Battle of the gauges
I have wondered recently if Armidale has been guilty of some skulduggery, trying to make the city seem more attractive by minimising the perception of its cold climate.
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My interest was piqued a few months ago when I noticed a few Armidale minimum temperatures being warmer than Tamworth's. I have compared ABC TV weather minimum and maximum readings with Elders Weather readings for Tamworth and Armidale.
Tamworth's ABC observations, presumably provided by the Bureau of Meteorology, are always the same as the Elders observations, but Armidale's are rarely the same.
The BOM Armidale minimums in the last week have all been 3-4 degrees warmer than the Elders readings, with Armidale's minimums being 2-3 degrees warmer than Tamworth's on 4 of those days. With Armidale being about 600 metres higher in elevation than Tamworth, that would seem unlikely.
I suspect that the BOM temperature readings are inaccurate. I did notify the BOM recently but they seemed unimpressed with my observations. However, Armidale residents with their own weather stations should have a good idea as to which readings are accurate.
Tim Robilliard, Tamworth
Climate Transition Policy
Anthony Burke raises the concerns that many regional communities are grappling with (Climate transition policy still inadequate 3/9).
Hearing daily news reels of coal fired power stations closing globally and that 45 per cent of last year's new electricity generation was through renewables can't be reassuring when families are staring down the recession.
Yet the tired old arguments of needing coal for base load power are still be filtered down to workers and extended communities on the coal front by our leaders. The same goes with the myth that mining is keeping regional towns alive- this will only be true for so long.
Transparency and a vision for a just transition is long overdue for these workers; instead of trying to buy votes and feeding workers furphies that their jobs will be safe long term. Our mining communities deserve better.
Eliza Weekes, Tamworth
Rural knowledge can help the climate
The role that agriculture can play in assisting our transition to a carbon neutral society was a pleasing read in 'Climate transition policy still inadequate' 3/9. Rural people pride themselves on their 'can do' mentality and ability to pull together in difficult times.
Indeed regional communities would welcome their role in carbon sequestration, increasing biodiversity and reducing livestock emissions if given to them outright as part of a national climate action policy. And they are asking for it now; the National Farmers Federation, Farmers for Climate Action and the Cattle Council of Australia to name a few.
Rather than simply stating that people in country areas are not talking about climate change, or that the current government was elected on its current policies, so "that's it we must be doing enough", perhaps our leaders should have an honest yarn about the facts of climate science its impact on agriculture.
Give people a clear direction on how their skills and knowledge of the land can be best utilised to solve this looming problem.
Alice Milson, Tamworth
Nuclear power
France has the most nuclear power exports in Europe as well as the highest unemployment rate in Europe (editor: as of June 2020, France had an unemployment rate of 7.7 per cent, lower than the EU average of 7.8 per cent. Spain, with a rate of 15.6 per cent, has the highest jobless rate in the European Union).
It has 57 operational nuclear power plants and where have all the protests about unemployment and the high cost of bread occurred? France.
The myth that this creates jobs is simply not true. It is the same as gas, both expose us to global warming. Just 2kg of uranium is equal to more than 40,000 tonnes of coal. For example, at Hiroshima there is a man's shadow in stone, left when the world's first nuclear explosion instantly vaporised him. Some people tried to escape to the water but were boiled alive as the bomb raised the temperature.
Why do our representatives ignore these facts in spite of Fukushima and Chernoby This will expose us to the dangers of radiation and global warming. Is it because our defacto government are actually run by rich investors? It has always been thus.
Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger had solar power houses, and did not need to rely on power throughout the year, even in colder months.
The wood merchants - with their commercial interest - who sold their era's fuel changed Roman Law so solar was no longer legal. The commercial interest won the day.
Australia is so rich in natural energy it does not need any encouragement from gas or nuclear power. This can be easily maintained for the future to keep our country beautiful.
Lindsay Bridge, Quirindi
