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An Afternoon With Al Gore

July 30, 2015 @ 22:54 By Gavin Webber 3 Comments

Sunday just past, I had the pleasure of being invited to an under-the-radar shindig hosted by the Climate Reality Project.  It was an amazing opportunity to be present.

The highlight, besides catching up with other Climate Reality Leaders, was that Al Gore presented for just over an hour to the 150 gathered invitees.

An Afternoon with Al Gore

Mr Al Gore presenting

Now besides being the inspiration for my green epiphany via his documentary An Inconvenient Truth, the man is a fantastic orator and motivator.  He gave us a message of hope regarding action on climate change.

The last time I had the opportunity to see him was at the Climate Reality Leadership training that I attended in June 2014.  His message has changed little since then.

It is one of hope and action against climate change of a global nature that will help us overcome this time of climate crisis.  The climate science only gets stronger year after year.

Anyway, he spent the hour telling us that change is happening for the better as individuals, businesses, and governments begin to kick lowering their greenhouse gas emissions into high gear.

Lets just say that the Afternoon with Al Gore relit the fire in my belly and gave me renewed hope that we will solve this crisis before it becomes too late.

I did manage to record the audio of the session so that I could bring you a special podcast episode, however I am still waiting permission to release it.

However, I will share this amazing quote with you that Mr Gore spoke of.  It was a quote by Rudiger Dornbusch, and economist, who said,

Things take longer to happen than you think they will, and then they happen faster than you thought they could.

Mr Gore continued to say that he believes we are now in the momentum phase of action on climate change the began with the historic agreement between China and the United States which will lead to an agreement at Paris and subsequent continued actions afterwards.  Time will tell, but I do believe he is right.

Examples he gave that momentum is building is with the use of solar, wind, and battery storage, energy efficiency, sustainability, agriculture, in every part of our lives.  It is going to happen.  We can see it happening.

Just think of this.  1 in 7 Australian homes now have rooftop solar, and in some suburbs 1 in 2 have it installed.  Thinking back to when I first got my PV system installed in September 2007, I never thought I would see the day that it was so prevalent in our town.  But as history shows, it is now the homes that don’t have solar PV that now stick out and are becoming the minority.

It is people like you and me that are moving the needle with our daily actions by demanding that products we purchase are green, and the energy we consume is renewable, and the food we eat is organically grown or grown in our very own backyards.

People like you and me are making a big difference.  Lets keep the momentum going, each and every day by living a little more sustainably and taking action with every dollar we spend on the good, and avoid spending it on the bad like our planet depended on it.

In fact our global civilisation does depend upon it!  Keep going.  Don’t stop now, as the momentum of change is happening.

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Filed Under: Al Gore, An Inconvenient Truth, climate change, Climate Reality

Crisis? What Crisis?

May 21, 2015 @ 22:26 By Gavin Webber 7 Comments

head in the sandWhen I talk to some people about the seriousness of climate change, they tend to not take me too seriously, and I think it is mainly for these two reasons:

  1. If what you say is true, why isn’t the government doing a lot more?, and,
  2. If what you say is true, why aren’t there people protesting in the streets?

That’s because there’s no sense of urgency.  In the national newspapers you can read about the West Antarctic Ice Sheet breaking up and raising sea levels by 1 metre, right next to a story about the Prime Ministers Business Adviser Maurice Newman saying that Climate Change is a hoax perpetuated by the United Nations.  One is true, and the other a quack, but if you didn’t know better you would give the dire climate change story less weight.

Therefore, one very good reason for taking drastic public measures in the form of activism, street marches, protests, walk against warming etc.  in addition to just changing your life as best you can, is quite simply to create a sense of urgency in the general population.

Because right now, that sense of urgency is not there at all.  Mind you, that may change pretty soon if water gets scarce and food supplies dwindle and more beach-side properties begin to slip underwater.

The mechanism that counteracts the creation of a sense of urgency by the usual means (i.e. by articles about droughts, heat-waves, melting ice shelves etc. in the newspaper, posts in environmental blogs similar to mine, and warnings by climate scientists) is this;

A while ago, I was working at in an office tower,  when there was an audible alarm.  It sounded like it might be something serious, but I didn’t know for sure. So I looked around to see how other people reacted.

Since nobody seemed overly worried, I concluded that it was probably not a signal to leave the building, and so I continued working instead of running down the fire stairs.  Sure enough, it turned out to have been some technical glitch with the alarm system.

