Monthly Archives: January 2016

Government blindness spells doom for an ailing company

Will Hodgman and Paul Harriss have allowed mindless ideology to trump common sense, to the detriment of Forestry Tasmania. When representatives of industry, timber workers and the conservation movement signed an accord back in 2011, some of us hoped Tasmania’s … Continue reading

Posted in biofuels, biological resources, biomass energy, forest science, forests and forestry, investment, land use, leadership, local economy, Tasmanian politics, trees | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Government blindness spells doom for an ailing company

Looking for that spark of island independence

The Basslink failure demands big thinking and home-grown resilience. A century ago Tasmania, with a population less than half of today’s, dug deep into its public purse to invest in generating and distributing electricity. Local councils and private companies supplied … Continue reading

Posted in business, investment, employment, climate politics, coal-fired, economic activity, electricity networks, energy, energy research, hydro, investment, leadership, renewable energy, solar, Tasmanian politics, wind | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Looking for that spark of island independence

How trees give our emissions a sweeter smell

Governments in Hobart and Canberra have discovered that trees make their carbon accounts look good, but it’s a con. You won’t believe this, but both the Tasmanian and national governments are into tree-hugging. They mightn’t believe it either. I’ll explain. … Continue reading

Posted in agriculture and farming, atmospheric science, Australian politics, biological resources, bureaucracy, carbon, carbon cycle, carbon emissions and targets, carbon offsetting, carbon sequestration, cars, climate politics, coal-fired, energy, forest science, forests and forestry, fossil fuels, hydro, land use, road freight, science, soil science, soil sequestration, Tasmanian politics, transport, transport fuel, trees | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on How trees give our emissions a sweeter smell