Our guests in The Sustainable Hour on World Water Day on 22 March 2017 are: Ernesto Sanchez, worm farmer and permaculture enthusiast, Taryn Lane from Hepburn Wind who runs a community-funded hydro project, and Steve Posselt who is a water engineer and talks on “our waterways as sponges, not drains”.
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Content of this hour
Links, excerpts and more information about what we talked about in this Sustainable Hour
Water is life. We need water to grow food, and to survive. However, too much of it can be dangerous and even deadly. The flash floods like we see them every year somewhere in Australia are killing people. The warming of our ocean waters kills coral reefs and mangroves.
It is barely possible to talk about climate change without mentioning the water changes – too much or too little rain, sea level rise, melting ice in the Arctic, and so on.
The Victorian Government writes about the impact of climate change that we will see less of the rain in the years to come:
“It is predicted that southern Australia on average will have less rain and also more storms. Southern Australia will have significant problems with water. Besides having less rain, there will be more evaporation. The rain may be less evenly spread throughout the year and when it does come down in big storms it has less chance of soaking into the ground. Australia’s southwest and southeast including the Murray-Darling Basin already have serious water management issues with continuing drought. These areas seem to be very vulnerable to future climate change.”
» Source: www.epa.vic.gov.au
What Ernesto Sanchez talks about in The Sustainable Hour today is that water is not our enemy – we need to learn how to work with the water, not against it.
Permaculture is a word originally coined by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in the mid 1970’s to describe an “integrated, evolving system of perennial or self-perpetuating plant and animal species useful to man.”
» Read more about Ernesto’s work with Permaculture on www.geelongworms.com/our-permaculture.html
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“Bill Mollison was one of the only people, along with David Holmgren, to have been able to give the normally very depressing question of ‘how is humanity going to avoid killing ourselves and the planet?’ an answer that is practical, proven, and yields a lifestyle not of restriction and po-faced misery, but of abundance, health, happiness and fun for all.”
~ Hugo the Poet
Tribute song to Bill Mollison
Bill Mollison passed away in September 2016. Along with Hugo the Poet, the Australian permaculture-punk-funk-fusion-band the Formidable Vegetable Sound System have created a tribute to Bill Mollison with their song ‘Trees eat us all’, filled with many of his cracking one-liners.
» Read more in www.pipmagazine.com.au
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Taryn Lane
Hepburn Wind is crowdfunding to reboot a historic micro-hydro station at Lake Daylesford. In 2016, Hepburn Wind installed an electric car power station at Daylesford.
A short term zero emissions target for Hepburn Shire is “absolutely doable”, Taryn Lane told The Courier
“Hepburn actually used to own its own power generating sources. We used to have our own generator in the main street of Daylesford [and] we used to have our own hydro station down at the lake. So for people it was quite an obvious step that we might be able to take back the power so to speak.”
Sebastian Klein, mayor of Hepburn Shire
» The Guardian – 15 March 2017:
Renewables roadshow: how Daylesford’s windfarm took back the power
“In the first of a series about Australian communities building renewable energy projects, we look at how Victoria’s Hepburn Shire overcame local opposition to deliver a new homegrown, community-owned generator”
» Interview with Per Bernard, co-founding member of Hepburn Wind:
www.climatesafety.info/thesustainablehour54
Earth is now a planet in upheaval
On 21 March 2017, the World Meteorological Organisation published it’s annual statement on the state of the global climate. The organisation’s assessment of the climate in 2016 reports unprecedented heat across the globe, exceptionally low ice at both poles and surging sea-level rise. Record-breaking climate change pushes world into ‘uncharted territory’, wrote The Guardian in a headline. “Earth is a planet in upheaval, say scientists, as the World Meteorological Organisation publishes analysis of recent heat highs and ice lows”
#Climatechange a grave #threat to millions without clean #water https://t.co/P0kH1FYNJY via @HuffPost #hygiene #health pic.twitter.com/AxE7Q3mMO8
— Climate Council (@climatecouncil) March 25, 2017
“The desert is extending, waterways are drying, Arctic ice is melting at an alarming rate. We are standing on the threshold of an ecological apocalypse.”
