I came across this fantastic short film at Wake Up, Freak Out – Then Get a Grip.
It is an animated clip about climate change that describes tipping points, which I was trying to explain in my post about Brightest before the Dark. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the film, because it has a lot to say.
I hope the message came through loud and clear. We need to consume less. It is the unfortunate reality that many of us will just not be able to face.
Sorry for yesterday’s big dose of cynicism, and I promise I will up the mood today!
Why is it that every time I see another Hybrid car on the road, I smile and have this overwhelming urge to wave at the other driver? Maybe it is because I think the other Hybrid driver represents an individual who cares about their driving needs and behaves like I do. I associate the mere fact that this other car exists and that someone made a conscious decision to purchase it with a warm fuzzy feeling. This observation fills me with hope.
Sure, some of these cars are purchased by large companies as fleet vehicles to enhance their green credibility, however some may buy them because they actually care. But for an individual acting of their own accord and making the investment in a low emissions vehicle, this speaks volumes to me in the way of sound choice and hope for the future.
I also read that the city of Melbourne will be getting some Hybrid Buses to introduce into the public transport system which is a big step in the right direction. You can read about it here.
Also, I have observed when walking around the city at lunch time, that there are quite a few trams with signs all over them telling the general public that it is powered by 100% wind power. I expect that Yarra Trams, the consortium who operates the tram system on behalf of the state government, purchases certified GreenPower for the year that equates to the average daily electricity usage of that tram. Pretty cool, but I think this may end up sending a false message to the users of the public transport system. This is mainly because the rest of Melbourne’s public transport system runs on electricity generated by coal fired power plants in the Latrobe Valley. This needs to green up substantially. I bet if I questioned fellow passengers as to whether they thought the transport was non-polluting and good for the environment, I would get so many different answers but the majority would probably most would say yes. This is because they don’t actually see the emissions from the tram or train, because the emissions spewed out over 200km from the city. So until we clean up our act, we are stuck in this situation of a false reality.
Thankfully, the two cleanest ways of getting around that delight me are walking and cycling. I love to have an 45 minute walk at lunch time, mainly because it is probably the most exercise I get each day except when gardening on weekends. One certainly does not perform very many strenuous tasks as a knowledge worker in an office. I love to stroll through the city’s many gardens and observe the people around me. I smile often at people who are just enjoying their lunch time break with the simple joy of taking a walk to help prepare for the second half of their day.
I also smile every time a cyclist rides past me as I walk the 15 minutes to and from the car park each day. I have observed so many more people riding to work over the last few months, that it is genuinely encouraging to see this increasing trend. However, one thing I can’t figure out is why most cyclists consider it necessary to wear a dedicated set of very expensive cycling clothing to get from A to B. I remember when I was in my mid 20’s and visited the Netherlands, everyone there rode bikes and wore just their normal street cloths. Expensive cycling gear was only to be seen worn by athletes and Tour d’France riders. I know when I go for a ride some weekends, that I just wear decent footwear, normal clothes and a helmet. Nothing fancy, and until more people ride in normal clothing instead of driving the car for short trips, the elite, fancy dressed cyclists will rule the road. Just food for thought, that’s all.
How do you get around? Do you think it will make me smile?
“Gaia is shining brightest before the dark”. Now usually the saying is “It is always darkest before dawn”, but the modification works for me. He went on to explain that the planetary systems were presenting massive extreames of hot and cold across the globe and this was a sign of a system ready to collapse. Let me demonstrate by expanding upon this and showing some example from the press today.
We (humans) are currently the most populous mammal on the planet Earth, and we use more planetary resources than any other living creature. We generate the most pollution on land, sea and air. We are also destroying habitat for all other species (except maybe pigeons and cockroaches) and causing their mass extrinction. We are shining as a race and can live in the most inhospitable places on the planet. Hell, we even live in space and have visited the Moon a few times. No other species has achieved what we have, and by the sounds of James Lovelock’s latest book, no-one will again. He has already written off our ability to bring climate change under control and reverse the effect, and is predicting a mass extinction, not of other species, but of mankind. We are talking about billions of people in the next 90 years. He predicts that only about 500 million of us will survive by clinging to the near polar regions. So much for a story of hope, but then James has only ever been a realist and calls it how it is.
I am not saying that I subscribe to his way of thinking, because I believe there is always hope and that strong action, at least locally will help communities to survive. However, when I picked a few random articles from the newspaper today to try and counter argue James Lovelocks theory of mass extinction, and that we can make the necessary changes to present human behaviours for the betterment of Gaia, I couldn’t find any. This is why.
Subterranean bugs that break down coal could change mining
This story describes a discovery that ancient bacteria could be used to change coal deposits into methane for human use. I have a fear that if we unleash this technology, it could start a runaway process that would release climate killing amounts of methane into the atmosphere and push us past the point of no return. Just a thought.
This is not the climate for selfishness
Ed Miliband, British Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change talks about national sacrifice at the Copenhagen Climate talks in December. Why do I think this will not solve the climate crisis? The talk should have ended long ago. We knew about global warming in the 1950’s and have chosen to ignore the issue. Also, in all of human history, we have never, ever gained binding agreement and taken action against a comon threat this big. What makes us think we will succeed this time around, with all the vested interests opposing real climate action for the sake of short term profits.
Hall’s career over?
This has been massive news here in Victoria. A footballer who likes to have a fight on the field. Who cares! It reminds me of the bread and circuses the Emperor used to throw daily just before the downfall of the Roman Empire. Keep the punters distracted and they will never learn nor care about the truth. Same goes for this story, but in a modern setting.
Solar power faces early sunset in Australia
Support for the solar industry from the Federal government has been sending mixed messages to industry and the general public, with two early terminations of solar rebates, both replaced with a dud scheme funded by industry that will distort the next renewable energy target. Other countries are screaming ahead of the country with the most sunshine. One would think we would make clean energy our number one priority, especially that our climate is heating up and we eagerly rush out and buy another airconditioner to cool ourselves down with coal fired electricity. The ultimate irony if I ever saw it.
Gunns finds partner for controversial mill
Letting corporations like Gunns all over the world cut down our old growth forests just so that the human race can wipe their arses with soft toilet paper. This is the strongest evidence of why James Lovelock may be right! We are cutting off our noses to spite our faces.
I see the truth before us, do you? What do you think of his rationale?