A lesson for the eco-friendly, learned from the Liberal in-fighting

I’ve been following the Liberal party’s meltdown about the emissions trading vote over the last week, mostly by following the #spill tag on Twitter and reading the updates at Larvatus Prodeo. It may end up having important consequences for Australia’s CPRS, but if not, it’s still revealed an interesting fact for those of us who care deeply about making a bright green future for Australia.

The whole kerfluffle is based on simmering resentments of long-term party members, but the current dust-up was triggered by a phone-in from people who opposed the CPRS. Apparently, Liberal MPs and Senators received a barrage of phone calls asking them to withdraw their support for the ETS.

It’s not received much coverage in the news, because the soap-opera style tantrums and backstabbing are much more entertaining to report on. But I was struck by the fact that it was phone calls from party members and the public which gave the politicians the motivation to finally act.

If phone calls can make such a difference, why should we leave it to the dinosaurs who oppose any action on climate change? We eco-friendly people should be doing it too, calling up and making it crystal clear that we want at least 40% cuts in emissions by 2020. There’s more of us than there are of them, but they’re speaking louder and more directly to the people who can actually make a difference.

It’s very difficult to ignore a phone call from someone, and apparently our opposition have learned this lesson well. If we want action, we need to demand it.

I’ve long been a fan of writing letters to politicians about environmental issues. It will always have more effect than me ranting on my blog, or to friends. But I also stick to it because I’m I’m good at it. When writing, I can edit and review my words before sending them on, checking that I’ve said exactly what I wanted. I’ve even written up some letter-writing tips for other people to use, because I’ve had good results from my way of doing it.

Unfortunately, I’m awkward when talking to people in person, especially someone who disagrees with me. I get tongue-tied and never remember my (obviously excellent!) points until half an hour after the conversation has ended. I’ve only once called anyone about the environment, and that was just to leave a message with a secretary.

But not everyone is the same (thank goodness, how boring would it be if we were?). If you’re good at chatting with people in person about topics you care about, have you got any tips for me and others who need a little help? We all need to do what we can over the next few months to ensure we get strong action on climate change. I just think I could be better at the ‘talking to people’ part of it!

Fresh green links

It’s been a big week for climate change news:

Climate changing faster than predicted – an update from the IPCC has been released, with all indicators showing that things are worse than predicted. It’s interesting to note that when climatologists get it wrong, it’s because they’re being too optimistic, not too pessimistic. Australia’s Chief Scientist Penny Sackett has a really good explanation of why we must act now to stop it.

Email stolen from climate change researchers – Grist has a good summary of what happened and links to other expert opinions. Given half the stuff I’ve written in work-related emails, joking about my work and making fun of people who don’t like it, I’m glad the fossil fuel lobby isn’t interested in my field of expertise.

Liberal party meltdown over the ETS bill – or over the leadership, it’s hard to tell because they all claim something different. I have no idea how this will turn out, but I guess we’ll find out within a day or two.

And in other news:

The koala wars – an interesting article about koalas and the people working to get their habitats protected, from The Guardian.

What is solar power? – a Crikey Clarifier explaining how solar power works, the different types available and what kind of development it needs to play a part in Australia’s clean energy future.

Cane toad attempts to invade New Zealand – but apparently he wouldn’t have liked the weather anyway, so it’s a good thing he got caught.

Riding to work: what’s it like?

Clint going for a ride

After thinking so much about transport this week, I’ve been trying to work up the courage to start bike-riding again. I did it a lot when I was about 12, but a few bad experiences in traffic (mostly my own fault!) put me off. But I think it’d be a great way for me to combine travel and exercise, so I’ve been talking to people who already ride a lot.

One of these people is my friend Clint, who rides to work every day. Today he’s sharing his experience and tips with us in an interview – thanks Clint!

How did you get interested in cycling?
As a kid living in the hills, it was my main mode of transport to friends’ houses. But after highschool I had not ridden for a long time. In 2005 a friend offered me $500 off any purchase at Fleet cycles, though some sort of leftover credit he had with them. Anyway it prompted me to get into riding again. I guess opportunity arose there, but it was another year before I started riding to work. I felt it was a better alternative than driving and taking the train. Public transport is almost reason enough to want to ride a bike for commuting.

Where do you ride – to work, to the shops, etc?
For the most part its just to and from work. If I’m up early on a Saturday morning, I’ll ride to the butchers since the purchase is only small. Every so often I go cross country riding around Kalamunda and Mundaring with a few friends.

What do you enjoy most about it?
It’s just fun to ride. The feeling of freedom that you get with it. Knowing that you can pretty much ride where ever you want. A sense of accomplishment after every ride. There’s also the conversation it creates, when a friend says you are crazy for riding everyday, that also makes me feel good.

What difficulties have you come across, and how have you worked around them?
Fitness level is a big barrier. The first time I went to ride to work, it took over an hour and I felt dead by the end of it. But only because I was pushing way too hard to keep up with other riders. It’s important to go your own pace and only challenge yourself, at least when it comes to first starting.

