Coal barons must pay for flood damage

The Australian ^ | January 16, 2011 | David Uren

[Oldeconomybuyer]

GREENS leader Bob Brown has pinned the blame for the Queensland floods on the coal industry. He says the sector's contribution to global warming is responsible for the extreme weather conditions causing the floods.

Senator Brown said yesterday the "coal barons" should be made to pay for the damage caused by natural disasters, with half of Canberra's planned mineral resources rent tax set aside for a repairs fund.

"Burning coal is a major cause of global warming," he said.

Coalition regional development spokesman Barnaby Joyce said it was absurd for Senator Brown to blame the coal industry for floods, which had been a reality in Queensland throughout its history. "In 1893, the flood gauge on the Brisbane River reached 8.35m, so was the coal industry responsible for that as well?" he asked.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

[Venturer]

These Global Warming people are sick, they blame a toothache on Global Warming.

I have been sitting through one of the coldest winters I can remember and they say that’s caused by Global, Warming.

[bigheadfred]

I thought everyone knew that when a butterfly, somewhere in the world, flaps it’s wings, a disaster strikes soon after somewhere else.

We need to eliminate the butterflies.

Good news is they would make brightly colored snacks for the kids.

[Truth29]

How about blaming the greenies holding the flood control reservoirs to high percentages of capacities because of their fears of droughts allegedly caused by global warming? The reservoirs didn't have the capacity to mitigate the floods and actually had to dump more water into already flooded channels.

[wita]

http://greens.org.au/people/bob-brown

I was not encouraged reading about Bob.

He was born an activist, and keeper of the planet. Anti-gun, pro wilderness, two items guaranteed to be polar opposites that activists just can’t seem to understand. Can’t imagine his forefathers venturing anywhere near a wilderness unarmed, any more than I can imagine the same of my own.

We have spent untold billions of dollars and plenty of lives conquering the “wilderness”, so lets do it all over again in the name of green.

Well educated dunce, from Tasmania.

[SonOfDarkSkies]

These Global Warming people are sick, they blame a toothache on Global Warming.

Or Sarah, Rush, and the purveyors of Political Vitriol.

It seems we have entered the Age of Irrationality and Illogic.

[Iron Munro]

"Burning coal is a major cause of global warming," the Senator said.

As he relaxed in his large, all eletric home, heating and cooking, watching the telly, and keeping the home warm with electric produced by coal fired generators.

An Australian Al Gore?

[rocksblues]

I have yet to see any kind of weather anomaly that the Global Warming people haven’t had an answer to that supposedly proves their theory.

[B.Lyle]

Very disturbing response which will erode confidence in an already damaged industry. This Green senator should not be trying to gain political points by making life more difficult for people who have lost everything.

Australia is the world's largest exporter of coking coal, used for producing steel. The country supplies over half the global market, with a large proportion of that coming from Queensland. Spot prices for coking coal on the international markets have risen by 10% in the past month and traders are anticipating a very sharp rise over the next few weeks. With rail and bridges damaged, it could take weeks or even months to get them repaired and during that period prices are likely to rise even more.

BBC article on Queensland Coal

[Thermalseeker]

Globull Warming is so yesterday. Maybe you didn’t get the memo. Now, the Warmers call it “climate chaos”.....it’s a more “inclusive” term.....’course, now we have to find another name for Warmers.....I suggest “Fruitcakes”.....

[Condor51]

Up next from the Moonbats

Dear Teacher,

Global Warming ate my little Timmy's Homework.

He had it all complete (honest).
But then Global Warming swooped into our house and ate it.

regards,
Timmy's Mother

These people are certifiably INSANE.
And if any group should be denied owning firearms it's these Green Whack-jobs.

[wita]

Interesting!

Just recently right here at FR, someone posted an article about the closing of a plant in (I think) PA that produced coking coal. Seems they were uncompetitive on the world market.

[B.Lyle]

Fire it up!(Metaphorically speaking, of course.) I suspect it’s comptetitive again, at least in the medium term, perhaps in the long term if the Green senator gets his way...

[SuzyQue]

I understand that the area is a flood plain.

[G Larry]

Hey Bob!
AGW was responsible for the drought, remember?
How is it possible AGW is also responsible for the cure?

I’d say YOU are responsible for the flood, because your lies caused dam authorities to retain more water behind the dam, for longer than prudent.

[null and void]

Well educated dunce, from Tasmania.

We eliminated all of the Tasmanians once, we can do it again...

[BenLurkin]

[DTogo]

The city is on a low-lying floodplain. Many suburban creeks criss-cross the city, increasing the risk of flooding. The city has suffered three major floods since colonisation, in February 1893, January 1974, and January 2011. The 1974 Brisbane flood occurred partly as a result of "Cyclone Wanda". Heavy rain had fallen continuously for three weeks before the Australia Day weekend flood (26 – 27 January 1974). The flood damaged many parts of the city, especially the suburbs of Oxley, Bulimba, Rocklea, Coorparoo, Toowong and New Farm. The City Botanic gardens were inundated, leading to a new colony of mangroves forming in the City Reach of the Brisbane River.

[dirtboy]

GREENS leader Bob Brown has pinned the blame for the Queensland floods on the coal industry. He says the sector's contribution to global warming is responsible for the extreme weather conditions causing the floods.

How much do you want to bet that the same pinhead, not long ago, was parroting the AGW propaganda that drought in Australia was caused by Global Warming?

[BenLurkin]

Fight the eco-kooks with facts:

Water releases before deluge too low: dam expert
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/water-releases-before-deluge-too-low-dam-expert/story-fn59niix-1225989066171