Earth Hour is a load of rubbish, tailored for bed setters and virtue signalers. It makes no difference to anything, and merely highlights human gullibility.

IEA, the international finger waggers who recently criticised Australia for not prostituting itself enough to the the climate scam, predicts that coal will still be the main source of energy in 2040. Germany is upgrading brown coal power stations. Australia subsidises wind power at $74/Man, and solar at $214/Mwh. Nothing for coal EVEN THOUGH IT IS NECESSARY FOR BACK UP FOR WIND AND SOLAR.

Careful there Russell!

Publishing facts like this is likely to get you banned from those lovely ABC old staff reunion nights. Even if they don't ban you, they will at least send you to Coventry. Are you tough enough to handle that?

You must know that facts such as this, that destroy that nice warm feeling from virtue signalling, can not be permitted at their ABC.

Russell, thank you for the reminder. Earth hour is promoted by science and economics illiterate Greens and fellow passengers. If they are really serious about reducing CO2 emissions, they should observe earth hour, and then disconnect permanently from the electricity network.

Candles? No! Me? I use rechargeable electric lanterns. And recharged with coal fired power.

Heard too many horror stories about houses burnt down, sometimes with the family still inside or only escaping in their jamies. And needing to replace everything.

My own parents burnt out twice and no insurance! Couldn't afford it! And both times because a burning candle fell over?

That said, they were both smokers who smoked in bed!

Earth hour is greenie feel good stuff, to reinforce their brand of disingenuous moronic brain washing?

If the lights etc., we use now are creating more carbon than mother earth can handle? Then why don't we just use power that doesn't create any?

And ensure its universal use and acceptance by selecting that which is clean safe and universally affordable? And that ain't solar voltaic nor wind farms! No is it solar thermal needing gas back up and thousands of miles of wires!

Only MSR and thorium, [the most energy dens material on the planet,] fits that bill!

Why, just a handful of thorium rich Mumbai beach sand contains enough energy to power India for a year!

Why don't we have it?

A very good question that needs to be addressed to the policy makers, [thermal coal share owning investors,] who oppose it with their cleverly crafted in our parliaments, thou shalt not, rules and regulations?

More later.
Alan B.

The overtly green seem to confuse feeble gestures with effective action. For example the beloved Renewable Energy Target has failed to reduce overall emissions yet proponents want more of it. It can border on the amusing. Someone told me they were self sufficient in food because their sandwich contained a leaf of home grown lettuce, never mind the meat, dairy and bread.

An egregious example of slacktivism is turning off light switches while happily going on unessential air travel. The turned off switches may save a few kilowatt hours of electrical and indirectly thermal energy and emissions. The plane trip could expend hundreds or thousands times more. Somehow it doesn't count in the deep green world view or perhaps they planted a tree. Yet key politicians (with a notable recent defeat) seem to be captive to these ideas.

Another case of pseudo morality trying to hide moral corruption. I surprised they don't recommend going nude for that hour. They could hire some of the peta strippers. Pathetic. Earth hour this week, prancing in the mardi gra next week. I am sure your abc will champion the cause as long as it was not a white male who thought up the silly idea.

Unfortunately, apart from making or doing either individual and collective acts of virtue signalling or drama, there is almost nothing that can be done to turn around the all-encompassing disaster that is now darkening all of Earthkind.

Unfortunately too, nit-picking efforts such as this essay by Russell do absolutely nothing to enable anyone to understand the situation that we are all in. It is also evidence that most/all of those on the right-side of the culture wars divide are fundamentally incapable of seeing the bigger picture of our now-time collective situation.

That having been said this essay provides a very sobering description/assessment of our situation.

http://www.da-peace.org/excerpt-two-is-not-peace

There's a lot of rubbish written about nuclear waste. Which essentially is just unspent fuel.

Able to be burned in a MSR to use up the 98%+ remaining, recoverable energy.

