The grinding together of the economic tectonic plates seems to have subsided and aftershocks are generally easing with even the ban on naked or covered short-selling of stock market shares lifted. Australia came out tops and is the envy of the world. We did not even blink. Mr. Confidence is back in town and swaggering wildly…
Yet, is this very success also not the cause for our complacency on the thundering locomotive of climate change, bearing down on us with ever increasing speed? The proof of our relaxed state of mind could not be better demonstrated then that both sides of our political arena are being dominated by politician’s hell bent on staying in power and failing to grasp the significance of climate change. Do they really think we can go on as before and that a world will survive just on hope and that all will be kissed better, doing too little too late?
Where are the ‘wise men’ at this time, having the wisdom, courage and political strength to point out, that repeating what we have been doing will make things worse and hasten the demise of the world that we hardly ever knew. Surely, we don’t want the same old economic growth again? Where are the brave that will deliberately and cogently argue for an economy based on saving the world and finally go for different kind of profits rather than mere outdated money profits? Doing better with consuming less is not getting much attention here.
The economic downturn all over the world, except in lucky Australia, should be seen as an advantage in turning the tide of terminal materialism. Save the world from this manic obsession with compound economic growth, year after year. They are the very reasons the continuance of our planet is now being threatened. It is outdated.
By reducing energy use and decrease our over-consumption we would improve the likelihood of the world rearing up again and secure a future for our kids. We are now on record of having the largest houses in the world, holding forth our selfish right to use and consume and dump even more CO2 into the word’s open sewer. How does it feel that Bangladesh is now one of the world’s most threatened countries and we are deliberately encouraging rising sea levels for 160.000.000 million including 44.000.000 children between 0 and fourteen? Do our aspirations really not go further than living in dwellings that have multiple living areas, 4 bedrooms, spare rooms, office, game room, three bathrooms, and three garages with 2.20 kids?
At least, Bangladesh, despite being one of the poorest nations in the world, still managed to produce three Bengal Nobel Laureate Prize winners, turning adversity in a triumph for mankind and the rest of the world. Another overpopulated country have managed for a large part to live below the sea level and appear now to grasp the challenge and plan to continue with floating green houses, genetically improving and growing salt liking produce and taking advantage of the situation. Please look at: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/a-deluge-of-dutch-courage-20091204-kb3f.html?skin=text-only
A future Government can’t possibly continue on the old promise of bringing back what caused problems in the first place. We, for once could become a ‘first’ in something more than just sport. Our climate and over abundance of sun is crying out for solar panels on every roof top and on all those derelict industrial areas in our major cities, even on farm paddocks. Why haven’t we embraced that? What are we so reluctant about? Our housing could become the envy of the world. They might even get designed by a combination of the best of architects, planners and even scientists. Perhaps more compact for a better use of space and our families, but still with a garden for kids and vegies. Townships and suburbs could have centralised cooling and heating. It is being done elsewhere and is far more energy efficient. Why not here?
The very least our homes should all be self sufficient in power, even better, be exporting power back into the grid more than importing it. Just as important are the roofs being used for catching every drop of rain water that falls on it. We are the driest and yet the most wasteful with water. How can this be allowed to continue? A good and fast public transport together with penalising of large cars together with encouraging bicycles with matching bike paths.
The present Government trumpets the subsidising with insulation bats our homes and yet don’t have the guts to legislate and make homes more energy efficient. Not only not have the guts, but allow hundreds of thousands of homes being built with black roof tiles, the worst of coloured material in absorbing heat. Is this just to allow ‘freedom’ of choice? What kind of freedom is it when we take so little in consideration in the squandering of energy trying to keep cool? I doubt many countries in Europe would queue up to be that uncaring and neglectful in design. Or is our obedience to the overriding dogma of allowing unfettered freedom to the detriment of a life for the future of our children and grandchildren allowed to override all?
Man shall know commonwealth again,
From bitter searching of the heart,
We love the easy and the smart,
But now with keener hand and brain,
We rise to play a bigger part.
Part of a poem. (Leonard Cohen)
Window Dresser's Arms, Pig & Whistle 
Australia makes a huge amount of garbage. I figure that’s wheelie bins. A large bin encourages us to make garbage. Japan has a huge amount of crows. I figure that’s the small plastic bags of garbage on the sides of the road. When I was in Australia I was enchanted by the numbers of native birds, even in cities. In Japan they are driven out by the crows. Different problems and different solutions.
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That picture there G. That girl has a glass bottom! You can see straight through it.
