A Low Carbon Life | Post 7 2018 | Feed-In Tariffs & an Existential Threat
Today I want to cover two topics in one post – both are related to government activity but the contrasts are breath-taking.
The first topic is a relatively small, but useful, initiative and the second epitomises the expression ‘Nero fiddled while Rome burned’.
So to begin with something positive.
Understand the savings that can be achieved by having solar panels, and the associated subtleties of when to use your own solar power and when to use grid power, is useful. These distinctions are usually driven by the feed-in tariff that is paid to you for exporting excess solar electricity to the grid. In Victoria and some other states, the feed-in tariffs are changing to a timed structure which could result in increased saving for those who choose to participate (it’s voluntary).
One of my favourite organisations, the Alternative Technology Association (ATA) has written an excellent article that explains these changes. It’s quick to read with a nice summary table so I recommend it to you!
Now for the second, breath-taking government ‘thing’.
A few days ago I came across an on-line article titled ‘Climate Change an Existential Security Risk to Australia‘ so, of course, I had to read it. Basically, in June 2017 the Australian Senate asked its Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee to tell them what effect climate change might have on national security.
The Committee reported last week that the security risk of climate change was ‘not a possible future threat but one that endangers Australia and its region now‘ and that it is a ‘current and existential national security risk‘. They went on to say they defined an existential threat ‘one that threatens the premature extinction of Earth-originating intelligent life or the permanent and drastic destruction of its potential for desirable future development”.
This doesn’t sound like the sort of committee that makes frivolous statements that are unsupported (but, these days, who knows) so I assume what they say is true. What really beggars belief though, is that this was not reported elsewhere (as far as I can tell). Why, when our parliament and government are told by their own people that we are, right this minute, facing a current and existential threat to our way of life and possibly our lives, is it not the lead story everywhere?
I really couldn’t think of an appropriate image to add to this post so it’s just words this time.
‘Caring & Doing‘. Until next time, Jane