"Cool It" puts more heat on the carbon tax debate

If you've seen Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth, you need to see Bjorn Lomborg's Cool It, the controversial documentary on climate change that challenges "the most terrifying film you will ever see" (tagline from An Inconvenient Truth, 2006) and presents smart solutions to global warming without the threats of impending doom and gloom which have become inextricably linked with discussions of the future state of our planet.

Lomborg is the founder of the Copenhagen Consensus Centre, a Danish think-tank that uses economic science to inform governments and the public on the most cost effective solutions to some of the world's largest problems. Cool It it based on the book of the same name in which Lomborg explores and controversially dismisses some of the main premises and supporting science behind the climate change debate with the assistance of an expert panel of scientists and economists (including three Nobel Laureates).

One of the main and most controversial findings in Lomborg's documentary is the ineffectiveness of carbon tax and cap-and-trade policies, which the expert panel highlights through a cost/benefit analysis in comparison with other proposed climate change solutions. For the $250 billion the US is proposing to spend annually on carbon taxes and trading the estimated benefit over the next 100 years would be a 0.05 degree drop in global temperatures. Alternatively, Lomborg and his experts propose that America could use the $250 billion more effectively to combat not only climate change but a range of world issues, as follows:

$100B — clean energy research
$  1B — research on geoengineering proposals
$ 30B — adapting coastlines for rising sea levels
$  6B — adapting inland waterways for rising sea levels
$ 12B — adapting cities by reducing heat island effects
$ 33B — to promote global health
$ 32B — to reduce hunger
$ 10B — to provide clean water and sanitation
$ 22B — for education

Not surprisingly one of the most promising solutions to climate change is the research and development of clean energy alternatives. So whilst putting a tax on carbon and inflating the cost of living is definitely an incentive for many of us to reduce our carbon emissions, the question is how can we realistically do this without affordable and sustainable green alternatives? And the answer is we can't! The documentary explores alternatives such a solar, wind and wave energy which are currently being researched but notably will require some substantial cash injections and government support if they are to ever become viable. 

Another interesting option Lomborg puts forward to lessen the impact of climate change are various types of 'adaptation'. For example, the urban 'heat island effect' which is becoming increasingly prevalent as our cities grow and the natural environment diminishes can be effectively combated with a simple coat of paint: "Hashem Akbari, a senior scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory who specializes in cost-effective methods of combating the effects of climate change in urban areas, has shown that by painting roofs white, covering asphalt roadways with concrete-colored surfaces and planting shade trees, local temperatures could be reduced by as much as 5 degrees Fahrenheit". This essentially means that with a one time outlay of $12 billion we could reduce temperatures more than global warming would increase them over the next 90 years. Lomborg does note that whilst 'adaptations' aren't long term solutions they will buy us time to get green energy up and running.

As both Gore and Lomborg state, climate change is real phenomenon and it is one which we as humans have created and subsequently need to be held responsible for. Whilst the proposed solutions are many and varied, I think at least one thing is clear, for any real change to occur the public needs access to more information. As the old adage goes "knowledge is power" and this knowledge could potentially give us the power to change the world, for the better. So if you have the opportunity, watch An Inconvenient Truth, watch Cool It, read the proposed carbon tax legislation, get informed, ask questions and demand answers. This planet belongs to all of us and we all need the knowledge of how to take care of it not only for ourselves but for the future generations.

Shopping Ethically: let your $$$ do the talking

iPhone App of the Week

I have no qualms in admitting I'm aesthetically motivated. I'm a marketer's dream, put the right packaging in front of me and I'm sold! Although as I've grown older and wiser my tastes have changed, I'm not so drawn to the shiny and new as I am the recycled and pre-loved. Wrap it in brown paper, give it a green tick and I'll take two, thank you very much. Don't worry, I'm not so naive as to assume that the increasing amount of environmentally friendly packaging isn't a clever marketing ploy in itself. After all, being green is becoming quite fashionable and with popularity comes profit but in this case is that really such a bad thing? As long as these companies are living up to their labels I'm happy for them to continue conjuring up environmentally friendly connotations of their products until the polar ice caps melt.

So it should come as no surprise that whilst updating the apps on my phone today, the above icon for the "App of the Week" caught my eye. Without delving too much into the semiotic analysis: brown paper (tick), green tick (double tick) and the word "ethical" (ding, ding, ding, we have a winner!), my somewhat superficial aesthetic compulsions led me to a particularly beautiful discovery being the Shop Ethical! App, which as you've probably already guessed, I purchased today.

Shop Ethical! allows you to vote for sustainable and ethical production with your hard earned dollars. The app gives a run down of the environmental and social record of the companies behind the products we're buying in the supermarket, allowing the consumer to make informed choices and find ethical alternatives to brands that aren't up to scratch. There are over 2,800 products listed (using supporting data from the Ethical Consumer Guide Database) in a format that is quick and easy to navigate and understand. So now I can find all the environmentally friendly and sustainable products with or without the brown paper wrapping... love it! 

