Batteries are vital part of energy solution

Tatura environmentalist Terry Court has welcomed a state government initiative aimed at improving access to battery units for household solar.

Member for Shepparton
- Suzanna Sheed.

While hopeful affordable batteries could provide a missing link of sorts, State Member for Shepparton Suzanna Sheed meanwhile wanted more detail on the scheme, had questions on how it could be accessed and how it might work.

Victorians who already have solar panels could be paid nearly $5000 to install battery units to store their generated electricity.

Premier Daniel Andrews announced this week a reelected Labor government would provide half-price batteries for 10 000 households which already have solar panels.

Mr Court said ‘‘without doubt,’’ the proposal would ‘‘encourage the take up of batteries of residents that have existing solar’’.

He predicted substantial annual savings could be achieved.

‘‘This effectively will reduce the cost of batteries dramatically, depending on size,’’ he said, adding it stood to provide energy resilience and reliability outcomes, while relieving ‘‘substantial fluctuations in demand in distribution systems’’.

Ms Sheed said there was ‘‘no doubt’’ batteries were part of a solution for energy storage and usage for homes into the future, adding that the cost had in the past been astronomical.

‘‘We’re constantly being told . . . that the price of batteries will gradually come down.’’

And while Ms Sheed had questions around the details of the scheme, she suggested it could pose a good testing ground.

‘‘(It) gives people who might be thinking about buying solar batteries a bit of a testing ground to see whether this is a solution and whether something else has to be done.’’

‘‘We’re just at a time leading into an election when lots of promises are being made.’’

‘‘I’ll be interested in it and watching it closely as I imagine many people who have got solar on their homes will, because it is that missing link at the moment,’’ she said.

Under the proposed scheme, home owners can get a 50 per cent rebate for installing a battery storage unit, capped at $4838 in the first year and tapering down to $3714 by 2026 with the price of batteries expected to come down.

Story by Thomas Moir from The Shepparton News - “Batteries are vital part of energy solution.”

Paris accord withdrawal 'outstanding denial'

by Thomas Moir (Shepparton News)

Local environmentalists have levelled criticism at the United States’ withdrawal from the 2015 Paris Climate Accord.

Shepparton environment advocate Terry Court described the withdrawal announced last week as a “deplorable decision” which signalled an outstanding denial of climate change.

American president Donald Trump will withdraw the US from the landmark 2015 global agreement to fight climate change, a move which ha fulfilled a major campaign pledge but drawn condemnation form American allies and business leaders.

Mr Trump tapping into the “America first” message used when first elected president, said the Paris accord would undermine the American economy, cost American jobs, weaken American national sovereignty and put the country at a permanent disadvantage to the other countries of the world.

Australia remains committed to the historic Paris climate change agreement.

“I think you’ll find most Americans don’t agree with what he’s done on this issue,” Mr Court said.

He said it was essential Australia continue to support the agreement.

“Locally we must continue to take every action as best we can art every level to combat the biggest threat to mankind, that is climate change,” her said.

Mr Court believed the decision by the US might have made the impacts of climate change more prominent in the minds of the region, reinforcing there was always more to do.

“However little, we can do more. It heightened awareness ….. given most of the rest of the world disagrees with his actions,” Mr Court said.

Transition Tatura’s Ross Musolino agreed the president’s move could serve to reinforce sustainable behaviours locally, among a community which remains “pretty wise to what’s going on.”

“It certainly sends a very poor message to a lot of people less in the know, people sitting on the fence,” Mr Musolino said.

“And I think you get a lot of people are in two minds whether to believe (climate change) or not.”

He said such decisions undermined the work of groups like Transition Tatura, that were trying to get the message across.

Man of action turns to the pen to press his ideas

Tatura’s Terry Court prefers action to words, but today employed the latter to urge readers of The Shepparton News and its associated publication, Country News, to act on climate change.

In a letter to both newspapers the Beneath the Wisteria supporter and active committee member of the Shepparton-based Slap Tomorrow said:

Average global temperatures in 2015 were the hottest on record.

