This is an interesting article but it is not an environmental article, it is all about politics. I'm sure Peter Tucker would agree. Politics is his specialty. Online Opinion needs to be careful how they assign the topics headings.

There is a simple solution to Tassie's woes.

Establish windfarms on the windswept coastlines, add that to the hydro grid; what the local industry does not use we can. No more black outs for us!

Old growth forests are being rapidly removed any way- we should cut our losses and let them take the lot. The balance of the island could be freed up for mining and exploration. The roads are good so you would only need a few strategically located workers camps to house those needed.

With a population of less than 500,000 we could repatriate the balance across to the mainland where they could do very nicely as itinerent fruit pickers and or wait staff at major sporting events like the Gran Prix, Melbourne Cup and the like, where we all know staff are hard to come by.

With an eye to tourism you could preserve places like Strahan, Cradle Mountain. Ideally, tourists would fly in blinfolded (the already denuded landscape looks positively obscene from the air). Once on the ground the tourist can be shown the grandeur of what ever is left.

The breathtaking speed at whch Gunns is reframing the landscape, both political and natural, is in itself a wonder to behold. And the real impact of mining is but a mere commodity price jump away. The Island fairly glows with all manner of mineral wealth. Cut our losses I say. There are far more riches in and on the soil of Tassie than ever there was on Naurua - and look how long they lasted!

Eventually the pressure of forestry and mining will leave the clean green bits of the island with as much environmenatal significance as a nature strip alongside a freeway.

Tasmania is a lost environmental cause because the vast majority of Tasmanians want it that way. We should face up to that fact and capitalise on thier collective foolishness, harvest the timber, dig up the minerals and periodiocally hose the place down so as to keep the dust from blowing over here.