Given this waste has spent 4.5 years in the belly of a nuclear reactor, say a 350 MW nuclear reactor where just 1% of the 2551 tons of fuel is consumed! Leaving 98%+ still available in a MSR.

And fully consumed until fully depleted by a 350 MW MSR. The time needed to fully consume/reprocess that 2550 tons of waste, would require around 400 years; and after other folk had PAID US BILLIONS to dispose of thoughtfully.

Around 7% of the population don't want it, i.e., the ignorance personified green movement.

And through a massive misinformation campaign and quite blatantly false fear mongering, have held us captive to the only other choice we have for reliable affordable energy, and that is allegedly, their hated coal!

Simply put, coal companies and miners have no better friend or ally, than the blatantly disingenuous green movement and, I believe, their permanently obfuscating leaders/spokespersons?

Now I'm not advocating we use just one 350 MW MSR to consume this waste from just one 350 MW solid fuel reactor, but at lest 8, which would not require any other fuel for fifty years or for their operational lives!

And leaving what's left with a half life of just 300 years. Much of which could be suitable as long life space batteries.

In conclusion, let me add this. Some enterprising farmers have found that one can plant hemp in contaminated ground, which then through a barely understood natural process, the crops begin to decontaminate the ground.

Other non food crops do this as well, but it seems industrial hemp does it better!? With the harvested fibre, perfectly safe to wear.
Alan B.

Daffy Duck.

You can't seriously believe in this fairytale.

Actually, the world has never been in a better state to deal with the issues of "selfishness", and all the other evils of ego mania. The supreme tool against these evils is Democracy.

Democracy has reduced border tensions, to a point where the world has never experienced such a time of extended peace.

To blame all the evils of the world on the Western culture, is misguided.

I think you need a cold shower Daffy Duck.

Alan B

Cotton is a far superior fibre than hemp, hands down. There is no conspiracy against hemp fibre, it is simply inferior.

Earth Hour - apart from causing people to turn off anything electrical and sit in the dark (or candlelight), what does Earth Hour actually do?

Hemp will grow where cotton won't and is less susceptible to late rain water damage. As for decontaminating radiation contaminated ground, It seems hemp is one of a number of non food crops that actually cleans/decontaminates the ground.

While cotton may be a superior fibre, it can't match it with industrial hemp as a tailor made mop crop. Especially when the goal is decontamination of irradiated or hot areas.

Why, there is some speculation that A few hemp harvests, might allow former residents to safely return to Chernobyl? Me I want to have an operational Geiger counter with me at all times.

The only reason I added this little gem to the debate was to debunk some of the patent fear mongering of folk, who can only ever see mushroom shaped clouds, whenever the word nuclear is mentioned! Or talk about seriously long half lives as if this meant they were more radioactive than material with very short half lives. When in fact the very opposite is true.

We need to understand that nuclear can be safe as a source of reliable affordable electrical power. Speaking of that, why is private coal fired electrical power in the USA, less than a third (6 cents per KwH) of the going rate here?

As spokeshave would've commented, something stinks in the state of Denmark. Perhaps there's far too many political sticky fingers in the till?

If we removed the dead wood and the passengers we make ours carry! Then there'd be no renewable that could compete as unsubsidised provision?

The green answer to almost anything, is just simplistically make stuff/things dearer! They just don't get it and don't care!

I mean as those wild fires swept the land, burning out over seventy families/country folk. Some concerned greenie rang the voluntary fire brigade, asking for some redgums be given preference over folks and their domiciles.

Making energy dearer, makes everything else much dearer; given the energy component and upward cascading cost factors, in everything we use or consume!
Alan B.

Earth hour has long since become passe. Last year's earth hour saw virtually bugger all lights go off and the city's energy consumption barely moved.

As with virtue signaling, it is about showing how virtuous you are without actually doing anything meaningful.

