heavy lending’ to suit their ‘profitable opportunities’ with Gonski, NDIS, CSIRO, ABC, retirement provisions, NBN all subject to ‘efficiency dividends’ (read ‘cuts’)? Colin Cook Bangalow
pus he didn’t find. Coincidentally in the previous week, Council was injecting glyphosate (Roundup) into coral trees along the length of the watercourse. Their dead leaves have been dropping into the creek. Perhaps insect larvae feeding on these leaves have been falling into the water, too. Platypus eat enormous amounts of insect larvae. Maybe there is a particular insect in larval stage at this time of the year. Or it may just be a coincidence. Monsanto says glyphosate is mammal and insect ‘safe’, but I can see online there is some debate about this. If anyone knows what might have caused a platypus kill, it would be in everyone’s interest to let Council know. There may not be a single
living platypus left in Upper Wilsons Creek. Michael Balson Upper Wilsons Creek
Q Mr Cook is happy to discuss this topic via colin.cook@ greybeard.com.au – Ed
Dead platypus A local contractor found two dead platypus within a couple of days last week on causeways in Upper Wilsons Creek. They were healthy looking juveniles with no sign of injury. There would undoubtably have been other dead platy-
Are you a Bushland Friendly Neighbour? Do you… THE … dispose of garden waste properly rather than dump in reserves?
Q I have one simple question -
which side of history are you on, Mr Vaughan? Liz Friend Mullumbimby
West Byron action The West Byron development proposal represents a great opportunity for Byron. Rather than waste our time and money with soliciting yet more great ideas destined for the scrapheap with the latest blue sky report, Council should shoulder its responsibilities and address the challenges presented by the West Byron development proposal. Firstly, the proposal cannot go ahead without proper infrastructure in place. Okay, plan for another school, more hospital services, address parking issues and build a proper bypass from continued on page 13
RAILS
THE RAILWAY FRIENDLY BAR, BYRON BAY 6685 7662 THE FAMOUS RAILS kitchen Wednesday 30 April
MICK MCHUGH Thursday 1 May
… remove weeds, such as Winter Senna, from your garden?
NATHAN KAYE Friday 2 May
HAMMER & THE GOON Saturday 3 May
TRISTAN O’MEARA BAND … keep cats and dogs out of bushland and indoors at night?
Sunday 4 May
CHRIS COOK BAND Monday 5 May
ANDY BURKE Tuesday 6 May
LEIGH JAMES
BE BUSHLAND FRIENDLY! For more info www.byron.nsw.gov.au/environment North Coast news daily: www.echonetdaily.net.au
Wednesday 7 May
DUSTIN THOMAS The Byron Shire Echo April 29, 2014 11