The call is still about us waking from our slumber

Three years ago the Shepparton-based Slap Tomorrow organized and staged a forum entitled “A wake-up call” and still today people continue to encourage us to wake from our slumber.

Jenny Goldie, from Michelago in New South Wales, wrote about that need for us to “wake up” in the Melbourne Age on December 19 under the heading: “Heed wake-up calls before it's too late.”

She wrote:

Ian Dunlop's superb article ("Rational climate and energy policy", 13/12) is a wake-up call. If we are to have several metres of sea-level rise this century, then we have to vacate the major cities of the world (New York, London, Shanghai). No amount of adaptation will be possible. The Australian government has to do its bit to minimise global warming. It has to increase its emission reduction targets to at least 65 per cent on 2005 levels by 2030; ban all new coal mines; immediately close down power stations based on brown coal, such as Hazelwood, and phase out the rest; increase climate funding to $1.6billion a year from new money, not the existing aid budget; phase out all fossil fuel subsidies (while compensating food producers who would lose the diesel fuel rebate); promise to keep the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency; and significantly increase subsidies to the renewable energy sector. There is no hope unless we make a complete shift away from fossil fuels before mid-century.

Meanwhile, Jenny Henty, of Canterbury, in arguing for us to consider how we talk about climate change wrote today in the Age under the heading: “Seasonal change”:

I agree with Terry Hastings that the term "bushfire season" is problematic (Letters, 3/1) but for different reasons. In the new reality, spring, summer and autumn are all potentially bushfire seasons. With the advent of global warming our language has to admit to the changed climate: only then we mobilise our wills and determine a course to a clean renewable energy future.

And again today, arguing that “Farmers do their bit”, John Marriott, of Point Lonsdale, wrote:

While it is a fact that livestock are emitters of greenhouse gases (Letters 3/1), many livestock producers also carry out farming practices and revegetation programs that sequester carbon – in fact some are net sequesterers, unlike the transport industry. Don't cancel the weekly visit to the butcher too soon.

Ending world population growth is critical to stemming climate change: SPA

Ending world population growth as soon as possible is critical if the world is to limit global warming to 2^oC, according to Sustainable Population Australia (SPA).

Working Group III of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), in its report issued yesterday said ‘urgent action’ is needed if we are to keep within the internationally agreed limit of 2^oC.

According to Dutch economist Reyer Gerlagh, co-ordinating lead author of one of the report's chapters, growth in emissions is currently tied to economic and population growth. It would take ‘a drastic change to the system’ to break this connection.

SPA National President, Ms Jenny Goldie, says if growth in greenhouse gas emissions is tied to ‘economic and population growth’, then it follows that ending population growth is essential if the world is to limit warming to 2^oC.

The UN’s middle projection for 2050 is 9.6 billion, a third more than the current population of 7.2 billion.

“If we go to 9.6 billion, we would emit a third more greenhouse gases by mid-century from population growth alone,” says Ms Goldie. “Yet significant reductions in emissions are needed by then. 

“Population stabilisation and even reduction has to be an essential part of the mitigation mix. Moving to a low carbon economy is, of course, necessary with fossil fuels phased out as quickly as possible. If, however, population continues to grow inexorably, then any success in emission reduction through adopting low carbon technologies is likely to be offset by population growth.”

Ms Goldie noted that the IPCC media release had said: ‘Land is another key component for the 2°C goal. Slowing deforestation and planting forests have stopped or even reversed the increase in emissions from land use.’

“Yet while ever there are more mouths to feed, more forests will be cut down to grow food. There is no way growth in yields on current farmland will provide for the growing population, especially in light of climate change. More people mean fewer forests,” Ms Goldie says.