Alan B

Chick peas are chick peas Al. Chick peas are the most convenient nitrogen fixing crop to grow, with economic benefits.
I'm sure hemp fits the mold somewhere in mother natures scheme, but where is your evidence that it is a radiation decontaminant of the soil?

There is so much myth and over statement attached to hemp.
I have a simple view; if you wish to demotivate society, hand it over to pot heads.

This sounds like an addition to the unbelievable hype surrounding hemp produced by pot heads, to simply justify their addiction.

Alan B

Nuclear energy:

Al, I'll try to let you down gently. Atomic energy will never be trusted by the community which will suffer from the reality, the world is governed by bean counters.

Bean counters will always prioritise money over safety every time. The evidence for that is stark, and the madness of the reality is astoundingly obvious.

Add in the overlay of human natures propensity for retribution, and you have in front of you, evidence of the greatest war crime in human history, using a nuclear bomb.

It's not the science which is the problem Al: But a problem there is. Bean counters and human nature. Nothing can be trusted with nuclear innovations.

Sorry Dan, you are wrong.

First of all Japan earned the bomb with their aggression, & inhuman treatment of all they conquered. It was not worth a single life of any yank to invade them, & a negotiated settlement would not have changed a single attitude in the country.

Not only did it end the war, saving millions of Japanese lives, along with huge numbers of the allies, it gave us the 70 years with no major war, we are still enjoying.

Whether some like it or not, we will go nuclear at some time, but should grow a brain, & use our coal first.

Want to enjoy Earth Hour? Go to North Korea....

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/content/dam/news/photos/000/769/76991.adapt.590.1.jpg

They have earth hour EVERY hour.

Evidence Dan? How about yesterday's news!

Yyou are right about money dominating everything! Even so, those who understand how an economy functions, would opt for the lowest costing energy. And then let the usual flow on factors generate our combined wealth.

Without question that energy is, MSR THORIUM energy and in the hands of government financed and facilitated employee/shareholder owned and operated co-ops! Allowed unfettered access to our energy markets, all of them!

Thereby ensuring the survival of the fittest, most efficient, most competently managed to prevail, leaving all else with no other option to follow suit or fold!

MSR THORIUM can be mass produced as factory built modules then trucked to wherever there is demand!

Massive affordable irrigation tunnels only possible because we've opted for affordable, reliable, portable energy capable of powering the boring machines we could build right here, suitable for the task.

If we have to pay tax! Why can't 10% of it be directed at prioritized nation building projects that'll be still serving our Great, Great, Great Grandkids when you and I are but distant memories or just a faded photograph in some ancient book?

Only obtuse poverty consciousness allows some pea brains to focus on massively overpriced energy as their principle source of income, even as the economy goes to hell in a hand basket!

None more so than a renewable powered South Australia, with the world's most expensive electricity? And that above all else is what drove their car industry, offshore!

Someday you'll stop challenging already proven science, stop listening to green evocation, exaggeration and blatant terminological inexactitudes and open your eyes, ears and mind to the truth!

Which is, we humans as a species might still survive and even prosper, if we adopt clean, safe nuclear power! Which even with accidents like Chernobyl, has a massively better safety record than coal!

Not for nothing is it writ large, know the truth and the truth will set you free!

And if that's not enough, then how about the (do unto others) golden rule!
Alan B.

This article seems to be partly based on a 2009 article from the Christian Science Monitor. And I don't think it has much relevance to Australia. Lighting candles is an American thing; here Earth Hour observance has always been just about turning lights off.

And the rest of it just seems to demonstrate the author's ignorance. Just because synthetic fragrances contain chemicals that can be named doesn't mean they give you cancer. Indeed the list of chemicals in natural fragrances is far longer, and I bet reading it would scare Russell far more!

As for colony collapse disorder, that's thought to be mainly due to Varroa mites (which fortunately we don't have in Australia yet) and pesticides. Where such stressors are affecting bees, taking honey and wax may well trigger CCD. But if you want to save the bees, boycotting these products will not help at all. Instead you should campaign for more restrictions on the use of neonicotenoids.

