Home Object Activities Contact Who's who How to join NSF How to support NSF What's on Nature and Society Editorial For years the Australian Government has said we must not do anything to rock the boat of the economy. In particular they have said that if we did anything to cut emissions of greenhouse gases it would damage our national interest (the economy). However, as many observers have noted, quite a large shift in public opinion has occurred recently – another ‘tipping point’ somewhat comparable to the ones that occur in climate change itself. Now that it is obvious that the electorate is seriously worried by the problem of critical changes in climate, the Government has taken notice. They feel forced to act, but action without understanding is not going to lead to satisfactory results. What don’t they understand? For starters, they do not understand that the economy does not stand alone. It is totally dependent on the world remaining habitable, with all its life support systems in place: clean air, clean water, fertile soils, a climate that supports a great diversity of life on land and in the ocean, a diversity which includes but is not restricted to the plants and animals we need as food. In other words the economy is just a small part of the bigger picture; the economy will collapse without a healthy environment. Furthermore the environment is stressed, past breaking point in places, by the demands being made on it. We are pushing the limits by our demands for growth. The planet is finite; therefore our demands must be finite. Continuing growth in population, in consumption and in generation of waste (including gases and radiation) will end in turning Earth into a wasteland, inhabited by scavengers. Life would continue and evolve into new forms, without the species that have been suited to the world that nurtured the human species. Not understanding the interconnectedness of life and its environment, and not understanding that we must accept limits, means that governments seek ways to keep increasing our demands on the Earth. This leads to ‘solutions’ such as nuclear energy, geosequestration technology, and biofuels such as ethanol, none of which is actually a solution. A common position until now has tended to be that it will cost too much to do anything about climate change. It is thought that it will harm the economy, cost jobs, damage some industries and impose large burdens on others. Some of this is true: much of it is not. Some businessmen have recognised that the cost of not acting is far higher; they have also recognised that acting now can give their company an advantage. Interface Carpets, for instance, has gone from strength to strength since it started on the path of recycling, reducing waste and emissions and moving from traditional practices to an unheard of level of environmental responsibility. There are others who are managing the same transformation and finding that they actually increase their profits. Of course there are particular trades and employment groups that need to change, but they are not alone. Many farmers have been forced off the land by lack of water, increasing salinity, climate change or market forces. New technologies often succeed old trades. Rather than asking what it will cost to change, it is better to ask what it will cost not to change. The answer is more than anyone should want to pay – the end of a habitable world. Anyway, it is important to recognise that as one industry or way of life ends, other opportunities open up. It is surprising that our Government has not recognised the great opportunities that technologies combating climate change offer Australia, opportunities that are being lost as time passes. Scientists in Australia have developed excellent solar thermal and photovoltaic technology, amongst others, that would enable Australia to have a world class industry and sell these technologies on the world market. All too often these technologies move off shore and will be developed overseas, because of the lack of government support. We will have to buy the products back. Alternative energy systems and energy efficiency are new industries that will benefit any country that takes them up. They will offer new jobs, greater local self-sufficiency and community strength, and security in the event of climate disasters or terrorist acts. Workers displaced from industries that suffer from the change over to sustainability will need retraining, but even this can be an opportunity. There is a constant cry of ‘skills shortage’. Given sufficient motivation and training people who lose their jobs can move into the alternative energy systems, which will provide lots of jobs. There forebears, after all, crossed the globe for a better life. We could even have an all out effort to provide our own childcare and aged care workers, health care professionals, teachers, engineers and others, instead of poaching from African and Asian countries, which desperately need their own skilled workers. It is a lack of knowledge and understanding of the physical and biological constraints of the planet that has got us into the current mess. This lack of understanding enables politicians and others to think that growth must continue, that a balance should be struck between the needs of the environment and the needs of the economy. They do not understand what being sustainable means. If something is not sustainable, it will collapse. That is it. Finish. Kaput. No economy, no healthy people, maybe no people. Jenny Wanless April - May 2007 edition accessible here Back to top ________________________________________________________________
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