I’m in Townsville, Queensland, Australia (a rather tropical place) on a speaking tour, and as I walked up to my hotel room I felt a wave of heat, and some stale water smell. My trusty guide, Nigel, pointed to the reason and said: “Perfect place for a thermometer, eh mate”?
The population explosion of a/c heat exchangers was a sight to behold.
Last night’s talk in Sydney went well. My thanks to all who attended. Meanwhile in Victoria, ski season opens and The Age says:
”It hasn’t got warmer than minus 3 for at least the last week,” she said. ”That’s pretty cold for Australia – there’s no sign of climate change around here right now.”
It was a tough gig last night in Sydney, not because the audience was tough, but because I’m competing with a 3 day holiday weekend, plus some world cup soccer. I can imagine the choice is easy for some. “Do I want to hear some bloke wail on about the problems with weather stations in the world or watch soccer on holiday with no work tomorrow?”
That’s why I’m doubly appreciative of the many people who came to seem Professor Tim Curtin, David Archibald, and myself speak about climate issues.
For a write up on the evening, see the story by Richard Fernandez at Pajamas Media Belmont Club and also at Twaki.
The most stunning thing I’ve learned here so far?
You have to have a permit to photograph in a National Park and then publish the photograph for any commercial purpose.
Apparently there’s 12 pages of law on it.
Here’s some of it:
The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Regulations 2000 (Cth) on photographers who take and commercialise photographs of Commonwealth reserves.
A Commonwealth reserve is defined as one proclaimed by the Governor-General and includes places such as
Kakadu National Park, Uluru–Kata Tjuta National Park, Booderee National Park, Australian National Botanic
Gardens, Christmas Island National Park, Pulu Keeling National Park, Norfolk Island National Park and Commonwealth Marine Parks and Reserves.
To take photographs in a Commonwealth reserve for commercial purposes, a photographer should:
• Contact the Commonwealth reserve and obtain a permit to take photographs for commercial purposes by
paying the specified fee and entering into a Location Agreement; and
• Abide by the conditions imposed upon commercial photographers in the reserve by the Director.
If a photographer breaches a Location Agreement (or does not enter into one), a ranger or warden may require
him or her to hand over all copies of any photographs taken and any camera or other device used to take them.
For further information, contact the National Park you wish to visit. You can also contact the Commonwealth
Department of Environment and Heritage by phone 02 6274 1111 or see the website:
http://www.deh.gov.au/parks/index.html.
Oz and it’s people have been amazing, but I really can’t get behind a government that would trample the right of photographic art from people like Ansel Adams.
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Australia:
The place where Police are always armed and the citizens almost never.
It used to be the reverse in New Zealand, but it’s now moved a little towards the Australian model, but in general NZ Police are unarmed and the citizenry can carry out their sporting pursuits reasonably freely.
We don’t need a permit to take photographs in the UK, thank goodness, but we do have our own problems with regard to being a photographer in a public place. In the space of a decade the UK has become the most oppressive environment imaginable for freedom of expression. http://photographernotaterrorist.org/
“… the results of this study suggest that the Australian alpine region may already be experiencing significant effects of greenhouse climate change.”
Ha ha ha, what a load of crap, Luke. It says nothing of the sort.
Time for your next group at the kiddy amusement park.
Hi Anthony, nice to meet you in Sydney last night. When I left (I think you were just in front of me) I turned on the car radio. It was on the ABC and this was on. Ironical.
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/sundayprofile/stories/2010/2925073.htm
“Honeymooners the world over love to head to the Maldives — the island pearls in the Indian Ocean. But some of the white sand islands might soon be buttressed with concrete, as rising sea levels force the Maldivian president, Mohamed Nasheed, to take drastic action. He’s calling on developed nations to make deep cuts to carbon emissions”.
@Stepehen
”
“Claims such as ‘2,500 of the world’s leading scientists have reached a consensus that human activities are having a significant influence on the climate’ are disingenuous,” the paper states unambiguously, adding that they rendered “the IPCC vulnerable to outside criticism.”
Hulme, Professor of Climate Change in the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia
”
There’s our likely leaker… 🙂
The Australian government is just getting started. It has announced plans to have ISPs keep a record of ALL Internet usage by its customers in case the police need it for an investigation.
From regulating carbon to this, it’s a wonder we won’t all be outfitted with government-mandated GPS.
Steady, fellas, Yanks are very impressionable — don’t want Anthony going away wondering where the hell he’d just been:
Mark Twain from “More Tramps Abroad” (1897)
“The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Regulations 2000 (Cth)”
I take it the (Cth) stands for Cthulhu?
PeterW says:
June 14, 2010 at 3:39 am
“… the results of this study suggest that the Australian alpine region may already be experiencing significant effects of greenhouse climate change.”