The real point of Earth Hour is publicity, but this Earth Hour has not been as well publicised as previous ones. It was three quarters of the way through before I realised it was today!

Hasbeen is right, we will eventually have to become a nuclear powered economy! No question. But as he suggests, we should use up our coal first, for coal fired power and the use of thermal coal? However, it's London to a brick, no commercial corporation is going to build one.

A government might? And use 7-8 billions of taxpayers money, always providing they obtain permission or a mandate from their employer, the people, first! This is not the USSR! Then as a profitable proposition earning 24 cents per KwH? Seek to sell it?

And possible if state owned corporation is interested and wants to enhance it ability to influence our economy, by their involvement in it!?

If that's not a politically palatable option, we can change course now and build facilities to turn thermal coal or rather its methane content into portable transport fuel?

Only doable if the input energy component is MSR THORIUM and as cheap as chips, say 2-3 cents per KwH? Then only possible, if owned and operated by government sponsored and created employee/working shareholder, PRIVATE ENTRPRISE, FREE MARKET, co-ops!

Without question the most efficient and productive business model available and indeed the only business model to largely survive the Great Depression mostly intact!

Alternatively we can endlessly extend earth hour and turn it into a permanent feature of our economy? All the way back to the dark ages! And the obvious pun was intended!

After all, no company is going to invest against the known wishes of the shareholder base, around 84-87% of them, nor go against the advice of due diligence law firms or forensic accounting! It just won't happen!

However, and given we could replace every drop of imported fuel with alternatives, extracted from thermal coal substitution and make a very cogent business case for that?

Then Thermal coal probably has a viable future for the next 15 or so years then a diminishing one for around the following 15?

Those that haven't changed their investment strategies, long before the first 15 years, deserve to lose their shirts!
Alan B.

I didn't know about EH this year until this post. It has probably worn thin, as most of these unrealistic, totally useless virtue-signalling ideas do. The media has a very short attention span, and when they lose interest, it's not worth the candle. The very expensive anti-carbon measures have not made one bit of difference to the climate, so this symbolic nonsense certainly will not. I'm waiting for some would-be celebrity or man-hater to claim that she was groped while the lights were out.

meanwhile a Frenchman lays down his life to save a woman from Islamic terrorism in France and people are still into this idiotic virtue signalling. Or was it a woman identifying as a man who made the ultimate sacrifice.

runner. If these Islamic idiots keep on prosecuting their terror campaign? It won't be too long before all Islam will have to pay the price!

Arguably as the only means available to stop their endless barbaric activities. Along with the forked tongue rhetoric of some Islamic nation states! As they act both here and abroad, to ensure there is no way we can peacefully cohabitate?

Even those entering here as invited refugees, seem to have an axe to grind and western democracy/Christian culture to blame?

As they seek to impose their culture on us and blame us whenever there's cultural conflict? It just didn't happen when Afghan camel drivers/Sufis were recruited to help run out the north/south telegraph line through the dead heart of central Australia!

Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that the Sufi Quran is the least revised, most original version of Islam's holy books? Or that peaceful cohabitation and meditation are both central tenants of their belief system?

Makes one wonder why these most recent additions can't or won't blend in with the dominant culture, as the peaceful Sufis did? But seem to want to maintain an in your face, cultural difference, along with the ghettoes/Islamic schools they've created that allows them to stand alone/inculcate anti Christian sentiment/homophobia and refuse to blend in?

For mine those bellyaching the loudest about western or typical Australian culture/Christian tolerance, our newest fifth column? Should be offered a one way ticket to any Islamic country that'll take them and good riddance!

Or a holiday in Bali and a cancelled Australian passport when they try and re-enter?

Perhaps then their fellow agitators, will finally get the message and become more like us and the dominant culture?
Alan B.