In Victoria, March is shaping up to be the hottest on record, with maximum temperatures currently approximately nine degrees above average. Weather forecasts to the 14^th March indicate very hot conditions which will see maximum temperatures across the state soar to 10 degrees above average. Unless there is unprecedented cooler conditions for the remainder of the month, March 2016 will, most probably, be the hottest March on record.

Over the next week we will all experience the prolonged hot spell. Some of us will keep the air conditioner on longer, others cannot do that.

Hopefully, we will reflect on what we and the nation can do to mitigate the enormous negative impact of global warming will have on us unless we act now.

Taxation changes that penalise big polluters would be a great start.

Terry writes about the need for 'collective action'

Beneath the Wisteria support, Terry Court, has engaged with the minds of Shepparton News readers through the “Letters to the Editor” column.
Terry pointed to the “gigantic” challenge of climate change, arguing that addressing the certain consequences demanded “collective action”.

What follows is what Terry wrote in what is a daily newspaper:

The latest IPCC report and the UN have again stressed that no one will be untouched by climate change. They have observed impacts of climate change have already affected agriculture, human health, ecosystems on land and in the oceans, water supplies, and people’s livelihoods. The striking feature of observed impacts is that they are occurring from the tropics to the poles, from small islands to large continents, and from the wealthiest countries to the poorest.

The challenge is gigantic, but judging by the reaction from our local media and the community in general you would think the threat to humanity doesn't exist.

If we think we can sit on our hands, continue business as usual, then we are in for a rude awakening and an uncertain future. The rest of the world won't wait for us to wake up and embrace a changing climate - they will run all over us as we lose the financial ability to make the changes required.

If we continue to think that 'She'll be all write Jack' then we are condemning ourselves to a dramatic reduction in living standards and services while increasing the probability of community unrest.

The last thing we should do in a situation like this is to hunker down and just pretend it doesn't exist.

To combat this challenge we must all work collectively, break out of our silos, be prepared to listen to others and combine our collective wisdom and knowledge like never before to ensure a prosperous future. Now is not the time to reduce spending on science and education. Now is the time to ramp up our efforts in these areas and be inclusive and creative as minds will allow us.

We must work together for the public good not for personal gain.

We have to be smart not smug and pool our intelligence, skills and innovative minds to ensure we have a prosperous future in world with a changed climate. 

 

The fact that the world is poorly prepared is not surprising

Findings that the world is poorly prepared for climate change are far from surprising, well not at least for those advocating that the world take action.

Climate change itself will be a surprise to many for while the reality of what we are doing to earth’s atmosphere has been clearly spelt out by the world’s scientists for more than a decade now, few people have been listening.

Not only have they not been listening, but most, it seems, thought it was a distant problem of little concern to them and about which they could do little.

The idea of doing little was discussed by Tatura’s Terry Court just last week at a climate change/community health forum Shepparton at which he quoted the Irish author, philosopher and statesman, Edmund Burke who said: “Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little”.

However, doing what little he can, environmental editor with The Age, Tom Arup, has alerted that newspaper’s readers to the fact that “Climate change is here and the world is taking a turn for the worse”.

In discussing the prognosis of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Arup wrote, “It will be a less certain and more dangerous world, particularly for the world’s poor. Nor one we should look forward to.”

'No reason to debate the issue any more'

Beneath the Wisteria supporter and climate change advocate, Terry Court,  had a letter published in today’s (January 20) Shepparton News.

Terry wrote:

There is no reason to debate the issue any more. The intensity and frequency of periods of extreme heat events, as experienced last week, can be attributed to human-induced climate change.

Last week every Victorian was adversely effected by extreme heat – some lost their lives. The business-as-usual approach at all levels of government, the vast majority of Australian businesses and Australians in general will not address this wretched problem.

We have to act now to create tangible renewable and sustainable enterprises. Spending $300 million creating two new air conditioned tennis arenas at Melbourne Park, so the elite can play in 45°C won’t solve the problem.

Searching for hope among the catastrophic conclusions

It is rather difficult to distil some good news from amid the somewhat catastrophic conclusions emerging from the equations of the world’s climatologists.

