AUSTRALIANS DON'T LIKE WIND-FARMS EITHER

"Rural residents in two states can't sleep at night because of noise from a Queensland Government-owned corporation's alternative energy projects. Homeowners in Queensland and Victoria have all but resigned themselves to the noise of the Stanwell Corporation wind turbines, which they claim have devalued their properties. Stanwell Corporation has said it is doing the right thing and has told residents there is no problem with noise. But Jim and Dot Newman say they have to turn up their air conditioner and shut the windows and doors just to sleep at night.

The couple live on a 106ha dairy farm at Windy Hill on the Atherton Tableland in north Queensland across the road from 20 wind turbines built by Stanwell in 2000. Mrs Newman said the throbbing, thumping noise from the generators could be heard at all hours of the day. "It was very frustrating in the beginning and makes us extremely upset, but there is nothing we can do about it," she said. Within 12 months, the couple, who are in their fifties, had had enough and they decided to move but they still cannot find a buyer.

A number of Victorian residents know exactly how the Newmans feel and are equally angry at Stanwell Corporation. In Victoria, Stanwell Corporation have built three wind farms including 12 turbines at Toora, 188km southeast of Melbourne, in the South Gippsland region. Kath and Terry Hurst of Toora were told by Stanwell they would not be disturbed by the wind farms. After doing some research the couple along with two other residents launched an unsuccessful bid through the Victorian Civil Administrative Tribunal to stop the development.

Stanwell build two 50m pylons 750m and 810m from their house. "It was terrible, we had real trouble sleeping and the worst part was we decided to move and it took 18 months to sell the place," Mr Hurst said. Mr Hurst said while the local property market was booming, they lost money selling their house".

More here.




RUSSIA WAS DRAGOONED INTO "KYOTO" BY THE EU

The anti-American EU bribed the Russians into signing. It was a quid pro quo for getting into the WTO, with its opportunities for trade deals

"Moscow, a signatory to the protocol, had prevaricated for years over ratifying and there were signs yesterday that it approved ratification over the heads of some in the political elite who say it will harm the economy and is based on suspect science. Andrei Illarionov, an economic adviser to Mr Putin who attended the cabinet meeting, said Russia had been forced to approve a pact that would damage it economically. "It's a political decision, it's a forced decision," he said. "It's not a decision we are making with pleasure. The decision will be very harmful to Russia's national interest in the short, medium and long term."

Mr Putin sent a clear signal that he approved the protocol in May after the European Union supported Russia's campaign to join the World Trade Organisation. The EU was jubilant at the decision, calling it a "huge success".

The Confederation of British Industry said the Russian govenment's move was "good news for companies and the environment" but gave warning that the treaty would not mean much if countries such as the United States, India and China continued to drag their feet.

More here




And this article (written in 2002!) explains why the EU was desperate to get Russia onboard and thus get the treaty up and running. Key quote:

"The EU apparently intends to claim that all U.S. goods are impermissibly subsidized by the United States' refusal to adopt Kyoto-style energy taxes. Last week, FOE fired the first shot in this inevitable conflict, demanding the EU apply penalties against energy-intensive U.S. products in retaliation for the United States not going along with Kyoto.

Such a penalty, or alternatively an EU "eco-dumping" suit, would force the pro-growth World Trade Organization to address anti-growth multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) such as Kyoto. It is not clear whether the WTO, confronted with this conflict, would remain true to its pro-growth mission. Such a suit would also trigger a landmark battle over the freedom of states to refuse to adopt the policies of others, without incurring penalty for unfair trade practice".

So it's all about turning the WTO into a sort of world government

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Many people would like to be kind to others so Leftists exploit that with their nonsense about equality. Most people want a clean, green environment so Greenies exploit that by inventing all sorts of far-fetched threats to the environment. But for both, the real motive is to promote themselves as wiser and better than everyone else, truth regardless.

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