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Showing posts from October, 2019

Translation

Guilt Trips, Carbon Offsets and how to really prevent Global Warming

In answer to my friend’s question “What am I doing about Climate Change?”  No, I haven’t been protesting in the streets this time or gluing myself to the pavement, but I have just contributed to the Timor-Leste Community Forestry Programme via Gold Standard’s verified Offset Program.   I know full well that many Offset Programs are flawed   and a bit like the indulgences which used to be sold by the Catholic Church as someone put it. They also distract us from the other things which really need to be done or rather not done - to reduce actual emissions. However, retaining and restoring tropical forests remains an important one, along with helping our neighbours, so I am sticking with this one for now, especially as Timor-Leste was a place I wanted to go and help. If you want to know why restoring tropical forests still ranks highly when properly done, watch the excellent Ted Talk by Chad Frischmann from Project Drawdown .  You could a...

Roadtrip - Day 6 Sheffield and Minnow Falls

Birdsong in the campground I am more or less on the way home now, but there’s one more place I want to see, a place that eluded me last year. As I drive over what is essentially the state’s vegetable basket, I am plagued by ethical dilemmas. Apart from the climate change issue, which seems to have passed our leaders by, even as they visit drought -stricken farmers and towns whose water supply has run out, should I post the big pictures or not? Is it a spoiler like giving away the end of a movie? I console myself with the thought that most of my readers are overseas and will probably never get to see the real thing and the fact that the image is not the object.   For a start, you rarely get an idea of the scale, much less the colour or the fragrance, and everyone’s experience will be unique. Places change too – look at the fires on the Plateau or the around the Huon – one minute they are there in all their glory and the next moment they are gone. I just want to someho...

Leven Canyon – Day 5 One for the birds

It's early morning in the bush again The main view of Leven Canyon, only a short distance from the carpark, was as spectacular as ever. The second at a lower level, was a bonus and the 697 steps in between them through fern forest were an amazing achievement, though I was glad I was going down and not up. I particularly liked the regular seating, which had encouraging signs like “Nearly there” or “Only 450 to go.” I detected a sense of humour there which is sometimes lacking in the serious pursuit of conservation.  There’s quite a bit on the history of the area and the struggles for its conservation.   I had no idea   that it wasn’t officially made a state reserve until 2001 -after 25 years of lobbying. George Cruikshank after whom the top lookout is named, did start the ball rolling in the 1960’s when he donated a part of his land, but then it came under threat from the Hydro Electric Commission, who thought   the Leven would m...