World Environment Day 5 June 2014: Tony's Hate Campaign

This Thursday will be World Environment Day. As such I thought a recent list of 'environment' news would be instructive. So please give generously of your time, money, brains to supporting our environment. Do it NOW. Its your support and work that is helping our Environment, not the Government.

• The Federal Budget as a starting point brought more bad news for Environment Groups leading to my email inbox being inundated with meetings, petitions and requests for funds.
• Solar Citizens is holding a "Our Solar at Risk" Public Meeting on 19 June at RMIT- Tickets are free but limited: Check out details at  http://www.solarcitizens.org.au/melbourne to book. 
• The Climate Council has published the "Abnormal Autumn" report.
• See the Conversations take on the Abnormal Autumn report.
• Australia's environmental laws including the RET have delivered more than our Kyoto Targets, with very little change to our economy. But these will be wound back with a great new tax (Liberal Party's Direct Action) on the Australian people  instead of the small Carbon Tax on a few companies. To protest at changes to the RET (Renewable Energy Target) join Getup's Protect the RET.
• Dirty air is being breathed by the most poor and vulnerable in Australia according to this report by the Conversation. Equity issues here as everywhere else in Australia.
• Australia's leading place in Mammal Extinction continues with recent reports showing our current efforts are leading to 1 mammal going extinct per decade. How to stop this trend requires money, cost-effective analysis and involvement of industry and stakeholders. But money is now tight and there is not an effective science, conservation or climate change minister in the Federal Government.
• Barack Obama plans a 30% cut in Carbon emissions from its dirty coal-fired power stations. He will have to use Presidential decree to get the plans through and like Australia, the reaction from industry is predictable with politicians in coal industry areas running for cover. He risks the same response as we have had. A new government sweeping away any and everything to do with improvement in environmental laws to benefit the fat cats and conservatives of industry. So much for innovation and new industry development which is sympathetic to clean air, water, local industry and good jobs.
• ABC Lateline reports "The head of China's most advanced carbon emissions exchange says australia could scuttle the creation of a global system of carbon trading by dumping its scheme at a crucial time." We should be careful about annoying China as it starts to flex its considerable economic and political muscles. As well as trying to get its rampant ecological problems under control using clean technology. 

Yo Yo Spring & Extreme Weather

Melbournians are quite used to Spring being the season that yo yo's - up one minute with 36 degrees C, down to 12 degrees with Antarctic winds the next. This spring has seemed quite cool and definitely wet.
My water tanks are completely full to overflowing. The winter doona is still on my bed, though it got thrown on the floor last night after Summer officially started.
The Bureau of Meterology (BOM) is warning that the cold weather will return later this week. So the doona hasn't yet been packed away until next April.

However, the statistics from the BOM show that we have continued the warming trend shown earlier in the year. The Conversation's article "Australia records its warmest spring on record "shows this year has been record breaking throughout the year.
I watched the Catalyst special on ABC TV last night -How to get prepared for extreme weather - laughing at the extremes the film crew put their hapless families through while simulating a fire and flood.
The two main points of the special were: Be prepared- have your disaster plan written down and regularly actioned and that the number of extreme weather effects are increasing - were demonstrated nicely.

As a suburban dweller, I belong to that lazy majority that has no written disaster plan.
I have an emergency box which has my important documents and occasional other things in it. I run a fairly comprehensive pantry so can keep myself fed for a couple of weeks and so long as the water tanks are moderately full will have access to water (unpurified). I also have access to multiple means of cooking including a gas barbecue which allows for some independence in the event of disaster to electricity and gas supply.
I have a wood burning combustion heater and fuel supplies. I have solar hot water and PV.

But if I had to evacuate then all bets are off for preparedness. See the CFA Fire Plan Template.
I should be better prepared for storms and other events following the experiences of my family in the Christchurch earthquake.
So perhaps my Christmas Season need to include writing and practicing a disaster plan.
What about you?

WA revisits its Feed In Tariff

Join them. I have!!

Congratulations to Solar Citizens and other groups who protested the West Australian State Government announcement it wished to change the Feed in Tariff for Solar house owners who were promised 40c. The announcement that they were going to reduce this to 20c was greeted with protests. People Power Lights up WA gives the full story.
As someone who purchased Solar Power a number of years ago I too am on a Feed In Tariff that is greater than the paltry 8c per kWh that is the current tariff. I hope the current Victorian State Government doesn't think to try and follow their West Australian brethren. However, I would personally prefer that Solar Power stands on its own feet, so to speak, and have most subsidies removed. Governments of all persuasions have bugger all credibility in this area with short-term thinking and swinging policies.

