Dr James Allan: Climate Change Giving Meaning to Life

The religious mindset embraces the belief that there is more to life than the material world of the senses. There are truths that transcend the here and now. Things that give a non-contingent meaning to human existence. This is obvious with the monotheistic religions, and a little less obvious with Buddhism and polytheistic beliefs. Still, the appeal of this sort of belief in transcendent truths is pretty obvious. That means that not all that many people who reject established religions will move over to some sort of David Hume or Bertrand Russell-type sceptical view that what you see is what you get – we are here because of the fortuitous collisions of trillions of atoms, lots of time and even more luck. As Hume famously said, “the life of a man is of no greater importance to the universe than that of an oyster”.

Danny Simms: Threats to New Zealand’s Agricultural Export Industry

In New Zealand we are seeing a seismic shift in land use. If it was based on straight economics, we should accept it. However it is not. Vast areas of productive farmland is being taken out of production and planted in pine trees.

This is being driven exclusively by industry using our land to offset their carbon emissions.

 The carbon credit subsidy driven rush to plant tens of thousands of hectares of productive farmland in pine trees must stop.

Ian Bradford: What Causes Wildfires

Wildfires don’t start themselves.   So what causes a wildfire to start?  Conditions are ripe for fires in summer as the countryside is dry.  But who or what starts them? 

ITALY

The BBC news in Calabria Italy, had the following heading:  Are arsonists behind Italy’s  devastating wildfires?

Paul Driessen: 'Climate Arson' and Other Wildfire Nonsense

Real goal is to avoid responsibility for policies, and increase control over energy, lives, property

In what has become an annual summer tragedy, wildfires are again destroying western US forests. Millions of acres and millions of animals have been incinerated, hundreds of homes reduced to ash and rubble, dozens of parents and children killed, and many more people left missing, injured or burned.

Air quality across wide regions and entire states is so bad people are told to stay indoors, where many have hibernated for months because of the coronavirus, but indoor air is also contaminated. Acrid smoke and soot have been carried to Chicago and beyond. Firefighters are profiles in courage, as they battle the blazes for days on end, while all too many politicians are displaying profiles in opportunism.