Policy and politicians are failing our environment and our future

You probably had a lovely shower this morning before you sat down to read the paper. Imagine if, when you turned the tap, the water that came out stank. That’s life for people in Menindee and surrounding areas right now.

Dead and dying animals including sheep, goats and
 kangaroos can be seen stuck in the mud as the
Menindee Lakes dries out, as seen in this drone image
 taken on January 10.CREDIT:

Politicians from every state and federal parliament should be at Menindee to experience the stench of policy failure, because it is the mismanagement of the Murray Darling Basin Plan, not the drought, that is the true culprit for the toxic mess in Australia’s greatest river system.

It’s not just the odour that’s offensive. It should be inconceivable that a $13 billion water reform developed in response to drought has failed at its first drought. The fury and distress of farmers Rob McBride and Dick Arnold, as they held the rotting corpses of two enormous and iconic Murray cod, was palpable and it is a fury every Australian should share.

Federal and state governments have used taxpayers’ money to effectively make the problem worse. In the next few weeks the federal Coalition government will use taxpayers’ money to make another environmental and economic policy mistake that will burden future generations: refurbishing or building a new gas or coal-fired power station. Fortunately, it’s not too late to stop that disaster – but more on that mess later.

Read the story from The Sydney Morning Herald by Ebony Bennett - “Policy and politicians are failing our environment and our future.”

Can China really lead the way to an ecological civilization

August 29, 2018 — Imagine a president of the United States calling for an “ecological civilization” that ensures “harmony between human and nature.”

Illustration by Sean Quinn.

Now imagine he goes on to declare that “we, as human beings, must respect nature, follow its ways and protect it” and that his administration will “encourage simple, moderate, green and low-carbon ways of life, and oppose extravagance and excessive consumption.”

Dream on, you might say. Even in the more progressive Western European nations, it’s hard to find a political leader who would make such statements.

And yet, the leader of the world’s second largest economy, Xi Jinping of China, made these statements and more in his address to the National Congress of the Communist Party last October. He went on to detail plans to facilitate “green, low-carbon and circular development,” “promote afforestation,” “strengthen wetland conservation and restoration,” and “stop and punish all activities that damage the environment” — in short, “to build an ecological civilization that will benefit generations to come.”

Read the Ensai opinion piece by Jeremy Lent  - “Can China really lead the way to an ecological civilization.”

We won’t save the Earth with a better kind of disposable coffee cup

Do you believe in miracles? If so, please form an orderly queue. Plenty of people imagine we can carry on as we are, as long as we substitute one material for another. Last month, a request to Starbucks and Costa to replace their plastic coffee cups with cups made from corn starch was retweeted 60,000 times, before it was deleted.

 Illustration: Ben Jennings

Those who supported this call failed to ask themselves where the corn starch would come from, how much land would be needed to grow it, or how much food production it would displace. They overlooked the damage this cultivation would inflict: growing corn (maize) is notorious for causing soil erosion, and often requires heavy doses of pesticides and fertilisers.

The problem is not just plastic: it is mass disposability. Or, to put it another way, the problem is pursuing, on the one planet known to harbour life, a four-planet lifestyle. Regardless of what we consume, the sheer volume of consumption is overwhelming the Earth’s living systems.

Read the story by George Monbiot from The Guardian - “We won’t save the Earth with a better kind of disposable coffee cup.”

‘Mountains and mountains of plastic': life on Cambodia's polluted coast

Looking down into the water that lies beneath the ramshackle houses of Sihanouk, Cambodia, it is hard to imagine that the sea is there at all. Instead, there is dense layer upon layer of plastic waste clogging the water, piling up around poles that support the wooden homes, carpeting the beach.

Photographs from Sihanouk in the country’s south west
reveal locals living amid a staggering tide of plastic pollution

New images of from Sihanouk, in the country’s south west, depict in horrifying detail the extent of Cambodia’s growing problem of plastic pollution and how the tide of unbiodegradable rubbish has become part of the fabric of the lives of communities living in poverty.

Read the story by Hannah Ellis-Peterson from The Guardian - “‘Mountains and mountains of plastic': life on Cambodia's polluted coast.”

Redefining The Role Of Business & Sport: How Can They Join Forces To Accelerate Low-Carbon Technologies Across Different Sectors.