Those of us concerned about climate change – apparently that is a majority of people, but the reality is that only a minority are actually doing anything to counter what is happening – are alert to the fact of the importance of sustaining hope amongst a barrage of news that can unleash a sense of despair.

Ardent Beneath the Wisteria supporter, Terry Court, is an advocate of working to ensure that within the maelstrom of difficulties that is climate change we build an outcome that demonstrates hope.

Rather than focus on the brutalities of climate change, Terry, who acknowledges the challenges, prefers to look for the opportunities, those things that will build hope among people, strengthen their resolve and enable the creation of resilience.

Terry’s view is of course, correct and reflects a quote from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe who said “In all things it is better to hope than to despair” and as with all things despair achieves nothing, while within hope opportunity lives

Terry tells it like it is - hot and gettting hotter!

Letter from Beneath the Wisteria supporter, Terry Court, published in The Shepparton News on Friday, December 20.

As we experience another day of temperatures around 40°C, it is a good time to reflect on recent temperatures across Australia.

While we have all experienced temperatures in excess of 40°C and survived, this year has seen many temperature records broken:

• Australia’s warmest summer on record (December 2012 to February 2013).

• Australia’s warmest January and September on record.

• Australia’s warmest 12-month period on record (now broken three times for the periods ending August, September, and October.

• There have been 15 months in a row of above average temperatures.

For anyone reflecting on the good old days, the Climate Council reports that the number of hot days has more than doubled since the 1950s and 1960s and the number of cold days has gone down.

The vast majority of Australians now believe that human activities have contributed to global warming.

We must all act now – in whatever way we can.

What we do is limited only by our imagination.

Importantly, we must be active advocates for change, influence debate, encourage low-emission energy alternatives, support rail transport and re-evaluate what we really need.

We shouldn’t feel intimidated for trying to protect the planet and all the creatures, including us, it supports.

Ideas come bubbling up from Beneath the Wisteria

The New York 'carbon clock', similar
 to what Terry Court would like
 to see in Shepparton.

Ideas about raising public awareness and so making them more conscious of difficulties arising from climate change came bubbling up at the November gathering Beneath the Wisteria.

Long-time supporter, Bill Brown, suggested a monthly release on climate events in a brief, readable format that could be posted in regular places about the Shepparton and neighbouring towns.

Bill was also confident some shop-holders would be willing to give the regular update on climate happenings prominence, maybe even giving the A4 size update prominence by framing it.

Terry Court, whose concern that “we were talking to ourselves” led to the Slap Tomorrow forum, suggested a CO2 meter to be displayed in a public and prominent place.

Terry imagined something similar to a rather large electronic sign displayed in New York’s Times Square sponsored by Deutsche Asset and Wealth Management that alerted people, unambiguously, to the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

The Telstra tower in the centre of Shepparton was suggested as a possible site to display the “carbon clock’.

Terry will take the idea to Tuesday’s meeting (December 3) of the Slap Tomorrow committee.

Another keen supporter of Beneath the Wisteria, Alan English, discussed that he was hard of hearing suggesting he would like a written list of ideas that people spoke to and then a report of discussions enabling him to stay abreast of the conversation.  

Conscious that nature never sleeps and therefor climate change doesn’t take a break over Christmas, Beneath the Wisteria supporters will gather again in Shepparton’s Maude St Mall at 11:30am on Saturday, December 28.

Slap Tomorrow was super successful

“Slap Tomorrow – A Wake-Up Call” was successful in the extreme, exceeding everyone’s expectations.

The hundreds of interested people at the June 6,
"Slap Tomorrow - A Wake-Call" forum.

The June 6 forum attracted hundreds of people. The forum was held at Shepparton’s Eastbank auditorium that seats more than 800 people and it was easily more than two thirds full.

The overriding goal for the forum was to initiate a discussion about our changing climate encouraging people to identify the opportunities arising from the subsequent changes and incorporate them with their lifestyle.

The forum featured Climate Commissioner, Prof Veena Sahajwalla; the former chair of the Australian Youth Climate Coalition, Anna Rose; and environmental consultant, Rob Gell; with Victoria’s Sustainability Commissioner, Prof Kate Auty, as the moderator.