You see, the same happens in the larger context. When ordinary people read truly alarming stuff in the newspaper, hear it on the radio, or see it on TV, they will check around them to see how everybody else is reacting. If others don’t seem to be overly worried, they’ll shrug, decide that the alarming report was probably exaggerated, and continue about their daily business.

The only problem is in the case of climate change, we know it’s not a technical glitch, and it’s not an exaggeration, either.

They really should be worried.  By not being worried right now, could turn out to be devastating for the human race. 

And all this talk about saving the planet is rubbish.  We need to save ourselves from ourselves.  The planet will get along just fine without us, albeit in a slightly altered state and probably a lot better off, but with a lot less species inhabiting it.

It is this reason, in my humble opinion, why we need to start behaving like people who really do believe they are living in the time of the greatest emergency mankind has ever faced.

We need visible and real action because only visible and real action communicates to people who there is an emergency going on, and they should pitch in and help.

If more people also begin to notice the emergency, then my work is not for naught.  Ordinary people will begin to act in a positive way to help avert the climate crisis by voluntarily lowering their carbon footprints, or alternatively, the government of the time acting on policy and legislating large cuts in emissions and change the way we use fossil fuels.

Crisis over, and the emergency mostly goes away, except for the global warming that is already locked in.

I believe that at this point in time it will be the only way we will be able to save ourselves, unless a global leader takes the reins and leads us down the right path to avert the climate emergency.  There are signs of hope in the direction of the US and China of late, and some hope for meaningful emissions cuts at Paris at COP21.  But unfortunately no such meaningful action in Australia.

Aussie coat of arms

Source: David Pope 2014.

In this country, environmental leadership is a rare commodity indeed.  Don’t hold your breath waiting for it to happen any time soon.  Look what they’ve done in reducing the Renewable Energy Target in the last few weeks.  Bloody ludicrous and the opposite direction we should be moving.

It will be up to people like you and me to step up to the crease and bat winning score!  The great thing is that lots of ordinary Aussies are installing their own renewable energy systems in the form of Solar PV on their homes.

We just need better incentives to keep the momentum going.  Taking away government subsidies from the fossil fuel industry would be a fantastic start, as would placing a price on carbon emissions.

Oh, that’s right, we had one of those that was actually working.

Some clown took it away.  I wonder who that could be?

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Filed Under: activism, climate change, Climate Reality

Is Climate Change Inaction Like the Sinking of the Titanic?

May 7, 2015 @ 23:46 By Gavin Webber 10 Comments

Who feels like we are all on the RMS Titanic, sailing full steam ahead, not knowing that the iceberg was about to appear on the horizon?  I do for one and increasingly so now.  I wrote a version of this article way back in 2009, and have rewritten it for current day events.  Not much has changed in those six years.

As were the passengers and crew of this mighty vessel were unaware of the fate on its maiden voyage, so are most of the 7 billion passengers also unaware of the fate that awaits the Mothership Earth.

Now this post is not meant to offend the memories of the Titanic tragedy, but written to offer a simple comparison against the events of that voyage, and the plight of our current civilisation and vessel that holds and nurtures us—our home Mothership Earth.  It is a call to action to awaken those passengers still in a deep slumber.

RMS Titanic

I have written this article because there is a strong connection to the RMS Titanic story within our family.  You see, my wife Kim’s Great Grandfather, William James Major, was a fireman on-board this ship.

Had he been at his post and in one of the boiler rooms fulfilling his duty, his chances of survival would have been slim indeed.  Thankfully, he was off duty, and was one of the crewmen allocated to lifeboat #13, and out of the 2,227 passengers and crew members who set sail, only 705 Titanic passengers and crew survived, him being one of them.  That is a 31.6% survival rate.

There were many factors that lead to the sinking of the Titanic on her maiden voyage, and I shall attempt to compare some of these events to the apparent chosen path of the passengers of Mothership Earth, if we to continue to maintain our current course and speed.

The Titanic was deemed by many to be ‘unsinkable’ which instilled a false sense of security amongst the passengers and crew.  The captain,  Edward Smith was a capable seaman and this was planned to be his retirement voyage.  Also on-board were Bruce Ismay, Chairman of the White Star Line.  Mr Ismay had a point to prove, and wanted to be the first trans-atlantic liner to set a new record crossing time.

The bridge crew and the helmsmen were never really in control of this behemoth of a vessel, but mere puppets as you shall read later.  So it was inevitable that the order from Mr Ismay to the Captain upon setting sail from Cherbourg, was to increase power, and therefore speed, for the entire voyage.