Can you imagine a world where combating climate change is an exciting and inspiring opportunity, an opportunity to harness the power of the best, to raise the bar, to overcome hurdles and to redefine the role of business and sport in society?

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing our society, already affecting natural environments and people around the world. In 2017, global CO2 emissions have risen again, after being flat for 3 years. Hence, global greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 are likely to be at the high end of the range projected by scientists under the 2°C and 1.5°C temperature scenarios, making it increasingly difficult to be on track to meet the global 2030 emission goals.

Learn more about the webinar and register here - “Redefining The Role Of Business & Sport: How Can They Join Forces To Accelerate Low-Carbon Technologies Across Different Sectors.” 

The moral value of wilderness

Let us imagine that humanity has almost died out and only a few people remain. Out of resentment or despair, the survivors cater to their destructive urges by destroying as much of the natural world as they can. They poison rivers and lakes, drop napalm on forests, set off a few nuclear warheads. They are at ease with their conscience because no one will ever be in the position to use or appreciate the nature they are destroying.

Pause and reflect on what really makes wilderness valuable.

They are harming no one. But surely what they are doing is wrong.

The Australian environmental philosopher Richard Sylvan used this story to try to persuade us that nature has a value that is independent of our needs and desires, even our existence.

Read the piece on The Conversation by a Professor of Philosophy from La Trobe University, Janna Thompson - “The moral value of wilderness."

Quitting coal: a health benefit equivalent to quitting tobacco, alcohol and fast-food

Imagine, for a moment, that climate change was not synonymous with doomsday scenarios, but rather presented an opportunity to radically transform society for the better. This is not an attempt to downplay the seriousness of the risks facing our climate. Rather, it is about reframing the choice we face, away from the prospect of bleak minimalism often associated with a low-carbon future.

 ‘Strategies focused on greenhouse gas mitigation could save
an estimated 1 to 4 million lives annually by mid-century from
 improved air quality.’

Consider the following realities: the World Health Organisation estimates 7 million deaths are attributed to air pollution every year; and rates of obesity and chronic diseases are rising in nearly all regions of the world. Burning fossil fuels, especially coal, accounted for 78% of the total increase in carbon dioxide between 1970 and 2010, with deforestation comprising the balance of emissions. Burning coal also releases pollutants such as fine particulates, eg PM2.5, which are deadly to human health.

Read Jonathan Patz’s story on The Guardian - “Quitting coal: a health benefit equivalent to quitting tobacco, alcohol and fast-food.”

In the absence of national leadership, cities are driving climate policy

Imagine a future in which every one of Australia’s 537 local government areas, including all our capital cities and major regional centres, achieve net zero greenhouse emissions. It might sound like a pipe dream, but it could be closer than you think.

The City of Sydney is aiming to get 50% of its
 electricity from renewables by 2030. 

A new Climate Council report, released today, tracks the climate action being taken at the local government level. It gives myriad examples of cities, towns and local shires, in Australia and abroad, setting and achieving ambitious goals for renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainable transport.

In a 2016 Climate Institute survey of attitudes to climate change, 90% of respondents indicated that the federal government should shoulder the bulk of responsibility for action, with 67% saying Canberra should take a leading role. Yet given the current policy paralysis at Commonwealth level it is little wonder that some states seem determined to go it alone on setting ambitious clean energy targets.

Meanwhile, it’s at the local government level where enthusiastic action to embrace a more sustainable future is really taking off.

Read the story on The Conversation by a professor from the Department of Biological Sciences at Macquarie University, Lesley Hughes - “In the absence of national leadership, cities are driving climate policy.”

Why can't the government understand there's no such thing as clean coal?

Some new form of madness must surely have taken hold when we're being asked to ponder whether or not the Clean Energy Finance Corporation should fund "clean coal", or cleaner coal, power stations. Seriously? Is this a trick question?

It's hard to imagine, even a year ago, that the matter would have been worthy of serious consideration, but to quote South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill, "When 'clean' has its meaning expanded to include 'coal', you realise how busted national electricity policy truly is". Yep, plain speaking is indeed in short supply.

Read Sarah Gill’s comment in today’s Melbourne Age - “Why can't the government understand there's no such thing as clean coal?”