I'm dreaming of a whiiiite new year!
My blog post here is in large part inspired by Geoff of Radwaste's happy Christmas post which links to Dame Edna's Christmas message. The Dame ends of in customary style "I wish all of my possums..." blah blah blah "...a very wet New Year." Apt, given, as Geoff points out, this Christmas was the coldest in Radwaste recorded history, and in my personal memory.
In Melbourne and Adelaide people were lighting fires on Christmas eve! We thought about lighting one where we were in rural SA too, but we convinced ourselves it must be against the law to do it in December out there. It turns out that parts of Australia even got a white Christmas to rival the ones we all see in the Christmas cards based on the midwinter yuletide of Europe.
Hilarious, given all the dire predictions of continued El Niño and an exceptionally hot and dry Aussie summer to break the hearts of those already hit by drought.
In other news, while I was in Hong Kong apparently my CEO – yes one of those guys who is supposed to be pragmatic and hungry for success and increased revenue at all costs – announced that he would like all of us in the company to be able to earn enough to live in an environmentally sustainable manner. Essentially, one of the most important ideas to come out of 2006 is that global warming and global climate change are real and really happening.
Okay, okay, the Aussie weather anomalies are apparently due to a weakening El Niño event, which has no agreed scientific cause, but logic be damned, it feels weird! And if it inspires action from Al Gore, Rupert Murdoch, Richard Branson and my CEO then it has to be a good thing. Then bring on the snow for new year's eve please!
So, instead of the usual near-platitudes, let me wish you all a 2007 where you and I really do something to tackle this problem instead of just thinking about it...
But it doesn't feel right without the wishes of love, joy and peace to the world... Thanks to you all who blogged with a heart this year... and thanks for reading and commenting here too!
Mt Donna Buang photograph by James Boddington; Hong Kong sunset photograph by Mish
Categorised as: nature, philosophy
Technorati Tags: new year, 2007, climate change, Australian climate, global warming, Mt Donna Buang, El Niño, ENSO, snow, Christmas, Radwaste, Al Gore, Rupert Murdoch, Richard Branson, environmental sustainability
In Melbourne and Adelaide people were lighting fires on Christmas eve! We thought about lighting one where we were in rural SA too, but we convinced ourselves it must be against the law to do it in December out there. It turns out that parts of Australia even got a white Christmas to rival the ones we all see in the Christmas cards based on the midwinter yuletide of Europe.Hilarious, given all the dire predictions of continued El Niño and an exceptionally hot and dry Aussie summer to break the hearts of those already hit by drought.
In other news, while I was in Hong Kong apparently my CEO – yes one of those guys who is supposed to be pragmatic and hungry for success and increased revenue at all costs – announced that he would like all of us in the company to be able to earn enough to live in an environmentally sustainable manner. Essentially, one of the most important ideas to come out of 2006 is that global warming and global climate change are real and really happening.
Okay, okay, the Aussie weather anomalies are apparently due to a weakening El Niño event, which has no agreed scientific cause, but logic be damned, it feels weird! And if it inspires action from Al Gore, Rupert Murdoch, Richard Branson and my CEO then it has to be a good thing. Then bring on the snow for new year's eve please!
So, instead of the usual near-platitudes, let me wish you all a 2007 where you and I really do something to tackle this problem instead of just thinking about it...
But it doesn't feel right without the wishes of love, joy and peace to the world... Thanks to you all who blogged with a heart this year... and thanks for reading and commenting here too!
Mt Donna Buang photograph by James Boddington; Hong Kong sunset photograph by Mish
Categorised as: nature, philosophy
Technorati Tags: new year, 2007, climate change, Australian climate, global warming, Mt Donna Buang, El Niño, ENSO, snow, Christmas, Radwaste, Al Gore, Rupert Murdoch, Richard Branson, environmental sustainability
Labels: Australia, Australian climate, climate change, nature, new year, philosophy, snow
posted by Lisa at 3:10 pm
6 Comments:
Snow??
There will be nothing as "normal" for weather, and that's scary.
Mish
We had hailstones, much to the amazement of my kids, during the recent thunderstorm. Minute thought they were, they were hailstones.
I think the only way that Adelaide will have snow is to do what they do on Orchard Road in Singapore and hire "snow blowers", to encourage shopping.
The one common thread, from what I can see about global warming, is that it should be seen as weather disruption, with new weather patterns being established. The CSIRO study this week seemed to suggest the combined effect of a cyclical dry warm period and global warming.
I suppose we could all jet off to cold snowy places, increasing CO2 emissions at the same time.
Hi Lisa.. Glad to find u here also :) Your blog looks very nice :) I'll definitely put it in my RSS reader ;)
Keep in touch and Happy New Year!
Ran
Happy new year Lisa!
Happy new year Lisa :)
It does feel weird having to be rugged up in the middle of summer. Quite ridiculous, really!
Great pic of Christmas at Mt Donna Buang!
Lisa, happy new year too. The scary thing is, by the time I get around to settling down, actually starting the new year, it's already one month in!
Yesterday there was a (really scientific) poll on ninemsn asking "Would you drink water from recycled sewage?" A slight majority was saying "yes". Was reminded of your Turd Towns post about drinking recycled water. Your comment "Or we could just leave the playground, start being smart about water recycling, and be proud of our water-smart cities."
Indeed. But if we really recycled sewage into drinking water, how many would be rushing to Safeway to buy the bottled stuff? Interesting, because that's exactly what nature does (and we collect it in catchments full of animal poo and dead carcasses, but hey... that's natural).
I feel it's pesumptuous (and scientifically challengeable) to think that humans are responsible for the current global warming. But as you say, if it makes us all more environmentally responsible from Murdoch and Al Gore down, then that's not bad.
History tells of societies collapsing because of not being aware of having sown the seeds of their own destruction - chopping down the trees on Easter Island for instance. How are we all going to get around when there's no oil for aviation fuel??
Like that question "what did the last Easter Islander say as he chopped down the last tree?", imagine the last guy at the petrol station, filling his tank with the last drops of petrol, and suddenly saying "shit, I'm due in London next week!"
Happy new year, and thanks for the encouragement to "really do something to tackle this problem instead of just thinking about it". I'm sure Desert-Pea readers won't be last fool standing at the petrol bowser.
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