Last Friday 22 August I had ABC Radio National’s Life Matters talkback program on in the background and I noticed that it was about ‘chemical overload’ and one of the guests was respected science journalist Julian Cribb. He has just published a new book, Poisoned Planet: How constant exposure to man-made chemicals is putting your life at risk. My ears pricked up as I am chemically sensitive, which means that I have adverse reactions to some … [Read more...]
Shining a light on the extremist program of neoliberalism
The arrival of the Tony Abbott-led Liberal National Party (LNP) government in Australia means the ideology of neoliberalism is once again to the fore. Neoliberalism is the dominant ideological matrix of our age, having insinuated itself into the global ‘common sense’. It is the driving ideological force behind the now familiar government (of all shades) focus in recent decades on marketization, privatization, and deregulation. Although the Labor … [Read more...]
The China Debt Syndrome
Over the Christmas and new year lull there has been some audible muttering among a few credible economic commentators that China may be entering rough waters with its shadow banking system. This system appears to provide much of the financial fuel for China's still extraordinary growth levels of more than 7 percent per annum. George Soros, who is no slouch when it comes to making money in the currency markets, has recently expressed concern, … [Read more...]
The Ehrlichs on the future of global civilization
For anyone interested in the prospects for human civilization on this planet -- and irrespective of whatever views you may already hold -- the recent exchange between the Ehrlichs (Paul and Anne) and Prof Michael Kelly, made available for free at the venerable Proceedings of the Royal Society, is definitely worth reading. Paul Ehrlich and Michael Kelly are both Fellows of the Royal Society, the prestigious academy of natural sciences … [Read more...]
The Australian newspaper still stokes fake climate scepticism
In August 2012 I decided to make a wholly futile gesture: I would stop buying The Australian newspaper. This was in protest at the grossly irresponsible way in which that paper (and in fact the entire Murdoch stable) has stoked the fires of public misunderstanding and mistrust of climate science over the past decade. (See for example: How The Australian Newspaper Warps The World of Climate Science; and Top physicist accuses The Australian … [Read more...]