Friday, November 17, 2017

ABC alarm: OMG Coffee will be gone!!!!

ABC post this alarmist piece from activist Molly Harriss Olson, CEO of Fairtrade Australia and New Zealand.

Why your morning coffee will taste different and cost more

Molly's introduction:

The countless cups of coffee downed during the UN's COP23 climate summit in Bonn may seem insignificant.But if coffee consumption has any message, it is that climate change is personal.
Worldwide, more than 2.75 billion cups of coffee are consumed every day. Half of all Australians love a good coffee to kick-start each morning. Yet, as climate change influences weather patterns around the world, coffee yields and quality are already suffering, and pests and diseases are on the rise.

"Already suffering". Simple Fact check using production figures from the International Coffee Organisation shows production figures over the last few decades have improved significantly, during a time of rising temperatures.
Testing my morning brew reveals a good tasting cup of joe.

Mythbusted!

Thursday, November 16, 2017

Anti - science

ABC cover the idiot Greens extension of a ban on GM crops in SA. The report lacks any inquiry into the long term consequences for SA. Looks like they'll be starving in the dark.

LINK to very ordinary report that does not ask any hard questions:
Genetically-modified crop ban extension in South Australia to 2025 passes Upper House by single vote

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Missing News: Killing an Australian Icon

No mention by the ABC of news from Alice Springs about the administrative murder of a great Australian icon:

Rock climb mostly closed

By ERWIN CHLANDA

The Uluru (Ayers Rock) climb was closed for parts 229 days of the 273 days between January 1 and September 30 this year. That’s 84% of the days.

The reasons for the closures include wind, rain, storms or extreme temperatures, according to Parks Australia, the Federal instrumentality that manages the park. The climb is opened again when rangers deem it safe.

In January and February the climb was closed from 8am every day “due to heat” and longer on 52 of the 59 days in those two months.

A Parks spokeswoman says the climb is closed “for people’s safety” for the following reasons: If the temperature reaches 36 degrees or above; there is a greater than 20% chance of rain within three hours; there is a greater than 5% chance of thunderstorms within three hours; the estimated wind speed at the summit reaches 25 knots or above; more than 20% of the rock’s surface is wet after rain; cloud descends below the summit or for cultural reasons, for example, during a period of mourning.

During the height of the tourist season the climb was closed at some time during the following number of days: May – 20 days, June – 26, July – 10, August – 29.

The climb is now always closed at night, from about 5pm to 7am.