not too much

Opponents of Gunns' pulp mill in northern Tasmania will campaign strongly but we will get no joy, as both the Labor party and the government support the mill.

The federal environment minister, Mr Turnbull, has approved the mill but acted on the advice of the Chief Scientist to double the number of conditions. He could not overrule it merely simply because it is a bad idea. That was the job of the Tasmanian Government, which seems to be in Gunns' pocket. Gunns does not have a good record as a corporate citizen.

Yes, we need paper; I use a lot. But paper must not be made from old-growth forests, and paper pulp need not be milled in a pristine location.

My approach is simple. If we need to cut down trees (which we do) we should first grow them, lots of them.