The Right to Choice: in life and in death

I am not well equipped to deal with death and I am not alone. I am well aware that I (along with many others) have a false sense of indestructibility, a sense which not only denies the certainty of my own mortality but also that of the people who surround me. When death comes it is shocking and unbelievable. It is completely incomprehensible that at any moment my life or the life of somebody I love could be taken away. Even the act of writing about it seems morbid and unnecessary. "What happened to the 'glad game'?" you're saying, "let's get back to the random acts of kindness and smiles and happiness", and as I'm writing this I'm fighting the urge to do exactly that. The reason I will continue to fight that urge (for today at least) is a documentary I saw yesterday at the Sydney Film Festival which has left me contemplating death, not in a morbid or depressing way, but as it applies to life and the choices we have when that life is coming to an end.

Winner of the documentary category at this years Sundance Film Festival, 'How to Die in Oregon' is a powerful and moving exploration of the legalisation of doctor-assisted death for terminally ill patients in the State of Oregon, USA. The law which was enacted in 1997, was passed on the grounds that it was not doctor administered euthanasia (which is a physician delivered lethal injection) but rather a self-administered medication taken by physically able (although terminally diagnosed) and mentally fit patients. The film documented the final journey of several patients who had chosen to utilise the Death with Dignity Act, providing them the ability to obtain a prescription of lethal medications from a physician for voluntary self-administration if and when they chose.

Physician or family assisted death is understandably a very controversial ethical and medical debate, the fight for survival is strong in all of us and the voluntary ending of life is incomprehensible to many but  I think one of the most poignant points that each of the patients made when posed with opposition from people who disagree with the Act was that "I am not choosing death. I am simply exercising my right to die with dignity". Given the choice, each and every one of them would have chosen life but as untreatable patients of cancer and other degenerative illnesses, death had already chosen them. And we aren't talking about the type of death where you quietly and painlessly slip away in your sleep, these people were facing long, painful and humiliating declines in which they would suffer greatly for months, slowly losing control of their bodily functions and all quality of life. It is worth noting that not all patients in the documentary ended their lives using the medication, for some it was more for peace of mind than for actual use. And for those who did self-administer the medication, they did so after much counselling and consultation with physicians and social workers, and only at the point when the pain and suffering had become too much to continue on.

Not surprisingly their stories moved me to tears on more than one occasion. Watching those people and their families coming to terms with their fast approaching mortality was extremely confronting. It left me contemplating my own life and health with extreme gratitude as well as how I would handle such a situation if it were me or my friends or family. I pray that I will never find myself or someone I love in their shoes but the fact is that there are many people facing terminal illness every day and in Australia we are not provided the legal right to die with dignity. Whilst I understand that many people for religious or other reasons are opposed to such an option I strongly believe that each and every individual should have the right to make that choice for themselves. Article Five of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that: ''No one shall be subjected to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment" and I believe the right for a death with dignity falls into that category. Apparently I am not alone in my thoughts on the subject, with 85% of Australians believing in the right of the terminally ill to obtain medical assistance to end their lives, but still it is not legislated.

If you respect the right to choose please visit these websites to find out more and support the legislation of the human right to die with dignity in Australia:

Your Last Right
Death With Dignity NSW

World Oceans Day: Fishing for a Future

The ocean is my "happy place"; a powerful presence in my life from a young age, it never ceases to soothe me and wash away the troubles of the terrestrial world. I was fortunate enough to grow up by (and largely in) the ocean, my classroom was the waters of the warm Pacific and my education was one of  respect and reverence. I never grew out of my connection with the ocean, the smell of salty sea air still fills my heart with childish delight and when I have the opportunity to submerge my body in the beautiful blue, I am free, bound to the surface only by lack of gills: "when I grow up I want to be a mermaid".

Today is World Oceans Day, a day to celebrate and promote the conservation of the magnificent bodies of water that make up over seventy percent of our planet. Whilst not everybody has a strong personal connection with the ocean, many can't escape it's appeal as a food source, with one billion of the population relying on it as an important source of protein. However as we are all too slowly learning, with mass consumption comes equally massive impacts to our environment. In the 60 odd years since commercial fishing began on a mass scale and increasing technology made it virtually impossible for any fish (turtle, dolphin, shark, whale) to escape our nets we have depleted our ocean's large fish stocks by 90 percent. The bluefin tuna that so many of us have eagerly snapped up off the sashimi plate is now an endangered species and if you think that's disappointing, how about the prediction of the end of seafood by 2048 (if we keep fishing at this rate)? Not to mention the fact that disharmony in the ocean will undoubtedly lead to other serious environmental problems, taking into consideration 50-70 percent of the oxygen we breathe comes from the ocean.

What's most troubling about all this is that unlike other environmental problems, this one is fairly easy to solve. If we cut back and regulate world fishing practices these ocean species will replenish themselves and we can continue to enjoy the fishy fruits of the ocean for many generations to come. Unfortunately though, the change needs to happen now and the governments and fishing industries are not heeding the call. We as consumers and guardians of the planet need to put pressure on the fishing industries and governments to implement sustainable practices before it is too late. We also need to push for increased ocean reserves (no fishing zones) which currently sit at less than one percent!

Ok so what can we do? Firstly, get informed! I highly recommend watching The End of the Line, an insightful documentary revealing the impact of overfishing on our oceans:

 But if you want to skip straight to the solution:

1. Eat only sustainable seafood: ask where your fish comes from and how it was caught.
2. Tell politicians: respect the science and cut the fishing fleet.
3. Join the campaign for marine protected areas and responsible fishing.

For further info and to join the campaign visit:

The End of the Line
One World One Ocean