Aussies do their bit as solar panel use surges
Australians have installed more than 100,000 rooftop solar panels this year, more than in the entire previous decade, new data shows.
The clean energy sector says it shows Australians are keen to do their bit in the battle against climate change.
A report by Clean Energy Australia, released by the peak industry body today, provides a snapshot into just how Australia uses renewable energy.
It showed there were 105,520 solar power systems installed in Australia in the 10 months from January to October 2010, more than the 81,232 installed from 2001 to 2009.
The council's chief executive Matthew Warren said it made solar power technology the "Hills Hoist of the 21st century".
"Over the past year, more than 100,000 households have made a significant personal investment to take individual action on climate change," he said in a statement.
It was also a sign Australians were bracing themselves against hikes in electricity prices, Mr Warren said.
Electricity costs are slated to rise by up to two-thirds in NSW and Queensland by 2015 to meet increasing energy demands, with at least $100 billion needed to upgrade aging infrastructure.
Mr Warren said investments in clean energy would be much cheaper.
The report forecasts that the government's 20 per cent Renewable Energy Target (RET) will dramatically boost the sector, with more than 55,000 jobs to be created by 2020, mostly wind and solar.
That's up from the 8085 that presently exist.
Mr Warren said policy uncertainty surrounding climate change and renewables had slowed investment in large-scale clean energy projects, which recorded just modest growth.
Seventeen major projects were recorded to October this year, although another 11 are under way.
Overall, 8.67 per cent of Australia's electricity was provided by renewable sources in 2010, creating 21,751 gigawatt hours, with the remainder coming from fossil fuels.
SMH 21.12.10
Monday, December 20, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Plastic bags could be going...
Plastic out, biodegradable bags in to reduce landfill
Days numbered . . . plan to ban supermarket bags. Photo: Jon Reid
THE state government plans to introduce biodegradable bags to supermarket checkouts and open more waste collection centres to reduce landfill.
They are part of a draft waste avoidance plan to be released today by the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water. It encourages businesses to recycle more and invest in waste infrastructure.
If the draft is adopted, compostable bags would be trialled in several supermarkets to gauge public acceptance.
Food scraps wrapped in compostable bags would be mixed with garden refuse and councils would be encouraged to combine collections for the two.
''By separating food scraps for compost we can greatly reduce the amount of waste that goes to landfill,'' the Environment Minister, Frank Sartor, said.
Plans for a national ban on plastic bags were scrapped in 2008.
South Australia, the ACT and the Northern Territory have since banned them and Tasmania is expected to legislate next year.
The national technical manager of the recycling company Remondis, Mohan Selvaraj, said it was sensible to run a pilot program because compostable bags had variable success overseas and their strength is questioned.
Mr Sartor said a ban on plastic bags was likely once compostable bags were accepted.
The government will also increase the number of council waste collection centres for difficult items such as gas bottles, car batteries or paint. Talks to oblige manufacturers of problem wastes to help recycle products have become bogged down.
A scheme for electronic waste such as televisions and computers will start next year but there is argument over the cost and impact of so-called extended producer responsibility for other wastes. If there is no progress at a national level by 2013, NSW will introduce its own measures.
There will also be clearer land-use planning guidelines under the action plan in an attempt to attract more investment in recycling facilities.
The manager of sustainability at Veolia Environmental Services, Peter Shmigel, called on the government to follow Victoria and provide infrastructure subsidies. NSW collects more than $300 million a year in landfill levies but reinvests little in recycling, he said.
The action plan is designed to push NSW closer to its goal of recycling about two-thirds of waste by 2014. In 2008-09 the state recycled 59 per cent of the waste generated.
Consultation on the draft plan runs until February, when Mr Sartor will finalise the plan.
Aaron Cook
December 20, 2010 (SMH)
Days numbered . . . plan to ban supermarket bags. Photo: Jon Reid
THE state government plans to introduce biodegradable bags to supermarket checkouts and open more waste collection centres to reduce landfill.
They are part of a draft waste avoidance plan to be released today by the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water. It encourages businesses to recycle more and invest in waste infrastructure.
If the draft is adopted, compostable bags would be trialled in several supermarkets to gauge public acceptance.
Food scraps wrapped in compostable bags would be mixed with garden refuse and councils would be encouraged to combine collections for the two.
''By separating food scraps for compost we can greatly reduce the amount of waste that goes to landfill,'' the Environment Minister, Frank Sartor, said.
Plans for a national ban on plastic bags were scrapped in 2008.
South Australia, the ACT and the Northern Territory have since banned them and Tasmania is expected to legislate next year.
The national technical manager of the recycling company Remondis, Mohan Selvaraj, said it was sensible to run a pilot program because compostable bags had variable success overseas and their strength is questioned.
Mr Sartor said a ban on plastic bags was likely once compostable bags were accepted.
