Nature and Society
June-July 2008 edition

Editorial

Anyone who attended the Australian Academy of Science’s annual symposium in May would probably answer Yes to the question posed in its title ‘Dangerous climate change: is it inevitable?’. The dramatic reduction in Arctic sea ice shown in one presentation graphically confirmed that dangerous change is well under way. Another pointed out that coral reefs, including the Great Barrier Reef, will die in the near future from the twin perils of global warming and ocean acidification. This will affect millions of people, from those who rely on tourism for their livelihood to those who rely on the reefs for their daily food.

Considering these sobering presentations it is shocking to realise that the heads of the fossil fuel industries are pressing the Australian government to try to ensure that their industries are not damaged by any measures taken to reduce the country’s emissions. Their actions are reminiscent of the actions of tobacco companies that denied that their products kill people and that are still peddling their dangerous products, without any apparent qualms of conscience.

While many people may not be interested in the welfare of people other than their own kin, or their own group, many other people are concerned about the plight of others, as is shown by the reaction to natural disasters. How strange, then, that so many people consider that their own present prosperity is more important than the welfare, or even the survival, of their own children or grandchildren.

Some commentators think that this strange conjunction is the result of a failure of imagination. Those who refuse to recognise the need for change simply cannot imagine that the world they know will not go on and on. They can neither envisage another form of society nor can they envisage the collapse of the earth’s life support systems.

On the other hand maybe their imaginations are too vivid. They imagine that the world with all its natural systems is like a magic pudding, a kind of cut and come again bonanza that thrives on being consumed. Or their imagination is so unbounded that they think human ingenuity can overcome every obstacle, even those presented by a finite planet and the laws of physics.

The continuing rise in oil prices has exposed the woeful lack of understanding of the real world shared by both the Federal government and the opposition. From their statements and proposed actions they seem to be living in some sort of Wonderland. Either that, or more cynically, they do not want to alarm the citizenry by admitting the truth – we are running out of oil and life as we know it now is bound to suffer radical readjustment. There is no sign of a sensible plan for enabling society to function into the future.

How do you engage such people with the reality of earth system change? How can you persuade them that it is possible to organise society and the economy differently, in ways that satisfy human needs without damaging earth’s life support systems?

When plain facts allied with vivid pictures of what is happening fail to move them, would they be scared into action by possible scenarios of a desolate earth, as shown by geologist Peter Ward’s descriptions in Under a Green Sky? Would they be moved by Jeremy Leggett’s fable of the blue pearl in Half Gone? Would they be attracted by stories of the way changes in lifestyles can actually improve human well-being? Would they be impressed by the stories of many successful businesses, such as Interface Carpets, that have found that they prosper as they reduce their environmental footprint?

Of course companies whose business depends entirely on mining or burning fossil fuels will not benefit under carbon trading if they stick to those fuels, but they would profit if they started moving into alternatives. They, and the whole of society, would benefit by promoting a distributive power system in which other energy sources supply local power and also feed into the grid. This could help local communities, while it reduced the likelihood of major power system failure when something goes wrong in one part of the centralised grid, an experience that has occurred in North America and China, and is possible anywhere.

Horrifying visions of the future could come true if society as a whole continues with business as usual, with growth as its mantra. Fortunately there are other ways forward, but they will need a much firmer commitment to the future than anything any government has yet endorsed, underpinned by a much greater understanding of the biological realities involved in the survival of a living world.

Improved understanding of the risks we face is not helped by turf wars such as whether global warming or increasing carbon dioxide concentrations come first. Few things on this earth have a single cause and most are part of feedback loops. There is no doubt that increasing greenhouse gases cause more global warming. There is no doubt either that higher temperatures cause rises in carbon dioxide and methane concentrations, as the gas is released from sinks such as permafrost, soils and the ocean. Arguing which is the primary problem allows governments and business to do nothing ‘because the jury is still out’.

Let us face the fact that business as usual in industry, the energy sector, transport, farming, land clearing and logging of old forests are all harmful - as too, let us not forget, is business as usual in our homes and at work, where we demand the services and products of government and industry. The important thing is that there are better options that need to be implemented and implemented soon. The question is how do we get government and industry to realise that and act now? How do we get them to realise that the earth is not a magic pudding, but the home of intricate and wonderful natural systems that are essential to the future existence and well-being of all life on earth, including humans. If they have any interest in their own children, let alone future generations, they need to stop arguing and start acting as responsible global citizens now.

Jenny Wanless