How we can affect our climate change future? At Geelong Sustainability’s Clever Living Seminar on 3 March 2020 at the Geelong Library, David Spear, CEO of GreenLight, and Gene Blackley, director of Drawdown Australia presented their answers to that question. It took them more than two hours to do this, and yet this was just an initial invitation as they reached out to the 140 people in the audience, encouraging everyone to get engaged and actively involved in local community work to help reverse global warming.
As a leader for Project Drawdown in Australia, Gene Blackley promotes an inspiring vision for a thriving economy and society in our future negative-carbon world, by embracing the extraordinary opportunities for Australia to be an economic superpower with a renewable-powered circular economy.
Drawdown offers cost effective, existing, proven solutions to addressing climate change. If most of these were taken up, we could get to zero emissions and make a better world at the same time.
Gene Blackley is a strong advocate for regeneration of a socially equitable and environmentally sustainable world. Australia is incredibly well positioned to thrive from embracing and addressing the challenges of our climate and ecological emergency.
David Spear is a member of Geelong Sustainability and the Executive Officer of Geelong Sustainability’s brand new social enterprise called GreenLight. He was MC’ing the Geelong Library for the first Clever Living seminar for 2020, titled ‘Drawdown – The most comprehensive plan ever proposed to reverse global warming’.
Update: Presentation of a new, revised Drawdown book
Geelong residents have another chance to hear this truly inspirational presenter, Gene Blackley from Drawdown Australia, when he is presenting on the revised Drawdown 100 Solutions to reverse global warming, which were only released on 3 March this week.
Where: Sustainable Living Festival at Deakin Waterfront, Geelong
Time: 2:45-3:15pm this Sunday 8 March 2020
About GreenLight
GreenLight offers a range of sustainability services, with the aim of providing financial support enabling Geelong Sustainability’s ongoing work – which is a registered charity and not for profit organisation.
The services GreenLight currently provide include:
● Victorian Residential Efficiency Scorecard (VRES) assessments
● Independent solar feasibility assessments
● Community Owned Renewable Energy (CORE) projects
● Solar panel, battery storage, heat pump regional ‘bulk buy’ programs
They have plans for a range of other sustainability and sustainability support services to be rolled out over the next 12 months.
→ Find more information on www.greenlight.org.au
→ Link up to Greenlight’s Facebook page
Exponential Roadmap
The 2019 Exponential Roadmap covers how to accelerate the 36 solutions required to slash greenhouse gas emissions 50% by 2030.
The Meeting the 1.5°C Climate Ambition report makes the case for action sooner rather than later
Mission Possible:
REACHING NET-ZERO CARBON EMISSIONS
REACHING NET-ZERO CARBON EMISSIONS FROM HARDER-TO-ABATE SECTORS BY MID-CENTURY
“Reaching net-zero carbon emissions from heavy industry and heavy-duty transport sectors is technically and financially possible by mid-century – 2050 in developed countries and 2060 in developing countries.
The report Mission Possible: Reaching net-zero carbon emissions from harder-to-abate sectors by mid-century outlines the possible routes to fully decarbonize cement, steel, plastics, trucking, shipping and aviation – which together represent 30% of energy emissions today and could increase to 60% by mid-century as other sectors lower their emissions.
The “Mission Possible” report was developed with contributions from over 200 industry experts over a six-month consultation process. Its findings show that full decarbonization is technically feasible with technologies that already exist, although several still need further investment to reach commercial readiness.
The total cost to the global economy would be less than 0.5% of GDP by mid-century and could be reduced even further by improving energy efficiency, by making better use of carbon-intensive materials (through greater materials efficiency and recycling) and by limiting demand growth for carbon-intensive transport (through greater logistics efficiency and modal shift). The report shows that this would have only a minor impact on the cost of end consumer products.
The “Mission Possible” report concludes that the most challenging sectors to decarbonize are plastics, due to end-of-life emissions, cement, due to process emissions, and shipping because of the high cost of decarbonization and the fragmented structure of the industry.
The Energy Transitions Commission supports the objective of limiting global warming ideally to 1.5°C and, at the very least, to well below 2°C. In the wake of the IPCC’s urgent call for action, the “Mission Possible” report sends a clear signal to policymakers, investors and businesses: full decarbonization is possible, making ambitious climate objectives achievable.”
→ www.energy-transitions.org/mission-possible
Find your role in reversing global warming
Its time to consider – or reconsider – the role you can play in reversing global warming. “When we come together as a human family, anything and everything is possible,” writes Pachamama Alliance, who offers three online seminars based on the research of Drawdown Project.
In Reversing Global Warming, Pachamama Alliance’s free, 90-minute, on-demand online course, you will discover both the possibility of reversing global warming and the important role you can play in that process. Sign up to get involved in the growing movement to reverse global warming.
→ www.pachamama.org/engage/drawdown
IN THE NEWS: Telecompany goes carbon neutral
“This sport is about cooperation rather than competition”
“The Climate Ambition that Telstra announced today may well become the single biggest inflection point in the decarbonisation of the Australian economy, dwarfing anything I have seen in my time in the sector.”
Ben Burge – about Telstra’s new role in the climate emergency
Ben Burge is Executive Director at Telstra. In 2010-2016, he was Chief Executive at Meridian Energy, and in 2012-2016, he was Chief Executive at Powershop.
Telstra CEO Andrew Penn announces the three key goals for the organisation including going carbon neutral this year. “We have a responsibility to act on climate change and the time for action is now.”
“Carbon neutral from this year, enabling 100% renewable energy by 2025, and reducing absolute emissions 50% by 2030 – we’re acting on climate change”
Telstra News
→ Read David Spear’s presentations