The government will also increase the number of council waste collection centres for difficult items such as gas bottles, car batteries or paint. Talks to oblige manufacturers of problem wastes to help recycle products have become bogged down.
A scheme for electronic waste such as televisions and computers will start next year but there is argument over the cost and impact of so-called extended producer responsibility for other wastes. If there is no progress at a national level by 2013, NSW will introduce its own measures.
There will also be clearer land-use planning guidelines under the action plan in an attempt to attract more investment in recycling facilities.
The manager of sustainability at Veolia Environmental Services, Peter Shmigel, called on the government to follow Victoria and provide infrastructure subsidies. NSW collects more than $300 million a year in landfill levies but reinvests little in recycling, he said.
The action plan is designed to push NSW closer to its goal of recycling about two-thirds of waste by 2014. In 2008-09 the state recycled 59 per cent of the waste generated.
Consultation on the draft plan runs until February, when Mr Sartor will finalise the plan.
Aaron Cook
December 20, 2010 (SMH)
Monday, December 6, 2010
Doing nothing on climate is a fool's wager
Doing nothing on climate is a fool's wager
Barry Jones (SMH)
December 7, 2010
With nothing to lose and much to gain, action is in the national interest.
Climate change as a political issue has probably had a greater effect in Australia than any other nation. In 2007, when Kevin Rudd campaigned on climate change as ''the greatest moral issue of our time'', it was a major factor in defeating the Howard government and sweeping the ALP into office.
Last December, the Copenhagen climate change conference failed to secure international agreement for binding targets for greenhouse gas reductions and was beset by controversy about the validity of projections by climatologists.
Advertisement: Story continues below
Australia retreated from its aspiration to be seen as an international leader and exemplary model in setting greenhouse goals, and Labor made the inexplicable blunder of failing to involve the community in education and advocacy, despite opinion polls indicating that more than 60 per cent of voters favoured setting a carbon price and acting decisively on climate change.
In the 2010 federal election, climate change was barely mentioned as an issue and Prime Minister Julia Gillard's proposal to establish a ''citizens' assembly'' of 150 to promote public engagement in climate change attracted much derision.
Climate change was central in reducing Labor's primary vote to 38 per cent, increasing the Greens vote to 11.7 per cent, and may have contributed to the high informal vote.
Labor's vote fell sharply in the mining states of Queensland and Western Australia, increased in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. The ALP maintained a majority of seats in New South Wales despite growing distaste for the state Labor government.
Australia refuses to face a ''post-carbon'' future. The moral implications have been marginalised. National Times columnist Elizabeth Farrelly's coinages ''climate morality'' and ''carbon ethics'' are timely and appropriate, but they are not in the political lexicon.
After the 2010 election produced a hung parliament, Gillard negotiated a deal with the Greens and independents that put climate change back on the agenda. The concept of Australia ''going it alone'' to set a moral example and secure a stronger bargaining position in international negotiations had become a sour joke. We were trailing far behind.
Despite Barack Obama's problems with his Senate, he grasped the issues and some states, notably California, had taken leadership roles. China, potentially facing the greatest risk from climate change of any major state, seemed to be taking practical action. Britain and New Zealand have both adopted carbon prices.
In Australia, the opposition is strongly opposed to setting a carbon price and the Gillard government is hesitant. It is probably too late for Australia to act unilaterally - and courageously - on greenhouse targets. We may be able to regain some moral authority if we propose higher targets, developing new scientific programs for alternatives to fossil fuels and work constructively with the US, European Union, China, India and Indonesia.
I have proposed my own variant of ''Pascal's wager'' to examine the options for climate change:
■ If we take action on climate change and disaster is averted, there will be massive avoidance of human suffering.
■ If we take action and the climate change problem abates for other reasons, little is lost and we benefit from a cleaner environment.
■ If we fail to act and disaster results, then massive suffering will have been aggravated by stupidity.
■ If we do not take action and there is no disaster, the outcome will be due to luck alone, like an idiot winning the lottery.
Failure to act appears to favour the present but it certainly prejudices the future. As the French diplomat Talleyrand acutely observed 200 years ago, ''Not to choose is to choose''.
Political failure on climate change in Australia has had three direct consequences: inaction on the issue, political mayhem, and the sacrifice of international influence.
Crisis-driven policy is a consequence of inaction, which in turn heightens the risk both of environmental disaster and political upheaval. Public involvement in the climate change debate is critical and must be genuine. But there are limits to consensus and, ultimately, decisions will need to be made based on what needs to be done. Leadership matters and political will is required if outcomes are to be changed.
The electorate appears to want, or is at least prepared to tolerate, action even if tough. Policy and the debate that surrounds policy development needs to be informed and critical: opinion must be distinguished from fact, arguments must be supported, and not all opinions carry equal weight in the absence of such support.
