Worth Watching

We don't get SBS at our place but I like to keep an eye out for any really interesting documentaries that are on.

There is a really interesting series about climate change and the different ways impacts are being felt across America and the world.
Separate stories around climate change unfold across nine episodes, told by a cast of A-list Hollywood celebrities and high-profile journalists, including Harrison Ford, Matt Damon, Jessica Alba, Michael C. Hall, Ian Somerhalder, Olivia Munn, Arnold Schwarzenegger, America Ferrara, and more. These correspondents travel to areas throughout the U.S. and around the world to interview both experts and ordinary people affected by, and seeking solutions to, the impacts of climate change. 

I have only seen the first 2 episodes so far but I have been really impressed by the way it has been put together.  I really hope that our polititians are watching this too although I am not hopeful.  I know that Julie Bishop announced that Australia will contribute $200 million to the UN Green Climate Fund but I son't think this would have even happened except that many of the world leaders have put pressure on the government.  We really need to do a lot more since according to the latest OECD Greenhouse Gas Emissions Index Australia is ranked as the largest emitter of greenhouse gases per capita how disgraceful.


Years of Living Dangerously - Dry Season

Years of Living Dangerously - End of the Woods

Years of Living Dangerously -  A Dangerous Future

The other series I found really informative is What's the Catch? presented by Matthew Evans the Gourmet Farmer. This documentary series highlights the complex and sometimes shocking truth about Australia’s seafood. It also launches a campaign around seafood labelling that will enable all Australians to make better choices when it comes to buying and consuming seafood. 
We do not eat a lot of seafood and most of what we eat is a locally caught fresh water fish (therefore not sea food) that is a pest species, but it has made me think a lot more about the other seafood we buy.

Whats the Catch? - Episode 1

Whats the Catch? - Episode 2

Whats the Catch? - Episode 3

Have you seen any of these documentaries?  What did you think?

Peak Challenge - Must Watch Short Films

This week I came across some short animated films by Linda Cockburn who blogs over at Living the Good Life.
Linda (with the help of many other talented people) has done an amazing job with these short films and I think they are a great way of starting the conversation about climate change with people you know.
These are only about 4 minutes each and are presented in a way that makes the information easy to understand and relate to.  Please check these out and pass them on.

I will be emailing these to everyone I know and I encourage you to do the same.











What did you think?

I am looking forward to the follow on from these.

Allan Savory: Green deserts and reverse climate change

Allan Savory is one of those people in life who makes me want to see more happening to heal our planet.
He makes me want to tell anyone who will listen about the work he is doing and leaves me wondering why his methods are not more widely used or discussed since they seem to have such profound impacts.
You can learn more about him, the work he is doing and the institute he created here.

Desertification is a fancy word for land that is turning to desert. And terrifyingly, it's happening to about two-thirds of the world's grasslands, accelerating climate change and causing traditional grazing societies to descend into social chaos. Savory has devoted his life to stopping it. He now believes - and his work so far shows - that a surprising factor can protect grasslands and even reclaim degraded land that was once desert.

If you would like to see a really interesting TED Talk about the work he is doing then take a look at this.
He received a standing ovation for this talk from the audience.

Celebrating Earth Hour

Tonight between 8.30pm and 9.30pm it is time to turn off the lights.  For more information or ideas on celebrating earth hour click here.

Will you be participating?
How will you be celebrating?

On March 31 2007, WWF-Australia inspired more than 2.2 million individuals and 2,000 businesses to turn their lights out for one hour in the first Earth Hour event – kicking off the world's largest voluntary action for the environment.

This year, Earth Hour Australia is turning Earth Hour on its axis, using the power of Earth Hour to shine a light on one of the world’s most loved – and vulnerable – places: The Great Barrier Reef.

The Great Barrier Reef is one of the Seven Wonders of the World, but it’s future is uncertain. Climate change is raising ocean temperatures and making seawater more acidic, threatening the survival of the coral and the animals that call it home. And to make it even worse, the Queensland and Australian Governments are fast-tracking mega port developments, including the world’s biggest coal port at Abbot Point.

The Earth Hour community is taking action to tell Australia’s Prime Minister that if we don’t act now, the effects of climate change on our reef will be irreversible in just sixteen years.

Enough Is Enough The Film

Enough is Enough is a book by Rob Dietz and Dan O'Neill that presents an alternative to the idea of continued economic growth.  They link back to the fact that we are overusing our earths finite resources and that we should have an economy that is focused on enough not more.

