John Howard visited Brisbane in Queensland (Australia) and demonstrated what a dinosaur he really is. He has no touch with reality. Economics is what is most important he has said many times in relation to Environmental matters. It is true that there is more to running a country than dealing with Climate Change, though it has to be accepted as a top priority and I don't believe Howard understands this. Some Environmentalists are argueing for a 90% reduction in GHG. The level of effort required for that would be significant and so our governments must not underestimate the task.
In the linked to article John Howard also singles out the USA and China as towering over us in terms of greenhouse gas emmisions. It reminds me of the poster of people sitting in a sinking rowboat. One end is high in the sky, the other is filling with water and being frantically bailed by the occupants at that end. The high and dry guy says "Not my problem". I'm trying to find that on the net somewhere now.
The fullpost below also contains a recent email conversation I had with some family members regarding our conservative Federal Liberal Government.
April 23, 2007
From Courier Mail
PRIME Minister John Howard today rejected Labor leader Kevin Rudd's claim that climate change was the overwhelming moral challenge facing Australians.
Mr Howard said Australia was a minor emitter of greenhouse gases and could not influence the global climate by acting alone.
The Prime Minister said he rejected the Labor Party's zealotry about the issue.
``Do we need to lower carbon emissions over time? Of course we do,'' he told the Queensland Media Club in Brisbane. ``But to say that climate change is the overwhelming moral challenge for this generation of Australians is misguided at best and misleading at worst.
``It de-legitimises other challenges over which we do have significant and immediate control.''
Mr Howard said such an approach also obscured the need for balanced government decision-making and fed ideological demands with kneejerk policy reactions.
Climate change was a serious policy challenge and a major priority of his government, he said.
``At the same time we know that independent action by Australia will not materially affect our climate,'' he said. ``Australia emits fewer greenhouse gases in a year than the United States and China emit in a month.''
Read the article.
It all started from a Greenpeace game of guess how many times the Federal Treasurer will say Climate Change in the coming Federal Budget
From: "Greenpeace Australia Pacific"
Date: 20 April 2007 13:49:24 GMT+10:00
To:
Subject: Take a punt on Peter Costello
In the past 11 Federal Budgets, Treasurer Peter Costello hasnt even
mentioned the words climate change. Not once. And this year may be his
last chance.
Tell us how many times Costello will say climate change in his Budget
speech. If youre right, you go into the draw for a great solar backpack.
Vote Here: https://secure.greenpeace.org.au/budget2007/index1.html
Climate Change and the 2007 Budget
We have all been hearing plenty of talk about climate change lately and
the Government is starting to feel the heat after ignoring the issue for
so long.
The 2007 Federal Budget will be released on 8 May and this is a big
opportunity to take real action. Its where the Government actually puts
our money where their mouth is.
Climate change is Australias greatest threat. But every year, the
governments Budget actually helps fuel climate change by handing out over
a billion dollars of taxpayers money to the coal and fossil fuel industry.
Its hard to believe that our taxes are given to Australias richest
companies for them to pollute our future with greenhouse gas emissions.
Meanwhile, the solutions to global warming - Australias renewable energy
industries are overlooked every year.
Peter Costellos 2007 Budget speech on 8 May will show if the government
is serious about solutions to global warming. Take a punt on Peter now:
https://secure.greenpeace.org.au/budget2007/index1.html
If Costello wants to be PM, this could be his last chance. With an
election around the corner, his Budget needs to deliver what the voters
want a Big Switch that puts an end to fuelling climate change and
initiates renewable energy solutions.
Maybe Costello has been saving his best Budget for last.
How many times will he say climate change? Take a punt on Peter and
watch how he reacts:
https://secure.greenpeace.org.au/budget2007/index1.html
If you have trouble with any links in this email, you can take a punt on
Peter at the Greenpeace Australia Pacific website:
http://www.greenpeace.org/australia/
I’d rather Costello spending sensibly on climate change than Rudd wasting it on unnecessarily rolling back an excellent track record of economic management and workplace reform.
Pity many voters don’t know what it is like to pay 17 percent on their home loan interest rate, under Rudd they will soon learn. Lets not forget the tragedy of labor administration and poor economic management.
Thanks for letting us know how you vote ML.
This is the problem as I see it. It's not all about the economy. Or economic management.