A solution will need to be found to the ''two cultures'' approach that separates scientists and economists: the environment and the economy are interdependent. Ultimately, Australia can and should choose to set a moral example and work towards a new economic base. Moreover, as the new version of Pascal's wager suggests, action is the low-risk road with the prospect of highest reward. It is in the national interest to take it.
Professor Barry Jones is a writer, broadcaster and former federal Labor politician. He is currently a professorial fellow at the University of Melbourne. This is an edited version of an essay commissioned by the Whitlam Institute within the University of Western Sydney that will be launched today.
Barry Jones (SMH)
December 7, 2010
With nothing to lose and much to gain, action is in the national interest.
Climate change as a political issue has probably had a greater effect in Australia than any other nation. In 2007, when Kevin Rudd campaigned on climate change as ''the greatest moral issue of our time'', it was a major factor in defeating the Howard government and sweeping the ALP into office.
Last December, the Copenhagen climate change conference failed to secure international agreement for binding targets for greenhouse gas reductions and was beset by controversy about the validity of projections by climatologists.
Advertisement: Story continues below
Australia retreated from its aspiration to be seen as an international leader and exemplary model in setting greenhouse goals, and Labor made the inexplicable blunder of failing to involve the community in education and advocacy, despite opinion polls indicating that more than 60 per cent of voters favoured setting a carbon price and acting decisively on climate change.
In the 2010 federal election, climate change was barely mentioned as an issue and Prime Minister Julia Gillard's proposal to establish a ''citizens' assembly'' of 150 to promote public engagement in climate change attracted much derision.
Climate change was central in reducing Labor's primary vote to 38 per cent, increasing the Greens vote to 11.7 per cent, and may have contributed to the high informal vote.
Labor's vote fell sharply in the mining states of Queensland and Western Australia, increased in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. The ALP maintained a majority of seats in New South Wales despite growing distaste for the state Labor government.
Australia refuses to face a ''post-carbon'' future. The moral implications have been marginalised. National Times columnist Elizabeth Farrelly's coinages ''climate morality'' and ''carbon ethics'' are timely and appropriate, but they are not in the political lexicon.
After the 2010 election produced a hung parliament, Gillard negotiated a deal with the Greens and independents that put climate change back on the agenda. The concept of Australia ''going it alone'' to set a moral example and secure a stronger bargaining position in international negotiations had become a sour joke. We were trailing far behind.
Despite Barack Obama's problems with his Senate, he grasped the issues and some states, notably California, had taken leadership roles. China, potentially facing the greatest risk from climate change of any major state, seemed to be taking practical action. Britain and New Zealand have both adopted carbon prices.
In Australia, the opposition is strongly opposed to setting a carbon price and the Gillard government is hesitant. It is probably too late for Australia to act unilaterally - and courageously - on greenhouse targets. We may be able to regain some moral authority if we propose higher targets, developing new scientific programs for alternatives to fossil fuels and work constructively with the US, European Union, China, India and Indonesia.
I have proposed my own variant of ''Pascal's wager'' to examine the options for climate change:
■ If we take action on climate change and disaster is averted, there will be massive avoidance of human suffering.
■ If we take action and the climate change problem abates for other reasons, little is lost and we benefit from a cleaner environment.
■ If we fail to act and disaster results, then massive suffering will have been aggravated by stupidity.
■ If we do not take action and there is no disaster, the outcome will be due to luck alone, like an idiot winning the lottery.
Failure to act appears to favour the present but it certainly prejudices the future. As the French diplomat Talleyrand acutely observed 200 years ago, ''Not to choose is to choose''.
Political failure on climate change in Australia has had three direct consequences: inaction on the issue, political mayhem, and the sacrifice of international influence.
Crisis-driven policy is a consequence of inaction, which in turn heightens the risk both of environmental disaster and political upheaval. Public involvement in the climate change debate is critical and must be genuine. But there are limits to consensus and, ultimately, decisions will need to be made based on what needs to be done. Leadership matters and political will is required if outcomes are to be changed.
The electorate appears to want, or is at least prepared to tolerate, action even if tough. Policy and the debate that surrounds policy development needs to be informed and critical: opinion must be distinguished from fact, arguments must be supported, and not all opinions carry equal weight in the absence of such support.
A solution will need to be found to the ''two cultures'' approach that separates scientists and economists: the environment and the economy are interdependent. Ultimately, Australia can and should choose to set a moral example and work towards a new economic base. Moreover, as the new version of Pascal's wager suggests, action is the low-risk road with the prospect of highest reward. It is in the national interest to take it.
Professor Barry Jones is a writer, broadcaster and former federal Labor politician. He is currently a professorial fellow at the University of Melbourne. This is an edited version of an essay commissioned by the Whitlam Institute within the University of Western Sydney that will be launched today.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
