I love Dr Karl (and he loves me).

Dr Karl Kruszelnicki is standing as a member of the Climate Change Coalition, for the Senate in NSW, in the forthcoming election (on November 24). I was invited to go to Sydney today to help brief Karl on issues to do with coal mining under the Sydney Water Catchment area, thanks to Kim Martin having met with Karl during the week.
I jumped at the chance, naturally.Caroline Graham, from Rivers SOS, who has been campaigning against the coal mining under the rivers of the Illawarra Plateau (for many years) was involved as well, which was great. Caroline knows these issues really well, as she has been campaigning against it for so long.
I showed Karl some of the images of Longwall Mining machinery, and how the longwall mining technique removes entire "panels", where all the coal in a layer is removed, and then the rock above the former coal layer is allowed to collapse down. This causes subsidence (of course). This subsidence is what causes cracking of rivers in areas where the coal mining has occurred.
This is one of the maps which Caroline Graham has prepared to show where the longwall mining is occurring, in relation to the dams and rivers on the Illawarra (Woronora) Plateau. Karl was amazed that this is being allowed. What can we say? The information is out there on the public record, but few media people have ever taken any notice. Hopefully Dr Karl can help focus some public attention on this crazy situation.
Anyway, I am afraid that I acted like a "58 year old Groupie", and asked Dr Karl to sign my Climate Change Coalition T-Shirt, which he was happy to do.
As I said to Karl, I went with Zoe to see Dr Karl at an ABC's JJJ "Outside Broadcast" at the Australian Institute of Sport, in Canberra, a number of years ago, as we were both fans of his - from way back.
I also commented that his ads on "micro-sleeps" on the Television are a seriously good public information campaign - as I was "that guy" who was prone to falling asleep for moments, while driving. In my case, it is caused by sleep apnoea. Hopefully I have the issue more-or-less under control these days, but one needs always to be aware of the need to "Stop, Revive, Survive", when on the road.

Rock Lilies, and Lily Rocks

After a day with the Southern Coalfields Inquiry hearings, today, at the Camden Civic Centre, I have come to Sydney with Kim, for an overnight stay, before going back for more, tomorrow. Kim and Peter have gone out to dinner, and I am working on their computer (wow, Broadband is sooo good!)

The hearing was very good, with some powerful presentations of how the rivers of the Woronora Plateau have been abused, and in fact killed. Speaker after speaker said the Upper Nepean River, the Cataract River and the Waratah Rivulet are DEAD.

See for yourself.

Iron Oxide sludge forms a poisonous,
de-oxygenated algal bloom over what was once a healthy river.

The Panel appeared to take this evidence seriously (and so they should). The photos and videos showed by representatives of Rivers SOS, the Nepean Action Group, and the Macarthur Branch of the National Parks Association spoke powerfully of polluted rivers and pools. And as for the Waratah Rivulet, a 2km stretch of the river was as dry as the pavement of George Street, Sydney.

No home for Platypuses here - not any more! Thanks to Peabody Mining.

Oh, did I mention that this ought be fresh drinking water?

Instead it looks like a crack in the pavement.
Nope, it is the dry bed of the Waratah Rivulet, inside the
Sydney Catchment Authority's "Special Areas" .

Those cracks caused by subsidence, caused by coal mining. Yet the SCA's Special Areas website states that the function of the Special Areas is to protect the water quality. How exactly, is that plan working, when mining companies can kill the rivers, as evidenced above?

For my own part, I spoke of the recent evidence (mentioned on this Blog a few days ago) that Orchids have been around on the planet for some 80 Million years (and other plants for probably 300 million years), and asked - what right does anyone have to put these plants and organisms at risk of extinction, for 20 years of profit?

I also mentioned that in some cases we are dealing with endangered species and Endangered Ecological Communities (EECs) which are protected under Federal Environment Law (the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act). I even vowed to hold the members of the Panel accountable of they fail in their responsibility to protect these endangered species and EECs. Seeking to soften my comment slightly, I then pointed out to the Panel that it is not that I do not have faith in their good offices, but rather that they are the last 5 people on the planet with the power, at State Government level, to do anything about this preposterous position.

Many of the speakers also made the point that not only is coal mining bad for the local environment, it is also a major contributer to Global Warming, and Climate Change, which threaten the future of life on this planet, or at the very least the future of life, as we mere humans currently know, and enjoy it.

Anyway, after a fairly intense day with the Panel, I was happy to accept Kim's offer of accommodation over night. Here are some photos of a Rock Lily (Rock Orchid is a truer name) (Dendrobium speciosum) which Kim says was at the front door of their house back in the 1920s, so it is an 80 year old Orchid. But we now know it has a tradition, a genetic inheritance, going back 80 million years. Just think, Kim was proud of it being 80 years old, without thinking of it being a million times older than that!And here is the lovely Lily, the much loved Black Labrador, who is snoring gently in her bag behind me, as I type this. She is a lovely dog.
Lily rocks, alongside the Rock Lily.