I think the tide has turned (sorry another metaphor) and so many people are now aware of the benefits, pitfalls and experience of solar power. I hope the current increases in electricity costs will continue to drive solar uptake and the current schemes to promote them are at arms length from all forms of government.

The Federal Liberals have promised to Cut the Carbon Tax and many of the various public service bodies, including the Climate Commission which are promoting the move to renewable industries.
Perhaps even the RET (Renewable energy Targets will be in the firing line, though supposedly both parties agree to the 5%  carbon reduction  reduction target.
"Election 2013 Issues: looking after Australia", by Andrew Campbell (The Conversation website) gives a good run-down on some of the problems of Government short-term thinking, unsatisfactory interference and general inability to have a bi-partisan approach to improving our environment, livability and climate problems.

If the current polling on the Federal Election is carried through to the actual Election Results then we had better be prepared for a steam roller (another metaphor!) over all sorts of things.
Perhaps I'd better get my protest shoes on and banners prepared.

Climate Change, Carbon Tax and the Coming Election

With the change of Labor leadership to a recycled Kevin Rudd, it will be interesting to see if "the greatest moral challenge of our time", that of effective response to climate change will feature heavily in the coming election.
Seeing Malcolm Turnbull on Q and A on Monday made me wince. I felt for his answers to various questions regarding the Coalition's "Direct Action" Policy - including the statement:

"The Liberal Party's policy is to do that with a range of measures, so-called direct action but that involves a lot of things. You know, by competitive bidding of carbon reduction mechanisms and a whole range of measures and but the big difference between our policy, apart from the fact it has a much lower cost than obviously the carbon tax at the moment, is that it is not designed to go any further than 2020....So it is not a long-term policy."
And "I have been a very strong advocate of market-based mechanisms. I have to say, however, being very honest - frank about it, that emissions trading schemes to date have worked better in theory than in practice. The over-allocation in Europe has really been something of a disaster in terms of the emissions trading scheme there."

My remembrance of the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme was that more permits were being requested for business by Malcolm (then Liberal Leader), an over-allocation perhaps!.

My early flowering Jonquils

So now we know the Federal Opposition's Direct Action scheme is short-term. So why do it and then have to change schemes?

So is the current scheme, the much maligned, Carbon Tax working?

Matt McDonald, in the Conversation "Why Labor should fight the 2013 election on climate change" writes:
"Greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation hit a 10 year low in early 2013, driven by increases in cost for wholesale electricity and an increase in the share of electricity provided through renewable sources. Both of these dynamics are attributable to the carbon tax."
And "Most industry representatives they interviewed, all from fossil fuel intensive industries, indicated support for increased government intervention to set and maintain carbon pricing mechanisms to create business and investment stability". See the Conversation for the rest and his comments today

Other interesting media discussions on the topic include "Extreme Weather" on ABC TV Catalyst show, explaining in some detail why we have been having such cold, bright weather recently.
Jonathon Holmes, now retired from Media Watch, also reprised the topic "Hot air stoking the climate change debate" on 24 June 13.

So does Kevin have the moral fibre to make this an election issue and keep the price on carbon a market based scheme?

Post Carbon Non-Future

Loy Yang Power Station 2010

Following Bill McKibben's visit to Australia discussing why the superannuation industry should not be investing in Coal Industry stocks as reported in "Profiting from the wreckage of our planet", the Climate Commission has also dared to produce a report "warning that at least 80 percent of Australia's Coal Reserves need to remain unexploited to avoid dangerous climate change".
The full report "The Critical Decade 2013" can be got from the Climate Commission but it was interesting to see former Defence Force Chief Admiral Chris Barrie joining in the fight on climate change.
Several papers eg "Cool Dudes" by McCright & Dunlap 2011, in "Global Environmental Change" - indicate the conservative nature of many older people, particularly in the US but also clearly evident in Australia. The Conversation reported on the rise of "gerontocracy" and how this may imperil Australia's democracy. Strong words but I suspect, as someone not quite white haired, that there is more than a bit of truth in the report.

Unfortunately the continual reporting of possible ongoing leadership crises in the Federal Labor Party has completely hijacked any meaningful discussion of policy topics for the upcoming Federal Election. Perhaps everyone is waiting for the election date to get closer before blitzing us public but I suspect not.

Do you think the Australian Federal or State governments are capable of leaving coal in the ground when the economy languishes? I don't think so.
Given that Australia's Coal reserve may contribute 30% of the worlds reserves (McKibben) it seems we do have a bigger influence on the global climate than many are willing to admit.
So perhaps we will deserve increasingly wild and expensive weather lessons. I hope you have got deep wallets for your insurance needs.