And though I am not holding my breath I'd like to see any government with a focus on quality of life, which might happily mean less pay, less work hours, higher tax and a concentration on government spending where it will have long term benefits for future populations (ie. infrastructure, health education, hospitals, universities....).
So call me a leftie greenie intelligentsia, small l- liberal soft socialist dreamer and I'll thank you for the compliment !!!
Let me reiterate I know I'm dreaming, so you and those who vote with you are as safe as your (and my) mortgage !
I don't reckon Costello will mention climate change. He might say 'water crisis' or 'drought' or something else that implies the situation is temporary.
LD
Thanks LD. Always happy to share the way I vote, I am a loud proud blue ribbon capitalist liberal.
The irony is never lost on me...Brooke working for this big quasi military company making squillions and ruining our earth, you running your own business, your family mostly farmers and me, the hard nosed capitalist working for the charity sector trying to make ends meet for the betterment of a sub-culture not ordinarily associated with capitalism, with an organisation that recycles, reuses and reduces everything it uses!!
You gotta love it!
:)
ML
Gidday ML, LD and all,
Wow, I love a healthy discussion. BAL are big, and a small part of their business is involved in the military. It's unfortunate but true. The position of the military in our world has only been made more intense by Bush and the Coalition of the willing creating and supporting an unjust war. Prior to this, and when I joined BAL, the military was being used mainly for peaceful purposes (think Kosovo). Most of their business was in commercial aircraft.
You know my focus is not on Labor or any particular politics, except Green politics. Green politics includes social and environmental aspects, both of which the coalition government have such a poor record in. It's great that they have improved the economy, but at the cost of everything else. We are facing an enormous crisis at the moment, and it is the climate change deniers (John Howard was one until just before the Walk Against Warming held last November) that have been dragging this out for so long. Professor Ian Lowe (President of the ACF) co-wrote a papers in late the late 80's saying CO2 was increasing in the atmosphere and that it is causing climate change. Why has it taken so long to get momentum enough to have the world start to realise it needs to change - because deniers wouldn't take it seriously. The economy was king. Now Howard and similar parties are sproating tripe about fixing up the Environment would cost the economy (See Malcolm Turnbull on Lateline 29/3/2007 - http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2007/s1885183.htm). That has been proved to be so wrong (see the Stern Report - http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/independent_reviews/stern_review_economics_climate_change/stern_review_report.cfm, http://environment.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,1935211,00.html, http://mustelid.blogspot.com/2006/02/stern-report.html). So why would they continue to claim this? Because they are dinosaurs, they just don't get it. How can you have a growing economy when so much money will have to go into repairing our environment? Did you know that when the Kyoto Agreement was drawn up in 1995 that the level of CO2 reductions we had to meet was 12% on 1990 levels? And that today the level of reductions we have to meet are now atleast 60% (if not more with some like Monbiot saying 90% is the real target). The deniers dragging their feet have caused the bad economy we are about to see. You cannot convince me otherwise.
On the subject of people telling us ages ago that things have to change is the topic of Trees - Old Growth Forests, rainforests, remnant bushland and other forests. We have to stop tearing these down, we were told. But economy is king and we kept our destructive behaviours up. Its jobs after all, and we need to fuel the worlds appetite for paper and timber. How correct those 'greenies' / 'hippies' / 'environmentalists' were. We know that today. We know what an important position existing stands of trees play in a world loaded with too much carbon pollution. Yet our stupid economy-is-king based society STILL continues the crazy behaviour.
At BAL I am the chairman of the Environment Committee and have been in the group since it started back in 2003. We have implemented a number of initiatives including full recycling throughout, the removal of foam mugs (encouraging the use of normal mugs), water use reduction, educational sessions and external activities such as tree planting and clean up australia day. I don't know how much has been a result of our efforts, but Boeing Australia is employing an Environment Manager who will ensure that it reduces its environmental footprint (the B Company I believe is going this way also). We have a measure of 25% reduction in Greenhouse gas emisions year after year. The committee will discuss how we are going to achieve this. With BAL being a big consumer of resources, i think it is fantastic to work there and help make the changes. 2000 people or so work in Boeing Australia, and the changes we make will have a direct influence on how everybody there views the world. I am quite proud to be a part of this. BAL also pays me quite well and this gives me time to do volunteer work at Friends of the Earth and to lead Climate Action Brisbane who have organised the Brisbane Walks Against Warming in past years and will continue to do this plus persue other educational and action-based plans.
