Like most of environment news, the success of this article is still conflict: first, the construction of a gas dig and natural beauty of the coast; second, the conflict between Wyong council together with residents nearby and the developer. The significance is obvious. The built of the rig would help explore gas. Gas is a cleaner energy source as a fuel replacement for coal in power stations, which could help Australia meet its Kyoto protocol objectives. This is definitely of public interest too, as the subject of climate change and renewable energy is a hot topic recently. It is a piece of news happened in Sydney and posted in Sydney Morning Herald. This is the proximity of this news.
There are some explanatory words for how the rig is going to work. The picture gives a clearer picture about the scale of the rig and the depth of drill. It also offers the planned drill rig sites. The picture has added color to the online news story.
So good the scheme is, but the impacts on residents nearby should not be ignored too. It will cause noise and water pollution. It may also effect on fish, migrating whales and how any subsea rupture would be handled. The most apparent influence as the mayor of Wyong Bob Graham mentioned is on tourism- the construction would disturb the beauty of beaches and the noises would scare tourists away. So the impact is not only environmental but also economical.
The good feature in this article is the journalist interviewed two sides of people and got a variety of different perspectives. This help journalist reach a balance and keep the objectivity of the news.
Check out the news on Sydney Morning Herald website: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/first-gas-rig-headed-for-nsw-coast-20100829-13xnm.html
