and especially:  my unhealthy obsession...

Here’s what your future will look like if we are to have a shot at preventing devastating climate change.

Within about 15 years every new car sold in the United States will be electric. In fact, by midcentury more than half of the American economy will run on electricity. Up to 60 percent of power might come from nuclear sources. And coal’s footprint will shrink drastically, perhaps even disappear from the power supply.

This course, created by a team of energy experts, was unveiled on Tuesday in a report for the United Nations that explores the technological paths available for the world’s 15 main economies to both maintain reasonable rates of growth and cut their carbon emissions enough by 2050 to prevent climatic havoc.

It offers a sobering conclusion. We might be able to pull it off. But it will take an overhaul of the way we use energy, and a huge investment in the development and deployment of new energy technologies. Significantly, it calls for an entirely different approach to international diplomacy on the issue of how to combat climate change.

“This will require a heroic cooperative effort,” said Jeffrey D. Sachs, the Columbia University economist who directs the Sustainable Development Solutions Network at the United Nations, which convened the multinational teams.

The teams, one in each of the 15 countries, looked at what would be necessary to keep the atmosphere from warming more than 2 degrees Celsius, 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, above the preindustrial average of the late 19th century, a target that most of the world committed to at the climate summit meeting in Copenhagen five years ago. To do so, CO2 emissions from industry and energy use would have to fall to at most 1.6 tons a year for every person on the planet by midcentury.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/09/business/blueprints-for-taming-the-climate-crisis.html?_r=0

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has acknowledged the past week in the Senate has been a difficult one, but is putting the blame on Labor, not the Palmer United Party (PUP).

The Government is hoping to re-introduce its carbon repeal legislation in the Lower House next week after the PUP voted with Labor and the Greens in the Senate to block it.

The Coalition is working with the PUP over the weekend to ensure its amendments meet constitutional requirements and that penalties for not passing on savings are limited to gas and electricity entities.

Mr Abbott told a Liberal National Party conference in Brisbane today that it is Labor that is keeping the Government from fulfilling its commitment to scrap the tax.

"When you look at things in the Senate, sure, Mr Palmer has three senators, but Mr Shorten has 25 and we know that Mr Palmer will change his mind come Monday but Bill Shorten will still be there supporting putting your power prices up," he said.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-07-12/pm-blames-labor-for-senate-chaos/5592192

Meanwhile, Tony-the-Turd wants to destroy the planet...

simple:

A) Repeal of the carbon pricing

B) sinking of the "direct action" policy 

C) give the illusion of protecting the planet

D) blame Labor and the Greens for the failure of acting on climate change

Why:

A) Tony and Clive do not believe in global warming

B) Kill two annoying birds in succession, while appearing to have a bleeding heart about the environment.

How:

A) Palmer and his senators vote for the repeal of the carbon pricing

B) Palmer and his senators won't support Tony's ghastly "direct action" policy

C) then Palmer blocks the abolition of the renewable targets, blocks the abolition of the Climate Change Authority and blocks the abolition of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation... to give himself some "cred" but his senators might do a switcheroo or not (it does not really matter).

D) Palmer "places" some conditions for the repeal of the carbon pricing — conditions DESIGNED to make burning carbon even cheaper than before.

Result:

A) not a single policy in place to mitigate emissions of CO2

B) reduction targets become impossible to achieve

C) Climate change authority becomes toothless

D) Clean Energy Finance Corporation dies from lack of funding

E) Tony Abbott gets all his wishes, blames Labor for not passing his "green" program (a CON, of course)

F) Palmer appears as a saviour of the environment while he goes on and digs bigger holes to burn more coal.

Not a good look. Abbott and Palmer have been working on this con since day one. There is no such "war" between them, only the illusion of one — in a magnificent hustle-style sting.

Palmer will have his issues. His personal foibles, values and business interests will come to the fore, and they will need to be explained and managed. Some will baulk at the risk that wealth can buy power, bringing with it the worst elements of American politics.

But my guess is he will be mostly judged on outcomes and, as such, he is in a unique position to really make a difference. His timing is simply excellent.

John Hewson AM is the former federal opposition and Liberal Party leader and is a professor and chair in the Tax and Transfer Policy Institute, at the Australian National University's Crawford School of Public Policy. View his full profile here.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-07-14/hewson-palmer-the-one-to-keep-the-bastards-honest/5594624

see article above... see also: dangerman...

CANBERRA -- Burning, damaging, defacing or trampling the Australian flag would become illegal under a bill introduced into the House of Representatives on Monday.

Conservative Nationals MP George Christensen introduced his private member's bill, the Flags Amendment (Protecting Australian Flags) Bill 2016, which seeks to outlaw the desecration of the national flag. Christensen called the act a "hate crime against Aussies".

About to introduce my private member's bill to end the hate crime against Aussies that is burning our flag. #auspol pic.twitter.com/K0SOrXsxrT

— George Christensen (@GChristensenMP) February 28, 2016

A penalty of one month jail or 30 penalty units -- a Commonwealth penalty unit is currently $180, equalling a maximum fine of $5400 -- would be imposed by the bill, if someone is found to have mutilated an Australian flag.

The bill states that defacing, defiling, damaging, destroying, desecrating, dishonouring -- it is a bill that loves alliteration, apparently -- mutilating, burning or trampling upon an Australian flag would be a crime. The bill would extend these protections to the Australian National Flag, the Australian Red Ensign, the Aboriginal Flag and the Torres Strait Islander Flag.

"Thousands of Australian men and women have fought and died under this Flag in the defence of the nation. Their sacrifice to defend our nation requires this Parliament to defend the Flag for which they have fought," states an explanatory note accompanying the bill. 

read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2016/02/28/christensen-flag-burning_n_9344694.html?ncid=edlinkauhpmg00000001

Thousands of Australian men and women have fought and died under this Flag in the defence of the freedom of staying thin, svelte and elegant. Fat people are a disgrace: they eat too much. They should sacrifice to make this nation leaner and instead of wanting to penalise people for burning the flag, they should burn some fat... Defend the flag with a penalty of one month jail per extra kilos over the national average. 

Making false statements in regard to global warming should be an offence demanding 12 years imprisonment. George Christensen should be behind bars — and I don't mean those where drinks are served, but those with locks. and as the last day of February comes to a close, one can say with certainty that the month was around 2 degrees Celsius above average nearly Australia-wide. Global warming generated by burning fossil fuels is undeniable.

See toon at top