Wonderful, admirable, but still we tinker at the periphery

by Robert McLean

T

he efforts of many to counteract climate change are admirable and warrant applause, but it still seems were continue to tinker around the periphery of the problem.

Edwina Beveridge.

A story in “BusinessDay” in the Melbourne Age - “Happy as a pig in mud” – tells a wonderful tale about a former chartered accountant, Edwina Beveridge, who has turned to pig farming and is  building it toward it being carbon neutral.

Wonderful ideals and something that all businesses should be driving toward.

Edwina took over the farm, “Blantyre”, from her parents eight years ago and was among the first farms to tap into the former Federal Government’s Carbon Farming Initiative Program.

She and her husband have made many significant changes to the farm’s methods, so much so that Edwina now spends much of her time promoting the pig industry and agriculture generally.

Just a few things are the root causes of climate change and among them are the present market-driven economic system, which despite all Edwina’s innovative and creative work, Blantyre farm is still very much an intricate part.

True, we urgently need all the food the likes of Edwina can produce and so while work of such ilk needs to continue, somehow we need to disconnect it from the present economic system.

That in itself is a massive challenge for the traditional market system has rewarded such people generously for their innovation and hard work, but now it seems we want similar effort and imaginary changes to be seen in altruistic terms and those involved to simply be celebrated.