The Newcastle Herald reports Verdant Earth Technologies "is seeking to use forestry waste material" to generate electricity at the disused Redbank power station, and further, use that electricity to produce "green hydrogen", ('Investors get behind biomass plan for Redbank power station', Newcastle Herald, 12/9). Previous information provided to Singleton council shows the consumption of wood at 850,000 tonnes of dry weight per year. That is approximately one tree burnt every four minutes - it is not possible to grow trees as quickly as they will be burned.
The Legislative Assembly Committee on Environment and Planning has released a report on sustainability of energy supply and resources in NSW", including a finding that "forest biomass is not a renewable, sustainable source of energy".
It included a recommendation "that the NSW government amends the definition of native forest biomaterial under the Protection of the Environment Operations (General) Regulation 2009 to prevent the burning of wood from native forests to generate energy." The minister, Chris Bowen, is currently in the process of putting out a discussion paper on the use of biomass. It is difficult to see that it would reach a different conclusion. Trees are the one thing that works in our favour with climate change - they are proven carbon capture and storage. It is madness to be burning them for electricity.
Janet Murray, Buttai
Could rubbish fuel biomass plan?
A PROPOSAL for a biomass thermal power station is being presented as using forestry waste, normally called dead wood, to fire the furnace ('Investors get behind biomass plan for Redbank Power Station', Herald 12/9). I doubt without using healthy forest wood enough forestry waste would be available, if the amount of coal normally used was used as a guide. I understand the incineration of household garbage has been used elsewhere for power generation, and could be used for such a purpose here.
Newcastle council once used an incinerator to burn household rubbish opposite Newcastle No. 2 Sportsground, but that was discontinued because the smoke was causing breathing difficulties for people living and working in the same general area.
However, I would expect permission given would go deeper in detail than what is presented at present, even if general rubbish was used, without toxic air pollution this would be saving a lot of unnecessary landfill contamination and saving council ratepayers millions of dollars paid to the state government as a fee for dumping. More information in detail will be interesting as a follow up, not necessarily as a negative approach, but as a positive solution.
Carl Stevenson, Dora Creek
Bleak northern winter a warning
BRITAIN is facing a bleak winter brought by their government's rush to net zero by shutting fossil fuel power plants and banning the fracking for oil and gas in the North Sea and instead buying oil and gas from Russia, which apparently has no impact on their climate.
However, reality has now dawned on the British government that solar, wind and storage alone are incapable of delivering their energy needs as they have announced the re-opening of fossil fuel power plants, the capping of domestic energy prices and the approval of more North Sea oil and gas drilling and lifting a ban on fracking. Any politician with even a double digit IQ could see the same looming problems facing Australia as we blindly follow the evangelistic crusade to net zero.
John Cooper, Charlestown
The evidence is stacking up
PETER Devey (Letters 12/9), were you not in Australia when the east coast burned? Do you not see the coral bleaching, the floods in Australia, the unprecedented fires in Europe, the highest English temperatures ever, Pakistan's floods, the USA's severe droughts, the disappearance of glaciers?
Then you quote a document signed by a 93-year-old physicist whose Nobel Prize was in 1973 on tunnelling phenomena in superconductors. The other signatories include six dead people, 130 geologists, 200 engineers, a urologist, a fisherman and other non climate "scientists" apparently in the whole world they managed to get a grand total of 10 climate scientists to sign. Hardly world-breaking opinion.
Mr Devey, if I needed to get the best advice on how to fix my sore knee I would listen to the opinions of an orthopaedic doctor, my GP, a physio or maybe an osteopath or chiropractor; someone with some training in that area. If I want an informed opinion of what is happening in the climate then I listen to people who have training in that specific area of expertise.
An analysis of 88,125 peer-reviewed studies on climate change found that 99.9 per cent found that rapid climate change was happening and that human activities were the main cause. So Mr Devey, please quote the 0.1 per cent of articles that agree with your view, but that alas does not make your view right.
Christopher Marley, Adamstown
Show me a better system for us
NEVILLE Aubrey (Letters 13/9), the idea that the sins of the father should be visited upon the sons is plain silly. To extend that to ancestors even further removed beggars belief and invites insanity.
Great Britain was the best of a bad lot and only beat France to Australia by two weeks. Imagine being on the end of losing wars from the 1790s until the 1950s, plus slavery and a civil war as a chaser. Have a look around the world at your republics, a long hard look. Have any got a system that's as good as the Westminster? Go on, I dare you. Name a republic that has Question Time?
The big mistake the republicans make is playing the man instead of the ball. It's easy to sledge, not so easy to hit the delivery just short of a length over mid-off.
Roland Inman, Booral
Monarch a mere mortal in death
FOR many in the UK and throughout the world, the death of Queen Elizabeth II has had a profound effect. People are bound together in mutual grief similar or even greater than that experienced when a parent dies.
The difference between the Queen and a parent, however, is that one belongs to a wealthy, well-organised, protected tight-knit world and the other a life devoid of riches, privilege or class.
The Queen was someone who didn't seem debilitated by menstrual pain or menopausal depression, didn't appear clumsy, incontinent or need a hand rail.
She was always immaculately dressed and groomed with impeccable manners, always busy but never weary or ready to retire, someone who wasn't confused, forgetful or irritable. Her near-perfect life distanced us from a world beset with wars, inequality and catastrophic climate change.
Because of a system where everything is tightly controlled and runs like a well-tuned engine we often cannot distinguish reality from fantasy. Death is the only thing that cannot be tucked away, and in death more than anything else we can say we experience with her a shared humanity.
Julie Robinson, Cardiff
OUR Governor-General has declared Charles III the "King of Australia". It's absurd that in the 21st century we cannot have an Australian as our head of state but someone born into a certain family that resides on the other side of the planet.
John Arnold, Anna Bay
STEVE Barnett (Short Takes 7/9), the Hindenburg disaster was due to using hydrogen, sure, but in a vessel designed for helium. Think of that next time you ignite a petrol-air mixture in a controlled explosion, within the confines of your car.
Andrew Spannenberg, Mayfield
PETER Devey, the indisputable figure is that 99 per cent of scientists worldwide endorse the fact that climate change is happening and it's caused by humans. I don't need to cherrypick 100 of them to back this as you incessantly do.
Daryl Frost, Eleebana
I AM disappointed at some small businesses' lack of respect for not supporting the public holiday honouring the death of the nation's queen.
Bill Slicer, Tighes
WALTER Slockie, from Mullumbimby, was one of the first Indigenous rugby league players for St George, in 1925, and was instrumental in the formation of the Redfern All Blacks. Ashley Gordon was the first signed player for the Newcastle Knights and continues to work with Indigenous players and people. Even Anthony Mundine has worked to help the Indigenous communities. Johnathan Thurston has been a great role model for Aboriginal people. I find it hard to see how the comments by a player from Newcastle Knights women's team could in any way help reconciliation. It is best to ignore them.
John Hollingsworth, Hamilton
I NOTICED a heap of roadworks equipment on the back of a truck in Hamilton today. I am willing to suggest that there is no way it was going to King Street at Waratah to fix the goat track impersonating a roadway. It's bordering on criminal that the council allows a road such as this to deteriorate to such an abysmal state.
Tony Morley, Waratah
THERE'S more chance a member of the Chinese Communist Party will be our head of state in 10 years' time than an Australian king wingnut or Malcolm "Turncoat".
Steve Barnett, Fingal Bay
ONCE again older people are urged to downsize: to sell a large expensive house and compete with new entrants to the small-house market ('Pensioners encouraged to free up housing', Herald 7/9). This is not to benefit young people. It is for the benefit of property investors.