With the course set in, and power and speed increased, with no regard of the safety of the vessel.

So, image the bridge crew as Our Australian Government and their buddies as vested interest (i.e. Fossil Fool industry) around the world, and liken them to the Captain, Mr Ismay, the powerful owner of the White Star line, Mr Ismay’s father, as the greedy corporations of our current time.  We, my friends, are the passengers and crew of this mighty Mothership Earth.  Increased power for the corporations, and relaxation and comfort for all those passengers who choose to sail on her.  We have everything we would ever need even if we don’t know we actually need it yet.  The peak of luxury in our age.

But unknown to the passengers of the Titanic, some of the lifeboats had been removed to make way for a gymnasium for first class passengers.  This left the ship without a full capability of lifeboats should the unthinkable happen to the unsinkable!  I compare this to our current fossil fuel situation.  Our conventional oil and natural gas supplies have peaked soon, and the climate crisis is going from bad to worse. Many on Mothership Earth will start to miss out on a seat in the lifeboat, and panic will prevail, just as it did on the Titanic.

Many ice warnings were sent to the ship during the voyage, in fact 21 warnings including 7 on the day of the tragedy.  As ordered the Titanic steamed onward at top speed towards the reported pack ice that was drifting down from Greenland.  The two radiomen on-board passed the warnings to the bridge officers throughout the day, and these in turn were passed on to Captain Smith who ignored them, due to the insistence of Mr Ismay.

The radiomen were mostly kept busy during the day sending stock market messages from the wealthy on-board and receiving quotes back from the NYSE.  Even when the radiomen received a signal at 11pm from the steamship Californian, who was 10 miles to the Northwest, to inform the Titanic that she had stopped for the night by ice blocking her way.  One of the radiomen on the ill-fated ship sent back a snappy reply, “Shut up old man I’m busy.”

So to compare the two comparisons, the science community have given us all, including our government, many warnings about climate change and so far have done little to prevent its occurrence.  The media, corporations and economists are infatuated by continued economic growth to the detriment of the resources supplied on loan to us by Mothership Earth.

We are ignoring our own form of ice warnings including melting global ice caps and the world’s glaciers.  Quite an ironic comparison really.  It was an iceberg that sank the Titanic and it will be melting ice and warmer oceans that sink and disrupts the climactic patterns of the Mothership Earth!  We are all so busy trying to get to where we think we should be, we are forgetting about the vessel that carries us on our daily voyage.

As the Titanic sailed through the night, the wealthy upper class dined in opulence before retiring for the night, and the steerage class passed time, reassured by the noise of the engines and flow of seawater upon the steel hull.  A new country and life awaited many of them, all hoping for better opportunities.  Little were any of them aware that the ship was not really unsinkable and there was a design flaw in the watertight compartments.  If a certain number of the watertight compartments flooded, there was a good chance that the ship would sink.

What does that mean in our current time period?  We drive our cars, thinking that petroleum products will be available at the service station, that there will be food in the supermarket shelves, and water will run when we turn on the tap.  We live in a disposable culture, only recently discovering the value of recycling in the western world.

Opulence in the west and dreams of a western way of life in developing nations reminds me of the different classes on-board the ship.

The Mothership Earth also has a design flaw of sorts.  A limited carrying capacity and not enough lifeboats!  We have overshot the planet’s carrying capacity due to the abundance of cheap oil to grow massive amounts of food, and are now confronted by limited natural resources.  Both issues are similar to the capacity of the ship and the limited lifeboat capacity of the Titanic on that dreadful night, with climate change being the icy waters that surround them.

At [11:40]pm in calm weather and on a clear night, the mighty vessel struck an iceberg that ripped a hole in the ship’s side that was long enough to fill many of the watertight compartments, thus forcing the ‘unsinkable’ to indeed become sinkable.  The crew of the ship attempted to avoid a head on collision, however due to the vessels speed and a flaw in rudder design, the ship still scraped the side of the massive iceberg.  The hole in the hull was a tipping point if you like, just like the melting at our poles is today.

The passengers and crew were not aware of the impending danger that awaited them, in fact it wasn’t until at least 30 minutes later that the crew were aware that she was taking on water.  Many of the passengers slept through the entire incident and had to be woken up to begin abandoning the ship.

