"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

Can you afford to "Live Below the Line"?

"Poverty is the worst form of violence" - Mahatma Gandi
 
For those as fortunate as myself, Sundays are a glorious time of the week. Today was especially so; I stayed in bed late, ate all my favourite foods (ok, not ALL, I have a lot), strolled in the sunshine, talked and laughed with the people I love, sipped margaritas at sunset by the beach and to top it all off I was gifted a gorgeous bunch of flowers from one of my most favourite people (thank you!!). However between the sleeping, strolling, tequila and talking I must confess I was having a severe battle of the conscience. And here's why...

I heard about this campaign yesterday and went online this morning to see what it was all about. As soon as I watched this video I immediately wanted to jump up and shout "Hell yes! I'm in Hugh! Sign me up! Send me the t-shirt! I'm your girl". For a good five minutes I thought, without question I can make the small sacrifice and eat for $2 a day ($1.50 was the American equivalent) for five days to help raise awareness for world poverty. My social conscience was already mentally putting up the banners and streamers for anti-poverty party week and then the bubble burst, I came out of my "do-gooder" induced hyperactivity for a moment and stopped to think.

The Live Below the Line challenge begins tomorrow, so first of all I'm a little behind the eight ball for registration and fundraising. But secondly and slightly more significantly, I have two huge uni assessments due this Friday, I have a 40 hour work week and just to keep it interesting I've been battling some form of cold/flu/virus for the past couple of weeks, which I just can't seem to shake. So I sat myself down and I said, "Rachel, given all of the above factors, do you really think this week is a good time to potentially deprive yourself of nutrition and energy for a boat which has practically set sail?". I found the answer to be depressingly ironic, "I can't afford to live BELOW the poverty line", at least not this week anyway. This was the sensible choice and at that moment I thought about how ridiculously privileged I was to be able to make it. There are 1.4 billion people on the planet who do not have that privilege. Those people live on the equivalent of $2 a day and for them that is not just for food, that is for EVERYTHING.

So in between all the glory that was my Sunday as mentioned above, I kept experiencing those occasional moments of inner turmoil that only come from a battle of the conscience: "Will I? Won't I? Of course you can! You can't afford to! Make a sacrifice!", and back and forth it went. Finally this evening I sat down and decided I needed to make peace with myself and this is what I came up with...

Firstly I would like to convey my support to all those beautiful, amazing, generous people who have taken the pledge, raised money and will for the next five days sacrifice one of my favourite comforts: food. Secondly I would like to express my overwhelming gratitude for the all the comforts and luxuries I was privileged to today (and every day), that I often take for granted. I am so extremely fortunate to live in a country and in a manner which affords me the choice to say, "No, I will not live below the poverty line". Thirdly in a gesture of support I have sponsored five people, one for each day of the challenge in which I will not be taking part. And lastly, as a symbolic gesture and to quiet my conscience I've decided to give up some of my favourite comforts this week: coffee, sugar and wine. It's not much but sometimes making a little sacrifice helps us to stop, contemplate and appreciate the things for which we are so fortunate that we often take for granted.

For anybody interested in finding out more about global poverty, joining the challenge or supporting those taking part please visit http://www.livebelowtheline.com.au/.

Living the good life

 

Introducing my new essential items for "living the GOOD life"! 

I'm pleased to announce the nasty, disposable drink bottle(s) littering my handbag, car and eventually the PLANET have now been replaced with one shiny, new, stainless steel bottle which is not only environmentally friendly but also looks better, makes my water taste better (more like water, less like plastic) and is overall a healthier choice. The second item which has been getting a daily work out is my super practical (oh I am getting old aren't I?!) environmentally friendly, fabric bag which zips up inside itself so I now always have one at the ready in my handbag. I'm generally good at refusing (see The REFUSE Pledge) plastic bags, especially when making small purchases, but my spontaneous grocery shops were becoming a plastic bag party because I never had my bulky, fabric bags with me when I needed them. However, I'm happy to report that since purchasing my fabric zip bag I have politely refused every plastic bag offered to me this week.

And last but definitely not least are the beautiful "Kindness Cards" that arrived in the mail from Wake Up Sydney this week. The idea being that when you perform an act of kindness you pass the card on and ask that person to continue the kindess:

"Do something kind and leave this card behind to keep the ripple going."

A tribute to my greatest teacher

 

"We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude" - Cynthia Ozick

I have had many teachers along the way; some loveable and infinitely memorable, whilst others I would prefer to forget. They weren't always in the classroom and many who have made the biggest impact on my life have never held a teaching degree. Their ages range from eighteen months to 104 years and they have come in many forms: strangers, friends, family, work colleagues, even animals. I didn't always like the lessons they had to teach but in hindsight I now see they were invaluable and I would like to take this opportunity to express my boundless gratitude to all of them.

There is one however, that shines far brighter the rest and whom I would especially like to pay tribute to today. Whilst she might not be aware of it, she is the inspiration for me embarking on this journey of the social conscience, and the reason for this is twofold: firstly because she gave birth to me and without her I would not even be here today; but secondly, because she has been my most influential role model, teacher and guide in matters of love, compassion, generosity and kindness.  She above all others is the one who has instilled and inspired in me a strong desire to be good and do good and for that I will be eternally grateful.

Now I know I am slightly biased in my praise and admiration of her but I'm sure there are many others who would join me in celebrating her beautiful humanity and infectious spirit. She taught me many lessons, some spoken: "treat others the way you would want to be treated" and "play the 'glad game'"; others unspoken, such as how to look for and find the good in the world and to show kindness and compassion, leading by example. Her empathy is limitless, she shares in the joys and sorrows of anybody and everybody who touches her life, with many tears and I would hope even more laughter. She has a passion for little people and I am so proud that she now makes a living out of working in the classroom as a teacher's aide, instilling all the most important lessons in the future generations. Her enthusiasm, passion, kindness and compassion are infectious and I am so happy and grateful that she continues to spread her gifts among the many little people who are lucky enough to pass through her classroom. If everybody grew up with a little bit of Mrs Banks in their lives, the world would be an immeasurably better place.

I would like to share one example of her humanity and generous spirit that particularly stands out in my mind. Firstly I need to frame this story by saying my mother has an obsession with long hair. She has always had beautiful, golden, long hair (and probably always will) and during my childhood any suggestion of my sister or I getting our hair cut was met with unbridled shock and horror: "You have such beautiful, long hair, why would you want to cut it off??!!".

It was a couple of years ago when my mother was working in the school library, I remember her coming home and telling me about a beautiful little girl in the lower primary school who had started losing her hair. They eventually discovered that she had a rare condition and whilst it wasn't life threatening, it meant that she would lose all her hair, permanently. Mum was very distressed, not because of her love of hair but because this beautiful little person (whom she only knew from library visits) might suffer taunts and trauma during some of her most formative years as a result of this hair loss.

Less than a week later I remember Mum coming home and telling me she was going to cut off her hair, to which I immediately responded: "But you have such beautiful, long hair, why would you want to cut it off??!!". I can tell you now the reasons were her empathy, compassion, generosity and kindness: the little girl needed a wig, the cost was great and the wait was long so my Mum had decided she would donate her own hair. As it turns out they could only use uncoloured hair so in the end she got to keep her long, golden locks but I think the gesture of offering speaks just as loudly as the act itself.

I love you Mum. Thank you for teaching me the most important and valuable lessons in life. I am so proud to be your daughter. Happy Mother's Day x