Any tips for beginners who’d like to give it a try?
The main thing to remember is that its not a race, don’t be put off by faster riders on fancy bikes. Riding is an individual thing, some people want to race, some would rather cruise. But the main thing is that you are having fun. I’d also recommend the forums at Bicycles.net.au. It’s the biggest source of information on cycling in Australia, and there’s alot of helpful people on there.

Bright green future: how will we travel?

Photo credit: www.pedbikeimages.org / Ryan Snyder

Ok, so let’s get back to thinking about our bright green future. Today I’m imagining how transport would work for us all. At the moment, transport is responsible for 14% of our greenhouse gas emissions. It’s also responsible for a lot of other impacts on the environment, from peak oil to destruction of ecosystems to feed our need for more roads and carparks and airports. How could we fix that without losing independence and mobility?

Reducing the need for cars
Firstly, we could work on reducing the need for so much driving. Public transport is an existing solution that could be ramped up to really excellent levels, as it is in big cities like London and New York already. But as well as that, we need cities that are bike friendly, and pockets of pedestrian friendly areas.

Urban planning is important: I like the idea of making lots of small plazas easily reached by public transport and bike corridors, where people can shop for groceries or visit a doctor or see a movie without having to drive all over town. With enough of these, so many more families can go car-free, and save the expense and hassle of running a car.

Another way to reduce the need for cars is to use technology that allows us to talk and work and meet with each other, without having to all be in the same place. Teleconferencing lets us hold meetings between people on opposite sides of the continent. The national broadband network could go a long way to helping people work from home, instead of trekking in to an office every day. Google Wave is an experimental way for people to collaborate on projects and fun stuff online. By exploring these options, we can still get the benefits of our connected world, without causing so much pollution from long flights or rush hour traffic.

Can we make our transport cleaner?
Of course, there will still be a need for fast, individual or small group transport – we shouldn’t do away with it altogether. Ambulances are just one example, and there will always be people who have to live and work in isolated areas where bikes and buses aren’t an option. This is where alternate fuels come into play.

Electric cars will work well in a city that’s got clean energy sources, and the potential for battery swap stations instead of petrol stations. Biodiesel is currently a difficult option in Australia, but if we find a good source (i.e. not food crops) it could be very useful. Hydrogen cars are a long way from being a reality now, but since we’re daydreaming about the future, we can look forward to a time when their issues are fixed and they become a useful addition to our choices.

Finally, we need to look at airplane travel. It’s so cheap right now that people expect it almost as a right, but I’m not sure that’s a situation which can continue. And yet, there will always be ‘love’ miles: families and loved ones living far apart, and wanting to reconnect every so often in a way that a teleconference just can’t provide. I think high-speed rail could be an excellent solution for travel within Australia. The bullet train in Japan runs at 300 km/hour – it could make it across the Nullabor in just 4 hours.

For overseas travel, well – although airlines are working on alternative fuels, there’s no real solution yet. And planes release their GHGs at an atmospheric level that’s more dangerous than on land. We could go back to the days of sail, which would be quite nice for those of us not bothered by sea-sickness. Personally, I’d like zeppelins to make a comeback!

As you can see, the transport future will require a lot of co-ordinated effort to bring about, instead of the individual efforts we can make in our homes and gardens. But it’s totally do-able, if we make an effort to change things before it’s too late.

At the very least, you can buy a bike now, or use public transport like I do. Or be like my mother-in-law from Geraldton, and use a video-capable mobile phone to see and talk to her grandchildren in Cairns. As always, the future is what we make of it, so we need to think carefully about our choices. How do you see transport changing even now?

Peter Cundall arrested at anti-pulp mill demonstration – along with 50 other people, and a very polite arrest it was too. The link includes a short video of the arrest and Cundall’s comments about why he was protesting (see the links just to the left of the story). There’s a time and a place for civil disobedience, and I think Cundall has set a great example of how to do it right.

Walk Against Warming – this December 12th, show your support for action on climate change by joining a walk in your city. I’ll be at the Perth one, for the 3rd year running. It’s usually a great Saturday morning out, with bands and speeches and lots of friendly people. If you’ll be at the Perth one, let me know, maybe we can meet up!

Run for a Safe Climate – a group of emergency services workers are running from Cooktown, Qld to Melbourne, Vic to talk to people along the way about how climate change will affect local towns. Today is Day 20, so they’ll be in Lake Barmah. You can attend one of their events, or (if you’re not in the area) sponsor a runner, follow them on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook. See updates on their blog too!

ACT sets ambitious emissions reduction target – they want to peak emissions in 2013, and reduce to zero by 2060. Well done ACT!

Copenhagen update: Russia has agreed to a minimum 20% cut in emissions, while China and the USA want a comprehensive deal with immediate effect.

Amazonians are suing Chevron over toxic waste – in one of the biggest environmental legal cases in history. Chevron is also one of the companies behind the north-west Australian gas development on Barrow Island, a Class A Nature Reserve. I’m sure they’ll take as much care of the island as they have of the Amazon ::ahem::