In conclusion, the economy-as-king attitude has helped ruin this planet. It is time for alternate environmentally-focused parties to lead us out of this mess and into better times. Does this mean our lives need to change? Once upon a time, not much though a bit more effort is required now. If we leave it any longer then it will mean more drastic changes will need to be made. You choose.
Regards,
Brooke
From Courier Mail
PRIME Minister John Howard today rejected Labor leader Kevin Rudd's claim that climate change was the overwhelming moral challenge facing Australians.
Mr Howard said Australia was a minor emitter of greenhouse gases and could not influence the global climate by acting alone.
The Prime Minister said he rejected the Labor Party's zealotry about the issue.
``Do we need to lower carbon emissions over time? Of course we do,'' he told the Queensland Media Club in Brisbane. ``But to say that climate change is the overwhelming moral challenge for this generation of Australians is misguided at best and misleading at worst.
``It de-legitimises other challenges over which we do have significant and immediate control.''
Mr Howard said such an approach also obscured the need for balanced government decision-making and fed ideological demands with kneejerk policy reactions.
Climate change was a serious policy challenge and a major priority of his government, he said.
``At the same time we know that independent action by Australia will not materially affect our climate,'' he said. ``Australia emits fewer greenhouse gases in a year than the United States and China emit in a month.''
Read the article.
Family email conversation
Greenpeace email
It all started from a Greenpeace game of guess how many times the Federal Treasurer will say Climate Change in the coming Federal Budget
From: "Greenpeace Australia Pacific"
Date: 20 April 2007 13:49:24 GMT+10:00
To:
Subject: Take a punt on Peter Costello
In the past 11 Federal Budgets, Treasurer Peter Costello hasnt even
mentioned the words climate change. Not once. And this year may be his
last chance.
Tell us how many times Costello will say climate change in his Budget
speech. If youre right, you go into the draw for a great solar backpack.
Vote Here: https://secure.greenpeace.org.au/budget2007/index1.html
Climate Change and the 2007 Budget
We have all been hearing plenty of talk about climate change lately and
the Government is starting to feel the heat after ignoring the issue for
so long.
The 2007 Federal Budget will be released on 8 May and this is a big
opportunity to take real action. Its where the Government actually puts
our money where their mouth is.
Climate change is Australias greatest threat. But every year, the
governments Budget actually helps fuel climate change by handing out over
a billion dollars of taxpayers money to the coal and fossil fuel industry.
Its hard to believe that our taxes are given to Australias richest
companies for them to pollute our future with greenhouse gas emissions.
Meanwhile, the solutions to global warming - Australias renewable energy
industries are overlooked every year.
Peter Costellos 2007 Budget speech on 8 May will show if the government
is serious about solutions to global warming. Take a punt on Peter now:
https://secure.greenpeace.org.au/budget2007/index1.html
If Costello wants to be PM, this could be his last chance. With an
election around the corner, his Budget needs to deliver what the voters
want a Big Switch that puts an end to fuelling climate change and
initiates renewable energy solutions.
Maybe Costello has been saving his best Budget for last.
How many times will he say climate change? Take a punt on Peter and
watch how he reacts:
https://secure.greenpeace.org.au/budget2007/index1.html
If you have trouble with any links in this email, you can take a punt on
Peter at the Greenpeace Australia Pacific website:
http://www.greenpeace.org/australia/
ML's email
I’d rather Costello spending sensibly on climate change than Rudd wasting it on unnecessarily rolling back an excellent track record of economic management and workplace reform.
Pity many voters don’t know what it is like to pay 17 percent on their home loan interest rate, under Rudd they will soon learn. Lets not forget the tragedy of labor administration and poor economic management.
LD's email
Thanks for letting us know how you vote ML.
This is the problem as I see it. It's not all about the economy. Or economic management.
And though I am not holding my breath I'd like to see any government with a focus on quality of life, which might happily mean less pay, less work hours, higher tax and a concentration on government spending where it will have long term benefits for future populations (ie. infrastructure, health education, hospitals, universities....).
So call me a leftie greenie intelligentsia, small l- liberal soft socialist dreamer and I'll thank you for the compliment !!!
Let me reiterate I know I'm dreaming, so you and those who vote with you are as safe as your (and my) mortgage !
