Yes, we have a 'Climate Emergency'

Yes, we have a “Climate Emergency”.

Former Chair of the Australian Coal Association and former CEO of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Ian Dunlop, said:

“We are out of time for gradualist policy. We need courage rather than procrastination from our aspiring leaders. Emergency action is a call increasingly being taken up by leading scientists and responsible leaders around the world as extreme events escalate.”

A petition supported by a host of well-credential Australians is presently circulating and it says:

“We call on the Australian Parliament to declare a climate emergency and initiate a society-wide mobilisation.”

Visit Climate Emergency Declaration and sign the petition.

New PM's climate courage 'deserted him' - Bernie Fraser

P

rime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's "courage has deserted him" on climate action, respected former government adviser Bernie Fraser says, predicting the federal Coalition's policies will fail to meet even modest targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Bernie Fraser - new PM
has lost
 his climate courage.

The criticism comes as Senator David Leyonhjelm signalled a crossbench revolt if the Coalition, whose attitude to renewable energy has become more favourable since the leadership change, reneges on a move to ban government investment in wind and household solar.

Mr Fraser, an ex-Treasury head and former Reserve Bank governor, resigned as chairman of the government's Climate Change Authority this month, two years before his tenure was due to end.

Read Nicole Hasham’s story in today’s Melbourne Age - “PM Malcolm Turnbull has lost his courage on climate change, says Bernie Fraser”.

Commemorating human failure - we need to shift our focus

Today we commemorate and lament the tragedy that is war.

We dote on Anzac Day - we need to shift our
attention to addressing climate change.

Thousands of people gathered at ceremonies throughout Australia to remember events that are clear evidence of humanity’s failings.

Another event of a magnitude sufficient to make all the wars resulting from those failings appear of little consequence is about to rush over our horizon to disrupt and disable humanity and leave unimaginable carnage strewn about the planet.

The door through which we can access the solutions brought upon us through the damage we have done to our atmosphere is closing – our opportunities to address climate change are quickly becoming fewer and fewer.

The time, effort and money invested in commemorating our mistakes is misplaced for if we re-directed that trio, accompanied by the massive and sweeping media coverage war and its commemoration is given, then we would at least have some chance of mitigating, or adapting to climate change.

Among those things which will disable much of society and bring with it costs almost beyond comprehension is see level rise.

ClimateProgress discusses the consequences of sea level rise in a story headed: “84,000 Lives threatened by sea level rise in New England”.

The troubles facing New England are just one of an intricate mosaic of troubles facing people around the globe in this and the next decade.

Commemorating wars is a relatively simple emotive process as for once a year you assemble, illustrate your concerns, have your thoughts assuaged, secure endorsement from  your fellows (that’s most people), endorse business as usual and then return to live your life largely unchanged.

Nothing has effectively happened, unlike what is required when you become a climate change advocate and to say you endorse the science that unquestionably illustrates the reality of a damaged atmosphere, means you are stepping aside from society’s momentum and effectively saying “there’s another and better way”.

That takes courage, dramatically different from that exhibited by those who stormed the beaches at Gallipoli nearly a century ago, but still an aspect of courage about which people have little, or no understanding.

Mitigation hostage to profit and growth

Mitigation of the world’s CO2 emissions is hostage to the capitalist profit and growth scenario.

Evidence of that can be seen today in a Melbourne Age today by environment reporter, Tom Arup, headed “Australian coal mining threatens CO2 target”.

Arup talked with the chief executive of the Minerals Council of Australia, Mitch Hooke, who pointed out, and probably correctly, that the proposal to stop Australia’s coal exports wouldn’t stop global coal use.

He said such a move, “Will just send Australian jobs offshore and deprive state and federal governments of billions in revenue.”

Hooke is correct, but someone, somewhere has to illustrate the courage and clarity of thinking to make decisions and take action to begin to end the pollution of our atmosphere.

Many would argue: “Why us?” and a reasonable response is “Why not?”

Undoubtedly the advocates of the continued mining, sale and use of coal could easily produce and array of catastrophic figures illustrating how and end to Australia’s coal exports would mean an end to modern Australia.

Equally those who advocate societal changes aimed at mitigating the effects of climate change could equally easily illustrate that the maintenance of a pattern that was simply business as usual will decimate Australian society,

The argument of the coal lobby is based on rude, brute figures that enforce costs against the commons while those attempting to mitigate climate change use science, reason and logic to illustrate their argument.

Science, reason and logic trump profit and growth.

At some stage, someone must ”draw first” – someone, somewhere has to decide that the welfare of our planet, and by implication the life that depends upon it, are more important than profit and growth.