The good old ocean acidity scare gets another outing in Australia

The writers below DO NOT believe in global warming. They only say they do. Why? Because warmer oceans are capable of holding LESS CO2. Open a bottle of Coke when it is warm and see how the gas surges out if you doubt it. And if the oceans have less CO2 in them, they contain less of the carbonic acid that the CO2 becomes while in solution! So the oceans would have a REDUCED tendency towards acidity under warming. The fact that corals etc. have survived much warmer periods in the earth's past is also conveniently not mentioned.

Now that Ross Garnaut's draft report has been released, most of the climate change debate in Australia will focus on the economic effects of any emissions trading scheme. However, there's another carbon problem, which will profoundly affect our oceans, that has received scant attention beyond a small band of marine scientists and is largely independent of global warming. The public, aware of the role of carbon dioxide in climate change, doesn't know of its function in acidifying the oceans and the hundreds of years that would be required for recovery.

Ocean acidification refers to the natural process whereby carbon dioxide dissolves in the sea, forming a weak carbonic acid. The ocean is a major sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide and has absorbed about 48 per cent of the CO2 emitted by human activities since the pre-industrial age. A recent report from the Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Co-operative Research Centre claimed that carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is at its highest level in 650,000 years, and possibly 23 million years, and half has been dissolved in the oceans, making them more acidic.

Australia has a direct stake in the ocean acidification problem: it will affect every part of our marine environment. And our offshore estate has just become a lot bigger. Three months ago the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, while not accepting all bids, recognised Australia's claim to the continental shelf where it extends beyond our exclusive 200 nautical mile economic zone. This is a vast oceanic area: 2.5 million square kilometres, or 10 times the size of New Zealand and 20 times the size of Britain.

Rising levels of acidity in the oceans surrounding Australia could have a profound impact on marine industries and dire consequences for many Pacific Island communities, presenting strategic and humanitarian challenges.

Mounting levels of CO2 in the Southern Ocean has caused deep concern among scientists studying the long-term productivity of the world's oceans. Under conditions of increasing acidification, parts of the oceans will deteriorate and progressively become uninhabitable for certain types of plankton, central to the ocean food chain, and coral structures. The Southern Ocean is particularly important because it is very efficient at absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere: it's here where the first effects are being felt.

Ocean acidification is likely to have a cascading effect, reaching parts of the food chain such as fish and shellfish. Marine researchers are saying that a business-as-usual scenario of CO2 production will ultimately result in destruction of marine life on an enormous scale. Some shell-forming species will struggle to maintain or reproduce their vital shell structures and skeletons, which will have a direct effect on the ocean food web. Some species will decline, others will be displaced or will disappear, and patterns of fisheries will change, potentially threatening the food security of millions in the Asia-Pacific and damaging Australian fisheries economically.

Another study identified ocean acidification as a primary causal factor in common reef fish getting lost at sea during a crucial stage of their development. And rising acidification could also interfere with the respiration of fish, the larval development of marine organisms and the ability of oceans to absorb nutrients and toxins.

Coral reefs such as the Great Barrier Reef, which are hot spots of biodiversity, will suffer. Acidification will weaken coral structures and stunt coral growth, leading to a significant decline by the middle of this century. This will deprive parts of the Australian coastline of a natural protective barrier against the ocean, leading to greater threats from storm activity and cyclones.....

As the debate about who wins and who loses in the future Australian emissions trading regime intensifies, we should remember that with ocean acidification there will only be losers. Discovering the ecological effects of our souring oceans requires urgent action.

The authors above: Anthony Bergin is director of research programs at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Ross Allen is a research analyst at ASPI. The above are their personal views. It looks like both of them reply on others for a knowledge of chemistry and physics

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Victorian rapist stays anonymous

The identity of a rapist will remain a mystery to the community after a judge yesterday rejected an application for him to be identified. In May the Sunday Herald Sun launched legal action seeking to reveal the identity of the serial rapist and pedophile. In the County Court yesterday that action was refused after the judge ordered the rapist -- who can be referred to only as "the respondent" -- become the subject of a 15-year extended supervision order under new state legislation.

After a day of expert evidence on behalf of the rapist on Thursday, Judge Margaret Rizkalla yesterday deemed suppression of his identity and psychiatric reports would best serve the interests of the community. The judge said the public interest was "clearly balanced in favour of a suppression order, which would allow . . . the protection of the community [HOW??] and treatment and rehabilitation of the offender to be realised". The Herald & Weekly Times argued that any suppression orders were premature.

The judge said: "This submission, even if accepted, does not address the issue of any adverse emotional and psychological effect on the respondent [WHAT ABOUT THE EFFECT ON HIS VICTIMS??] if material is published, which in turn has the potential to affect the efficacy of treatment and rehabilitation -- which are the safeguards which the legislation relies upon for the protection of the community." [Relying on rehabilitation!! What a joke! That's the last thing you could rely on]

Crime Victims' Support Association president Noel McNamara scoffed at the suppression order. "People in the community are entitled to a fair go by having a fair idea who these people are and where people like this bloke are living at any given time," he said.

