News from the Secretary, December 2008
Submitted by David Shearman on Thu, 25/12/2008 - 16:09.
News about DEA
In a week when the World Meteorological Office (WMO) reported that 2008 was the tenth warmest since records began in 1850 and global temperatures for 2000-2008 stood almost 0.2 °C warmer than the average for the decade 1990–1999, the WMO said "The industrialised world must cut its emissions by at least 40 per cent by 2020 if we are to avoid catastrophic climate change”. The Australian government set a target of 5 percent reduction In the Carbon Reduction Pollution Scheme (CRPS)—called an Emissions trading scheme (ETS) in other countries. Industry and the Opposition claimed this proposal was too much or too soon or both. Certainly it was not an auspicious week for the most wealthy and stable country in the world and the biggest per capita emitter. And it was a bitter disappointment to those who understand the implications of climate change. There is more comment in the article below
Comparing Australia’s targets to those of Europe for 2020 (20 percent renewable energy, 20 energy savings, and 20 emissions reduction from1990 levels) the government has claimed that Australia will reduce emissions per capita more than Europe. Tim Colebatch in The Age www.theage.com.au/opinion/rudds-defence-of-target-contains-some-telling-omissions-20081216-6zwa.html exposes this claim in relation to population growth and the fact that Australia already emits two and a half times as much carbon dioxide per capita than Europe. Australia should be able to pick the low cherries in carbon reduction that Europe has already achieved. Furthermore as pointed out by the Australia Institute www.tai.org.au/ unless the CPRS is modified the impact of the solar 2020 scheme will be negated.
The community has worked very hard to press the government for action. What has been achieved? Perhaps only a CPRS one year prior to the previous Government’s proposal. Indeed the outcome may not be materially different.
Perhaps the biggest failure that we have to endure is the failure of leadership As Robyn Eckersley wrote in The Age “The targets are weak not only in terms of well-understood scientific requirements but also the moral and legal requirements of leadership under the climate regime...... Leadership surely means showing the way by going first, inspiring others and, as an affluent country, observing the burden-sharing principles of the climate change regime by performing relatively more of the heavy lifting. It does not mean waiting to see what others will do before taking concerted action. Nor does it mean postponing concerted action until substantial commitments are made from countries in which millions of people live below the poverty line”.
As indicated in the previous newsletter we have written to all members and senators on the issue of renewable energy and the CPRS. Recently we have sent additional letters to all members of cabinet. We have published on the issue in the weekend Australian www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24751826-23289,00.html
Before proceeding further we have to ask ourselves what we believe to be the reason for the government’s failure. There are two factors, the lobbying power and threats from the big polluters who have now received a low target and large financial handouts, and the failure of understanding of the implications of climate change by the government. The latter is possibly the reason why the polluters prevailed. In determining our focus of activity for 2009, we cannot mix it with the polluters for we do not have the resources, but we can intensify our contact with our representatives. We expect to write to you further with our proposals.
A confluence of concerns for DEA and MAPW
The following matters will be on interest to members
MAPW President Dr Sue Wareham today has written to climate minister Penny Wong, asking her to take stronger action to reduce
The Prime Minister has initiated a Federal Parliamentary Inquiry into Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament, to examine the set of international nuclear treaties involving
An important study about the French nuclear industry has been published. Claims about nuclear energy's credentials for climate protection and energy independence in particular are exposed as myths.
”http://www.greens-efa.org/cms/pressreleases/dok/260/260411.nuclear_energy_in_france@en.htm
Good news section
Climate change, growing food and health. This article was published on our website in September. http://www.dea.org.au/columns?page=1&zebra The Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program has been running in
Our new educational poster
This poster, “Less Drive Time, More Alive Time” is now displayed on <a href=”http://www.dea.org.au”>www.dea.org.au</a> In the November GP Review it was foreshadowed that the poster would be distributed with the December copy of Australian Family Physician.ou should have receied thsi copy So please make sure it doesn’t go out with the wrapper. To those members of DEA who are not RACGP members you can down-load the poster or email me at mountlofty@ozemail.com.au to be sent one or more copies. When you email me please indicate whether you would like further copies of the other posters on display on the web site.
The aim of the posters is to link important health messages, lifestyle and reduction of green house emissions and to display these in waiting rooms and hospital notice boards. You may also consider displaying the explanatory text to accompany the posters, which can be downloaded from the DEA web site.
A useful publication
His a very practical educational (for your patients) document on the environmental causes of cancer produced by the Canadian Cancer Society
http://www.cancer.ca/Canada-wide/Prevention/~/media/CCS/Canada%20wide/Files%20List/English%20files%20heading/pdf%20not%20in%
20publications%20section/Environment%20Cancer%20You%20Nov08%20EN.ashx