~ Charles Bo, cardinal of Myanmar, speaking to 132 participants of a religious conference in Yangon on 27 February 2017
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The Age of Consequences
The documentary ‘The Age of Consequences’ – about how the US military really see the challenges of global warming and climate change – was shown on ABC Four Corners on Monday night. It is replayed tonight at 11pm on the ABC. And you can see it on ABC News 24 on Saturday at 8.00pm – and, what works best for most people: at ABC iview.
David Spratt wrote: “You are unlikely to ever see another climate film like this one”. The film unpacks how water and food shortages, drought, extreme weather, and sea-level rise function as “accelerants of instability” and “catalysts for conflict” in volatile regions of the world.
» ABC Four Corners – Monday 20 March 2017:
www.abc.net.au/4corners
» If you missed seeing The Age of Consequences on Four Corners last week, you can watch it on ABC iView until 19 April 2017 at ABC iView
Terrible to "see no evil" by turning off datasets and attacking science. Australia just as much to blame. Move to 100% #renewables #4corners https://t.co/S0mXkD2pXq
— Lighter Footprints (@LiteFootPrints) March 20, 2017
Climate change is an accelerant to conflict, you're already seeing it on the front pages of newspapers nearly every day #4Corners #climate
— Justin Field MLC (@justinrfield) March 20, 2017
“Political leaders continually remind us that “The first priority of government is to ensure the safety of the citizenry”.
Around the world the dire consequences of human-induced climate change are becoming blindingly obvious. Climate change has moved from the twilight phase of much talk and relatively little impact; it’s turned nasty, as we are increasingly witnessing in Australia.
There is little doubt that current events such as Cyclone Debbie and another bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef are all being affected by it to some degree.
How many more disasters do we need before politicians and corporate leaders put aside ideology and cooperate to overcome this challenge?”
Ian Dunlop
See also:
» Scientific American – 15 November 2016:
Military Leaders Urge Trump to See Climate as a Security Threat
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A message from the Great Barrier Reef to the world. Time to #ActOnClimate. RT if you agree! #climate #cdnpoli #waterislife #worldwaterday pic.twitter.com/EGVUBFdGOy
— Mike Hudema (@MikeHudema) March 26, 2017
» The Guardian – 22 March 2017:
World Water Day: one in four children will live with water scarcity by 2040
“Unicef report says climate change and conflict are intensifying risks to children of living without enough water, and that the poorest will suffer most”
» Geo.tv – 22 March 2017:
Wastewater key to solving global water crisis: UN
“Recycling the world´s wastewater, almost all of which goes untreated, would ease global water shortages while protecting the environment, the United Nations said in a major report Wednesday.”
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CALENDAR
• 25 March 2017: Earth Hour: Film screening in Eastern Park: Before the flood Around the globe, millions of people, businesses, and landmarks set aside an hour – 20:30-21:30 local time – to host events, switch off their lights, and make noise for climate change action.
• 31 March: Stop Adani Roadshow in Melbourne: With renowned speakers from around the world and Australia, the StopAdani Roadshow will travel the country from 27 to 31 March,“ building an unstoppable movement to end the polluting influence of the fossil fuel industry and protect our climate” – the tour rounds off in Melbourne on 31 March. The Adani Carmichael Mega Mine will be Australia’s ‘Standing Rock’. Or… Franklin Dam Blockade . » Read more: Fight against coal to become “the fight of our time”
• 22 April: Earth Day, “March for Science”
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ADDITIONALLY:
In other news
From our notes of this week: news stories and events we didn’t have time to mention but which we think you should know about
American senator Sheldon Whitehouse’s 161th ‘Time To Wake Up’ speech is about water
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New hydro electric station opens near Ballarat
Ballarat and region is celebrating a new hydro electric station providing renewable energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The project powers the Lal Lal Treatment plant supplying half of Ballarat’s water supply.
