Can Warren save the Great Barrier Reef with spin?
By 1petermcc
I understand that Warren Entsch wants to take action on the Great Barrier Reef, and of course he is miles ahead of the appalling Melissa Price, but listening to him on RN this morning he seems to want to downplay the serious impact a rising temperature is having on the GBR.
Now you can blame shift all you want on plastic waste, but if the temperature continues to rise and the water pH continues to change, you will just end up with a plastic-free memorial to Queensland’s once great tourist attraction.
What is always missing from Coalition environmental solutions is hard scientific data. It’s always about spin doctoring. Until they actually read the science, understand the science, and produce scientific data to explain their position, it looks like they feel they have a PR problem not an environmental one.
You only need to look as far as Angus Taylor to see deliberate misinformation and apparently he is well regarded in Coalition ranks. When you celebrate a good bullshit artist expressly because he is shameless at bullshitting, then you are not taking the science seriously and have no chance of relieving the problem.
I understand why Warren is blaming other countries. We Aussies like to think we are environmentally responsible and love to blame shift to anyone but ourselves, but that’s a cynical exercise designed to distract from the irresponsible attitude the Coalition has towards our Environment.
Until Warren gets into the data and accepts we HAVE to take action, and stops playing the spin doctor’s favoured blame game, all we have in reality is a kindly grandfatherly figure who cares a bit about our environment.
By running a smoke screen for Scott Morrison, he is actually making matters worse by relieving the pressure and allowing inaction to continue.
Until Morrison fears the voters, nothing will get sorted out. He simply doesn’t care.
Sources:
New reef envoy Warren Entsch takes aim at ‘coaching’ of kids over climate change – SBS News
Ocean acidification is already harming the Great Barrier Reef’s growth – The Conversation
This article was originally published on Advances in Renewables.
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7 comments
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Kaye Lee -
Phil Pryor -
helvityni -
Kaye Lee -
New England Cocky -
peter mccarthy -
peter mccarthy
Return to home pageHe could read the report commissioned by Josh Frydenberg published in July 2017…
The Great Barrier Reef has seen enormous change over the last decade. Long term pressures from sources external to or transcending Marine Park boundaries have increasingly asserted themselves as the dominant threats to the Reef. Climate change, poor water quality from land-based-run-off and coastal development are now the major pressures on the Reef and their impacts have become increasingly clear.
Despite some positive results from management investments, in 2014 the Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report reported that the overall outlook for the Great Barrier Reef was poor, had worsened since 2009 and was expected to further deteriorate (GBRMPA 2014b). Coral bleaching in 2016, triggered by record breaking global sea surface temperatures, killed an estimated 29 percent of the Reef’s shallow water corals. This was followed by further mass bleaching in 2017. Also in 2017, Tropical Cyclone Debbie, the tenth severe category cyclone since 2005, affected around one quarter of the Reef.
In addition to these threats, a number of high profile issues in the last decade have contributed to the rapidly changing Reef environment. Particularly significant events include:
• approvals granted by the Australian Government Minister for the Environment under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 to construct three liquefied natural gas processing plants at Curtis Island near Gladstone in 2010 and 2011
• leaking of dredge spoil from a bund wall at the Port of Gladstone in 2011 and 2012, and
• further approvals for expansion of the Abbot Point Coal Terminal and dumping of capital dredge material in the Marine Park in 2013 and 2014.
The Curtis Island development and Port of Gladstone dredge spoil leaks led to increased scrutiny by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee and IUCN over management of the Marine Park, while the Abbot Point decision further increased scrutiny. The Abbot Point decision also raised concern about management of the Marine Park and the independence of the Authority’s decision making.
https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/6a038c9a-34dd-42cb-a0b4-a688bd284658/files/final-report-review-governance-gbrmpa.pdf
The average and below average outnumber the above average among us, and the superior, professional, aware, scientific and experienced are outweighed by all, if and when ignorance, or democratic voting is to be the determinant of action. One does not vote in to existence professional and qualified, trained people. One may vote in executives or representatives, but that does not create value in training, experience, quality of mind. A vote is a perverted or corrupted form of popularity, not of quality and essentials. It is said that Caligula made a favourite horse a tribune of the people,but worse has happened recently in country Australian electorates. As for Entsch, is he of value in science and professional experience? Undereducated, inexperienced, inadequate, fraudulent, not qualified.
Greta Thunberg, a Swedish schoolgirl and a Climate Change activist might have influenced Aussie kids more than what Warren Entch can ever do, or is allowed to do…
Let’s be thankful for small mercies, even with the crumbs off the Coalition table….
This is Warren Entsch from 2007 talking about the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park…..
“Anybody who has any doubts about the extent of the misery and the financial ruination wreaked by those ideological zealots who were in charge of this process through the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority need only speak to people—good, honest, hardworking people—whose businesses and livelihoods have been destroyed, absolutely devastated, by this process; unfortunately, in many cases, totally unnecessarily.”
https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;db=CHAMBER;id=chamber/hansardr/2007-05-09/0042;query=Id:%22chamber/hansardr/2007-05-09/0000%22
Lies, damn lies and Liarbral politicians will destroy the GBR then claim that it is all the fault of the unions.
Thanks for both contributions Kaye Lee. That 2nd one would suggest I have given Warren far more credit than he is due.
When I hear such ignorant comments as his last one mentioned, I can’t help imagining the Coalition pollies waist deep in water, doing a King Canute, and being totally befuddled that they can’t turn back the tide by power of spin doctoring.
Indeed, helvityni. The kids are going to be doing the heavy lifting and I am encouraged that they have realised they had better not rely on us.