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Cairns: Australia's relaxed tropical resort city

No shock, horror about topless women just a few minutes' walk from the city centre



The topless sunbaking area at the Esplanade Lagoon is here to stay, despite fears it is drawing pervs and creeps into the city. As debate continues to rage over whether women walking around the city are increasingly being ogled, whistled at and subjected to lewd remarks, Lagoon regular Renny Dagostino said a stricter dress code at the popular swimming and sunbaking spot would help clear out many of the undesirables.

But Cairns Mayor Val Schier said while she understood there were objections to topless sunbaking at the Lagoon, she stood by previous mayor Kevin Byrne's decision five years ago to set aside the northern grassed area for that purpose. "I certainly have had feedback that some families and others don't frequent that area because they are not comfortable with nudity and it is certainly offensive to them," Cr Schier said. "But, at the same time, the majority of people do accept it these days. "We get very few complaints, maybe because most people have either accepted it or they just go elsewhere. "Personally, I'm relaxed about it."

Regarding complaints of sexual harassment of women on city streets, sparked by 24-year-old inner-city restaurant worker Karissa Harris's concerns in The Cairns Post on Tuesday about being constantly subjected to lewd remarks, Cr Schier said no form of rudeness should be tolerated. But as for wolf-whistling, she said she couldn't see the harm. "Despite my advanced age, I still do get some whistles now and then and generally it brings a smile to my face," said the 58-year-old. "Obviously, there is a point where you draw the line but if it's done in a friendly way, I don't take offence."

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Government protecting AIDS criminal

Victims charged $35,000 in HIV case

The South Australian State Government is demanding victims of alleged HIV sex predator Stuart McDonald pay up to $35,000 to access crucial information about him, court documents say. Lawyers for a man suing the state over his alleged HIV infection accused the Government of threatening victims with "financial ruin" to stop them pursuing compensation claims. They said demands of $35,000 just to inspect documents were "outrageous".

The Victorian man and another alleged victim have launched District Court claims. They argue authorities failed to properly supervise Mr McDonald when he was subject to a Health Department control order. Mr McDonald, 42, is alleged to have "deliberately and recklessly" infected eight men with the HIV virus between January, 2005, and mid-2006.

One claimant's lawyer, Leo Redden, wrote to the Crown Solicitor's office seeking access to documents from the Health Department and a Sexually Transmitted Diseases clinic relating to Mr McDonald's control order. A letter from the Crown Solicitor's office said there were "approximately 2000 documents potentially within the scope of your request." "This would amount to some 170 hours' work. The cost, therefore is likely to be in excess of $35,000," it said. "Could you please confirm your client is aware of this and is agreeable to pay the relevant costs."

In a strongly worded reply, Mr Redden accused the state of using threats against his client. "The suggestion that (my client) and others could each be liable to the State of South Australia for an amount of $35,000 is outrageous and appears to be nothing more than (a) ... threat, designed to dissuade our clients from pursuing their legal entitlements," he wrote. "It is aimed at allowing a powerful litigant such . . . to threaten financial ruin to members of the public."

The alleged victim, 31, who lives in Melbourne, claims to have been infected by Mr McDonald after they met on an internet dating site. Prosecutors have alleged Mr McDonald infected eight victims after meeting them through the Gaydar website - at the same time he was subject to the control order.

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Rudd's Fuel Botch

One result of rising global fuel prices has been the long list of bad policy ideas trotted out to try to ease the pain. Now Kevin Rudd is making his own humble contribution: FuelWatch. The Australian Prime Minister's proposal, currently under consideration in the Senate, would require service stations to set their prices only once every 24 hours. At 2 p.m. each day they would report their next day's price to the government, which would post the information on a Web site that afternoon. The price would take effect at 6 a.m. the next morning, and any change - up or down - would be forbidden until the next period.

Studies of a similar program in the state of Western Australia have found minimal benefits to consumers. Critics argue that prices don't fall as far under the system as they otherwise would during "soft" days in the retail market. Intraday price-setting is complex, involving factors as varied as changing traffic patterns, current supplies and the time of the next delivery. The Rudd plan would bar retailers from responding immediately to market signals. The danger is that retailers will set prices unduly high in the fear that if they mistakenly set a price too low they won't be able to fix their error for 24 hours.

As for the second component, the government information service, the private sector is already doing that anyway. Web sites, radio stations and newspapers all alert consumers to cheap petrol. FuelWatch would be more comprehensive, but it's not exactly filling a vacuum. Oh, and Australians are already showing signs of driving less and buying more efficient cars - another market response.

The problem in Australia, as elsewhere, is rising fuel prices. Meddling in an already complex market won't fix that, and carries a big risk of making things worse.

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