Photographer : Twm |
We are facing a significant crisis in human history, one which, without an adequate solution, could cause devastation to humans across the globe. The issue—climate change. The current suggested solutions—pitiful.
Once again, our parliamentary representatives, and some people with influence in the media, are promoting quick fixes to the effects of global warming. Very rarely do we hear of, or have the opportunity to explore or support, solutions which address the underlying causes of this problem. Climate change stems from a few fundamental problems in our attitude to our world, which result in excessive carbon dioxide emissions.
Firstly, we have an ingrained belief that we own the planet. We have fenced and subdivided any area of land we can get our hands on, and mining, logging, and large scale agriculture have left devastating scars all over the earth. Basically, there came a point in history when we stopped living with our natural surrounding, and began to live off it. Through constant innovation, we have enabled massive population booms. Using large scale agriculture we have stored energy from fossil fuel. And by exploiting all nature has to offer, we have provided the energy and sustenance to sustain the ever increasing population.
The second underlying problem is our value system. The essential criteria of a good life was once happiness. Today, many of us subscribe to the illusion that money will buy us happiness. In reality though, money will only buy us material goods, which will go out of fashion, or become obsolete. And this quest for more material goods creates more waste. If, as a nation, we strived for happiness, our government would be concerned with more than just economic growth, and the ever-nearing end of the boom we are now in. Developing countries would not be exploited by large corporations for their cheap labour, to provide us, in developed world, with low-quality goods.
I am not advocating a large scale return to the bush or our hunter gathering ways of our past. Simply, a realisation that we are a part of nature; that everything we do is intertwined with the world we live in, and that the ramifications of our actions are felt throughout uncountable ecosystems. I believe we should decide clearly what we value in life, be it happiness, wealth or fame. If we can clearly justify this choice, including all of the ramifications which come with the decision, then we are in a good position to lead a fulfilling life.
The nuclear energy debate is centred on the need to reduce climate change due to carbon dioxide emissions. The question we should be asking ourselves, is not ‘is nuclear the answer?’ but ‘what are the underlying causes of climate change and how can we address them?’
The human population is increasing steadily. So is the amount of energy we consume. Australia has the largest per capita carbon dioxide emissions in the world. This means that on average, each Australian causes the release of more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than any other person in the world, and this amount is growing. We also have a serious dilemma now that developing countries, like China and India, are beginning to seek the affluence experienced by first world countries, like Australia. Affluence of this kind requires lots of energy and these countries bring with them billions, not millions of people. Why should they not be allowed to release as many greenhouse gases into the atmosphere as Australians do?
We need to drastically reduce our energy consumption. Now. This can be done very simply—drive much less, eat local food, and break the cycle of consumption and waste. Then think about energy sources, if we value health, happiness, and long-term sustainability, then nuclear cannot be the answer. Uranium will run out and we will have waste storage issues, just like coal will run out, and we now have waste issues. And oil will run out, and we have waste issues. There are only a handful of energy sources which won’t cause the same cycle of long-term destruction. Sadly, they are not yet very good, and require investment of money, and research, as well as a reduction in the energy usage from all Australians. But they do offer the only long term, clean, safe energy source.
Want to start changing the way you live? Well, here are some ideas…
- Start by visiting http://www.myfootprint.org/ and take the basic test on how much land you require to live like you do. Then remember, that this is not allowing room for any other species, so we need to greatly reduce this footprint to maintain biodiversity.
- Reduce your car usage. The more users on public transport, the more funding it gets, and the environment benefits. Transport in Australia is the third largest producer of carbon dioxide, behind electricity, and agriculture.
- Look up native Australian plants from your local council, and plant the trees, shrubs, flowers and grasses native to your suburb. This will not only encourage native wildlife to return, it will also act as a carbon sink. So, if you grow three big Australian trees a year, the carbon dioxide you emit from driving will be partially neutralised.
- Realise that anything small you can manage, such as changing light bulbs to the fluorescent, long-lasting variety, or supporting green energy, or taking reusable shopping bags with you decreases the bad affect you are having on our environment. It will only start becoming a good affect when the net benefit is to improve the environment, not just lessen the damage.
- Install a solar panel, or wind turbine on your property. This is the best way to learn all about electricity, and the grid connection we have in Australia. You can even sell electricity back into the grid, so your house could be a mini-generator in your neighbourhood.
- But, stay optimistic, tell everyone, get passionate about our planet and our generations chance to give our children and their children a fighting chance.
