Category: Archive
Archived material from historical editions of The Generator
admin /1 May, 2008
From Sharon Astyk
When climate change and peak oil thinkers run out of other things to worry about, there’s always the endless, inevitable debates about whether we are facing a “fast crash” or a “slow grind.” And I admit, I’m worried about my fellow environmentalists – because I think they are about to lose their favorite distraction. When no one was looking, we got an answer. Fast crash wins. And we’re in it now.
Wait a minute, you argue – that’s not right. If we were in a fast crash we’d be well on our way to living in a Kunstler novel. But we’ve still got cars, we’ve got food, things are slowing down, but at worst this looks like a slow grind – but the crazy lady at the blog is saying fast crash?!?!?
admin /20 April, 2008
Anna Rose, 2020 Delegate
It was touted as a forum where people would put aside their vested interests and think about the future of our country, not the future of their company. In Kevin Rudd’s opening speech he encouraged all Summiteers to be bold. He said, "there is no such thing as a bad idea". But the coal industry and their allies had decided otherwise: transitioning away from coal was, in their minds, a very bad idea.
The first surprise came when delegates were divided into streams within our broader portfolio and I found myself in the climate stream with representatives of coal mining companies including Xstrata and Shell, yet not a single person from an environment Non-Government Organisation. No-one from Friends of the Earth, the Australian Conservation Foundation, Greenpeace, Climate Action Network Australia or any of the State Conservation Councils. These are the organisations who have campaigned on climate change decades before Al Gore’s film and decades before it became a popular political issue. These are the organisations – the movement – who put climate on the agenda, and who did all the groundwork to make last year’s election the world’s first climate election. Yet once they put the issue on the table, surely they deserve a seat there? Why would the coal industry be represented but not the climate movement, in the ‘climate’ stream of 2020? This was remedied on the second day, by abolishing the issue-based streams and coming together as a large group – but the damage has been done.
admin /19 April, 2008
Based in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, the Citizens Climate Campaign has called on the Prime Minister to ban new coal fired power station. The campaign points out that each new station will emit carbon dioxide for fifty years and divert funds and research away from renewable solutions.
The urgency is driven by the NSW government’s apparent determination to build new coal fired power plants before the carbon trading regime comes in later this year, then sell them off to private enterprise.
The organisation provides a template letter to send to your local representative.
admin /19 April, 2008
Barbara Yaffe – Vancouver Sun In crafting policy around air travel, governments both here abroad are flying by the seat of their pants. The world is starting to be affected by the twin challenges of climate change and peak oil, but many involved in transportation planning are looking the other way. In fact, it’s easy Continue Reading →
admin /19 April, 2008
From Fiona Harvey and Jim Pickard of the Financial Times The Stern report on climate change underestimated the risks of global warming, its author said yesterday, and should have presented a gloomier view of the future. "We underestimated the risks . . . we underestimated the damage associated with temperature increases . . . and Continue Reading →
admin /19 April, 2008
by Stephen Lacey, Staff Writer – RenewableEnergyWorld.com Over the last 50 years urban populations have exploded, causing a slew of environmental and social problems. However, many community planners see the world’s urbanization not as a threat, but as a powerful force for addressing climate change and building a sustainable future. "Cities offer the most potential Continue Reading →