Rose talked about how youthful experiences in north-western New South Wales illustrated to her important realities about soil, water and climate led to her working with a group of school friends to set up what eventually became the Australian Youth Climate Coalition.

Sahajwalla, an engineer with the University of New South Wales talked about how we could take what exists and reapply it to our advantage, explaining that by detailing a working project in which old motor tyres and used in the manufacture of steel.

Gell, who has long been immersed in many aspects of the climate and community engagement, took those at the forum on 20 minute explanatory journey through the realities of climate changes.

The idea for the forum emanated from among those who gather each month “Beneath the Wisteria”.

Jim O'Connor and fellows workers
from Game Game Traffic and
Contracting, one of four major
sponsors.

It was supporter Terry Court who declared several months ago that it “felt as if we were talking with ourselves” and encouraged Beneath the Wisteria supporters to “take” the conversation to the wider public.

A small committee of nine came together, almost by osmosis, initially meeting every fortnight and then as the June 6 drew closer, the meetings became weekly. Electronic communication (email) was incessant.

Our next gathering Beneath the Wisteria will be at 11:30am on Saturday, June 29, at which “Slap Tomorrow – A Wake-Up Call” will be reviewed.

Mark June 6 in your diary and make "Slap Tomorrow - A Wake-Call" a success

Beneath the Wisteria supporters should mark Thursday, June 6, in their diary.

That is the date of a major public forum in Shepparton – “Slap Tomorrow – A Wake-Up Call”.

The idea for the forum grew out of Beneath the Wisteria when supporter, Terry Court, said it felt as if we were “talking to ourselves” at our monthly gathering in Shepparton’s Maude St Mall.

The June 6 forum will be either free or gold coin donation and feature Climate Commissioner, Prof Veena Sahajwalla; the chair of the Australian Youth Climate Coalition, Anna Rose; and environmental consultant, Rob Gell; with Victoria’s Sustainability Commissioner, Prof Kate Auty, as the moderator, will be held at Shepparton’s Eastbank auditorium.

 

The auditorium seats 830 people and our prime responsibility is to ensure they are filled.

 

Below is the brochure printed to illustrate to potential financial supporters what the forum is about and who will be speaking.

 

 

 

 

Links from Terry Court

Tatura's Terry Court provided the following links (thanks Terry)

•••••••  All you need to know about temperatures increases in Australia in 1 graph

http://www.bom.gov.au/announcements/media_releases/climate/change/20110105SSTgraph10.gif

•••••••  300 years of fossil fuels in 300 seconds (video)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJ-J91SwP8w

•••••••  The ultimate climate change FAQ

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/series/the-ultimate-climate-change-faq

Building the definitive guide to climate change, covering science, politics and economics                  

•••••••  Naomi Oreskes - Merchants of Doubt

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/scienceshow/stories/2011/3101369.htm

ABC Science Show, 8 January 2011

•••••••  New study suggests climate change would continue even without greenhouse gases

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/prairies/new-study-suggests-climate-change-would-continue-even-without-greenhouse-gases/article1863311/

Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press, 12 January 2011

A study predicts there will be havoc akin to a big-budget Hollywood disaster movie in the next 1,000 years even if people stop emitting all carbon dioxide into the atmosphere now.

 

Fire and rain: the lessons of natural disasters

http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/editorial/fire-and-rain-the-lessons-of-natural-disasters-20110111-19mkr.html
The Age editorial, January 12, 2011

Queenslanders knew this summer's storms would be severe and bad flooding was likely.

Have Insurers Begun to Detect Climate Change in Storm Damage?

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=have-insurers-begun-to-detect-climate

Evan Lehmann and Climatewire, SCientific American, January 11, 2011

It's likely that the number of strong storms involving rain, snow and hail is also rising because of warming temperatures, not just urban sprawl and expanding development

Global weather disasters a sign the heat is on
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/global-weather-disasters-a-sign-the-heat-is-on/story-e6frg6zo-1225983256858

Mike Steketee, The Australian, 8 January 2011

Meteorological figures confirm the empirical evidence that temperatures are rising.