From [12:15] am, the radiomen began sending their first distress signal, only to get a reply 10 minutes later from the Carpathia.  Within two hours the Titanic was sinking bow first, with the watertight compartments flooding one after the other, and the radio failing due to lack of power from the flooding engine rooms.  The crew, who were totally unprepared for this type of event struggled to launch what lifeboats they had, and struggled to convince many bewildered passengers that this was necessary for their safety.

Many passengers must have thought that if the ship were so unsinkable, why were they being forced onto the lifeboats.  Many would drown, especially from third class and steerage, simply because there were not enough lifeboats and the ones that were launched were not filled to capacity.

The radio message sent at [1:45] am was the last message and it read, “Come as quickly as possible”.  It was sent in hope, as the last of the lifeboats pulled away from the sinking ship.  Still the band played on until the deck was so tilted that they couldn’t sit and play.

Those not safely on a lifeboat stood little hope of more than a few minutes of survival due to the freezing temperature of the water.  The Captain went down with the ship, as did the first officer, however Mr Bruce Ismay was one of the first onto a lifeboat.

So, with all the scientific warnings, and with many dire new discoveries of approaching tipping points regarding climate change, with our population having gone from 1.6 billion in 1900 to 7 billion in 2015 due to the abundance of cheap oil, and with our resources dwindling whether they be fossil fuels (stoking climate change and overpopulation) or precious minerals and natural resources including land and mass species extinction, have we hit the same proverbial iceberg?

It paints a pretty grim picture when compared to a real life event that could have been avoided.  As with the Titanic, instead of steaming ahead at top speed, we need to reassess, and slow to avoid the impending disaster that soon await the fate of all who are passengers on Mothership Earth.  Is our rudder too small, and that we may not be able to turn away soon enough, with the speed of progress, growth at all costs, resource depletion, and increasing carbon emissions hold back our inability to act in time.

As for the officers of the Titanic, who I’ll liken to our current day Government, who are failing to act decisively, because of the pressure exerted upon them by the corporations and vested interests like Mr Ismay and the Board of the White Star Line.

Will this pressure be too great, with vested interest lobbying our poor, misguided crew at every chance?

What will happen to the passengers of Mothership Earth?

Will there be enough lifeboats, or will there be a mass die-off as in the case of the Titanic with the lower classes bearing the brunt of climate change and increasing ecological disasters?

These questions go unanswered as yet, but there are signs that we are heading full steam at the approaching “iceberg”, with the majority of the passengers of Mothership Earth blissfully unaware, and still dressed in their finest clothes dinning, or in this case, consuming until they drop, egged on by our Government and corporations.  Some say we may have already taken a hole in the bow.

I am not saying that the disaster is inevitable, we just need to slow or steer away, by reducing consumption, reducing GHG emissions, and stabilising population growth.  Only by achieving all three will we avert the climate crisis.

Lets hope that as the passengers of Mothership Earth are loaded onto what ever form of lifeboats that are available, I wouldn’t want them to be still be wondering “Why have I been woken?  I thought we were unsinkable!”

My only hope is that we wake up well before and avoid the iceberg completely.

It is up to us to do something about it.  Now get out there and get to waking up as many of the passengers as you can by sharing this post any way you can!  It may be the only way.

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Filed Under: climate change, Climate Reality, Denial, greenhouse gas, Peak Everything, Peak Oil

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About Gavin Webber

About Gavin Webber

An Ordinary Australian Man Who Has A Green Epiphany Whilst Watching A Documentary, Gets a Hybrid Car, Plants A Large Organic Vegetable Garden, Goes Totally Solar, Lowers Consumption, Feeds Composts Bins and Worms, Harvests Rainwater, Raises Chickens, Makes Cheese and Soap, and Eats Locally. All In The Effort To Reduce Our Family's Carbon Footprint So We Can Start Making A Difference For Our Children & Future Generations To Come.

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Podcast Reviews

  • Always inspiring and entertaining!
    August 4, 2016 by floriographer from Australia

    I've crowed about Gavin's podcast before but I just have to recommend it once again - I love that he shares his learning as well as his successes - it helps the rest of us try try try again! Thanks Gavin!

  • ms
    July 22, 2016 by Ketaea12 from New Zealand

    I really enjoy listening to Gavin, he has a kind lovely voice. He covers some great relevant topics for the everyday greenie. With lots of tips or how to or what not to do. Thanks Gavin, love it!!