I don't reckon Costello will mention climate change. He might say 'water crisis' or 'drought' or something else that implies the situation is temporary.
LD
ML's email
Thanks LD. Always happy to share the way I vote, I am a loud proud blue ribbon capitalist liberal.
The irony is never lost on me...Brooke working for this big quasi military company making squillions and ruining our earth, you running your own business, your family mostly farmers and me, the hard nosed capitalist working for the charity sector trying to make ends meet for the betterment of a sub-culture not ordinarily associated with capitalism, with an organisation that recycles, reuses and reduces everything it uses!!
You gotta love it!
:)
ML
Brooke's email
Gidday ML, LD and all,
Wow, I love a healthy discussion. BAL are big, and a small part of their business is involved in the military. It's unfortunate but true. The position of the military in our world has only been made more intense by Bush and the Coalition of the willing creating and supporting an unjust war. Prior to this, and when I joined BAL, the military was being used mainly for peaceful purposes (think Kosovo). Most of their business was in commercial aircraft.
You know my focus is not on Labor or any particular politics, except Green politics. Green politics includes social and environmental aspects, both of which the coalition government have such a poor record in. It's great that they have improved the economy, but at the cost of everything else. We are facing an enormous crisis at the moment, and it is the climate change deniers (John Howard was one until just before the Walk Against Warming held last November) that have been dragging this out for so long. Professor Ian Lowe (President of the ACF) co-wrote a papers in late the late 80's saying CO2 was increasing in the atmosphere and that it is causing climate change. Why has it taken so long to get momentum enough to have the world start to realise it needs to change - because deniers wouldn't take it seriously. The economy was king. Now Howard and similar parties are sproating tripe about fixing up the Environment would cost the economy (See Malcolm Turnbull on Lateline 29/3/2007 - http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2007/s1885183.htm). That has been proved to be so wrong (see the Stern Report - http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/independent_reviews/stern_review_economics_climate_change/stern_review_report.cfm, http://environment.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,1935211,00.html, http://mustelid.blogspot.com/2006/02/stern-report.html). So why would they continue to claim this? Because they are dinosaurs, they just don't get it. How can you have a growing economy when so much money will have to go into repairing our environment? Did you know that when the Kyoto Agreement was drawn up in 1995 that the level of CO2 reductions we had to meet was 12% on 1990 levels? And that today the level of reductions we have to meet are now atleast 60% (if not more with some like Monbiot saying 90% is the real target). The deniers dragging their feet have caused the bad economy we are about to see. You cannot convince me otherwise.
On the subject of people telling us ages ago that things have to change is the topic of Trees - Old Growth Forests, rainforests, remnant bushland and other forests. We have to stop tearing these down, we were told. But economy is king and we kept our destructive behaviours up. Its jobs after all, and we need to fuel the worlds appetite for paper and timber. How correct those 'greenies' / 'hippies' / 'environmentalists' were. We know that today. We know what an important position existing stands of trees play in a world loaded with too much carbon pollution. Yet our stupid economy-is-king based society STILL continues the crazy behaviour.
At BAL I am the chairman of the Environment Committee and have been in the group since it started back in 2003. We have implemented a number of initiatives including full recycling throughout, the removal of foam mugs (encouraging the use of normal mugs), water use reduction, educational sessions and external activities such as tree planting and clean up australia day. I don't know how much has been a result of our efforts, but Boeing Australia is employing an Environment Manager who will ensure that it reduces its environmental footprint (the B Company I believe is going this way also). We have a measure of 25% reduction in Greenhouse gas emisions year after year. The committee will discuss how we are going to achieve this. With BAL being a big consumer of resources, i think it is fantastic to work there and help make the changes. 2000 people or so work in Boeing Australia, and the changes we make will have a direct influence on how everybody there views the world. I am quite proud to be a part of this. BAL also pays me quite well and this gives me time to do volunteer work at Friends of the Earth and to lead Climate Action Brisbane who have organised the Brisbane Walks Against Warming in past years and will continue to do this plus persue other educational and action-based plans.
In conclusion, the economy-as-king attitude has helped ruin this planet. It is time for alternate environmentally-focused parties to lead us out of this mess and into better times. Does this mean our lives need to change? Once upon a time, not much though a bit more effort is required now. If we leave it any longer then it will mean more drastic changes will need to be made. You choose.
Regards,
Brooke
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment