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3(a) 3.1    Australian Governments' options for Carbon Reduction Initiatives

1.         Come clean why the 'Goal Posts' have recently been moved - the playing field is now East/West and no longer North/South: 

In order to maximise support from Australians, our governments should overtly acknowledge why Australians are now being encouraged to abandon indulgent materialistic habits which burn excessive CO2 that most of us have thought to be normal Lifestyle Behaviour as it signified a high standard of living.  With the playing field running 'North South', the team running from the Northern end called Economic Materialism was annihilating the team running from the Southern end called 'Ecological Atmosphere', whereupon the 'Goal Posts' had to be swung 90^o to hopefully create a holding pattern, so Ecological Atmosphere wasn't running uphill against Economic Materialism.

A drastic about face at the outset of the 21^st century by government and responsible industry will be because the 5th Guidance Influence has previously been allowed a free reign due to the economy and fiscal pools having benefited from encouraging Economic Materialism.  However, the magnitude of Fifteen Problems, most notably Climate Change, means that Governments, relying on the Traditional Role of Democratic Government, now need to assist Australians to Materially Alter Lifestyle for the medium term economic performance of the planet and QOL of future generations.

Hopefully, rather than a continuing predominance of the 5th Guidance Influence extolling us all to buy the latest, fastest, most powerful, with all the latest bells 'n whistles etc, governments, industry and preachers of the Five Major Religions (Point 9 below) need to proffer the message that moderation is necessary, namely the old, smaller, slower, well-worn has usually developed character and is generally cheaper than shelling-out for a new one with more bells 'n whistles that we often don't even have time to play with. And that, if it ain’t broke, and doesn’t blow the Average Australian's Target Carbon Footprint, why replace it?  The slogan on the European Commissions "You Control Climate Change" website is "Turn Down. Switch Off. Recycle. Walk. Change".

In order for First World Countries to maximise their chance of encouraging Second and Third World Countries to not similarly gorge limited remaining Fossil Fuels, governments of First World Countries need to encourage their constituents to implement a Local Community Healthy Lifestyle which they will only adopt if it is appealing to them.  Hence the need for YELP to Compete For Market Share where Recreational Exercise Activity Is Fun & Addictive.

2.         Encourage a perspective of life on Earth: 

Australian governments could encourage Australians to hold a view of life that is –

(i)         Holistic by recognising the interdependence of different facets of Lifestyle Behaviour on GNP, QOL and inter alia the Fifteen Problems;

(ii)        Precautionary of the magnitude of effect of humans’ intervention;

(iii)       Caring for our fellow man both present inhabitants and generations to follow ie. preserving some Fossil Fuels for our grandkids' grandkids when CCS may/might be developed; and

(iv)       Adaptive to change to safeguard future generations. 

Government could remind Australians that –

(a)        our visit to Earth is short - modern man migrated from Africa 60,000 circa years ago;

(b)        we need to ensure that inhabitants leave our planet in the same or better ecological condition than they found it; and

(c)        we are obligated to the billions of Earth’s inhabitants who preceded us to leave sufficient Fossil Fuels for future inhabitants who may be able to burn them leaving materially fewer GHGs possibly due to improved Carbon Capture And Storage.

3.         Economic modelling written with Project Development Expertise to measure Australians Carbon Footprint and the economic cost upon Australia of Climate Change:  

Infrastructure companies such as BHP Billiton, Leighton Holdings, the major accounting firms, Mercer Consulting, the major Project Finance Arrangers such as Macquarie Bank, Investec, ABN AMRO and the Four Pillar Banks each possess highly skilled financial modellers.  Measuring which activities are more carbon creating and the associated financial cost is fundamental to reducing Climate Change.  We know that large sections of agricultural land that was prime farmland 50 years ago is no longer farmable due to Climate Change. 

Garnaut Climate Change Review - Simulation of climate change impacts on livestock carrying capacity and production - June 2008 forecasts a further deterioration.

Economic modelling will likely reveal that many Renewable Energy sources are already cheaper than the 'Gross Cost' of coal fired power stations.  Australia is exporting natural gas that could fuel our motor vehicles leaving a materially lower Personal Carbon Footprint.  Professor Garnaut and the Australian Greenhouse 'et al' are making material in-roads to model the above.

4.          Encourage personal ownership of Climate Change: 

Australian Government should engender community involvement which encourages each Australian to –

5.        Fourth Business Plan - Project "Aussie Green Team" Accreditation: 

Draw upon the unique qualities of Australian's love for sport and caring for your fellow team members, coupled with the enormous scope and database delivery power of the internet, to enable and enthuse sport lovers to declare their hand and thereby take personal carriage for Climate Change as “My Problem” and not somebody else’s problem.  Project "Aussie Green Team" Accreditation can draw upon the community power of sport to unify 75,000 circa Australian Sports Clubs (drawn from Australians aged 15 years and older) and Recreational Exercise Groups circa, collectively Australian Sporting Teams, to -

(a)        immediately reduce Australia's Carbon Footprint; and

(b)        provide a robust mandate to our Governments to "make the tough calls" because our environment is vital for not only present generations but our great grand kids' great grand kids.

Tap into a trait which Australians are renowned for the world over to galvanise the majority, say 2,100,000 of Australia's +11 million active sports and recreational participants, to want to -

(i)          live a Local Community Healthy Lifestyle;

(ii)         understand their Personal Carbon Footprint and its Primary Energy Carbon Contributors;

(iii)        'Declare' their Personal Carbon Footprint on a Register Of Green Australia Sporting Teams [on an accredited dedicated National Website(s)] seeking to attain the Average Australian's Target Carbon Footprint;

(iv)        'Pledge', via an 'Internet Attestation' to live by Ten Green Commandments to thereby leave a Personal Carbon Footprint which meets the Average Australian's Target Carbon Footprint; and

(v)         thereby provide a demonstrable mandate to all Australian Governments to "make the tough calls" to reduce Australia's Carbon Footprint which on a per capita basis is high amongst First World Countries due to our dependence on plentiful black and brown coal.

6.        Recreational Exercise Activities - YELP 'Hub' Holistic First Business Plan: 

As espoused in the YELP Holistic First Business Plan, Governments will benefit from invoking the Preventive Health benefits encompassed within the 6th Guidance Influence and provide RECs who possess Eleven Sports Administration Attributes utilising Twelve Low Cost Propagation Initiatives, to assist fellow Australians to commence a REA in a LDREG under the Optimum, Uniform Delivery Model within a LCCBSG to -
(i)         live a Local Community Healthy Lifestyle;
(ii)        instil a higher regard for our environment which inter alia fosters a Sense Of Community;
(iii)       enhance QOL;
(iv)       reduce focus on Economic Materialism; and
(v)        reduce their Personal Carbon Footprint,
to collectively Achieve Eleven Benefits of Materially Altered Lifestyle.

7.        Rainforests are a valuable investment: 

Notwithstanding that the majority of photosynthesis occurs on the surface of the oceans of the world via plankton 'et al', the Australian government, via the United Nations, when necessary, should offer Carbon Reduction Inducements to Second World Countries and Third World Countries which have rainforests to reduce tropical deforestation which is responsible for about 20% of total annual GHGs, rendering it second only to burning Fossil Fuels in terms of Climate Change.  Forests play an integral role in regulating global temperatures by absorbing heat-trapping CO2 from the atmosphere and storing the C in their cell walls and releasing some of the O2.  Earth loses more than 18 million acres of forestland every year—an area larger than Ireland—according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).  Incentives to curb deforestation needed to counter climate change.

8.         Birth control: 

Each human leaves a Carbon Footprint.  The Australian government, via the United Nations, when necessary, should offer inducements to Second and Third World Countries to reduce population growth and should support prudent size families in Australia which is generally occurs in any case.  In 1979 China introduced a one child policy which has reduced China's population by 400,000,000 Chinese, albeit under critics from human right's organisations.  India, Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan, Bangladesh etc similarly need to encourage birth control.  Ross Gittens favours Australia similarly reducing immigration in "Hitting the 'non-existent' limit"

9.         Cite religious preaching's which extol moderation: 

Governments and religious preachers could cite dogma and teachings from the Five Major Religions which extol a life of moderation - lifestyle doctrine which have largely been ignored by both preachers and their brethren.

Religion is a dominant influence over the 6.65 billion inhabitants of Earth.  No where in the teachings of Christianity, the Muslim Cooran of Islam, Judaism, Hinduism or Buddhism are we encouraged towards Economic Materialism.  In fact, most of these religions, in particular, Buddhism profess the opposite, namely to be content with not having a lot and acceptance of the good and the bad in life.  However, religious preachers have ignored their own dogma in not overtly speaking out against Multi-Nationals which patently encourage cupidity for their own benefit, albeit the Catholic Church has recently added "avoiding greed" to its initial Ten Commandments.

Snapshot of the Five Major Religions guidance and teachings on greed and materialism.

A nationwide telephone poll of 10,689 voters in a Nov 2004 conducted by Zogby International for the Catholic peace group Pax Christi, with a margin of error of plus or minus 1%, revealed that -

*           33% of voters said the nation's most urgent moral problem was "greed and materialism"; and

*           31% said it was "poverty and economic justice."

Just as religious fanatics, when it has suited them, have seized upon specific sections of the Old Testament and the Cooran to encourage violence, governments could research (with theologians) the teachings of the Five Major Religions which extol acceptance and moderation.  Whereupon in order to arrest Climate Change and the Other Fourteen Problems, both governments and preachers from their pulpits and in the media, could cite religious teachings which –

(i)         discourage material greed and extravagance;

(ii)        encourage a life of moderation; and

(ii)        instil concern for our fellow man, both present and future generations, by not gouging limited energy resources and further damaging our atmosphere.

10.       Carbon taxes: 

Governments will introduce both explicit  Individual Carbon Taxes and Industry Carbon Taxes on finite 'Energy Resources' which are –

(a)       commensurate with the Carbon Footprint; and

(b)       levied on a user-pay basis.  

11.       Politicians must lead by example: 

Each Australian politician which advocates remedial Climate Change should log on an Carbon Footprint Register on the Federal Department of Climate Change website or each State's Climate Change website –

(i)         their individual Carbon Footprint; and

(ii)        their individual 'Target 12 Months Carbon Footprint' and 'Target 5 Year Carbon Footprint'.

12.       Further subsidise public transport:

Australian governments should reduce the fares on public transport, or in a few instances make public transport free (eliminating the existing administrative cost of public transport') to reduce private vehicle transport trips.  Compensating fare revenues should primarily be sourced from carbon producing behaviours.  Communal regions with inadequate public transport will need to be better supported.  On the flip side, private buses which are forced to maintain patently uneconomic services should be relieved of such uneconomic obligations which create CO2.