Ha ha ha, what a load of crap, Luke. It says nothing of the sort.
Time for your next group at the kiddy amusement park.
You did read the PDF, didn’t you?
Happy Harrop. (You may have to wait till you get to Adelaide though).
@Alexander K But is perfectly fine for them to mount a CCTV on every light pole, dog dropping and fire hydrant to keep an eye on you. O well, or perhaps more appropriately Orwell.
Anthony, I agree. It is a shame we have increasingly modelled ourselves (Aussies) on the US litigious model. But the reality remains – most Aussies simply ignore that crap and do “the right thing”. We are pretty minimalist when it comes to camping. I have been to Yosemite several times. And the sad thing (not seen in your lovely Ansell Adams photo) is the number of RVs and generators sets, and satellite dishes watching the Super Bowl that are omnipresent.
Pleased to have you in town. And thanks for your great works.
About photos in national parks –
The same regulations apply in U.S. national parks – including Yosemite.
Like wise for national parks in Canada and Europe.
(Also developing nations that often use western consultants for park rules)
It’s part of the attempts by park services to maximise revenue in a tight fiscal situation.
Since commercial images of parks have value – the park services wish to obtain part of that value.
We live in a different world that that inhabited by Ansel Adams.
@Luke, June 14, 2010 at 2:13 am
‘Maybe a heat island?’
Most likely culprit is weather lol, what with the precipitation in Australia seem to be on an up slope since 1900.
http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/change/rain.shtml
Rain has to go somewhere. If the storm clouds get so heavy they can’t make it over the first mountain range, river’ll flood down stream. If they’re too light they get over your ridge with too much ease, and you get a very dry season. Add to this man made river lakes, all dammed up, which more warm water when you got more water.
boy on a bike at June 14, 2010 at 2:12 am
Thanks for the link on your website to this hilarious video:
http://soberhorsethief.wordpress.com/2010/06/04/green-energy-at-last/
/Mr Lynn
You have to have a permit to photograph in a National Park and then publish the photograph for any commercial purpose.
I can almost see a politician’s view on this, in some twisted manner. The land belongs to “the people” (governemnt) and by that right, you have to pay “the people” for the priviledge to take pictures. If you take a picture of me, and want to use it for a commercial purpose, you have to pay me.
PeterW says:
June 14, 2010 at 3:39 am
“… the results of this study suggest that the Australian alpine region may already be experiencing significant effects of greenhouse climate change.”
Ha ha ha, what a load of crap, Luke. It says nothing of the sort.”
You’re kidding, right? It’s an exact quote from the PDF!
http://www.bom.gov.au/amm/docs/2005/nicholls1.pdf
A note from Joanne Nova’s blog (comment by Mattb #81) that the believers are running a session at UWA (Perth) the evening before your presentation in the very same location.
It’s a shame that you’ll be in Narrogin at the same time. Maybe some infidels will pose probing questions to Lewandowsky et. al.
I know now why aussies lost against germany 0 to 4 in south africa. They sent a “model team”.
It’s Queensland, what did you expect?
You take landscape photography and you have to pay? Just who does this country belong to? I’ve given up hope on the UK but I thought the flame of freedom still burned bright in our one time English speaking colonies. No, this is not a put down. I always thought Oz, NZ and Canada were the best of our works and even the good ol’ US. C’mon Ozzies, time to fix bayonets and advance on central govt.
“Jerry says:
June 14, 2010 at 2:48 am
Australia:
The place where Police are always armed and the citizens almost never.
It used to be the reverse in New Zealand, but it’s now moved a little towards the Australian model, but in general NZ Police are unarmed and the citizenry can carry out their sporting pursuits reasonably freely.”
One word, Lillybing!
“Grumpy Old Man says:
June 14, 2010 at 9:46 am
You take landscape photography and you have to pay? Just who does this country belong to? I’ve given up hope on the UK but I thought the flame of freedom still burned bright in our one time English speaking colonies. No, this is not a put down. I always thought Oz, NZ and Canada were the best of our works and even the good ol’ US. C’mon Ozzies, time to fix bayonets and advance on central govt.”
Unfortunately, Aus, and NZ, are becoming the prime no-fun nanny-state candidate countries. If ever there was a stupid “law passed’ it was passed in Aus/NZ first, trust me. Examaple; you can be fined AU$5,000 or 12 months in clinck, for having…..wait for it….wait for it…..washing hanging out on your balcony in a strata managed building. Yeah! Hanging washing out can send you to jail in Australia.
Back in the 1968 I remember you had a government that sent youngsters to retirement and to the beaches. That situation got to be changed, now you can do the same to stop warm madness.
I thought your picture of the air conditioners in Townsville did turn out nicely, though.