The new mini hydro station at Lal Lal Reservoir is now complete. It will generate clean energy from environmental water releases at the reservoir into the Moorabool River.
Capable of generating enough electricity to power approximately 80 homes, this will result in a saving of approximately 500 tonnes of carbon equivalent greenhouse gas emissions annually.
This partnership between the Andrews Labor Government, Central Highlands Water and Barwon Water delivers both economic and environmental benefits by using our natural resources in a cleaner and smarter way – which sets an example that can be replicated across the State.
Lal Lal Reservoir is fed by the West Moorabool River catchment and currently supplies both Ballarat and Geelong. The two cities currently both have access to the water in Lal Lal Reservoir. Geelong has an interconnecter which means that city will be able to access water form Melbourne’s water pool, which could allow Ballarat to access more water in the Lal Lal Reservoir as Geelong will be compensated through its interconnector with water from Melbourne’s system.
» Premier of Victoria – 7 March 2016:
Work On Lal Lal Resevoir Hydro-Electric Project Begins
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Building the world’s most efficient wasterwater and resource plant
A strategy has been launched to build the world’s most resource-efficient wastewater treatment plant by transforming the existing Marselisborg facility in Aarhus, Denmark, into a resource plant of the future: Marselisborg Rewater in 2026. It is an open call for companies, manufacturers, research institutions, entrepreneurs, and alike to take part in developing it.
» Read more on www.stateofgreen.com
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New film about ‘The Water Protectors’
In 2016, Standing Rock in North Dakota, USA, became one of the most watched places on earth. Josh Fox has produced a new feature length documentary ‘AWAKE, A Dream From Standing Rock’, which captures some of the many stories of the native-led resistance against the Dakota Access Pipeline, “which forever changed the way people approach the fight for indigenous sovereignty and the stand against Big Oil, fossil fuel infrastructure, and climate change.”
The new film will be available to audiences everywhere and featured at the Tribeca Film Festival on Earth Day, April 22, 2017.
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Starts with water
“In this time of reckless US action, it’s crucial to shift the narrative beyond despair over fossil fuels and look at water as a primary tool of climate control”
» The Guardian – 3 April 2017:
There’s another story to tell about climate change. And it starts with water
Article by Judith D Schwartz
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Climate polls
VICTORIA STATE GOVERNMENT:
Climate targets become law as new poll shows huge support
Victoria has become the first state to legislate a target of zero climate pollution by 2050. It has also enshrined renewable energy targets of 25 per cent by 2020 and 40 per cent by 2025 into law.
The announcements come as independent research shows over eight out of 10 Victorians support the targets, and nine out of 10 believe the State Government should act on climate change.
Conducted by Wallis Research on behalf of Sustainability Victoria, the research canvassed a sample of over 3300 Victorians representative of the broader state population and with a low margin of error.
» View the key findings on www.sustainability.vic.gov.au
Age matters
The question of climate change science is also a question about how old you are – in the Australian parliaments as well as on the street:
• Young people: 7 out of 10 agree climate change is cause by human activity
• Old people: 5 out of 10 agree.
• Young people: Less than 2 out of 10 believe that the evidence is still not in, 1 out of 10 don’t know what to think.
• Old people: 5 out of 10 believe it is not in
“Do you believe that there is fairly conclusive evidence that climate change is happening and caused by human activity or do you believe that the evidence is still not in and we may just be witnessing a normal fluctuation in the earth’s climate which happens from time to time?”
63% (up 7% since November) of Australians agree that climate change is happening and is caused by human activity and 27% (down 5%) believe that we may just be witnessing a normal fluctuation in the earth’s climate. This is the highest recorded agreement that climate change is happening and caused by human activity over the last 7 years.
