IPCC Special Report on Emission Scenarios no longer valid; too conservative; world now warming faster than UN's unimaginable worst-case
More than 3,000 scientists had underestimated the speed and impact of climate change.
(Full Article)Catastrophe ahead, Federal Treasury told; warming similar to that between the last ice age and today: major disruptions, large-scale movements of population
The changes ahead were beyond human experience, and probably catastrophic, Federal Treasury was told. Global temperatures would probably rise by even more than 5C or 6C. Wars, disaster and huge migrations of people were expected.
(Full Article)NSW Treasury describes its negative $3b electricity derivative accounts: dug giant hole in budget, and created its new negative credit-rating
The 10 November New South Wales Report On State Finances 2007 - 08 described how one month of electricity trading blew a hole in its 2008 budget, big enough to put it on negative credit watch.
(Full Article)Australian sovereignty at risk: US analyst funded by the US military fired after critique of Lockheed Martin Joint Strike Fighter
A Pacific Vision war games report, about a US war games exercise said the Lockheed Martin Joint Strike Fighter could not turn, could not climb and could not run. It appears the analyst was then, fired.
(Full Article)Thousands of scientists got it wrong: temperature rise-rate is off the top of the worst-case range scale, set by IPCC Special Report on Emission Scenarios
Recent emissions and projections of change to 2030 suggest that the scenarios in the IPCC Special Report on Emission Scenarios were no longer a reliable guide to emissions over the next several decades, Graeme Pearman told the Australian Government Department of Treasury, in a commissioned report.
(Full Article)Sequence of events following North West Shelf Varanus explosion, 3 June 2008
At the time of the Varanus Island explosion which paralysed WA's gas supply from 3 June, 150 people were on the island and 16 offshore, on the Harriet A and Gibson platforms, the Final Report of the Findings of the investigation into the Pipe Rupture and Fire Incident on 3 June 2008 at the Facilities Operated by Apache Energy Ltd on Varanus Island noted.
(Full Article)Financial viability checks for CDEP providers by the end of January 2009
As at the end of June 2008, according to CDEP data around 500 participants had a CDEP Placement Incentive payment claimed for them by one of the 16 transitioned providers.
(Full Article)Has US Military and Lockheed Martin targetted Australian Federal Minister Australia, to get him to keep quiet about Joint Strike Fighter failings?
The Russian-built Flankers were perhaps a better deal for Australia than the Lockheed US Military Joint Striker, said Denis Jensen, Federal Member for the safe Liberal seat of Tangney in Western Australia. He said ‘If the product is flawed, then our entire national security policy will be as well’.
(Full Article)Federal Attorney-General accused of dithering and delaying on decisions on National Security
Proof Edition: The Smith review on national security and border protection was handed to the government on June 30, almost four months ago, but cabinet has yet to make up its mind on how this will inform any future national counterterrorism strategy
(Full Article)Simulated terrorist attacks in Queensland and Western Australia
The Federal Attorney-General said Australia's largest counterterrorism exercise, Mercury 08, simulated terrorist attacks in Queensland and Western Australia.
(Full Article)Varanus squeeze: gas bulletin board users forced to sign onerous terms
Senator David Johnston told the Federal Senate Thursday, 2 October 2008 "Bulletin board users had to sign onerous terms and conditions to participate in the bulletin board, wherein they released and discharged all of the upstream providers of the gas from liability before they could play in the game”.
(Full Article)Apache liable for Varanus: catastrophic failure of three pipelines
Economic decline and a change of State government from ALP to Liberal were flow on effects when a corroded Apache pipeline ruptured. The pipe was on an offshore island in mangroves, corroded and also too close to other pipelines, which exploded in a cascade event.
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