A fresh perspective on life
As the oldest, flattest, most arid continent on Earth, Australia has largely resisted the encroachment of humans. Even now, its people are largely confined to the coastal fringes, and their grip on its heartland is often tenuous. Any further deterioration of the global climate will slash Australia’s meagre carrying capacity more savagely than other continents. Meanwhile, as… Continue reading The fringe-dwellers
There is a sharply growing discord between the Global Temperature Index and the current level of solar radiation, a discord that only began some 3 decades ago and is unprecedented in 400 years of multi-disciplinary records. Atmospheric carbon dioxide has risen 36% during the past 150 years, but during that time the level of atmospheric… Continue reading Methane
The Russian geochemist Vladimir Vernadsky proposed life as a dynamic extension of the Earth’s crust and a by-product of the chaotic gradient that mediates between the energy-rich body of the planet and the void of galactic space. Since hydrogen is the basic energy courier of the cosmos, this proposition supports the contention that life too,… Continue reading HYDROGEN: Life’s Maker and Breaker
All coal mining, whether deep-shaft or open-cut, is responsible for releasing significant quantities of carbon into the atmosphere. The common belief is that the major part of this emission comes from power-station chimney stacks. In fact it occurs long before the coal is burnt. Coal seams are rich sources of methane gas (CH4), especially where… Continue reading Clean coal delusion