Considering the nexus - democracy and climate change

(The Conversation has asked 20 academics to examine the big ideas facing Australia for the 2016 federal election and beyond. The 20-piece series will examine, among others, the state of democracy, health, education, environment, equality, freedom of speech, federation, and economic reform.)

There’s a phrase you sometimes hear about the workplace: “leave your brains at the gate”.

Workers use it to summarise the dismissive view their bosses have about the contribution employees can make – and about how much say workers have in what they do at work.

Not all bosses are like that. But it seems most employees want more say at work – sometimes called “voice” or “participation in decision-making” or even “workplace democracy”.

Read the thoughts of a Professor of Employment Relations, Griffith University, David Peetz on The Conversation - “Ideas for Australia: Improving democracy for workers is not easy but it must be done.”

(Democracy and climate change are intimately interlinked. However, something else, I’ll call it “corporatocracy” – that is colonization of the world’s economy by corporations, or plutocracy and ideals of democracy are nowhere to be seen, although we are told repeated that the lives we enjoy are the outcome of democracy. Outwardly we have democracy, but something rotten is happening and as we shout and holler at our television sets or cheer on our favourite sports team, we are being carted toward the abyss, reassured comfortingly that all will be well just as long as the profit continues to roll in and the bank balance of the 0.1% continue to grow.

We need to reclaim democracy, we need to reclaim our lives, urgently – Robert McLean).

Global warming rolls on in, sooner than expected

The world is on track to reach dangerous levels of global warming much sooner than expected, according to new Australian research that highlights the alarming implications of rising energy demand.

University of Queensland and Griffith University researchers have developed a “global energy tracker” which predicts average world temperatures could climb 1.5C above pre-industrial levels by 2020.

That forecast, based on new modelling using long-term average projections on economic growth, population growth and energy use per person, points to a 2C rise by 2030.

The UN conference on climate change in Paris last year agreed to a 1.5C rise as the preferred limit to protect vulnerable island states, and a 2C rise as the absolute limit.

Read The Guardian story - “Dangerous global warming will happen sooner than thought – study.”

Environmental questions so big they almost defy answering

T

he world’s environmental challenges, and by inference those of Australia as so huge and thereby daunting that they border on impossible to answer.

Here a trio of academics who have been theoretical and practical experience of considering how to best research these questions add their thoughts to the conversation.

They are: the Emeritus Professor, School of Science at Griffith University, Ian Lowe; the Director, Research Institute for Environment and Livelihoods at Charles Darwin University, Andrew Campbell; and a distinguished research Professor and Australian Laureate at James Cook University, Bill Laurance.

Read their contributions to the discussion here on The Conversation - “Setting priorities for environmental research is daunting when the questions are so huge.”

Salvation seems to be in our cities

The words of Brendan Gleeson and the content of a report on the ABC appear to have an oblique connection.

Brendan Gleeson's
 "Lifeboat Cities".

Gleeson, the director of the Urban Research Program at Griffith University and also a Professor of Urban Policy Studies at the University of Melbourne, wrote “Lifeboat Cities” in which he discussed the idea that out cities could be a bulwark against the rigours of climate change.

The new report on the ABC argues that those who live in cities fare better than their rural counterparts in terms of health, education, employment and wealth.

The story headed: “City dwellers fare better than country cousins” discussed the reality that rural people were more inclined to be conservative than those who lived in our cities.

Prof Brendan Gleeson.

Having read Gleeson’s book, the likelihood that city people are less conservative than their country counterparts suggests that those of our intensive urban areas are psychologically better equipped to respond to the rigours of climate change.

Interestingly, Brendan Gleeson has changed my vocabulary – listening to him soon after “Lifeboat Cities” was published in 2010 he talked a lot about  “resource depletion” and “oil scarcity” and indicating his tiredness with the term “peak oil” he said: “I’ll reach for my gun each time I hear someone say ‘peak oil’”.

Understanding the reasons for his objection, I now avoid the term whenever I can.

-       Robert McLean.