Dr. Tim Flannery

For many yeas now I have known that the carbon cycle is not some sort of ‘fancy bicycle’ – I mix chemicals for a living. I have resisted ‘reading’ about climate change because I watched Al Gore’s movie and I believe him. What use could reading any more depressing evidence be? I now humbly admit that some of the most recent information about climate solutions and ‘global response’ was surprising and new to me. Maybe it’s because I lived so close to the US.

I encourage you, next time you are in a book store – to swing by the ‘tiny’ science section. Pick up little a 2006 book by Tim Flannery called ‘We are the Weather Makers’ (Easily confused with a bigger, older book by the same author called “The Weather Makers’ which I assume is also pretty good). Don’t buy it just yet. Instead, flip immediately to the final section. Section 5 – ‘The Solution’. It is a short read – 23 pages. Three short chapters: “Bright as Sunlight, Light as Wind’, ‘Nuclear?’, and ‘Hybrids, minicats and contrails.’. I recommend you read it on the spot. If you learn something new – have a seat and flip back to chapter 20 – ‘The three tipping points’ and read foreward from there until someone stops you. Then you might consider buying it :)

Tim Flannery is a paleontologist and professor at Macquarie University in Sydney. He was named ‘Australian of the Year' in 2007. I don't know who does the 'naming'. It was a bit surprising considering that he heavily rips into Australia’s refusal to sign Kyoto and to ease up on the ‘coal powered’ grid. I decided to read his book because he is highly recommended by other authors I have liked: Jared Diamond, Bill Bryson, Karl Kruszelnicki, and David Suzuki.

In other news - Kate and I miss snow. One of our good Brizzy friends, Rob, has just come back from a christmas trip with his brothers to Europe. He showed us videos of his first attempts at snow boarding in France. It made me want to fall on my face in the snow. I remembered a great little snow storm back in London last winter. This was Kate's car.

How cute is this girl. None of that around here. Far from it. Cheers.