Talking Carbon, Talking Solutions – Australians Want Action

Kelly Burnes — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 00:01:24 +0000

Source: www.climateinstitute.org.au

The issues of climate change and carbon pricing have been caught in a purgatorial pinball game over the past 12 months. No wonder there is confusion, doubt and general misunderstanding on climate change among the populace considering the political battle lines drawn between parties in state houses, parliament buildings and capitols worldwide. But a recent study put forth by The Climate Institute, titled Climate of the Nation 2013: Australian attitudes on climate change, seeks to elevate the dialogue. The authors of the report actually talked to people to get their views on climate change. They asked questions, they listened and they documented the responses. Perhaps politicians could add that tactic to their constituent playbook.

Highlights from the report include:

Two-thirds of Australians think that climate change is occurring and almost all of them believe that it is impacting Australia now. People are genuinely worried about the cost impacts of climate change on crop production and food supply, insurance premiums, water shortages and climate refugees.

More people want to give carbon pricing a go than get rid of it. And, more Australians want greater action and leadership than in recent years.

Results from the focus groups and poll behind Climate of the Nation 2013 indicate acceptance that climate change is happening and that humans are contributing to it. Twice as many trust the science than don’t.

Give the report a look; it’s a quick read and the information is presented in a way that connects with people. The authors did a great job because they took a deeper look by diving into demographics – age, gender, and dwelling location to give a realistic snapshot of the population’s views on climate change.

Speaking of the views of a population and whether politicians comprehend those views, The BBC put out this headline on 15 July: Australia PM Rudd sets out carbon tax shift cost.

The Australian government says its plan to scrap an unpopular carbon tax will cost A$3.8bn ($3.5bn; £2.3bn).

I wonder whom Kevin Rudd spoke with before deciding to take such action. Did he speak with the people? Could their views have changed over the course of the past year?

The carbon tax, introduced in a somewhat controversial about face on the part of then Prime Minister Julia Gillard in 2012 did leave Australian businesses and families shaking their heads. But Australians place a high importance on the environment and their quality of life. Understanding that Australia is the worst polluter per capita in the developed world is something that most Australians, I think would want to see change. Expecting the worst-polluting firms to pay a tax on each tonne of greenhouse gases they emit is not unreasonable. However, the way the carbon tax policy was structured in Australia by including subsidies was a lose-lose, except of course for the corporations doing the polluting. Based on the information from the survey and work The Climate Institute put forward, perhaps politicians will consider “re-tooling” the carbon tax. The elections are due to take place in September. It will be an interesting to see which party comes out on top and the course of action the government takes on carbon emissions.

The Climate Institute is an independent research organization with offices in Sydney and Melbourne. Their vision is for a “resilient Australia, prospering in a zero-carbon global economy, participating fully and fairly in international climate change solutions.“ That’s a vision the international community can embrace.

Cite this article:
Burnes K (2013-07-18 00:01:24). Talking Carbon, Talking Solutions - Australians Want Action. Australian Science. Retrieved: May 09, 2024, from http://australianscience.com.au/news/talking-carbon-talking-solutions-australians-want-action/

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Weekly Science Picks

Kelly Burnes — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 07:45:56 +0000

Cosmic Evolution Connectedness

It’s that time again! Time for Weekly Science Picks! Let’s dive in.

This is interesting. This could really make things interesting. You just need to read this article on climate change and emissions that appeared in The Australian. It opens up a whole can of worms for debate, which I may tackle later, so feel free to leave a comment. I’d love to hear some thoughts on this.

Doha sets up $3bn hit for taxpayers as climate deal fails to deliver on emissions targets by David Crowe

“We can’t be allowed to free ride off the suffering of others,” he said yesterday. – John Connor, chief executive, Climate Institute

This is one of those stories that gets you excited and makes you wish you were part of that research team on assignment. I am anxiously awaiting the results. Earlier this week, drilling began at Lake Ellsworth in Antarctica. This project is testing the environments of where life is possible and has implications for future space exploration and discovery.

Drilling begins at lake hidden beneath Antarctic by David Shukman

“Exploring for life in such an extreme environment – in pitch-black conditions under high pressure beneath the ice-sheet – could open up possibilities for life on other worlds such as Jupiter’s moon Europa.” – Professor Martin Siegert, chief scientist

There’s so much focus and emphasis on space these days, that we forget about that big blue thing that covers 71% of our planet and is in need of some major TLC…ah, the ocean! The Argo data program started in the late 1990s and has since been put to use in weather and climate models. It’s also playing a major role in ocean forecasting, such as responding to environmental emergencies, helping the shipping industry and promoting safety at sea.

Ocean science robot revolution hits symbolic millionth milestone by CSIRO

“The world’s deep ocean environment is as hostile as that in space, but because it holds so many clues to our climate future exploring it with the Argo observing network is a real turning point for science. – Dr Susan Wijffels, Argo co-Chair and CSIRO Wealth from Oceans Flagship scientist

And tying it all back to the source of what’s important, the kiddos. This last pick comes from one of our very own Australian Science authors, Danielle Spencer. Here Danielle examines the importance of play-based learning in the science classroom.

We’re Just Playing, Science by Stealth by Danielle Spencer

Play-based learning is highly sanctioned in early year’s curriculum, but why do we need to stop? Ask any child who doesn’t like science and it’s about too much writing, too much theory, too much bookwork. Maybe, we just should let them play some more.

Stay thirsty for knowledge, my friends. Stay thirsty.

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emissions – Australian Science

Talking Carbon, Talking Solutions – Australians Want Action

Weekly Science Picks