CCNQ

This is an opinion piece by Dr Phillip Machanick, it was originally posted on his blog Opinionations.

As the cacophony of voices attacking climate science grows, I have to wonder: where are the journalists? Have they forgotten their job description? In any other field, if such an obvious, misinformed lobby arose, would they rate any attention?

Well, maybe.

"Two of Australia's leading climate science agencies – the CSIRO and Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) - have produced a snapshot of the state of the climate to update Australians about how their climate has changed and what it means".

The report is only a few pages long, take little time to read and is written for a general audience but provides essential information to understand how the Australian climate has changed over the last 50 years and how it will likely change into the future.

Download the report here

Where: Mt Ommaney Library Meeting Room, Dandenong Road

When: 2 – 4pm, Wed 24 Mar, & repeated 1 – 3pm, Sat 27 Mar, 2010

Ask the panel about:

• Mysteries of your bill and your kWh / day usage
• Cheaper ways to run air-conditioning
• Booster switches
• Tariffs pros and cons – getting the most from your electrician
• Earning cash on your electricity bill
• Smart grids and demand for large scale renewables
• Peak demand myths
• Energy saving products and replacing your hot water system
• Temperature settings for water and fridges – health and safety

Panel includes: • Anne Armansin, Origin Retail Energy Adviser and Energy Insitute guru; and • Ed Parker, local resident and net energy generator who is earning money from solar (as seen on tv). Ed won the Lord Mayor’s Greenheart Award on Australia Day in 2009 and is known as a local electricity guru.

The Coalition recently announced its climate change policy, the guts of it is an emission reduction target by 2020 of 5% below 1990 levels.

Peter Cosier (Director of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists) - “The good news is that the Coalition has recognised that climate change is a problem"... "If Australia is to make its contribution to managing carbon pollution we need to reduce our net emissions by at least 25% by 2020 (and by between 80% and 95% by 2050). This policy doesn’t get us anywhere near those targets"

Professor Ian Lowe (Emeritus professor of science, technology and society at Griffith University, Qld and President of the Australian Conservation Foundation) - "The most disappointing aspect of the Coalition’s policy is that it aims only to reduce our carbon dioxide emissions by five per cent. So it has effectively accepted disastrous climate change. The Bali Road Map set targets in the range of 25 to 40 per cent for countries like Australia to give the world a fighting chance of avoiding unacceptable impacts. .. It appears constrained by its denial faction to propose only measures that are manifestly inadequate".

Dr Helen McGregor (AINSE Research Fellow in the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences at University of Wollongong) - "Cuts to emissions of far greater than 5% by 2020 are required to tackle the climate change issue - this policy does not appear to have any long term plans for deeper cuts into the future."

As opposed to putting a cap, or price, on emissions of carbon pollution this policy would see the government establish a direct action fund to pay business and industry to reduce emissions. Most of the emissions reductions would be realised by schemes to increase the amount of carbon stored in the soil.

Dr Frank Jotzo (Fellow and Senior Lecturer at the Australian National University’s Crawford School of Economics and Government) - "A price on emissions, via emissions trading or a tax, remains the most cost-effective way to cut back on emissions.

If you are interested in taking action on climate change please consider joining one the many groups that are already members. You can also join the climate network Queensland google group. For more information contact Ewan on 0401 234 610.

 This is a cross-post from Transition Town Kenmore District and may not represent the views of the CCNQ.

As part of the Copenhagen Accord Australia agreed to submit is emissions reduction target by Jan 31st. The government has announced it will only commit to its minimum greenhouse gas reduction target of 5% by 2020. If you aren't happy with this miniscule target then you could consider writing to Penny Wong and telling her it's not good enough.

Now to be completely fair the government has left its 5-25% reduction on the table. As opposed to a 5% target which will do next to nothing to slow global warming, a 25% reduction target by 2020 would be a more positive step, showing leadership on climate change and in-step with what the Europeans and Japanese are doing.

However the government has put a number of conditions on a target higher than 5%, and even though some of these conditions appear to be being met, (ie: targets from major developing countries), the Australian target is still rock bottom.

As a rich country with sky high per-capita emissions, Australia has a moral duty to take the lead on this and not hide behind poorer countries, some of whom, like Brazil, are currently pledging more than we are.

So if you want to let the government know that pledging (next to) nothing is not a viable option, here's where to do it.

Thanks to all those who went along to the Walk Against Warming on Saturday. The turnout was massive compared to previous years with both the QCC and the Courier mail suggesting five to ten thousand people attended in Brisbane, while over over 100 000 people took part nationwide. Thanks to the QCC, Greenfest and all the community groups who helped make the day a success.
 Check out the video from the QCC below or for some photos check here.
                                 

President of ACF, chair of the first Australian State of the Environment Report in 1996 and referee for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Prof Ian Lowe AO will be at the Climate Summit in Copenhagen.

He wants to see you at Walk against Warming on December 12th.

Here's why.

Professor Ian Lowe AO