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Bottoms are often very deceiving. Those that can be seen through offer man the best hope of surbival.
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…only stick-on tattoos for that hard see-through glass bottom !
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Of course I agree with all you say Gerard but in thinking about why things aren’t being done on a proper scale, it could be that our problem lies in the fact that we are a Commonwealth. We are colonies which came together but the colonies remained States of the Commonwealth and we also have Local Government. We didn’t give ourselves the chance to do it properly and have ‘common’ laws all over the one country. Living on the border of two states means you are more aware of these stupid differences, the glaring ones being car registration, road rules, licencing of all types etc. But planning and building regulations are among the guilty areas for our failure to act. Sometimes the restrictions are too tough and other times they are not enough. It is a minefield full of rules which sometimes stop one from doing the right thing. In the end it is also politics which stop the right thing from happening. Abbott & Co opposing for the sake of opposing regardless of the matter to hand. How can the slate be wiped clean and how can we start from scratch?
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Sadly I think it’s something more fundamental. In the final analysis we’re dumb monkeys evolved over several million years of relative material scarcity come at last to and living in a world of apparently boundless excess. As a species we equate success with consumption; both as individuals, as political groupings and as a species.
The current global climate imperative, created by that excessive consumption by a species whose numbers now exceed the carrying capacity for that species on this planet, asks us to behave as a species in a way we have never behaved as a species before. To behave not as individuals, as small family groups or even nations, but rather to see ourselves for the first time as having a common humanity and empathise with that common humanity, to see its success as indivisible from our own. To forego our own individual success/consumption in the interests of making a different kind of success, the form and substance of which we have yet to properly devise and describe.
All this in a world of unbelievable inequity.
Why should the wretched of the earth not be allowed to enjoy all the trappings of the success of the scientific ideal, the globalised economy and the modern forms of democracy and capitalist economics?
The simple answer is because they no longer work. They no longer deliver the utility they once did. The more complete answer, the right answer I suspect, will be much more painful in its realisation and execution and may involve a great deal of dislocation for us all.
We’re looking at hegemonic change, global climate change, political and economic change, in fact “all change”. Lets hope the new train comes along soon, otherwise it may well be the end of the line.
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Vivienne:
I blundered badly with the title.
I meant that more as in ‘sharing common wealth ‘ for everyone, and pinched it from Leonard Cohen song. I wasn’t really into the British Commonwealth which I really don’t think much about except as some relic of a Somerset Maugham story written in a cane chair at Singapore’s Raffles…
I think you are right that the states and shires and all those different levels of bureaucracy are a hindrance to change.
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No worries Gerard. You just needed to use a small C and not a big C. Warrigal seems more pessimistic than I but it does comes down to think globally, act locally. We can’t ‘turn the clock back’ but we can try to stop it. I think sustainability is catching on and we just don’t hear much about the good things.
On house sizes, mine has 14 squares of living area but 28 squares under the roof which includes verandahs and garage/storage area. We have always caught our own water although we had to connect to town water a few years ago (our little water usage account for that is $1.30). I had a friend who build a new house not that long ago – it was 37 squares – and I visited regularly (in amazement). I realised that her family did not use half of it at all – huge areas not able to be used and other huge areas (a formal lounge) which was never used. She now lives elsewhere on a much smaller scale.
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The odd thing is I’m not personally pessimistic. In fact I’m quite upbeat about the whole thing.
The opportunities it presents, the possibility of change for the better all fill me with hope and a strange longing for that future.
Whether or not we’ll straighten up and fly right or whether we’re circling the gurgler only time will tell. In the mean time I, as you recommend, think globally and act locally to the extent that that action is both progressive and productive. Both Sche and I volunteer, we try and restrain our consumption, we reduce, reuse and recycle and live in hope of a better future for our grandson and his family when they come along.
There’s not a lot more any of us can do for “The Times They Are A Changin’.”
Come gather ’round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You’ll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin’
Then you better start swimmin’
Or you’ll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin’.
Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won’t come again
And don’t speak too soon
For the wheel’s still in spin
And there’s no tellin’ who
That it’s namin’.
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin’.
Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don’t stand in the doorway
Don’t block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There’s a battle outside ragin’.
It’ll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin’.
Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don’t criticize
What you can’t understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin’.
Please get out of the new one
If you can’t lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin’.
The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin’.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin’.
(Dylan of course. Even more prescient now don’t you think?)
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They certainly are changing. Great words and sentiments in that song.
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Viv, Warrigal has a song for every occasion, just watch it !
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Yes Helvi, I’ve begun to notice that.
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What he said!
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