By age groups, those aged under 35 split 70% agreeing and 18% believing we are just seeing some fluctuations. Those aged 55 and above split 48% agreeing and 46% believing it is probably just some fluctuations.
» See more on www.essentialvision.com.au
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Papers on food security and national water reform
Two new discussion papers on Australian Policy Online – about change that integrates food security into urban planning, and about getting prepared for a submission to the public inquiry into a National Water Reform:
Urban Food systems – a renewed role for local governments in Australia
This discussion paper seeks to highlight the unique roles that local governments in Australia could play to mobilise change that integrates food security into urban planning and to leverage on a rising number of innovative activities.
Discussion paper by Grace Muriuki, Lisa Schubert, Karen Hussey, Sonia Roitman | Global Change Institute (UQ) | 20 March 2017 | Topics: Food security, Urbanization, Cities and towns, Local government, Local government, Citizen participation
» Read more
National water reform: issues paper
This issues paper has been released to assist participants in preparing a submission to the public inquiry into National Water Reform. It outlines a range of issues about which the Commission is seeking information.
Discussion paper by Productivity Commission | 16 March 2017 | Topics: Water, Water conservation, Agriculture, Environmental health
» Read more
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» Live Science – 23 March 2017:
Human-Caused Climate Change Made 2016 Way Too Hot
“The year 2016 was one for the record books, at least when it comes to the weather. Last year had the highest global temperature in modern history and extremely high levels of carbon dioxide and sea level rise, as well as exceptionally low levels of Arctic sea ice, according to the United Nation’s World Meteorological Organization (WMO). These alarming weather events and trends are continuing into 2017, the WMO said in a report released on 21 March 2017.”
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Earth Hour: Six ways to #jointhefuture
National organisers of Earth Hour, WWF-Australia, wrote:
“Every single one of us can make a huge difference in creating a cleaner future for our beautiful planet. We’ve put together some simple ways to join the future to protect the places we love.
1. Register for Earth Hour and switch off on 25 March 2017 at 8:30 pm
2. See the light
Donate to our Earth Hour Solar Lights program to help change the lives of those disproportionately affected by climate change.
3. Reduce your carbon footprint
Calculate your footprint using the WWF calculator.
4. Use less plastic
Think about using less disposable bags, bottles, plates, cups, even straws. The plastics end up in our landfill and our oceans. Help keep the places we love clean.
5. Use less energy
There are many actions you can take to reduce energy waste, such as turning televisions off instead of leaving them on stand-by, and unplugging chargers when not in use. Here are some simple WWF tips to reduce energy usage.
6. Change the way you travel
To achieve our goal of net-zero carbon pollution before 2050, governments, councils, businesses households and individuals, need to make smarter travel decisions. Walking, cycling or carpooling are great ways to reduce our carbon footprint. Here are some WWF travel and transport tips.
FIND OUT MORE WAYS TO SAVE THE PLANET
The Earth Hour Team”
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https://twitter.com/WBG_Climate/status/845976384296144896
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Tag-streams on Facebook:
#ChangeClimateChange
#StopAdani
Tag-streams on Twitter:
#ChangeClimateChange
#StopAdani
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Podcasts and posts about climate change
Acknowledgement
We at The Sustainable Hour would like to pay our respect to the traditional custodians of the land on which we are broadcasting, the Wathaurong People, and pay our respect to their elders, past, present and future.
The traditional owners lived in harmony with the environment and with the climate for hundreds of generations. It is not clear – yet – that as European settlers we have demonstrated that we can live in harmony for hundreds of generations, but it is clear that we can learn from the indigenous, traditional owners of this land.
When we talk about the future, it means extending our respect to those children not yet born, the generations of the future – remembering the old saying that…
The decisions currently being made around Australia to ignore climate change are being made by those who won’t be around by the time the worst effects hit home. How utterly disgusting, disrespectful and unfair is that?
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“Participation – that’s what’s gonna save the human race.”
Pete Seeger, American singer