Post 1|2016
Happy New Year everyone! As we gaze into the glass ball that is the year ahead, I wonder if this will this be the year when the commitments made in Paris in December 2015 are translated into our day-to-day lives? I hope so but it will mean change for all of us. If, however, we embrace the necessary changes, then we may get closer to assuring our futures and those of the world’s children, both born and yet to be born. These are exciting times but we are on a knife-edge.
For those who read my 2015 posts, you will see that for 2016 I have changed the way I present my blog. For more information about the site and the changes, visit the page called Using This Site.
Interesting Reading (helping me to understand what a Low Carbon Life might be) ….
If we accept the contention that 80% of fossil fuels (oil, gas and coal) must remain in the ground (and I do), then are we going to be able to maintain our lifestyles? Experts variously say yes we can, while others say no we can’t. Who is right? Where is the truth? Does anyone really know? How do we reconcile competing views from equally well-respected individuals and organizations? Maybe we have to live with the uncertainty. Having said that, I found this article by the well-respected Richard Heinberg absolutely worth reading. In this article, the competing scenarios of a low carbon world are outlined.
Projects (new initiatives leading towards a Low Carbon Life) ….
This fortnight I did more work on:
- The Worm Farm Project. The purpose of this project is to reduce the amount of material we send to landfill because material in landfill emits the green house gas, methane, which remains in the atmosphere a lot longer than carbon dioxide. Read more …
- The Electricity Monitoring Project. The purpose of this project is to reduce the amount of electricity we use through the simple act of being aware of our electricity usage on a day-to-day, hour to hour basis. Read more …
Incidents (domestic maintenance leading towards a Low Carbon Life) ….
This fortnight I started to work on:
- The Faulty Inverter Incident. Resolution of this incident will be the resumption of solar electricity being available to us in the prime generating time of summer. So far I have learnt to be really patient and control my frustration! Read more …
This fortnight I did more work on:
- The Range-hood Incident. So far I have learnt that when buying appliances, trying to work out how long they will last might be as important as understanding how much energy they need to operate. Read more …
This fortnight I resolved:
- The Refrigerator Incident. As a result of this incident, I have learnt that we don’t need as much refrigerator space as I thought we do and when buying appliances, trying to work out how long they will last might be as important as understanding how much energy they need to operate (reinforcing what I learnt from the Range-hood Incident above). Read more …
Really ….
Each year on the first of January, the National Archives of Australia release what are known as ‘cabinet papers’. These are confidential documents from federal government cabinet deliberations 25 years prior. I can’t say they are something I keenly anticipate, as a complement to our New Year festivities, but they are usually of some passing interest. This year they are of considerably more than passing interest because, in 1991, a carbon tax was considered to deal with all greenhouse gas emissions from industry, transport, agriculture and the energy sectors! Our leaders knew over 25 years ago that greenhouse gas emissions had to be reduced and in 2016 we are still grappling with the issue which is now of critical importance. I can’t decide if I feel impressed that our past leaders even considered such matters or hopelessly sad because nothing happened.
Until next time, Jane