I watched this video which gives a brief overview of some of the topics covered in the book.  I found it to be fascinating and inspirational and I was left thinking about how the ideas presented are much more in line with the life I lead compared to our current system.  It also made me wonder how we can get governments around the world to adopt this type of economy.

Anyway check it out and let me know what you think.  Is this the type of economy you would like to see in place?

Hope In A Changing Climate

If you ever needed to see that it is possible to rehabilitate our earth in even the most challenging situations then this is for you.

This documentary features stories from China, Rwanda and Ethiopia and shows how large areas of land that are in a state of complete environmental ruin can been regenerated.

In Rwanda the government recognised that the value of the land in it's natural state was more valuable that when it was exploited for it's natural resources.  One of the my favourite quotes from the documentary is: "Climate change is better withstood with trees.  You know humans no matter how intelligent we are, no matter how capable we are with all our technologies, we are helpless in the face of climate change. We have not yet properly understood the miracle preformed by trees".

Grab a cuppa, put your feet up for 30 minutes and check out Hope In A Changing Climate

Let me know what you think.

The Reason for The Silence

So I have been a bit quite on the blogging front.  This is because I am getting ready for a big operation and will need some time off work to recover.  What this basically boils down to is that I am cramming a lot of extra work into each day.  Plus lots to do at home.
I have an assistant holding the fort while I am away but the reality is that there is much of my job that she cannot do.  In the future this is something I intend to remedy by training her up so that when I take time off I can really relax.  I know that I have a bad habit of thinking that I am the only one who can do it all, but if I want to have relaxing holidays in the future I know I have to change my thinking.

Does this happen to anyone else?

Since I will not be blogging for the next couple of weeks I have some posts planned and scheduled.  I have been reading some interesting articles over the last few months so I thought I would share them with you.

They are quite long but I found them really inspiring and informative.  Enjoy reading them.

Here's the first one.

Mindfulness - The Doorway To Simple Living

Documentary Follow Up

Photo from here

Following on from Dick Smith's documentary I wonder did you see it and what did you think?

I thought that Dick raised some good points but one of the things that should have been emphasised a lot more is not where our power comes from but how much we waste and how excessive our usage is.

I had no idea about the Concentrated Solar Thermal Power proposed for South Australia and to me it seems like a fantastic idea. If you want to know more about it or you agree that it is a good idea there is information and a petition that you can sign here.

Lets hope our government get real about the issue.

Ten Dollars a Litre

Tomorrow night on ABC a documentary called "Ten Dollars a Litre" will be presented by Dick Smith.  I am really interested to see what is discussed.

Photo from here

Here is a synopsis about the show.

We feel it at the petrol pump and in our household bills. It affects our businesses and the
cost of virtually everything we buy and directly alters the course of our everyday lives. Yet
until recently, we have barely given energy much thought.
All that's changed now of course. Prices have doubled in the past five years and will double
again in the next five. And now the battle to control energy supplies and the consequences
of burning it are affecting things on a global scale.
As one of the world’s highest per capita energy users, and also one of the world’s biggest
exporters of fossil fuels, Australia is bound to be deeply affected by the changes coming
down the energy pipeline. How will we cope? Where will it all end? What are the options for
Australia as the world moves from a golden era of cheap and abundant energy to an age of
scarcity and high cost?
These are the questions that self‐professed fossil fuel addict Dick Smith sets out to explore
in this engaging and surprising documentary. Hostage to no vested interests, and one of our
most trusted figures, Dick brings his signature brand of common sense to the issue, and
along the way explodes a few myths, upsets a few politicians and surprises us with his
conclusions about the decisions Australia should take.

There is a big part of me that is deeply concerned about where we are heading in terms of climate change and the distinct lack of action by governments around the world to put in place policies that encourage a massive reduction in fossil fuel use by its population.
I know that we are by no means perfect, and there is plenty more we could be doing, but I also believe that many people will not be motivated to change until things reach a drastic level, like petrol at $10.

What do you think it will take people to change?
Do you worry about what the future holds?

Turn Down the Heat

Photo from here

A positive report that I read just today is that the World Bank has announced they will no longer be investing in coal and there is hope that this will be a trigger for things to come.

Here in Queensland there is a lot of talk about natural gas being either a replacement or a transition fuel away from coal but I am still not convinced that it is the solution, not that I have any idea what is.

