With clarity comes laser beam focus on slowing climate catastrophe since the recent 10-year climate change report and hundreds of experts confirm “this may be our final warning” to save the world from ourselves. The 2020s will be the decade for ‘Clean Energy or Bust!’, ‘Do or Die!’ Don’t worry, climate solutions are here and they are achievable. Onwards!
The experts say we don’t have until 2050, we don’t even have until 2040. Australia’s current carbon reduction targets are no longer adequate to stabilise climate and not wreck our society in the shockingly near future. In other words, increasing fire, flood, freeze and famine in as soon as one generation. This is not a drill. We have 10 precious years to radically reduce carbon emissions – and we can do it!
With clarity comes laser beam focus.
The 2020s will be the decade for
‘Clean Energy or Bust!’
THE GOOD NEWS AND WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW IS EASIER THAN YOU THINK
THE RECAP
You’ve been hearing the climate bad news for a week like “Net Zero by 2050 is too late!” and “We have 10 years to reach a ‘still safe’ 1.8 degrees warming, up from today’s 1.3 degrees” and “we could reach 3 degrees of global warming by 2060 - 39 years from now” and “worse projections of reaching 4 to 5.7 degrees in 79 years.” (given that scientists publish conservative figures – Yikes!).
This report had 234 experts assess 14,000 scientific papers and 10 years of (more) planetary data confirming climate change is real and caused by humans: “The warmest multi-century in 100,000 years.” Yes, we are dirt-bags, now own it and let’s get on with it. There’s a joke in there about dirt bags and coal but this is not a time to kid around. “The climate will continue to destabilise at more rapid rates.” Resist the urge to hide under the bed. To avoid climate overwhelm and paralysis, let’s have an attitude of a cup half full.
THE GOOD NEWS
We can reach net zero emissions and can keep ‘the good life’; a dream we all strive for. We don’t have to live like paupers or worry if every daily choice is wrong.
All we have to do first is fix the transport and energy sectors ASAP! Preferably in five years (Why? because it’s how everything you buy gets delivered to your town, how you get around, and how you get electricity). Electricity produces 34% of all emissions. Transport is 19%, stationary energy is 19% (fuels for manufacturing, construction and commercial sectors and heating) totalling 72%! That’s three-quarters of emissions, people! Energy and Transport are only two of 19 Australian industries!
Forget the lifestyle guilt.
Stay focused. We can cut most emissions
by fixing two industries: electricity and transport.
If we stay focused we can win at climate in less than a decade, and we need to! I bet you never thought you’d hear that, we are winning at climate change! Whenever you feel ‘climate overwhelm’ say it like a mantra! The solution is here: transition to renewable power (solar, wind, hydro, wave). The state of ACT has 100% renewable power! TAS has 80% renewables! SA has 60% renewables already! Every Australian state can do this!
Bonus points! Australians invented a new solar cell and now globally 85% of new solar cells based on this Australian-owned intellectual property and technology! Plus, Australia and Africa are the sunniest continents in the world! Our future is bright!
‘But what about fossil fuel jobs?’ I hear you say. Germany ensured every fossil fuel job was replaced with a renewable job. Rural Australia thinks they are dependent on fossil fuel jobs but they can still mine all the other minerals we need. Australia digs up iron, gold and many other minerals. Why can’t coal mine sites be solar farms? Why can’t gas fields be wind fields? Our nation anthem sings,
“Our home is girt by sea!”
Bring on ocean wave power instead of fossil fuel rigs that risk oil spills.
“With courage let us all combine, To Advance Australia Fair”
WHAT YOU CAN DO TODAY IS EASY!
Here is your simple 'To-Do list to Stop Climate Catastrophe' PDF file to below to download, print and stick on your fridge. Check off as many of these five-minute tasks by 31 October when Australia meets the rest of the world at the Climate Change Conference in Glasgow. There’s no time like the present and what a presently pleasant time to live! Let’s keep it that way!
