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.
Luke Said:
“We’ll just add it to the growing pile of
annoying supporting factoidsrubbish published by grant seeking agencies like BOM shall we.”There, fixed it for you – back to the kiddies now Luke.
Luke:Yes voluminous previous work like a hockey stick and its interesting manipulation of data to hide a decline. Very supportive indeed!
Microw,
Thank you indeed for the information, or as the young ones in America say, the low down or the skinny. ????
I figured about as much. I come from British, Scottish, Irish, and Welsh blood so I have a bit of a strange sense of humor as well, but we all drink mighty well together…
(except I’m a Christian and don’t drink much) which makes me really strange I guess.
The fact that there isn’t an air temp sensor there is probably only due to the fact that it’s “not” in America. From what I’ve seen at Mr. Watts other site, there would have probably been one placed there. 🙂
It is very nice to see that there are so many from AZ and NZ that are skeptics as well.
I’ve been worried about NZ because of the fact that their former PM is not working for the UN with Pachauri and because they signed the Kyoto treaty, but apparently as in America, the citizenship of NZ and AZ has more grey matter than has the politicians.