By: Josh

Josh — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 12:22:36 +0000

Carl, I’ve been meaning to reply to your post. I really like your parallel between war and climate change and the decisions of governments, companies and individuals to take action to preserve the quality of life for future generations. The ZFacts site you linked to, by the end of this reply, clocks the cost of the Iraq war at $600 billion and counting. Imagine what just 10% of that figure could achieve with regards to investment in renewable energy… When I actually stop and allow my thoughts to expand and contract on the subject of climate change and ‘human change’… It’s a fascinating subject. For so many years we have harvested, hunted, ploughed, dug, extracted, chopped, grown and sprayed our way through generations of food, transport and energy. Until this time. This time of reflection, confrontation, consequence and alternatives. As a side note, perhaps our greatest flaw as a species in adjusting to a changing climate, is just that: our species. Perhaps, somewhere in our genetics, is our ancestral DNA of being just another animal on this planet, subject to its nature and helpless to do anything about it. At least when you put this idea in context with the 9-5, plasma TV, holidays, kids and football, for the masses of Australia at least, it’s easy to go with the flow. And I think that’s what this is. We are in a huge body of water, which cannot be redirected quickly. But, as you point out Carl, naming a target; naming a far-flung goal of disconnecting from the fossil fuel world is at least a start. Societies build cities in this way. Urban planners and engineers plan for years ahead in terms of the dimensions and specifications of what is being built. Just look at the Sydney Harbour Bridge (that’s h-a-r-b-o-u-r you American dictionary!): they knew future generations would need a big bridge even though the society at the time didn’t. But all needs not be black and white in this response. There is some green. And it’s growing. The Rudd Government’s Green Paper (while currently being challenged, and in some cases rightly so, from companies such as Woodside Petroleum and other multinationals with mineral and gas interests in Australia) is a massive step in the right direction. If all goes ahead, in just two years time, this country will have an emissions trading scheme that will penalise companies who exhale more than a limit and reward companies who do not. And it’s action at this highest areana of public interest that communicates to the moving masses of ant trails out there, that change is afoot, and sooner or later, through Government action, through corporate action, through advertising and marketing action, through media action, through education action, through kids taking action, consumerist action and conversation, the encircling of an individual with concepts and knowledge about climate change and peak oil will increase to a tipping point. But it’s going to need entrepreneurship-across all facets of society, to fast-track it. Map is one catalyst. Saatchi and Saatchi’s S Blue Project is another. ACF’s Greenhome is one more. WWF’s Earth Hour is another. I’m confident green will flourish-but it’s up to us all how fast.

Comments on: it’s time to disconnect

By: Josh