Saturday, January 28, 2012

Geochemistry and Politics

The carbon cycle is part of the study of geochemistry, or chemistry of the Earth. This includes the solid Earth and atmosphere as well as the hydrosphere. How water dissolves other components and its role in shaping the landscape by erosion and transportation (geomorphology). The time factor is very important. What happened 100 million, 10 million or 50,000 years ago may have some bearing on climate or landscape today and in the near future.

I have always had an interest in geochemistry and pursued the subject at University. I graduated with a PhD degree in Geochemistry from the Pennsylvania State University, USA, after majoring in chemistry, geology and economics from Otago and Victoria Universities in New Zealand. The present involvement of the Federal Labor Government into the realms of geochemistry with its "Carbon Tax", I find alarming, to the extent that I started this blog to expose the bunkum they promote. PM Julia and Combet would certainly be failed students of mine, if I had the chance to grade their activities.

Next we have the WATER allocation problem of the Murray Darling Basin. Water, like carbon dioxide, is subject to a lot of political spin. Trade unionists, lawyers and the media seem to be instant experts on water and are determined to impose a "solution" not wanted by the residents of the region. Recently it has been all quiet on the MDBasin front, until the powers that be bring forth their next modified plan. Watch here for further comments on this topic.

All these undesirable Labor/Green Party policies bears support to the famous quotation of English publisher and writer Ernest Benn (1875 - 1954) who said: "Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it whether it exists or not, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedy".

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