This article also lead me to a very interesting report about why it is so vital that we avoid global warming titled Turn Down The Heat.  It is a long and very detailed report but I did find it really interesting.  For those who are not inclined to read it here are the concluding remarks:

A 4°C world will pose unprecedented challenges to humanity. It is clear that large regional as well as global scale damages and risks are very likely to occur well before this level of warming is reached. This report has attempted to identify the scope of these challenges driven by responses of the Earth system and various human and natural systems. Although no quantification of the full scale of human damage is yet possible, the picture that emerges challenges an often-implicit assumption that climate change will not significantly undermine economic growth.  It seems clear that climate change in a 4°C world could seriously undermine poverty alleviation in many regions. This is supported by past observations of the negative effects of climate change on economic growth in developing countries. While developed countries have been and are projected to be adversely affected by impacts resulting from climate change, adaptive capacities in developing regions are weaker. The burden of climate change in the future will very likely be borne differentially by those in regions already highly vulnerable to climate change and variability. Given that it remains uncertain whether adaptation and further progress toward development goals will be possible at this level of climate change, the projected 4°C warming simply must not be allowed to occur—the heat must be turned down. Only early, cooperative, international actions can make that happen.

It is hard for me to imagine some of the changes we will face in my life time and I hope that we are smart enough to adapt and innovate.  Sometimes I find it all a bit overwhelming but I am sure that there is hope I just hope that we have the time to make the changes required to transition to a new way of life not dependent on fossil fuels.

What do you think?  
Does the subject of climate change keep you awake at night?

The Coal Seam Gas Debate

Over on ABC the 4 corners program aired a documentary on Coal Seam Gas a little while ago.

If you have not seen it you can watch it by clicking on the link below.  Having fought against a proposed sand mine in our community I  know how these people feel.  At least we were only fighting a private company and not a massive company.

ABC 4 Corners - Gas Leak

Surviving Progress

This documentary will be airing on ABC2 this Sunday night September 16th at 8.30pm.

It will be well worth turning the TV on for which is more than can be said for a lot of what is on TV.

Spreading the Word

I have seen this short You Tube clip on a number of other blogs and you may have already seen it too.

But on the off chance you have not seen this please click on the link below and take 12 minutes out of your day to watch it.

The Clip.

Climate Change

I am always astonished that there are still people out there who do not believe climate change is occurring, and more so than that, they do not believe that the human species has anything to do with it...
To me it seems to be a simple and logical equation.

Humans take away the things that help keep our climate stable (rainforest's, well really all kinds of forests) and humans add things that build up to change our climate (pollution, Co2 etc), humans maintain this pattern for a period of time without interruption and hey presto we change the climate.

Why are there still people out there that think we can just keep trashing the planet without there being consequences in the future?

Tackling climate change is such a big issue and because of this individuals often feel hopeless wondering how their individual contribution can really make any difference. 
What we forget is that great ideas and solutions throughout history have often been those of individuals.  People such as Galileo, Sir Isaac Newton and Alexander Graham Bell.  Some of these people had theories and ideas that were laughed at and dismissed at the time, but are things that changed the world as we know it.

Yesterday over at the greening of Gavin Gavin was talking about the craziness that is the Victorian governments proposed changes for planning laws.  It astounds me that these so called educated politicians are making decisions that are in no way supportive of moving towards a better future for us all, however these people are put in power by us so I think we need to choose more carefully.

We all have the opportunity to make climate change a topic of conversation with those around us.  To talk about it, read about it, write about it, ponder it over a cup of tea, heck every 4 years we even get to vote about it.

At the end of the day I cannot tell you what the answer is.  I am sure greater minds than mine have put far more effort into thinking and learning about the topic than me and so I will leave the education up to them.

But this is what I do know.

I know that ideas are like seeds.  You plant them and they grow but if you feed and nurture them they grow stronger and faster.
I know that the more something is spoken about the more widely accepted it becomes.
I know that I have the ability to do many small things that all add up to help create the type of world I want to live in.
And I believe that we all need to do our bit.  For some that might be protesting and lobbying governments,  or talking to their friends and families about what they can do, or it might be teaching others how to grow their own food.

Over all I believe that even if we take measures to tread more lightly on this earth, and we work towards a more environmentally friendly and sustainable way of living, we will never be worse off than if we do nothing.