Climate Tasmania

A Tasmanian take on the thorniest global issue since the dinosaurs. Based on Peter Boyer’s newspaper column in the Hobart Mercury.

Climate change is a matter of evidence, not belief

It isn’t a question of who’s following whom. The critical question is, what is the evidence saying? [22 May 2012 | Peter Boyer]
“I believe in climate change” is one of the silliest lines to emerge from the interminable debates about climate — perhaps as silly as “God will fix everything no matter what we do”.
It’s [...]

The power in our rivers

Hydro power was a good idea back then, and it still is, as Nigel Tomlin is showing. [15 May 2012 | Peter Boyer]
It seemed like a pretty good idea at the time. In 1878 the world’s first hydro-electric plant near Rothbury, England, started producing power, and here in the Antipodes were all these rivers cascading [...]

Carbon pricing: a poor excuse for doing nothing?

Will Australia’s much-heralded carbon pricing scheme turn out to be an excuse to turn our backs on much-needed complementary measures? [17 April 2012 | Peter Boyer]
Five months ago many Australians, including me, gave qualified applause to the passage of the Gillard government’s carbon pricing legislation, due to enter into force on July 1.
We applauded as [...]