  • Well worth your time to tune in
    October 23, 2015 by A Vision Splendid from Australia

    I can highly recommend Gavin’s podcast ! I have followed Gavin’s blog since the very beginning and have loved to see his journey unfold. Gavin has a lovely speaking voice so this podcast is always very easy to listen to. Gavin has a very authentic approach to his green living lifestyle. He shares the ups and downs but always provides motivation and practical steps that we can all implement.

  • very good
    June 28, 2015 by Scared pax from United Kingdom

    This is a great podcast if you want to improve your life in so many aspects and become a more sustainable person. I love the soothing voice, the good pace, and it contains lots of useful information. Recommended!

  • opened my eyes
    May 25, 2015 by Gorn4lyfe from Australia

    A wonderful show!

  • Inspiring
    April 30, 2015 by Alan Whelan from Ireland

    This is a great podcast if you're looking for practical info on saving money by living more sustainably from someone who's made that journey over the last few years. Told in a nice, easy conversational style

  • Green Living, inspiring and practical
    January 8, 2015 by EliseMac from Australia

    Thanks Gav for sharing what has (and hasn't) worked along your journey for living a greener lifestyle. Inspiring and achievable for anyone, I look forward to this podcast weekly.

  • Local food equals less waste
    December 27, 2014 by allotmentadventureswithjean from Australia

    Another brilliant podcast from Gavin Webber encouraging us, and showing us how, to cut down on food miles, growing our own food, and cutting down on food waste. Gavin is a really interesting speaker, showing us how to eat better, growing our own food and how to live more sustainably.

  • Honestly australian
    December 15, 2014 by HodgepodgeOz from Australia

    Fantastic podcast, with a wide variety of well thought and researched topics. Gavin is a honest, forthright pod aster with a genuine interest in helping others get green. Like a day alongside is a day wasted, so too is a week without listening to Gavin. Highly recommended for people starting out, or those in the midst of their new lifestyle. Keep it up Gavin, wish there were more great reviews! Kimberley

  • Morning motivation
    December 8, 2014 by Bunnyworm from Australia

    Gavin has a great passion for living this greener lifestyle that motivates others to do the same. The podcasts are always interesting and informative. :)

  • Passionate Advocate
    October 18, 2014 by BoomOpGirl from Australia

    Gavin's enthusiasm and passion for creating a more sustainable world is nothing short of contagious. Thanks Gav, you are my weekly source of motivation for living a sustainable life! :)

  • Gavin speaks from the heart
    October 13, 2014 by Green gavin from Australia

    Gavin's podcasts are required listening for anyone planning to live a more sustainable life. He doesn't preach, but tells you his story from the heart. You'll laugh, smile, share in his concerns and along the way you'll pick up some great tips on living a simple life.

  • Green thoughts, so well iterated
    October 9, 2014 by Kwasikwami from Australia

    This is a wonderful podcast. Not only does Gavin talk knowledgeably on a range of sustainability topics from gardening tips all the way to the issues facing humanity as a whole, but he does so in such a wonderful voice, it's like listening to my Dad, love it!!

  • Easy listening inspiration on being green
    September 24, 2014 by Broomedy from Australia

    Gav knows how to share his journey to a more sustainable life in a manner that shows just how easy it really is. Not to mention healthier, economically beneficial and generally rewarding. The podcasts are an easy way to absorb Gav's great lifestyle. I recommend to anyone.

  • Thanks Gavin!
    August 31, 2014 by Honeywoodmilk from Australia

    Great practical advice for a greener lifestyle. This podcast is for anybody interested in growing their own food in suburbia, saving electricity, brewing beer, making cheese, all that wonderful business and most of all, saving money! Thanks Gavin, love the podcast mate!

  • Enjoyed those ideas for staying warm
    August 15, 2014 by enduringdragon from United States

    Like you we are having winter here in Chile—brrr! Every bit we can save on heating we will.

  • Green Podcasts
    July 26, 2014 by Carneu from Australia

    Excellent podcasts, which are full of information to help get started on a sustainable lifestyle.

  • Practical ideas and inspiration
    July 19, 2014 by HeathrowHeath from Australia

    I highly recommend Gavin's podcast and blog. Down to earth, entertaining and inspirational. Thank you.

  • Interesting & easy to listen to
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    Gavin & his guests make this green journey lots of fun.

  • Great green listen
    April 18, 2014 by Obscurenickname from Australia

    Gavin is a great down to earth, tell it like it is aussie with a passion for sustainability and growing food and making cheese

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