Antinuclear

Under the Abbott government Australia is flying blind on climate chnage

The budget shows we’re now flying blind on climate change The Conversation,  Michael Raupach Professor at Australian National University 21 May 14, The word “climate” was conspicuously absent from Joe Hockey’sfirst budget speech as treasurer. It’s not hard to guess why – the full budget sets out major cuts to climate research, andstrong moves against renewable energy programs, such as scrapping the Australian Renewable Energy Authority.

Together, these moves send the strong signal that we are weakening our capacities for both climate knowledge and responses to climate change. As a result, we are increasingly flying blind.

Does this reflect a change in the way in which we, as a society, perceive the risks of climate change? It’s an important question, because although political appetites for action may wax and wane, the laws of nature cannot be repealed.

What the science says

Let’s start with the evidence. The scientific community has just released the landmark Fifth Assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), confirming and extending previous IPCC reports in 2007, 2001, 1996 and 1990.

In snapshot, the findings are that warming and other climate changes have occurred through the 20th century, mainly because of emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases by human activities; these changes will continue and accelerate with increasing emissions; and major reductions in emissions are needed over coming decades if we are to significantly reduce dangers from global warming and other impacts.

The observational evidence and models are clear and in agreement on these broad conclusions. This is a scientific consensus in the true sense; not the outcome of a vote, but the outcome of an effort to discern how nature works………..

The choices on offer

Broadly speaking, our options for responding to climate change can be drawn from two boxes: one marked “do something about it”, the other marked “live with whatever happens”. At this highest level, that’s it: no other boxes are available……….

Knowledge is critical

Whatever value judgements people and their politicians make about climate change, we urgently need knowledge. Gathering knowledge is not easy: it demands diversity, experimentation, and a willingness to fail many times before success is achieved. We need to continue monitoring our changing Earth, including both its natural functioning and the profound ways that we are influencing it.

We need to design strategies for responding to change: doing the painstaking engineering and development of renewable energy systems, working out how to adapt our farms and landscapes, and increasing the energy efficiency and robustness of our towns and cities.

Knowledge is essential because the pace of change is so great that we are creating a world that we do not know, and we need to understand and learn how to live with it even as we shape it. And that, in the larger picture, is why it is not sensible to fly blind. http://theconversation.com/the-budget-shows-were-now-flying-blind-on-climate-change-26833

May 21, 2014 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | General News